Government
We can all be grateful that the acting auditor general Rona Mellor has decided to take at least a sideways glance into Commonwealth speculation, alongside a similar bet by the probably outgoing Queensland government, in an American horse in the great quantum computing race. I know nothing to say that there is anything intrinsically dodgy Continue reading »
NSW, like Victoria before it, is demonstrating once again that the dangers of politicisation do not lie with just one side of politics. NSW, like most other States, has limited protection against politicisation of its public service. Its senior executives, whether they are departmental secretaries, other agency heads or other executives (with some specified exemptions), Continue reading »
Minutes released under FOI show Paul Brereton present throughout the majority of a NACC senior assessment panel meeting on Robodebt, only leaving the room towards the end as a decision was made. EXCLUSIVE The move by National Anti-Corruption Commission boss Paul Brereton to delegate the final decision of whether to investigate Robodebt to a deputy Continue reading »
A government is in trouble when it has to utter the banal and reiterate the damnably obvious. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is certainly struggling of late, a state of affairs all the more unspeakable given the calibre of his opponent. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton barely makes the grade of a two-dimensional politician, but has Continue reading »
Labor has got its comeuppance in the Northern Territory, losing power in a double-digit swing to the Country Liberals. With a first-ever seat for the Greens, it sets a pattern that could carry through all the way to Canberra and the Federal Election due by September next year. Among the unseated ALP luminaries was Chief Continue reading »
A Senate inquiry has failed to reach agreement on whether the Federal Government should spend A$1.5 billion on a major industrial hub in Darwin – spending critics say amounts to a huge fossil fuel subsidy. The project, known as the Middle Arm Industrial Precinct, involves developing a manufacturing and minerals hub on a peninsula at Darwin Harbour. Continue reading »
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton seems bereft of the qualities required in a leader, so it’s worth pondering how he and those who support him could show leadership. There’s no fixed prescription for leaders, but imagination, vision and a concern with altruism are invaluable, as long as those traits are augmented with touches of humanity, as Continue reading »
One of Lyndon Johnson’s sage pieces of political advice was that one should never get into a piss fight with a skunk. Kamala Harris should take note. But so should Anthony Albanese, who is inadequately equipped for an argument over AUKUS and the submarine deal with his predecessor Paul Keating. The want of equipment is Continue reading »