Issues
Abbott pledges to cut company tax rate
A Coalition government will reduce the rate of company tax from 30 per cent to 28.5 per cent from July 1, 2013, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has announced.
PM poses for 'glam' magazine spread
Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she doesn't believe that her life choices will influence voters in the August 21 election.
The unseen art
Daniel Flitton Unless the foreign service is properly funded and given more authority, Australian diplomats abroad can do little more than raise the flag.
Ferry nice break for beached Abbott
Kirsty Needham It was once his regular morning commute, but as opposition leader in an election campaign, there was nothing 'regular' about the member for Warringah Tony Abbott's trip on a Manly ferry to offices at...
Engaging with the contest
Glyn Davis Beneath the veneer of an electoral battle lies the fact that Australian parliamentary politics is dominated by consensus on most policy matters.
Saving the bush
Tim Flannery The Australian countryside is a huge national opportunity. But to maximise that opportunity, governments need to become more engaged.
The end of the affair
Shaun Carney The Labor Party has reached a critical point in its history, with its leadership under attack from its own members and its support base being eroded by the Greens.
Crossing the schools divide
Steven Schwartz Australia may think of itself as an egalitarian society, but children from wealthier backgrounds still get a better education. This needs to change.
Same same but different
Tim Colebatch On the face of it it there is little to distinguish Labor from the Liberals. But if you look hard enough the policy differences are there, especially when it comes to managing the economy.
The way to go
Merrilyn Walton We need more discussion on how we die and how we care for those approaching death. And is the goal of medical treatment to relieve suffering or extend life?
Just not cricket
Greg Baum A decade after the Sydney Olympics, Australia must revise its morally bankrupt sporting ethos.
A fine balance
Michelle Grattan To survive and win, politicians must respond to public opinion. This can make for bland leaders who seemingly stand for very little.
Remembering history
Tania Major Why has indigenous policy in this country failed? The federal government must realise that what looks good in Canberra looks very different in Kowanyama or the Kimberley.
Gillard puts best gloss on ugly Labor leak...but questions remain
Peter Hartcher Julia Gillard has made an impressive effort to turn a sudden new Labor campaign liability into an asset, but big questions remain.
Who's the rat in Gillard's ranks?
Tony Wright The paranoia within the Labor party about who is doing the leaking - and more to the point, why - remains at fever pitch.
Ciggies up, fruit and veg down: the politics of prices
Jacqueline Maley and Mark Davis Gillard ain't gonna shilly-shally: she responds to those "anonymous allegations reported on TV"
Liberal candidate in court
Louise Hall Just days after the Liberal Party was forced to dump a candidate for "anti-Muslim" remarks, concerns have been raised about another candidate standing for a western Sydney seat.
I'm not a soft touch: Gillard on front foot over leaks
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has stridently defended her record on two of the former Rudd government's biggest welfare increases, but has not denied questioning their affordability.
Rudd denies being leaker
Kevin Rudd has denied being the source of the latest round of embarrassing Cabinet leaks that have targeted the leadership of Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
The state of the nation
Paul Ramadge, Editor-in-Chief, The Age These are the strangest of times: climate change, and its associated consequences, is the issue of our lifetime.
