Hilarious Taiwanese spoof on Australian election

The Taiwanese "news" service, which first attracted notoriety with its spoof animation about the infamous car crash that sent Tiger Woods' career into freefall, has struck again

Labor offers fathers two weeks off

Kirsty Needham PAID time off after the birth of a child will be enshrined for fathers in a new commitment from the ALP.

Unease grows as the arts get kicked into touch

DAVID MARR THE Gillard government's interest in the arts is easy to measure. The Arts Minister, Peter Garrett, has announced that if re-elected Labor would give the Australia Council a fresh $10 million for "new and emerging" artists.

Fury over proposed Coalition cuts to education

Dan Harrison and Heath Gilmore THE Coalition has angered university leaders, principals and teacher unions by announcing plans to cut a further $1.5 billion from the federal education budget, including programs to help the poorest students succeed at school and enter university.

No commitment on funding

Ari Sharp NEITHER of the two big parties has given a commitment to maintain funding for the ABC once the agreement lapses in 2012, prompting an advocacy group to describe their attitudes as ''worrying'' and ''disappointing''.

Labor's internet filter questioned by key-seat hope

Ari Sharp Labor's candidate in the marginal seat of Gilmore has spoken out against the government's proposed mandatory internet filter, saying it may not be necessary and admitting it could be "very, very difficult to implement".

Loving that deadline

Latika Bourke Twitter loves a deadline; something about the second by second "instant-ness" of it means even promise of a press conference is something new.

Traditional voting patterns

Damien Murphy Sydney's Catholic Education Office has entered the election, telling parents the Greens education policy will stop Catholic schools from "carrying out their Mission".

The ultimate compliment

Latika Bourke To be #FF'ed in the Twitterverse is one of the highest of compliments one user can pay another.

Immodest twits

Damien Murphy ABC's Q&A; program likes to promote itself as the great crossroads of Australian society.

The hidden truth behind the PM's 'impromptu' speech

Tony Wright This, we were assured before Julia Gillard climbed to the stage to deliver her speech officially launching the government's plea for re-election, was the real Julia, unplugged.

Teacher, technology funding vow from Coalition

A coalition government would establish a $200 million reward fund to recognise Australia's best and brightest teachers, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has announced.

Mad men not for sale

Damien Murphy Reality and virtual reality fused briefly in the mind's eye of the Greens' leader Bob Brown.

Leaders tussle for broadband high ground

Dan Harrison and Phillip Coorey HOBART TONY ABBOTT will today unveil his plan for a new $120 million fund for technology at schools as the two leaders duel over who has the stronger vision for Australia's future in the digital age.

Stop the boards

Damien Murphy At the midwinter ball in Canberra, the advocacy organisation GetUp! ante upped some $16,000 to secure the winning bid for a surfing lesson with Tony Abbott.

The perils of being real with real people

Mark Davis and Jacqueline Maley The problem with being real is that you have to - albeit occassionally - confront real people.

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Twittersphere's particular obsessions

Latika Bourke IT'S true, there are some issues about which the Twitterverse has particular obsessions.

Priests at 20 paces

Damien Murphy In an election that threatens to become a crusade between Christianity and atheism, the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, can only have asked one question upon reading Frank Brennan's political potshot: "Will no one rid me of this turbulent Jesuit?"

All roads (and rail) lead to western Sydney

Jacqueline Maley and Mark Davis What a difference a few days make. Who now has their hands on the keys to The Lodge?

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Fast-track teachers under Labor plan

Dan Harrison Accountants, laboratory technicians and engineeers would be parachuted into classrooms after just eight weeks of basic training under a Labor plan to address teacher shortages.

To tweet or not to tweet?

Latika Bourke "To tweet or not to tweet?" This is the oft-asked question of many contemplating a dive into the Twitterverse.

Kooyong clod's clanger

Damien Murphy The election has been a godsend to once and future prime ministerial pretenders like John Hewson, Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Costello.

News giant Oakes shows up new media pretenders

KATHARINE MURPHY On any reasonable benchmark, Laurie Oakes has had an exceptional campaign - showing there is still some fight left in the old media style of journalism.

Pearson's message finally gets a hearing

Debra Jopson THE Cape York leader Noel Pearson, who has been calling on the federal government to ditch the dole for Aborigines aged under 21 for at least three years, has finally found a prospective prime minister who agrees with the idea.

All a flutter over Kevin's twitters

Latika Bourke The Twitterverse gets very excited about @KRuddMP; not necessarily his tweets to his nearly 1 million followers, but just the very mention of him triggers lots of twitter talk.

Sky high on Rudd as ABC protects its saucers

Damien Murphy The face-off between Sky News and its new rival, ABC News 24, was tipped to be a knock down, drag out war - and the national broadcaster has already lost a vital early battle.

No shortage of fashion advice

Latika Bourke There is never a shortage of political (or fashion) advice in the Twittersphere, so it took only @TonyAbbottMHR's wish for fewer Australian women to wear the "particularly confronting" burqa to prompt a barrage of tweets about other attire.

Twittersphere - Surreal lessons

Latika Bourke It was all quite surreal. There was John Faulkner sitting next to me on the media bus wondering what on earth I was doing with the "colourful" device sitting on my lap from which I was tweeting.

Labor caves in to private schools

Mark Davis Julia Gillard will seek to assuage the powerful private school lobby by announcing an extension of the existing funding agreement until the end of 2013, according to Labor sources.