Bligh gives Gillard breathing space

Phillip Coorey WHEN Labor was fighting for re-election during the 2010 federal campaign, the toxic governments in NSW and Queensland were a factor blamed for damaging the Labor brand and making Julia Gillard's task...

Wilkie blow not lethal for Labor

Phillip Coorey THE decision by the independent MP Andrew Wilkie to withdraw his support for the minority Labor government sounded dramatic but it should not further threaten its stability.

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Keep an eye on the quiet achiever who may give Shorten a run for his money

Phillip Coorey BILL SHORTEN was not the only former union official with a talent for politics to be promoted to cabinet on Monday.

PM draws loyalists closer, but reshuffle bears hallmarks of a leader under pressure

Phillip Coorey THIS reshuffle is clunky. It took a long time to organise and by the time it was announced virtually all of it had leaked. That is symptomatic of all not being well.

Gillard lives on the edge as Rudd prepares for push

Phillip Coorey Tony Abbott once observed that reshuffles, unless absolutely necessary, should be avoided because they only create enemies.

Labor swings both ways but struggles to pick up votes

Phillip Coorey Veterans of ALP national conferences well remember what became known as the holy hand grenade, which John Howard rolled down the stairs at the 2000 event in Hobart.

Rank and file push stalls

Phillip Coorey A PUSH to give ALP members greater input in the party's key policy-making forum has made limited progress amid renewed warnings Labor would continue to decline.

You get what you pay for with politicians

Phillip Coorey The decision to increase politicians' pay is long overdue if we are to get the best talent in Parliament.

Rudd stretches credibility with his call for party reform

Phillip Coorey Someone in the Labor Party remarked yesterday that the former prime minister Kevin Rudd “assumes that everyone has the memory of a goldfish".

They were quite mild about Harry but they are ropeable about Peter

Phillip Coorey HARRY JENKINS will not say directly whether he resigned voluntarily, as the government says, or was pushed, as the opposition alleges.

Messy mining tax deal sealed in the early hours

Phillip Coorey Unsurprisingly, the government was able to find $100 million last night to soothe the concerns of the Greens and usher the mining tax through the House of Representatives at 2.42am.

Mining tax now a Coalition dilemma

Phillip Coorey Amid the tumult of last week's visit by the US President, Barack Obama, Julia Gillard's focus remained squarely on the domestic agenda and the week ahead.

Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico brings an oil strike for Gillard

Phillip Coorey As fate would have it, a disaster deep beneath the sea and thousands of kilometres away has almost certainly changed the course of Australian political history.

Policy on the run has opposition in disarray over mining tax

Phillip Coorey The tortuous process that was the evolution of the mining tax was a salient example of how not to embark on tax reform.

Petty politicking rears its head while lives are lost

Phillip Coorey WHEN the government raised the white flag on its Malaysia plan three weeks ago in the face of trenchant opposition from the Coalition, it made two predictions: there would be a surge of boats and...

Arthurian hero on Abbott round table

Phillip Coorey For a while, Coalition MPs have been talking in hushed tones about the arrival of Arthur Sinodinos. Most are enthusiastic, some are paranoid.

Gillard buys some time with a round-the-world ticket

Phillip Coorey Over the next four weeks, Julia Gillard's feet will hardly touch the ground.

Refugees the real losers again in yet another 'solution'

Phillip Coorey As refugee advocates and others applauded the demise of offshore processing last week, they may have missed what was a big backhander delivered in the process.

Crook still sitting on the fence but has the keys to the House

Phillip Coorey Julia Gillard's intention to press ahead this week with legislation to amend the Migration Act and override the High Court decision on the Malaysia plan risks making history.