Can Bronwyn Bishop save her seat of Mackellar? An insider outlines the factional heavies lining up against her.

The Sydney Morning Herald says it published the names and addresses of those arrested at the 1978 Mardi Gras as “standard procedure”. But Chips Mackinolty, one of those outed by the paper, says that’s bullshit.

NSW Labor has gone on the attack in question time, but it is failing to land any punches.

The NSW government will finally apologise to those who were beaten by police in the 1978 Mardi Gras parade. But many say it’s not enough, writes freelance journalist Serkan Ozturk.

Proponents of the lockout laws say they are keeping Sydneysiders safe. Opponents say they are killing a vital part of Australia’s cultural scene. Unfortunately they are both right.

NSW Labor smells blood, and it’s not letting go.

The NSW government has extended the licence for the electronic Keno game from 2022 to 2050 — the result of a pre-election deal to not scupper the Coalition.

The Greens have unveiled their secret weapon for fighting popular Labor MP Anthony Albanese.

Has everyone forgot what happened when we privatised Telstra?

The lockout laws have killed Sydney — and they might kill Mike Baird’s political career.

Are ICAC’s days numbered?

The University of Sydney has reduced the number of positions on its governing board. Is this a worrying trend of less democracy in education?

The Salim Mehajer saga has been a gift for NSW Premier Mike Baird.

A new book about the Italian mafia is a must-read for cops, pollies and anyone with an interest in true crime.

NSW Labor’s Jack Hallam has called for an overhaul of the preselection system.

The sexual harassment scandal that has embroiled NSW state Labor will shift internal party dynamics. But to whose benefit?

There is indeed a culture of filth in the NSW Labor Right. And here’s the dirty little secret: Labor is unfit to govern.

A Sydney events company is in hot water after organising a harbourside New Year’s Eve party that did not go to plan.

False drug charges and Sydney’s draconian lockout laws have taken a considerable toll on Randel Morris, writes freelance journalist Serkan Ozturk.

Like Jeff Kennett’s before him, Mike Baird’s council amalgamation is a wise move.

Sydney City Council has been told to behave — or else.

The CDP hands Mike Baird’s NSW Liberal government another big win.

In the wake of horrendous animal cruelty revelations, the NSW government has launched a massive investigation into the export of greyhounds.

Who watches the watchers? In this case, David Levine. And he is not pleased with what he has found.

Trent Zimmerman is expected to snag Joe Hockey’s seat of North Sydney, a win for the Liberal “wets”.

The ACT government has decided to get on the front foot, and will allow Uber in, but with strict regulation.

A controversial image is at the centre of a debate around disability rights and the ACT’s education system.

You’d think the debate over fee regulation would send student politicians Leftward, but the reality is very different, write Sally Whyte and Myriam Robin.

The government’s move to prosecute a whistleblower and his lawyer for revealing an ASIS scandal illustrates its determination to send a signal to all potential whistleblowers.

Bureaucratic deck chairs have been shuffled, some tossed overboard, but in the main the good ship HMAS Australia has come through relatively unscathed, writes The Mandarin publisher Tom Burton.

Victoria and South Australia will finally expunge those convicted of consensual gay sex. So will other states follow? Crikey intern Broede Carmody examines the roadmap.

Gay couples in the ACT are nervously awaiting a decision on whether their historic new unions will stand. Farz Edraki attended some of the country’s first same-sex weddings for Crikey.

The tactics of the Obama administration’s war on whistleblowers and journalists have now been openly deployed in Australia. The Coalition government is on the attack.

Protecting the corridor of a high-speed rail network that will never be built will inflict significant damage on outer suburbs in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The ACT gay marriage act is in deliberate breach of the constitution and is designed only to embarrass the Prime Minister, writes gay rights activist and former Democrats leader Brian Greig.

Canberra: a great place to live, or akin to being embalmed alive in a dull, overly planned city of public servants? We asked our readers to decide, and the verdict was clear. Read the winners in our Crikey comp here …

Opposition to same-sex marriage is fading, and Tony Abbott’s approval is picking up, today’s Essential Report finds.

It looks like the ACT will pass same-sex marriage laws, and the feds will try to knock them down in the High Court. ANU constitutional law lecturer Ryan Goss looks at the legal aspects of the looming stoush.

The ACT wants to legalise gay marriage but there’s a bevvy of legal challenges the bill could face. David Donaldson lists the obstacles … and finds the big problem could be divorce, not marriage.

Labor lost its grip on the electorate covering the south of the national capital amid the wreckage of the Whitlam and Keating governments, but few people suggest it will go that way again this year, writes William Bowe.

The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.

Local ACT Liberal leader Zed Seselja has launched a raid on the seat of sitting Senator Gary Humphries, pitching conservative against moderate and annoying some at the federal level.

Despite unfavourable redistributions and a statewide swing in 2010, Bill Hayden’s old seat has returned to safe Labor hands since the famous interruption of Pauline Hanson. It is William Bowe’s seat of the week.

The recent ACT election saw an unexpected swing towards women, though the overall number of women in the Legislative Assembly is declining, writes Glen Fuller.

Ahead of the ACT election, The Canberra Times called it as an easy Labor victory based on its “exclusive poll”. The poll was way out. So what went wrong?

Andrew Wilkie’s move to introduce a whistleblowing bill prompted some action from a government hitherto content to ignore the issue — but legislative action may fall off the “to do” list again.

Election results in Sydney, Melbourne and the ACT point to moderately good news for Labor — and the Greens will take some comfort from their inner-city results. Is the anti-incumbency vibe waning?

The ACT has voted and political types are biting their nails as counting continues — but a Labor-Green government is the most likely outcome, due to fractious relations between Greens and Liberals.

Leaving national implications aside, the major parties can both take heart from the gains made at the expense of the Greens in Saturday’s ACT election.

Over the last century, much of what has been written about the Northern Territory has been given a Disney-grade whitewashing.

High Court ruling on the Northern Territory’s “paperless” arrest scheme proves a doubled-edged sword.

Former opposition leader in the Northern Territory Delia Lawrie has had her day in court. It did not go well.

The legacy of Vincent Lingiari as a passionate environmental custodian continues to inspire, almost 30 years after his death, writes journalist and author Jeff McMullen.

If it was unconscionable not to intervene to prevent child abuse in 2007, how, in 2015, has it become acceptable to criminalise the reporting of that abuse?

The problem of electoral boundaries, and its potential solution.

Embattled Northern Territory MP Robyn Lambley has gone out with a bang in the Northern Territory.

Questions are being asked about the approval process of a water licence granted to the owner of a Northern Territory property, who also happens to be a Country Liberal Party candidate.

Cuts to EDOs around the country have inspired fund-raising events, including an indigenous art auction in the NT. Will Brandis, a self-declared lover of the arts, see fit to buy any of these beautiful works of Aboriginal art?

Delia Lawrie appears determined to hang onto her leadership of the Labor Party despite the numbers running against her.

Yesterday’s judgement by Justice Stephen Southwood in Lawrie v Lawler has driven the final nail in the coffin of Delia Lawrie’s fraught leadership of NT Labor.

Renowned Aboriginal activist Leigh Bruce “Tracker” Tilmouth died on the weekend. Crikey’s Northern Myth blogger, Bob Gosford, takes a look back at some of his most memorable quotes.

Recently sacked Country Liberal Party minister Robyn Lambley rose in Parliament to launch an all-out verbal attack on Chief Minister Adam Giles’ government.

The Australian Defence Force was standing by to provide disaster relief in the wake of Cyclone Lam. So why weren’t the troops sent in?

An assortment of select quotes from the transcript of a very candid meeting the NT Chief Minister Adam Giles had with Alice Springs branch members of the Country Liberal Party.

Why does Australia continue to fail Aboriginal Australia at such gross levels? John B. Lawrence SC, a Darwin-based barrister and immediate past president of the Northern Territory Bar Association, explains.

The Northern Territory endures another round of politicians behaving badly — and this time it’s the Labor Party.

A Pakistani-Australian man has won a Federal Court battle against a Northern Territory strip club after he was racially abused by one of its employees.

The NT is a failed state — a “rotten borough” so corrupt and corrupted that it is beyond self-redemption

It has been a very weird 24 hours for Northern Territory politics. And the failed midnight leadership coup isn’t the half of it …

Willem Westra van Holthe has promised his new government will bring “stability” to the NT, but that seems extremely unlikely. Byelections could cost the CLP its slim majority.

A long history of confrontations and bad behaviour within the Northern Territory’s Education Department culminated recently in a very strange public apology.

Who’s responsible for morgues in rural areas of the Northern Territory? Years of buck-passing have resulted in truly horrific facilities.

The Northern Territory’s new public sex offender website may make us alarmed, but it might not make us alert, writes criminal lawyer Russel Goldflam.

The rates of end-stage kidney disease in remote areas are up to 30 times the national average. Why are so many Aboriginal people dying from a preventable disease?

You know the NSW lockout laws, the ones that have killed Sydney’s nightlife and are in the process of being repealed? Annastacia Palaszczuk wants them for Queensland.

When council election day comes around on March 19, voters will be asked to take part in a referendum.

How did Clive Palmer go from lovable upstart to a prince without subjects?

The resources boom is bust. To say otherwise is an expensive delusion.

Most voters seem pretty content with their current state leaders, according to Essential.

What will the High Court — not to mention voters — make of Bob Katter’s plan to increase the size of Queensland Parliament.

A Queensland QC is trying to exonerate one of the top cops associated with the reign of Queensland premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

Matthew Condon has provided proof of Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s corruption and criminal behaviour.

Catherine Holmes has been sworn in as Queensland Chief Justice, ending the term of controversial chief justice Tim Carmody.

Maverick candidates have caused a lot of headaches for the LNP over the years, both in the states and federally. Now Queensland’s state branch wants to do something about it.

A new report sheds light on the tale of two very different elections. One, a Coalition triumph. The other … not so much.

Are the voters of Queensland happy with the new Queensland government? It’s very hard to say.

Abortion laws have failed to keep up with medical science. It’s time to effect long-overdue change to abortion laws in NSW and Queensland, write Heather Douglas and Caroline de Costa.

The shattered residents of Grantham want and need better answers from the Queensland government, reports Toowoomba-based freelance journalist Amanda Gearing.

New South Wales Labor’s campaign against electricity privatisation is cynical and hypocritical, and punishes consumers with higher prices.

NSW Labor has historically turned its attention to competing with the Greens, giving the Liberals a free run.

Despite ominous warnings from the LNP of the “chaos” that could be caused by overzealous crossbenchers, Labor has formed minority government fair and square. And the Queensland Parliament in no stranger to minority governments.

The claim that the ability of governments to reform is dead is wrong — voters will back even complex reforms if they understand the benefits.

The Queensland LNP’s new leader Lawrence Springborg hopes to prevent Annastacia Palaszczuk from forming government by triggering a byelection in the Labor-won seat of Ferny Grove.

Queensland independent MP Peter Wellington tells freelance journalist James Rose why proposed asset sales and the current culture of political donations helped shift his support to the ALP.

The polls were unanimous: the LNP was going to retain government in Queensland. How did we all miss the great Labor comeback?

Anti-big business feeling and a targeted social media campaign gave Labor the votes to win the Queensland election, writes freelance writer and small business owner Andrew Stewart in Queensland.

The LNP has had its collective arse handed to it, surprising just about everyone. What was the factor psephologists overlooked?

If not the direct cause, Tony Abbott is the lethal dose of background radiation that is crippling the conservative cause.

A crippled Tony Abbott must completely reset the political agenda with his Press Club speech. And John Howard offers some inspiration.

Is a nuclear waste dump in South Australia a good idea? Crikey intern Zara McDonald explains the debate.

The biggest threat to Jay Weatherill’s re-election isn’t the jobless rate or the economy, writes InDaily journalist Tom Richardson.

Federal Labor is in a stoush with the South Australian government over the GST, writes InDaily’s Tom Richardson.

A terrible tragedy has highlighted not only a shameful loophole in South Australia’s laws but an irrefutable and troubling truth about bureaucracy in this state, writes Tom Richardson.

Steven Marshall’s shadow cabinet reshuffle has left InDaily journalist Tom Richardson scratching his head.

Most voters seem pretty content with their current state leaders, according to Essential.

Candidates have put their hands up for the new Nick Xenophon Team, but the party leader himself was not present, due to a “software glitch” with his diary. InDaily’s Tom Richardson reports.

Why is the government so terribly concerned with South Australia? One independent senator is making an awful lot of trouble for the major parties …

Mourning is a private affair, but we have turned it into a ghastly media spectacle.

A tragedy of this kind has not struck the AFL community before, with no one quite sure how to process it, writes InDaily’s Tom Richardson

The media — and police — were quick to say that the Adelaide Crows coach had been “murdered”, and that his son was a suspect. Was that legal?

First New South Wales, Victoria, and now South Australia. There’s no stopping Fairfax’s NewsNow train, report Myriam Robin and Sally Whyte.

The South Australian Liberals have been in the electoral wilderness for 36 of the last 50 years. A Liberal elder statesman explains what the problem might be, writes InDaily political reporter Tom Richardson.

Royal commissions usually investigate events after they’ve happened, so why is the case for nuclear power being put to a royal commission in South Australia? Crikey intern Rowan Forster reports.

Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has announced plans to form his own political party. But will his popularity in South Australia translate to a national party? Freelance journalist Casey Briggs reports from South Australia.

Labor’s surprise victory in a byelection for the South Australian state seat of Fisher at the weekend can be largely attributed to the plummeting stocks of the Abbott government.

The death of independent MP Bob Such has triggered a byelection in the South Australian seat of Fisher. It looked like an easy Liberal win, but things aren’t so certain now.

The loss of the local editions of 7.30, which used to be called Stateline, have prompted a fierce reaction, and a look at the ratings helps reveal why.

The unfortunate death of South Australian state independent Bob Such has triggered a byelection in the seat of Fisher. This presents a make-or-break opportunity for the SA Liberals.

Bill Shorten tried to gee up workers at South Australia’s ASC, but it was a few soundbites with little substance, writes InDaily political reporter Tom Richardson.

Will abandoning its promise to build new submarines in South Australia hurt the Coalition’s chances in that state? Probably — but does it need SA to win at the next election anyway?

You’d think the debate over fee regulation would send student politicians Leftward, but the reality is very different, write Sally Whyte and Myriam Robin.

The South Australian Liberal Party is trying to bastardise the Westminster system further to deliver it the results it wants. But Crikey’s Poll Bludger says that’s a lost cause — it’s time to think bigger.

Access to housing is a key issue in welfare reform that has been missed by the McClure report

As fires ravage Tasmania’s pristine areas, writer and Launceston bushwalking guide Bert Spinks mourns for the beautiful places that are no more.

The tide of public opinion is turning against pokies in Tasmania. And MONA’s David Walsh looks set yet again to come up trumps. Economist and accountant John Lawrence explains.

Nick McKim has held a seat for the outer Hobart division of Franklin in the state’s lower house since 2002. But who is he, exactly?

Christine Milne leaves politics with her party at record strength — an outcome that looked unlikely when she took over as leader.

The Tasmanian government’s proposed expansion of the tourism industry threatens everything great about Tassie’s wilderness, writes Bert Spinks, freelance writer and bushwalking guide on the Overland Track.

Jacqui Lambie wants to form her own political party. But will she be able to reach the heights of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation?

Proposed new defamation laws for Tasmania could have an Australia-wide chilling effect on free speech.

Authorities are considering introducing Tasmanian devils onto Wilson’s Prom to decrease the feral cat population. But biologist Allen Greer says there’s little evidence the devils will make any difference.

The loss of the local editions of 7.30, which used to be called Stateline, have prompted a fierce reaction, and a look at the ratings helps reveal why.

Two BRW rich listers have donated thousands of dollars to prevent a feasibility study into a wind farm off the coast of Tasmania.

Tasmania’s woodchip industry is uncompetitive, overseas demand has dried up, and Australian plants are closing. So why on earth are loggers still talking about the closed Triabunna woodchip mill as if it could be reopened?

Tasmania punches well above its weight in terms of political influence — and the state’s aluminium smelting industry is not happy with keeping the Renewable Energy Target.

Tasmania’s judges just don’t have a bad word to say about John Gay. How is it the former Gunns boss can run a company again, asks business director and commentator John Addis.

The Liberals have won the Tasmanian election after a long time in the wilderness, consigning Labor and the Greens to history. Here are the biggest challenges they face this term …

Liberal oppositions are in the box seat to win government in state elections in Tasmania and South Australia tomorrow. But one of the races could be closer than many think.

They said the conflict over Tasmania’s forests was over. But with the Liberals poised to win the state election on Saturday, should we be bracing for another round of protests?

Julia Gillard came to the member for Denison with a curious proposal. Federal MP Andrew Wilkie is now spilling the beans on the secret deal — and why he ultimately tore up an agreement once she stabbed him in the back.

As Tasmanians prepare to vote in the state election on March 15, Crikey names the most powerful people behind the scenes — the svengalis, staffers, journalists and businesspeople running the apple isle.

As Tasmania gears up for a state election on March 15, here is Crikey’s list of the 20 most powerful people behind the scenes in the apple isle.

The Labor Party is under attack from both sides, writes La Trobe University professorial fellow Dennis Altman at Inside Story. Voters trust the Liberals more to manage the economy; progressives are increasingly turning to the Greens.

A fresh poll shows the Liberals on track to win the Tasmanian election in March. Will the Coalition hold every state and federal government from March 15?

Victoria and South Australia will finally expunge those convicted of consensual gay sex. So will other states follow? Crikey intern Broede Carmody examines the roadmap.

The Tasmanian Liberals look set to win the state government at the March poll — but could Clive Palmer’s party cause an upset? Crikey’s polling analyst crunches the numbers.

Three state elections and some important byelections are likely to test voters’ loyalty to the newly minted Abbott government. Crikey’s resident polling analyst previews the electoral year.

Data appears to show populations of Tasmanian devils have stabilised. Biologist Allen Greer asks why you’re not hearing that from the state government or advocates of “saving” the devil.

Kevin Andrews’ retirement from his safe Liberal seat, Menzies, would benefit his own party.

The upshots of the Victorian government’s rate-capping exercise.

Most voters seem pretty content with their current state leaders, according to Essential.

Like Jeff Kennett’s before him, Mike Baird’s council amalgamation is a wise move.

Auditor-general’s report damns Tony’s infrastructure handout.

Open-cut mines turned into beautiful lakes, what could be wrong with that? Freelance writer Tom Doig is sure the citizens of the valley 500 years in the future will enjoy them.

Crikey can exclusively reveal the Lend Lease-led consortium offered a rail alignment to both the Napthine Coalition government and the Andrews Labor government as part of the East West project, but was secretly rebuffed by both.

Grocer Antonio Madafferi’s case against The Age was the first test of Victoria’s new shield laws.

The Hazelwood mine inquiry has found it is likely people died because of the fire.

Victoria has passed legislation preventing the harassment of women outside abortion clinics. But does the new law restrict free speech? Crikey intern Jess Davis investigates.

Gentrification has proved a powerful vote-shifter in Melbourne’s inner north.

Muscle-bound skinheads and authority figures in suits championing hate speech. All in a day’s work for anti-Muslim extremists.

Branch-stacking controversy reaches a fiery head.

The many missteps of the Baillieu-Napthine governments revealed. Journalist for The Mandarin David Donaldson and Crikey journalist Myriam Robin report.

Does Victoria issue too many suppression orders? The Chief Justice says no — but interestingly, the state’s Attorney-General is staying mum.

Defining transparency is easy. It’s enacting it that’s the problem.

Geelong Grammar has been dealing with allegations of child abuse in a proactive way, asking former students to address the royal commission.

The Hazelwood Mine Inquiry hearings in Morwell have heard it is likely that the Hazelwood mine fire caused deaths in the area.

It’s on! Now it’s off! Now it’s on again! Oh wait, no… the Border Force operation planned for Melbourne today was not the most well-executed plan. Crikey journalists Sally Whyte and Josh Taylor were on the ground.

It’s time for Victorian councils to cap their rates.

Don’t believe the hype; all is not what seems when it comes to The Economist’s city-by-city liveability Index.

Melbourne should be willing to forego some of its parking revenue in order to encourage the environmentally sustainable business of car-sharing

We need more independent directors on boards.

The Labor government has promised to get to the bottom of what happened in the Hazelwood mine fire last year, but serious questions remain, writes freelance writer Tom Doig

Former Victorian Labor MP Mary Delahunty remembers the trail-blazing, former Victorian premier Joan Kirner.

The WA Labor Party thought it had its preselections sewn up, but the retirement of Melissa Parke and Alannah MacTiernan have thrown a considerable spanner in the works.

Most voters seem pretty content with their current state leaders, according to Essential.

Labor has opened up a convincing lead in Western Australia’s polling.

The factional landscape inside Labor’s WA branch has been disturbed in recent years, and things are now coming to a head.

The Greens and minor parties were the real losers at the Canning byelection, which sent Andrew Hastie to Canberra.

The prime ministership of Malcolm Turnbull could be a boost for the Liberals in Canning. But Canning was never a good litmus test for the government.

Liberal candidate in the Canning byelection Andrew Hastie comes from a deeply religious family, write Alex Mitchell and Sally Whyte.

Canning is being seen as a referendum on Tony Abbott — that is if the PM does not rush to a double dissolution election.

Bill Shorten has set the bar to claim Labor victory very low for the Canning byelection. But the Prime Minister may well be grasping at straws.

The Libs aren’t out just yet.

Hate Abbott and live in Western Australia? Crikey’s writer-at-large has a job for you.

Colin Barnett is clearly not the electoral asset he once was, and he faces a fresher and seemingly very popular opponent in Labor leader Mark McGowan.

Don Randall held the seat of Canning by 11.8% — but Labor could still manage a victory.

Tony Abbott is right to avoid the WA-versus-the-rest GST stoush, but he can’t avoid the fight over health and education funding.

Tony Abbott says Australia needs to stop subsidising the “lifestyle choices” of remote indigenous communities. Art writer and critic Susan McCulloch looks at what that would mean for Aboriginal art.

Policies are made in Canberra with the best of intentions, but in remote Western Australia, the outcome is very different to what politicians imagined. East Kimberley Homelessness Project co-ordinator Rachelle Irving details life on the ground.

The WA government has announced it will close down some remote indigenous communities. Is that legal? And what will happen to the people living there? Crikey intern Diana Hodgetts reports.

Half of white rural Australia is a drain, but we overwhelmingly agree that we want it to persevere, because people live there, have made lives rich in tradition and memory there. The attack on Aboriginal Australia is about skin colour, plain and simple.

The loss of the local editions of 7.30, which used to be called Stateline, have prompted a fierce reaction, and a look at the ratings helps reveal why.

The Labor Party is uncompetitive in the south-western WA seat of Vasse, but the Nationals and Liberals are giving it all they’ve got.

Don’t worry about the AAA rating, writes economist and University of Queensland academic John Quiggin. It’s of little consequence for the day-to-day running of a state.

Yesterday morning, former Western Australian treasurer Troy Buswell resigned, ending his political career on his own terms. Unfortunately for Labor, the resulting byelection is unlikely to further ruffle the state’s already embattled Liberal government.

James Price Point looms as another zombie fossil fuel project — but that’s not stopping the WA Premier.

A Californian algae producer has mysteriously abandoned its $300 million Pilbara project, writes freelance journalist Kerry Faulkner.

Access to housing is a key issue in welfare reform that has been missed by the McClure report