This week Prime Minister John Howard said he would hand the leadership over to Peter Costello if elected, while the government locked away the communications fund, plus Anna Bligh, APEC, Citizenship and Higher Education.
Global markets brace for another week of volatility trading; Kiernan vows to turn his guns on local iron ore rival; Australia tries to kickstart post-Kyoto accord; Paladin does not expect uranium over-supply; Howard will fight the next election.
One of State Scene’s sharpest political contacts insists that spades always be called spades, never digging utensils. He won’t blindly fall into line by referring to things the way political spin doctors – of whom we have plenty – want them described and
Since about April, all of State Scene’s best informants have said that the coming federal election would be held in November; in other words, later rather than sooner.
When Newspoll - Australia’s most reliable measure of two-party voter mood - shows Labor running at 56 percent and Liberals at just 44, the only question left to ask is how big will the seat margin be after the dust from the coming landslide has settled.
Echoes were prevalent in politics this week, with the sound of earlier comments coming back to haunt the Treasurer, while the government's "echonomics" taunt remains strong. Meanwhile, energy and housing affordability both made it onto the agenda.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan has called on the Federal Government to increase funding to Western Australian infrastructure, saying that political considerations were distorting the allocation of Austlink funding.
Ongoing Howard government moves against Australia’s traditional federalist arrangements, through the constant expansion of Canberra’s powers, have been regularly highlighted by State Scene.
Growing numbers of confounded political and party boffins have, understandably, begun asking each other who is going to win the coming federal election?
State premiers have written to Prime Minister John Howard demanding the federal government hand over control of the planning of retail malls and other non-aviation developments at airports.
Matt Birney says no to Omodei, Howard says no to Obama, Obama says 'Oh yeah?', Carpenter says yes to homebuyers, Roberts says yes in Halls Creek and McGinty has a think in this week's View from the Arch - with Aged Care, the Murray-Darling and more
Ahead of Prime Minister John Howard's meeting with State and Territory Leaders on the Federal Government's $10bn water package, Premier Alan Carpenter has condemned the lack of Commonwealth funding for Western Australia.
With Labor’s leadership change over made inside 11 months of a scheduled national election, it’s most unlikely John Howard can now stand down from the position of prime minister, even if he so wished.
Western Australian Liberal powerbroker Ian Campbell has lost his Environment and Heritage portfolio while Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone was dropped from cabinet in today's ministerial reshuffle.
