A new report reveals deep flaws in Australia’s compulsory superannuation scheme, writes Michael Gill
05 Oct 12Nobody uses the internet because the government says they should
A study of home internet in remote communities highlights the real reasons people go online, write Julian Thomas and Ellie Rennie
01 Oct 12Why Australia’s Security Council bid was a mistake
Starved of funds, Australia’s foreign affairs department has spread itself far too thinly since Kevin Rudd launched the bid, writes Danielle Cave
27 Sep 12Fifty years on, Australia’s Papua policy is still failing
Indonesia’s President Yudhoyono isn’t getting the right kind of encouragement to create a long-term solution, writes Richard Chauvel
A shift in the monolingual mood
A new parliamentary report challenges the thinking behind the downgrading of Indigenous languages in schools, writes Lisa Waller
26 Sep 12Time for a national oceans plan
Public debate about the super trawler FV Abel Tasman and new national marine reserves have highlighted major flaws in the way Australia manages its ocean resources, writes Amanda Cornwall
21 Sep 12The revolution that became a crusade
The government has at last come up with the outline of a strategy for reforming schools, writes Dean Ashenden. The worry is in what the prime minister didn’t say
05 Sep 12The devil’s in the detail
Savitri Taylor takes a close look at the asylum seeker agreements between Australia and Nauru and PNG
Tony Abbott and the challenge of a Green-controlled Senate
It looks likely that the Greens will still hold the balance of power in the Senate after the next election. Norman Abjorensen looks at the numbers and asks: how would Tony Abbott deal with them?
04 Sep 12Latham’s list was a hit in the polls
Mark Latham’s private school funding policy is usually seen as an electoral minus for Labor, but the polls suggest otherwise, writes Peter Browne
27 Aug 12Wicked problems and good intentions
The federal government has taken the risky punt that bad policies can achieve good results, argues Savitri Taylor in this analysis of the report of the expert panel on asylum seekers and the government’s initial legislation
20 Aug 12Living with the boom
Understanding the impact of earlier booms can be helpful in preparing towns for the expansion of the mining industry, writes Erik Eklund
The worldly art of Richard Torbay
This independent MP rose from thirty-year-old Armidale councillor to NSW parliamentary speaker. Now he plans to take on Tony Windsor for the Nationals. Frank Bongiorno looks at a politician who won’t stand still
14 Aug 12Leading the way on asylum
The expert panel on asylum seekers can create the environment for the kind of leadership that has characterised key points in the history of Australia’s migration policy, writes J. Olaf Kleist
10 Aug 12Just the beginning of a national security debate
The government has launched an inquiry into the powers of intelligence agencies, and already there are worrying signs, write Jennifer Goh and Nicola McGarrity. It is vital that civil liberties are a core issue in this debate
02 Aug 12Climate policy and our sphere of influence
Our policies have focused on the small portion of emissions that we account for within Australia. It’s time to start thinking about how we can influence emissions beyond our borders, argues Fergus Green
Gonski, again
Gonski’s recommendations can work if we keep in mind how they might fail, writes Dean Ashenden
Carbon trading and innovation: bridging the gap
Tony Wood proposes an innovative solution to a hard climate policy problem
19 Jul 12Olympics move beyond satire
Olympic boosters don’t consider opportunity costs of Olympic competition, writes Geoffrey Barker. Meanwhile, the subsidies and scandals continue
Creating and choosing good schools
Creating better schools is a long and often tortuous process, writes Chris Bonnor. The first step is to focus on policies that can actually work
12 Jul 12
