People & associates
John Roskam
Budget deflects attention away from constitutional change referendum
Tuesday's federal budget has been treated with the disdain it deserves. Probably the funniest part of the night was when the Treasurer, Wayne Swan,...
Burn the boats and ditch the life raft
Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey must burn the boats. The Coalition must promise to not increase taxes and not impose any new taxes if elected. That...
The state payroll just isn't working
In Australia in 2000, for every job in the public sector there were 3.2 private sector jobs. In 2013, for every public sector job there are now 2.5...
Lessons from Hawke for Abbott
In August when Tony Abbott launches the Coalition's campaign for the September 14 federal election, he could start as follows: "And the first...
Gillard's legacy: what not to do
Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion doesn't apply to Australian politics - "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." But Julia...
Home truths for Gillard
If Julia Gillard had her way, what Marissa Mayer has just done at Yahoo! in California will soon be against the law in Australia. Mayer is the...
Labor has lost its way
Australia is globally competitive in three things, mining, agriculture and sport. When the Labor government most likely loses office this year it...
The adulteration of innocence
After Craig Thomson MP was charged with more than 100 fraud offences, Trade Minister Craig Emerson declared Thomson was entitled to the presumption...
Seeing red - and Greens
If someone vandalised a windfarm, Greens leader Christine Milne might feel a bit different about the virtues of civil disobedience. Likewise if...
Boiling Frog of Personal Freedom
The year 2012 should be remembered in Australia as the year of the boiling frog. Much of the analysis about the past year will concentrate on...