An archive of earlier comment and analysis pieces.

GOVERNMENT Three states, three conflicts of interest Local government elections need to be transparent and fair, writes JOO-CHEONG THAM Posted 23-07-2008

HEALTH Working together the key to care A program to help avoid medication problems is being held back by a lack of coordination, write LESLEY RUSSELL and ANNE-MARIE BOXALL Posted 21-07-2008

POLITICS Ever having to say you're sorry Apologising is being leached of significance and meaning, writes GEOFFREY BARKER Posted 21-07-2008

POLITICS Has parliament's electoral matters committee run its course? It's time for a circuit-breaker, writes PETER BRENT Posted 17-07-2008

GOLDFIELDS The problem with playing golf in the desert On secondment with the Goldfields Land & Sea Council, JEREMY DICKER found a community facing the future with greater hope Posted 15-07-2008

CLIMATE Carbon taxes vs emissions trading JOHN QUIGGIN spells out the arguments for tradeable emissions permits Posted 10-07-2008

WATER Black hole in the basin "fix" The new Murray-Darling management structure is set to fail, writes JACK WATERFORD Posted 10-07-2008

THE LAW Without fear or favour We will soon see evidence of how the Rudd government sees the High Court, writes GEORGE WILLIAMS Posted 09-07-2008

Higher education No longer tuned in to master's voice Online digital environments are inviting all of us to participate actively in our own learning write ERICA McWILLIAM and NORMAN JACKSON. Posted 03-07-2008

ELECTIONS How to misinterpret by-election results Massive swings against Labor? Well, not really, writes BRIAN COSTAR Posted 02-07-2008

SOUTH AUSTRALIA The best of times and the worst of times South Australia can thrive if it rises to the challenge of climate change, writes JOHN SPOEHR Posted 01-07-2008

POLITICS A Labor by-election win doesn't add up There's no doubt that the Nationals will win the coastal Victorian seat of Gippsland, writes BRIAN COSTAR Posted 25-06-2008

INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS So little to do so much in Indigenous communities LESLEY RUSSELL assesses the Rudd government's financial commitment to Indigenous Australians Posted 24-06-2008

FUEL PRICES Subsidising fuel won’t deal with long-term problems Consumers only receive part of the benefit of fuel subsidies, writes FLAVIO M. MENEZES Posted 19-06-2008

FOREIGN POLICY Will the US surrender the nuclear first-use option? Kevin Rudd's proposed nuclear disarmament commission will encounter problems in Washington, writes ANDY BUTFOY Posted 19-06-2008

ASIA–PACIFIC A region in transition The complex reality of our region more than justifies Kevin Rudd's proposal for a regional community, writes GEOFFREY BARKER Posted 11-06-2008

THE LAW Disentangling the story of Mamdouh Habib Australia should follow Canada's lead and launch an inquiry into this "extraordinary rendition," write ANDREW LYNCH and NICOLA McGARRITY Posted 06-06-2008

HOUSING Time for a revitalised and vibrant public housing sector More public housing funds are needed to unleash its potential, argue ROWLAND ATKINSON and KEITH JACOBS Posted 05-06-2008

PARLIAMENT Dorothy Dix meets Harry Jenkins Who's to blame for the sorry state of Question Time, asks PETER BRENT Posted 05-06-2008

GOVERNMENT The Rudd transition ANNE TIERNAN looks at what we can learn from that comparatively rare phenomenon, a change of federal government Posted 05-06-2008

CENSORSHIP The ghost of Arthur Rylah The old battles against ignorance and prejudice were not permanently won, argues GEOFFREY BARKER on Creative Economy Posted 03-06-2008

MIGRATION Workers for all seasons? New Zealand's seasonal workers scheme has lessons for Australia, writes NIC MACLELLAN Posted 29-05-2008

GOVERNMENT Cramming for citizenship What's the point of a citizenship test once the cramming schools get in on the act, asks PETER MARES Posted 27-05-2008

SCHOOLS Time for a national approach to teacher quality A new paper by STEPHEN DINHAM, LAWRENCE INGVARSON and ELIZABETH KLEINHENZ outlines an ambitious proposal to revitalise teaching Posted 27-05-2008

ASYLUM SEEKERS The Coalition's expensive Christmas Island legacy It's difficult to imagine what the $400 million detention centre will be used for, writes MICHELLE DIMASI Posted 20-05-2008

ELECTIONS Canada sets a "radical" example on campaign funding Canada's electoral funding reforms have lessons for Australia, writes MARIAN SAWER Posted 20-05-2008

TAXATION Treasury is a good starting point for a tax overhaul The government's tax review committee pointedly excludes our "best and brightest," argues JOHN HEAD Posted 20-05-2008

HEALTH Budget 2008: No miracle yet, but mood starts to change in health Prevention and primary care measures needed more support in Labor's first budget, writes LESLEY RUSSELL Posted 16-05-2008

BROADCASTING Budget 2008: what it means for broadcasting MARGARET SIMONS detects some good news for community radio, but not a great deal else Posted 14-05-2008

THE ECONOMY Budget 2008: first impressions JOHN QUIGGIN's thumbnail assessment of Wayne Swan’s first budget Posted 14-05-2008

THE MEDIA Facing the future of journalism The Australian media largely ignored a major conference looking at its own future, writes MARGARET SIMONS Posted 14-05-2008

SUSTAINABILITY Transitioning Melbourne The window of opportunity is getting smaller, argues PETER NEWTON Posted 14-05-2008

THE LAW Making governments lift their game A charter of rights will enrich rather than diminish democracy, argues ANDREW LYNCH Posted 01-05-2008

GOVERNMENT Budget 2008: the case for deep spending cuts Time is running out for the government to reverse the profligacy of the last four budgets, argues STEPHEN ANTHONY Posted 01-05-2008

AUSTRALIA 2020 The post-Summit buzz The Governance stream at the Summit produced enough ideas to keep us going until 2020, writes MARIAN SAWER Posted 24-04-2008

AUSTRALIA 2020 A complex view from the Summit Governance isn't easily reduced to slogans, but it’s fundamentally important, writes ANNE TIERNAN Posted 24-04-2008

THE MEDIA What the internet means for the way journalists write The internet is creating a more dynamic and interactive understanding of what disinterested reporting can mean, writes MARGARET SIMONS Posted 23-04-2008

FOREIGN POLICY Courageous first moves Kevin Rudd has made an impressive start as a foreign policy prime minister, writes GEOFFREY BARKER Posted 14-04-2008

POLITICS Two very different reformers John Button and Clyde Cameron helped get Labor into shape for electoral success, writes PAUL STRANGIO Posted 14-04-2008

HOMELESSNESS A roof over every head Homelessness will be a test of the Rudd government, write DAVID MacKENZIE and DAVID ELDRIDGE Posted 08-04-2008

ELECTORAL LAWS Steps in the right direction, despite political footwork John Faulkner's proposals deserve support, writes NORM KELLY, but don't go far enough Posted 08-04-2008

INNOVATION Winner creates all? Almost all creative ventures fail, but the successes can be spectacular, write PAUL ORMEROD and STUART CUNNINGHAM Posted 04-04-2008

REVIEW How do we want to live? Mary Leahy reviews Anne Manne's Love and Money Posted 03-04-2008

2020 The summit is no 'big block of cheese' day Delegates to the 2020 summit should heed the advice of The West Wing's Leo McGarry, argues JENNY LEWIS Posted 03-04-2008

POLITICS Is demography moving against the Coalition? Twenty years of pre-election survey data confirms a trend way from the Coalition among older voters, reports IAN WATSON in this updated analysis for APO Posted 26-03-2008

DEFENCE Promises, promises Worryingly, the government's cuts to the defence budget came without warning, writes GEOFFREY BARKER Posted 26-03-2008

AFGHANISTAN Wrong track on opium Next month's conference on Afghanistan should consider a novel scheme to neutralise the impact of soaring opium production, argues HAMISH McDONALD Posted 20-03-2008

MULTICULTURALISM Different identities We should be careful about trying to impose a single identity on Islamic communities in this country, argues LIZA HOPKINS Posted 17-03-2008

ELECTIONS Blue-collar support for the Coalition, 1987 to 2007 IAN WATSON finds evidence of brief flirtations between blue-collar male voters and the Coalition in 1996 and 2001-04, but no general move against Labor. Posted 12-03-2008

CHILDCARE Families that work DEBORAH BRENNAN outlines a new agenda for parental leave and child care in Australia Posted 12-03-2008