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Grattan / Nearly six-in-ten people already voted in marriage ballot: ABS

THE same-sex marriage postal ballot is headed for a very high return rate, with an estimated 57.5% survey forms – 9.2 million – returned by last Friday. The return rate is defying some early predictions […]

Grattan / Turnbull proposes tougher security measures

MALCOLM Turnbull this week is pushing for a further toughening of national security laws, including to allow police to hold suspects for longer without charges. Turnbull and state and territory leaders on Thursday will hold […]

Grattan / Careful, Mr Dutton, Donald Trump might hear you

IT’s the tiniest start. But the first offshore refugees leaving Papua New Guinea and Nauru for the US this week represented a new life for more than 50 people and a glimmer of hope for […]

Grattan / Yes case’s SMS campaign was not invasive

LIKE hundreds of thousands of others, I received an SMS at the weekend from the “Yes” campaign for the marriage ballot. It said: The Marriage Equality Survey forms have arrived! Help make history and vote […]

Grattan / Big gas shortage looming, but government stays hand on export controls

THE government has issued another warning to gas producers but held off pulling its export control trigger, despite two new reports warning of potential severe local supply shortages. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and […]

Grattan / Same-sex marriage ballot captures attention of a public alienated from politicians

IT’s six months since cabinet minister Peter Dutton told business leaders who called for action on same-sex marriage to stick to their knitting. But company chiefs are as little impressed by politicians as the rest […]

Grattan / Turnbull would need to prevent ‘protections’ fight delaying legislation after a Yes vote

IN the same-sex marriage battle, Malcolm Turnbull finds himself fighting two former Liberal prime ministers, while somewhat uncomfortably aligned with an aspiring Labor one. Just as in the republic referendum, it is John Howard and […]

Grattan / King Coal is wearing big boots in the Turnbull government

IT took quite a while, but the Turnbull government this week finally “landed” its package for the biggest shake up of media rules in decades. The Senate deal was done thanks to a sprinkling of […]

Grattan / Government set to win Senate support for media deregulation

THE federal government is set on Thursday to secure Senate support for a major deregulation of Australia’s media rules, clearing the way for a sweeping shake-up of the industry. It will be the biggest overhaul […]

Grattan / AGL board to consider Liddell extension or sale – but company pushes alternative plan

AGL has reluctantly agreed to the government’s request to take to its board proposals to extend the life of the coal-fired Liddell power plant or to sell it. But in what has become an open […]

Grattan / Turnbull’s rush for an energy ‘announceable’ sows confusion

BARNABY Joyce looks like he’s doing it tough. Day after day, he sits behind Malcolm Turnbull in Question Time, facing Labor’s unrelenting attack on his right to be on the frontbench. There’s the occasional laugh, […]

High Court gives go-ahead for marriage ballot

THE High Court has struck down the challenges to the same-sex marriage ballot, clearing the way for voting papers to start going out next week. The court’s decision was handed down at 2:15pm (AEST) while […]

Tony Abbott: consider burqa ban in places ‘dedicated to Australian values’

THE issue of the burqa has erupted in the Coalition, with Tony Abbott suggesting a ban should be considered in places “dedicated to Australian values”, and the Nationals set to debate a prohibition on “full-facial […]

Grattan / Shorten shakes off citizenship pursuers as Labor pursues Joyce

WHILE it would have been much easier for the government if Barnaby Joyce had stood aside from cabinet while the High Court determined his parliamentary eligibility, the Nationals leader was too big a fish for […]

Grattan / If defeat comes, what then for the Liberals’ succession?

IF the Turnbull government’s present agonies become death throes and the election is lost, coping with opposition will test to its very core a Liberal Party that in power has been fractured and self-indulgent. For […]

Grattan / Marriage survey: two-thirds of new voters are aged 18-24

ABOUT two-thirds of the nearly 100,000 people added to the electoral roll ahead of the same-sex marriage postal ballot are young voters, according to final figures issued by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) on Wednesday. […]

Moore / Giving pollies a serve of their own silly ideas

“How could any politician argue against being tested for alcohol and other drugs when there are occupational health and safety issues at stake?” asks political columnist MICHAEL MOORE

Senator Katy Gallagher... no citizenship doubts.

Ecuadorian? Not me, says Senator Katy

“I AM not and have never been an Ecuadorian citizen,” says ACT Labor Senator Katy Gallagher following media accusations of dual citizenship. “As part of the ALP vetting process, I disclosed that my mother was […]

Grattan / A ‘No’ vote in the marriage ballot would be a humiliation for Turnbull

THE two mega issues dominating federal politics, the citizenship crisis and the marriage ballot, have little in common – except that Malcolm Turnbull desperately needs each to come out the right way for him. A […]

Grattan / Government urges the High Court to hear citizenship cases in mid-September

THE government has asked the High Court to hear the dual citizenship cases of several current and former MPs on September 13-14, saying there is a “compelling public interest” for the matters to be determined […]

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Grattan / Nearly six-in-ten people already voted in marriage ballot: ABS

Grattan / Turnbull proposes tougher security measures

Grattan / Careful, Mr Dutton, Donald Trump might hear you

Grattan / Yes case’s SMS campaign was not invasive

Grattan / Big gas shortage looming, but government stays hand on export controls

Grattan / Same-sex marriage ballot captures attention of a public alienated from politicians

Grattan / Turnbull would need to prevent ‘protections’ fight delaying legislation after a Yes vote

Grattan / King Coal is wearing big boots in the Turnbull government

Grattan / Government set to win Senate support for media deregulation

Grattan / AGL board to consider Liddell extension or sale – but company pushes alternative plan

Grattan / Turnbull’s rush for an energy ‘announceable’ sows confusion

High Court gives go-ahead for marriage ballot

Tony Abbott: consider burqa ban in places ‘dedicated to Australian values’

Grattan / Shorten shakes off citizenship pursuers as Labor pursues Joyce

Grattan / If defeat comes, what then for the Liberals’ succession?

Grattan / Marriage survey: two-thirds of new voters are aged 18-24

Moore / Giving pollies a serve of their own silly ideas

Ecuadorian? Not me, says Senator Katy

Grattan / A ‘No’ vote in the marriage ballot would be a humiliation for Turnbull

Grattan / Government urges the High Court to hear citizenship cases in mid-September

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Grattan / McCormack has tough task to match Joyce’s 2016 electoral gold standard

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