Political

Bill Shorten was the kingmaker who never made it to king. And the queenmaker. He is a Labor great, but he is also to many in the party a great Labor disappointment.

ISABELLE MULLEN: Donald Trump is going after a group of people he believes he can win over. 

JENI O’DOWD: As we approach the next Federal election, it’s crucial to look beyond the feel-good image and critically examine their agenda before casting a vote.

ANDREW CARSWELL: All it took for Treasurer Jim Chalmers to find his voice again was the elevation of a factional rival.

MARK RILEY: Victoria has always been a problem for Peter Dutton, as it has for all Liberal leaders, but using fear and greed could swing the state’s favour in his direction by the May election.

The presidential debate could make or break the election for both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. But it’s not the ultra-conservative Republicans who could carry Trump to the Oval Office — and he knows it.

JENI O’DOWD: Instead of whining about being called names, perhaps these Teal MPs should take a leaf out of the book of one of their former colleagues.

ANDREW CARSWELL: Before too long, we are likely to see that this new ‘right’ that supposedly benefits employees will actually have a set of consequences that aren’t that beneficial after all.

ISABELLE MULLEN: The American people have been sold a simple message by the Democrats ahead of the presidential election.

MARK RILEY: It’s the oldest trick in the political book, and Peter Dutton is using it to perfection to make Anthony Albanese and his government look evasive, if not incompetent, all week.

EDITORIAL: Albo’s bad taste joke — made to some of the agricultural industry’s brightest lights — about killing off Australia’s live export industry has to be one of the worst prime ministerial clangers.

ISABELLE MULLEN: Kamala Harris has said very little for weeks, in a strategy that has infuriated Republicans. But all that is about to change.

ANDREW CARSWELL: You can’t begrudge Albo for finding solace from politics in music, but in moments between Nick Cave gigs, it’d be nice if he could think about fixing our economic woes.

PAUL MURRAY: The Prime Minister’s weasel words won't hide the fact that he has backtracked on a key Indigenous pledge — and nuked uranium mining plans to try and cover himself.

The Federal Treasurer has been referring to the RBA as ‘independent’ for the past few years, but it’s a moniker that is making his life increasingly difficult.