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Saturday, May 26th, 2012

Alex Hart

Gillard vs Rudd Round Two

Kevin Rudd calls a media conference at 1am in Washington DC ... What the!? When that happened, the intense leadership speculation in the federal parliamentary press gallery went ballistic. What was he going to say? Would he declare a challenge? Would he...
Wed, February 22, 2012, 10:23 pm EST
Labor in survival mode

After a two month break, Parliament resumes for the first time in 2012 today.What better time to take stock of where we're at, and what we can expect over the coming months?Clearly, the odds are stacked against Labor winning the next election.A welcome...
Tue, February 7, 2012, 2:29 pm EST
Killing the Speaker

The end of the Parliamentary year isn't called the killing season for nothing. Only this time, it's not a leader being assassinated, it's the Speaker.The Prime Minister claims this was a decision made by Harry Jenkins alone.But it's far more likely that...
Thu, November 24, 2011, 6:25 pm EST
Bringing Back the Biff

For many Liberal politicians, opposing a price on carbon (or any action to tackle climate change for that matter) is a political fight. They're fighting it to seek a political advantage, and because it is in the best interests of the Federal Coalition,...
Thu, March 10, 2011, 5:36 pm EST
'Tis the season...

‘Tis the season for a countdown, so I thought to myself, why not add my own to the extensive list. As a political reporter, I don't think I'll ever experience a year quite like 2010. In fact, the past 2 ½ years since I arrived in Canberra...
Tue, December 28, 2010, 2:32 pm EST
The Debate We Have to Have

In a few weeks' time, Federal Parliament will debate the war in Afghanistan. It was one of the conditions the Greens insisted upon as part of their formal alliance with Labor. With both the Government and the Opposition offering bipartisan support for...
Tue, October 12, 2010, 5:20 pm EST
Election Diary 2010 – The Fallout

By now, I pictured myself furiously planning a holiday after a long and gruelling campaign. The Australian people had other thoughts. In the past few days, we have witnessed one of the most dramatic elections in our country's history with a result still...
Fri, August 27, 2010, 2:44 pm EST
Election Diary - Days 28, 29, 30, 31 & 32

I can't believe five more days have already passed me by. Since Friday, I've hugged the east coast, hopping between Sydney, Ballina, Melbourne, Penrith, Canberra and Narooma (NSW South Coast). Next we're flying to Rockhampton... If only we received...
Wed, August 18, 2010, 9:23 am EST
Election Diary – Days 24, 25, 26 & 27

Blink and all of a sudden it's the 12th of August, less than ten days to go! The past four days have seen a huge increase in the pace of the Julia Gillard's campaign. Fortunately, that pace has forced a slight reprieve in today's timetable. Due to...
Fri, August 13, 2010, 4:16 pm EST
Election Diary - Days 22 & 23

Just when you thought this campaign couldn't get any weirder... Well, it...
Mon, August 9, 2010, 9:25 am EST
Election Diary – Days 18, 19, 20 & 21

Today, I'm taking time out in the bus station in Launceston to recap another hectic four days on the campaign trail. Clearly my initial plan to provide daily updates was too ambitious.If week one belonged to Julia, and week two was Tony's, then the...
Sun, August 8, 2010, 7:37 am EST
Election Diary - Days 16 & 17

Another day, another opinion poll. And the Newspoll in The Australian newspaper on Monday isn't good for Labor. As with Saturday's Nielsen poll, the government's primary vote has collapsed, putting it on the brink of defeat with less than three weeks of...
Tue, August 3, 2010, 9:53 am EST
Election Diary – Days 14 & 15

I haven't been a political reporter all that long. But I've learnt pretty quickly, there's no point trying to predict what is going to happen next. Who will win the election? Umm... Pass. It seems right now, Tony Abbott could announce policy backflips...
Sun, August 1, 2010, 9:58 am EST
Election Diary – Days 12 & 13

Canberra, Launceston, Devonport, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne. Now we're heading for Perth, before a likely visit to Sydney on Saturday - that's every state and territory except NT covered in a week. Julia Gillard is hop-scotching her way around...
Fri, July 30, 2010, 12:38 pm EST
Election Diary – Days Ten & Eleven

So, it's the end of day eleven. Each of them is flying by. Tonight we head to Adelaide from Bris Vegas. As an ‘Adelaidean', the idea of heading home seems exciting, but I suspect the time for catching up with family and friends will be limited (read:...
Wed, July 28, 2010, 10:43 am EST
Election Diary – Days Six, Seven, Eight & Nine

Ok, so I've caught my breath, spent a night in my own bed and I'm back on the road. This week, I'm travelling on the G-Plane, heading to Tasmania with the PM and a bunch of hacks - some who've also switched camps like...
Mon, July 26, 2010, 8:07 am EST
Election Diary - Day Five

Back in Brisbane, Tony Abbott's desperate to get back on the front foot. Senior Liberal sources have been telling me, all is not well in the Liberals camp with many disillusioned about the way the campaign is being run. Election 2010 full coverage The...
Thu, July 22, 2010, 5:13 pm EST
Election 2010 - Day Four

There's an early sense Julia Gillard is gaining the ascendancy on the ground, and not just the polls. A return to his rigorous exercise routine with pre-5am ride would've no doubt helped reinvigorate Tony Abbott after a difficult start to his...
Wed, July 21, 2010, 3:59 pm EST
Election 2010 - Day three

Getting used to the early starts. 5am almost seemed like a sleep in. Ok, maybe not. The wind whipping off the Yarra in Melbourne's Southbank is freezing for my live crosses into Sunrise. I'm not alone though. The cameraman, sound operator, and link...
Wed, July 21, 2010, 3:49 pm EST
Election 2010 – Day Two

4:30am wake-up call in the Sofitel Hotel in Bris Vegas. But the alarm clock only says 4:23am... That’s seven minutes of extra sleep I could’ve...
Mon, July 19, 2010, 7:15 am EST