Politics
Independents and the balance of power
The federal election may hinge on a new crossbench of professional women in wealthy inner-city seats and a rural revolt against the Nationals
The Monthly | Australian politics, society & culture
DAILY OPINION
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How can moderate Liberals profess to want an integrity commission while asking voters to support a party that won’t deliver one?
‘Dave: The Opener’ by Zoë Coombs Marr
Zoë Coombs Marr’s cocksure male comedian returns in another incisive character study
Will the drover’s dog have his day?
Without a spirit of reform, Labor under Anthony Albanese is little more than Liberal-lite
The psychic terror wrought by palm-oil production
How oil-palm plantations have uprooted the lives and dreams of a Papuan community
A new kind of history: ‘Know My Name’
A radical exhibition of women artists at the NGA draws wondrous connections across time and between disciplines
Independents and the balance of power
The federal election may hinge on a new crossbench of professional women in wealthy inner-city seats and a rural revolt against the Nationals
Barrie Kosky’s Adelaide production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera satirising the Russo-Japanese War came with uneasy resonances
Environment
The psychic terror wrought by palm-oil production
How oil-palm plantations have uprooted the lives and dreams of a Papuan community
Comedy
‘Dave: The Opener’ by Zoë Coombs Marr
Zoë Coombs Marr’s cocksure male comedian returns in another incisive character study
Federal politics
Will the drover’s dog have his day?
Without a spirit of reform, Labor under Anthony Albanese is little more than Liberal-lite
Media
Will Smith’s Oscars slap and the takes it spawned
If there was anything more bizarre than Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, it was the plethora of absurd hot takes that followed
Film
The cinematic brilliance of Christopher Doyle: ‘Like the Wind’
A new documentary film traces the life and work of the Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle
International politics
Caroline Kennedy’s appointment as US ambassador to Australia is a sign of the rising temperature in the Pacific
Law and order
Blinding contracts and labour law
A British backpacker’s win in the High Court has inadvertently left contractors with fewer employment protections
Law and order
The end of Risdon Prison’s Spartan Debating Club, which offered inmates skills for non-violent conflict
The author’s diaries record the early months of a year with change in the air
Art
Art heist: The landmark conviction of an Aboriginal art centre’s manager
The jailing of Mornington Island Art’s chief executive for dishonest dealing has shone a light on ethics and colonialism in the Indigenous art world
Art
A new kind of history: ‘Know My Name’
A radical exhibition of women artists at the NGA draws wondrous connections across time and between disciplines
Books
A writer unfolded: Elena Ferrante’s ‘In the Margins’
In an essay collection, the mysterious author of the Neapolitan novels pursues the “excessive” to counter patriarchal literature’s dominance
Film
Maturity breach: ‘The Duke’ and ‘Big Bug’
While Roger Michell’s final film pairs Jim Broadbent with Helen Mirren in a dignified, grown-up cinema, Jean-Pierre Jeunet returns with a juvenile sci-fi sex-comedy
Television
A sardonic Gary Oldman heads a misfit branch of MI5 in Apple TV+’s thrilling exploration of personal motivation and political expedience
Opera
Barrie Kosky’s Adelaide production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera satirising the Russo-Japanese War came with uneasy resonances
As Russian forces have withdrawn from around Kyiv, Ukrainians have found shocking scenes of civilians executed and evidence of alleged war crimes. But Russia isn’t leaving these towns to give up on its war in Ukraine.
HOST Ruby Jones
GUEST Jonathan Pearlman
Inside Morrison’s pre-election appointments
In the final days of a Government, before an election is called, last-minute appointments are often made. Last week, the Morrison government made 19 of those, to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
HOST Ruby Jones
GUEST Rick Morton
The Vote: Who is Anthony Albanese?
With an election called, Labor leader Anthony Albanese has six weeks to convince Australia he would make a better prime minister than Scott Morrison. The challenge is to avoid the mistakes of the last Labor election campaign.
HOST Ruby Jones
GUEST Karen Middleton