Nick Feik

Prominent unionist Paul Howes last year stated that unions were facing a crisis of legitimacy and that another major scandal could wipe Australia's union movement off the map. A joint investigation by ABC's 7.30 program and Fairfax …

"The Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF), the central pillar of Australia’s Direct Action climate policy, continues to attract a fair bit of derision with its credibility said to be “hanging by a thread”. Is it really that bad? Probably. …

"Abbott’s belief in constitutional recognition is admirable. Achieving it would stand – together with the 1967 referendum giving the federal government power to legislate for Aboriginal people in the states, and the 2008 Apology - as …

"In any normal environment, the allegations aired by the ABC would prompt an orderly process where the claims could be put and answered. But having thrown out this most basic of public interest transactions in the quest to keep everything deemed …

Prime Minister Tony Abbott delivered his keynote address to the leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos overnight. It would surprise few that he urged nations to abolish protectionism and said competitiveness, free trade and encouraging business …

There have been several allegations made against Australian naval personnel by asylum seekers in recent weeks, but today's are the most dramatic. According to the ABC's George Roberts, "Asylum seekers have accused the Australian Navy of …

The government's announcement that it will be reviewing all welfare spending must be an early contender for least surprising political news of 2014. Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews has hit the airwaves armed with a battery of statistics about …

Hello readers, and welcome back to PoliticOz.  Those not paying close attention to Australian politics over the past weeks (you would be forgiven) may not be surprised to learn that the collateral damage from Australia's hardline asylum seeker …

It's the end of the political year, and this is our last 2013 dispatch. We'll leave it to others to make sense of the dramas of the year – and wish them luck, for theirs is no simple task. Instead we'll present some final, forward-looking …

The aim of Joe Hockey's MYEFO (Mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook) statement on Tuesday was to set the scene, and government statements since then have given a fair indication of how the Coalition will proceed. Tony Abbott yesterday declared …

It is time to "draw a line in the sand," said Hockey. He was revealing "the true state of the books." Future growth and revenue have been forecast down, employment and debt up, and spending is blowing out. It's a new economic paradigm. Yesterday's …

At the National Press Club today, Joe Hockey will present his government's first major economic statement, the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO). The annual deficit is now expected to blow out from $30 to $50 billion. Hockey and Abbott …

Today marks 100 days of an Abbott government. The prime minister's office saw fit to issue a report card, and it gave a very positive assessment of its own performance so far. "You voted to scrap the carbon tax, end the waste, stop the boats …

Parliament has finished sitting for the year, and the Coalition will welcome the opportunity to regroup from an extremely rocky start to government. But there will be no respite yet. Today brings Abbott's first COAG meeting, with premiers Jay Weatherill …

"Either you're here or you're not," taunted Hockey on Tuesday. The response from Holden, arriving shortly afterwards, was this time unequivocal: We're not. “The decision to end manufacturing in Australia reflects the perfect …