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 …

Environment Minister Greg Hunt has approved the creation of one of the world's largest coalports in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The projects will involve dredging for three port terminals in Abbot Point – affecting World Heritage …

Some issues, it seems, are too important to trust the public with. There are any number of ways that governments justify keeping issues out of public view. National security, for example, or commercial-in-confidence. But sometimes there's no …

Threats to iconic companies Qantas and Holden will always be front-page news. Coinciding as they do with the difficult first few months of Coalition government, their symbolism is even more potent. Following the GrainCorp decision, Qantas and Holden …

This is clearly not the support Holden was hoping for.  The company has been in discussions with the government, seeking an assistance package for its local manufacturing operations. Without it, car-making in this country will cease permanently.  So …

The Coalition has finally tasted parliamentary success. Working with the Greens to remove the debt ceiling would not have appeared high on its list of priorities in opposition, but it was necessary and it gave the government a chance to sideline …

Attorney-general George Brandis authorised an ASIO raid on the Canberra offices of a lawyer representing East Timor against Australia in arbitration in the international courts of The Hague. ASIO seized evidence provided by a former Australian intelligence …

At some point over the weekend the Minister for Education became the Minister for Whatever It Takes To Make This Go Away.  It's too early to gauge the political damage caused by Christopher Pyne's botched adventures in education funding, …