Joseph Poprzeczny

Australian politics has never seen anything like the Palmer United Party, a strange concoction of a family company mixed with a fan club.

Despite all the huffing and puffing, little really separates Australia’s two main political parties.

The government’s plans for local council amalgamations have met strong opposition from some quarters, but not the big end of town.

The hit to Australian food exports imposed by Russian sanctions is not the end of our involvement in Eastern Europe’s latest political power play.

Colin Barnett’s determined push to cut the number of local councils is a great example of how out of touch politicians are with public opinion.

THE Australian government should demand that full monetary compensation be paid to families of each Australian citizen who perished when Malaysian Airlines flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine.

The first two weeks of sittings by the new Senate have only added to the uncertainty surrounding the government’s legislative agenda.

If Tony Abbott and his ministers had stuck true to their word they would not find themselves so unpopular with voters, after less than a year in office.

The appearance of mining magnate Clive Palmer with climate campaigner Al Gore in federal parliament’s great hall still has many scratching their heads.

The development of a coal-to-liquid fuel sector could help insulate Australia from global upheaval.

Clive Palmer has proved himself to be a political maverick, and it’s likely his party’s new senators could prove equally as difficult for the Abbott government to deal with

The often-used phrase ‘Malcolm being Malcolm’ may be about the communications minister always going after something novel.

The size of Canberra’s bureaucracy and government financial support for some lobby groups can no longer be justified.

Politicians from both sides have failed to offer real choice when it comes to our retirement from the workforce.

For all its much-criticised cuts the federal budget fails to address the core issue of spending.

If the 2014 federal budget succeeds in reducing bloated bureaucracies and duplication it will have achieved significant change.

The Abbott government has put off making the really tough decisions in its first budget.

A new book on climate change paints a grim view of the future, but not for the reasons you may think.

The NSW and WA governments should follow through on commitments to make lobbyists fully accountable.

The battered party could start on the long road back by taking advice from Joe Bullock and its 1980s’ team of MPs.

Big-spending Clive Palmer can go on to play a much bigger role in political outcomes.

Nothing can be ruled out in the search for information of the missing Malaysian Airlines jet.

Arthur Sinodinos probably wouldn’t be appearing before a NSW ICAC hearing if disclosure of lobbying activities had already been legislated.

Despite being an agnostic in terms of anthropogenic global warming, John Howard was spooked by Labor and the Greens in 2007.

The federal upper house needs more Senators prepared to act in the interests of the federation.

Russia’s actions in Ukraine are part of a broader strategy by the Kremlin to assert greater influence in the region.

The government’s inaction on securing Australia’s long-term fuel supplies is baffling … and negligent.

As the Obama presidency meanders along, the Democrats are already preparing for 2016.

The current school curriculum seems to have strayed a long way from the basics.

Australia’s deference to China at a political level does this country no credit.

Australian troops were fighting more than just the enemy on the battlefield during WWII, according to a new book by Hal Colebatch.

The Abbott government’s first few months in office may have been underwhelming, but Labor leader Bill Shorten also has work to do.