Flat White

In-depth analysis of the day’s news, plus stories and gossip from Australian politics.

An obit for Malcolm, a prayer for ScoMo

29 August 2018 2:07 pm

Well, the King is not dead, but he has been put to rest. Even as he was on the way…

It’s not Europe here – yet

29 August 2018 11:21 am

The Douglas Murray and Cornel West Melbourne debate was marketed by Think Inc. as a Homeric struggle between incongruous ideologies,…

Why our new PM needs to protect religious freedoms

29 August 2018 7:30 am

We have become victims of a political ideology bereft of critical thought with our current trend to remove all forms…

Right wing swing? Sure – but not to the Coalition

28 August 2018 6:12 pm

Peter Dutton lamented the loss of principled conservatism in the LNP and subsequently decided that the best course of action…

Daniel Andrews alternative reality

28 August 2018 1:00 pm

Here we go again. Today, Daniel Andrews announced a plan to build a new suburban railway system even though he…

Starboard shift

28 August 2018 11:07 am

So what should we think about the new government? I’d love a dollar for every punter whose asked me that.…

The doubling of Frydenberg’s healing agenda

28 August 2018 7:41 am

The weekend photograph of new Treasurer and deputy Liberal leader Josh Frydenberg having a coffee with Peter Costello portrayed the…

Feminism versus democracy

27 August 2018 5:14 pm

In times of chaos and crisis, it is said that people show their true colours. In the whirlwind of crazy…

Mandarin jammed?

27 August 2018 2:23 pm

One of the most passed-over media stories was the Malcolm Turnbull payback on the 13 ministers who challenged the then-prime…

Fix funding – or get flattened at the polls

27 August 2018 12:14 pm

If you want to know a big reason why the Liberal Party lost the seat of Longman – and how…

Turning our sheepdogs into poodles

27 August 2018 7:47 am

Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one…

Seven reasons why Australia is a better friend to the US than Canada

26 August 2018 8:55 pm

On Saturday Donald Trump sent a congratulatory tweet to new Prime Minister Scott Morrison: This innocuous and pleasant message has…

The Fairfax reshuffle scoop

26 August 2018 8:11 pm

For two hours after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced his new ministry, this is all The Age had on the…

Long live the king

24 August 2018 3:46 pm

Personally, I was cheering on Peter Dutton. So it’s with a degree of objectivity I now admit Scott Morrison may,…

Politics triumphs over all

24 August 2018 2:31 pm

Big businesses in Australia will not be getting their small tax cuts eight years in the future. That money will…

How Simple Simon tripped Turnbull

24 August 2018 10:21 am

In years ahead when historians try and explain the downfall of the Malcolm Turnbull government, it’s clear that Education Minister…

Getting better with Menzies: reconnecting with good values

24 August 2018 7:54 am

While the Canberra leadership game evolves, for the rest of us it can pay to look at the only thing…

The Canberra convulsions and the Honey Badger

23 August 2018 5:37 pm

I don’t follow rugby so I don’t know the Honey Badger. But I do follow politics and know that a…

A fight for the heart and soul of the Liberal Party

23 August 2018 12:29 pm

Choosing between Peter Dutton and Scott Morrison as to whom should lead the Liberal party is the most significant decision…

To the Prime Minister, Peter Dutton, Tony Abbott, the Attorney and Governor-General…

23 August 2018 8:49 am

The key people in the current crisis urgently need independent and urgent advice, the sort of advice they may not…

How soon our media forgot last week’s outrage

23 August 2018 7:52 am

While we wait to see just who will be prime minister at the end of today (or if we’re heading…

How the spill looks to Fairfax’s job snobs

22 August 2018 7:29 pm

Such horrible elitism. Such snobbery. Such privilege on display — and from publications so woke. We need a hashtag. We…

Some priorities for a Liberal PM – any Liberal PM

22 August 2018 1:08 pm

Two messages for Canberra: Firstly, Australia does not have a problem with too much carbon dioxide going to the sky…

#WhatAboutUsBlokes

22 August 2018 7:56 am

Feminist commentator Clementine Ford would be a nightmare in couples counselling I suspect. If her crazy-making political antics translate to…

The Liberal leadership and other circus acts

21 August 2018 9:36 pm

In a long and often bloody and tumultuous history of the Roman Empire, there are few periods like what has…