Will it be ScoMo or Shorten? What to watch for in the Aussie election

Our old mates the Australians are going to the polls on Saturday. What should we watch out for over here? Alex Braae has a cheat sheet for all the Trans-Tasman political nerds out there.  What’s all this then?  New Zealanders, all let us rejoice, because one of the weirdest democracies in the world is about … Read more

Spill! Spill! Spill? Is Malcolm Turnbull about to get rolled as Australian PM?

Australian prime ministers are like a well functioning train system. If you miss one, there’s always another one just around the corner. In today’s cheat sheet, could the lucky country be about to see a another PM booted? Hang on, what is a spill? A spill (pronounced speeeeel) is when a parliamentary caucus all gets … Read more

The Bulletin: Aussies play politics on NZ’s Manus offer

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Australia plays politics with NZ’s refugee offer, National vows to reverse govt’s stance on oil exploration, and dentists warn against getting teeth done overseas. Behind closed doors, Australia asked New Zealand to keep a rejected offer to take refugees interred on Manus Island on the table, … Read more

Politics: Meet Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s new PM and a true John-Key-alike

The man who toppled Tony Abbott is a huge fan of the New Zealand Prime Minister. Late on Monday night, in the press conference following the spill that defenestrated Tony Abbott, Australia’s new Liberal Party leader and prime minister designate, Malcolm Turnbull, said this: “My firm belief is that to be a successful leader in … Read more