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Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Integrity watchdogPremium
opinion
Why new Federal integrity body needs teeth

The job of overseeing politicians is much too important to be left to politicians.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
ExtinctCommentsPremium
opinion
The decline of the middle child as families shrink

There are some concerns about the possible extinction of the middle child even though most of the disquiet, some would say whinging, appears to be coming from attention-deprived ‘middlers’ themselves.

Gary Martin

opinion
opinion
‘Ghost’CommentsPremium
opinion
Malcolm’s attack on PM ignores truth of his time in job

Turnbull has since transformed into something of a Dickensian spirit of prime ministers past, relentlessly rattling his chain to haunt those of his colleagues who put his leadership to the sword.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Power struggleCommentsPremium
opinion
AUKUS alliance must stop new cold war heating up

The agreement with the US and the UK carries great strategic benefits for Australia, but also risks.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
arms raceCommentsPremium
opinion
The implications for our region under the AUKUS deal

Joe Biden might call him ‘that fella Down Under’ but Scott Morrison is convinced the birth of the new AUKUS defence alliance is what Australia needs amid an uncertain future in our region.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Pfizer fussCommentsPremium
opinion
Labor says Hunt ‘too slow’ to secure vaccine supply

Why did he knock back an offer from Pfizer to meet with its global leadership team in June last year?

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
COVID planCommentsPremium
opinion
Why the momentum for freedom under COVID is building

Mark McGowan is right to say that Western Australia is the freest community in Australia at present. But Morrison is equally right to caution that this situation won’t last forever.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Afghan crisisPremium
opinion
Why Australia should offer protection to more Afghans

No one knows how long the Taliban will allow Afghans to leave the country. But while that window is open, Australia should open its heart and offer protection to a much larger number.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
game onCommentsPremium
opinion
Albanese’s $300 jab incentive a ‘tactical victory’

The $300 cash payment for everyone who gets a double dose of vaccine by December 1 was an old-school torpedo punt. And Scott Morrison’s response was an equally vintage hip and shoulder.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Pragmatic backflipCommentsPremium
opinion
As NSW virus plan unravels, PM sees writing on the wall

Scott Morrison’s conversion to the ranks of lockdown supporters will be confirmed today.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Vaccine delaysCommentsPremium
opinion
Sorry: A small word with big implications for Australia

When politicians try to apologise we normally get a disingenuous construction, crafted to project the impression of expressing sorrow without actually doing it.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Too slowCommentsPremium
opinion
NSW’s lockdown delay is fool’s gold standard

What sort of lockdown allows people to swarm in crowded shopping malls and puts lingerie shops alongside pharmacies and service stations as essential services?

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
SchemozzleCommentsPremium
opinion
COVID vaccine push a battle of supply

The Government keeps telling us that the vaccine rollout is the biggest logistical exercise Australia has known outside wartime.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Vaccine farceCommentsPremium
opinion
AstraZeneca chaos leaves PM in an unenviable position

This week’s vaccine debacle leaves us with a Federal Government that emphatically insisted it would always accept the medical advice now actively encouraging under-40s to ignore that very same advice.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
HostageCommentsPremium
opinion
PM links himself to result of NSW anti-lockdown stance

If it all goes pear-shaped, and that is a real possibility, then the NSW Government will have hell to pay and Morrison will wear much of the secondary fallout.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

Mercy mattersCommentsPremiumTough policy on borders has reflected will of voters

The harsh reality is that the uncompromising border policies imposed by governments of both complexions since 2001 have reflected the majority will of the Australian people.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
G7 distractionCommentsPremium
opinion
PM raises China to deflect attention from other issues

When political leaders don’t like the way national debates are heading, their masters of the dark arts issue a uniform piece of advice: change the subject.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
‘Jobkeeper 3.0’CommentsPremium
opinion
Victoria’s COVID lockdown forces Govt action

The latest outbreak in Melbourne has prompted the Federal Government to create a new plan to help struggling families — but does it go far enough?

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Mark RileyCommentsPremium
opinion
Prime Minister’s pitch resonates in Labor heartland

Scott Morrison’s brazen claim that the Liberals are now “the party of the suburbs and the regions” is not without some foundation.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Mark RileyCommentsPremium
opinion
Will Albo resist urge to splurge in Budget reply?

Anthony Albanese will aim to find a path to deliver on policies without the big spending promised by Josh Frydenberg in this week’s Federal Budget, writes Mark Riley.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Virus crisisCommentsPremium
opinion
Why Scott Morrison has been caught out on India

If no Australian’s were to be jailed for returning from India, then why did his Government broadcast that threat as such a dark deterrent in announcing the ban almost five days earlier?

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Mark RileyCommentsPremium
opinion
Real hero of Australia’s COVID recovery is iron ore

The motto Josh Frydenberg repeats in his coming Federal Budget speech shouldn’t be ‘jobs, jobs and more jobs’ but ‘Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Ore! Ore! Ore!’, writes Mark Riley.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Mark RileyCommentsPremium
opinion
Successful vaccine rollout vital for ‘lucky’ PM

The vaccination program is the single largest and most important political operation of the moment, and in the world of modern politics, what is happening now is all that matters, writes Mark Riley.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley

opinion
opinion
Border bungleCommentsPremium
opinion
ScoMo’s support for Palmer could cost him WA votes

Scott Morrison was once popular in Western Australia. It wasn’t that long ago. And then something happened. It was something big. That something big was Clive Palmer, writes Mark Riley.

Mark Riley

Mark Riley