Reporting Indi: A reflection by Margo Kingston

[clear] By Margo Kingston, 1 December 2013 I take the Gold Coast train to Brisbane airport, the plane to Melbourne, the sky bus to Southern Cross Station, the train to Seymour, and the bus to Wangaratta train station. Wayne Jansson leads me to his battered old car and drives me to the hamlet of St James. […]

Wake up. Roll over. Realise this could be the last morning before Tony Abbott becomes PM

By Sarah Capper 6 September 2013 Savour the moment, but only fleetingly – the incumbent PM is not exactly shaking the sauce bottle. Momentarily think about sex appeal. Come properly awake with a flurry of gag reflexes. Turn on the remnants of ABC Rage, but suddenly have painful flashback to last week and Julie Bishop’s music choices.  Realise […]

Trust, it’s not just about ‘them’: Forde wrap by @StephanieDale22

[clear] By Stephanie Dale 5 September 2013 The other day a smart, savvy, engaged woman I know told me she plans to vote informal on September 7 – her decision has as much to do with media coverage as it does with politics. In short: ” Can’t bring myself to vote for Tony Abbott, can’t forgive […]

Riding the #Indivotes high: @TomAnderson62 campaign update

  By Tom Anderson, 2 September, 2013 Back on August 16 I made my debut as a Citizen Journalist when Margo published my first ever piece of writing after I live-tweeted for the first time an Indi candidates forum. I ended with: “Tonight I became involved in local grass roots politics. I got engaged in […]

Greens Indi candidate @JennyJenocon on #Indivotes

By Jenny O’Connor, Greens Candidate for Indi September 1, 2013 This is my tenth year of campaigning for the Greens in Indi – and by far the most interesting. Usually there is no contest: Labor runs a well-meaning but no-chance candidate; I try to increase the Green vote – it’s risen from less than three percent […]

Latte-sipping city slicker @VanBadham gives thanks for rural independents and sees a new dawn for values in politics

By Van Badham  August 27, 2013 The tactical employment of demeaning stereotypes has always been popular in the Australian political discourse.  Just lump together some universally loathed behaviours – like vanity, self-indulgence or entitlement – dress them as communities you’re trying to discredit, and parade them like carnival villains. “Union thugs”, anybody? “Feminazis”?  “People smugglers”? “Asylum […]

McGowan a close friend of Tim Fischer, but denies she’s Indi’s National Party front

By Wayne Jansson, 16 August, 2013 The Voice4Indi candidate Cathy McGowan has hit back at claims by unnamed Liberal sources that she is a front for the National Party in Indi, saying she has support across the political spectrum. Ms McGowan acknowledged she was a close friend of Mr Tim Fischer, a former National Party […]

Mirabella under siege in Indi

By Wayne Jansson, 7 August, 2013 Now that the election has been called, it’s time to give my first seat update on Indi. The campaign period wasn’t even a day old when the first shock came through – independent candidate Alan Lappin pulled out after suffering a heart attack. Alan received 5.84% of the primary […]

Can the cross bench deliver citizens accountability from newspapers?

By Margo Kingston, March 27,  2013 What a predicament. All seven cross benchers and the Government are dissatisfied with the standards of newspapers and want citizens to be protected against their abuse of their power. Julian Disney, who heads the Press Council which administers self-regulation, believes there are ‘substantial problems with media standards in Australia’. Yet […]

The rich political history between Howard, the Nats and Tony Windsor

Tony Windsor’s riposte to John Howard’s allegation that he betrayed his voters by supporting a Labor government relates some of the rich political history of the country seat. There’s more, so today we republish two fascinating pieces by Webdiarist Craig Rowley, part one after the 2004 election and part two prior to 2007 election. At […]