Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

BIZARRE: Robert menzies - What They Never Told You

In 1953, Britain detonated an atomic bomb in Australia, sending a mysterious black mist across the desert before a secret programme began testing children’s bones for radiation

During the Cold War, Britain undertook covert nuclear tests in Australia, leading to hazardous radioactive fallout termed the Black Mist that endangered Aboriginal communities. Authorities, without consent, gathered human bones to assess strontium-90 levels, specifically focusing on infants and children for bone growth studies. The ramifications of these nuclear tests…

The Economic Times

One Nation has long claimed to represent the ‘working class’ – and that makes it a serious threat to Labor

Australian politics has long afforded an almost mythical status to certain categories of voters – usually a large group that feels disenfranchised but in fact wields a lot of electoral clout. Robert Menzies, for example, spoke of the “forgotten people”, John Howard had his “battlers”, and Scott Morrison the “quiet…

The Conversation

Change or die: how the Liberal Party’s long resistance to reform has left it fighting for life

The Liberal Party of Australia has fallen on hard times. The party has struggled to attract voters and has gone through leadership uncertainty. In his first press conference as leader in February 2026, Angus Taylor said that his party needed to “change or die”.

The Conversation

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Seven things you didn't know about this Canberra institution

From bendy buses to pollie secrets.

The Canberra Times

The queen, a sacred ceremony, and Canberra's construction captured in never-before-seen photos

Glimpses of old Canberra almost lost to time have been reclaimed.

The Canberra Times

A right mess: how mining, media and political interests are combining to influence public debate in Australia

Mining billionaire Gina Rinehart is bankrolling the acquisition of a 9.5% stake in Southern Cross Media by Bruce McWilliam, who worked for Murdoch’s News Corp for nine years and is also a former Seven Network executive.

The Conversation

The times seem to suit Anthony Albanese. So why isn’t he more popular?

The times might be bad, but they have suited Anthony Albanese. The explosions on the political right since the 2025 election have, in electoral terms, resulted so far mainly in a rearrangement of debris between the Coalition and One Nation.

The Conversation

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Robert Menzies fostered Australia’s love of home ownership, but the romance is souring

“Australia is the small house,” the architect Robin Boyd reflected in his book Australia’s Home in 1952. “Ownership of one in a fenced allotment is as inevitable and unquestionable a goal of the average Australian as marriage”.

The Conversation

A new ad campaign is pushing Australians to use less petrol. Has this happened before?

A new federal government advertising campaign is prompting Australians to reduce their fuel consumption during the current global oil crisis.

The Conversation

The Liberal Party’s current woes are many. Sidelining Victoria is one of them

The recent elevation of Angus Taylor to leader of the Liberal Party generated an expected avalanche of commentary. The reactions ranged over most points of the compass. In some, Taylor was depicted as a final leadership throw of the dice to avert the slide of the Liberals towards electoral oblivion.…

The Conversation

Sussan Ley had the second shortest tenure as Liberal party leader – One Big Chart

Ley’s term as leader surpassed only that of Alexander Downer. But how does she measure up to other Liberal party leaders?

The Guardian - AU

Ley tries to keep above fray amid Liberal infighting

Current and former Liberals are locked in an extraordinary spat amid accusations some party members are undermining Opposition Leader Sussan Ley

AAP

‘Good neighbours are essential’: the history behind the landmark Indonesia-Australia defence treaty

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was expansive in his sentiments about the “watershed” bilateral security treaty announced with Indonesia this week:

The Conversation

The Liberals used to be the party for women – then John Howard came along

It’s no secret the Liberal Party of Australia has a problem with women. The party has made headlines over the years for its toxic blokey “Big Swinging Dick” culture, underrepresentation of women in the party, and dwindling support from women voters.

The Conversation

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

The Guardian - AU

What happened to the Liberal party of Menzies? They became obsessed with virtue signalling

Robert Menzies knew the Australian people craved security and prosperity – not button-holing statements made by that one weird neighbour we all avoid

The Guardian - AU

If the Liberals want to appeal again to aspirational Australians, they could start by taxing wealth

A shift in the public’s expectation of government is under way and, as Menzies realised in the 1940s, any party seeking to win over voters must adapt to stay relevant

AAP

Why history might hold the answer for stricken Liberals

As the Liberal Party looks for answers after a resounding election loss, it must learn the lessons from another crushing defeat.

The Guardian - AU

The Liberal party’s massive defeat leaves it in dire straits. Where to from here?

The party will need to think long and hard about their history if they are to find a way out of their current mess

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

The Conversation

Albanese’s government might not thrill, but it has shown unity and competence – and that’s no mean feat

The Coalition’s election campaign of 2025 has a strong claim to be considered among the worst since federation. I know of none more shambolic. Barely a day passed without some new misstep or about-face, some embarrassing revelation about a candidate, some new policy condemned by experts as half-baked, uncosted or…

The Guardian - AU

Albanese’s brand of cultural Catholicism harks back to an earlier Australia – but it’s also thoroughly modern

We don’t know if the prime minister marks the Catholic box on his census form. We do know that his heritage is meaningful to him

The Guardian - AU

The great Australian election campaign quiz – week two

Ruthlessly testing how closely you were paying attention. Yes, even during the leaders’ debate

The Conversation

Election diary: Energy is in the foreground – but climate change is ‘in the shadows’

This election is already shaping up as very much about energy. But notably, ambitions for and debate about combatting climate change have receded in recent times.

The Conversation

Splits, fusions and evolutions: how Australia’s political parties took hold

Political parties are integral to the Australian political system, yet also largely absent from the Commonwealth Constitution itself. They are not entirely absent: a constitutional amendment in 1977 – secured, as required by law, through a referendum – ensured that a casual vacancy for the Senate would be filled by…

The Conversation

How a Cold War satellite and Robert Menzies changed the way Australian schools are funded

As students and teachers prepare to go on holidays, there’s a disagreement raging over a new school funding deal for 2025.

The Guardian - AU

Why is there no official memorial in Australia to citizens who fought and died in the Spanish civil war?

It is high time we properly acknowledge those 70 Australians who joined the International Brigades to bolster the resistance to Franco’s fascist forces

1 2 3 4

People

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Organisations

Sydney Morning Herald

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Topics

Places

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.