DECEMBER 1, 2018

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Welcome to the best of Crikey for the week,

As all sides of politics spent the week recalibrating after the recent sweeping election results in Victoria, Crikey found itself wondering, who is going to cope the best?

We’ve been talking about the ABC, with Emily Watkins reporting on the ongoing feud between Michelle Guthrie and Justin Milne and a new series out looking at how the ABC must change in a post Guthrie/Milne era.

Guy Rundle wonders how those ultra-safe Victorian Labor seats cope when Daniel Andrews takes them for granted. Bernard Keane wonders how the far-right of the Liberal party will cope now they think Malcolm Turnbull has an invisible hand. And Scott Ludlam wonders whether progressives can take Scott Morrison to task at the next election.

Elsewhere, we’ve taken a stand for Australian media by teaming up with The Monthly and The Saturday Paper because we believe supporting independent journalism is worth setting aside any rivalries for.

Subscribe, renew or give the gift of Crikey before December 9th, and as well as full Crikey access, you’ll get three months digital access to The Monthly AND The Saturday Paper.

As ever, we’re keen to hear what you think. Write to us at boss@crikey.com.au.

Have a great weekend,

Bhakthi Puvanenthiran
Managing Editor

Can progressives actually defeat the Morrison government shitshow?

SCOTT LUDLAM 4 minute read

Yes, Australia is turning away from the hard-right. Yes, the federal government is in chaos. But Labor and the Greens can hardly sit back and assume a 2019 federal election win.

Welcome to our new series: what is the ABC for?

BHAKTHI PUVANENTHIRAN 2 minute read

The ABC is a rare public institution that retains trust and unites Australians who otherwise are increasingly isolated from one another in their news consumption. What should its role be in a rapidly changing media environment?

The weirdest right-wing takes on the Victorian election result

CHARLIE LEWIS 4 minute read

Just like in Wentworth, conservatives are determined to learn nothing from the shellacking they received in Victoria over the weekend.

Justin Milne and Michelle Guthrie continue public spat before Senate committee

EMILY WATKINS 3 minute read

The Milne-Guthrie ABC stoush shows no signs of abating, after the two were called to give evidence before a senate inquiry into ABC interference.

Kroger’s high-profile Liberal presidency ends in collapse

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

A high-profile political powerbroker for decades, Michael Kroger will end his second stint as Victorian Liberal president with the party a smoking ruin.

Harry Leslie Smith, the voice from the abyss, silenced

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... in his 90th year, when he rose to improbable fame, speaking at the 2014 UK Labour Party conference and asking the simple question: why were we letting all that had been achieved in the post WWII years simply be thrown away; our resistance sapped by years of Blairism, “Big Society” Toryism, and a general air of defeat?

I remember that speech, televised; this small old man, in a mildly tweedy suit, glasses perched on his nose, roaring out his message of resistance, without rancour or recrimination to the young, but with that simple question, “why?”. On me, on many others, the effect was like being snapped out of hypnosis. What had we been walking through, half-awake? — Guy Rundle

Vale Harry Leslie Smith who, til his last, was shouting from the abyss, reminding us just how much unnecessary suffering there had been, the filth and the hate of it.

Monkey bar furore concretes over the dirty history of the playground

HELEN RAZER 3 minute read

Playgrounds and monkey bars were not created out of fondness for “precious little people”, but a much darker rationale.

The echoing failure of public-private hospitals

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 4 minute read

For decades, public-private partnerships led to dysfunctional hospitals. Why did the NSW government think Northern Beaches would be any different?

Defamation damages claims skyrocket following Rebel Wilson verdict

EMILY WATKINS 3 minute read

Recent defamation claims featuring colossal sums in damages show how Rebel Wilson's action against Bauer Media raised the bar.

Right-wing conspiracy theorists driven mad by Turnbull’s ‘invisible hand’

BERNARD KEANE 3 minute read

A sinister cabal led by Malcolm Turnbull is undermining the right. Can this frightening conspiracy be exposed in time? Only The Australian can help!

Is the Alan Jones era of radio over?

EMILY WATKINS 2 minute read

Alan Jones' audience is large, but it may not be the audience that Nine wants in its new radio network.

How the ABC avoided talking about race in its Victorian election coverage

BHAKTHI PUVANENTHIRAN and EMILY WATKINS 3 minute read

How to cover racism is an ongoing question for journalists, and is especially pertinent for the ABC following its Victorian election coverage.

Marriage Alliance have rebranded themselves as Binary, but will they succeed?

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In the case of their raison d’etre, marriage equality — and most areas on which they campaign — Marriage Alliance failed miserably. But, depressingly, they and associates like the Australian Christian Lobby, despite routine failures in the marketplace of ideas, have a knack for getting traction. — Charlie Lewis

Marriage Alliance has rebranded as an anti-trans group called Binary Australia. We look back at the terrifying power such a small group seems to wield — and their constant failure despite of it.

Was this Labor’s missed opportunity on migrant welfare?

KISHOR NAPIER-RAMAN 4 minute read

The opposition's cautious pragmatism has ultimately led them to vote for a bill they virulently oppose.

Power trip: safe seats will soon suffer under Victorian Labor

GUY RUNDLE 4 minute read

From factory closures to housing and transport policies, Daniel Andrews' Labor have proven themselves to govern for the middle classes.

Should Dan Andrews have returned Adem Somyurek to cabinet?

LIZ HARDING 2 minute read

Or does reinstating Somyurek suggest there has been no fundamental culture shift within the ALP?

One Nation co-founder resurfaces with demands for old debt

TOM RAVLIC 3 minute read

David Ettridge has lodged a complaint with the Queensland Police about a 17-year-old stoush over legal costs.

How the early voting boom is dramatically changing Australian elections

ALANA SCHETZER 4 minute read

With huge numbers of people opting for pre-poll votes, election campaigns are growing bigger, messier, and more expensive. Is it worth the trade-off?