favorites

NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman is on borrowed time. He knows this and so do his colleagues

NSW Liberal Leader Mark Speakman was not responsible for his party’s byelection loss, but he will wear the blame.

yesterday 10

Alexandra Smith

Why the ‘Princess Di of the right’ spells disaster at the ballot box

Liberals in NSW are starting to wonder if Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is the answer to their woes or a blight on the brand.

10.09.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Gun debate may go feral in NSW if premier bows to shooters

The Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party consists of just two MPs who want to enshrine the “right to hunt” into NSW law. Premier Chris Minns may...

04.09.2025 20

Alexandra Smith

My children have it lucky by the beach. But it comes with a brutal downside

If the lack of affordable housing is the reason young people, including my kids, choose to leave Sydney, we will have failed the next generation.

28.08.2025 7

Alexandra Smith

Sydney has reached peak metro. Is it all downhill from here?

Commuters’ love affair with their newest toy has left them wanting more, but what can be delivered is up for debate.

20.08.2025 9

Alexandra Smith

Liberal leadership rumblings have arrived, just as the leader himself predicted

NSW opposition leader Mark Speakman is under siege. His Liberal colleagues must decide – is it better the devil you know?

13.08.2025 6

Alexandra Smith

The battle for Bradfield arrives in court – three months after the election

The rollercoaster ride in the northern Sydney seat continues for teal MP Nicolette Boele and Liberal hopeful Gisele Kapterian as the election result...

08.08.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Bridge protest misread creates new caucus problem for premier

The premier has managed to keep his caucus disciplined and focused. But for the first time in his leadership, Labor MPs have shown they are prepared...

06.08.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Despite worst fears and weather, this was the day Sydney took a stand for humanity

Protesting against a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza entered the mainstream. One man has been conspicuously quiet.

03.08.2025 40

Alexandra Smith

He rots in jail for sex crimes, but this MP keeps his taxpayer-funded salary

Gareth Ward’s bail was revoked on Wednesday and he is in custody. And yet he is still the member for Kiama.

30.07.2025 30

Alexandra Smith

In an electorate that screams privilege, an MP needs to pick a side on the housing crisis

Kellie Sloane is pro-development as long as it doesn’t upset her constituents - the well-heeled denizens of Woollahra.

23.07.2025 6

Alexandra Smith

How Mark Latham could be kicked out of NSW parliament

Leave aside accusations of physical, financial and emotional abuse – Mark Latham faces another hurdle to save his political career.

16.07.2025 6

Alexandra Smith

What ‘morons’ mentioned the Q word? They’d be the smart Libs trying to save their party

Do the Liberal reformers who want to bring in quotas for women have the numbers? The party’s survival might depend on it.

09.07.2025 8

Alexandra Smith

‘Law-abiding citizen’: After threats of arrest, Labor staffers face hours in the spotlight

The five NSW Labor advisers who faced detention for ignoring the demands of a parliamentary committee told an inquiry they are not lawbreakers.

27.06.2025 8

Alexandra Smith

NSW Labor’s biggest Achilles heel? Hubris

Chris Minns’ team vowed to do things differently. But it’s been caught out.

26.06.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Will NSW Labor’s restrained spending last? The treasurer answered that by saying nothing

NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey’s steady-as-she-goes budget had some strong policies, without any bold reforms.

24.06.2025 8

Alexandra Smith

Too safe for its own good? Our experts and the people deliver their budget verdicts

A “canny use of the state’s balance sheet” or a letdown that missed the chance to build the city and invest in healthcare? Here’s our view of...

24.06.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Threatened arrests in the premier’s office? Now that’s explosive

The premier refuses to face an upper house inquiry into the “Dural caravan incident” – and he’s telling his staffers not to appear. But they...

19.06.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Why the Liberals should accept defeat in Bradfield

After one of the closest electoral contests in Australian history, the party faces a diabolical dilemma.

11.06.2025 7

Alexandra Smith

Why the Liberals should accept defeat in Bradfield

After one of the closest electoral contests in Australian history, the party faces a diabolical dilemma.

11.06.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Why the Liberals should accept defeat in Bradfield

After one of the closest electoral contests in Australian history, the party faces a diabolical dilemma.

11.06.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Why the Liberals should accept defeat in Bradfield

After one of the closest electoral contests in Australian history, the party faces a diabolical dilemma.

11.06.2025 7

Alexandra Smith

How to annoy Liberal women. Tell them they are ‘sufficiently assertive’

Former Victorian treasurer Alan Stockdale and former Victorian senator Richard Alston fronted the NSW Liberal Women’s Council on Tuesday night to...

04.06.2025 5

Alexandra Smith

Could there be a second election in the nail-biter seat of Bradfield?

A recount of votes in the north shore seat may not settle who will represent it in Canberra as a Liberal and an independent brace for a rematch.

02.06.2025 9

Alexandra Smith

Sydney’s too timid for a grown-up city. But is cloning V’landys really the solution?

Chris Minns wants to summon the can-do audacity of Peter V’Landys to turbocharge big, bold ideas for Sydney. But is the rugby league and racing...

28.05.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Rosehill was going to ease Sydney’s housing woes. Enter the mysterious ‘Plan B’

Premier Chris Minns has egg on his face after backing the Rosehill sale. He says alternatives are in the works, but next time he’ll need to deliver.

27.05.2025 4

Alexandra Smith

Sydney’s commuters are sick of delays regardless of who is to blame

Commuters do not look for scapegoats. They just want the trains to run, and on time.

20.05.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Why losing Bradfield would be salt in the wound of the Liberal Party

Failing to hold on to this north shore seat says everything about the NSW Liberal Party.

20.05.2025 8

Alexandra Smith

How anti-abortion influencer’s MAGA-style campaign fell flat

An anti-abortion campaigner has managed to unite both sides of the political divide with her Trumpian rhetoric.

14.05.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

One Liberal leader will be grateful for Dutton’s demise

The opposition leader in NSW, Mark Speakman, would not say it, but the Liberal Party’s disastrous results at the federal election strengthen his hand.

07.05.2025 7

Alexandra Smith

How UberEats killed the democracy sausage

More Australians than ever are shunning the Saturday sizzle and voting before election day. I wish they wouldn’t.

01.05.2025 40

Alexandra Smith

Dutton bitten by Britton and the NSW Libs’ calamities

The current problems in the NSW Liberals are more than a distraction for Peter Dutton. They could disrupt the federal campaign.

09.04.2025 7

Alexandra Smith

If NSW swings to Dutton, it’s curtains for the state Liberal leader

But if Dutton fails to seize critical seats in the state, it may be a boon for Mark Speakman.

02.04.2025 9

Alexandra Smith

Will we really let a privileged few racing types kibosh 25,000 new homes?

It seems the Minns government will have a fight on its hands – or will it retreat from its great hope for desperately needed housing?

19.03.2025 9

Alexandra Smith

Premier was quick to call caravan plot ‘terror’. It matters when he knew it was a con job

The timing matters because hate speech laws were rushed through, in part, because of the angst over antisemitic attacks.

13.03.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

To be a political cleanskin, here’s a tip: Abstain from wineries

Both sides of politics have skeletons in the wine cellar. Now the door is being flung open.

26.02.2025 20

Alexandra Smith

For jaded rail commuters, this is a city circle of misery

Like plenty of anxious parents, I spent the summer holidays prepping my daughter for her public transport commute to her new high school several...

20.02.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

The $4500 sticking point that sent Sydney trains into chaos

After months of stalled negotiations, on Thursday rail union bosses were convinced a deal was almost done. By Friday morning, the system was in...

14.02.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Words of harm from a place of care add chilling new dimension to wave of hate

That anyone could use public healthcare as a weapon of hate is a most distressing thought. But we’ve been compelled to consider that reality.

12.02.2025 5

Alexandra Smith

Unforced errors like Haylen’s are signs of hubris. Voters will have taken note

Jo Haylen’s unauthorised use of a government car and driver begs the question: has the Minns government grown too comfortable with the trappings of...

05.02.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Why Haylen had to go – and why the premier resisted pushing her

Premier Chris Minns is only changing the rules for parliamentary drivers because Jo Haylen was caught out. The government has better things to do with...

04.02.2025 8

Alexandra Smith

Why Haylen has to go – and the premier is having so much trouble pushing her

Premier Chris Minns is only changing the rules for parliamentary drivers because Jo Haylen was caught out. The government has better things to do with...

04.02.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Premier’s leadership is strong, but he will need to find another gear to reassure Jewish community

Premier Chris Minns and NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb says covert investigations were crucial in the latest escalation of antisemitism attacks.

30.01.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

Sydney can shake off its summer of bad news. Albanese may not be so lucky

Chris Minns is two years away from an election, so he can ride out these bad times, but an angry, scared Sydney is a big risk for Anthony Albanese.

29.01.2025 10

Alexandra Smith

The U-turn on Sydney’s housing crisis no one saw coming

As far as new year’s resolutions went, no one saw this coming. Could it be that in 2025, an opposition party in NSW takes the unprecedented step of...

08.01.2025 5

Alexandra Smith

How a 45-year-old act is holding Sydney hostage on housing reform

03.01.2025 4

Alexandra Smith

The PM has been shown how to respond to antisemitism, but not by Peter Dutton

Here is a tale of two Labor leaders. On Friday night, Premier Chris Minns was at Sydney’s Central Synagogue, supporting a community stunned by a...

11.12.2024 10

Alexandra Smith

A year ago it was Minns’ mini-city, but was he backing the wrong horse?

NSW Labor (and plenty of trainspotters) celebrated some highs in 2024, largely thanks to the government having the good fortune of being able to...

04.12.2024 10

Alexandra Smith

After a trial that pleased no one, NSW’s biggest gambling loser is clear

To buy itself more time and escape the wrath – and campaigning prowess – of the state’s powerful clubs and pubs ahead of last year’s election, NSW...

03.12.2024 3

Alexandra Smith

He almost became PM, now Latham’s the rank outsider who can’t stop spewing bile

The one-time federal Labor leader Mark Latham – who has a history of defecting to political parties willing to take him – finished the 2024...

28.11.2024 10

Categories

Sources

Popular

NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman is on borrowed time. He knows this and so do his colleagues

Alexandra Smith

Why the ‘Princess Di of the right’ spells disaster at the ballot box

Alexandra Smith

Gun debate may go feral in NSW if premier bows to shooters

Alexandra Smith

My children have it lucky by the beach. But it comes with a brutal downside

Alexandra Smith

Sydney has reached peak metro. Is it all downhill from here?

Alexandra Smith

Liberal leadership rumblings have arrived, just as the leader himself predicted

Alexandra Smith

The battle for Bradfield arrives in court – three months after the election

Alexandra Smith

Bridge protest misread creates new caucus problem for premier

Alexandra Smith

Despite worst fears and weather, this was the day Sydney took a stand for humanity

Alexandra Smith

He rots in jail for sex crimes, but this MP keeps his taxpayer-funded salary

Alexandra Smith

In an electorate that screams privilege, an MP needs to pick a side on the housing crisis

Alexandra Smith

How Mark Latham could be kicked out of NSW parliament

Alexandra Smith

What ‘morons’ mentioned the Q word? They’d be the smart Libs trying to save their party

Alexandra Smith

‘Law-abiding citizen’: After threats of arrest, Labor staffers face hours in the spotlight

Alexandra Smith

NSW Labor’s biggest Achilles heel? Hubris

Alexandra Smith

Will NSW Labor’s restrained spending last? The treasurer answered that by saying nothing

Alexandra Smith

Too safe for its own good? Our experts and the people deliver their budget verdicts

Alexandra Smith

Threatened arrests in the premier’s office? Now that’s explosive

Alexandra Smith

Why the Liberals should accept defeat in Bradfield

Alexandra Smith

Why the Liberals should accept defeat in Bradfield

Alexandra Smith

Why the Liberals should accept defeat in Bradfield

Alexandra Smith

Why the Liberals should accept defeat in Bradfield

Alexandra Smith

How to annoy Liberal women. Tell them they are ‘sufficiently assertive’

Alexandra Smith

Could there be a second election in the nail-biter seat of Bradfield?

Alexandra Smith

Sydney’s too timid for a grown-up city. But is cloning V’landys really the solution?

Alexandra Smith

Rosehill was going to ease Sydney’s housing woes. Enter the mysterious ‘Plan B’

Alexandra Smith

Sydney’s commuters are sick of delays regardless of who is to blame

Alexandra Smith

Why losing Bradfield would be salt in the wound of the Liberal Party

Alexandra Smith

How anti-abortion influencer’s MAGA-style campaign fell flat

Alexandra Smith

One Liberal leader will be grateful for Dutton’s demise

Alexandra Smith

How UberEats killed the democracy sausage

Alexandra Smith

Dutton bitten by Britton and the NSW Libs’ calamities

Alexandra Smith

If NSW swings to Dutton, it’s curtains for the state Liberal leader

Alexandra Smith

Will we really let a privileged few racing types kibosh 25,000 new homes?

Alexandra Smith

Premier was quick to call caravan plot ‘terror’. It matters when he knew it was a con job

Alexandra Smith

To be a political cleanskin, here’s a tip: Abstain from wineries

Alexandra Smith

For jaded rail commuters, this is a city circle of misery

Alexandra Smith

The $4500 sticking point that sent Sydney trains into chaos

Alexandra Smith

Words of harm from a place of care add chilling new dimension to wave of hate