The 2024 US Presidential election was the first ‘podcast election’. The way and means in which politicians communicate their message has evolved throughout time. New technology, devices, and changes in human behaviour all alter the way political candidates interact with the public. 150 years ago, newspapers allowed candidates to spread their message beyond the location […]

There will be many explanations provided for why Labor lost the Queensland election, including the difficulties in securing a fourth consecutive term in government and a perception that the issues of law and order and hospital ramping remain unresolved, to name just a few. I suspect it’s a combination of all of the above. As […]

It was former New York Governor, Mario Cuomo, another son of Italian immigrants, writing in the New Republic magazine in 1985 who coined the phrase, “You campaign in poetry, you govern in prose”. The Italian American understood something often overlooked by many political leaders: the clear and necessary distinction between campaigning and governing. It’s all […]

While many politicians will be quick to say a state election result has no implications for a federal poll, rest assured that behind the scenes, there are very active discussions about what Saturday’s result means for next year’s contest. Both sides walk away with reasons to be encouraged, which speaks to a larger question – […]

No election outcome is ever a permanent statement on the future of politics. Both the major parties will form future governments, the support of minor parties will ebb and flow depending on electoral circumstances, and the issues that dominated this campaign could easily fade out of existence at the next poll in 2028. However, below […]

Newly elected governments place great emphasis on their initial actions in office. What they do first sets them on their course, and – importantly – declares their intentions for their term of office. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli’s first action in office was to write to the state’s public service and invite them to be part […]

Regular readers of The Inside Word might have worked out that I often like to start a blog post with a political truism.  This blog is no different, and the political adage this week is a simple one:  “The trend is your friend!” Usually, it’s offered as advice to nervous MPs or candidates who are desperately scanning opinion polls […]

As missiles rain down in the Middle East and the drumbeat of a wider war escalates, a similar political storm threatens the survival of the Albanese Government. The ALP is facing a perfect storm as a barrage of political missiles from the left and right targets its policies and stance on Palestine. All of this […]

The BUSY Group recently opened its ninth specialised assistance school in Queensland, provide an opportunity for more students in years 11 and 12 who are disengaged or at risk of disengaging from their education to re-engage with it.  The BUSY School’s new Ipswich campus has a maximum capacity of 256 students, with enrolments increasing daily as […]