Editorials
The Age
The choice for the independents is now clearer
Rubbery election costings and a $1 billion bid for an MP's vote do not add up to political integrity.
SMH
Dead heat: this is as good as it's going to get
THE poll we publish today shows that the state of Parliament – with the balance of power teetering from one side to another – reflects the current state of public opinion. Another election, as some have called for, would change little. That is not surprising. Neither side of politics has done anything positive or negative since the election on August 21. There is nothing for people to react to. Why should they change their vote?
SMH
Labor should end this farce now
WHERE will it all end? As it limps to next year's election, the state government has taken yet another hit.
The Age
Provocations prove the point of peace talks
Any Middle East settlement has to defy extremists' wishes.
The Age
Let bad buskers take their chances
Not for the first time, Melbourne City Council has before it a plan to make buskers, well, less like buskers.
The Age
Gillard turns up the heat by enlisting Greens
The deal firms Labor's hand, but the game isn't over.
The Age
The numbers keep getting better
Whatever the ultimate fate of the Gillard government may be, the deepest mystery of the 2010 federal election will remain.
SMH
The two-speed economy is back
ONCE again commentators are hailing Australia's ''Goldilocks economy'' - not too hot, not too cold, but just right.
The Age
PM talks the talk in pitch to hold government
Gillard's case for continuity challenges Abbott to respond.
The Age
Let Metro's chief speak his mind
If an opposition frontbencher were to threaten a senior public servant with dismissal after a change of government, the threat would correctly be seen as inappropriate.
SMH
Time for cricket to stop the rot
''I guess we would just like to think that we totally outplayed them for the last three or four days ... " That is Ricky Ponting summing up his feelings about the remarkable Sydney Test in January in which Pakistan squandered a 206-run first-innings lead to lose by 36 runs.
The Age
Fight against drug crime needs new strategy
Offshore traffickers too often escape detection.
The Age
Odds are stacked against cricket
Cricket's ''umpire'' in matters of corruption has been found wanting by a third-party ''video umpire''.
SMH
Keep thinking about drugs
IF NICOTINE and ethyl alcohol were invented today, they'd probably be banned for human consumption as a health danger.
SMH
Putting troops in double jeopardy
The report that the Director of Military Prosecutions, Brigadier Lyn McDade, favours bringing criminal charges against Australian Defence Force commandos over the deaths of five children in Afghanistan last year is deeply disturbing.
The Age
A muted 'victory' points to similar exit from Afghanistan
The end of combat in Iraq required a rethink of the original mission.
The Sunday Age
Justice, not vengeance, is needed in the courts
Moral panic is not a good basis for sentencing.
The Age
Resettlement too tall an order for Brumby
The royal commission's recommendation with the greatest potential to save lives has been rejected.
SMH
Dreaming spires have woken up to grim reality
STEVEN SCHWARTZ, of Macquarie University, has raised an important point in his annual vice-chancellor's lecture. It is that universities have become so focused on imparting knowledge that they have forgotten to impart what he calls wisdom.
The Age
'Gang of 4' tilt at reform has a quixotic streak
No one has a right to hijack the new government's agenda.
SMH
Business as usual for Tony Abbott
TONY ABBOTT has apparently decided to snub the independents' request for Treasury costings of Coalition policies. It looks like a risky tactic.
The Age
Australia needs honest debate on Afghan war
Assurances that security is at risk are not enough.
SMH
Keeping them happy on the farm
WHAT do they want? And how reasonable are their demands? While the laborious vote count goes on, Australia hangs on the thoughts of six maverick politicos. Instead of being concerned, we should be thankful that some politicians are getting us focused on real issues (along with some fanciful ideas, it must be admitted).
The Age
Election again drives state rush to ease water restrictions
Dams are still low and long-term trends remain uncertain.
SMH
Quarantine the NSW disease
The Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, has invented a term: the NSW disease. According to Bligh, whose faltering government has been blamed for Labor's unpopularity in her state, the disease involves viewing leadership as a revolving door.
