A fresh start to an important political year

Tim Burrowes

February 11, 2013 9:31

The Age’s former political editor Michelle Grattan today joined the universities-funded website The Conversation. She argues that the media needs multiple voices.

May I start my introductory column for The Conversation with one not-so-bold prediction. This hung federal parliament – just the second in a century – is likely to be the last one we’ll see for a very long time.

With some notable exceptions, the Australian people usually speak fairly clearly at federal elections. Even when they don’t, the electoral system tends to produce a decisive result. It’s unlikely to be different on September 14.

What will be distinctive about this election is that the date is known so many months out. Of course, in a parliament where the unexpected is the expected, that could change – for instance, if Kevin Rudd were to achieve the Herculean challenge of seizing the leadership.

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Tim Burrowes

Tim Burrowes is the publisher of Mumbrella and Unmade. He co-founded Mumbrella in 2008 and sister title Unmade in 2021. He's worked in the UK, Middle East, Asia & Australia and has specialised in writing about the communications world for the last 25 years. He wrote the book Media Unmade, published in 2021, and became the presenter of MediaLand on ABC Radio National in 2025.