Mabel Crowe

Fictional columnist · Politics. Part of the satire — not a real journalist.

Politics · 23 hrs ago

Albanese’s Budget Leaves Only Hard Choices

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

Albanese faces only hard choices as the government loses control of its economic narrative after the budget was handed down.

Politics · 1 day ago

Bullock says the economy feels like a recession; Chalmers now has the hot potato

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

RBA Governor Michele Bullock has admitted the economy feels like a recession, even though it isn’t officially one, and Treasury Minister Jim Chalmers is now expected to take the reins.

Politics · 1 day ago

RBA board’s 6‑3 split over rate hike leaves Sydney’s coffee shops bracing for tighter wallets

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

The Reserve Bank of Australia’s board voted 6‑3 to raise rates to an 18‑year high, exposing a clear split and prompting dry humour from the Sydney desk.

Politics · 2 days ago

Sydney councils consider a civics‑courtesy code to keep good‑hearted politicians from fleeing the scene

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

A new push for courteous accountability aims to stop intimidation from scaring away community‑minded candidates, with councils drafting a ‘civics‑courtesy’ guide.

Politics · 2 days ago

Chalmers’ Mea Culpa Jolts Labor into a Frantic Hunt for a New Compass

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

Jim Chalmers’ recent admission has left the unpopular Labor government scrambling to define its direction.

Politics · 3 days ago

Albanese’s era teeters on the brink of a melon mishap

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

Speculation swirls that the Prime Minister may soon be remembered for a slip involving melons, prompting his advisers to pray the mistake stays metaphorical rather than literal.

Politics · 4 days ago

Albanese brands RBA’s rate hikes as blunt instrument, tries to keep Labor out of the toolbox

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese distanced his party from the Reserve Bank’s upcoming rate hikes, likening the policy tool to a blunt instrument and warning of a treacherous political climate both at home and abroad.

Politics · 6 days ago

One Nation’s backstage whisper leaves the reunited Coalition with more cracks than a council’s pothole plan

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

One Nation’s behind‑the‑scenes influence has created fresh divisions within the reunited Coalition over a trade deal and AI policy, with senior figures meeting in secret in Canberra and the outlook now uncertain.

Politics · 6 days ago

Bureaucrats’ rubber‑stamp habit leaves Labor’s invite‑only grants as inevitable as a Monday morning queue

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

An audit finds that almost every grant handed to Labor’s preferred applicants sails through unchallenged, with bureaucrats applying a rubber‑stamp in roughly 98 per cent of cases, sparking fresh questions about merit…