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Mark Kenny

Senior Fellow, Australian Studies Institute, Australian National University
Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow at the Australian National University's Australian Studies Institute.

His research interests include political populism and the study of comparable political systems.

As Fairfax Media's National Affairs Editor until December 2018 he led coverage of more than a dozen federal budgets, and five federal elections.

He has reported from Canberra during the terms of five prime ministers and 9 opposition leaders.

Strong political leaders are electoral gold – but the trick is in them knowing when to stand down

Aug 28, 2023 06:21 am UTC| Insights & Views

March this year marked the 60th anniversary of a famous gotcha moment in 1963, when Labor leader Arthur Calwell and his deputy, Gough Whitlam, were photographed outside the Hotel Kingston in Canberra. They were waiting...

Want to understand how the Coalition works? Take a look at climate policy

Oct 31, 2021 23:37 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

This weeks excruciating case of a prime minister being beholden to a rogue section of his own Cabinet over climate policy has again drawn attention to the arcane nature of Coalition arrangements. While the numbers...

Bills, banks and promises: here's what you can expect as 'government business' starts again

Jul 22, 2019 13:22 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy Politics

If the first week of the 46th Parliament was heavily ceremonial dominated by the new governor-general, a raft of first-time MPs and Bob Hawke condolence speeches the next two weeks will mark a return to normal...

Economy

Switzerland Industrial Production Jumps 5.5% in Q2 2026

Switzerlands industrial production rebounded strongly in the second quarter of 2026, rising 5.5% compared with the same period a year earlier, according to data released Wednesday by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office....

Trump Says Iran Talks Halted as Strait of Hormuz Dispute Fuels Oil Concerns

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Washington is not holding talks with Iran and maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, directly challenging Tehrans claim that the crucial energy shipping route is...

Trump Pauses 50% Canada Tariffs for Three Days as U.S. Trade Deal Takes Shape

U.S. President Donald Trump has delayed new 50% tariffs on Canadian goods for three days after announcing that the United States and Canada had reached a preliminary trade agreement. The tariffs were scheduled to take...

Asian Chip Stocks Plunge as Bond Yields Fuel AI Valuation Fears

Asian technology and semiconductor stocks suffered steep losses on Wednesday as rising global bond yields intensified concerns over expensive AI-related valuations and higher financing costs across the technology sector....

China Set to Hold Benchmark Lending Rates Steady for 15th Month

China is expected to keep its benchmark lending rates unchanged in August for the 15th consecutive month, despite fresh economic data highlighting persistent weakness in domestic demand. A Reuters survey of 25 market...

Politics

Israeli Airstrike Kills Six Palestinians in Gaza as Trump Peace Plan Stalls

An Israeli airstrike in Gaza City killed at least six Palestinians and wounded 14 others on Tuesday, according to local health officials, as efforts to advance U.S. President Donald Trumps Gaza peace plan remained stalled....

US, South Korea Cut Joint Military Drills After Trump Orders Reduced Role

South Korea and the United States have shortened their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercises from 11 days to five and reduced some field training after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a substantial cut in...

Angie Nixon Scores Florida Senate Primary Upset as Key Midterm Races Take Shape

Democratic socialist Angie Nixon delivered a major upset in Floridas Democratic U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday, defeating former national security official Alex Vindman as voters across several states selected candidates...

Israel Strikes Syrian Airbase Near Aleppo, Raising Tensions With Turkey

Israel launched eight airstrikes on Syrias Abu al-Duhur airbase near Aleppo on Tuesday, prompting condemnation from Turkey and concern from the United States over escalating regional tensions. Syrian state-run Ekhbariya...

Trump Says Iran Talks Halted as Hormuz Dispute Pushes Oil Higher

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that no negotiations with Iran were taking place and insisted the Strait of Hormuz remained open, contradicting Tehrans claim that the strategic waterway was still closed to...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

OpenAI Revenue Rises 18% in Q2 as Losses Widen and Anthropic Surges Ahead

OpenAI reported an 18% increase in second-quarter revenue, but widening losses and rapid growth at rival Anthropic are adding pressure on the ChatGPT maker, according to The Wall Street Journal. OpenAI told investors that...

Unitree Robotics Shares Soar Over 600% in Shanghai Market Debut

Unitree Robotics shares skyrocketed in their Shanghai stock market debut on Wednesday, highlighting surging investor interest in Chinas robotics and artificial intelligence sectors. The Chinese humanoid robot maker saw its...

Goldman Sachs Names 9 Top Japanese Semiconductor and Electronics Stocks

Goldman Sachs has identified nine Japanese semiconductor and electronic components stocks it believes are well positioned for growth, particularly as artificial intelligence and data center demand accelerates. The bank...

Baidu Shares Sink to One-Year Low as Ad Weakness Overshadows AI Growth

Baidu shares plunged to a near one-year low on Wednesday after the Chinese technology giant reported weaker-than-expected second-quarter results, as declining advertising revenue overshadowed strong growth across its...

OpenAI Tightens AI Safety Monitoring After Security Incidents

OpenAI is strengthening oversight of its most advanced artificial intelligence models as the company works to prevent unexpected or potentially dangerous behavior from increasingly autonomous AI systems. The ChatGPT...