The one agency of media regulation in this country with genuine powers seems determined not to use them. Journalist and former Media Watch EP David Salter examines its latest finding against the Nine Network.

As Treasurer Wayne Swan delivers his fifth budget today, he can take some comfort from the fact it wasn't just Bernard Keane and The Power Index who voted him Canberra's most powerful politician - it was readers of The Power Index too.

The Tasmanian Greens have chosen winemaker, academic and former investment banker Peter Whish-Wilson to replace Bob Brown in the Senate.

More than any others, independents Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor hold the fate of the Gillard government and its legislative agenda in their hands.

Political power in Canberra has become harder than ever to effectively use, so who's got the skills, popularity and support to wield it best? We're currently counting down the Top 10 most powerful and influential people in Canberra. Here, Bernard Keane presents the shortlist.

It's the individuals we write about with the smallest media profile who cause the biggest stir, usually because their unique talents can be surprisingly productive.

Queensland's new premier is a very brave man who's not short of answers to the state's key problems. But Campbell Newman's got problems of his own, including LNP's key party donor, Clive Palmer.

The Stop the Loss Coalition -- which includes churches, The Salvation Army and activist group GetUp! – hopes the ads will encourage Julia Gillard to strengthen her poker machine reform legislation by adopting a $1 bet limit and/or a pre-commitment scheme.

In his youth, Neil Lawrence thought of marketing as little more than a pimple on the arse of capitalism; now, he's corporate Australia's favourite adman.

Who are the intellectuals most influencing our public debate? Next week we're counting down the Top 10 Most Powerful Thinkers. Here, Tom Cowie presents the shortlist.

Rooster one day, feather duster the next. That's the power game. As soon as Independent MP Andrew Wilkie lost the ability to bring down Julia Gillard's minority government—when Peter Slipper slipped into the Speaker's chair last November—it was odds-on that his pokie reforms would struggle to get up.

Ray Hadley slams Andrew Wilkie over his pokies backdown, Janet Albrechtsen's favourite footballer, and Melinda Tankard-Reist fires up the feminists.

Two of the country's top public relations operatives, Kevin07 adman Neil Lawrence and spin doctor Sue Cato, are joining forces to take on Clubs Australia's campaign against poker machine reforms.

We're not long into 2012, but already the biggest political fight of the year looks to be shaping up nicely. And depending on who you listen to, Andrew Wilkie's controversial poker machine reforms are either dead and buried or very much alive.

GetUp! director Simon Sheikh says the clubs movement has run a shoddy campaign against Andrew Wilkie's proposed poker machine reforms.

Maverick LNP MP Peter Slipper has found himself in the middle of a parliamentary battle, after his leader Tony Abbott said today any candidate from his side of the house for the speakership would be expected to resign from the party.

His opponents call him a 'wrecker', while his supporters say that he is just doing what a good opposition does. Whatever your opinion, Tony Abbott has added poker machine reform to the growing list of policies he has vowed to overturn.

You probably hate the club and you may hate the man, but you can't deny that Collingwood president and all-round media loudmouth Eddie McGuire is a power machine.

Channel Nine has changed its story on the celebrated rant by rugby league commentators Phil Gould and Ray Warren against the new pokie laws proposed by independent MP Andrew Wilkie.

The government's package of bills for the carbon tax cleared the House of Representatives, Tony Crook scuttled the vote on the Malaysian swap deal, and Qantas grounded five of its aircraft: this is The Power Index's roll call of people who mattered this week.