Politics Now

The Prime Minister may be at COP, but the Albanese Government's focus has very intentionally been on domestic issues this week. Anthony Albanese delayed his trip to chair ERC meetings and unveil a series of mandatory AI Safety rules, including an AI regulator. But while the AI safety announcement was light on details, Politico's Ryan Heath tells PK and Mel he sees it as "step-one in a two-step dan...

New home loans have plummeted, falling across the board. A downturn in investor loans drove the decline, plunging a whopping 30 per cent, but investors weren't the only group to fall. Loans for owner occupiers, including first home buyers, also fell almost 9 per cent, and that's tricky news for the Albanese Government. Meanwhile, the PM made a brief stopover in Singapore on his way to the COP, to...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced an AI safety watchdog will be set up after the Medicare breach. The Albanese Government will introduce mandatory safety and security standards for AI developers, enforced by a new regulator. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that an AI safety watchdog will be set up, in the wake of the Medicare OpenAI breach. The Albanese Government will in...

It's poll Monday — and you know what that means! PK and Jacob dig into new polling showing voter trust in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has plummeted. Only 20 per cent of voters say they trust the PM, according to the Resolve Political Monitor, while the Redbridge AFR poll has Labor support at a record low while the Coalition surges. It's bad news for Anthony Albanese, who has delayed his trip t...

ANU's James O'Donnell joins David Speers to explain what's behind the Scanlon Index numbers. 

"You cannot microwave a field campaign."  Air and ground games, AI lies and microwaves - all part of the invisible push to win votes in Victoria.  Have they lost the keys to the Labor Machine? What's Obama got to do with it? And can Pauline Hanson win if she's not on the ballot? Raf Epstein is joined by former ALP insider Jessie McCrone and former Liberal Party insider Tony Barry to break it all d...

The US Democrats have taken control of both the House and the Senate, in what's been labelled a "blue tsunami" and a "Republican shellacking". It was an election race watched closely across the globe, and with some possible lessons for Australian politicians. Fran Kelly joins PK and Melissa Clarke live from New York to discuss how it all unfolded — and whether US President Donald Trump is a "lame...

As the results of the US midterm elections start to roll in, Treasurer Jim Chalmers has warned there could be economic consequences for Australia. The Treasurer says Australians are "the cost‑of‑living casualties of decisions taken in D.C. and Tehran". It comes in the wake of the RBA's decision to raise interest rates for the fifth time this year, with the RBA Governor Michelle Bullock warning tha...

As households brace for possible fifth interest rate rise this year, Labor ministers have been trying to manage expectations. Raf thinks the Albanese Government is struggling to sell its economic narrative, noting people inside Labor as well as punters are asking "where is the vision, where is the hope"? And CHOGM is chugging along - while PK didn't want to deliver a second rendition of the Beach...

Tensions have emerged between the Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as cost of living pressures continue to bite. The Treasurer has played down the claims, but stability and unity have been hallmarks of the Albanese Government, so is this a narrative Labor can turn around? Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is overseas for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and he's...

Professor Pat McGorry, Executive Director of Orygen, tells David Speers in this week's Insiders: On Background State and Federal governments share responsibility for the failing system. 

South of the Murray, ghosts of premiers past loom over the current leaders. What influence are Dan Andrews and Jeff Kennett still having on the way Victorians vote?  And has the media already picked a side to campaign for? Raf Epstein and Herald Sun Associate Editor James Campbell break it all down on Politics Now: Victoria. Got a burning question? Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Q...

Is Australia about to enter a period of "long economic pain"?  Stubborn inflation and the prospect of another interest rate rise next week is putting fresh pressure on the Albanese government. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is facing calls to rein in government spending, while the Opposition has unveiled $31 billion in proposed cuts.  But managing the economy in the current international climate is a diff...

Australia's latest inflation figures are in, and it's not good news. Inflation ran hotter than expected in September, raising the prospect of another interest rate rise next week. So can the Albanese government reshape its economic narrative in a way the Australian public will buy? Meanwhile, the Greens have entered the debate with a major new tax plan, promising cost-of-living relief funded by hi...

The Coalition has finally put some numbers on its plans to cut government spending, identifying more than $30 billion in proposed savings. But every cut comes at a cost. So what is Angus Taylor signalling would get the chop, and who would feel the impact? Meanwhile, with another interest rate rise looming, Treasurer Jim Chalmers is challenging his critics to explain what they would cut instead. An...

"We look forward to the day you return to this place, and I get to say the following nine words: 'I give the call to the member for Indi.'" Parliament is back and tearful tributes to Helen Haines have brought a rare moment of unity across the political divide. But the cracks are showing. From political rhetoric to censorship and increased security, MPs are divided on what needs to change. While so...

Former Finance Minister and now OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann says the cost-of-living crunch is fuelling frustration and pulling voters to populist parties. 

Victoria's political leaders are fessing up to drug taking and not paying for petrol. The major parties aren't banning abortion, but instead competing to make abortion free.  Politics has changed.  The tectonic plates of politics are shifting beneath our feet. Within weeks, Victorians will start voting in the November state election.  So, what does all of this tell us about the future of politics ...

The devastating alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines has sent shock waves through Australian politics across the week. Urgent questions about the safety of our elected representatives, and the state of political debate, are being asked.  As Haines remains critically ill in hospital, politicians across the political spectrum are sharing their own experiences of threats, harassment and abus...

How do you keep politicians safe without shutting the public out? Following the alleged attack on Helen Haines, calls for greater protection are growing, as MPs grapple with the threats that come with public life - while the motive behind the attack remains unknown. And as political leaders urge everyone to turn down the temperature, Pauline Hanson has gone from telling Jacqui Lambie to “get over...

"This wasn't an accident. This was a deliberate act.” Stark words have been shared by the Prime Minister following a devastating alleged attack on Independent MP Helen Haines yesterday afternoon, who remains in a critical condition. As Australia learns more about what unfolded outside her Wangaratta office, shock now turns to questions about the safety of our elected representatives. Calls to “tur...

Tensions inside the Greens are boiling over. WA Senator Jordon Steele-John says rumours about his conduct are being weaponised for political purpose - allegations he strongly denies. Now he’s taken to social media to insist he’s “not on leave" - and accused his own party leader, David Shoebridge, of pressuring him to step aside. So with a new leader trying to find his feet, just how damaging is th...

After prompting an intervention from the Prime Minister over the ATO's controversial credit card ban, ACCI chief executive Andrew McKellar unpacks the fallout and the government's impending trust tax changes.

It’s Question Time - and not just any Question Time - a Victorian state election special! With one of the most consequential state elections of 2026 fast approaching, Victoria has been on your minds. So PK and Fran enlist friend of the podcast and Victorian political expert Raf Epstein to tackle your questions. What role will the Victorian Greens play in the election? Are party preferences genuine...

It’s been a strange sitting week in Canberra, with the Albanese government trying to push through a packed legislative agenda - only to find itself repeatedly dragged onto political ground it hadn’t planned for. Labor was slow out of the blocks in responding to the Trump administration’s proposed livestream of a US execution. Is the government becoming too reluctant to criticise the president? Bac...