Politics Now

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...

Are the Prime Minister and his treasurer working together, or are they being played off against one other? Midway through a sitting week, the government has managed to put itself back in the firing line with small business over the ATO’s on-again, off-again credit card ban. That’s led to some performative text messaging, as well as a nasty moment in parliament that’s now taken on a life of its own...

The political fight is moving more and more online. AI companies want to build, train and expand in Australia, but the welcome mat now comes with conditions - including from a bipartisan committee sending letters pushing for tougher rules and stronger protections for creators, and a warning from Labor that a handful of AI giants could become the economy’s new “toll collectors”. But back in the rea...

Parliament is back for another sitting week and Jacob Greber is back on the podcast! But as Jacob tells PK, it's already looking like a "tricky" week for the Albanese government, with no clear passage for their legislative agenda. And PK thinks new Greens leader David Shoebridge will also be looking to make his mark. So, will he play "hardball" with Labor? Meanwhile, questions are swirling about w...

Professor Carolyn Evans is the Chair of Universities Australia and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne. 

While the government faces criticism from all sides over its economic management after the latest RBA cash rate hike, the Coalition is pitching dramatic cuts to immigration as a way to ease voters' economic pain. But can either major party meet the expectations of a frustrated electorate? Plus, Anthony Albanese navigates the tricky optics of another international diplomacy event at the pre-COP in...

Opposition leader Angus Taylor has undertaken a media blitz, as he tries to sell the Coalition's immigration policy. But he's already facing significant backlash from the business sector, who are warning of the implications for economic growth. Labor on the other hand have been giving the Coalition some "clear air" to sell the policy, which David Speers thinks is because the Government doesn't wan...

Opposition leader Angus Taylor has unveiled the Coalition's immigration policy, promising the "biggest cut to immigration in the history of this country". PK tells Raf she sees this as the Coalition attempting to "outbid" One Nation on immigration — but she's not convinced the Opposition (or anyone else for that matter) can. Raf sees the pitch as a response to the "existential threat" facing the C...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen are in Fiji for pre-COP talks. But back home the Opposition has labelled the high-level climate talks a "farce" and criticised Labor's investment during a cost of living crisis. So, could this critique backfire for the Coalition in the future? Meanwhile, Queensland's crackdown on the tobacco black market is showing some early...

Former Greens leader, Adam Bandt, now chief executive of the Australian Conservation Foundation, says working with the government is key to delivering reform. 

It's Question Time! But first, Fran does a West Wing welfare check on PK (she's in the slump part of the series). And then it's over to your brilliant questions, including: Is it bad for brand for Anthony Albanese to snap selfies with Donald Trump? Are Community Strong a new threat on Labor's right? Why isn't the Coalition's policy return bracket creep cutting through — and what does that say abou...