Australian Politics

Darcy Byrne is the Labor mayor of Sydney’s Inner West Council and he’s helping lead a grassroots movement on curbing gambling harm in the community – including pushing for a reduction in the number of poker machines in licensed clubs in New South Wales. This momentum comes while the federal Labor party continues to face criticism about the scale of its commitment to online gambling reform. The ris...

The 2026 political year has already been surprising. Labor passed changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, which they had previously ruled out. The Liberals changed leaders again, and One Nation has seen a surge of support in multiple polls. Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to press gallery colleagues Michelle Grattan, the chief political correspondent at The Conversation...

It’s the first Guardian Essential poll following Pauline Hanson’s provocative speech at the National Press Club – where she attacked multiculturalism, climate action, the United Nations, and the ABC and SBS. Her polling numbers have since stalled, and even One Nation supporters are expressing concerns about her policy offerings. Guardian Australia political reporter Josh Butler and the executive d...

This week, Labor secured a deal with the Greens to pass its reforms to the capital gains tax discount and negative gearing. The Greens were unable to negotiate a more ambitious proposal to remove grandfathering or cap the number of negatively geared properties, but the party’s leader, Larissa Waters, says that the agreement was the best that they could do. The Queensland senator speaks to the poli...

For the first time in her 30-year political career, Pauline Hanson fronted the National Press Club this week. It was a blistering address, and a combative question-and-answer round with journalists – with Hanson attacking multiculturalism, the climate crisis, transgender rights, Indigenous policy, paid parental leave and the two public broadcasters. Longtime journalist Margo Kingston knows Hanson...

The Albanese government is proposing major changes to the national disability insurance scheme – to cut spending and reduce the number of participants receiving care. Advocates and Australians with disabilities have heavily criticised the proposals during a three-day Senate inquiry this week. The shadow NDIS minister, Melissa McIntosh, speaks to political editor Tom McIlroy about her concerns abou...

The Albanese government’s announcement that Australia will now receive three used US Virginia-class submarines, rather than two used and one new, has put the spotlight back on the Aukus commitment. One of the strongest advocates for the $368bn agreement is defence industry minister Pat Conroy and he hits back at its critics – including the Labor MP Ed Husic. Speaking with political editor Tom McIl...

In his new role as director of the Greens’ think-tank, Max Chandler-Mather argues that the major political parties and parts of the media often limit policy debate – which, on issues such as housing and wealth inequality, shuts down real alternatives to the status quo. The former Greens MP and housing spokesperson speaks to political editor Tom McIlroy about returning to policies that improve the...

Jim Chalmers says his fifth federal budget is the ‘best budget for young people’, but in the latest Guardian Essential poll voters are unconvinced that the proposals will make for a fairer housing system. Political reporter Josh Butler and Essential Media’s executive director Peter Lewis discuss the political challenges that Labor faces on its proposed reforms to housing and tax policy

In his biggest address so far, shadow treasurer Tim Wilson described the federal budget as an ‘economic earthquake’ at the National Press Club this week. He speaks with political editor Tom McIlroy about Paul Keating’s criticism of the Coalition’s response to Labor’s tax reforms, and defends Angus Taylor’s controversial migration policy – which links housing completion and restricts access to welf...

Political editor Tom McIlroy and economics editor Patrick Commins speak with Jim Chalmers about the criticisms that his ‘reforming’ and ‘ambitious’ budget, while historic, stands to benefit only a relatively small number of Australians. The treasurer also explains why the budget didn’t include an increase in tax for gas exports, and how this government is putting forward an economic strategy to ad...

The criticisms of Tuesday’s federal budget have already started. Labor is facing allegations of broken promises over changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount. And there is frustration in the electorate about the government’s $50bn increase in defence spending over the next decade, while also significantly reducing the growth in NDIS spending. Political editor Tom McIlroy spea...

This Saturday’s byelection in Sussan Ley’s former seat of Farrer is expected to be a tight two-horse race between a community independent and a One Nation candidate – with none of the major parties in serious contention. The independent candidate, Michelle Milthorpe, speaks to the political editor, Tom McIlroy, about her second time vying for the regional seat, why she resists being labelled as a...

When Annastacia Palaszczuk led a Labor opposition to win government in the 2015 Queensland election, she was labelled an ‘accidental premier’. She later became a three-term premier who ended on her own terms. In conversation with political editor Tom McIlroy, she speaks about how her resilience was formed by profound personal loss through miscarriage and IVF treatments – which she describes in her...

The One Nation leader now has a higher job approval rating than Anthony Albanese and Angus Taylor, and for the first time in the Essential poll – the right wing populist party is outperforming the Coalition. After Anthony Albanese confirmed on Wednesday that the upcoming federal budget will not include a tax on existing gas export contracts, political reporter Josh Butler and columnist Peter Lewis...

Before his trip to Papua New Guinea for Anzac Day commemorations, the minister for veterans’ affairs and defence personnel, Matt Keogh, speaks with political editor Tom McIlroy. Keogh discusses the government’s progress after the royal commission into defence and veterans’ suicide, which handed its recommendations to government two years ago. The Perth MP also responds to the continued display of...

Nearly 15 years after Julia Gillard introduced the national disability insurance scheme, the Albanese government announced the most significant reforms to the scheme on Wednesday. It’s expected that the billions of budget savings will mean at least 160,000 participants will no longer be able to access the scheme within the next four years. The minister for disability, health and ageing Mark Butler...

What’s the line in the sand for Albanese to rethink the multibillion-dollar Aukus agreement? Why won’t the government implement sanctions on the US and Israel – similar to those imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine? And should the Senate expand to better represent the needs of a growing population, such as in the ACT? Tom McIlroy, Dan Jervis-Bardy, Krishani Dhanji and Josh Butler from Gua...

Journalist, author and farmer Gabrielle Chan speaks to Guardian Australia political editor Tom McIlroy about the experiences of rural and regional Australians whose work and everyday life have been upended by supply chain disruptions caused by the war in Iran. The former political reporter also talks about the rise in Pauline Hanson’s popularity ahead of the Farrer byelection, which is expected to...

The minister for energy and climate change, Chris Bowen, tells Guardian Australia’s political editor, Tom McIlroy, that despite shortages at petrol stations around Australia, there have so far been no disruptions to the country’s fuel supply. Bowen responds to criticisms about the Albanese government’s communication to the public, as the second month of the US-Israel war on Iran continues to send...

After Australia became one of the first countries to back the US’s war on Iran, this month’s poll shows voters are questioning Canberra’s relationship with the US and an increasingly unpredictable Donald Trump. Political reporter Josh Butler and the Essential Media executive director, Peter Lewis, discuss why Australians want the government to broaden our diplomatic relationships and if voters are...

This week, as fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran continues, the fuel crisis hit Australian hip pockets harder than ever before. Meanwhile the Liberal party faces its own existential reckoning: voters moving further right towards One Nation. Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to the shadow minister for industry and sovereign capability, Andrew Hastie, about Australia’s response to the global f...

With the US and Israel’s war on Iran continuing to send waves of disruption around the world, Guardian Australia political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to two guests about the impact of the conflict on Australia. Jennifer Parker, a defence and national security expert who has served three times in the Middle East with the Australian navy, talks about the US strategy for the conflict and what the chok...

Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to new shadow minister for the digital economy, science, innovation and cybersecurity Aaron Violi, who was promoted to the frontbench in a reshuffle by opposition leader Angus Taylor. Prior to politics, Violi worked in the digital economy and says the government has been unprepared for the disruption of AI. Violi also discusses the Coalition’s policy challenge o...

The economist, author and politician Yanis Varoufakis speaks to political editor Tom McIlroy about his blunt assessment about the ability of the global economic system to address the biggest challenges of the 21st century. They also discuss Europe’s failures in Russia’s war on Ukraine, the candid admissions of Donald Trump on the reality of climate change and how AI has changed the relationship be...