Insiders

Andrew Giles is facing immense pressure over the decision known as Direction 99, but he shows no signs of going anywhere. This mess can be traced back to a meeting of two prime ministers looking to repair a broken relationship.

Is the Coalition's nuclear policy a 'real' policy?

What’s going wrong in the shift to renewables – that requires taxpayers to cover the cost of keeping the Eraring power station running?

As we enter the final year of the parliamentary term, pressure is growing for alternative solutions. And if the Coalition's immigration policy announcement is anything to go by, it will need to lift its game on nuclear.

At some point in the next 12 months – an election will be held.

Highlights of Insiders Budget Night special

The Treasurer has a two-word slogan in his pre-Budget pitch. He says this one will be about “relief” and “reform”.

Most economists see Tuesday's budget as an opportunity to rein in spending and bring down inflation — not Ken Henry.

With less than a week until Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivers his third budget, David Speers sat down with the former boss of Treasury, Ken Henry, to discuss the state of the Australian economy and whether the government should use the budget to try and crimp stubborn inflation. The longer-term challenge for the Treasurer lies in re-shaping the economy as it transitions to a net-zero future – and re...

Last weekend – demands for more action to keep women safe – spilled onto the streets.

Barely a week goes by when the great energy transition isn’t making news of some sort. This week the government announced feasibility licences for a bunch of developers to work on plans for Australia’s first offshore wind zone in waters off Gippsland in Victoria. At the same time, Energy Minister Chris Bowen was talking up the need to seek new supplies of gas to support renewables. The government’...

In the lead-up to this year's budget announcement, the Albanese government is struggling to maintain the public's focus and clear air to announce their plans. 

The crisis of male violence against women in this country is escalating, as an average of one woman every four days is killed so far in 2024. The murder of NSW woman Molly Ticehurst allegedly at the hands of her former partner has sparked community outrage and calls for governments to act urgently to protect women against intimate partner violence. We’ve seen these calls before, but the numbers of...

While Anthony Albanese says we're in a "race for jobs" with other countries offering big government subsidies and can't afford to be "left behind", Productivity Commissioner Danielle Wood isn't sure it's a race we should even be in.

The Prime Minister has already made it clear what will be the centrepiece of the next federal budget. His second term agenda centres around a Future Made in Australia. Everyone loves the idea of more stuff being made in Australia, particularly Labor Prime Ministers - but the question is at what cost to taxpayers and to consumers. Now, we still don't know all of the details of this plan for a futur...

The Insiders panel of Samantha Maiden, Phil Coorey, and Lenore Taylor discuss the judgement in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial, with Justice Michael Lee ruling that on the balance of probabilities Lehrmann raped his colleague Brittany Higgins in a ministerial suite inside Parliament House in 2019. The judgement was hailed by journalist Lisa Wilkinson as a vindication of her story, but it also...

Sydney has been reeling this week from two horrific attacks. Both the Bondi Junction and the Wakeley attacks have raised all sorts of questions about terrorism, mental illness, the spread of misinformation on social media, and community cohesion. There’s also a big question over the safety of women. The Bondi Junction attacker – Joel Cauchi – killed 5 women and one male security guard. The majorit...

Given these two horrific attacks happened within days of each other in the same city, the debate over how they've been differently labelled is perhaps inevitable.

Visiting a shopping centre on a Saturday is such a familiar thing to do. The horrific attack at Westfield Bondi Junction has understandably shocked many. And given heightened community tensions – there were fears over what might have motivated such an attack. The NSW police commissioner was last night confident enough to say she did not believe this was an act of terrorism. David Speers interviews...

Just how far should the government go when it comes to trying to keep manufacturers in Australia and attract new ones? In a significant pre-budget speech this week, the Prime Minister has suggested the role of government needs to evolve as he flagged a much more interventionist approach and what he's calling a future made in Australia. But why should Australian taxpayers be funding local productio...

The prime minister sees an agenda to grow local green manufacturing as not only economically and strategically vital, but a political no-brainer. But that's only if it all works.

Not good enough.  Australia is demanding more answers and greater transparency – over how Israel managed to launch deadly air strikes on an aid convoy in Gaza. Israel is blaming poor visibility and a communications stuff-up. That hasn’t satisfied the Albanese Government. David Speers interviews Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham about the Coalition’s view of the incident, and how the Opposit...

Israel's airstrike on a convoy in Gaza earlier this week quickly sparked international condemnation, anger, demands for answers and a lot more pressure on the Netanyahu government over its conduct in this war. The attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy killed seven people, including an Australian aid worker Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom. Joe Biden says he's outraged and heartbroken. Rishi Sunak has...

There have been many moments described as "tipping points" since the war in Gaza began nearly six months ago. But this week's deadly Israeli air strike on an aid convoy may prove to be one of the most significant.

Navigating differences with China. All in with the British on nuclear submarines. And buckling up for a potential return of Donald Trump to the White House. In one week - the directions, difficulties and dilemmas of Australian diplomacy have all been on show. David Speers interviews Defence Minister Richard Marles about the new submarines funding, China, Trump and more. The Insiders panel, Clare A...