New Politics: Australian Politics, News, Analysis & Commentary

China's latest missile test triggered familiar warnings of an escalating security crisis, but was the reaction driven more by geopolitics than by the launch itself? This episode examines Australia's response, the role of the United States in shaping regional strategy, AUKUS, the growing contest for influence across the Pacific, and why China's primary audience was Washington rather than Canberra....

The NSW Labor Conference exposed a deeper question confronting Australian politics: what does the modern Labor Party actually stand for? As delegates debated gambling reform, housing affordability, civil liberties and Gaza, controversy over the removal of members displaying a Palestinian flag highlighted growing tensions between Labor’s leadership and its grassroots. We examine Premier Chris Minns...

The politics of outrage has become one of the most powerful business models in modern media, with podcasts, social media and algorithms increasingly rewarding anger, conflict and culture wars over evidence and public interest. We examine how journalism is being reshaped by the creator economy, and how billionaire-backed influence, digital platforms and outrage-driven media are transforming democra...

Why is the Liberal Party struggling to reconnect with Australian voters? This week, we examine Angus Taylor’s leadership, the Liberal Party’s identity crisis, and why rebranding cannot reverse decades of political decline. From the loss of moderate and younger voters to the rise of the teal independents and One Nation, we explore how the Coalition lost its political narrative and whether it can re...

Keir Starmer's resignation after just 18 months as British Prime Minister raises important questions for centre-left governments across the democratic world. We examine the striking parallels between Labour in the UK and Labor in Australia, exploring why governments elected on promises of transformational reform often revert to cautious incrementalism, and how this has fuelled the rise of Reform U...

For years, the United States and Israel argued that war with Iran was inevitable, but after four months of conflict, soaring oil prices, disruption to the Strait of Hormuz and global economic uncertainty, Iran has emerged stronger while many of Washington’s objectives remain unfulfilled. As a ceasefire agreement approaches, we examine the strategic failures of the US and Israel, the collapse of th...

Pauline Hanson’s National Press Club appearance revealed that the politics of grievance, culture wars and division remain central to One Nation’s appeal. As voters continue to face cost-of-living pressures, housing affordability and a declining trust in institutions, we examine the rise of populism in Australia, the decline of the Liberal Party, the contradictions in One Nation’s economic agenda,...

Recent opinion polls showing One Nation leading the primary vote have sparked debate about the future of Australian politics, but the bigger story may be the growing dissatisfaction with Labor, the Coalition and the political establishment itself. As voters grapple with cost-of-living pressures, housing affordability and declining trust in institutions, support for Pauline Hanson’s party appears i...

For years, the debate over AUKUS has focused on submarines, costs and delivery schedules, but the bigger story may be Australia’s growing integration into American military and defence systems. This week, we examine new legislation before the US Congress that would deepen defence technology cooperation between the United States and Israel, and what that could mean for Australia through AUKUS Pilla...

The Albanese government frequently presents Australia as a defender of international law, human rights and the rules-based international order, but does that commitment extend to all nations equally? This week, we examine serious allegations of sexual violence, physical abuse and rape made by Australian citizens detained by Israeli forces following the illegal interception of the Sumud Flotilla, w...

AUKUS was sold as a transformational defence agreement that would deliver a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines and strengthen Australia's security for decades to come. Nearly five years later, the promised new submarines have become second-hand Virginia-class vessels from the United States, raising fresh questions about a program expected to cost up to $368 billion. As former Labor minister Peter...

The resignation of NACC commissioner Paul Brereton has reignited debate about whether Australia’s federal anti-corruption watchdog is capable of delivering the accountability it promised. Created by the Albanese government in response to scandals including Robodebt, sports rorts and growing distrust in politics, the NACC was meant to restore integrity to public life. Nearly three years later, it h...

The teal independents transformed Australian politics by offering moderate urban voters an alternative to the Liberal Party’s culture-war politics under Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton, combining climate action, integrity and economic conservatism outside the traditional party system. But as discussion grows about forming a formal “Teal Party of Australia”, we examine whether the movement could lo...

The debate surrounding Australia’s 2026 Budget has rapidly evolved into a broader political battle over housing affordability, negative gearing, wealth inequality and the future direction of the Australian economy. In this episode, we examine how Labor’s housing reforms have triggered an aggressive backlash from the Liberal Party, conservative media and vested property interests, with warnings abo...

Australia’s Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is becoming a major political flashpoint over free speech, Israel and Palestine, civil liberties and political dissent. We examine how accusations of antisemitism are increasingly being linked to criticism of Israel, Zionism and support for Palestinian rights, the controversy surrounding the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and whe...

The shock result in the Farrer byelection has exposed a deep crisis inside Australian conservatism, with One Nation winning its first ever federal lower-house seat as the Liberal Party’s vote collapsed from 43 per cent to just 12 per cent in barely a year. We examine the growing backlash against the Liberal and National parties across regional Australia, the long-term rise of Pauline Hanson and On...

Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis: www.newpolitics.com.au Labor’s 2026 federal Budget has sparked fierce backlash from conservative commentators, with critics labelling it everything from a “Whitlam budget” to “Marxism” after modest reforms to negative gearing and capital gains tax. We examine Australia’s worsening housing affordability crisis, the political legacy o...

Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis: www.newpolitics.com.au   In this episode, we examine the interim findings of the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion following the Bondi Beach attacks, exploring major questions surrounding ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and intelligence failures in Australia. We discuss allegations that the Bondi attackers h...

Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis: www.newpolitics.com.au   In this episode, we examine the latest incident involving Donald Trump, framed as an assassination attempt but unfolding in an era of “fake news”, disinformation and collapsing public trust, where conspiracy theories and official narratives blur into one. We explore how Trump’s crisis-driven political strate...

Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis:  www.newpolitics.com.au   This week, we discuss the growing Anzac Day culture war in Australia, from booing at Dawn Services and Welcome to Country ceremonies to the rising influence of right-wing groups like Advance Australia and Fight for Australia, and ask how a solemn commemoration of the 8,700 Australians who died at Gallipoli...

Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis:  www.newpolitics.com.au Today on the New Politics podcast, we examine Australia’s stalled debate over a 25% gas export tax and why major tax reform continues to be blocked despite strong economic evidence and growing public support, with many experts warning the nation is getting a poor return on its natural resources. A gas export...

Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis:  www.newpolitics.com.au   This week on the New Politics podcast, we examine Australia’s escalating crackdown on protest rights after arrests in Brisbane over the phrase “from the river to the sea,” raising serious concerns about free speech, anti-protest laws, and democratic freedoms. We explore how legislation in Queensland and New...

Populism in Australian politics is usually framed as a right-wing force led by figures like Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce, but this episode explores the potential of left-wing populism and the role of the Australian Greens. We unpack populism as a political strategy used across the spectrum – from Bernie Sanders to Hugo Chávez – and examine the divide between right-wing identity politics and le...

Australia’s immigration debate is entering dangerous territory, with the Coalition’s proposed “values-based” migration system – featuring social media surveillance and ideological vetting – highlighting a shift towards right-wing populism, culture wars and the Trumpification of Australian politics. Angus Taylor and the Liberal Party are moving away from economic management and towards nationalism...

The arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith on five counts of alleged war crimes has reignited a fierce debate in Australian politics over military accountability, the rule of law and the legacy of the Afghanistan war. We look at the political, legal and cultural fallout, as reactions from Pauline Hanson, Gina Rinehart and Kerry Stokes expose deep divisions in how Australia understands war, justice and nation...