The Morning Edition

The fertility rate in Australia is at a record low, and there is judgment all around. Today, senior journalist Matt Wade and reporter Bronte Gossling on what our exclusive polling tells us about the global population plunge we’re all inching towards; what challenges it will throw at us; and why the demise of the third child may not be a great thing. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscr...

This week polls showed, for the first time, One Nation ahead of the major parties and Pauline Hanson as preferred prime minister in second place ahead of Angus Taylor.  Today we're talking about her strategy, her chances in the lower house and any parallels with the United States. Is it time to take Hanson seriously? And the week would not be over if we didn't mention submarines - but second-...

The debate on the rise of Pauline Hanson is shifting rapidly. This week, for the first time, polls are showing One Nation's primary vote has risen above the Labor Party's. A conversation that focused on One Nation and the Coalition swapping preferences has now shifted to more profound questions about the long-term configuration of the right flank of Australian politics. Hanson is yet to face the f...

We know that Donald Trump has long chased after Vladimir Putin’s approval. Remember the time Trump tweeted: “Do you think Putin will be going to the Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow – if so, will he become my new best friend”? That was 13 years ago. But now the American president is Putin’s match. Just not in the way he’d like. Today, international an...

This weekend, there was supposed to be a special game played between the Sydney Swans and St Kilda. It was the teams' annual Pride match, in which the players would wear rainbow jerseys and celebrate diversity, the aim being to boost inclusivity for LGBTQ fans. But for the first time in a decade, because of a far-reaching  scandal involving Saints player Lance Collard , the Pride match was sc...

Tony Abbott is one of our most divisive former prime ministers. Lauded in conservative political circles, and mocked outside of them. And now, after he was knifed by his own party as a first-term prime minister, and then lost his political seat, Abbott is back. Today chief political commentator James Massola discusses Abbott's selection as the new president of the Liberal Party and the risk, and r...

Roughly 5,000 new electric vehicles are due to land this week from China. This is just the first part of a shipment expected from the Chinese car manufacturing behemoth, BYD. The company is due to ship another 25,000 EVs here this year. Australians are embracing electric vehicles more than ever before, thanks to skyrocketing fuel prices.  But it also comes with unanswered questions and potent...

We are officially in week two of budget backlash, and both sides seem pretty dug in. Today we’re talking about the disagreements about the capital gains tax - the most controversial part of the budget - and if, as some critics said, it will kill business aspirations. The other news that sparked our interest was the tantalising prospect of the Teal independents forming a party to consolidate...

Gen Z in India are rebelling. Millions of young Indians have signed up to a movement that’s pushing against the unfair advantages that their elders have and they don’t. And though the political movement they've joined is satirical, the Cockroach Janta Party has the Indian government worried. Today international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses how serious a threat this mov...

State of Origin is rugby league’s night of nights, with Queensland and New South Wales battling it out for supremacy. But as the teams take to the field tonight, there’s a battle of a different kind taking place in the NRL as power swaps between the biggest names in sports administration - Peter V’Landys and Andrew Abdo. Today, national head of sport Neil Breen on the politics of...

Drugs and music festivals have gone hand-in-hand for decades. In recent years – especially since a string of overdoses – authorities have employed various strategies to try to curb drug use and avoid tragedies from occurring at festivals around the country. Depending on where festivals are held, music lovers have been subjected to various degrees of intervention – from having to...

As a police officer who investigated sex crimes, Graeme Simpfendorfer was accustomed to helping victims on what might be the worst day of their life. He found meaning in tracking down the criminals who’d hurt them. But then came the day when he realised that he, too, was an alleged victim. The former detective sergeant – who appeared on the reality television show Hunted – talks...

We’re officially in our budget backlash era, with claims of death taxes, of aspirations killed, and the outraged cries of crypto bros across the nation. Not to mention, of course, the genuine anxiety from regular small business owners and shareholders who are unsure of how all of these changes will affect them. Our guest this week is former Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten, who is n...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has landed in China to meet Xi Jinping, days after the Chinese leader hosted US President Donald Trump. Will Putin gush over Xi, as Trump was accused of doing? Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses the historic concessions Trump has made to China, and what Putin is hoping to achieve from his meeting. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://...

It’s like clockwork. Every March, countless parents, children and teachers across Australia grip their foreheads, wondering about how their NAPLAN scores measure up. But now, a new study of our country’s national standardised scholastic test has revealed an unsettling trend. Today, education reporter Nicole Precel on the educational segregation that is thriving in Australia – and...

With the Liberal Party in a political death spiral, it was perhaps inevitable that when Opposition Leader Angus Taylor gave his budget reply speech last week, he’d swing for the fences. But could his much-awaited immigration policy help fix Australia's housing crisis? Today, chief political commentator James Massola on what Angus Taylor means when he says his policy proposal “puts Aust...

Melbourne’s nightlife industry has been beset by violent crimes for much of this year. Under the cover of night, well-known venues - including an iconic French restaurant - have been targeted. What makes this series of connected crimes interesting is the motive remains a mystery. Some club owners have received an ominous message before an attack, but with no demand attached. Also notable is...

The federal budget was pitched as a big moment for a progressive government that wants to equalise wealth and home ownership. And one of the main attacks from the opposition is that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has had to break a promise in order to get there. So will the broken promise line resonate if the changes are broadly supported by the public? Also today,  Inside Politics host Jacq...

When US President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping this week, it will be a geopolitical heavyweight match-up with enormous stakes, according to Joe Biden’s former deputy secretary of state, Kurt Campbell. On the table is everything from global trade to security. And, at a time when Trump is arguably at his weakest, and Xi at his most paranoid. Today international and poli...

The federal government has delivered one of the most anticipated budgets in recent history, with the focus on shifting wealth from Boomers and opening more of the housing market to younger wage earners. In order to get there, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers have enacted an overhaul of negative gearing, capital gains tax and trusts. Today, we bring you an early episode of...

We’re only hours away from the federal treasurer handing down the government’s much-anticipated budget. All eyes have been on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s anticipated - and controversial - changes to taxes that benefit the wealthier members of our society. But there’s an entirely different factor that is likely to sway the government’s thinking. Today, political...

Travis Reyes, a 21-year-old US marine, remembers feeling smug as he sat with his feet dangling out the door of a military aircraft, soaring high above a gulf in the Northern Territory. Yes, dozens of military personnel had died in these hybrid aeroplane/helicopters over the years. But the take-off from Darwin had been smooth. Today, senior reporter Grant McArthur on the 23 marines who crashed in t...

The electorate of Farrer is holding a by-election this weekend and we’re expecting the contest will be a good one. The NSW seat, which hugs the border with Victoria, belonged to former opposition leader Sussan Ley for 25 years. Now, it’s a microcosm of the pressures the Coalition is under from independent candidates and One Nation. And as  Inside Politics host Jacqueline Maley put...

US President Donald Trump never fails to miss an opportunity to punish his allies. This week, it was Germany after Trump announced he’d be pulling 5000 troops from the country after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the US had been humiliated by Iran. But away from the front-page news, Germany and Japan – another former enemy of the US – have been on the rise. Today, internatio...

For millions of people, David Attenborough was the man who introduced us to the wonders of the natural world. But, with Attenborough turning 100 years old on Friday, some are rethinking his legacy, and realising that his biggest achievement might have been missed entirely. Today environment editor Nick O’Malley and former BBC arts director Jonty Claypole talk about how the world’s most...