Robodebt took Kath’s only son; now she’s been denied compensation

Kath Madgwick has been to hell and back. One of the most recognisable faces of the Royal Commission into Robodebt, her only son Jarrad took his own life after being told he owed Services Australia nearly two thousand dollars.  Kath has been fighting ever since. The royal commission report dedicat…

The Holy Warrior leading Trump's war

Last week, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth gathered hundreds of service members at a base in Virginia to lay out his vision for the American military. Alongside sweeping changes to the way it fights and trains, Hegseth announced a new Office of Religious Affairs – reporting directly to him – aim…

As the Coalition veers right, should Albo hold the centre?

The Coalition is under pressure from One Nation, and its response is becoming increasingly clear. Angus Taylor is pushing a much harder line on immigration, borrowing language that echoes populist movements overseas.  At the same time, One Nation is escalating its own rhetoric as it tries to capit…

The $25 billion plan to take on Coles and Woolworths

The Greens’ official think-tank has a new proposition — a national chain of 624 publicly owned supermarkets. To make that a reality would cost more than $25 billion, and involve the forced sale of 200 Coles and Woolworths supermarkets.  But the Institute, which took its inspiration from New York …

Could the Flydubai attack keep Netanyahu in power?

Big events have always had the power to shape elections: from John Howard and the Tampa affair, to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.  And it doesn’t get much bigger than a foiled attempt to bring down a plane mid-flight. One week on from the Flydubai incident, details are continuing to…

'Biggest cut in history': What Angus Taylor’s migration cuts would do to Australia

Angus Taylor has promised “the biggest cut to immigration in the history of this country” – vowing to cut net overseas migration to one hundred thousand for two years if he wins office, slashing Australia’s temporary migration intake by 650 thousand over four years. Temporary graduate visas would …

Undercover inside Cuba: The world’s longest-running blockade

The United States is once again tightening its grip on Cuba.  New travel and economic restrictions are adding to a brutal oil blockade that has already pushed the country deeper into crisis, leaving Cuba increasingly isolated both politically and economically.  But behind the decades of hostility…

Alastair Campbell on Pauline, Trump and the shifting world order

Last week, Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham stood in front of the Labour Party conference and promised to break politics as usual.  In an emotional speech, he took aim at privatisation, austerity and Brexit, arguing that Britain’s departure from the European Union had done more harm than …

‘It’s not 1800-phone-a-friend’: the failed promise of therapy apps

If you listen to podcasts, and let’s be honest, there’s a fair chance that you do, it’s likely that you’ve heard ads for a thing called Better Help. It’s an app offering flexible, affordable therapy whenever you need it. Kind of an “Uber for therapy”. Since we first brought you this story two yea…

New leader, new Greens?

David Shoebridge has taken over the Greens leadership with a big ambition: to replace Labor. He’s doing it at a time when Australians are becoming less attached to the major parties, and less trusting of the people who run them. But so far, it’s Pauline Hanson’s One Nation that has made the most …