The end-of-year drift is upon us, and the Coalition’s ‘marriage material’ long game

This week we’re talking about the sense of drift in the major parties. The government is assessing how it can reset over summer, the Coalition hasn’t exactly gone backwards – or forwards – and One Nation’s popularity has plateaued. Also this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese jetted overseas fo…

A health check on Australia's democracy exposes deep divides

This week the 2026 McKinnon Index was released, and it showed what so many of us feel – that trust in federal politicians has fallen further – from 35.9 per cent of people to just 30.5 per cent, in one year.  The McKinnon Index is an annual survey that tracks public perceptions of Australian democ…

Is the PM at risk of "Albo derangement syndrome"?

This week, we take a look at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's incorrect claim about a $6 million grant to his local golf club – which has become another instance of the government fumbling potentially trivial political issues.  Plus, tensions between the Liberal and National parties, and mounting…

Bonus episode: ‘I should make more time for my colleagues’: Chalmers on party tensions

The treasurer's position is known to be one of, if not the, most difficult spots in any Australian cabinet in modern history, and the current climate is no exception. On the domestic front, interest rates are at a 15-year high, which could become an 18-year high if the RBA jacks  them up again on C…

Morality first, politics second – Waleed Aly on political violence

After the attack on Independent MP Helen Haines, it's been a real horror week in Australian politics. Last week SMH and The Age columnist Waleed Aly wrote a column titled, "More Australians believe in political violence than go to church each week. This won't end well". Given the chilling prescien…

Jim Chalmers’ facts, an ordinary voter’s feelings and the political reality

This week – again – is all about the economy, which includes a visit from a ghost of the past in the form of former treasurer Josh Frydenberg. But the big topic for today is current treasurerJim Chalmers and a speech he gave this week, in which he warned progressives not to mock One Nation voters.…

Coalition’s 'race to the bottom on migration' and former immigration official answers your questions

It’s been a year since Liberal MP Andrew Hastie quit Sussan Ley’s frontbench to speak his mind on migration. His decision fractured the Coalition and Ley’s ambition to woo back multicultural communities with a more moderate stance. How things change in a year. But through it all, migration has be…

Interest rates and Labor's spending, and the Greens look to Mamdani

Anthony Albanese is back from the United Nations in New York to a slump in his approval rating and more economic pain. On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank raised interest rates to a 15-year-high due to continued inflation pressure. So what's driving inflation? How much is government spending contributing…

Guardrails or ‘world leader’: How Anthony Albanese responds to OpenAI’s hack

Today we’re going international to talk about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s trip to New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. It’s been an eventful few days for the PM who has, among other things, spoken about Australia’s attempts to crack down on social media, me…

Migration plan revealed: Who comes, who leaves and what it all means

Today we’re hot off the press, to use an old newsroom cliche, to talk about the federal government’s new plan for migration. Immigration Minister Tony Burke gave a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday where he announced significant changes. These changes included curtailing vi…