Right after the federal budget dropped, I sat down with some of Australia’s most powerful ministers and political voices to ask the questions our community actually cares about. Not the polished political talking points… the real stuff. Housing affordability, childcare costs, rising bills, negative gearing, fuel prices, domestic violence support, women’s financial security and whether Australians are genuinely better off after this budget.

Across this bonus episode, I speak with Housing Minister Clare O'Neil, Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek, Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Independent MP Monique Ryan about what this budget actually means for Australians trying to buy homes, leave violent relationships, pay power bills, raise kids and build financial security in an economy that feels increasingly hard to keep up with.

We also get into the politics behind negative gearing reform, whether the government has gone far enough on housing, why childcare still feels impossible for so many women, and what politicians really think when Australians say their paychecks simply aren’t stretching anymore.

Some of their answers genuinely surprised me.

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