Inside Politics

It was high drama this week with the Nationals telling the Liberals they wanted a political divorce.

But by Thursday, the separation – like a marriage on the rocks – was placed on hold while further conversations took place.  

So what happened? And what’s going to be better for both parties, and the political health of the nation?

Here to discuss the drama, we have our freshly minted Chief Political Comm...

Newly elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joins chief political correspondent David Crowe and federal political reporter Paul Sakkal for an exclusive interview on Inside Politics. They chat about the new Labor cabinet, Albanese's thumping mandate, plans for the term ahead and a new phrase the prime minister is trying out - progressive patriotism.

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It will go down as one of the most resounding victories in Australian political history. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese out-performed the expectations of just about everyone last weekend, decimating the Liberal party to the extent where even its leader lost his own seat. So, what next for Labor? As the caucus gathers in Canberra on Friday, we look at the new faces in the team and discuss which are the ones to watch. Also, we try t...

Well, that was quick, about two and a half hours after the polls had closed, the election had already been called for the incumbent Labor government. But as the night went on, Anthony Albanese’s win was looking like a landslide, and Labor increased its majority in parliament. For the opposition, it was disastrous, its leader Peter Dutton has lost his seat in parliament and recriminations will surely be savage.

To talk us thro...

Today we bring you a special episode recorded in the south-west Victorian electorate of Wannon. The seat encompasses tourist towns from Lorne along the Great Ocean Road, to Warrnambool. 

And who better to tell the evolving story of Wannon than our associate editor and special writer Tony Wright. He was born in Heywood, grew up on sheep and cattle properties in the Western District, went to school in Hamilton, started his caree...

Well, it’s finally here. Saturday is election day, and by Saturday night we will have some idea of who is going to govern Australia for the next three years, during this volatile and pivotal moment in global history. 

Today, we talk about the seats to watch on election night, the ones that will determine the outcome of the poll. 

And we will also zoom out to the bigger picture. 

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutto...

Salmon farming is not something most voters consider when they go to the polls on election day. But for Tasmanian voters, it is a huge and often divisive issue. This debate about the environmental effects of salmon farming is playing out in an election where any other discussion of the environment is pretty much non-existent.

Which is curious because energy policy goes hand-in-hand with the environment and that is a decisive topic ...

This week we are doing a special podcast about our complicated relationship with political polls. As journalists, we like them because, maybe, they can tell us something about what voters are really thinking. But we are a bit wary of them too. Especially after the federal election in 2019, where the polls were wrong. That caused a massive rethink in how polling is done, and how we in the media rely on it. Jacqueline Maley is joined...

The threat teal independents pose in this election - to the dominance of the two-party system, to the stability of our parliament and to the Liberal Party’s base - is very real. Today, we focus on two of these seats: Bradfield in Sydney and Kooyong in Melbourne where the teals and the Libs are neck and neck. City reporter for The Age Rachael Dexter and NSW political editor Alexandra Smith join Jacqueline Maley to discuss.

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This week on the campaign saw the release of competing housing policies, and the appearance of Peter Dutton’s son Harry. 

But in many ways the campaign continued to be overshadowed by Donald Trump. Labor is making increasingly explicit attacks trying to link Dutton to the US president. And Dutton’s cause wasn’t helped with one of his key frontbenchers aped a Trump slogan. Does this mean the wheels have fallen...

This week our revered economics editor Ross Gittins wrote an essay for the Age and Sydney Morning Herald, in which he lamented the state of this election campaign in particular, and Australian politics in general. 

The essay was titled “They treat us like mugs”, and Ross did not miss with his critique of the timidity and cynicism of the two major parties’ campaigns. 

Gittins joins Jacqueline Maley in the...

No one fell off a stage this week, but we did see the two party leaders face off for their first debate, plus the Coalition released modelling of its gas policy.

With energy prices so crucial in this election, we are going to take a closer look at the Coalition’s gas plan - is it credible or is it just a cover-up for a nuclear policy that may never come off? 

Chief political correspondent David Crowe and special first-ti...

US President Donald Trump has officially unleashed chaos on the world's financial markets. It's a strange time to be campaigning for election, but Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton must adjust and carry on. So how is the incredible international volatility impacting the election campaign? Will all this disruption be favourable for the incumbent PM? And do Australian voters really want a candidate promising change at this moment in ...

Week one of the election campaign is done. Albanese has been hammering his Medicare message. Dutton has sought to broaden his image but is still playing to type, telling Sky News that he is ready to “fight” Donald Trump on Australia’s behalf, if necessary. So who won the week? And what is it like to be on the campaign trail with the leaders as a journalist, catching mystery flights to places unknown and travelling...

When Anthony Albanese couldn't name the cash rate, or the unemployment rate on day one of his last campaign, it was a moment that could have lost him the election.

But, as The Age and Sydney Morning Herald’s associate editor Tony Wright says, he was up against Scott Morrison who was "on the nose" across the nation. And that was before Morrison spear-tackled a child at a soccer match.

Campaigns can win, and lose, an election a...

Well, an election date has finally been called and we are staring down the barrel of a five week campaign before voting day on May 3.

Here -  from the newsrooms of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald - we’ll bring you our humble podcast twice a week for the duration of the campaign. There’s going to be a lot of news around so we’re here to help you navigate your way through the barrage of informatio...

In this early episode of Inside Politics, we come to you soon after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton gave his budget reply speech on Thursday night, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese all but certain to call an election on Friday morning.

Did Dutton's speech, which moved to intensify the contest over household budgets, one-up the government's budget earlier in the week?

Inside Politics host Jacqueline Maley dissects all the news wi...

Just as Treasurer Jim Chalmers puts the final touches on his pre-election budget, the local threat emanating from Donald Trump's global trade war is becoming clearer.

Labor is boosting Australia's subsidised medicine scheme, but US big pharma companies want to boost their profits down under.

Meanwhile Peter Dutton is under pressure to set out a clear platform before the May election, and next week will be one of his l...

The verdict is in: Australia will not be granted an exemption from US tariffs on steel and aluminium, despite hopes President Trump would look favourably on one of its most loyal allies and grant us one.

The news was greeted with dismay in Canberra, with the Prime Minister saying the decision the government giving a somewhat muted response, and the Opposition blaming it on the government.

So what does this mean for ou...