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In January, Katie Tangey was killed in a Melbourne house fire believed to be part of the ongoing “tobacco wars”. Police say she was an innocent victim and the arsonists got the wrong address.

The tobacco wars are driven by rival gangs fighting over a black market worth billions, and have been marked by firebombings, extortion and murder.

While headlines focus on the violence, skyrocketing government taxes on tobacco hav...

As Peter Dutton conceded his 24-year hold on the Brisbane seat of Dickson, he said the Liberal Party will “rebuild”.

The party’s soul-searching has begun, as it looks to select a new leader and consider its future direction.

But a return to the Liberal Party’s traditional values is complicated by Peter Dutton having led the party further to the right and the election having diminished much of its moderate wi...

Karen Middleton has known Anthony Albanese for more than 30 years – since before he entered parliament.

She’s watched his rise, and documented the moments that have shaped the leader he is today.

And Karen says this election is going to change Anthony Albanese, in ways that will change the country too.

Today author of Albanese: Telling it Straight Karen Middleton, on why Anthony Albanese won – and what the next th...

The mood inside Labor HQ was jubilant as it became clear that against all expectations, Anthony Albanese had led the Labor party to victory, with a significantly increased majority.

For the coalition the outcome is devastating, and Peter Dutton is out of a job.

On top of that, the next generation of Liberal leadership has been wiped off the electoral map, setting the party back for years to come.

Today, we take you inside Anthony A...

It’s election day!

While Anthony Albanese’s campaign has been modest and predictable, Peter Dutton’s has been marked by missteps and backflips.

It seems the traits that powered Dutton’s rise are now holding him back.

Today, columnist and former adviser to two prime ministers, Sean Kelly, on the decisions that shaped both leaders – and what killed Peter Dutton’s campaign.

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Since the election was announced, just five weeks ago, at least five women have been killed by their partners in Australia. Yet this crisis has barely received a mention in either of the two major parties’ campaigns. 

Dr Tracy Westerman, a Nyamal woman from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, has worked as a psychologist in remote communities for 25 years. She says where she works, the silence from politicians has b...

There’s one question Grace Tame is asked all the time: when is she going into politics?

And her answer is always the same – never.

Like many younger Australians, Tame is disillusioned with the two-party system, which she says serves a dwindling minority of morbidly wealthy players rather than the general public.

But as Australia heads into an election where Gen Z and Millennials outnumber Baby Boomers for the first time...

Under Peter Dutton’s leadership, the Coalition has placed One Nation candidates second on scores of how-to-vote cards across the country.

In return, Pauline Hanson has switched One Nation's how-to-vote cards to preference the Liberals second in seats where the Coalition is under threat.

The decision goes against decades of principled condemnation of Hanson and One Nation inside the Liberal Party, and normalises what has for a...

If things go the Greens’ way this weekend, the party could hold the balance of power in a minority Labor government.

But given the prime minister’s famed antipathy towards the Greens – and the Labor Party’s continual approvals of new coal and gas projects – questions remain about whether they’ll really have any power at all.

Today, Greens leader Adam Bandt, on working with Albanese and what the G...

As we head to the polls this weekend, election analyst Ben Raue has been calculating the path to victory for the major parties. 

The Coalition needs to pick up 18 seats to win, while if Labor loses four seats, they lose their majority.

But as the electorate shifts in all kinds of surprising ways, the path to victory is becoming increasingly complicated for the major parties.

Today, analyst at The Tally Room Ben Raue, on the se...

The opening scene of Chris Flynn’s fourth and latest novel, Orpheus Nine, came to him in a dream. Not long after, he had the whole story down from start to finish. On this week’s episode of Read This, Chris and Michael sit down for a conversation about the falsity of certitude, how trauma can re-shape a community, and what 

Paul Bongiorno is one of the 1.2 billion Roman Catholics who mourned the loss of Pope Francis this week.

As he read tribute after tribute of the impact of the Pope’s life, he noticed what wasn’t on the front page – Peter Dutton’s last-minute policy announcements.

“The Pope is a world figure… and of course, it swamped the world’s media, including here in Australia. So it’s not surpris...

In January, Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the trans community by banning some medical care for minors.

The move has had a chilling effect across the United States, as doctors withdraw their services for fear of being prosecuted and parents stop accessing medication for their children. 

But many are fighting back. In one red state, we spoke with a doctor driving across state lines, at great personal risk, to ...

When Scott Morrison lost his job as prime minister, it was women who sacked him.

A review commissioned by the Liberal Party after the 2022 election found that a decline in support among women was a decisive factor in their loss.

The report outlined ways the party might win women back. But three years on, that hasn’t happened.

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Bri Lee, on what women want – and why they’re no...

When Peter Dutton’s son, Harry, fronted the media to talk about his dream of home ownership, it was an attempt by the opposition leader to seem relatable.

The 20-year-old apprentice said he was “saving like mad”, but it’s unlikely he’d be able to save enough in the near future. 

But it seems his father may have failed to anticipate the obvious question: would he help his son with a deposit?

As rep...

In a coastal corner of Australia, scientist Saul Griffith has been quietly working away on a plan to turn 500 households completely off fossil fuels. He hopes that what he achieves there can act as a blueprint for the rest of the country. 

But for that to become a reality, the federal government would need to drastically increase their commitment to renewable energy. 

Today, chief scientist at Rewiring Australia, Saul Gri...

As a child refugee in India, Harini dreamt of making it to Australia to study medicine and become a doctor.

She arrived in Australia in 2013 when she was 10 years old, leaving behind her two siblings and mother.

Harini did not realise her visa status made her different to her classmates until she received a university offer for a biomedical science degree that required her to pay international student fees of nearly $100,000.

After...

Over four decades Niall Williams has made a name for himself as one of Ireland’s leading novelists. In his latest novel, Time of the Child, Niall returns to the fictional village of Faha, in west Ireland, the setting of his previous book, This Is Happiness. Time of the Child centres on the notion of familial ...

At one point during this term of government, Indigenous affairs dominated national debate. Politicians, pundits and the public couldn't stop talking about it. 

But since the Voice referendum failed, it’s become something of a taboo. Labor is eager to move on, while the Coalition is more focused on scoring points than offering a plan. 

Now, with the election weeks away, there are glimpses of what might come next. Lab...