Australian Politics
Guardian Australia's political editor Tom McIlroy and team at Parliament House examine what’s happening in Australian politics and why it matters to you
Episodes
October 15, 2026 • 32 mins
The Albanese government has a lot of unfinished business as the end of the political year fast approaches. This sitting week, Labor struggled to pass its budget saving measure to reduce private health insurance rebates for over-65s. Independent MP Monique Ryan was a vocal critic of the bill and argues that the government is continually on the ‘back foot’. Speaking with the political editor, Tom McIlroy, she is critical ...
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October 8, 2026 • 27 mins
Improving economic productivity is crucial for raising living standards, and Australia’s productivity growth has been sluggish for years. When the Reserve Bank hiked interest rates to a 15 year high last week, the governor, Michele Bullock, even described productivity as ‘doing nothing’. The chair of the Productivity Commission, Danielle Wood, speaks with political editor Tom McIlroy about the policy challenges of...
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October 1, 2026 • 34 mins
With a sharp, aggressive strategy, the Australian Greens’ newly elected leader vows to take on corporate power and bring a “red hot fight” to coal and gas approvals. But following a turbulent week and internal party room fractures, can Senator David Shoebridge and his polarising approach rally progressive voters without deepening splits? Guardian Australia’s political editor, Tom McIlroy, speaks with the new...
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September 30, 2026 • 24 mins
Immigration is the hot-button issue lighting up this month’s polling. Elsewhere, the Coalition have hit their equal-lowest ever primary vote, despite mounting scrutiny on Labor’s handing of the economy and inflation, and other dramas dogging the government. Guardian Australia political reporter Josh Butler speaks with Essential Media chair Peter Lewis about how many votes can be won in the bruising and often incendiary ...
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September 22, 2026 • 26 mins
On Monday, Jim Chalmers released Treasury’s economic forecast for the next 40 years – in the Albanese government’s second intergenerational report. The outlook shows major challenges on geopolitics, the AI transformation, and for the first time, deaths will overtake births in Australia within a few decades. The treasurer speaks with Guardian Australia’s political editor Tom McIlroy and economics editor Patri...
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September 17, 2026 • 19 mins
Home affairs minister Tony Burke delivered a speech at the National Press Club on Thursday, announcing immigration reforms to achieve Labor’s forecasts for net overseas migration. After being postponed at short notice six weeks ago, Burke’s speech comes in the same week that One Nation announced its policy to significantly cut the number of temporary migrants in Australia. Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to Burke ab...
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September 10, 2026 • 27 mins
This week, the Albanese government released its draft digital duty of care legislation and announced reforms to allow social media users to opt out of algorithms. The Coalition has ruled out their support, so the Greens will be crucial to the changes passing the Senate. Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young about why she thinks this will be a ‘battle for our generation’. They also ...
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September 3, 2026 • 20 mins
Consent advocate Chanel Contos is leading a new campaign to push for social media companies to give Australians the choice to ‘opt in’ to the algorithms driving the infinite scroll. Following her speech at the National Press Club this week, she speaks with political editor Tom McIlroy about why this solution addresses the structural forces influencing misogynistic behaviour – particularly in young men. They also d...
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September 2, 2026 • 20 mins
One Nation has had another electoral win, having flipped the Labor seat of Secret Harbour in a Western Australian byelection on Saturday. So what does this signal for the upcoming contest at the Victorian state election? Guardian Australia political reporter and live blogger Krishani Dhanji speaks with Essential Media chair Peter Lewis about how Pauline Hanson’s party is tapping into low social engagement, and how Labor can b...
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August 27, 2026 • 31 mins
National cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss the federal government’s plan for new AI datacentre development. Queensland and the Northern Territory have won a carve-out so that theirs can be powered by coal and gas – rather than renewables. Meanwhile, the fight between the West Australian premier Roger Cook and the Productivity Commission over his state’s generous GST deal persists. And federally, migration arriva...
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August 21, 2026 • 28 mins
This week, the Albanese government passed major reforms to online gambling advertising and deep cuts to rein in NDIS spending – all with the Coalition’s support. David Pocock has long been a vocal critic of the government’s approach to both of these issues. He argues Labor and the opposition have failed to stand up to vested interests on gambling reforms. And while he agrees NDIS cuts are needed, he says major par...
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August 13, 2026 • 28 mins
Federal parliament has returned from winter break with a frenetic start to the second half of the political year. There were days of commentary and squirming over ‘melon-gate’ and, with Labor planning to make a deal with the Coalition to pass gambling reforms, there are still doubts about the government’s ambition in its second term. Tom McIlroy, Krishani Dhanji, Josh Butler and Sarah Basford Canales, from Guardia...
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August 8, 2026 • 21 mins
The criminal trial of veteran broadcaster Alan Jones has begun, almost two years after he was arrested over multiple counts of indecent assault and sexual touching — charges he strongly denies. What did week one reveal about the prosecution’s case, and the way Jones treated his alleged teenage victim? Nour Haydar speaks to Guardian Australia’s media correspondent Amanda Meade to unpack opening statements and key e...
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August 6, 2026 • 27 mins
On Wednesday, the Labor government announced environmental and energy safeguards on new datacentres in Australia. Our political editor, Tom McIlroy, speaks to the assistant minister for science, technology and the digital economy, Dr Andrew Charlton, about the government’s push for national standards on datacentres. The former Rudd staffer and economist speaks about having his own book scraped by Anthropic, low public trust i...
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July 30, 2026 • 36 mins
Two years into her role representing King Charles, Australia’s head of state, governor general Sam Mostyn says she has observed a ‘woeful lack of understanding’ among the adult population about the civic underpinnings of Australia’s democracy – beginning with the constitution. Mostyn speaks to political editor Tom McIlroy at Admiralty House in Sydney about her decision to focus on a wide-ranging civics...
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July 29, 2026 • 27 mins
This month’s Guardian Essential poll shows signs that One Nation’s primary vote continues to plateau. But Labor can’t breathe a big sigh of relief just yet. Guardian Australia political reporter Josh Butler speaks with Guardian columnist and executive director of Essential, Peter Lewis, about the health of the government at the halfway point of Anthony Albanese’s second term as prime minister
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July 24, 2026 • 24 mins
Speaking with political editor Tom McIlroy and chief political correspondent Dan Jervis-Bardy at the 50th Labor conference in Adelaide, Peter Malinauskas talks about his own state contest with One Nation and why progressives should avoid speaking down to Pauline Hanson’s supporters. And despite the US admitting this week that the production rate of Virginia-class submarines has not increased, the SA premier argues that abando...
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July 15, 2026 • 30 mins
Paul Kelly speaks to political editor Tom McIlroy about his new book on the turbulent era of the Liberal party under prime ministers Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison. In The Twilight of Exceptionalism, Kelly writes about how the Liberal leadership changed hands from a conservative, to a progressive and then a transactional centrist. The Australian’s editor at large argues that this period demonstrated the part...
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July 9, 2026 • 29 mins
Darcy Byrne is the Labor mayor of Sydney’s Inner West Council and he’s helping lead a grassroots movement on curbing gambling harm in the community – including pushing for a reduction in the number of poker machines in licensed clubs in New South Wales. This momentum comes while the federal Labor party continues to face criticism about the scale of its commitment to online gambling reform. The rising Labor star sp...
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July 2, 2026 • 29 mins
The 2026 political year has already been surprising. Labor passed changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount, which they had previously ruled out. The Liberals changed leaders again, and One Nation has seen a surge of support in multiple polls. Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to press gallery colleagues Michelle Grattan, the chief political correspondent at The Conversation, and Melissa Clarke, political cor...
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