A clumsy protest over the social media use of Senate evidence exposed a deeper problem. The public service must answer to Parliament and the public, while MPs must protect its political neutrality. Both sides need to remember where their responsibilities begin and end.

Ten years after South Australia’s statewide blackout became a political weapon against renewables, the state now gets more than three-quarters of its electricity from renewable sources. The technology has raced ahead, even if the politics has barely moved.

AI companies are investigating tens of thousands of incidents involving models bypassing controls, escaping secure environments and interfering with external systems. After an OpenAI agent breached an Australian government site, demands for tougher safeguards are growing.

Rate rises hit mortgage holders, first-home buyers and jobs, while doing nothing to fix many of the supply shocks driving prices higher. Governments need to carry more of the burden through taxation and responsible budgets.

James Chessell’s move from the AFR to Joe Aston’s Rampart is another sign of a media landscape being remade. Smaller outlets, subscription models, podcasts, and independent publishers are challenging the power once held by newspapers, radio and television.

Australia is campaigning for a UN Security Council seat on a promise to uphold international law and defend middle powers. Its record on Gaza, Indigenous rights, military alliances and international rulings tells a far less consistent story.

Australia is campaigning for a UN Security Council seat on a promise to uphold international law and defend middle powers. Its record on Gaza, Indigenous rights, military alliances and international rulings tells a far less consistent story.

Trump gave Xi a bald eagle. Xi promised America two pandas. Behind the diplomatic symbolism sits a larger shift: China’s international standing is improving as trust in the United States declines.

AI can help people explore ideas, learn skills and plan businesses. But without reliable power, internet access, trusted teachers, equipment and local knowledge, its answers may lead nowhere.

Albanese used his UN address to champion international law, dialogue and Australia’s credentials as a middle power. The real test lies in whether those principles are applied consistently, from Gaza and AUKUS to climate, aid and Australia’s closest allies.

Deepfakes can fool voters, but new research points to a deeper danger: genuine political footage is increasingly being dismissed as fake. As Victoria heads towards its November election, scepticism itself may become a vulnerability.

Australia’s push on AI and social media regulation has put it at odds with Washington. The disagreement offers a rare glimpse of a foreign policy willing to put Australian interests ahead of automatic alignment with the US.

Australia is campaigning for a Security Council seat on a promise to defend international law. Yet Albanese condemned Russia by name while saying nothing comparable about US actions – even after Trump threatened from the same UN stage to “annihilate” Iran.

Xi Jinping’s Washington visit was more than ceremony and trade deals. The US and China are building a more stable relationship around regular summitry, negotiated differences and mutual recognition of power. Australia needs to understand what has changed.

A new poll finds majority support among surveyed Democrats for pursuing criminal prosecutions of officials from both the Biden and Trump administrations over Gaza. The finding points to demands for accountability that extend beyond party allegiance.

Queensland has legislated remote camps for children, while Victoria has made it easier to sentence young offenders as adults. Victoria once kept more kids out of jail by investing in community alternatives. That hard-won approach is being lost in the race to sound tough.

Warren Buffett’s departure as Berkshire Hathaway chairman marks a turning point for the company he built. As his successors take charge, the rise of AI is raising fresh questions about the value of his patient, long-term approach to investing.

Brazil and Spain’s finance ministers reject the idea that economic growth, fiscal responsibility and social investment must compete. They point to their governments’ records to make the case for an economic model that puts people’s lives at its centre.

Trump’s latest warning to Cuba revives a long history of US hostility towards the island. From the Batista era to today’s economic pressure, the question is how far Washington might go in seeking political change.

Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour prompted other artists to walk away and brought fresh attention and donations to Palestinian aid. An attempt to contain his message ended up amplifying it – a sign that speaking up for Palestine is becoming harder to silence.

P&I is reaching more readers, attracting younger voices and becoming an increasingly important part of Australia's democratic conversation. But as we enter the last week of our fundraising campaign, John Menadue writes, our independence depends on you.

We go to shopping centres for more than the shops. They offer somewhere to meet, wander, sit or simply be among other people. What can these commercial spaces teach us about the places we need to feel connected?

One hundred years ago Don Dunstan was born and 50 years ago, in October 1976, the then South Australian premier published a cookbook. It sounds like a charming eccentricity of the era. It was actually a small expression of a much larger political idea.

Solar panel imports are surging across Africa, but the global shift away from fossil fuels remains too slow. Meanwhile, Australian environmental groups unite behind ten principles to protect native forests, and a tiny wallaby makes a rare appearance.

It’s easy to dismiss people who vote differently from us as selfish or brainwashed. But our own choices are shaped by self-interest, values and culture too. As Victorians prepare to vote, whose lives and interests are we willing to consider beyond our own?

Trump stood before the United Nations and threatened to “annihilate” Iran. With the authority to order a nuclear strike resting in the hands of one US president, the consequences of treating such threats as mere bluster could be catastrophic.

In A Foreign Return, Neha Kale uses paintings, photographs and installations to explore migration, memory and belonging. Joanna Mendelssohn reviews a book that finds the meaning of home in art, relationships and the places we carry with us.

Canada is looking for ways to protect its independence from Washington. Australia has embedded itself so deeply in the US military system that it risks being drawn into America’s next war – whether we choose it or not.

The Coalition has unveiled plans to scrap Australia’s legislated climate targets, industrial emissions rules and vehicle efficiency standards, while reopening the door to nuclear power. It promises cheaper, more reliable energy – but has yet to show how its proposed changes would deliver lower bills.

Two leaders shared a Climate Week stage, but their speeches revealed contrasting approaches to climate leadership. Albanese spoke about Australia’s climate efforts; Miliband set out how governments must prepare for climate threats. The question is where Australia’s plan is.

Mark Latham’s bid for an independent inquiry into NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Sally Dowling was defeated 19–14. But the allegations aired in Parliament – and Labor MLC Stephen Lawrence’s criticism of her conduct – have not gone away.

CNN is set to join CBS News under the Ellisons’ ownership. With Trump openly hostile to critical coverage, the concern is not that the network will disappear, but that its journalists will face pressure to stop asking difficult questions.

New ABS data show high employment, qualifications and earnings among skilled migrants and their accompanying families. The findings raise questions about calls for deep cuts to Australia’s permanent skilled migration program.

Canada’s decision to acquire conventionally powered submarines raises a question for Australia’s AUKUS program. Could South Korea’s KSS-III offer a more affordable and timely alternative to the planned nuclear-powered fleet?

Delaying aged care, disability support and other public services may contain spending in one part of government, but the costs don't disappear. They move to families, hospitals, review systems and the people left waiting for help.

Australia’s new election spending rules will cap the money flowing into campaigns. But the proposed limits may leave established parties with ample room to spend while making it harder for newcomers to reach voters.

A Trump–Xi agreement on trade would be welcome, but lasting stability will depend on what follows: reliable implementation, open crisis channels and practical cooperation on risks neither country can manage alone.

Australia’s 40-year economic outlook rests on a productivity rebound that may never arrive. Without it, governments face bigger deficits and harder choices about funding the services Australians need.

I spent a day in Parliament House last week. It was the day Immigration Minister Tony Burke was to make his long-delayed speech to the National Press Club on migration, and that issue hung heavy in the air.

Housing costs, falling living standards and distrust of politicians are driving deep frustration among voters. Yet immigration dominates the national debate, obscuring the economic pressures behind the drift away from the major parties.

As the Productivity Commission begins its second Closing the Gap review, the question is not simply whether Indigenous voices are being heard, but whether governments are willing to share the authority, resources and decisions needed to turn consultation into meaningful change.

Australia declined to join 12 countries backing action on trade with illegal West Bank settlements, citing concerns about Palestinian livelihoods. The Palestinian Authority supports the restrictions – and Australia’s past approach to apartheid South Africa offers a pointed historical comparison.

Influenza cases are rising as Australia moves into spring, following an unusually quiet start to the year. Here’s what is driving the late surge, how this season differs from previous years and what it means for flu vaccination.

The next UN secretary-general will inherit an organisation facing geopolitical division, financial strain and unfinished reform. The first 100 days offer an opportunity to set clear priorities, rebuild trust and make international cooperation more effective.

As Albanese receives an international award for his leadership on security, Australia remains outside the nuclear weapons ban treaty he once championed. Meanwhile, expanding US military access raises new questions about Australia’s exposure to nuclear conflict.

As the world heads towards overshooting 1.5°C, reaching net zero remains essential but will not be enough to bring temperatures back down. Governments must accelerate emissions cuts while investing in adaptation, carbon removal and research into the risks of geoengineering.

Chinese electric vehicles have become the focus of a new security scare, but connected cars from every country carry cybersecurity risks. Australia needs stronger protections without allowing fear of China to derail the clean energy transition.