Unemployment is up, house prices are down and interest rates are rising – giving Angus Taylor the chance to show how he can turn things around * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The economy is almost always the main game in Australia’s federal elections. The past week proved it will be as central as ever between now and the 2028 poll. But, as Labor tries to manage persistent inflation and interest rates rising to a 15-year high, its political standing is not helped by red-hot voter anger or common misunderstandings about how critical economic levers actually work. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politics, really newsletter here Continue reading...

Ballot for new leader expected next week after Waters quits to manage pre-existing kidney disease that has ‘declined significantly’ * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Greens leader Larissa Waters has announced she will step down due to ill health, with a party room meeting scheduled for next week to choose her successor. Waters revealed on Monday night she has been managing a pre-existing kidney disease, but that it had “declined significantly over the course of recent months”. Continue reading...

Trump tries to dominate at the UN as his approval ratings plummet and even some Republicans distance themselves from him

OpenAI’s hack of Medicare suggests safeguarding civilisation is the task facing leaders in this extraordinary new era * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast More than 130 world leaders descended on the United Nations headquarters in New York this week, joining the pageantry and speechmaking of the annual general assembly. Many of the visiting presidents and prime ministers delivered their set-piece addresses to a sparsely populated hall, but contributions from two unlikely visitors in the nearby security council chamber stood out. Continue reading...

Only by being exhibited alongside her husband, Jackson Pollock, can Lee Krasner fully and finally emerge from his shadow.

The industry has been pushing for cuts to excise for decades. With the explosion in illegal cigarette sales, those calls have grown louder * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Anti-smoking campaigners had been on the lookout for weeks. While in Canberra for hearings about the booming illicit trade in Australia in May, longtime observers of the tobacco industry suspected its lobbyists were working in the background to influence events. Continue reading...

After securing wage rises for low-paid workers, weathering death threats and working with three PMs – the ACTU secretary is ready for a break * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Sally McManus started her job as the country’s most powerful trade union leader amid howls of criticism. Shouted down for suggesting union members were right to break “unjust” industrial laws in a live TV interview, McManus quickly adjusted to the high decibel work of being secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. Continue reading...

Cabinet colleagues say the veteran politician’s carriage of the NDIS firestorm shows his political judgement and collaborative style * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast On the day the health minister, Mark Butler, revealed plans for an overhaul of the National Disability Insurance scheme in Canberra in April, his cabinet colleague, Katy Gallagher, witnessed a major shift. Outlining some $40bn in cuts to the NDIS – a policy the Labor faithful consider a core achievement of the Rudd-Gillard years – Butler sparked a huge backlash from the disability community and risked anger from the party’s rank and file. Continue reading...

Independent senator says it is a ‘tragedy’ that PM is standing in the way of strong public and bipartisan support for tougher laws * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast After a week of blockbuster allegations around the tactics gambling giants use to keep punters losing money, David Pocock summed up the government’s position with one word. With growing momentum for the opposition and crossbench to outflank Labor on changes to the law, on Friday the ACT independent senator said it was a “tragedy” that the government was not prepared to be tougher when it came to curbing gambling advertising. Continue reading...

Sarah Henderson says bill ignores gambling inducements, uniting parties and independents against controversial legislation * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Labor will be forced to make major changes to its planned crackdown on online gambling advertising, as the Coalition, Greens and independents demand tougher rules to stop betting companies offering generous inducements as well as further limits on broadcast ads. After a two-day inquiry including sensational evidence that gambling companies allegedly provided illegal drugs and access to sex workers to keep problem gamblers betting, the Coalition confirmed on Wednesday afternoon it would seek “crucial amendments” before agreeing to support the government’s legislation. Continue reading...

As home affairs minister’s National Press Club address is postponed, refugee advocates lament missed ‘opportunity to bring Australians together’ Labor will introduce new rules to cut net overseas migration and push temporary residents to leave Australia, despite a major speech on the subject by the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, being delayed. But government sources told Guardian Australia the policy changes would not push net overseas migration lower than the existing target of 295,000 people this financial year. Continue reading...

Louise Miller-Frost and Alicia Payne have vowed to push for further action after evidence from Sportsbet and Tabcorp this week * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Labor MPs are pushing for Anthony Albanese to significantly strengthen the plan to curb online gambling advertising, after sensational evidence about betting companies providing problem gamblers with illicit drugs and access to sex workers sparked a bipartisan backlash. The government’s plan to limit advertising and boost the existing self-exclusion register already faces a tough road through the Senate, with Coalition MPs urging opposition leader Angus Taylor to propose a much tougher crackdown. The Greens have dismissed Labor’s legislation as ineffective. Continue reading...

Former rugby league player turned TikTok influencer tells parliamentary inquiry his spiralling addiction to gambling cost him about $1m Former rugby league star Luke Bateman has alleged gambling company promoters supplied him with cocaine and alcohol, telling a parliamentary inquiry the betting industry exercised no duty of care. Bateman, who is now a TikTok star and influential in the “BookTok” community, told the inquiry on Monday morning he attended a private Gold Coast event hosted by a gambling company at which senior figures took illicit drugs with clients. Continue reading...

Australian government insists legal costs should be paid by former senator as FoI fight escalates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The government will insist Rex Patrick pays up to $150,000 to cover its legal costs if he loses a fight to access documents about the Aukus agreement, escalating a battle in which several crossbench MPs have swung behind the former senator. The transparency campaigner has used freedom of information laws to seek details on where nuclear waste from the submarine fleet will be stored, and won an administrative appeal on the matter in May. Continue reading...

Reged Ahmad speaks to the political editor, Tom McIlroy, about whether the prime minister is insisting on too much control and what his tight hold means for his party’s chances of taking on One Nation

The price of higher security for MPs is further distancing between decision makers and those who elect them * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast One of Andy Burnham’s priorities when he becomes British prime minister in a few days is a review of security for members of parliament. Away from Westminster while serving as the mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham says he has been shocked by the change in security threats facing parliamentarians during his decade absence. Continue reading...

The mayor of Sydney’s Inner West Council speaks to political editor Tom McIlroy about his push for a reduction in the number of poker machines in NSW, and why he compares the gambling lobby to the US ...

China may be the biggest loser in landmark week where the PM met leaders of India, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Krissy Barrett was a young Australian federal police intelligence officer back in 2003, when years of ethnic tensions and thuggish anarchy pushed Solomon Islands to the brink. After the country’s government collapsed and violent factions smashed the police, Australia stepped in to help. Continue reading...

A NSW mayor’s push against pokies should serve as inspiration for federal Labor to make stronger moves against the harms of gambling addiction

Exclusive: Patrick is using freedom of information rules to seek where nuclear waste from Aukus submarines will be kept * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Jacqui Lambie, Pauline Hanson and David Pocock have joined a push for the government to stop a legal threat against Rex Patrick, after bureaucrats unexpectedly escalated a transparency case to the federal court. Patrick, a transparency campaigner and former senator, is seeking documents detailing where nuclear waste from the Aukus submarine fleet will be kept within Australia, and won an administrative appeal under freedom of information rules in May. Continue reading...

Podcast Episode · Australian Politics · 19 June · 38min

Longtime journalist Margo Kingston speaks to political editor Tom McIlroy about why she thinks Hanson’s speech at the National Press Club this week is the beginning of the One Nation leader’s federal ...

Former Labor foreign affairs minister says belief US would defend Australia in event of an existential attack is a ‘ludicrous delusion’ * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Aukus will prove to be one of the worst defence and foreign policy decisions ever made by an Australian government and is only being permitted by Donald Trump in order to destroy Chinese nuclear threats to the US mainland, former foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans says. Giving evidence to an independent public inquiry into the $368bn nuclear agreement with the US and UK on Thursday, Evans, a cabinet minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, will warn the transfer and construction of submarines to Australia from the early 2030s is effectively only an extension of the American military fleet. Continue reading...

Former frontbencher launches most significant internal criticism of $368bn Aukus deal since ALP national conference in 2023 * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia needs a backup plan for the Aukus submarine agreement, Labor MP Ed Husic has warned, arguing sluggish American production and the “transactional nature” of the Trump administration have put the multi-billion-dollar defence deal at risk. The defence minister, Richard Marles, this week agreed to US requests for Australia to accept three second-hand Virginia-class nuclear submarines, rather than a combination of new and old vessels. Continue reading...

Exclusive: the former Labor minister will lead the community-based investigation and report in October * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Former environment minister Peter Garrett will lead an independent inquiry into the Aukus defence pact, launched by a group of Labor veterans and public figures concerned proper scrutiny has never been applied to the $368bn defence plan. Garrett, the Midnight Oil frontman and longtime environmental campaigner, will be the lead commissioner on the five-month community-based investigation, being launched on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Federal government seeks more than $2bn in damages from multinational manufacturer in its largest legal claim ever The Australian government said on Thursday it had launched legal action against multinational manufacturer 3M over Pfas chemical contamination at defence bases, seeking damages of more than $2bn (US$1.4bn). Attorney general Michelle Rowland said the use of per- and poly-fluoroaklyl substances, known as “forever chemicals”, in firefighting foam had caused major environmental and economic harm, resulting in the largest legal claim ever brought by the federal government. Continue reading...

Exclusive: former PM says the changes to tax rates are ‘so marginal that no entrepreneurial initiative is likely to be thwarted’ Paul Keating has urged Labor to stick to its guns on controversial changes to capital gains tax, warning exempting commercial assets from the changes would further “distort” the economy. Small business and the start-up sector are fighting the Albanese government over its plans to shift the 50% capital gains tax discount to an inflation-based model, part of a suite of tax reforms announced in this month’s federal budget. Continue reading...

From blocking freedom of information requests to tabling documents when no one is looking, promises of an upfront approach to power are in rough shape * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Friday afternoon can be a dangerous time to be a journalist. Editors racing to put together weekend editions lob last-minute requests and governments routinely release uncomfortable information late in the day. Continue reading...

Criticism of budget funding comes amid warnings the Australian National Audit Office will struggle to meet its targets for independent reviews * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Labor has been accused inadequately funding one of the central institutions safeguarding public administration, with transparency advocates and independent David Pocock criticising commitments for the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) in this week’s budget. Parliament’s Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit has previously warned the Albanese government that the auditor general’s financial position is unsustainable and of “serious concern” – even as the number of government agencies and functions subject to oversight expands significantly. Continue reading...

The long sell for Labor’s budget package means we know a lot about what to expect on Tuesday night * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Jim Chalmers says this week’s federal budget will be Labor’s most ambitious yet, helping manage disruption from the war in Iran and improving intergenerational equity in Australia. The long sell for the treasurer’s fifth budget package means we know a lot of what to expect on Tuesday night. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese rejects calls for her to resign over the breaches, saying she had done the right thing and had also apologised The communications minister, Anika Wells, has repaid more than $10,000 for incorrect travel claims, identified amid controversy about her use of taxpayer-funded entitlements. In a statement released on Friday, Wells said an audit by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority identified four mistakes in her claims dating back to Labor’s 2022 election victory, worth a combined $8,092.89. Continue reading...

Additional funding for the costly 90km public transport project promised ahead of state’s November election * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The federal budget will include another $3.8bn for the Suburban Rail Loop, Melbourne’s controversial and costly 90km public transport project. Prime minister Anthony Albanese will announce the additional funding alongside the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, on Friday ahead of the 12 May budget and as early campaigning for the state election heats up. Continue reading...

Exclusive: A Senate committee considering the illegal tobacco trade in Australia hears closed-session evidence from cigarette manufacturers * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Anti-smoking campaigners have accused the Coalition of secretly giving tobacco giants access to a parliamentary inquiry, a move they say undermines more than 15 years of precedent to protect public health. On Monday, representatives from tobacco company Philip Morris appeared before a Senate committee considering the illegal tobacco trade in Australia. Continue reading...

Government’s draft news bargaining incentive scheme includes 2.25% levy on local revenues of digital giants Anthony Albanese has urged Google, Meta and TikTok to make deals with Australian media outlets to avoid a dedicated 2.25% levy on local revenues, warning digital giants should not be able to exploit the work of journalists to boost profits. Releasing an exposure draft for the government’s news bargaining incentive (NBI) scheme on Tuesday, the prime minister said platforms who sign new deals with publishers to pay for news content would receive offsets of between 150% to 170% from the new levy. Continue reading...

David Brat represented Virginia in the House of Representatives for two terms The White House has nominated David Brat, a former Republican member of the US House of Representatives, to be the next ambassador to Australia. Brat represented Virginia in the House and served two terms before he was defeated by a Democrat in 2018 in a close race. He is currently a vice president of business relations at Virginia’s Liberty University. Continue reading...

Health minister faces backlash from states as he announces major changes to scheme ahead of May budget * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast National disability insurance scheme service providers will be required to undergo mandatory character checks and eligibility rules will be tightened further for children under 18, as Labor moves to curb growth in the $50bn program. But the health minister, Mark Butler, faces a backlash from state counterparts as he announces major changes on Wednesday, with Queensland accusing federal Labor of walking away from responsibilities to families dependent on long-term care. Continue reading...

Review recommends better use of NDIS data to identify repeat rorters and a requirement for providers to register with the government * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Organised crime gangs are using the national disability insurance scheme to launder money, earn income and hide assets, law enforcement officials have warned parliament, seriously undermining probity in the $50bn program. The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) has told a review into NDIS integrity that criminals are paying cash kickbacks to participants and their families, and sometimes resorting to intimidation and threats of physical violence towards vulnerable people to rip off taxpayers. Continue reading...

Government sources in multiple states say they are worried about the breadth of the changes and possible costs * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The states are increasingly on edge about Labor’s efforts to cut NDIS spending in next month’s budget, with officials asking the health minister, Mark Butler, to explain planned savings before a major speech this week. It comes as the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, flagged on Monday morning that cuts to the NDIS will be “easily the most important part of the savings package that we will present on budget night”. Continue reading...

Taylor painted a grim picture of migration that fits more with his tenuous political position than the state of the country * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast When copies of the Liberal party’s review into Peter Dutton’s election defeat started being passed around in Canberra earlier this year, journalists could hardly believe what they were reading. Page after page detailed where the Coalition had gone badly wrong, in often blunt and headline-worthy language. It was not surprising Dutton and Liberal elders tried to keep the document secret. Continue reading...

To the frustration of some in his own party, Anthony Albanese is cautious by nature, and often follows the lead of others when it comes to sensitive topics * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Admiral David Johnston knows how to deliver a difficult message. Australia’s chief of defence invited journalists to the sprawling Russell complex in Canberra this week, ahead of the imminent release of the new national defence strategy. Continue reading...

Information on drones and other threats being shared but defence chief confirms crew taking ‘active steps’ to only contribute to defensive actions * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australian personnel operating a state-of-the-art surveillance plane are filtering information gleaned from the Middle East war to ensure intelligence is not shared with the United States for offensive purposes, the defence force chief says. As the federal government extended the deployment of the E-7 Wedgetail aircraft on Thursday, the chief of Defence, Admiral David Johnston, said the crew were taking active steps to only contribute to defensive operations. Continue reading...

Political editor Tom McIlroy tells Reged Ahmad about Anthony Albanese’s upcoming dash to Singapore – Australia’s biggest fuel supplier – and how it might aid the government in keeping petrol prices un...

Reforming tax is becoming a credibility test for all – but the Liberal leader doesn’t seem keen while Labor sends mixed signals ahead of the budget * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Mining lobby representatives walked the halls of parliament house this week, handing out toy dump trucks with a fake Medicare card superglued to the tray. The tiny green card included the slogan: “Every Australian benefits from Australian mining.” Continue reading...

Health minister Mark Butler says federal government is ‘not negotiating’ when it comes to removing price protections on common medications Australia will not cave in to pressure from pharmaceutical giants and the Trump Administration by removing consumer price protections on common medications, the health minister, Mark Butler says. President Donald Trump imposed a new 100% tariff on branded pharmaceuticals imported into the US overnight Australian time, trying to force manufacturers to agree to drug pricing deals or commit to making their products domestically. Continue reading...

The US president thumbs his nose at concerns about the most serious energy crisis in global history. But Australia, like other countries, is paying a high price * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Gently, about 10 days ago, Anthony Albanese tried to send Donald Trump a message about the escalating war in Iran. In a Hobart radio interview, the prime minister said the US had achieved its original justifications and should bring hostilities in the Middle East to an end. Continue reading...

Business editor Jonathan Barrett and political editor Tom McIlroy join Reged Ahmad to discuss the scale of the economic pain to come and whether the government will recognise this moment as an opportu...

Speaking after signing trade agreement in Canberra, the European Commission president warns ‘situation is critical’ for global energy supply * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The US and Iran must come to the negotiating table to immediately end the de facto closure of the strait of Hormuz and stop hostilities in the Middle East, the head of the European Commission says. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said Iran’s efforts to block the strategic waterway via attacks on unarmed commercial vessels and critical infrastructure “must be condemned”. Continue reading...

Treasury modelling 25% levy on gas exports, changes to the PRRT and corporate tax tweaks but Fatih Birol says sudden changes could disincentivise investment The head of the International Energy Agency has warned the Albanese government against sudden changes to corporate taxes, suggesting a proposed 25% export levy on windfall gas profits would spook investors. It was revealed last week that Anthony Albanese’s department has asked Treasury to model the effects of placing a flat 25% tax on gas exports, and to model possible changes to the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT) and corporate income tax. Continue reading...

Fatih Birol says effect on energy markets of Iran bombings and closure of Hormuz strait not initially understood by world leaders * Middle East crisis live – latest updates The global energy crisis caused by the war in Iran is equivalent to the combined force of the twin oil shocks of the 1970s and the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the head of the International Energy Agency has warned. Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said the growing fallout could be seriously compounded through interuptions to the “vital arteries of the global economy”, including petrochemicals, fertilisers, sulfur and helium. Continue reading...