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 and Wright has seen a few since his first campaign covering Bob Hawke in 1983.

Wright speaks to Jacqueline Maley in the latest episode of our election podcast, Inside Politics.

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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 information with the most trusted voices in Australian journalism.

Among them are national affairs editor James Massola, and federal political reporter Natassia Chrysanthos, who join Jacqueline from the Canberra studio.

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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 with chief political correspondent David Crowe and senior economics correspondent Shane Wright.

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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 last big chances.

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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 our relationship with our closest ally? Will the US impose more tariffs on us in the future? Did the government cock up the handling of this delicate diplomatic issue?

Plus we will delve into the strange case of the caravan-full of explosives and the fake terror plot. With both sides of politics accusing the other of weaponising this incident, who is in the right?

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Well, the world order is rocky and looking to get rockier. 

US President Donald Trump has had a spectacular falling-out with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, and waging a damaging trade war, while China is cruising war ships off the Australian coast. And the conflict in Gaza is unresolved. 

Not to mention closer to home, South East Queensland and northern NSW now have Cyclone Alfred bearing down on them.

So, how will all this uncertainty affect the election campaign?

And how can the leaders keep the focus on ordinary people, when there is so much going on around us?

Today on Inside Politics, chief political correspondent David Crowe, and national security correspondent Matthew Knott, join host Jacqueline Maley.

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Remember Anthony Albanese’s Copacabana house drama? The PM was dragged in the media for buying a 4.3 million dollar home on the NSW central coast in the middle of a cost of living crisis. 

Well now the opposition leader is facing a few questions of his own. This week, our national affairs editor James Massola has done a bit of digging, and has revealed Peter Dutton’s extensive, and rich, history of property dealings. 

At the same time, News Corp has published allegations about Dutton’s share trading in the middle of the global financial crisis. Aside from denying he’s done anything dodgy, he’s also argued  that the  information is the work of Labor’s “dirt unit”.

Today, our intrepid reporter James Massola joins us to talk through these stories, and delves into this mysterious “dirt unit”. 

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Well, the Reserve Bank finally answered our fiscal prayers this week, and announced an interest rate cut of 0.25 percent, providing relief to stretched mortgagees across the land.

But arguably no one was sweating on the rate cut more than the Albanese government, which desperately needed a strong sign that the cost of living crisis has turned a corner, and things are going to get easier for working Australians.

But is the rate cut enough, and will they reward the government for it by voting Labor at the next election? And what about the curious anomaly in the figures that has stumped even the experts.

Senior economics correspondent Shane Wright unpacks this with Jacqueline Maley, while national security correspondent Matthew Knott discusses the landmark national security speech given by ASIO boss Mike Burgess.

Audio credit:

• 'Everything everywhere all at once': ASIO details multiple security threats to Australia. SBS News.

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We bring you this episode of Inside Politics on Valentines Day, but right now the trade relationship between Australia and our closest ally is at a delicate juncture.

This week President Donald Trump declared his intention to impose tariffs on aluminium and steel imports from all countries, no exceptions. And the pressure was on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to negotiate a way out.

Albanese had a long, and reportedly warm conversation with Trump about the tariff issue, with Trump saying he would consider an exemption for Australian steel and aluminium.

But no promises were made, and in the volatile landscape of Trump 2.0, nothing is certain except we will have more uncertainty.

This week, Inside Politics host Jacqueline Maley is joined by chief political correspondent David Crowe, and senior economics correspondent Shane Wright.

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We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2024, before we return in early February for the election year.

In this special episode, which aired last month, respected columnist Niki Savva explains why Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should retire if he wins the next election.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.

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