This week on the campaign saw the release of competing housing policies, and the appearance of Peter Dutton’s son Harry. 

But in many ways the campaign continued to be overshadowed by Donald Trump. Labor is making increasingly explicit attacks trying to link Dutton to the US president. And Dutton’s cause wasn’t helped with one of his key frontbenchers aped a Trump slogan. Does this mean the wheels have fallen off the Coalition campaign?

Chief Political Correspondent David Crowe and National Affairs Editor James Massola join Jacqueline Maley to discuss. 

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This week our revered economics editor Ross Gittins wrote an essay for the Age and Sydney Morning Herald, in which he lamented the state of this election campaign in particular, and Australian politics in general. 

The essay was titled “They treat us like mugs”, and Ross did not miss with his critique of the timidity and cynicism of the two major parties’ campaigns. 

Gittins joins Jacqueline Maley in the studio, to talk through his searing critique. 

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No one fell off a stage this week, but we did see the two party leaders face off for their first debate, plus the Coalition released modelling of its gas policy.

With energy prices so crucial in this election, we are going to take a closer look at the Coalition’s gas plan - is it credible or is it just a cover-up for a nuclear policy that may never come off? 

Chief political correspondent David Crowe and special first-time guest on the pod, business reporter Nick Toscano, join Jacqueline Maley to the intricacies of gas supply. 

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US President Donald Trump has officially unleashed chaos on the world's financial markets. It's a strange time to be campaigning for election, but Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton must adjust and carry on. So how is the incredible international volatility impacting the election campaign? Will all this disruption be favourable for the incumbent PM? And do Australian voters really want a candidate promising change at this moment in history? 

Regular columnist for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, and former adviser to Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, Sean Kelly, joins Jacqueline Maley to discuss.You can read Sean Kelly's column here: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australians-want-change-but-not-if-it-looks-like-donald-trump-20250406-p5lpii.html

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Week one of the election campaign is done. Albanese has been hammering his Medicare message. Dutton has sought to broaden his image but is still playing to type, telling Sky News that he is ready to “fight” Donald Trump on Australia’s behalf, if necessary. So who won the week? And what is it like to be on the campaign trail with the leaders as a journalist, catching mystery flights to places unknown and travelling with your colleagues on an actual bus?

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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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