New Politics: Australian Politics, News, Analysis & Commentary

In this week’s podcast, Labor’s superannuation retreat exposes a government afraid to lead – Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ watered-down super tax gives wealthy Australians another break while real reform on housing, climate and tax fairness slips further away. We examine the bizarre corruption scandal of the Australian Parliamentary Sports Club – with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese presiding over a registered lobby group – and the vindictive legal crusade of former senator Linda Reynolds against Brittany Higgins, highlighting Australia’s broken defamation laws. Plus, Donald Trump’s so-called Gaza “ceasefire” reveals more illusion than peace, as Israel’s narrative control collapses and global calls for justice and accountability grow louder.

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Song listing: 

1. ‘Off The Grid’, Beastie Boys.
2. ‘Confessions Of A Window Cleaner’, Ed Kuepper.
3. ‘Talking To A Stranger’, Birds of Tokyo (cover).
4. ‘Sign O’ The Times’, Prince, remix by Michael Saxom.

We expose the hypocrisy behind the National Press Club’s cancellation of Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Chris Hedges, silenced for planning to speak about the collapse of journalism and the genocide in Gaza. We reveal how corporate sponsors like Raytheon, BAE Systems and Thales – all supplying weapons to Israel – help shape media censorship in Australia’s so-called home of free speech. We also examine the Optus Triple-0 outage, which blocked hundreds of emergency calls and caused three preventable deaths, highlighting the failure of neoliberalism and the dangers of outsourcing essential public services. And as the Liberal Party descends further into chaos, with Andrew Hastie’s aborted leadership challenge, Jacinta Price’s infighting and Peter Dutton’s factional damage, we ask whether Australia’s conservative movement is now ideologically bankrupt and politically finished. #AUSPOL
Support New Politics, just $5 per month: 

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Song listing:

1. ‘All I Need’, AIR (feat. Beth Hirsch).
2. ‘Ameno’, +eRa+.
3. ‘Sign O’ The Times’, Prince, remix by Michael Saxom.

Anthony Albanese is back from his international tour, pitching stability and steady progress – but is “slow and steady” enough, or just political stagnation? We unpack the prime minister’s speeches at the UK Labour conference, his meeting with King Charles, and what his cautious style means for Australia’s future. Labor may have the advantage of a fractured Liberal Party, but with Andrew Hastie pushing a hard-right agenda and Sussan Ley struggling to hold her party together, the opposition’s leadership battles could shift quickly. We also examine Labor’s $790 million Nauru contract with a US private prison company, concerns over the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and the so-called Gaza peace plan backed by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu – a deal that looks more like forced surrender than genuine peace. #AUSPOL
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Song listing: 

1. ‘Atomic Moog 2000’, Cold Cut.
2. ‘Crooked River’, Richard Pleasance. 
3. ‘Sign O’ The Times’, Prince, remix by Michael Saxom.

America’s democratic decline under Donald Trump’s second term is reshaping global politics – institutions are undermined, conspiracy theories drive policy, and US credibility is collapsing on the world stage. As China, Russia, India, and Brazil strengthen BRICS alliances, Australia faces tough choices on AUKUS, tariffs, and its role in a fractured order. While the media obsesses over Anthony Albanese’s “date” with Trump, the bigger story is Australia’s recognition of Palestine at the UN, a symbolic but historic shift signalling cracks in decades of Western obstruction and reshaping global debates on justice, sovereignty, and accountability. 

Support New Politics, just $5 per month: 

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Song listing:

1. ‘Living In America’, James Brown (Mixerm8’s dub version).
2. ‘Satellite Anthem Icarus, Boards of Canada.
3. ‘Sign O’ The Times’, Prince, remix by Michael Saxom.

Australia’s first national climate risk assessment warns of rising seas, deadly heat, and collapsing ecosystems, raising doubts about whether Anthony Albanese’s 2035 emissions target is bold enough. Meanwhile, the Royal Children’s Hospital caves to Zionist lobby pressure, cancelling a Gaza-related health panel as the UN declares Israel guilty of genocide. Abroad, Albanese falters in Papua New Guinea, Richard Marles unveils $1.7 billion Ghost Shark drones, and the Coalition sinks further into political chaos. #AUSPOL #ClimateEmergency
Support New Politics, just $5 per month:

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics
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Song listing: 

1. ‘Confessions Of A Window Cleaner’, Ed Kuepper.
2. ‘Wherever We Go’, Vera Blue. 
3. ‘Hungry Face’, Mogwai. 
4. ‘The Hard Road’, Hilltop Hoods. 
5. ‘Sign O’ The Times’, Prince, remix by Michael Saxom.

In this bonus episode of the New Politics podcast, host David Lewis unpacks Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) – once dismissed as fringe but now at the centre of global economic debate. We explore its intellectual roots, from Georg Friedrich Knapp and Abba Lerner to modern voices like Warren Mosler, Bill Mitchell, L. Randall Wray and Stephanie Kelton, and examine how MMT shapes today’s policy battles over climate change, unemployment and inequality. From Japan’s record debt levels to US COVID stimulus, Canada’s healthcare experiments and China’s infrastructure spending, real-world tests are mounting, sparking fierce clashes between advocates who see MMT as a tool for resilience and critics who warn of runaway inflation. Is it the future of economic management or a dangerous illusion?

#ModernMonetaryTheory #MMTExplained #EconomicsPodcast #FiscalPolicy2025 #GreenNewDeal #GlobalEconomy

Reading list:

1. Kelton, S. (2020). The deficit myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the birth of the people’s economy. PublicAffairs.
2. Knapp, G. F. (1905). The state theory of money. Macmillan.
3. Lerner, A. P. (1943). Functional finance and the federal debt. Social Research, 10(1), 38–51.
4. Levy Economics Institute. (2025). The rise of the modern monetary system (Working Paper No. 1234). Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. https://www.levyinstitute.org/publications/the-rise-of-the-modern-monetary-system
5. Mitchell, W. (2025, August 8). The failure of austerity and the construction slowdown in the UK [Blog post]. Bill Mitchell – Modern Monetary Theory. https://billmitchell.org/blog/?p=62704
6. Mitchell, W., Wray, L. R., & Watts, M. (2019). Macroeconomics. Red Globe Press.
7. Murphy, R. P. (2025). MMT: Dead wrong [Audio podcast episode]. Mises Institute Podcast. Mises Institute. https://mises.org/library/mmt-dead-wrong
8. Palley, T. I. (2019). Modern Monetary Theory (MMT): A policy polemic for depressed times. Real-World Economics Review, 89, 147–160. http://www.paecon.net/PAEReview/issue89/Palley89.pdf
9. Phys.org. (2025, May 15). Economist: Modern Monetary Theory could benefit Canada. Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-modern-monetary-theory-economist-canada.html
10. Tcherneva, P. R. (2020). The case for a job guarantee. Polity Press.
11. Wray, L. R. (2015). Modern Monetary Theory: A primer on macroeconomics for sovereign monetary systems (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.

This week, we expose Australia’s latest media hysteria: Xi Jinping’s speech to commemorate defeating fascism in 1945 mistranslated into a China scare campaign, recycled “Dictator Dan” attacks on Daniel Andrews, Jacinta Price’s divisive immigration comments sparking outrage and more Liberal Party chaos, the Zionist intimidation at Bondi Beach, Lachlan Murdoch’s takeover of News Corporation, and Victoria’s historic Indigenous Treaty.  
#AusPol #ChinaRelations #JacintaPrice #LiberalParty #FreePalestine #MurdochMedia #VictoriaTreaty #NewPoliticsPodcast  

Support New Politics, just $5 per week.  

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics
• Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com  

Song listing:

1. ‘Even Better Than The Real Thing’, A 440 VS U2 instrumental remix.
2. ‘Arion [Nothing Changes Under The Sun]’, Blue States.
3. ‘A Stranger In Moscow’, Tame Impala.
4. ‘Kya Kyana’, Flewnt.
5. ‘Sign O’ The Times’, Prince, remix by Michael Saxom.

The “March for Australia” rallies claimed to be about housing and migration, but quickly exposed themselves as platforms for white nationalism, racism, and neo-Nazi activity. We break down how politicians, right-wing media, and even the Prime Minister’s weak response helped legitimise extremism, while also exposing the pro-Israel propaganda behind the Gold Coast Mayors Summit and Labor’s growing secrecy on FOI, asylum seekers, and whistleblower protections. What kind of democracy does Australia really want?

Support New Politics, just $5 per month:

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics
• Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com  

#auspol #MarchForAustralia

Song listing:   

1. ‘Even Better Than The Real Thing’, A 440 VS U2 instrumental remix.
2. ‘Global Reach’, Alec Williams & Chieli Minucci.
3. ‘All Along The Watchtower’, Afterhere (Bob Dylan cover).
4. ‘Get Back’, The Beatles (remix).

Housing affordability dominates the headlines as the Albanese government repackages its 5% deposit scheme for first home buyers, but with global evidence showing such policies push up prices without fixing supply, is this just more political spin? We examine why restrictive zoning, slow planning, and the lack of social housing remain the real barriers to affordable homes, and the government needs to understand that housing is a human right, not just an investment. Australia has expelled Iran’s ambassador, but it raises questions about the credibility of ASIO, double standards on Israel’s war crimes, and whether this move is linked to Australia’s upcoming recognition of Palestine. And the Coalition’s climate wars are tearing the party apart yet again, with Nationals MPs, Gina Rinehart, and conservative media undermining net zero while corporate Australia and voters demand action – leaving Sussan Ley’s leadership on the brink and Labor with a political gift that just keeps on giving.  

#AusPol #HousingCrisis #ClimateChaos #MiddleEastPolitics

Support New Politics:  

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics
• Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com  

Song listing:  

1. ‘Even Better Than The Real Thing’, A 440 VS U2 instrumental remix.
2. ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’, Skeewiff.
3. ‘The Last Goodbye’, Odesza.
4. ‘Get Back’, The Beatles (remix).

We unpack the government’s Economic Reform Roundtable, where Anthony Albanese brought together business, unions, and welfare groups to debate productivity, equity, housing, and workplace reform – but with predictable demands and little real change on offer. We examine the growing push for a four-day working week, a reform once dismissed as radical but now backed by evidence of higher productivity, better wellbeing, and lower emissions.

On the international stage, Benjamin Netanyahu’s attack on Albanese over Palestine recognition backfired, exposing his crumbling authority while highlighting Australia’s potential shift towards sanctions and accountability for Israel’s actions in Gaza. Back home, Labor consolidates power despite Albanese’s low personal popularity, the Liberals under Sussan Ley remain stuck in negativity, and Tasmanian Labor tries to arrest its chaos under new leader Josh Willie.

#AusPol #NewPoliticsPodcast #TasPol  

Support New Politics, just $5 per month: 

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics
• Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com  

Song listing:  

1. ‘Even Better Than The Real Thing’, A 440 VS U2 instrumental remix.
2. ‘Confessions Of A Window Cleaner’, Ed Kuepper.
3. ‘Whisper’, Coldplay.
4. ‘Familiar’, Agnes Obel.
5. ‘Wild’, Spoon.
6. ‘Get Back’, The Beatles (remix).