New Politics: Australian Politics, News, Analysis & Commentary

Almost a year after Australia recognised Palestine as an independent and sovereign state, what has actually changed? The Albanese government has imposed no meaningful sanctions on Israel, restricted no trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and maintained Australia’s involvement in the F-35 military supply network. The killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom in Gaza remains unresolved, while Foreign Minister Penny Wong continues to defend a deeply contradictory policy: recognising Palestinian sovereignty while supporting the occupying power. With Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir promoting the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, Australia’s inaction is becoming a test of its democracy, political independence and commitment to international law. Recognition of Palestine was an important step, but it should have marked the beginning of a new Australian policy on Israel, Gaza and the West Bank – not the end of it. #AUSPOL  

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Song listing:
‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

One Nation may be slipping in the polls, but Pauline Hanson is still setting the direction of conservative politics in Australia – and Liberal leader Angus Taylor appears determined to follow her to the fringes. Rather than addressing housing affordability, stagnant wages, healthcare pressures and inequality, the Coalition is escalating the culture wars with proposals targeting Australian flag burning, the date of Australia Day and Respectful Relationships education in schools. It is a familiar strategy: manufacture outrage, exploit resentment and promise punishment, while presenting programs designed to reduce domestic and sexual violence as attacks on men. With Labor and the Coalition level in the latest Essential poll and One Nation close behind, imitating Pauline Hanson will only legitimise her agenda and alienate moderate voters. The same pattern can be seen in tobacco policy, where the Liberal Party has gone past One Nation’s proposed 75 per cent tobacco excise cut with an 80 per cent reduction – a policy that would benefit Big Tobacco, make cigarettes more accessible and potentially create a new generation of smokers and cancer patients. #AUSPOL

Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis: www.newpolitics.com.au  

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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics
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Song listing:
‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

The catastrophic Nepal–Tibet floods, triggered by a collapse of glacial ice and rock in the Himalayas, have killed more than 1,250 people and left thousands missing, exposing the escalating dangers of climate change and glacial melting. As Nepal bears a devastating cost despite contributing little to global greenhouse-gas emissions, Anthony Albanese faces questions about Australia’s climate policy and the familiar political insistence that “now is not the time” to discuss the causes of disaster. This episode examines climate injustice, Australia’s continuing coal and gas expansion, Labor’s renewable-energy promises and the contradiction between presenting Australia as a Pacific security partner while supporting fossil-fuel developments. With the Himalayan water system sustaining almost two billion people, this disaster is not only an environmental warning—it is a growing humanitarian, economic and geopolitical crisis. #AUSPOL

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

One Nation's byelection win in Secret Harbour – an 18 per cent swing in a WA Labor seat held for 37 years – is a warning sign for the Albanese government, and branding Pauline Hanson “dangerous and divisive” isn't working after three decades of using the same message. This episode explores why cost-of-living pressures, unaffordable housing and stagnant wages are driving voters toward populist protest even in a strong economy, why Labor risks legitimising One Nation by chasing its agenda, and what recent wins in South Australia, Farrer and now Secret Harbour reveal about One Nation's growing capacity to win seats ahead of the 2028 federal election. #AUSPOL

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Allegations involving five Sydney Swans players have sparked one of the AFL season’s most serious controversies, yet much of the media coverage has focused on suspended players, damaged careers, premiership prospects and the club’s reputation rather than the women who reported the alleged sexual assaults. This episode of New Politics examines AFL culture, consent, masculinity and accountability, asking why education about respectful relationships continues to fail across elite sport and whether powerful football clubs are more concerned with brand protection than cultural change. Standing down players may be necessary, but genuine accountability also requires supporting complainants, cooperating with investigations and placing women’s safety ahead of football. #AUSPOL

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Nick McKim’s refusal to apologise for saying the Labor government has been “captured by Zionist interests” has opened a wider debate about political lobbying, influence and transparency in Australia. This episode examines the role of pro-Israel advocacy organisations, sponsored trips to Israel for Australian politicians and opinion-makers, and whether these relationships can influence political attitudes and policy on Israel, Gaza and Palestine. We also look at Australia’s political donation system, including the $138 million in funding that has remained outside immediate public scrutiny, and ask the big question: if lobbying governments is considered a legitimate part of Australian politics, shouldn’t scrutiny of that lobbying be legitimate as well? #AUSPOL

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Waverley Library’s removal of Adam Johnson’s “How to Sell a Genocide” raises a question that goes far beyond one book or a Sydney council: who decides which political arguments the public is allowed to debate? While the distress of survivors of the Bondi Beach terror attack must be treated seriously, it cannot become a veto over what an entire community is allowed to read. This episode examines public library censorship, freedom of expression, Israel and Gaza, the contested use of the word “genocide”, and attempts to conflate criticism of Israel and Zionism with antisemitism through the IHRA definition. When institutions remove lawful material because they fear organised complaints or controversy, libraries risk becoming political gatekeepers rather than independent sources of knowledge. Public institutions should help communities confront difficult ideas – not hide them when influential groups object. #AUSPOL  

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

The Liberal Party’s crisis is no longer temporary. After two consecutive federal election defeats and a collapse in its primary vote, the party remains divided between the political centre and the conservative populism of One Nation and Donald Trump’s Republican Party. While Anthony Albanese and Labor remain vulnerable on housing affordability, the cost of living and declining living standards, voters still regard the Coalition as an unacceptable alternative. With dysfunction across Liberal Party branches, strained relations with the Nationals, the religious right’s growing influence, damaging evidence emerging from the NSW ICAC’s Operation Rosny and Andrew Bragg promoting lower housing standards and attacking compulsory superannuation, the party appears more interested in culture-war rhetoric than practical policy. The Victorian election will provide its next major test – but benefiting from an unpopular government is not the same as rebuilding political relevance. #AUSPOL

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

The Minns government says its proposed expansion of NSW Police digital surveillance powers is necessary to combat organised crime, but allowing easier access to mobile phones through Digital Evidence Access Orders – and compelling people to surrender passwords and PINs – threatens privacy, civil liberties and judicial oversight. With restrictive protest laws, expanding facial-recognition technology and questions surrounding data collection and retention, NSW risks normalising extraordinary police powers that could eventually target protesters, journalists and political activists. The use of phone-extraction technology from Israeli digital-forensics company Cellebrite further demonstrates why warrants, independent scrutiny and strict data-protection rules are essential. As surveillance technology becomes more powerful, democratic safeguards must become stronger – not be swept aside in the name of security. #AUSPOL  

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Malcolm Turnbull’s warning that AUKUS is a “colossal mistake” is becoming harder to dismiss. Australia is spending hundreds of billions on nuclear submarines that depend on uncertain American production, Britain’s troubled shipbuilding industry and decades of geopolitical stability. With an expanding US military presence at HMAS Stirling, AUKUS risks surrendering Australian sovereignty while making the country more vulnerable in a future regional conflict. Shielded from proper scrutiny by bipartisan support, the deal may leave future generations trapped in an expensive military structure they never approved and will never be able to escape from. #AUSPOL

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.