New Politics: Australian Politics, News, Analysis & Commentary

With Labor holding a record 94 House of Representatives seats, Anthony Albanese has the power to pursue substantial reform – yet his government remains cautious, deferential to corporate interests and resistant to its own membership. Once associated with Palestine, progressive politics and scepticism about the US alliance, Albanese has instead entrenched AUKUS, restricted internal debate on Gaza, weakened gambling advertising reform, protected gas exporters from meaningful taxation and embraced AI data centres without adequate scrutiny. Is the Prime Minister constrained by power, or does this reveal the real Anthony Albanese? We examine Labor values, One Nation’s influence on immigration policy and a political system that presents delay and symbolic legislation as responsible government. Perhaps the real Albanese has already emerged – and power without purpose is all that remains. #AUSPOL  

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism has expanded into a wider debate about Australian education, free speech and control of the national curriculum. Jillian Segal’s proposed antisemitism programs – from early childhood through schools and universities – raise questions about whether combating prejudice could blur the distinction between genuine antisemitism and legitimate criticism of Zionism, Israeli government policy, occupation, apartheid and alleged war crimes. With the controversial IHRA definition at the centre of this debate, can Australia protect Jewish students while preserving critical thinking, academic freedom and open discussion of Israel and Palestine – or will classrooms become the next battleground in the culture wars? #AUSPOL  

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Song listing: ‘

• La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Australian democracy isn’t broken, but political power is increasingly concentrated among wealthy donors, corporate lobbyists and party powerbrokers. From Anthony Albanese’s $10,000-a-head fundraiser to divisions within Labor and the Liberal Party, we examine how vested interests shape Australian politics – and the reforms needed to return democratic power to the public. #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
• Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com

Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Jacinta Allan’s resignation ends the Daniel Andrews era and leaves Victorian Labor confronting the political cost of its ambitious Big Build agenda. Despite the achievements  on major infrastructure, housing and an Indigenous Treaty, project delays, cost overruns, rising state debt and allegations involving the CFMEU shifted attention towards integrity and public trust. New Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has announced a royal commission into the construction sector, but with the 2026 Victorian election approaching, can he restore Labor’s credibility – or will the divided Victorian Liberal Party under Jess Wilson fail to capitalise on the government’s troubles? #AUSPOL

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Andy Burnham’s arrival as British prime minister will test whether a modern Labour government can finally break with Thatcherism and neoliberalism by tackling the cost-of-living crisis, expanding social housing, rebuilding public services and confronting corporate power. His agenda – and a potential shift on Gaza and Palestine – also presents a challenge for Anthony Albanese and Australian Labor: if Burnham can deliver meaningful economic reform, Labor’s cautious incrementalism will become harder to defend. As members gather for the party’s 50th National Conference, demanding stronger action on Gaza, AUKUS, gas exports and gambling advertising, both countries face the same question: can labour governments deliver genuine change, or will powerful interests continue to protect the status quo? #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
• Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com  

Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

One Nation’s falling support is exposing the gap between Pauline Hanson’s media profile and electoral credibility. Her European roadshow offered culture-war attacks on multiculturalism, migration, transgender people and net zero, but no solutions to Australia’s housing crisis, stagnant wages or rising cost of living. Hanson cannot indefinitely pose as the champion of Australian battlers while keeping company with the billionaire class – and voters may finally be seeing through the contradiction. #AUSPOL

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

The Federal Court might have ended pianist Jayson Gillham’s legal battle with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, but the controversy raises broader questions about artistic freedom, political censorship and Palestine advocacy in Australia. After Gillham dedicated Connor D’Netto’s Witness to Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza, the MSO cancelled his performances, revealing how quickly free expression can become conditional when donors, boards and commercial reputations are involved. We examine the court ruling, apparent double standards within Australia’s cultural institutions and the chilling message it sends to artists: political expression is tolerated – until it challenges the wrong interests. #AUSPOL

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

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Australia’s Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion was created to confront genuine antisemitism, but is it instead silencing criticism of Israel and deepening division? We examine the uneven treatment of Zionist, progressive Jewish and pro-Palestinian witnesses; Jillian Segal’s proposals for scrutinising ABC and SBS coverage; pressure to adopt the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism; and the threat to free speech, editorial independence and legitimate debate about Israel, Palestine and Gaza. Antisemitism must be confronted, but selectively testing evidence and redefining political dissent as prejudice will not strengthen social cohesion – it will erode public confidence and create even greater division. #AUSPOL

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

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Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

China's latest missile test triggered familiar warnings of an escalating security crisis, but was the reaction driven more by geopolitics than by the launch itself? This episode examines Australia's response, the role of the United States in shaping regional strategy, AUKUS, the growing contest for influence across the Pacific, and why China's primary audience was Washington rather than Canberra. We also explore the legacy of nuclear testing in the Pacific, Australia's relationship with Fiji, media narratives about China, and whether Australian politics has become trapped in a cycle of strategic alarmism instead of sober analysis. #AUSPOL  
Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis: www.newpolitics.com.au  
Support New Politics: 
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics
Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com  
Song listing:
‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

The NSW Labor Conference exposed a deeper question confronting Australian politics: what does the modern Labor Party actually stand for? As delegates debated gambling reform, housing affordability, civil liberties and Gaza, controversy over the removal of members displaying a Palestinian flag highlighted growing tensions between Labor’s leadership and its grassroots. We examine Premier Chris Minns’ warning about the rise of One Nation, Labor’s identity crisis, the widening gap between its platform and its record in government, and whether Australia’s dominant political party is using its electoral success to deliver meaningful reform – or simply to remain in power. #AUSPOL

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

Support New Politics: 

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

Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.
• ‘Bagi-la-m Bargan (Fighting Boomerang)’, Birdz.