New Politics: Australian Politics, News, Analysis & Commentary

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Today on the New Politics podcast, we examine Australia’s stalled debate over a 25% gas export tax and why major tax reform continues to be blocked despite strong economic evidence and growing public support, with many experts warning the nation is getting a poor return on its natural resources. A gas export tax could raise around $20 billion a year to fund health, education, the NDIS, housing and essential public services, yet remains politically sidelined due to the influence of the gas lobby and entrenched vested interests. We explore the ongoing failure to deliver structural reform, including hesitation around negative gearing, and assess whether the Albanese government has the political will to act ahead of the federal Budget, or if Australia will once again miss its chance to secure a fairer tax system and ensure Australians benefit from their own resources. #AUSPOL

www.newpolitics.com.au

Support New Politics:

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

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

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

This week on the New Politics podcast, we examine Australia’s escalating crackdown on protest rights after arrests in Brisbane over the phrase “from the river to the sea,” raising serious concerns about free speech, anti-protest laws, and democratic freedoms. We explore how legislation in Queensland and New South Wales is targeting pro-Palestine activism, the role of political figures like David Crisafulli and Chris Minns, and why unconstitutional laws are being struck down by the courts. We also connect these issues to rising defence spending, the $368 billion AUKUS deal, cuts to the NDIS, and Australia’s deepening alignment with US foreign policy, highlighting growing questions about sovereignty, accountability, and national priorities. 

• www.newpolitics.com.au

#AUSPOL

Support New Politics:

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

Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Populism in Australian politics is usually framed as a right-wing force led by figures like Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce, but this episode explores the potential of left-wing populism and the role of the Australian Greens. We unpack populism as a political strategy used across the spectrum – from Bernie Sanders to Hugo Chávez – and examine the divide between right-wing identity politics and left-wing economic reform focused on inequality, housing affordability, wages and corporate power. As conservative voices dominate mainstream media, we ask why progressive ideas remain marginalised despite broad public support, and whether the Greens’ shift under Max Chandler-Mather signals a more assertive, pro-worker strategy ahead of the next federal election. #AUSPOL

www.newpolitics.com.au

Support New Politics:

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

Song listing:

• ‘A Whisper’, Coldplay.
• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Australia’s immigration debate is entering dangerous territory, with the Coalition’s proposed “values-based” migration system – featuring social media surveillance and ideological vetting – highlighting a shift towards right-wing populism, culture wars and the Trumpification of Australian politics.

Angus Taylor and the Liberal Party are moving away from economic management and towards nationalism and divisive immigration rhetoric, despite these strategies being rejected at the 2025 federal election, and this mirrors global conservative trends from Donald Trump in the US to Reform UK and Viktor Orbán in Hungary. We explore the risks to civil liberties, freedom of speech and political bias, question who defines “Australian values” in a multicultural society, and look at the targeting of Muslim communities, pro-Palestinian voices and non-European migrants.

With analysis of recent election results, including the South Australian election, we assess whether attempts to outflank One Nation will only legitimise fringe politics and split the conservative vote, arguing that voters are increasingly rejecting fear-driven narratives in favour of real economic and social solutions. #AUSPOL

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.
• ‘Yesterday’s Gone’, Beth Orton & William Orbit.

The arrest of Ben Roberts-Smith on five counts of alleged war crimes has reignited a fierce debate in Australian politics over military accountability, the rule of law and the legacy of the Afghanistan war. We look at the political, legal and cultural fallout, as reactions from Pauline Hanson, Gina Rinehart and Kerry Stokes expose deep divisions in how Australia understands war, justice and national identity. With millions spent on his defence and a media narrative shaped by nationalism and the Anzac legend, we examine whether the country is willing to confront allegations of civilian murders, the case of whistleblower David McBride and the broader questions around transparency, accountability and whether exposing wrongdoing is being punished more harshly than the alleged crimes themselves. 

www.newpolitics.com.au 

#AUSPOL 

Support New Politics:

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

Song listing:

• ‘War’, Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

A fragile ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran has paused one of the most dangerous conflicts of 2026, but beneath the headlines lies a deeper question: who profits from war? In this episode, we examine the economics of war, the military-industrial complex and how defence contractors, energy companies and investors benefit from instability across West Asia, with surging share prices revealing conflict as a lucrative business model. We follow the money from military expos in Australia to lobbying in Washington, explore Donald Trump’s political influence, and look at Australia’s energy security crisis, oil supply scramble and delayed transition to renewables – connecting war, markets and political power in a system that increasingly rewards chaos.

• www.newpolitics.com.au

#AUSPOL

Support New Politics: 

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

Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.
• ‘Satellite Anthem Icarus’, Boards Of Canada.

The first cracks in the façade of neoliberalism are emerging in Australian politics, as Andrew Hastie breaks ranks to criticise an economic model driving inequality, stagnant wages, and Australia’s worsening housing crisis. In this episode, we examine why this rare intervention from within the Liberal Party matters, how it reflects growing public frustration with free-market economics, and why Angus Taylor moved quickly to shut down the debate – highlighting the deep entrenchment of neoliberal policy across both major parties, including Labor.

We explore the broader implications for economic reform, Australia’s alliance with the United States, and criticism of Donald Trump, alongside shifting global power dynamics from John Curtin to the rise of China and blocs like BRICS. As Australia faces declining manufacturing and structural inequality, this episode asks whether neoliberalism is finally unravelling and what it means for Australia’s economic future, political leadership, and role in a changing global order.   #AUSPOL

Support New Politics:

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

Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

As tensions escalate across the Middle East and Western Asia, rising petrol prices, economic uncertainty and growing political pressure on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are hitting Australia, with this episode looking at how the war against Iran, US foreign policy and shifting global alliances are reshaping the geopolitical landscape and Australia’s economic future, energy costs and political independence.

We also examine how Albanese’s support for US military action has left him politically exposed as fuel prices surge and cost-of-living pressures intensify, forcing a $2.6 billion fuel excise cut, while deeper questions emerge about Australia’s sovereignty, its alliance with the United States and a renewed “deputy sheriff” mindset.

The episode also explores the impact of Israel–Palestine debate restrictions, free speech concerns, censorship, the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and the role of the media, including the National Press Club, asking whether Australia is maintaining an independent path or drifting towards a US-style political identity.   #AUSPOL

Support New Politics: 

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

• Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com

Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

In this episode, we examine whether the political fragmentation that has transformed Australia’s right could eventually spread to the progressive centre-left, and whether the Australian Democrats could play a role in that shift. David Lewis speaks with Australian Democrats President Leonie Green about the party’s push to return to Parliament, its strategy for the Victorian election and the Senate, and the structural barriers facing minor parties in Australian politics. We also explore the dominance of Labor, the decline of the Coalition, the rise of independents and One Nation, and the continuing debate over whether there is room for a pragmatic centrist party focused on accountability, electoral reform, and keeping the bastards honest in a volatile new era of Australian democracy. #AUSPOL  

Support New Politics: 

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

Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

The South Australian election has reshaped Australian politics – but not in the way the mainstream media suggests. In this episode, we break down Labor’s landslide victory under Premier Peter Malinauskas, the collapse of the Liberal Party, and the widely overstated rise of One Nation, which secured 22% of the primary vote but only one lower house seat.

We examine how Australia’s preferential voting system works, why minor parties like One Nation and the Australian Greens struggle to convert votes into seats, and whether electoral reform or proportional representation could deliver a more representative democracy.

We also analyse the media’s role in amplifying right-wing populism, the shifting dynamics within the conservative vote, and what these results mean for the future of Australian politics, including Labor’s dominance, the potential for political realignment, and the growing fragmentation of the party system.   #AUSPOL  

Support New Politics: 

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

Song listing:

• ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.