New Politics: Australian Politics, News, Analysis & Commentary

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

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

Support New Politics:

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

• 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.

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

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

Support New Politics:

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

• 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.

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

• 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.

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  

• 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 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  

• 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.

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

Support New Politics: 

• 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

• 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.