New Politics: Australian Politics, News, Analysis & Commentary

In this episode, we look at the release of findings by the NSW ICAC regarding former Premier Gladys Berejiklian and former NSW MP, Daryl Maguire. The ICAC found both individuals engaged in serious corruption, with Berejiklian breaching public trust by supporting a grant to the Australian Clay Target Association and the construction of a hall for the Riverina Conservatorium of Music. While it was recommended that charges be laid against Maguire, no charges were recommended against Berejiklian. The findings come after criticism from former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the former NSW Coalition government. The media’s portrayal of Berejiklian as a “victim of a bad relationship” has been challenged, and the delayed release of the findings has also sparked an outrage.

The war in Ukraine and recent events in Russia: Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner paramilitary force, instigated an insurrection in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, before surrendering his weapons and seeking exile in Belarus through a deal with President Alexander Lukashenko. The potential implications of this event, including the ongoing war in Ukraine and its potential to spread to Russia, pose serious risks for Europe and the rest of the world. However, Australian media coverage of these events has been lacking, leading people to seek information through alternative channels such as Twitter, Reddit, CNN, or Al Jazeera.

The former Labor leader Simon Crean died during the week, and is remembered as one of the more decent figures in federal politics, received tributes from all sides of the political spectrum. Although his tenure as Labor leader from 2001 to 2003 was not marked by strong public support or success in opinion polls, Crean made significant reforms within the Labor Party to make it more democratic and less dominated by union bureaucrats. His memorable speech opposing the Iraq war showcased his courage and foresight, ultimately vindicating his position.

We also look at recent opinion polling – the two-party preferred voting figures, which remain relatively stable with Labor at 54% and the Coalition at 46%. However, of particular concern for the federal government is the decline in the percentage of people who believe Australia is heading in the right direction. Over the course of a year, the figure dropped from 48% to 33%, while the number of people expressing that the country is going in the wrong direction increased from 27% to 47%. This shift in public opinion could have implications for the government's popularity and electoral prospects.

In this episode, we explore the Housing Australia Future Fund legislation, which has been delayed in the Senate by the Australian Greens and the Liberal Party, despite the pressing national housing crisis. We discuss the implications and the justifiability of this delay in addressing the urgent issue.

We look at the approved Referendum for a Voice to Parliament legislation, highlighting the significance of this milestone in a historically challenging journey. We analyse the controversial decision of Senator Lidia Thorpe to campaign against the Voice to Parliament, forming an unexpected alliance with the Liberal Party, the National Party, and One Nation. We explore the reasons behind this collaboration and the debate surrounding the adequacy of the proposed legislation.

Peter Dutton is undergoing an image makeover and, like many leaders before him, seeks to present a more appealing persona to the electorate. We dissect the strategies employed by political leaders to shape public perception, but it might be lost cause for Dutton, who doesn’t appear to have to much time available to him, to turn these perceptions around.

Next, we turn our attention to Senator Jackie Lambie, who has taken the bold step of referring the Australian Defence Force to the International Criminal Court over their actions in Afghanistan. We discuss the lack of accountability for the killing of 39 Afghan civilians by Australian special forces and the importance of shedding light on such incidents, and examine the delicate balance between government-military relations and the need for transparency in addressing war crimes.

The Reserve Bank’s recent announcement of their strategy to reduce inflation by increasing the unemployment rate, has drawn strong criticism. We evaluate the neoliberal economic theory behind this tactic, which relies on higher unemployment to create job market competition and suppress wages. We question the sustainability and societal impact of such measures and propose alternative economic models for consideration.

Join us as we navigate the complex landscape of politics, shedding light on the critical issues at hand and exploring the potential solutions: a thought-provoking episode that aims to unravel the layers of drama and decision-making in the realm of federal politics! #auspol #VoiceToParliament

We should never underestimate the lengths to which the Liberal Party will go, or how low they will stoop, in order to gain a political advantage. This was evident in one of the most distressing weeks in federal Parliament in a long time: they exploited their own act of covering up allegations of sexual assault in Parliament House in 2019 and attempted to shift the blame onto Senator Katy Gallagher, accusing her of misleading Parliament during a Senate hearing. The real issue here is the mistreatment of a woman – Brittany Higgins – who was sexually assaulted, and the Liberal Party has decided that they cannot go low enough to seek advantage. However, the Liberal Party’s tactics backfired, and by the end of the week, the focus was on Liberal Party Senator David Van, who faced allegations of sexual harassment and assault by several women Senators and was subsequently asked to resign from Parliament.

We also address the issue of housing affordability in Australia and speak with Cathy Callaghan, senior policy officer at Shelter NSW, who provides an overview of the various aspects of housing policy that need attention in order to achieve a sustainable and equitable housing sector in the future. Housing has been neglected by successive governments over the past 30 years, with social and public housing largely left to the private sector, which is a significant reason why we are facing the problems we have today. Resolving these issues requires substantial effort and focus by government.

Lastly, we examine the opinion polls regarding the Voice to Parliament initiative. While some polls suggest a decline in support for the initiative, others indicate that support remains around 60 per vent, creating a confusing picture. The Voice to Parliament is an important aspiration for First Nations people in Australia, but the debate surrounding the referendum has become toxic, with conservative groups disseminating misinformation to undermine its success. Beneath these layers of deception, the underlying reason for this strategy is a disturbing undercurrent of racism that is becoming more overt and brazen.

In this episode, we delve into the significant events that have unfolded in the political landscape during the week. We start with the explosive findings from the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case, which confirmed the truth behind shocking allegations, including civilian murders in Afghanistan and disturbing behaviour towards a woman.

Shining a light on government actions, we discuss revelations of the former Morrison government misspending $2 billion in health funding programs, exposing a pattern of poor guidelines and politically motivated grants. These unethical practices continue to provide material for the National Anti-Corruption Commission, adding to the Morrison government’s list of possibly illegal behavior.

Another major development is the official interest rate rise, reaching the highest rate since 2012. Amidst the blame game, we explore various factors contributing to this economic challenge and emphasise the government’s responsibility to address the problem.

In Western Australia, we highlight the controversial decision to award Gina Rinehart as Western Australian of the Year, questioning the selection criteria that favour wealthy businesspeople over community champions and unsung heroes.

Our attention then shifts to the ongoing push for an inquiry into the Murdoch media empire in Australia, a long-overdue inquiry to examine the influence of News Corporation, which we believe has become a cancerous force in the media and political landscape.

To provide insight, we interview Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who shares her perspective on an inquiry and its potential to improve media behaviour in Australia.

Finally, we address the contentious issue of growing HECS debts, a scheme implemented in 1990. We explore the impact of increased inflation rates on HECS debts, and the need for fundamental reform of the university and higher education sector, highlighting the broader community benefits that education brings.

In this episode, we discuss the recent resignation of Mark McGowan as Premier of Western Australia; examine the controversy surrounding PwC’s leak of secret information from the Australian Taxation Office; and delve into the issue of conservative attacks and takeover of the Voice to Parliament.

Mark McGowan, has stepped down as the Premier of Western Australia after six years in office. Citing exhaustion and a lack of energy to effectively continue in his role, McGowan concluded his resignation speech, marking the end of an influential and highly successful career.

The a prominent consulting firm PwC – one of the ‘Big Four’ – has faced intense scrutiny for leaking confidential information from the Australian Taxation Office to its international clients, revealing plans by the Australian Government regarding multinational corporations tax and corporate law changes. There are suggestions that the released information represents just the tip of the iceberg, with other consulting firms likely to be implicated. This situation raises significant concerns about government outsourcing, particularly given the staggering $21 billion spent on consultants and outsourcing in the final year of the previous Coalition government. This figure is equivalent to 54,000 full-time staff or 37 per cent of the entire federal government public service. While the current Labor government aims to reduce this spending, the existence of ongoing contracts and the need for specific expertise pose challenges in immediate reduction.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been actively promoting the Voice to Parliament: during his speech in Adelaide, he emphasised the potential of the Voice the Parliament as a moment of national idealism, and an opportunity to surpass the achievements of the 1967 referendum. However, there is a major difference between the 1967 referendum and the Voice to Parliament. The Liberal Party’s nature has evolved from a liberal stance in the 1960s to a more reactionary conservative party today and mobilising fear, loathing, and hatred is easier now than in the past, and it was always inevitable that the federal Liberal Party was not going to support the Voice to Parliament – they declared their support for the “no” campaign, even before the legislation reached Parliament.

The Liberal Party misrepresents information, spreads lies, and continuously demands more details: they accuse Anthony Albanese of being secretive about the Voice to Parliament, attempting to cultivate a racist vote across Australia. These bad faith actors show no intention of supporting positive change for Indigenous Australia, despite having had nine years to address the very issues they complain about.

While some have criticised Albanese for lacking courage and being slow in implementing reforms, these criticisms should not apply to the Voice to Parliament. It aligns precisely with the demands of Indigenous people. Indigenous issues do not garner significant electoral support in Australian politics, and the Labor government will possibly lose votes on the Voice to Parliament. But, it’s the right thing to do. Despite this, it just highlights the difficulty of convincing the rest of Australia to support initiatives that positively affect Indigenous people amidst conservative antagonism. #auspol #VoiceToParliament

In this episode, we delve into the persistent issue of racism in the media, particularly focusing on the recent departure of ABC journalist Stan Grant. Grant faced a barrage of racist abuse after his presentation on the effects of colonisation during the ABC’s coronation broadcast. This incident is not an isolated one, as individuals from diverse backgrounds, including people of colour, women, and migrants, often endure abuse and racism in the media and politics. News Corporation and Rupert Murdoch, known for amplifying racism in the media, have been implicated in the attacks against Grant, reminiscent of their actions against Adam Goodes in the AFL, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the ‘African Gangs’ agenda back in 2018.

The media industry as a whole is criticised for its lack of diversity, with most outlets being predominantly white and middle-class. While some media organisations pay lip service to addressing these issues, others, like News Corporation, display outright hostility. Social media platforms also contribute to the problem. Despite discussions about the need for change and improvement, little action has been taken to rectify the situation. Whether the media reflects broader society or merely perpetuates its own biases remains a contentious question, but it is clear that without implementing meaningful changes, the situation will remain unchanged.

We also focus on the ongoing case of Julian Assange – Stella Assange, a human rights defender has been advocating for his release. Julian Assange has been imprisoned in London’s Belmarsh Prison since 2019 and despite extensive diplomatic efforts by both the Coalition and Labor governments, it has become evident that soft diplomacy alone will not secure his freedom. Forty-eight Australian MPs and Senators, as well as media associations worldwide, have called for an end to Assange’s pursuit and his release. The continued incarceration of Assange serves no real purpose.

We explore the recent meeting between Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen trade ties between the two countries and discuss the development of a green hydrogen program and had been scheduled as part of the cancelled Quad meeting. The Australia–India relationship holds significant importance due to the large population of Indian heritage in Australia and India’s projected economic growth. However, just as human rights concerns are raised regarding China, a similar discussion needs to take place regarding India. Modi, a popular and nationalistic leader, enjoys considerable support among the Indian community in Australia but it is essential that these issues are raised.

Lastly, we touch upon the ongoing discussion surrounding the Voice To Parliament initiative. Despite being in opposition, figures such as Peter Dutton, Sussan Ley, and David Littleproud continue to receive media platforms as if they were part of the government. This raises concerns about the impartiality and balance in media coverage.

In this episode: we look at the first year of the federal Labor government; what can be done about the many housing issues across Australia?; the latest opinion polls; and the last Liberal government in the village is in a lot of trouble.

The Labor government has been in office for a year and there are suggestions that it’s the best first year of government since Bob Hawke’s first year between 1983–84. When Labor won the election in May 2022, they promised eight key priorities for government, which they’ve made substantial work in – except for climate change policy – but being in government isn't just all about achieving the promises – there's unexpected issues that have to be dealt with – inflation issues, cost of living pressures, energy prices – and these have caused political problems for the government. There’s still far to go with many of these issues, especially on climate change policy and economic reform but it’s been a year that the Labor government would be quite satisfied with.

Housing is becoming a big issue in federal politics and the issue is right across the board – cost of housing, mortgages, rents at a time of the tightest rental market in history. Many people are homeless, and there’s not enough social housing. There have been calls for the federal government to do a lot more than what they’re doing at the moment – although most of the government’s around Australia are Labor at the moment, each state and territory government has its own housing policies, with different political pressures and vested interests in each of those states and territories. There are many solutions available but defining the problem is the key issue – housing has been at the whim of governments doing whatever they need to do to get a political advantage out of it and there needs to be an overarching direction coming in from the federal government.

There were three opinion polls during the week, all showing strong support for both the Prime Minister and the Labor government. While there was polling suggesting disappointment with the budget for not doing as much as it could have, the Labor government has increased its support in opinion polls. But politics can change very quickly: the Rudd government was in a very similar position a year into its term – 55–45% in two-party preferred voting – and at the time, the opposition was in a complete mess under the leadership of Brendan Nelson and then Malcolm Turnbull. But 18 months later, Rudd was gone as prime minister and the Liberal Party almost won the 2010 federal election under Tony Abbott. It’s good times for the Labor government at the moment but those good times won’t last forever.

There’s always unexpected problems for any government and the last Liberal government in Australia has lost its majority and it’s now governing in minority, due to two Liberal MPs resigning in protest over a AFL stadium deal in Hobart, due to cost $715 million – at a time when Tasmania is facing extreme housing shortages and homelessness. The Tasmanian Liberal government seemed to be in a relatively secure place. In the 2021 Tasmania election – the only election won by the Liberal Party since 2019 – they received 49% of the vote, to 28% for the Labor Party and 20% to the Tasmania Greens. But they only had a bare majority of one seat – 13 of the 25 seats – and with the loss of those two Liberal MPs, they’re in minority now. It’s not looking very good for the last Liberal government in Australia. The big lesson for the federal government and the Prime Minister is that a secure government can become very insecure, very quickly and is always just one or two bad decisions from a self-made disaster. #auspol #Newspoll

In this episode: the Budget 2023 announcement and our expert analysis… are CEOs in Australia paid too much? We speak to Rebecca Bachmann about this issue … and when there's a Budget, there's also a Budget Reply, we look at what the Opposition has got to say about it.

The Budget was released by the Treasurer Jim Chalmers, and Budgets always contain a strong political dimension that goes way past any balance sheets and figures that exist on the Budget pages. This Budget is a combination of the Labor government doing what they said that they would do during the 2022 federal election campaign: a cautious approach – probably being a little bit far too cautious – but they’ve directed funding towards some of those areas that were causing political problems – the single parent payment has been continued from when the youngest child turns eight to when the youngest child turns 14. Jobseeker payments have been increased by $20 per week – better than nothing, but it’s still short of what's needed. The Budget is also notable for what’s not in there: there was meant to be a greater source of revenue for mining and there was a substantial increase in iron ore revenues over the last year. The petroleum resources, rent tax was meant to have been improved substantially but it’s only going to raise $2.4 billion over the next four years. But the biggest political aspect of the budget is a predicted $4 billion surplus. It’s cold comfort for the people at the lower end of the scale, who were hoping to receive more support. Despite these issues, it is a Budget that offers a good starting point for the future, rather than offering any substantial reform.

The CEO of Qantas Alan Joyce will leave his position in November, and during his 15 year term, he's earned over $125 million, while Qantas made cumulative losses of $1.9 billion. There is a perception that CEOs in Australia are overpaid, and especially at a time when wages have stagnated over the past decade. In the case of Qantas, there's been an attack on workplace rights – they sacked 6,000 workers in 2020; it also grounded its entire fleet in 2011, and service quality has deteriorated over the past three years. Joyce hasn’t represented value for money for Qantas and is it the case where CEOs in Australia are being overpaid? Dr. Rebecca Bachmann from Macquarie University outlines some of the issues surrounding transparency and remunerations.

There was also a Budget reply from the Opposition leader, Peter Dutton, which didn’t seem to have much to say except for a continuation of the Morrison–Abbott–Howard philosophy of lower taxes, lower immigration, small government, complaining about the Labor government not being able to deliver surpluses in the future – despite the fact that a surplus has just been delivered. It’s a message for the electorate of yesteryear, and the world has moved on.

In this episode: will he stay, or will he go? The future of Scott Morrison in Parliament; the company a prime minister should keep; forget about the Coronation, the move to a republic needs to start now; and how soon before we see a new major political party in Australia?

The former Prime Minister Scott Morrison is on the verge of leaving politics – or so we're told. We’re heard this story before, so it’s a never-ending speculation. Morrison has been linked to “a number” of defence corporations in Britain, keen to employ him in an AUKUS-related position, but there are no names attached to the sources, so the source of these reports could actually be Morrison himself. There are many people who would like Morrison to leave Parliament as soon as possible and never be heard of again but it also brings up the question of the working life of ministers after they leave Parliament, and whether it's in Australia's national interest.

The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the wedding of Kyle Sandilands and Tegan Kynaston and resulted in a few protests, mainly along partisan lines. Kyle Sandilands is one of the most offensive people on radio but being the prime minister is about trying to appeal to as many people as possible. Sandilands does have a massive audience – the ‘Kyle and Jackie O Show’ is the leading morning program in Sydney with almost 200,000 listeners every day, so being on good terms with a major media personality does have its political benefits for the Prime Minister even if it’s probably more to the benefit of Sandilands, rather than Albanese.

There doesn't seem to be too much interest in the UK Coronation event so far: the Prime Minister is already in London and has met the King, and he'll be attending the Coronation – it would have been more appropriate for the Governor–General to attend. Of course, a republican Prime Minister of Australia needs to be polite and say the right words, but the sooner the country gives a Scottish-styled response to the Royal Family and moves towards a republic, the better.

The idea of politics of the centre-right going through a reformation is starting to take hold, with more academic material being published about this concept. The last time this happened was with the formation of the Liberal Party in 1944 – it is far easier to work with what you've got, and it has to be remembered that there were suggestions after the Labor Party lost their fourth consecutive federal election in 2004, it should disband and reform in a totally different way – only for the party to go on and win the 2007 federal election. A political party can never be written off but if the creation of a new major political party is ever going to happen, this is the most favourable time.

In this episode: a boost in military spending, but what does it mean for funding of other important areas; The Dominion case in the United States is the beginning of the end of News Corporation; And the continuing federal “No-alition”: is it a recipe for success or a disaster in the making?

ANZAC Day was held this week and what better way to commemorate this than the federal government announcing an extra $19 billion as part of the review of the Australian Defence Force. The military industry is like a beast that keeps needing to be fed: there will also be an additional $42 billion spent on defence over the next decade, and it’s an area that rarely receives the same cutbacks that apply to virtually every other sector in the community – all the defence department has to do in Australia is ramp up the fear on China and every dollar that they ask for will be given. National security and defence spending are important issues that every country in the world needs to consider and take on seriously but, sometimes in Australia, these matters force every other issue onto the backburner.

There’s two defamation cases concerning News Corporation – they've had different outcomes, but have a similar message: News Corporation is a diminishing influence and overstretched itself as a right wing propaganda unit and is now paying the price. In the United States, News Corporation settled a defamation case with Dominion Voting Systems for $US797 million – a quarter of its cash reserves – and it’s a punishment for spreading the lies about the 2020 presidential election being rigged and stolen from President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. In Australia, Lachlan Murdoch has dropped his defamation case against Crikey News, claiming that he didn't want to give Crikey any more publicity. Up until recently, News Corporation would have doubled down, poured more money into litigation costs and defending itself. But this time, it has given up without much of a fight. This is a humiliation of one of the biggest news media companies in history and it could also be the beginning of the end of News Corporation as well.

A Newspoll was released last week and, as predicted, the news is getting worse for the Coalition, with a confirmation of the poor standing of the Coalition and the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton. This can provide an opportunity for change for a political party to understand that everything is not currently working, and doing politics differently might be a better option. But the Liberal Party is not for changing and hasn’t understood that opposition for the sake of opposition doesn't work anymore. And with a change in demographics and voting patterns, they might be out of office for a long time. This change isn’t good news for the Labor Party either, and there are suggestions that this could be the last majority government – from either side of government – and the future will be based around coalitions of common political interests.