Politics Now

Victoria's political leaders are fessing up to drug taking and not paying for petrol. The major parties aren't banning abortion, but instead competing to make abortion free. 

Politics has changed. 

The tectonic plates of politics are shifting beneath our feet. Within weeks, Victorians will start voting in the November state election. 

So, what does all of this tell us about the future of politics in Australia? 

Raf Epstein and Patricia Karvelas break it all down on Politics Now: Victoria.

Got a burning question?

Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at [email protected]

The devastating alleged attack on independent MP Helen Haines has sent shock waves through Australian politics across the week.

Urgent questions about the safety of our elected representatives, and the state of political debate, are being asked. 

As Haines remains critically ill in hospital, politicians across the political spectrum are sharing their own experiences of threats, harassment and abuse, particularly against women. But how do we keep politicians safe, without shutting them off from the communities they represent?

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called for the political temperature to be turned down, while Australia's security agencies warn of a growing climate of anger, division and intolerance. So, what does turning down the temperature actually look like? And who should take responsibility for the increasingly hostile political environment?

Meanwhile, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has apologised over a controversial cartoon mocking Jacqui Lambie's medical condition. But does the backdown signal a change in political discourse, or is there a much bigger conversation to be had about the limits of political satire?

Patricia Karvelas and Fran Kelly are joined by David Speers on The Party Room.

Got a burning question?

Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at [email protected]

How do you keep politicians safe without shutting the public out?

Following the alleged attack on Helen Haines, calls for greater protection are growing, as MPs grapple with the threats that come with public life - while the motive behind the attack remains unknown.

And as political leaders urge everyone to turn down the temperature, Pauline Hanson has gone from telling Jacqui Lambie to “get over it”, to apologising over a One Nation cartoon. 

Is this a rare backdown? Or simply damage control?

Patricia Karvelas and Clare Armstrong break it all down on Politics Now.

And a reminder - every Friday until the Victorian election, catch Raf Epstein in the Politics Now feed for Politics Now: Victoria.

Sexual assault support lines:

• Full Stop Australia: 1800 385 578
• Men's Referral Service: 1300 766 491
• Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114
• Victims of Crime Helpline: 1800 819 817

Got a burning question?

Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at [email protected]

"This wasn't an accident. This was a deliberate act.”

Stark words have been shared by the Prime Minister following a devastating alleged attack on Independent MP Helen Haines yesterday afternoon, who remains in a critical condition.

As Australia learns more about what unfolded outside her Wangaratta office, shock now turns to questions about the safety of our elected representatives.

Calls to “turn down the political temperature” are growing louder - but is that the right message?

Patricia Karvelas and Raf Epstein break it all down on Politics Now.

And a reminder - every Friday until the Victorian election, catch Raf Epstein in the Politics Now feed for Politics Now: Victoria.

Got a burning question?

Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at [email protected]

Tensions inside the Greens are boiling over.

WA Senator Jordon Steele-John says rumours about his conduct are being weaponised for political purpose - allegations he strongly denies.

Now he’s taken to social media to insist he’s “not on leave" - and accused his own party leader, David Shoebridge, of pressuring him to step aside.

So with a new leader trying to find his feet, just how damaging is this very public dispute for the Greens?

And PK and Jacob has some free advice for Labor following a tense sitting week - is it time for a reshuffle?

Patricia Karvelas and Jacob Greber break it all down on Politics Now.

Read Senator Jordon Steele-John's full statement here.

Read Jacob's latest analysis here.

Read PK's column here.

Listen to our Victorian election special Question Time with Raf Epstein here.

Got a burning question?

Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at [email protected]

After prompting an intervention from the Prime Minister over the ATO's controversial credit card ban, ACCI chief executive Andrew McKellar unpacks the fallout and the government's impending trust tax changes.

It’s Question Time - and not just any Question Time - a Victorian state election special!

With one of the most consequential state elections of 2026 fast approaching, Victoria has been on your minds. So PK and Fran enlist friend of the podcast and Victorian political expert Raf Epstein to tackle your questions.

What role will the Victorian Greens play in the election? Are party preferences genuinely hard to find - or being hidden? And what’s with all the weird minor party names popping up?

Then there’s the One Nation factor. How could preferences translate into seats? Will the result fairly reflect the mood of the state? And could One Nation’s performance reshape Victoria’s electoral system in the future?

After a busy sitting week, Patricia Karvelas, Fran Kelly and ABC Radio Melbourne Mornings host Raf Epstein unpack how Australia’s “political epicentre” could unfold on The Party Room: Question Time edition.

Got a burning question?

The Party Room: Question Time is taking a short break from next week, but keep sending your questions through. Send short voice recordings to PK and Fran at [email protected] and we’ll answer them when Question Time returns.

And a reminder - every Friday until the Victorian election, catch Raf Epstein in the Politics Now feed for Politics Now: Victoria.

It’s been a strange sitting week in Canberra, with the Albanese government trying to push through a packed legislative agenda - only to find itself repeatedly dragged onto political ground it hadn’t planned for.

Labor was slow out of the blocks in responding to the Trump administration’s proposed livestream of a US execution. Is the government becoming too reluctant to criticise the president?

Back in parliament, the government suffered a significant setback when the Coalition, Greens and Jacqui Lambie teamed up to knock its private health insurance changes off the Senate agenda.

Meanwhile, a fight over ATO credit card payments has fuelled fresh questions about the relationship between Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers, as Labor grapples with growing signs of midterm malaise.

The Greens are also testing their new leadership team, with David Shoebridge pushing the party into almost every major debate and trying to squeeze concessions from Labor. 

And then there’s Josh Frydenberg - back on the media circuit, promoting his memoir, floating policy ideas and doing very little to dampen speculation about a political comeback.

Patricia Karvelas and Fran Kelly are joined by Tom McIlroy, Political Editor for Guardian Australia on The Party Room.

Got a burning question?

Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at [email protected]

Are the Prime Minister and his treasurer working together, or are they being played off against one other?

Midway through a sitting week, the government has managed to put itself back in the firing line with small business over the ATO’s on-again, off-again credit card ban.

That’s led to some performative text messaging, as well as a nasty moment in parliament that’s now taken on a life of its own.

If that wasn’t enough, Labor is also staring down another fight over trusts.

Patricia Karvelas and David Speers break it all down on Politics Now.

Got a burning question?

Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at [email protected]

The political fight is moving more and more online.

AI companies want to build, train and expand in Australia, but the welcome mat now comes with conditions - including from a bipartisan committee sending letters pushing for tougher rules and stronger protections for creators, and a warning from Labor that a handful of AI giants could become the economy’s new “toll collectors”.

But back in the real world, revealing comments inside Labor caucus are exposing tensions for the government - and warnings of “the penny dropping” for some MPs if things don’t improve.

So who is really setting the rules - governments, platforms, or the companies building the technology? And how much political pressure is building offline while Canberra tries to regulate the online world?

Patricia Karvelas and Clare Armstrong break it all down on Politics Now.

Read Clare's piece here.

Read PK's piece here.

Got a burning question?

Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at [email protected]