On Saturday 3 May 2025 the Australian public voted in the federal election after a five week campaign to elect members to the 48th Federal Parliament. The incumbent Labor Party led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, won the election in an historic landslide victory. The ALP is set to win its largest seat count since [...]

Read More... from The Final Tally Episode 9: Election outcome and aftermath

In the last week before the election, Ryan and Mikeli reflect on the last five weeks of the campaign. They go through the campaigns by the major and minor parties, some key policies, and what went good and bad for the party leaders. They also breakdown the recent Canadian Federal election to see if it [...]

Read More... from The Final Tally Episode 8: Week of 30 April 2025

Over the course of the campaign, the leaders of the two major parties have participated in debates on national television, but is it making a difference? Ryan and Mikeli break down what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said during the leaders debate on the ABC. This episode also goes into what [...]

Read More... from The Final Tally Episode 7: Week of 24 April 2025

At the halfway point in the campaign, The Labor Party and the Coalition both hold their formal “campaign launches.” Both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader gave policy-heavy speeches meant to rally the party faithful and make their pitch to the nation. Why do the parties wait until halfway through the campaign period to [...]

Read More... from The Final Tally Episode 6: Week of 15 April 2025

What is a tariff and why is US President Donald Trump slapping a 10% tariff on nearly all Australian products imported into the United States? How will these tariffs impact the coming election and what are Federal and State leaders saying about this? Ryan and Mikeli discuss all this and more as they go through [...]

Read More... from The Final Tally Episode 5: Week of 8 April 2025

On the last Friday in March, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call a General Election for 3 May. What did the Prime Minister say in his speech when he called the election? How did the first weekend of the campaign go with both Albanese and Opposition Leader, Peter [...]

Read More... from The Final Tally Episode 4: Week of 1 April 2025

Why do all the politicians get together in March to talk about money and numbers? What even is a budget? Is it going to impact the coming election? Mik and Ryan get together for another episode to talk about all things money and the budget as the Albanese Government hands downs its final budget before [...]

Read More... from The Final Tally Episode 3: Week of 25 March 2025

Ryan and Mikeli discuss and breakdown the issues of the week, specifically about a caravan hoax targeting Jewish Australians, proposed cuts to public service by Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, and female voters leaning more towards voting for the Coalition. They both talk about the recent state election in Western Australia and what clues can be [...]

Read More... from The Final Tally Episode 2: Week of 18 March 2025

Meet Ryan Mercado, a US political journalist with an interest and knowledge of Aussie politics, and Mikeli Walker, a UTS Student and political junkie. Together, they are here to give you the latest news about the 2025 Australian Federal Election! The Final Tally cuts through the spin to explain what’s at stake and why it [...]

Read More... from The Final Tally Episode 1: Week of 12 March 2025