Episodes
Guardian Australia political editor Karen Middleton and Essential Media executive director Peter Lewis take a look at the latest Essential poll to see how popular King Charles III is in Australia and what support there is to become a republic
Published 10/23/24
Published 10/23/24
After almost a full term as a politician, independent senator David Pocock joins political editor Karen Middleton. They discuss why he thinks Labor’s refusal to bargain with the crossbench is holding back changes that Australians need, if Albanese buying a multi-million dollar house this week is a bad look and what his past as a professional rugby player has taught him about his current job
Published 10/18/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor Karen Middleton speaks with the member for Gwoja Chansey Paech about how Labor lost the law-and-order vote at August’s election, and what the future holds a year on from the voice to parliament referendum
Published 10/11/24
Guardian Australia chief political correspondent Paul Karp and Essential Media executive director Peter Lewis take a look at the latest Essential poll to gauge what solutions to cost-of-living pressures Australians want implemented and how they think the government is handling the volatile situation in the Middle East
Published 10/09/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor Karen Middleton speaks with economist and former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank, Guy Debelle. They discuss how the board makes decisions about the economy and the pressure they face in taking all sides into account
Published 10/04/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor Karen Middleton speaks to Andrew Leigh, assistant minister for competition, charities and Treasury, about the federal government’s draft of a food and grocery code of conduct. They also discuss negative gearing and Labor’s census debacle You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport
Published 09/27/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor, Karen Middleton, and Peter Lewis from Essential Media talk about Labor’s stalemate on housing, as well as how voters feel about stronger privacy regulations and the proposed social media ban for children
Published 09/25/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor Karen Middleton speaks with former Kamala Harris White House staffer and PhD candidate Cory Alpert about the upcoming US election. Alpert explores some of the complexities of the US electoral system, the ‘October surprise’, and the impact of algorithms on the race to the White House
Published 09/20/24
This week the federal opposition suggested that perhaps Qantas should be forced to sell off its low-cost stablemate Jetstar. This followed the recent release of the federal government’s aviation white paper, which includes ideas on how to make flights cheaper, boost competition and hold airlines to account for delays and cancellations. Guardian Australia’s political editor, Karen Middleton, talks with the minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government,...
Published 09/13/24
Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent, Paul Karp, and Peter Lewis from Essential Media talk about the public support for Labor’s international student visa caps, and if the politics behind the reform are being driven by the upcoming election
Published 09/11/24
Guardian Australia’s political reporter Amy Remeikis speaks with Queensland’s premier, Steven Miles, about the Great Barrier Reef, the housing crisis, youth crime and the upcoming election. You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport
Published 09/06/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor Karen Middleton speaks with independent economist Saul Eslake about the government’s attempts to deal with inflation and why prices are still so high
Published 08/30/24
Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent, Paul Karp, and Peter Lewis from Essential Media talk about voters’ opinions of Peter Dutton’s call to stop people fleeing Gaza from entering Australia and whether he is driving division for political gain You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport
Published 08/28/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor Karen Middleton speaks with New South Wales Liberal senator Andrew Bragg about the Coalition’s plan on housing, and the federal implications of the NSW Liberals’ catastrophic failure to lodge paperwork for the local government elections
Published 08/23/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor Karen Middleton speaks with treasurer Jim Chalmers about the governments economic track record, a busy week in parliament, and the nature of the current political debate
Published 08/16/24
Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent, Paul Karp, and Peter Lewis from Essential Media talk about why there is still no appetite for systemic reform to close the gap, who the government listens to, and why trust and faith in government is so low
Published 08/14/24
Recently, the Northern Territory’s police commissioner, Michael Murphy, issued an apology to the Indigenous people of his jurisdiction, declaring police have favoured protecting ‘settlers’ over Aboriginal people and he is ‘deeply sorry for the hurt and injustices’ this has caused them over more than a century. Murphy speaks to Guardian Australia’s political editor, Karen Middleton, on the reasons behind the apology and the changes he plans to make to the police force
Published 08/05/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor, Karen Middleton, speaks to former attorney general George Brandis about his view that ASIO needs to answer to the attorney general’s department to be kept accountable. They also discuss the politics behind the creation of the Department of Home Affairs and what the recent changes mean.
Published 08/02/24
Guardian Australia’s political reporter and politics live blogger, Amy Remeikis, speaks to Peter Lewis from Essential Media about the increased favourability of both Donald Trump and Peter Dutton among Australian voters. They also discuss the continued support for unions, despite declining membership and the recent furore over the CFMEU
Published 07/31/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor Karen Middleton talks with Joe Hockey, former federal minister and ambassador to Washington, and now global president and founder of US-based consulting firm Bondi Partners. Hockey talks about what a Kamala Harris victory in the US election would mean for Australia, and whether there are upsides if Donald Trump returns for a second term. A second Trump presidency would send Australia down a dark economic path. Here’s how it might play out | Greg Jericho
Published 07/26/24
Minister for home affairs and cyber security Clare O’Neil speaks with Guardian Australia’s political editor Karen Middleton about the allegations against the CFMEU. Following the release of a report by the strengthening democracy taskforce this week, O’Neil argues that democracy is a way to resolve our differences and the assassination attempt on Trump is an attack on democracy itself
Published 07/19/24
Guardian Australia’s politics live blogger Amy Remeikis talks to Peter Lewis from Essential Media about Australian voter dissatisfaction in the political system and politicians; the split between older and younger voters; and whether democracy could learn something from community sport
Published 07/17/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor, Karen Middleton, talks with immigration minister, Andrew Giles, about this week’s appointment of a new anti-semitism envoy and the upcoming Islamophobia envoy. They also discuss diversity in the Labor caucus and Giles’s latest rulings on visa cancellations
Published 07/12/24
Guardian Australia’s political editor Karen Middleton speaks with the Greens leader Adam Bandt about Fatima Payman’s decision to quit the Labor party, calls for the Australian government to do more about the war in Gaza, and the Greens’ long-term objectives
Published 07/05/24