Insiders

It is not locked in yet, but the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is laying down markers for a meeting with US President Donald Trump. 

Australia's defence chief has issued a very deliberate warning about the dangerous outlook facing Australia.

Donald Trump has flagged a further trade hit, hurting exporters and adding to global volatility. And the decision to green light the extension of a major gas project has raised questions about how climate targets will be met. Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen joins David Speers on the Insiders couch. 

The opposition now has two months to settle down internal tensions before parliament resumes. When it does, the prime minister won't be giving them an inch.

Research shows voters want the government to seize the moment after its landslide win and do something big.

The Prime Minister is in Rome this morning, after a visit to Jakarta.

The Liberals will need as much time as possible before taking on a prime minister determined to tidy up outstanding problems.

The fall-out from Labor's landslide election win has been almost as extraordinary as the result itself. The leadership of the Liberals, Nationals, and Greens are all now in play. The direction of each party is up in the air. It hasn't been entirely smooth sailing for Labor either, with two Cabinet Ministers pushed out by the factions. One of them – Ed Husic – joins David Speers for Insiders.

The Nationals remain wedded to nuclear while the Liberals are more divided.

Anthony Albanese enters the history books – while Peter Dutton exits the parliament. 

We're into the final week of the election campaign – and this morning we're in the marginal seat of McEwan. Peter Dutton has been here several times during the campaign. His promise to cut fuel excise is aimed at commuters in seats like this. But is it enough?

The opposition leader is being cautious with his language as he doesn't want to turn off Chinese-Australian voters, as the Coalition did last election, but he also doesn't want to upset those on his right flank. 

With two weeks to go in this election race – polls continue to show the Coalition losing ground. Support for Peter Dutton is slipping away in the very suburbs he's targeting. And time is running out. Early voting begins on Tuesday.

The third week on the campaign trail will be critical, before the Easter break and the commencement of early voting, and polls suggest the contest remains tight.

We knew they were coming – but few expected Donald Trump's tariffs to go this far.

The opposition leader is trying to talk to two audiences: the pro-Trump supporters on his right flank, and the Trump-anxious voters in the middle. 

A hip-pocket bidding war. Competing plans for the power sector. And taunts about Donald Trump. 

Politics is about principles and the opposition leader's decision to say no to a tax cut sends a signal. 

More energy bill relief being promised in the latest pre-election sweetener from the government.

If two ongoing wars weren't enough uncertainty into which to deliver a federal budget, there's the precariousness of the Trump administration's trade agenda.

Donald Trump smashing norms on both the trade and security front.

The government is banking on voters appreciating that this time around with Trump is different.

It was the win Labor expected in Western Australia, but what does the state's contest tell us about the upcoming federal election?

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's jaw dropping clash in the Oval Office caused global shockwaves and left allies questioning if the US was a reliable security partner.

Donald Trump is determined to impose tariffs and linked to the trade threat is a requirement for allies to lift their defence spending.

The election date may not have been announced yet, but all the factors of a campaign are beginning to shine.The Albanese government has announced a big election promise worth $8.5b. Labor says 9 out of 10 GP visits will be free, if Labor is re-elected. While the Coalition has been criticising government spending, it says it won't stand in the way of this new announcement.

The Coalition has blamed inflation on government spending. It remains unclear if it will hold the line and oppose further relief to struggling households.

As an election looms, there's one man who could disrupt both the campaign and the economy - Donald Trump. His plans to punish trading partners are more sweeping - and could prove more costly - than many expected.

As speculation builds over when the prime minister will call an election, another major player looms over the campaign — Donald Trump. The US president's latest wave of tariffs could send shockwaves not just through Australia but across the global trading system. So, how can Australia come out winning in this game of tariffs?

Continuing to highlight Labor's past critique of Donald Trump carries political risk for the Coalition. Not least because it ignores what's really driving those encouraging Trump to apply tariffs to Australia.

How to deal with Donald Trump 2.0?

The world was understandably gripped this week by Donald Trump's rather surprising suggestion that the US might take ownership of Gaza and turn it into what he's called the Riviera of the Middle East. Whether this was his intention or not, the bombshell announcement did take a lot of attention away from something else the President had done just a day or two earlier, roll out his grand tariff strategy. His threats to impose hefty tariffs on both Canada and Mexico didn't actually eventuate, at least not yet, but a new 10% tariff on Chinese goods did, and China didn't take this hit lying down. It's responded with trade sanctions of its own. So is this the beginning of a wider US-China trade war, and what does that mean for Australia? 

Heads are best kept below the parapet for now, in what's already proving to be a more difficult environment to navigate than the first Trump presidency.

Hopes of a rate cut. Fears of another antisemitic attack. The election year begins with intense debate over the economy and national security. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton joins Insiders. 

Wednesday's inflation figures came in lower than either the Reserve Bank or most market economists predicted. So, will we see a rate cut in February? 

It's the start of the election year Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers were banking on and the reason why talk of an early poll, either late last year or at the very start of this year, was always misguided.

Happy new year. And happy election year! We may not know exactly when Anthony Albanese will send us all to the polls – but we do know it has to happen by May. So, for this special holiday edition, we thought it would be worth setting the table for what we can expect over the weeks and months ahead. What are the issues that will decide this election? How are the major parties approaching them? And what can we expect from Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton in this campaign?David Speers speaks to Patricia Karvelas to look into the political crystal ball for 2025.

The Albanese Government heads into the summer break with a major win.

The final week of parliament for the year has involved an avalanche of legislation. Most of it has been well ventilated and debated over recent months – think social media age limits or changes to the Reserve Bank board structure.But there was a batch of bills involving tough immigration reforms that didn't receive as much attention. These changes involve new deportation powers and travel bans – and they're due to whip through with bipartisan support – despite howls of protest from human rights groups.By the time you're listening, they're likely to have passed the Senate. David Speers speaks to Dr Abul Rizvi, a former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration, about what these changes will mean in practise. 

Before the last election, Anthony Albanese often talked about "kicking with the wind" in the final quarter. Now, he's talking about "leaving nothing on the field", even if he's leaving a few promises behind in the interests of improving Labor's election chances.

As the clock ticks down on the parliamentary year – it's do or die for a stack of government reforms.

The direction of global action on climate change is at a juncture. Donald Trump's impending return to the White House and his promise to rip-up the Biden administration's climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act is prompting a reassessment of the landscape.In Azerbaijan, the UN's climate change talks are in their final days trying to reach agreement on financing to help developing countries take climate action... the ambition of some countries tempered by the antipathy of others. While here in Australia, work is underway on what our 2035 targets might look like; where and when that lands is not yet clear.Melissa Clarke, filling in for David Speers, speaks to Matt Kean, Chair of the Climate Change Authority and the former NSW state Liberal Treasurer, to give us a rundown of the feeling on the ground at COP29.