Podcast appearances and mentions of david speers

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed a phased end to the fuel excise discount, amid confusion over an end to the war in the Middle East.

A shock Coalition resignation exposes deep cracks in the opposition, while Labor repositions itself to halt a surging One Nation.

The Albanese government is paying an economic and political toll for an ongoing and deeply unpopular war. 

It is up to the Greens to decide whether they will pass tax changes or join the Coalition in an unlikely alliance. The minor party is also among those expressing AUKUS concerns. 

Tax changes, interest rate hikes, wars and volatility have created the perfect housing market storm. So will prices tumble and what will happen to supply?

Within the government, there's quiet confidence the battery boom will continue to gather pace and help shield Australia from both global shocks and domestic demand surges, driving prices even lower.

It was a tough week for the government after entrepreneurs and business owners took to social media to vent their outrage over proposed capital gains tax changes.

In an already difficult post-budget week, Labor isn't being helped by some of its "friends". But it has won an important endorsement from one powerful voice.

Labor has gone after negative gearing, capital gains tax and trusts while the Coalition has promised to end bracket creep by indexing tax thresholds. 

After crushing the Coalition in its regional heartland, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is on a high and dreaming big. 

It's clear that whatever this unpredictable US president says, the Albanese government isn't expecting a return to normal oil flows any time soon.

The death of Kumanjayi Little Baby prompts calls for urgent action to confront systemic failures in remote indigenous communities.Nationals Leader Matt Canavan joins David Speers, with Paul Sakkal, Anna Henderson and Daniel James on the couch. 

The government is spending some political capital. They've announced plans to rein in the NDIS and are inching closer to revealing changes to property tax breaks. But will the opposition get on board? Opposition Leader Angus Taylor joins David Speers, with Lenore Taylor, Tom Crowley and Katina Curtis on the couch. 

As far as tough budget decisions go, we haven't seen anything on this scale since Joe Hockey's ill-fated 2014 effort.

Peace has stalled in the Strait of Hormuz. 

Fuel prices and inflation aren't the only metrics climbing as the Strait of Hormuz remains shut. The Albanese government's level of frustration is rising just as fast.

The US and Iran hold make or break peace talks to end the war. But there's no end to the fuel crisis.

But the big question remains: Does Donald Trump have a strategy to end the Middle East war?

It was a double whammy for Australian households this week: an interest rate rise and climbing fuel prices amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Energy Minister, Chris Bowen is our guest. Meanwhile in South Australia a Labor landslide has seen Peter Malinauskas returned as Premier. He joins us from Adelaide following his election victory.  Paul Sakkal, Greg Brown and Clare Armstrong join David Speers on the couch. 

Another three members of the Iranian women's football team have decided to return home, days after being granted humanitarian visas to stay in Australia.Meanwhile our guest, former Deputy Prime Minister and One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce says he regrets not doing more to secure Australia's fuel supply when he was in government. David Speers is joined by Matthew Knott, Jane Norman and Jason Koutsoukis. 

Donald Trump is now demanding Iran's unconditional surrender – and a say in who runs the country.

A fresh Middle East conflict is underway, as Donald Trump announces the death of Iran's Supreme Leader.

It's tempting to treat the evacuation of the prime minister from the Lodge this week as a bizarre outlier but that would miss the point.

The Federal Government hardens its stance on 'ISIS families' trying to leave Syria.

Angus Taylor takes over a Liberal Party in crisis – in what he calls a change or die moment.

The Coalition on track to reunite after a messy split.

Parliament returns this week – and while the government is bracing for an interest rate rise – both the Liberal and National Parties are riven by infighting.Shadow Treasurer Ted O'Brien joins David Speers. 

For much of the summer, it was the Prime Minister under intense pressure over his response to the Bondi tragedy.Anthony Albanese said the emergency sitting would be a chance to show political unity.Instead the rush to pass a crackdown on guns and hate groups blew up the Coalition.

For a second time since the election the Coalition has split. The Nationals walked out after a number of its senators crossed the floor to vote against hate speech laws this week.  The Liberals and opposition leader Sussan Ley sided with the government to pass the legislation, but key Nationals raises concerns about the rushed process and the impact on free speech. So, is this a moment of real change in conservative politics and could One Nation pick up a few more members? Today, David Speers, the ABC's national political lead and host of Insiders, on how the marriage fell apart once again. Featured: David Speers, ABC national political lead

For me the most illuminating insight into what these laws are actually designed to do came up in an ABC interview with Attorney-General Michelle Rowland on Tuesday. Over and over again throughout the interview Rowland was asked by ABC's David Speers to clarify whether the new laws could see activist groups banned for criticizing Israel and opposing its genocidal atrocities in a way that causes Jewish Australians to feel upset feelings, and she refused to rule out the possibility every single time. Reading by Tim Foley.

Australian kids are bracing for a world-first experiment as they're booted off social media, while the parliament winds up after a huge year. 

The Prime Minister ends the parliamentary year with a win and a wedding.

Darren is joined by returning guest Richard Maude to unpack what Australian foreign policy looks like in late 2025. The conversation centres on Foreign Minister Penny Wong's recent AIIA speech, which Darren argues—mostly with Richard's agreement—marks a clear evolution in Australia's foreign policy doctrine. The traditional three pillars — alliance, region, and rules — have been replaced by a new framework, the "Four Rs": Region, Relationships, Rules, and Resilience. The discussion explores what this shift reveals about how Canberra sees the world today, and what it tells us about Australia's strategic priorities as the international environment becomes more volatile. Together, they assess how well the government is executing each of the “Four Rs” in practice — from strengthening ties across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, to managing the alliance with an unpredictable Washington, stabilising relations with Beijing, and linking foreign policy more overtly with domestic resilience. They ask whether Australia is being suitably ambitious in shaping the regional security environment, or whether it risks becoming over-focused on Southeast Asia at the expense of alliance leadership and broader coordination with partners like Japan, Korea and Europe. Darren and Richard also grapple with Australia–China relations. Is Canberra being too cautious in public language — or sensibly risk-averse? Darren frames the question as whether the greater risk currently lies in under-reacting to the threat posed by China, or in over-reacting. And how should Australia manage economic dependence on China given the limits of diversification and the “iron laws” of trade?  The fourth R is resilience, and they discuss whether tying domestic policy to foreign policy is a strength or a political trap. They consider how resilience language enables governments to justify hard economic choices, while also warning against overselling national security policy as economic strategy. Finally, Darren and Richard look ahead to 2026. Richard nominates three global questions to watch closely: the trajectory of US–China relations, the fate of Ukraine, and whether anything remains of the liberal international project. Darren adds his own focal points: Australia's critical minerals strategy, Europe's struggle with Chinese economic leverage, and the political durability of Trump's dominance ahead of the US midterms. A wide-ranging episode on doctrine, diplomacy and domestic politics — and what it all means for Australia navigating a world that feels, as Richard once put it, "completely stuffed". Australia in the World is written, hosted, and produced by Darren Lim, with research and editing this episode by Hannah Nelson and theme music composed by Rory Stenning. Relevant links Richard Maude (bio): https://asiasociety.org/policy-institute/richard-maude Penny Wong, “AIIA Gala Dinner Keynote Address”, 17 November 2025: https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/speech/aiia-gala-dinner-keynote-address Darren Lim and Hannah Nelson, “From Three Strands to Four Rs: The Evolution of Australian Foreign Policy”, Australian Outlook, 21 November 2025: https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/from-three-strands-to-four-rs-the-evolution-of-australian-foreign-policy/ Penny Wong, “Speech to the ANU National Security College “Securing our Future”, 9 April 2024: https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/speech/speech-anu-national-security-college-securing-our-future Allan Gyngell, Fear of Abandonment: Australia in the World since 1942: https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/fear-abandonment Heather Smith, “Australia and Economic Cold War – Drifting into the New Paradigm”, AIIA 2025 National Conference Address, 17 November 2025: https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/australia-and-economic-cold-war-drifting-into-the-new-paradigm/ Penny Wong, TV interview, ABC Insiders (with David Speers), 16 November 2025: https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/transcript/tv-interview-abc-insiders-0 Eli Hayes and Darren Lim, “Not every critical mineral is equal – and Australia's policy should reflect this”, Lowy Interpreter, 10 November 2025: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/not-every-critical-mineral-equal-australia-s-policy-should-reflect Darren Lim and Nathan Attrill, “Australian debate of the China question: The COVID-19 case”, Australian Journal of International Affairs (2021): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10357718.2021.1940094 (gated) or https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3856586 (ungated) Jedediah Britton-Purdy and David Pozen, “What are we living through?”, Boston Review, 15 October 2025: https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/what-are-we-living-through/ Lachlan Strahan, The Curious Diplomat: A memoir from the frontlines of diplomacy (Monash University Publishing, 2025): https://publishing.monash.edu/product/the-curious-diplomat/ Nick Potkalitsky, “Where Should Student AI Literacy Live?”, Educating AI (Substack), 25 September 2025: https://nickpotkalitsky.substack.com/p/where-should-student-ai-literacy Ethan Mollick, “The Best Available Human Standard”, One Useful Thing (Substack), 22 October 2023: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/the-best-available-human-standard Ethan Mollick, “15 Times to use AI, and 5 Not to”, One Useful Thing (Substack), 9 December 2024: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/15-times-to-use-ai-and-5-not-to

The level of the prime minister's reform appetite has been discussed and debated since roughly 9pm on election night in May, when Labor's massive win became clear. 

We're heading into the final week of parliament of the year.The government wants to finish with a win – by passing its overhaul of environment laws.Sussan Ley wants to survive what's known as the killing season.

The Liberal Party has just taken a huge gamble.In a weakened political position – and under pressure from the Nationals – the net zero target is now gone.

It's been a very long road – but Australia's first treaty with Aboriginal people in Victoria has now been signed and formalised as law.

After 6 months of agonising – it's crunch time for the Liberal Party, with MPs to thrash out a position on the net-zero climate target this week.

If, as expected, the net zero target is abandoned, the long delay in reaching this point will leave the Liberals looking like they've capitulated once again to the Nationals.

The Nationals have walked away from the net zero target dialling up pressure on Liberal leader Sussan Ley.

It was a win in Washington for the Prime Minister, with one of the smoothest meetings any foreign leader has had with Donald Trump.

For all the celebration of Anthony Albanese's friendly visit to the White House and the happy news on AUKUS and critical minerals, there was something Donald Trump said that alarmed strategic analysts. And it had nothing to do with disliking Kevin Rudd.

With rare earths under one arm, and possibly another AUKUS down-payment under the other, the Prime Minister is preparing for his long-awaited Oval Office meeting with Donald Trump.

Trump may have expressed "shock", but his administration is clearly not surprised at China's willingness to flex its dominance on rare earths. 

After two years of war, there is hope of peace in the Middle East.

The government is determined to avoid wearing any blame for Optus's failure but also needs to be transparent about how it handled even dodgy early advice from the telco.

It is a fast moving situation in the Middle East, after US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a 20 point peace plan.

This week Insiders is live from London.  

This week Insiders is live from New York, where world leaders are meeting for the United Nations General Assembly.  

As doubts linger over the AUKUS security agreement's future, the Albanese government has acted.