Podcasts about liberal national coalition

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's re-election is cementing a belief US policy is influencing voters abroad. The Labor Party has secured a historic, and comfortable win over Peter Dutton's Liberal National Coalition - with Dutton himself ousted from his own Queensland seat. Over in Canada, Mark Carney secured the role of Prime Minister - with experts claiming anti-Trump sentiment helped propel his win. Former Finance Minister Steven Joyce says the political right has learned the same lesson as the left about online 'echo chambers'. "The broad middle of politics is much more pragmatic about what they want to see happen in the world, they're not so much interested in the culture wars - be they on the left or on the right." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Fegan spoke to Pat Panetta to discuss the results of the 2025 Australian federal election, in particular the results in Queensland. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led the Australian Labor Party to victory with an increased majority in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the Liberal - National Coalition lost a number of seats to Labor including Liberal leader Peter Dutton's own seat of Dickson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Pachi spoke to Pat Panetta to discuss the results of the 2025 Australian federal election. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led the Australian Labor Party to victory with an increased majority in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the Liberal - National Coalition lost a number of seats to Labor including Liberal leader Peter Dutton's own seat of Dickson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Gilbert, from Weekend Edition on Sky News, spoke to Pat Panetta to discuss the results of the 2025 Australian federal election. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led the Australian Labor Party to victory with an increased majority in the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the Liberal - National Coalition lost a number of seats to Labor including Liberal leader Peter Dutton's own seat of Dickson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of Federal Election 2025, Bushy Martin cuts through the political noise to give you an honest, no-spin breakdown of the housing policies proposed by the major parties and how it impacts Australian property investors. With skyrocketing property prices outpacing wages and a shortage of housing supply, this election could be a pivotal moment for your investment strategy. Key Highlights: Housing Affordability Crisis: Bushy explains why housing affordability is such a mess, with property prices rising faster than wages, creating a perfect storm for investors. Labor’s Housing Solutions: The Australian Labor Party’s $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) promises 30,000 homes over five years but faces challenges. Also, the Home Guarantee Scheme and social housing push may provide opportunities but also bring inflationary pressures. Liberal-National Coalition’s Approach: The Coalition’s $5 billion infrastructure fund and reforms like tax-deductible mortgage repayments and APRA adjustments could stimulate housing supply and help first-home buyers. However, these policies risk pushing property prices higher and adding to demand. Greens’ Radical Policies: The Greens propose phasing out negative gearing, implementing rent controls, and building public housing. While aimed at affordability, these policies may inadvertently reduce housing supply and worsen the rental crisis. Bushy concludes by stressing the essential role of property investors in supplying rental housing and how misguided policies could push them out of the market, exacerbating the affordability issue. Takeaways: Whether you’re an investor or aspiring homebuyer, understanding the policy impacts is crucial. Bushy breaks it down so you can make an informed vote and position yourself for better investment outcomes, no matter who wins the election. Get the full episode show notes here: https://knowhowproperty.com.au/blog/election-2025-guide-what-australias-housing-policies-really-mean-for-investors Find your Freedom Formula Success in property starts with your 'why', and then the 'what' and 'how'. Let me, Bushy Martin, lead you through it! Sign up for my Freedom Formula program. The first session is absolutely free, and it only takes around an hour! Find out more https://bushymartin.com.au/freedom-formula-course Subscribe to Property Hub for free now on your favourite podcast player. Take the next step - connect, engage and get more insights with the Property Hub community at linktr.ee/propertyhubau Book a personal solutions session with Bushy to go deeper on your specific property needs or challenges Continue the discussion with likeminded investors and experts on The Property Hub Collective Facebook group Get a copy of Bushy's book, Get Invested, for FREE, and find out what it takes for you to invest in living more, working less Get all Property Hub info here linktr.ee/propertyhubau About Get Invested, a Property Hub show Get Invested is the leading weekly podcast for Australians who want to learn how to unlock their full ‘self, health and wealth’ potential. Hosted by Bushy Martin, an award winning property investor, founder, author and media commentator who is recognised as one of Australia’s most trusted experts in property, investment and lifestyle, Get Invested reveals the secrets of the high performers who invest for success in every aspect of their lives and the world around them. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to get every Get Invested episode each week for free. For business enquiries, email andrew@apiromarketing.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Holland shares his extensive research and reading in analysing the nuclear energy policy which isthe key policy of the Liberal National Coalition ahead of the upcoming election. Mike Holland's summary is under this plan we won't be generating any nuclear power before 2040. By 2040 coal fired power stations will be shut down and we will be using cheaper wind and solar generated power. Mike makes the case that from reactors around the world it is economically irresponsible to go down this path.The show was first broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1 FM on 31 January 2025 by Blue Mountains Unions & Community (BMUC) and presented by Fran Dyson. If you'd like to add to the discussion, you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠leave an audio comment about our show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which may be added to one of our podcasts.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to be a guest on our radio show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Rights, Rorts and Rants on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM, Fridays from 4pm to 6pm or livestreamed via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rbm.org.au.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join a union - 1300 486 466 or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BMUC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Blue Mountains Unions & Community pays its respect to and acknowledges, the Darug and Gundungurra First Peoples of the Blue Mountains area and acknowledges this is Aboriginal Land that was never ceded.Authorised by D Smith, Management Committee, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, 52-52A Great Western Hwy, Mount Victoria, NSW.Disclaimer: Rights, Rorts and Rants explores a range of issues from different perspectives. The views expressed on the show and podcast are not necessarily endorsed by Blue Mountains & Community.     

In this interview selected from our Rights, Rorts and Rants show on 23rd May Mike Holland provides an update on the feasibility of the Liberal National Coalition's nuclear energy option following the release of CSIRO's GenCost report. Nick Franklin highlights the political realities of plans to build a nuclear power plant in your electorate. The show was first broadcast on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1 FM on 24 May 2024 by Blue Mountains Unions & Community and presented by Debra Smith. Podcast produced by Ann-Maree McEwan.  If you'd like to add to the discussion, you can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠leave an audio comment about our show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which may be added to one of our podcasts. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to be a guest on our radio show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Rights, Rorts and Rants on Radio Blue Mountains 89.1FM, Fridays from 4pm to 6pm or livestreamed via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rbm.org.au.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Join a union - 1300 486 466 or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join online⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.   Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BMUC⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Blue Mountains Unions & Community pays its respect to and acknowledges, the Darug and Gundungurra First Peoples of the Blue Mountains area and acknowledges this is Aboriginal Land that was never ceded. Authorised by D Smith, Secretary, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Blue Mountains Unions Council Inc⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, 52-52A Great Western Hwy, Mount Victoria, NSW.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/rightsrortsandrants/message

Welcome to New Politics! In this episode, we explore the recent incident involving the HMAS Toowoomba in the East China Sea and its repercussions on Australian politics. While the details of the incident remain unclear, the aftermath has fueled anti-China rhetoric within the media, providing the Liberal Party with another opportunity to emphasise national security concerns. Has the Australia–China relationship been damaged again, after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have dedicated the past 18 months to repairing relations and lifting trade sanctions? We explore the delicate balance between diplomatic efforts and the persistent political tug-of-war between the Labor and Liberal parties regarding China.Turning to domestic issues, we analyse the resurfacing debate over Stage 3 tax cuts. The familiar arguments surrounding inflation, government budget constraints, and income inequality come to the forefront. Is it a matter of affordability or political strategies from different sides of politics? We discuss the potential economic and political ramifications of implementing these tax cuts and why the Labor government is likely to implement them in full.We also examine the latest opinion polls, revealing the Liberal–National Coalition's lead in the two-party preferred voting, which now seems to be a trend. We navigate through the complexities of polling data, emphasising that the only poll that truly matters is the one on election day – but still, it's a report card on how the government is travelling. We explore how populist outrage, spearheaded by figures like Peter Dutton, is shaping political discourse on issues ranging from national security to China.Song listing:‘Pretty Vacant', (cover version) Sofia Allard.‘The Honeymoon Is Over', The Cruel Sea. ‘Praise You', Fat Boy Slim.

In this episode of New Politics, we explore the dynamic and ever-evolving landscape of Australia's political, economic, and international affairs.First, we discuss Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's successful visit to China, which has played a crucial role in stabilising the Australia–China relationship. We take a closer look at how this relationship was previously strained by the accusations made by former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and former Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who alleged that China was responsible for the outbreak of COVID-19 and we needed to prepare for war over Taiwan. While it was always expected that the Australia–China relationship would eventually be repaired, it required extensive diplomatic work to remove the tariffs and sanctions imposed by China on Australian exporters. We analyse the significance of these developments and whether the Albanese government is receiving due credit for their efforts.Shifting our focus to the economic front, we assess the political consequences of the thirteenth consecutive interest rate hike since May 2022. With this ongoing trend, there are growing concerns about its implications for Australians, especially those with mortgages and loans. We explore the intricate connection between politics and interest rates in Australia and the challenges that lie ahead for the Labor government in managing this economic issue.In the international arena, we discuss the persistent Gaza bombings by the Israeli military, which have sparked outrage worldwide and the rising death toll, particularly among Palestinian children, has drawn sharp criticism. We analyse the mounting international pressure on the Israeli government and the urgent need for a resolution to this humanitarian crisis.Finally, we inspect the latest Newspoll results, indicating that the Labor government is still leading with a 52 per cent two-party preferred vote, while the Liberal–National Coalition trails at 48 per cent. However, Prime Minister Albanese's high disapproval rating raises some issues about how the next federal elections will be played and consider the implications for the political landscape in Australia. Join us as we navigate the complexities of Australia's current affairs, offering in-depth analysis and insights into the diplomatic triumphs, economic challenges, and leadership dynamics that shape the nation's future. Song listing: ‘Fivefold', Agnes Obel.‘Everything In Its Right Place', Radiohead.‘La Femme d'Argent', Air. ‘Praise You', Fat Boy Slim.

While in Tokyo, Premier Roger Cook lambasted the news, arguing the Liberal-National Coalition had long been in trouble. "This is just another example of the mess the Coalition are in," Mr Cook said.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this thought-provoking episode, we delve into the latest developments in Australian politics and global affairs. The federal government's decision to introduce truth in political advertising laws before the next federal election is a big topic, with nearly 90 per cent of the electorate supporting the move. We explore the implications of such laws and the resistance from the Liberal Party and conservative groups like Advance Australia.We also look at Tony Abbott's controversial stance on Indigenous flags and the Voice to Parliament referendum, raising questions about his divisive legacy. It really shows that the objections to the Voice were masking what these extremists were really thinking.The attacks on Victoria's new premier, Jacinta Allan, by media outlets, including a distasteful sexist cartoon from News Corporation, are discussed, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by women in politics.We then take a closer look at the escalating conflict in Palestine, delving into the tragic consequences of the conflict and the global response, while questioning the idea of Israel's self-defence: where are all the voices in support of the Palestinian people, who are bearing the brunt of all the suffering?We also look at the recent opinion polls, where the Liberal–National Coalition has taken a lead in an opinion poll for the first time since January 2021, hinting at a potential shift in political dynamics, reflecting on the electability of figures like Peter Dutton and the challenges faced by first-term governments as the electoral cycle progresses.

The moment when Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the wording of the question on the Indigenous Voice referendum in Parliament is now considered historic. However, the Liberal-National Coalition insists that the wording still raises key questions about the legal authority and details of the advisory body. - Ιστορική χαρακτηρίζεται πλέον η στιγμή που ο Αυστραλός πρωθυπουργός Άνθονι Αλμπανίζι, ανακοίνωσε τη διατύπωση του ερωτήματος για το δημοψήφισμα για την Φωνή των Ιθαγενών στο Κοινοβούλιο. Ωστόσο, ο Συνασπισμός Φιλελευθέρων – Εθνικών επιμένει ότι η διατύπωση εξακολουθεί να εγείρει βασικά ερωτήματα σχετικά με τη νομική εξουσία και τις λεπτομέρειες του συμβουλευτικού οργάνου.

In this episode: the result of the Aston byelection – was it a big Labor victory or a bad loss for the Liberal Party?… and celebrating the life of Yunupingu: he was a great man of Australian political life. The work on the Voice to Parliament will continue, despite the best efforts of the small men of the Liberal and National parties to derail it.The Aston byelection resulted in either a big win for the Labor Party or a big loss for the Liberal Party, depending on which perspective people wish to choose. Most of the analysis during the week has been on what went wrong for the Liberal Party, but the focus should be on what the Labor Party did right to win the seat. Byelections have many political issues that can be read into them – most of this analysis tends to be wrong – but the result in Aston seems like it's an accurate reflection on what's happening in federal politics at the moment: good news for the Labor government; bad news for the Liberal Party.Yunupingu died during the week, campaigner for Indigenous land rights for most of his life. He first came to prominence with the Gove Land Rights case in 1971, which gave rise to the Woodward Royal Commission, the Aboriginal Land Rights Act, which in turn gave rise to the Mabo decision in 1992. Yunupingu was a highly respected member of the Australian community. His legacy on reconciliation, treaty, Voice to Parliament, land rights: he created the signposts for the where Australia needs to go on these issues – there's still some way to go on this – but Australia will finally get there, despite offensive opportunism of Peter Dutton and the Liberal–National Coalition: the small men of Australian politics.

In this episode: the week in federal politics; the AUKUS deal; the Voice to Parliament; and the safeguard mechanism for emissions control. The anti-trans agitators and Nazis getting an unwelcome reception all across Australia. And a final look at the New South Wales State election. Federal Parliament returned this week: There were the remnants of the AUKUS debate from last week, where after the complete support provider to the deal by the media, there have been more voices calling for more scrutiny on AUKUS, how much it's going to cost and what it actually means. And this is on the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, which was based on weapons of mass destruction that were never found. The lesson is: on national security, never believe what the government is telling the public and it's best to get a second opinion.Neo-Nazis had been causing trouble again and this time it was the Nationalist Socialist Network who teamed up with the anti-trans rally organised by Moira Deeming, and Kellie Jay Keen-Minshull, who also goes by the name of “Posie Parker”. “Posie Parker” is a repulsive person and after mixing with the neo-Nazis in Melbourne, she went down to Hobart to organise another rally but was quickly shut down and hounded out of Tasmania. There's no place for this kind of bigotry.Election day in New South Wales election and it hasn't captured the imagination of the public – and who is to blame for this is hard to say, whether it's the inane coverage by the media or whether it's because of the relative performances of the two main sides of politics. NSW Labor does have to win 11 additional seats to win a majority government – the Liberal–National Coalition is governing in a minority position and has to win two seats to form a majority. That's unlikely to happen. The more likely outcome is a Labor government in a minority position, but with a good chance of winning a majority. The NSW Government does deserve to be dismissed but it might also be a case where NSW Labor hasn't done enough to convince the electorate that it needs to be returned to office.

The shadow minister for regional roads Jenny Aitchison joins us on FlowFM in the NSW Riverina across to Wentworth in the state's south-west to discuss how the Parliamentary Budget Office's analysis of election pledges by the Liberal-National Coalition government and Labor opposition stack up when it comes to regional road upgrades and repairs.

Ben looks at the first two weeks of the parliamentary sitting for 2023 where Labor introduced housing policy, manufacturing policy and emissions reduction policy all of which were opposed by Dutton and the Greens.  Plus our friend Mary Doyle is running for Aston following Tudge's retirement. The bosses pamphlets have argued against working people being involved in the running of the country but you can have your say by joining your union at australianunions.org.au/wow Adam Bandt went on Insiders and couldn't name one country that has banned new coal and gas, couldn't say how much it would cost and wouldn't support his own Senator's statement that the government should arbitrarily override the RBA.  Ben discusses why the RBA is wrong and how the government can systemically address the issues without random interventions. While the nation is gearing up for the launch of YES to The Voice campaigns (union online launch this Wednesday night https://www.australianunions.org.au/action/voice-campaign-launch  and Statement from the Heart campaign launch on Thursday https://fromtheheart.com.au/take-action) Samantha Maiden repeated Dutton talking points about the Voice not "fixing things" on Insiders.  Ben looks at how empowerment has improved outcomes in the NDIS and why The Voice will help close the gap. And finally Ben takes a look at the chaos that is the NSW Liberal state government.  From Minister's distributing explicit pictures to undisclosed conflicts of interest in toll roads to MPs banned from entering parliament while facing criminal charges running as an "independant" the Liberal-National Coalition looks on the ropes.  UnionsNSW is running a campaign "Essential Workers Deserve Better" focused on the high costs, low wages, high workload approach of the Liberals that Labor has promised to change. Van and Ben will be doing the Week on Wednesday LIVE! from Adelaide Fringe https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/the-week-on-wednesday-live-with-van-badham-ben-davison-live-podcast-af2023 for the next four weeks.   Regular supporters from our www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday page can also get a special discount code to come along to see us LIVE in the Yurt.  

Van Badham and Ben Davison return in 2023 by breaking down the collapse in support for Dutton's Liberal/National Coalition, why the post Gen X generations are not buying the culture wars and how the combination of material pain caused by insecure work, housing affordability & neo-liberal economics has joined the existential threat of climate change to alter generational voting patterns.   Van and Ben also look at how the ACMA letter to the ABC exposes the neo-liberal success at "institutional capture" and why the fallacy of "non-political" appointments has seen ideologues who oppose policies of the elected government exercising power in Australia.  The chaos engulfing the US Congressional process to appoint a speaker is a stark example of how important continual vigilance and engagement is in protecting democracy.  While Murdoch issues demands via Fox News the Republicans STILL only have one candidate but won't use their slim majority to appoint him if he doesn't bend the knee. Van and Ben discuss how involvement in your union, join at australianunions.org.au/wow, and engagement with what is happening in your community is vital for democracy to thrive. Plus there is good news about garbage powered cars! And we give shoutouts to our Cadre and Extend the Reach supporters who have gone to www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday to help us grow our audience. 

The Victoria election was held last weekend and, contrary to what everyone in the media wanted and predicted, it was another crushing defeat for the Liberal Party. It wasn't even close. For the past three months, many in the mainstream media predicted Daniel Andrews had to lose the election; it was going to be very close; there was a surge for the Liberal Party; Andrews was possibly going to even lose his own seat. While there was a 3 per cent swing against the Victoria government – seat wise, it's more or less the same result as the 2018 election: Labor has won twice as many seats than the Liberal–National Coalition. And this was despite the entire media edifice – News Corporation, Seven West, Nine Media, the ABC – fully campaigning against Andrews and the Labor Party, not just during the election campaign, but for the past three years.Scott Morrison has been censured by the parliament for secretly acquiring five ministries in 2020 and 2021. And while what he did was not unlawful, it's one of the most bizarre incidents in Australia's parliamentary history: there was no need for him to do this; there was absolutely no need for him to keep it a secret; he hasn't actually offered any valid explanation for it; it totally undermined the principles of Westminster democracies. The Opposition labelled this censure as a grubby political exercise but it's a situation that couldn't just be left behind or forgotten about. It's an action that should never have happened and the public needs to keep being reminded about it, so it doesn't happen again.The parliament has ended for the year – Labor's industrial relations and National Anti-Corruption Commission bills were passed by the Senate, and these are two massive legislative victories for the Labor government. Anthony Albanese ends the parliamentary year high in the polls, and he was able to relax and go to a Nick Cave concert in Canberra during the week. These moments have to be lapped up because they're not going to last for too long – Kevin Rudd also enjoyed high support six months into his prime ministership in 2008, and Labor occupied every single state and territory government around Australia. Many people at that time said that Labor was going to be in office for at least the next decade or two, but it didn't quite turn out that way. But after seven months in office, the Labor government should be content with its achievements so far.

A lull in politics gives us some time to assess how the political parties are travelling, and since the May election result, most of the focus how been placed on the Coalition – the messages that it can take from their election loss and how they can become a better political party and return to office at some point in the near future.But what are the lessons for the Labor Party? The did win the election, but victory tends to gloss over any problems a political party might have, and move those problems into the ‘too-hard' basket. But both major political parties received record low primary votes in 2022 and while it's possible to win elections through strategic preference voting flows, these types of election victories are difficult to navigate.While it's difficult to see the Liberal–National Coalition gaining enough traction over the next three years to pick up those 18 seats it needs to win the 2025 election, it's easier to see Labor losing seats to Greens or other independent candidates. It's something they need to be careful of, and their main opponents at the next election might be the Australian Greens and teal-styled independents, and not the Coalition.And after being thoroughly outplayed on the Climate Change Bill, Peter Dutton has tried to get the Coalition into the climate change debates by throwing in nuclear energy into the mix, even though countless government reports have established that nuclear is not a viable industry in Australia. Including a report the Coalition commissioned in 2019, less than two years ago, which confirmed all of the findings of previous government reports. If the Coalition had the courage of its convictions, it would have installed nuclear power many years ago – they've been in office for 51 of the past 73 years – as well as installing a nuclear reactor in each of their electorates. But they didn't and never will. The time for nuclear energy in Australia was in the 1960s, and that time has passed. In 2022, it's a conservative tool to wedge Labor and cause political trouble: that's all it is.It's the gift that keeps giving to NSW Labor – John Barilaro, the man who is now claiming he's “the victim” in the New York Trade Commissioner debacle, arguing that just because he changed the job from a public service appointment to a political appointment, it can't be possibly argued that it was purely to benefit himself. Even though – lucky man! – he ended up being benefitted and was appointed as the New York Trade Commissioner. All purely on merit, apparently.The worst part of this is that these political figures expect the public to believe these fantastic stories and accept them as truth. Politics in NSW has been corrupt for a long time, and it's hard to see this changing. And Victoria is not too far behind, with corruption and misconduct apparent in both the government, and the opposition. Why is there so much corruption in state politics?

Late in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK the Liberal-National Coalition declared that if it wins the November 2022 election it would add Shepparton as a fifth host city for the first-ever regionally hosted Commonwealth Games in 2026. Flow caught up with the first-term independent MP for Mildura Ali Cupper about why Mildura missed out on hosting rights, discussing October's Kings of Leon concert, the Queen's Baton Relay - and where Mildura electorate might stand should the Coalition fail to win the November election.

How many political staffers does it take to change a piece of legislation? Independent MPs have been outraged about the Prime Minister's decision to reduce the number of political advisers from four down to one – which means they will have a total staff of five – and decided to take their outrage directly to the media.But what is the correct number? Some MPs could have a staff of 100 and still be quite incompetent: others seem to be effective and efficient with the bare minimum of political staff. And in the previous parliament, Liberal Party staffers were caught having sex in the notorious parliamentary “prayer room: others decided to masturbate on the desk of their box and photograph themselves in the act. Obviously, some staffers have too much time on their hands. Can a compromise be reached? Perhaps two political advisors would make this issue go away but it's not something that's resonating with the public.And is Anthony Albanese spending too much time overseas and not enough on the domestic agenda? The media is making a big deal of it, labelling the Prime Minister as “Airbus Albo” but perhaps if they understood that Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison all travelled far more than Albanese in a comparable period, they might keep quiet. And the Roe v Wade decision from 1973 has been overturned by the US Supreme Court – it was a landmark decision then, and a landmark decision now to overturn a precedent that has directed abortion law reform all around the world. Will this decision influence Australian politics at all? It's unlikely: according to opinions polls, 81% of people in Australia support the right for women to freely access abortion services. But 61% of people in the US are also supportive, yet Roe v Wade has been overturned. It shows that women's rights and human rights always need to be fought hard for, not only to achieve them, but maintain them.Senator Hollie Hughes has made the claim that the Liberal Party lost the “youth vote” at the 2022 election because of “Marxist teachers” who, apparently, have infiltrated Australian society. What senators such as Hollie Hughes always fail to answer is if Marxist teachers, socialists and unions have caused so much mayhem, why has the Liberal–National Coalition held government for 20 of the past 26 years? It's an intellectual paucity that has no boundaries.

The Australian Greens have had their most successful election campaign ever – four seats in the House of Representatives, 12 Senators and 12.25% of the primary vote all across Australia. These are excellent figures and a promising result for progressive politics.But how well will they be able to work with the new Labor Government? To pass their legislation, Labor will need the support of these 12 Greens Senators – and one other, likely to be independent Senator David Pocock – but what will Labor need to give up to get the support of the Greens, and how will the Greens compromise their agendas to get the approval of Labor?Around 80 per cent of Greens preferences flow to the Labor Party, and these preferences are critical for Labor in the House of Representatives. And what do the Greens receive in support? Public animosity, if the comments from National Secretary Paul Erickson are any guide, when he suggested the Greens spend most of their time criticising Labor achievements and downplaying their progressive credentials.It would be better if the negotiations between Labor and the Greens are fruitful and result in outcomes in the public interest. Each party needs to maximise their own interests, and push their own agendas, but after nine years of policy paralysis provided by the Liberal–National Coalition government between 2013 and 2022, it's essential Labor and the Greens resolve their differences and provide the community with government that acts in their interest.The 2022 federal election is well and truly over, but the new Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, wants to fight this election all over again: climate wars, culture wars, blame games and asserting that he didn't see a need to change very much of what the Coalition offered at this recent election. The former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, did once say “the lady's not for turning”, but that was Thatcher, and Peter Dutton ain't no Margaret Thatcher.It's an odd position for a new leader to adopt, especially after a thumping election loss, where the issues the Coalition presented to the electorate were comprehensively rejected. But perhaps the man's not for turning, and is prepared to suffer the political consequences for his lack of action.And the state of NSW always has difficulty shedding its reputation as the ‘state of corruption', this time, it's the former Deputy Premier, John Barilaro, who's taken up a trade commissioner position to the United States, a position he created while he was in the NSW Government. The position had been offered to another more highly credentialed person, but then Barilaro resigned from politics in October 2021, the offer to the other more highly credentialed person was rescinded and – can you believe it – eight months later, Barilaro is offered the $500,000 job. Yes, it is unbelievable, but this is New South Wales, where anything goes. We have a feeling the NSW ICAC might be busy with a new investigation, and it could take some time to unravel what actually took place. And, it has the potential to bring down yet another NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will sit-down with her Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, today for their first formal talks since his election. Albanese's Labor Party won Australia's Federal election in May, seizing power from the Liberal-National Coalition. Ardern and Albanese are expected to discuss the Pacific region, climate change and security, as well as issues that have strained the Trans-Tasman relationship - like Australia's deportation policy and its treatment of New Zealand ex-pats. Political reporter Katie Scotcher spoke to Susie Ferguson from Sydney.

Long term climate policy has long been at odds with short-term politics. As numerous countries head to the polls this year, we visit Brazil, Australia and the United States and see how climate policy is being used as a political tool to divide voters. During recent the elections in Australia – a country with some of the world's highest emissions per capita – experts believe that experiencing the effects of climate change first hand brought the need for action up the agenda, leading to the unseating of the climate sceptic Liberal National Coalition. We hear from a follower of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who believes that the country's own deforestation figures are fake. Meanwhile, in the US, we look at how the Republican party's position changed from the 2008 presidential elections from proposing climate policies to denying that man-made climate change is real. Kate Lamble and Neal Razzell are joined by: Kate Walton, political journalist based in Canberra, Australia Kathy Hochstetler, Professor of International Development at the London School of Economics, UK Anthony Leiserowitz, Director of the Program for Climate Change Communication at Yale University, USA Reporter: Roberta Fortuna Researcher: Immie Rhodes Producer: Dearbhail Starr Series Producer: Alex Lewis Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Sound Mixer: Tom Brignell

Over the weekend, Australian voters elected a new government with the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and Anthony Albanese at the helm, ousting the ruling Liberal-National Coalition for the first time in a decade. Key to the ALP's landmark victory was the vote of the Indo-Australians, now the second largest immigrant group in Australia.A new Carnegie study co-authored by Devesh Kapur, Caroline Duckworth, and our very own Milan Vaishnav, sheds light on three elements of the Indo-Australian community's political behavior: the community's political preferences, leadership preferences, and policy priorities. This week, we put Milan in the hot seat to discuss his new study along with Caroline Duckworth, a James C. Gaither Junior Fellow in Carnegie's South Asia Program. We also wanted to turn the tables on Milan to ask him about his recent trip to Delhi—his first in the COVID-era. We talk about India's ongoing heat wave, the political mood in the country, and the fractures in Indian federalism. Caroline Duckworth, Devesh Kapur, and Milan Vaishnav, “Indo-Australian Voters and the 2022 General Election,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May 18, 2022.Jonathan Kay, “A Heat Wave Has Pushed India's Dysfunctional Power System Into a Crisis,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May 12, 2022.

And so, it has come to this. The day of the 2022 federal election. Week 6 of the campaign wasn't that different to the previous five weeks: an array of announcements from both sides of politics, a campaign launch from the Liberal–National Coalition – held in the final week so they could maximise their funding from the public coffers before they had to start paying for the campaign themselves – and a clamour from the media about Labor Party policy costings, ‘gotchas' and the screams of “how ya gonna pay for that?”Before we can talk about winners and losers from this campaign, the biggest losers – by far – have been the mainstream media, and it's almost like their swansong as far as their influence in political affairs is concerned. Labor's additional costings were calculated at $7.4 billion – seemingly a small amount compared to the $1,000 billion of national government debt accumulated by the federal government – and while everyone wanted to know how on earth Labor was going to “pay for this”, no one seemed to be too concerned about a $5.5 billion fee for the cancelled French submarines project – for absolutely nothing in return. The media needs to be reformed in Australia, but how will this happen?And many analysts are reluctant to announce who they believe will win the election – still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, after the 2019 election result proved everyone wrong, including opinion pollsters.We have no fear though, and our fearless prediction is Labor should win this election – or at least be in a position to form a minority government with key independents. The polls are all pointing to a Labor victory – as they did in 2019 –but, aside from this, we need to look at the evidence. This has been a corrupt, inept and incompetent government, if not for the entire duration of Coalition rule since 2013, at least in this term of office (again, this is also what was said in 2019).And if another Coalition victory does come to fruition, we may as well throw away the keys to democracy: if Labor cannot win an election after this display of corruption, mismanagement, division and disorganisation from the federal government, there's no point in holding elections any more.That's how important this election is.

What are the similarities between Labor and Liberals on refugee policy and boat turn backs? Will any of the main parties end indefinite detention for asylum seekers? Here's a policy comparison for the 2022 Australian Federal Election for the Liberal-National Coalition, Labor, Greens, and One Nation so you can see who is promising what when it comes to how we look after refugees, how many we take in through our humanitarian intake, and what that involves. Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388 Get a copy of the script here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gw0Dh5rrFcar_CqLASIOc3UMoI1kWLen/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102352521871694219008&rtpof=true&sd=true Auspol Explained would like to acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and their Elders as the owners and custodians of the Land that the video was filmed and edited on. This Land was stolen and never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

Australians go to the polls on Saturday - all the signs are pointing to a Labor victory, but can Scott Morrison defy the odds and keep the Liberal-National Coalition in power?

Political analyst Mrs Saradha Ramanathan explains about Refugee policies of Liberal-National Coalition, Labor and The Greens. Produced by Renuka Thuraisingham. - ஆஸ்திரேலிய நாடாளுமன்ற தேர்தல் பிரச்சாரங்களில் அகதிகள் கொள்கையும் முக்கிய பேசுபொருளாக காணப்படுகின்ற பின்னணியில், பிரதான கட்சிகளின் அகதிகள் கொள்கை தொடர்பில் சாரதா ராமநாதன் அவர்களோடு உரையாடுகிறார் றேனுகா துரைசிங்கம்.

The Liberal Party of Australia was founded a year after the 1943 federal election.  Its founder was Sir Robert Menzies who was to become Australia's longest serving Prime Minister.  The National Party of Australia (NPA), also known as The Nationals or The Nats, is an Australian political party. - ஆஸ்திரேலிய தேர்தல் நெருங்கும் பின்னணியில் இதில் போட்டியிடும் கட்சிகள் மும்முர பிரச்சாரங்களில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளன. 

Scott Morrison must now be rueing his decision to embark on a six-week election campaign, and it appears the longer it continues, the worse his position has become. Week five of the campaign commenced with a leader's debate which closely resembled a combination of a rugby scrum and an all-out brawl, before the sands of time put an end to proceedings, leaving the public no wiser as to who was the better performer.This was Nine Media's version of a leaders' debate, and a semblance of normality returned when Seven West Media hosted the final debate: at least the studio audience was able to adequately assess the performances of the two leaders and recorded a decisive victory to Anthony Albanese – 50%, to Morrison's 34%.But the election is not going to won by undecided voters housed in the studios of Australia's media moguls, and Morrison decided his best bet is to channel Donald Trump and attack lawyers, barristers – any elites will do – and push out the message that he is ‘one of the people'. Not any type of people though, but those who reside in the realms of bogan land, because it appears Morrison believes these are the people that offer him the narrowest pathway to victory: the snarlers, the anti-vaxx crowd, the disaffected, the people who believe the whole world is against them. These are not the “quiet Australians” who supposedly delivered victory to Morrison at the 2019 election, but the rowdy ones who hate everyone and everything.However, it's far too late. According to all published opinion polls, the Coalition is on track to record a massive election loss – thoroughly deserved – but the ghosts of 2019 are still haunting those who dare to make a definitive prediction. The most courageous words we can hear from political experts is that this election is Anthony Albanese's to lose, but it also has to be remembered that no political party has ever come from this far behind in the final week of a campaign, and managed to win the election. Can Morrison repeat his success of 2019? It's not impossible, but it must be close to impossible.The worst-case scenario for the Liberal–National Coalition is a Labor majority victory, coupled with a team of teal independents who create a massive buffer between them and the Coalition, pushing government out of reach. If this scenario comes to fruition, the Coalition will be out of office for a long time.And one of the forgotten parties of Australian politics – the Australian Democrats – is making a comeback and we speak to two of their candidates: Elena Mitchell and Steve Baty. Their halcyon days were well over twenty years ago, when they held nine Senate seats, and even if they manage to win one seat, it will complete a remarkable comeback, after losing their final Senate seats in 2008. And it seems like it's the right time for a political force to “keep the bastards honest”, the original slogan created by the original Democrat, Don Chipp. It's well overdue.

On May 21st, Australia will decide its government for the next four years. The Liberal-National Coalition, led by Scott Morrison, seeks to retain a three-seat majority over Australian Labor Party challenger Anthony Albanese. R1 News speaks to Australians both resident and overseas to understand what issues and concerns voters consider important as the federal election approaches. Tune into R1 News weekdays at 11am or catch up at https://www.r1.co.nz/news or https://instagram.com/r1newsnz

Anthony Albanese was missing from the election campaign for one week, and didn't the media have a field day. Unfortunately, the media has it in for Albanese, and instead of the predicted nightmare disaster that was meant to be caused by their leader's absence, Labor managed to highlight key members from their frontbench – the differences between the two sides of politics could not be more stark.Perhaps it might have been better to focus on all the occasions Scott Morrison has been absent over the past three years?Climate change also entered the campaign, but Labor didn't really need to make too many announcements on this issue. The King of Coal, Matt Canavan, suggested the net zero by 2050 target for the Liberal–National Coalition was “dead” and was never going to happen and, as a result of his statements, the eternal colour of happiness is teal. Candidates from the Voices Of group of independents could barely conceal their delight and the stupidity of Canavan and Colin Boyce in voicing their opinions so stridently. As Napoleon Bonaparte suggested, never interfere when your enemy is making all mistakes.ANZAC Day was held during the week, and what better way for a politician to show disrespect and disdain for those people who died in Australian wars, by talking up a war with China, or driving mobile Liberal Party billboards during an ANZAC Day service in Geelong.Really, we have to start questioning the sanity of leaders such as Peter Dutton and Morrison, because it's these types of foolish leaders who sacrifice the lives of young soldiers, while hiding in their coward's castles, far away from any mortal danger.And this foolishness was also on display in the Solomon Islands, where Australia threw away high level hard and soft diplomacy measures and allowed China extend its sphere of influence into the Pacific. The Prime Minister has really found himself on the sticky end of a fried dough stick.It's also becoming more apparent this foolishness in Canberra is about to end, with all opinion polls predicting a Labor victory on election day – 21 May – they also predicted a Labor victory in 2019 but, this time around, it's hard to see where Scott Morrison's victory is going to come from. It really is.

The federal election will be held on 21 May to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Liberal–National Coalition government, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, is seeking to win a fourth consecutive term in office. They will be challenged by the opposition, the Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese. The Greens, United Australia, One Nation, other minor parties, and independent politicians will also contest the election. These parties proposed numerous policies. What attracts you? This is the compilation of views shared by our listeners in “Vanga Pesalam” program. Guest: Political analyst Shan Kumar. Produced by RaySel.    - ஆஸ்திரேலியாவில் இன்னும் 26 நாட்களில் பெடரல் நாடாளுமன்றத் தேர்தல் நடைபெறவுள்ளது. பல கட்சிகள் தங்களின் முக்கிய கொள்கைகளை அறிவித்துவிட்டன. இந்த பின்னணியில் இந்த கட்சிகள் முன்வைக்கும் கொள்கைகளில் எந்த கொள்கை உங்களை  கவர்கிறது? அல்லது எந்த கொள்கை உங்களுக்கு ஏற்புடையதாக இல்லை? அல்லது என்ன வித்தியாசமான கொள்கையை நீங்கள் அரசியல் கட்சிகளிடம் எதிர்பார்க்கின்றீர்கள்?இப்படியான பலவித கேள்விகளோடு நாம் நடத்திய “வாங்க பேசலாம்” நிகழ்ச்சியில் நேயர்கள் முன்வைத்த கருத்துக்களின் தொகுப்பு. சிறப்பு விருந்தினர்: ஆஸ்திரேலிய அரசியலை ஊடகங்களில் அலசிவரும் அரசியல் ஆய்வாளர் சண்குமார் அவர்கள். நிகழ்ச்சி தயாரிப்பு: றைசெல்.             

A very hostile first media conference for Anthony Albanese in the marginal seat of Bass in Tasmania, where he couldn't answer or gave the wrong answers to two questions from a journalist: what's the Reserve Bank's cash rate, and what is the official unemployment rate.A classic ‘gotcha' question from the media, and it's just another example of how poor political journalism is in Australia, where the value of catching a politician out – and getting the headline propaganda – is placed far higher than providing a vision for the future of this country, which is sorely needed after nine years of driftless and aimless government provided by the Liberal–National Coalition.But, these are rules of the game: Albanese should have known these figures or, at the least, had a strategy for dealing with this situation, which inevitably happens during an election campaign.If only he'd been quick enough to recite three words – “Google it, mate” – and all would have been forgiven. Adam Bandt from the Australian Greens put a journalist in his place for asking a ridiculous ‘gotcha' question, but it's unlikely to stop journalists from asking these inane questions, because the current crop of Australian journalists don't have the intellect or depth of knowledge to provide a clearer analysis: best to trip over a political leader, and that's the day's work day. And if they're lucky, score an invitation to the Prime Minister's private drinks session for the travelling media: you never know who you might meet there and, hopefully snort some free cocaine in the Nepean Rowers Club bathrooms.Labor does receive different treatment from the media, there's no questions about this: hostility and impatient demands for answers are always made of Labor Party leaders; for Scott Morrison, any answer will do – whether it's correct or not, doesn't really matter either – and then it's off for some photo opportunities at a sewing machine centre in western Sydney, or shooting some hoops at a basketball court in Melbourne. Morrison is the media's man: he can do no wrong, because he's the convenient idiot for the media moguls. Or perhaps the Manchurian Candidate, but that might be a bit too sophisticated for legacy media, which prefers to glide with those in power, rather than hold power to account.Will this cost Albanese the election? Elections are more than just about first-day blunders: this election should be about climate change, cost of living pressures, wage stagnation, a lack of action for bushfire and flood victims, saving Medicare, women's safety, the failures in the vaccination rollout and quarantine measures, incompetence, corruption, and all the rorting.These are the issues the election should be about, not about who can recite random statistics on a podium. The media is trying to hoodwink the electorate: they're as evil and insipid as the Liberal Party that they keep cheering for. It's just a question of whether the electorate can see through this, or keep swallowing the lies they're been happily accepting over the past nine years.

Australians go to the polls to vote for their next federal government in six weeks, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirming that the election will be held on May 21. The campaign pits Morrison's Liberal-National Coalition against a Labor Party led by Anthony Albanese. Morrison is putting the economy at centre stage. Albanese says Morrison's coalition government has not earned a fourth term in office. In the current House of Representatives, the coalition has 77 seats and Labor 68. The polls are suggesting a possible Labor win, but the polls suggested that last time, too. Australia's ABC political reporter Matthew Doran spoke to Corin Dann.

We've never seen a government in so much trouble entering an election campaign and it's just a question of whether Scott Morrison has the political skills to turn matters around. But before everyone starts drawing a line through the Liberal–National Coalition and ending nine years of brutally poor government and incompetence, it has to be remembered that we've seen this story before – 2016 and 2019 – when a divided Coalition was expected to at least lose one of those elections – 2019 – before being return by a wafer-thin majority on both occasions.But as bad as a government has been for most of its existence, it only has to be on its best behaviour for five weeks – the length of the election campaign – of a 156-week parliamentary term, and all sins can be forgotten by the electorate. That is what Scott Morrison is hoping for. The big problem this time around is Morrison is not an unknown figure: the electorate suspects that he's working for someone else, and not for the Australian electorate. They suspect he lies for most of the time, even when he doesn't need to; they suspect that he's incompetent, and they suspect that he might even be corrupt.He's also looking for the same tactics and election tricks that worked so well for him during the 2019 election – the photo opportunities, the grand misrepresentation of Labor policies, and Bill Shorten the bogeyman, also known as the “Bill Australia can't afford”. Again, it's 2022, and it's all so different. The electorate is tiring of the endless photo opportunities; they've worked Morrison out. Bill Shorten is no longer the leader of the Labor Party, replaced by the innocuous and inoffensive Anthony Albanese – but after years of division promoted by Morrison at every opportunity, being innocuous and inoffensive might be just what the election is looking for as they enter the third year of this COVID pandemic.The free character assessments offered by Liberal Party MP – and the long-departed Michael Towke, who reappeared like Banquo's ghost after 15 years in exile, reminding the world what the media would hope would be forgotten – the brutal attack on him by Scott Morrison in the 2007 Liberal Party preselection battle in Cook. The media will do whatever they can to justify and promote the return of the Morrison government, even though it's patently clear – especially over the past three years – that this is not a government worth saving. It might fall on deaf ears anyway: based on what all the polls are saying, it might not matter anymore, and the Liberal Party is heading for a period in exile, so it can lick its wounds, and return as a much better political party.Jane Caro is a social commentator, writer, academic and public education advocate. And she's running as a Senate candidate for the Reason Party – David Lewis caught up with her to talk about public education, aged care and the upcoming election campaign. If Labor manages to win the next election – and Caro also manages to enter the Senate – we could be in for some interesting times as far as reform of the education and age care sectors are concerned. But, first things first: there's an election campaign to be held and the election in May. It's going to be a wild ride.

The electorate in South Australia has removed a one-term Liberal Party government and installed a Labor government under Peter Malinauskas. And with a state election so close to a federal election, will there be any implications for Scott Morrison?We keep being told that there's no relationship between state and federal issues, but we think there is much for the Morrison government to be worried about. In almost every election result since the pandemic commenced, aside from a state election victory in Tasmania, there hasn't been very much good news for the Liberal–National Coalition.A byelection loss in Eden–Monaro, general election losses in Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory, ACT and South Australia, even a 3.5% swing against the Coalition in the Queensland byelection in Groom. Massive byelection swings in New South Wales. This is not really a recipe for success, if the federal government is looking for any guidance.And if the federal government is not having much success in the management of the economy, the bushfires, the floods, COVID… and pretty much every else we'd expect from government, what better way to distract the public than highlighting factional problems in the Labor Party.The media's behaviour – and that of the Coalition – has been unedifying in reporting on the death of Kimberley Kitching, and the innuendos, gossip and half-truths about Labor Party factions. Anything at all to smear Labor and try to prove to the public that Labor is unworthy of high office.The only problem is that very few people in the media understand what factions are – and the Liberal Party does have them too, despite what Malcolm Turnbull suggested several years ago – but presenting the idea of “factions: bad”, and something that only exists in the Labor Party is all the media is interested in.The polls keep getting worse for Scott Morrison and qualitative research confirms that the Prime Minister is considered to be incompetent and untrustworthy. If a half-decent Premier in South Australia is given a 5% swing against and thrown out of office, what type of punishment will be inflicted upon the Morrison government?Budget week will provide a few more answers and it will be the last chance for the federal government to turn everything around – and also a last chance for the Liberal Party to make a leadership change before the election: if it does indeed come to that. That's how bad it has become.

Butchering a classic pop song from a 1970s Australian band and playing a ukulele might not seem like the best way to prepare for a critical election year, but that's exactly what Scott Morrison did. It seemed bizarre but there is a method to this madness: it keeps all the bad news away from the headlines and keeps the enemies of the Liberal Party occupied with the unimportant and minute details. It's the hallmark of a populist politician: distract with stunts and gimmicks, keep your opponents in the electorate occupied with irrelevant material, and hope that everyone else forgets about all of your errors.And, of course, part of the sing-song needs to include your wife and two daughters at Kirribilli House, because nothing overcomes a Liberal Party “problem with women” better than wheeling out Jen And The Girls©™ as a political “secret weapon”. Should family members be used politically to help a prime minister win an election? It would be better to stay in the background but if a spouse is going to become a part of the political process, they need to expect the scrutiny coming their way.A desperate government will always resort to desperate measures and a government influenced by libertarian thinking and free-market and religio-fascist Christian values will always seek the maximum advantage in the most destructive way possible. If there is a vote to be gained, nothing is too low for the Liberal Party and for Morrison to reach. And following on from the debacle of the Religious Discrimination Bill, Morrison and Peter Dutton – aided and abetted by a posse of Liberal Party MPs – decided to create all sorts of problems with China (as if they haven't done enough damage already) by dropping bipartisanship on foreign relations and accusing Labor deputy leader Richard Marles of being the “Manchurian Candidate” – and their friends at News Corporation managed to find a video of Anthony Albanese speaking three sentences of Mandarin to a China–Australia forum in 2018.Welcome to modern Australia, as interpreted by conservatives: education and being able to speak a foreign language is rubbished, and national security and relationships with the biggest trading partner is damaged, for the sake of an unlikely and undeserved election victory. It's another good reason why the Liberal Party needs to be turfed out at the next election.The weekend byelections in NSW suggest the main problems for the Morrison government will be the independents – the seat of Willoughby was almost lost to the independent candidate, Larissa Penn through a swing of 19%, and this spells trouble in the seats of North Sydney, Bennelong, Kooyong, Flinders and Goldstein. And how difficult will it be for the Labor Party to win the 2022 federal election? Although they are 10 percentage points ahead of the Liberal–National Coalition in the current polls – 55% to 45% – it will still be a difficult election, for mathematical reasons: they only need a net gain of seven seats, but where the votes fall will be critical to whether there are also enough seats that will change hands.

This week's episode looks at the results from the first round of the Costa Rican presidential election and at the outcomes of the four by-elections held this weekend in the Australian state of New South Wales. In Costa Rica, the second round will be a battle of the exes as Jose Maria Figueres (former President) and Rodrigo Chaves (former Finance Minister) will face each other for the presidency in April. How did we end up with two Social Democratic candidates in the second round? What explains the total collapse of the Citizens Action Party who lost all of their seats in the Legislative Assembly? Who is more favoured to pick up the voters of the centre-right in the second round in two months' time? In New South Wales, whilst three of the four by-elections look to have been retained by the incumbent party, the coastal seat of Bega looks set to be a Labor gain. With a General Election just around the corner and a state-wide election a year away, Sam and Chern assess what the big takeaways for Labor and the Liberal/National Coalition might be. Will Labor be disappointed with just the one pick-up? Should the alarm bells be ringing for Premier Dominic Perrottet? Are there any clues to be taken from these by-elections for how the May national election might play out? All these questions, and more, answered in this week's podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ballot-to-talk-about/message

Research suggests the weather is becoming more extreme, and experts believe this could play a prominent role when voters head to the polls next year. The Australian Labor Party recently promised to make a 43 per cent emissions cut by 2030. However, some experts warn that it is a goal that falls short of what the science calls for. - Penelitian menunjukkan cuaca menjadi lebih ekstrem, dan para ahli percaya ini bisa memainkan peran penting ketika para pemilih menuju ke tempat pemungutan suara tahun depan. Partai Buruh Australia baru-baru ini berjanji untuk melakukan pengurangan emisi sebesar 43 persen pada tahun 2030. Namun, sejumlah pakar memperingatkan bahwa itu adalah tujuan yang jauh dari apa yang dituntut oleh para pakar.

The parliamentary year commenced with the revelations of a rape at Parliament House; it ended with a report into sexual harassment at parliamentary workplaces… and a federal minister stepping aside after he was accused of physically abusing a staffer he was having an affair with. When will parliamentarians learn their lessons?And with so many government MPs and Ministers resigning, is it a sign of panic? No, it's quite normal for MPs to retire and they can't stay in politics forever. But it certainly doesn't help the cause of the Liberal–National Coalition. And Anthony Albanese has announced a 43% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2030, and the sky hasn't fallen in. Not yet, but Scott Morrison is certain to find a way of misrepresenting the policy, because that's what he does best. Actually governing can wait for another day.And a Labor–Greens coalition? The Liberal Party and National Party have one, so why not? It's a little bit more complicated but it comes down to two factors: the Liberal and National parties need each other to form government, while the Labor Party can form government by itself. And the other reason? The need has never arisen (except for 2010). And it won't arise until we get a repeat of 2010: a hung parliament.

This term of Parliament is descending into chaos, and it's almost as though the anarchist society has taken over the Senate and House of Representatives. But it's not the anarchist society: it's the Liberal–National Coalition which is now resembling a thoroughly disorganised rabble. The Voter ID and Religious Discrimination Bills are in tatters – legislation that is not needed and no-one has asked for – and the national integrity commission is no closer to formation. A new Speaker was installed in the House, and it was almost like a day with the relief teacher – or the work experience kid in charge.Chaos, division, floor-crossing and a Prime Minister who manages to speak many words in Parliament, without offering very much meaning. There's another week – the final week – of Parliament to round off 2021, but it's unlikely to get any better. This government is in disarray and it's a familiar stench of incompetence and corruption that surrounds the Morrison government, that same stench that surrounded the Abbott and Turnbull governments. Is this the end of the Liberal–National Coalition? No, not by a long shot. ‘Rabble' is more than an adequate term to describe this government but it has to be remembered that this disorganised and disastrous troupe of under-performers won the 2016 and 2019 federal elections. All it needs is to spruce itself up for the final three months of this term and it should be in with a chance, but there are strong doubts about whether it even has this low-level ability, or the stamina, to do this. This is one very lazy government.It's not very often Australia hears politicians openly calling for ‘civil disobedience' or throwing around the names of Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and Mao to boost their arguments. But that's exactly what the LNP member for Dawson, George Christensen, did during the week. It's usually in the domain of right-wing or left-wing extremists or those unsophisticated countries which resort to violence to resolve their political differences. And that's where we are heading: a dark place which had the same feeling as the months before the Capitol Hill insurrection in the United States, earlier this year. This is a very disturbing development: if only Australia had the political leadership to avert this impending disaster.

It's increasingly obvious the Prime Minister is using the final stages of this Parliament to roadtest a number of different election slogans. Last week it was ‘Australians taking back their lives', followed by ‘Australians have had a gutful of being told what to do', interspersed with ‘cost of living' and ‘can-do capitalism'. This week it was ‘moving forward'. But where are we moving forward to? What's the destination? What happens at this destination? Who's going to be there when we get there? All of this is real-life mass focus group testing, to feed back into Liberal Party qualitative research, almost as blasé as the Colgate-Palmolive marketing division testing slogans for soap powder advertisements. That's what politics has become for Scott Morrison: a marketing exercise and Parliament reduced to a forum to create political slogans and campaign marketing.It might not be politics as we know it, but it looks more like a Prime Minister at the last chance saloon: rolling two dice to try and reach 18, when we all know the maximum is 12. Also known as desperation. Of course, this may end up in an election victory for the Liberal–National Coalition, but it's becoming increasingly unlikely.And in the psychological battle between the two leaders, Anthony Albanese laid a super-size bear trap for Scott Morrison, and he fell right into it. A normal leader would avoid a return to the scene of their biggest humiliation – in Morrison's case, the holiday trip to Hawaii during the peak of the bushfire catastrophe in 2019 – but Morrison is no normal leader, and he has to win every single battle, even the ones not worth winning. He lied about providing the destination of his holiday to Albanese – easily refuted – when he should have just apologised (again), said that he will never do that again and he learned his lesson. And we all would have moved on. But it became the news of the day and magnified the issue Labor wanted to focus on: Morrison is a pathological liar and untrustworthy.Independents are likely to have a big influence in the 2022 election, and we speak with Hayden O'Connor from the Voices of Kooyong, a campaign which wants to unseat the Treasurer and current member for Kooyong, Josh Frydenberg. It's a tough ask, but they have the determination to consign Frydenberg to the dustbin of history. And wouldn't that be a sweet victory.

Once again, the Liberal–National Coalition is attacking the ABC, and doing the bidding of News Corporation in its quest to remove the ABC from government ownership and sell if off to the highest bidder. And several state divisions of the Liberal Party – and all the Young Liberal branches – have already passed resolutions to privatise the ABC and it's also one of the key objectives of the Institute of Public Affairs.Yes, the ABC needs to be reformed and it shouldn't just try to replicate what the commercial media outlets are producing, but it's a key cultural, educational and essential services media broadcast, and one of the best in the world. But the ABC has no political friends left – the Coalition wants to privatise it and Labor, which turns up to every election promising more funds for the ABC – only for the ABC to propagandise against the Labor Party – might decide that it always campaigns for the ABC, but never receives any electoral benefit from its efforts. So it might decide it's just not worth it. Whoever wins the next election, the future is not looking bright for the ABC.It took five days for Scott Morrison to make his response to the Melbourne protests, and when it came, it seemed half-hearted and expressed sympathy for the protestors. Morrison just cannot find it within himself to castigate his key supporters, even when they're calling for the assassination of the Premier of Victoria. And it's unclear why Morrison would want to claim this right-wing rabble as his own – these extremists are hardly going to vote for left-of-centre parties and expressing a clear condemnation of these protestors and their actions would have been the right thing for a political leader to do.But Morrison is purely focused on votes. After all, that's what wins elections for a politician: votes. But some votes are not worth chasing, and it would have better to let those voters float away, which surely would have boosted support from other areas in the electoral. Sometimes, Morrison cannot help himself, and this was one of those occasions. Australia needs leadership from the federal govenment, but that might need to be delivered by another government, and a different prime minister, at some point in the future.

Australia is seeking national leadership at this point of time to ward off the threat of extremist behaviour in Melbourne but instead of trying to dampen the enthusiasm of QAnon, neo-Nazis, fascists, sovereign citizens and assorted fringe dwellers, Scott Morrison is hoping to hang onto their votes at the next federal election and he decided the best course of action is to just keep quiet, lest he upset his supporter base.The weekend protests in Melbourne attracted 5,000 people, primarily to voice their disapproval of the vaccine mandates – even though most of them won't be affected by a mandate – but that wasn't enough to stop them demanding the resignation of Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews, some actually calling for his assassination. And this wasn't enough for Morrison to castigate their actions – these are his people, and it's not up to him to say anything about it, or even lift a finger indirectly. For example, alerting the Australian Federal Police, or the Fixated Persons Unit. It's not too much to ask, but Morrison is more interested in keeping votes, rather than acting in the interests of the community.And the latest round of polling is still pointing to an electoral demolition for the Liberal–National Coalition at the next federal election. That's not to say Morrison can't turn it around – after all, he was in exactly the same position in November 2018 and, six months later, he was on the victor's podium on election night – but two elections in a row, while not impossible, is incredibly difficult.But one issue that won't help is Morrison has decided to channel the 2004 election strategy used by John Howard – who do you trust?… But in typical Morrison fashion, he's overpromised in areas that is almost impossible to keep a promise – the trifecta of low interest rates, low cost of living, and low petrol prices. We think it might be three lies too far and he's foolish to make this promises.A one-off 0.25 interest rate hike, a CPI increase of 1%, or petrol prices going up by 5 cents per litre – any of these events will finish Scott Morrison off, especially if whatever he says isn't matched by people's lived experiences.He might be finished anyway, and we believe the only way Australia can move away from the current events in Melbourne is a change of government. It's becoming more and more evident by the day.

Scott Morrison has changed his mind and will now attend the COP26 climate change forum in Glasgow. It was obvious Morrison didn't want to got to COP26 for a number of reasons: it's all about climate change action, which is anathema to the Liberal–National Coalition; it's an international meeting where Australia's embarrassingly poor policies on climate change action – among the worst in the OECD community – will be the focus; it's the first encounter with the French Prime Minister after the cancellation of the $90 billion submarine contract; and attending the meeting rules out the possibility of a November election.But Prince Charles said he would “be shocked” if Morrison didn't attend and Queen Elizabeth II announced she was irritated about inaction on climate change and instructed leaders to not “just talk, act on climate”.Morrison is a monarchist – not as staunch as Tony Abbott, but a monarchist nevertheless. And if the Queen and the British Royal Family are showing their displeasure, then Morrison had to act. He's in a bind: we're still not sure if he will go to Glasgow, and we will only believe it is happening once the prime ministerial plane touches down on the tarmac at Glasgow International Airport.But Morrison is an opportunist and has skill in being able to manipulate any situation towards his advantage. Humiliation at COP26? ‘How dare the unrepresentative officials at the United Nations tell Australia what to do.'Billboards at Glasgow and Times Square in New York shaming Australia on climate change inaction? ‘Those inner city socialists are trying to embarrass our national pride.'Carbon tariffs that will crucify the Australian economy? ‘We will decide which products come into this country and the circumstances in which they arrive.'The Bob Brown-led anti-Adani campaign in Queensland during the 2019 federal election campaign shamed the Australian government, but backfired when locals felt they were being told what to do by outsiders and interstaters, didn't like being told what to do, and decided to show their displeasure by giving many seats in regional Queensland a 15% swing towards the government. Morrison would be looking at this to see if can swing things his way again.The direction for both parties in the lead up to the next election? If it is based on climate change issues, Labor will keep it simple: if you want action on climate change, vote Labor.The Coalition will do the opposite, and will try to make climate change action as complex as possible, distort as many issues as possible and then declare: if you don't understand it, don't vote for it. It worked for Paul Keating in the 1993 GST-influenced election; it could work for Morrison now.So, we're headed for another climate change election – following on the election of 1990, where Labor slid back into government on environment preferences, and the 2007 election, which according to Kevin Rudd, was the issue that was the “greatest moral challenge of our times”. And if it is another climate change election, it could just be the issue that sweeps Scott Morrison out to electoral oblivion.

How many times have we been told by conservative business groups in Australia that minimum wages need to be kept low so businesses have more finances to employ more people? And not just minimum wages, but all wages? The only problem is this erstwhile neoliberal pipedream doesn't actually work and there's a recent Nobel Prize for Economics out there to prove it's absolutely false.Since 2013, wages in Australia have stagnated – coinciding with the time of the Liberal–National Coalition government – and in 2018, the Turnbull government reduced penalty rates based on old economic orthodoxy. These were real-life experiments and the promised increases in job numbers never actually occurred – and corporate profits went up, while wages went down. It was a false elixir, and help to move Australia towards a recession in early 2020. New economic thinking is needed at this time, and the Coalition seems to hold onto old economic ideas, even when there's new research to prove them wrong.And if new thinking is needed on economics, there's certainly a need for new thinking on climate change in Australia – or at least, any kind of thinking because, there's been a paucity of intellect on developing good policy for the environment in Australia. And the latest roadblock on climate change and sensible environmental policy? The National Party, whose intransigence has been like anarchic nihilists who aren't quite sure about why they're resisting so much, until we explore that link between National Party MPs, mineral and gas resource companies, and the mining industry.The National Party claims to act in the interest of regional Australia. If this was true, they would be at the forefront of climate change action and management of the environment, because it's the people in the regions that will suffer the most through water supply issues, rising temperatures and drought. But they're not: the National Party is the party of corruption and vested interests and are holding the country to ransom, even though only 4 per cent of the electorate voted for them.If the electorate really does want effective action on climate change and the environment, it won't be provided by the National Party, or by the Liberal Party. It's best if these people are voted out of office; that's becoming more obvious by the day.

The most surprising part of News Corporation's greenwashing of the Liberal Party is not so much that it's occurring right now, but the fact that it's happening so quickly. The Liberal Party – working hand in glove with the Business Council of Australia, and their erstwhile friends at News Corporation – has resisted all action on climate change ever since they returned to government in 2013: they repealed the carbon price scheme, abolished the Climate Commission, reduced funding programs for renewable energy, used funding allocated for renewable energy programs… for fossil fuel programs. And claimed that electric cars were the death of the weekend.Can eight years of climate change denialism – or 25 years if we include the Howard years that commenced in 1996 – be overturned within a few months before the next election? Obviously, the Liberal National Coalition believes all of this is possible and the public will believe that the party that brought coal into the chambers of Parliament is the new champion of climate change action, and is the best friend of the environment. It's a big ask, but let's see if there's enough collective amnesia within the electorate to accept the biggest greenwash and about-face in Australian history.NSW has ended its lockdowns and is promoting itself as the Australian leader out of the pandemic and providing direction to all the other states and territories around the nation for how to ‘live with COVID'. This is a surprise to the people of Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Northern Territory, who have living without lockdowns, curfews and restrictions for most of the past 15 months, and have only had a handful of COVID cases during that time, compared to the 69,552 cases in NSW.And why were so many politicians of all persuasions so adamant about going to a pub to celebrate the first day of the lifting of restrictions? It's like Australia is a nation of alcoholics: NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and senior ministers in the front bar of a pub (sans women); Anthony Albanese sucking on a schooner at another bar; Dave Sharma toasting with a middie – and with another bloke. It looks like it's just a pathetic blokes' world until you realise the Australian Hotels Association donates substantial amounts of money to the Liberal Party and the Labor Party. And they've been actively promoting the end of lockdowns.And this is all neatly dovetailing into the divisive message the federal government wants to promote in the lead up to the next election: the Liberal Party is the party of freedoms, the breaker of lockdowns, the opener of the economy. The fun guys. Whereas Labor is the dull party of further restrictions, lockdowns at the sneeze of half a COVID nostril, and the denier of business and the economy.Labor has to keep focusing on the eight years of poor government and incompetence provided by the Liberal–National Coalition while, of course, the Coalition wants us all to forget about this and focus on freedoms. Does Labor have the skill to prosecute the case for change or will collective amnesia win out again?

As Gladys Berejiklian leaves office and Andrej Babis fights to defend his, this week's episode looks at a turbulent week in New South Wales politics and looks ahead to the upcoming Czech Chamber of Deputies elections. After three resignations, New South Wales is looking at three imminent by-elections and, after losing a popular state Premier, the Liberal/National Coalition will be going into the federal election next year and state election in 2023 with two new state leaders. What provoked this slew of resignations? And how will Scott Morrison and Canberra be affected by this week? With Czech polls still open at the time of recording, Sam and Chern take the opportunity to look at the state of the parties in the Czech Republic as their campaign comes to a close. Andrej Babis and ANO are fighting to hold on to power in Prague as the opposition parties have created large electoral alliances to try and stop them. Has Babis run out of political allies in the Chamber of Deputies? What unites the seemingly broad conservative SPOLU alliance? Why have the Pirate Party been particularly strong in Czechia? All these questions and more answered in this week's episode. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ballot-to-talk-about/message

There's been far too much adulation from the media for the former Premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, who took the decision to resign from Parliament, after the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption declared she is a person of interest in a corruption investigation. Politicians are not rock stars, and journalists are not their groupies, even though that's how they behave: too close to action; too close to the people they seem to love. And too close to report and analyze without fear or favour. And their love of Berejiklian means that they mourn her resignation like the loss of a close friend, rather than focusing on the allegations of corruption.As Paul Keating once said, if you want a friend in politics, get a dog. Politicians are not rock stars; they are there to do a job in the interests of the public, and we want them to be competent. Leave the rock star business (and the song and dance) to the real rock stars, and then the media can investigate what political leaders get up to behind the scenes. And it's an untidy and messy sight.Perhaps if the mainstream media performed the job they are supposed to do – make powerful people accountable to the public – Berejiklian might have thought twice about engaging in activities that are now the focus of the NSW ICAC.And all of this has resulted in a new Premier in NSW, Dominic Perrottet. We're not sure how long he'll last – because he might also be receiving a few phone calls from the NSW ICAC over the iCare state insurance scandal – and NSW might be looking for another Premier before the next NSW election, due in March 2023.And why is the federal government so fearful of a federal commission against corruption? We've estimated that if a federal ICAC was created according to existing state and territory guidelines, at least 11 sitting government Members of Parliament would be the subject of inquiries – and that's just based on the information that's publicly available. So, it's obvious why they're not introducing a federal ICAC – they'd be the first ones to appear in dock. That's the only reason they've been so reluctant to create a federal ICAC with retrospective powers.It might be up to Labor to introduce such a body – but only if they're sure that none of their MPs will be dragged into such a commission – and, obviously, a federal ICAC can only happen if they win the next federal election. It will never occur under a Liberal–National Coalition, they have too much to lose.

It’s Budget time and we've spent the last week analysing the third Budget announcement from Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Our verdict? Don’t believe the hype: it's not a ‘big-spending’ Budget; and it’s not a Budget the Labor Party would have introduced. We think it's yet another lost opportunity for the Australian economy and the community – just like Peter Costello squandering the mining boom in the early 2000s, this could be another chance to make positive long-term changes to government spending that ends up being flushed down the drain.What would Labor do? We don't know: it's not the role of the Opposition of the day to provide itemised line items and specific policies the government and the media can then dissect and misrepresent – Albanese won't make the same mistakes Shorten made with the franking credits policy, where he allowed the Liberal Party too must scope to completely distort the intention of the scheme. Just the broad brush strokes of policy is all that's needed at the moment.Will the Budget swing the next election for the Liberal–National Coalition? Both the Budget and the Budget Reply will be forgotten at the time of the next election, and the verdict will still come down to competence and who the electorate will trust on debts and deficits.

Australia Day has been hijacked by the conservative side of politics. Which means that it's a day of vainglorious nationalism, jingoism, white imperialism and forgetting about the events of 1788, when an entire continent was stolen from Indigenous people, setting off 233 years of racism, oppression and subjugation: all at the stroke of a pen. Should the date be changed? Absolutely.There is a new US President and while there was a massive amount of grandstanding from Donald Trump about vote-rigging and gaslighting that the election was stolen, there was never any doubt that Joe Biden was going be inaugurated as President. There was an insurrection at Capitol Hill – even though the ABC initially refused to use the word, and the Australian media generally underreported the event. One of the biggest events in US history, but nothing to see here. Scott Morrison has lost a “friend” at the White House, although Harry Truman did once say, “if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog”. What will a Biden presidency mean for Australian politics? What will it mean for world politics?An early election is being pushed by the media, and the first available date for a half-Senate election is 7 August 2021. Will Morrison go early? Will he face Anthony Albanese? Or someone else? There has been speculation that Albanese might be replaced unless he seriously lifts his game: we believe if Labor can resolve this leadership issue – whether Albanese becomes a more substantial leader or a new leader is installed – the Liberal-National Coalition will be removed at the next election. It’s a government that waiting to be thrown out of office, and deservedly so.

Transcript available at https://www.nickfabbri.com/bloom/grayconnollyIn this interview, Nick and Gray discuss: Gray’s life and career in the law, including his military service in the Royal Australian Navy The geopolitical lessons of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic The Dragon-Bear strategic alliance between China and Russia The 2020 US presidential election, and reflections on Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump How the pandemic has brought out the Australian ethos of looking after our most vulnerable, including a reflection on Simpson and his donkey How the pandemic has upended the Australian political landscape and forced the conservative Liberal-National Coalition - and governments around the world - to abandon ideology in the face of crisis Longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on Australian society, including changes to Federation and federal-state relations Observations on modern Australian politics and the quality of our politicians and polity Reflections on love, faith, grief, and the meaning of Australia Gray Connolly is a Sydney-based Barrister and Writer, and he is a reservist serving as a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Australian Navy. He writes about geopolitics, faith, history and war on his Strategy Counsel website. Gray’s writing has also appeared in an interesting range of Australian periodicals, including Meanjin and The Daily Telegraph. He regularly features on the ABC and Sky News as a commentator. He is a lifelong South Sydney and Richmond supporter. Twitter @GrayConnolly   

John Anderson is the former Deputy Prime Minister in Australia. He was part of a reformist government under the Howard Administration (a Liberal – National Coalition) that has been Australia’s longest standing government of our time. If you have not yet heard John's story of how he grew up on a farm, got into politics, and how he allowed his faith to define his identity, worth and work, you might want to first check out the episode here: www.faithcollides.com/johnanderson In this bonus content, we get into John's views a bit more. He shares his father's experience at war, how a politician might look at the issues facing western society, and what he thinks a Christian politician should respond during a pandemic. If you'd like to hear more thought-provoking conversations on politics, values and culture from John Anderson, you might want to check out his podcast and videos from his website: www.johnanderson.net.au. In a new series called John Anderson Direct, John stays safe and continues to talk to high profile leaders on today's issues -- direct from home. Note: The political views expressed by our valued guests are their own and their appearance on the show does not necessarily imply any endorsement of theirs or any entity they represent. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/faithcollides/support

John Anderson is a farmer who later became the Deputy Prime Minister in Australia, a role and rank similar to the US Vice President. He was part of a reformist government under the Howard Administration (a Liberal – National Coalition) that has been Australia’s longest standing government of our time. Since the mid-1800s, John’s family was farming and grazing sheep in Australia, and making a good living. But John was encouraged to be the first from his family to get a college degree. At the University of Sydney, John tried to study law but ended up intrigued by studying history. He says, “I'm one of those people who believes that you learn all you need to know about statecraft by studying history.” But the political scene did not come under John’s radar until after he graduated and went back to farming with his dad. Back at home, John realized the rural city divide between the Nationals, a party he represented, and the rest of the country. So at the age of 32 years old, John ran for Member of Parliament, similar to a seat in the US Congress, and was elected to represent Gwydir, one of the smallest districts in the country. John opens up about his political journey of dealing with public scrutiny and the politics in politics. He also talks about the challenges of reviewing the national budget and the challenging time Australia went through during the 9/11 era. Finally, John opens up about a personal tragedy, one he calls a “freakish experience where they have been the innocent cause of somebody else’s death.” It caused him to lose his childhood and grapple with life’s toughest questions, but it also defined his faith and the type of leader he would become. After John retired from politics in 2005, he went back to farming and retreated into family life. But recently, John started a new venture where he invites prominent leaders in a discourse on values that define Western culture and faith in an effort to encourage open debate and better decision on public policy. Special thanks for this episode: John Anderson, Alec Bennetts, Deb Sugars, Nathan Ng, Andrew Doust, Caroline DeJersey If you like what you’ve heard about John Anderson, below are a few more opportunities to get to know him more: John Anderson’s website: www.johnanderson.net.au (access to watch or listen to "Conversations with John Anderson") John Anderson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnAndersonAO John Anderson’s biography Faith & Duty: https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Duty-John-Anderson-Story/dp/1741665647 About John Anderson’s new venture: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/second-coming-john-andersons-new-venture/news-story/2221a61a7329912c005b3dcdffdebb6f ——– Support Faith Collides podcast with a review —> http://bit.ly/FaithC0llid3s Faith Collides podcast is hosted by Grace Huang from Lux Mundi. More information: www.lxmundi.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/faithcollides/support

In this episode, John, David and Tim are joined by Senator Jim Molan AO DSC. Jim is a former Australian Army Major-General and is now a high profile Senator for the Liberal-National Coalition known for his public interest in Australia’s strategic policy. We begin this episode by asking Jim about his military experience and his opinions on some of the pressing issues facing Australia in the near-term. Support the show.

In this episode, John, David and Tim are joined by Senator Jim Molan AO DSC. Jim is a former Australian Army Major-General and is now a high profile Senator for the Liberal-National Coalition known for his public interest in Australia's strategic policy. We begin this episode by asking Jim about his military experience and his opinions on some of the pressing issues facing Australia in the near-term. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's show we're analysing the federal election with Elizabeth Humphrys. With growing distrust of politicians and disillusionment with the electoral system, how does the environment movement engage with anti-politics?For many, the victory of the Liberal-National Coalition at the federal election was crushing. With the polls pointing to a Labor win, their failure has lead to a scatter-fire of recriminations. But votes for the two main parties have been falling for years - and disillusionment with established politics has been on the rise. How do we make sense of these anti-political times?Links'We live in anti-political times' by Elizabeth Humphrys.Earth Matters #1195 was produced by Teishan Ahearne.

Anthony Albanese appears set to become the leader of the Australian Labor Party, [[ALP]] and therefore the leader of the federal opposition, after Jim Chalmers pulled out of the contest. The decision clears the path for Mr Albanese to take over from Bill Shorten, who led the ALP to a shock election defeat at the hands of the Liberal-National Coalition. - Zdá se, že novým lídrem Australské Strany Práce a tedy lídrem opozice, se stane Anthony Albanese. Jim Chalmers totiž z kandidatury odstoupil. Toto rozhodnutí umožní Anthonymu Albanesemu převzít vedení po Billu Shortenovi, který dovedl stranu práce k překvapivé volební porážce koalicí Národní a Liberální Strany.

Anthony Albanese appears set to become the leader of the Australian Labor Party, [[ALP]] and therefore the leader of the federal opposition, after Jim Chalmers pulled out of the contest.The decision clears the path for Mr Albanese to take over from Bill Shorten, who led the ALP to a shock election defeat at the hands of the Liberal-National Coalition. - លោក Anthony Albanese ទំនងនឹងក្លាយជាមេដឹកនាំគណបក្សលេប័រ ឬALP ដូច្នេះលោកនឹង​ជាមេដឹកនាំគណបក្សប្រឆាំងសហព័ន្ធ បន្ទាប់ពីលោក Jim Chalmers បានដកខ្លួនចេញពីការប្រជែង។

In this episode of What the Policy, Rose-Anna is joined by her friend Jen to talk about the results of the Australia Federal election in 2019. There’s no clear or simple answer to the question of why the Liberal-National Coalition won, but Rose-Anna tries to explain some of the key reasons that are being talked about in the media, as well as the voting results.

There's a lot of talk that this election was handed to the Liberal National Coalition by 'Quiet Australians'. People who voted conservative but didn't talk about it because they didn't want to be shouted down by vocal left leaning friends who urged them to put others and the environment before themselves... but they argue, if I can't look after myself, how can I look after others? Today we speak to some of these 'Quiet Australians' to find out what motivated them and how they reconcile the issues, especially involving women, with the Liberal National Coalition. CREDITS Host/Producer: Claire Murphy Executive Producer: Elle Beattie Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri Thanks to our special guests The Quicky is the easiest and most enjoyable way to get across the news every day. And it's delivered straight to your ears in a daily podcast so you can listen whenever you want, wherever you are...at the gym, on the train, in the playground or at night while you're making dinner. The Quicky. Getting you up to speed. Daily. Want The Quicky in your ears every day?  Subscribe at mamamia.com.au/the-quicky or in your favourite podcast app. Love the show? Send us an email thequicky@mamamia.com.au or call the podphone 02 8999 9386. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(Podcast in Dinka) In what's being described as a significant turnaround from the predictions of the polls, the Liberal-National Coalition has taken victory in the Federal Election. It's not what anyone was expecting. As late as Friday night, polls were claiming a narrow victory for Bill Shorten's Labor Party. - (Podcast in Dinka) In what's being described as a significant turnaround from the predictions of the polls, the Liberal-National Coalition has taken victory in the Federal Election. It's not what anyone was expecting. As late as Friday night, polls were claiming a narrow victory for Bill Shorten's Labor Party.

In what's being described as a significant turnaround from the predictions of the polls, the Liberal-National Coalition has taken victory in the Federal Election. - In pofida prezicerilor constante ale sondajelor de opinie, iata ca balanta victoriei in alegerile federale de sambata s-a inclinat de partea coalitiei Liberal /Nationale.

In what's being described as a significant turnaround from the predictions of the polls, the Liberal-National Coalition has taken victory in the Federal Election.Bill Shorten has announced he will quit as leader after his party's defeat in the federal election. - Glasovi se još broje ali su rezultati izbora pokazali sasvim drugačiju podršku glasača od one u predizbornim anketama. Koalicija spremna za nastavak vladavine a Bill Shorten će vršiti dužnost lidera laborista do izbora novog stranačkog šefa

We headed to the polls this weekend just gone and decided that we're happy with the Liberal National Coalition. But what you didn't see, as we devoured our democracy sausages and ticked boxes, was the team of people standing by should the government lose. Today, we're speaking with an MP who says wheelie bins and shredders are on hand ready to destroy everything if a government gets kicked out. CREDITS Host/Producer: Claire Murphy Executive Producer: Elle Beattie Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri Thanks to our special guests MP Tim Smith The Quicky is the easiest and most enjoyable way to get across the news every day. And it's delivered straight to your ears in a daily podcast so you can listen whenever you want, wherever you are...at the gym, on the train, in the playground or at night while you're making dinner. The Quicky. Getting you up to speed. Daily. Want The Quicky in your ears every day?  Subscribe at mamamia.com.au/the-quicky or in your favourite podcast app. Love the show? Send us an email thequicky@mamamia.com.au or call the podphone 02 8999 9386. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In what's being described as a significant turnaround from the predictions of the polls, the Liberal-National Coalition has taken victory in the Federal Election. - ውጽኢት ምርጫ ኣውስትራሊያ ከምቲ ኩሉ ዝተጸበዮ ኣይኮነን ኮይኑ ተረኺቡ።ክሳብ ሚሸት ዓርቢ መዕቀኒ ድምጺ ህዝቢ ናይ ቢል ሸርተን ሰልፊ ለበር ከምዝዕዎት እዩ እቲ ትንቢት ኔሩ።ብዙሓት ሰባትውን ስኮት ሞሪሰንን ሰልፉን ናብ ወናብር ተቓዋሚ ከምዝግ ዕዙዩ እቲ ትጽቢት፡ ድምጺ ምስተዋህበ ግና ህዝቢ ኣውስትራሊያ ከምቲ ትጽቢት ዘይኮነስ ነቲ ኣብ ስልጣን ዝጸንሐ ሰልፊ ልፍንቲ ክመርሖ ብጸቢብ መሪጽዎ ኣሎ።

Contrary to most perceptions from the media about a ‘boring’ campaign, we think the 2019 election is one of the most exciting ever. Why? Because it's a ‘change’ election, where there's a possibility that it could realign conservative parties forever and, if Labor wins, create the conditions for future governments to be more adventurous in policy development.But silly media can't see beyond their noses: they look for stunts and ‘gotcha’ moments, following the Prime Minister on his quest to create the perfect media image. ‘How do I look when I skoll this beer?’. ‘Does my bum look big while shear this sheep?’. ‘Go Sharkies’ and ‘watch me while I boot this football through the soccer-league-union-AFL goalposts’. It’s becoming very tiresome.The media has always shrieked about a lack of substance in politics, but when they finally get it presented to them on a plate through Labor's solid selection of policy materials, they nit-pick, take aim, and retreat back to the banal wherever they can find it, usually following the Prime Minister into a bar. Has he got a drinking problem? Yes, of course. We've counted 56 news items where Scott Morrison has imbibed at the [name your location] hotel, bar, speakeasy or racecourse. He'll be pickled by the time this election is over.Water buy-backs have been the big scandal the government hopes will go away, but it just keeps coming back. Angus Taylor and Barnaby Joyce, as well as many other high-profile Liberal-National election candidates will be very well hidden during this election campaign and, just like the Marlboro man, Scott Morrison is being seen everywhere by himself. We still think he needs to go full-Putin, rip off the shirt and ride a horse bare-back. That will definitely rake in the votes.The polls are tightening and could the Liberal-National Coalition just manage to win government again? We don't think so: children aren't usually rewarded for bad behaviour, and nor should governments, but is there something under the radar that we keep missing? We'll find out soon enough.

Contrary to most perceptions from the media about a ‘boring’ campaign, we think the 2019 election is one of the most exciting ever. Why? Because it's a ‘change’ election, where there's a possibility that it could realign conservative parties forever and, if Labor wins, create the conditions for future governments to be more adventurous in policy development.But silly media can't see beyond their noses: they look for stunts and ‘gotcha’ moments, following the Prime Minister on his quest to create the perfect media image. ‘How do I look when I skoll this beer?’. ‘Does my bum look big while shear this sheep?’. ‘Go Sharkies’ and ‘watch me while I boot this football through the soccer-league-union-AFL goalposts’. It’s becoming very tiresome.The media has always shrieked about a lack of substance in politics, but when they finally get it presented to them on a plate through Labor's solid selection of policy materials, they nit-pick, take aim, and retreat back to the banal wherever they can find it, usually following the Prime Minister into a bar. Has he got a drinking problem? Yes, of course. We've counted 56 news items where Scott Morrison has imbibed at the [name your location] hotel, bar, speakeasy or racecourse. He'll be pickled by the time this election is over.Water buy-backs have been the big scandal the government hopes will go away, but it just keeps coming back. Angus Taylor and Barnaby Joyce, as well as many other high-profile Liberal-National election candidates will be very well hidden during this election campaign and, just like the Marlboro man, Scott Morrison is being seen everywhere by himself. We still think he needs to go full-Putin, rip off the shirt and ride a horse bare-back. That will definitely rake in the votes.The polls are tightening and could the Liberal-National Coalition just manage to win government again? We don't think so: children aren't usually rewarded for bad behaviour, and nor should governments, but is there something under the radar that we keep missing? We'll find out soon enough.

"The curtains have come down on that Muppet Show". That's Scott Morrison who thought it was a good idea to use this metaphor when he dismissed the power plays bringing down Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Since then, there's been a number of attempts by the Liberal- National Coalition to communicate with voters that have gone distinctly pear shaped. This week on Communication Mixdown, new co-host Reema Rattan talks with Dr. Norman Abjorensen, former national editor at the Sydney Morning Herald and now political historian at the Australian National University, about the Morrison government’s style of political communication. 

In times of budgetary constraint, the cost of Australia's welfare system has been regarded by many in the Coalition as a burden and a drag on economic growth. Shadow Minister for Social Services and Families Jenny Macklin has a different take. “Sadly I think the Liberal-National Coalition have an ideological view that the welfare system is too generous - even though the international evidence is completely to the contrary…our social security system is one of the most tightly targeted in the world,” she says. For Labor, the message is that cuts to welfare and social services increases inequality - damaging the wider economy. “You've got the International Monetary Fund, the OECD, other very big international players telling us that increasing inequality is a constraint on growth. So what Labor is saying is that we want to… use all the different levers available to us to reduce inequality through the tax changes on negative gearing for example, through improved social investments, such as our schools policy. "These are all very practical policies that Labor has to reduce inequality, to make sure that we see that reduction in inequality delivering in improved economic growth.” Music credit: “Dryness”, by Ketsa on the Free Music Archive.