Shows / Inside Politics
Inside Politics
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.
Episodes
Inside PoliticsIs the PM at risk of "Albo derangement syndrome"?
This week, we take a look at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's incorrect claim about a $6 million grant to his local golf club – which has become another…
Inside PoliticsBonus episode: ‘I should make more time for my colleagues’: Chalmers on party tensions
The treasurer's position is known to be one of, if not the, most difficult spots in any Australian cabinet in modern history, and the current climate is no…
Inside PoliticsMorality first, politics second – Waleed Aly on political violence
After the attack on Independent MP Helen Haines, it's been a real horror week in Australian politics. Last week SMH and The Age columnist Waleed Aly wrote a…
Inside PoliticsJim Chalmers’ facts, an ordinary voter’s feelings and the political reality
This week – again – is all about the economy, which includes a visit from a ghost of the past in the form of former treasurer Josh Frydenberg. But…
Inside PoliticsCoalition’s 'race to the bottom on migration' and former immigration official answers your questions
It’s been a year since Liberal MP Andrew Hastie quit Sussan Ley’s frontbench to speak his mind on migration. His decision fractured the Coalition…
Inside PoliticsInterest rates and Labor's spending, and the Greens look to Mamdani
Anthony Albanese is back from the United Nations in New York to a slump in his approval rating and more economic pain. On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank raised…
Inside PoliticsGuardrails or ‘world leader’: How Anthony Albanese responds to OpenAI’s hack
Today we’re going international to talk about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s trip to New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations…
Inside PoliticsMigration plan revealed: Who comes, who leaves and what it all means
Today we’re hot off the press, to use an old newsroom cliche, to talk about the federal government’s new plan for migration. Immigration Minister…
Inside PoliticsSuperannuation and the One Nation press conference that had everyone watching
This week we’re joining the dots between two different stories: the fight over superannuation, and the colourful past of One Nation’s leader in…
Inside PoliticsWhat One Nation’s WA win means, and Hanson’s incitement claim
In this week’s episode, we dissect Labor’s brutal loss to One Nation in a supposedly safe seat in Western Australia. Does this byelection really…
Inside PoliticsThe magical mystery tour of immigration numbers, and the new One Nation voter profile
This week we reported on some interesting polling that grappled with what makes One Nation voters tick, and one issue stood out. There’s also been an…
Inside PoliticsTony Wright on the best and worst prime ministers, and the courage needed now
Today we have something special and a little bit different because Tony Wright, one of the stalwarts of Australian political writing, is stepping back from…
Inside PoliticsThe melon story – Is the prime minister just really bad at saying sorry?
We’re back to talking about melons and the podcast interview that continues to cause dramas for the prime minister. Six weeks ago, Anthony Albanese…
Inside PoliticsImmigration, gambling and big tech: Labor’s big policy push
This week on Inside Politics, we take a look at some of the major policy challenges facing the Albanese government – from migration numbers, to…
Inside PoliticsThe welcome miss on inflation, and the Victorian leadership fallout
It’s been another roller coaster this week for mortgage holders. Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock issued a stern warning about inflation, before the…
Inside PoliticsBarnaby’s dog, Hanson and the attention economy. Plus, a Labor Party conference
It has been quite the week in federal politics, and our attention has been sucked by two One Nation clangers. First, Barnaby Joyce yelled at his dog on…
Inside PoliticsWhite Lotus: The One Nation edition. Plus the PM’s landmark AI speech
We switch to sunnier climes this week, to a posh hotel in Sicily. It’s where the TV series White Lotus was filmed, and it’s also where our…
Inside PoliticsAlbanese basks in Modi limelight. And, his weird podcast interview
This week, we’re talking about a visit from Narendra Modi to Australia and why Anthony Albanese wants to bask in the Indian prime minister’s…
Inside PoliticsLabor’s tax changes hit the property market, will a Liberal ‘rebrand’ turn the party around?
The government's capital gains tax and negative gearing changes are now legislated, and this week there has been some early data on how these changes are…
Inside PoliticsHigh risk or the right time? Zali Steggall on the new teal party
This week independent MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender announced they would form a new political party, Community Strong Australia. Steggall was…
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Falsities, nastiness and the Trump ‘vibe’ tapped: Hanson at the Press Club
The hottest ticket in Australian politics this week was Pauline Hanson's first address to the National Press Club, which happened on Wednesday. The Press Club…
Inside PoliticsPolls, the media and what's really driving One Nation’s support
With the budget backlash era moving on to something like begrudged resignation, or budget fatigue, we’re expecting Treasurer Jim Chalmers to soon make a…
Inside PoliticsA week of reality checks: ‘Pauline for PM’ and the true state of the AUKUS pact
This week polls showed, for the first time, One Nation ahead of the major parties and Pauline Hanson as preferred prime minister in second place ahead of Angus…
Inside Politics‘Don’t say it’s a protest vote’: Pauline Hanson on One Nation’s resurgence
The debate on the rise of Pauline Hanson is shifting rapidly. This week, for the first time, polls are showing One Nation's primary vote has risen above the…
Inside PoliticsCGT shemozzle, risk thrown around like 'fairy dust' and...a Teal party?
We are officially in week two of budget backlash, and both sides seem pretty dug in. Today we’re talking about the disagreements about the capital gains…
Inside PoliticsMost people don’t have trusts, or multiple houses: Bill Shorten on the budget’s tax changes
We’re officially in our budget backlash era, with claims of death taxes, of aspirations killed, and the outraged cries of crypto bros across the nation…
Inside PoliticsDoes a broken promise matter in a broken system, and Angus Taylor’s migrant plan
The federal budget was pitched as a big moment for a progressive government that wants to equalise wealth and home ownership. And one of the main attacks from…
Inside Politics‘Popcorn out’ for Farrer by-election, plus the RBA’s pointed comments on government spending
The electorate of Farrer is holding a by-election this weekend and we’re expecting the contest will be a good one. The NSW seat, which hugs the border…
Inside PoliticsWhy young people are so angry about housing, and whether this budget will fix it
Inflation figures were out this week, and it wasn’t good news. Next week’s interest rates figures from the Reserve Bank aren't looking crash hot…
Inside PoliticsMark Butler on the NDIS, private health and vaccine hesitancy
When the National Disability Insurance Scheme was created in 2013, it was proof that a rich society could find the money to help people living with a…
Inside PoliticsLabor’s baby a ‘honeypot of fraud’ and the gas tax’s viral moment
Today, we are talking about one of the federal budget’s trickiest customers - the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Labor was once like a proud…
Inside PoliticsNo ‘drill baby drill’ moment: Chris Bowen on oil shock’s impact on green Australia
A fire at a Geelong oil refinery - one of two refineries left in Australia - has heightened anxiety around fuel supply. Energy Minister Chris Bowen joins the…
Inside PoliticsMatt Canavan on his love of EVs, and calling out Pauline Hanson
The new leader of the Nationals, Matt Canavan, is a former Marxist from the suburbs who was once a Productivity Commission economist and then, a firebrand…
Inside PoliticsA national address, nailing down the budget, and Hastie’s ‘striking’ interview
This week we debate the merits of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s national address before getting stuck into what’s happening with the budget…
Inside PoliticsThe EU trade deal, and One Nation’s South Australian election
This week, while we were all freaking out about the oil crisis – and rightly so – European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen visited to…
Inside PoliticsIs it really time to panic about petrol supply?
This week we’re talking about the enormous global volatility the government is dealing with, courtesy of the US-Israel war on Iran, and whether we need…
Inside PoliticsWhy the timeline of the Iranian women’s football team defection makes some people liars
This week, we talk about the incredible story of the Iranian women's soccer team, some of whom defected and were given asylum in Australia. It was a wonderful…
Inside PoliticsThe politics of war, and why Peter Dutton was so upset over leaked Liberal Party review
Israel and the United States are at war with Iran in a rapidly escalating conflict that Australia seems to be trying to avoid as much as possible. Today, we'll…
Inside PoliticsRegrets? There are none. David Littleproud on Coalition split and what Nats do next
In this bonus episode of Inside Politics, we’re joined by the Nationals leader David Littleproud. He’s a man under pressure – commentators…
Inside PoliticsTim Wilson accused the treasurer of pouring fuel on the inflation flames – is he right?
This week we had some not-so-great inflation figures and also reports that there'll be another interest rate rise right before the government hands down its…
Inside PoliticsReturn of 'ISIS brides' raises many questions about what it means to be Australian
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia's ISIS brides - the women trying to return home with their children from Syria - are not getting help from the…
Inside PoliticsThe Sketch: Tony Wright on 'Nation's worst government? Jane Hume's hyperbolic historical claim'
Tony Wright, the associate editor of The Age, has been writing for 50 years. He is the master of what we call the political sketch. Sketches are akin to a…
Inside PoliticsAnthony Albanese interview: Police prayer disruption at Herzog protest needs ‘full explanation’
We're bringing you an extra episode of Inside Politics today because Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had an opening in his diary, and he's granted us an…
Inside PoliticsIs government spending really driving inflation?
There’s a bit going on with the Liberal Party this week, but while that unfolds we are going to look at some bigger issues. Interest rates went up…
Inside PoliticsBill Shorten on his random, oblique reference in the Epstein files
Today on Inside Politics, we welcome back former opposition leader Bill Shorten, who is now the Vice Chancellor of the University of Canberra. It's a timely…
Inside PoliticsA funeral, secret plots, and 'wayward children' — another messy week for the Coalition
The drama between the Liberals and the Nationals continued this week with what seems to be a total breakdown in the relationship between Liberal leader Sussan…
Inside PoliticsThe Sketch: Tony Wright on the Coalition’s 'ship of fools'
Tony Wright, the associate editor of The Age, has been writing for 50 years. He is the master of what we call the political sketch. Sketches are akin to a…
Inside PoliticsBarnaby Joyce opens up on his defection to Pauline Hanson's One Nation
One Nation is having a bit of a moment. Pauline Hanson’s outfit, accused by both major parties of exploiting racial anxiety over her career, has faded…
Inside PoliticsLittleproud fired the gun, but Ley set up the circumstances: The spectacular Coalition break-up
We are back with a special episode of Inside Politics as a few things have happened this week – namely the break-up of the Coalition, a century-old…
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Best of 2025: Bill Shorten on Albanese's Trump triumph, and the opposition's next move
Inside Politics is still on a break, but we’re set to return in two weeks. Today, we return to an episode released just after Anthony Albanese’s…
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Best of 2025: Albanese meets with Trump next week. Anything could happen
We’re on a break over summer, our dear chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal is probably off to a yoga retreat somewhere in Bali, and we return at…
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Best of 2025: The rallies, the neo-Nazis, the flag-draping: How politics on immigration have led to this point
Happy New Year. We’re on a break over summer - lucky us - before we return at the end of January for another year of Inside Politics. Today, we’re…
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Best of 2025: A Labor 'landslide' and disaster for Dutton
Hi and Merry Christmas! Your Inside Politics team is on a little hiatus over summer before we return at the end of January. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy…
Inside PoliticsAnger in the aftermath: Albanese and the Bondi attack
This week it feels wrong to talk about politics in the wake of the horrific antisemitic massacre at Bondi Beach on Sunday. Australians and Sydneysiders in…
Inside PoliticsTony Abbott on running for Senate, AUKUS and cultural ‘self-loathing’
In this bonus episode of Inside Politics, former primer minister Tony Abbott joins host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal. Abbott…
Inside PoliticsThe ‘dirty business’ of MP expenses
Today, we're delving into the expenses scandal, if indeed we are calling it a scandal, that has engulfed the Communications Minister Anika Wells. A $100,000…
Inside Politics$100k flights, uncomfortable truth about PM's wedding, and the social media ban fight
This week the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was on his honeymoon after his low-key Lodge wedding last weekend, while Senate estimates rolled on in Canberra…
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Barnaby defects, Hanson offends and Sussan Ley comes on the podcast
Well, Barnaby Joyce finally announced his resignation from the Nationals this week, paving his way to join One Nation, in a week where Pauline Hanson recycled…
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Albanese wants to protect Australia ‘as it is’. But is it good enough?
Recently on this podcast we have been highly fixated on the problems within the Liberal opposition and we have neglected the government somewhat. So this week…
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The Coalition’s net zero word salad, and Ley’s leadership ‘not safe’
This week in federal politics there was really only one show in town, and that was the compelling and 'can't look away' car crash that is the Liberal party's…