Australian Politics

With a sharp, aggressive strategy, the Australian Greens’ newly elected leader vows to take on corporate power and bring a “red hot fight” to coal and gas approvals. But following a turbulent week and internal party room fractures, can Senator David Shoebridge and his polarising approach rally progressive voters without deepening splits? Guardian Australia’s political editor, Tom McIlroy, speaks with the new party leader about taking on One Nation, pushing back on Aukus, and his vision for the party’s future.

Immigration is the hot-button issue lighting up this month’s polling. Elsewhere, the Coalition have hit their equal-lowest ever primary vote, despite mounting scrutiny on Labor’s handing of the economy and inflation, and other dramas dogging the government. Guardian Australia political reporter Josh Butler speaks with Essential Media chair Peter Lewis about how many votes can be won in the bruising and often incendiary brawl over migration policy.

On Monday, Jim Chalmers released Treasury’s economic forecast for the next 40 years – in the Albanese government’s second intergenerational report. The outlook shows major challenges on geopolitics, the AI transformation, and for the first time, deaths will overtake births in Australia within a few decades. The treasurer speaks with Guardian Australia’s political editor Tom McIlroy and economics editor Patrick Commins about why he’s optimistic Labor’s policy agenda is preparing the country for an unpredictable future

Home affairs minister Tony Burke delivered a speech at the National Press Club on Thursday, announcing immigration reforms to achieve Labor’s forecasts for net overseas migration. After being postponed at short notice six weeks ago, Burke’s speech comes in the same week that One Nation announced its policy to significantly cut the number of temporary migrants in Australia. Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to Burke about why the government is making the changes, the limitations that come from not successfully securing Coalition support, and why new migrants aren’t to blame for the housing crisis

This week, the Albanese government released its draft digital duty of care legislation and announced reforms to allow social media users to opt out of algorithms. The Coalition has ruled out their support, so the Greens will be crucial to the changes passing the Senate. Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young about why she thinks this will be a ‘battle for our generation’. They also discuss her party’s decision to support Labor’s plans for a new landmark koala national park in NSW. The deal has divided environmentalists and the Greens, with three senators crossing the floor on Thursday, because the proposal will controversially allow big industry to offset their climate pollution under certain conditions