New Politics: Australian Politics, News, Analysis & Commentary

Andy Burnham’s arrival as British prime minister will test whether a modern Labour government can finally break with Thatcherism and neoliberalism by tackling the cost-of-living crisis, expanding social housing, rebuilding public services and confronting corporate power. His agenda – and a potential shift on Gaza and Palestine – also presents a challenge for Anthony Albanese and Australian Labor: if Burnham can deliver meaningful economic reform, Labor’s cautious incrementalism will become harder to defend. As members gather for the party’s 50th National Conference, demanding stronger action on Gaza, AUKUS, gas exports and gambling advertising, both countries face the same question: can labour governments deliver genuine change, or will powerful interests continue to protect the status quo? #AUSPOL
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Song listing:
‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

One Nation’s falling support is exposing the gap between Pauline Hanson’s media profile and electoral credibility. Her European roadshow offered culture-war attacks on multiculturalism, migration, transgender people and net zero, but no solutions to Australia’s housing crisis, stagnant wages or rising cost of living. Hanson cannot indefinitely pose as the champion of Australian battlers while keeping company with the billionaire class – and voters may finally be seeing through the contradiction. #AUSPOL
Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis: www.newpolitics.com.au 
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics
Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com  
Song listing:
‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

The Federal Court might have ended pianist Jayson Gillham’s legal battle with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, but the controversy raises broader questions about artistic freedom, political censorship and Palestine advocacy in Australia. After Gillham dedicated Connor D’Netto’s Witness to Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza, the MSO cancelled his performances, revealing how quickly free expression can become conditional when donors, boards and commercial reputations are involved. We examine the court ruling, apparent double standards within Australia’s cultural institutions and the chilling message it sends to artists: political expression is tolerated – until it challenges the wrong interests. #AUSPOL
Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis: www.newpolitics.com.au 
Support New Politics:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics
Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com
Song listing:
‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

Australia’s Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion was created to confront genuine antisemitism, but is it instead silencing criticism of Israel and deepening division? We examine the uneven treatment of Zionist, progressive Jewish and pro-Palestinian witnesses; Jillian Segal’s proposals for scrutinising ABC and SBS coverage; pressure to adopt the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism; and the threat to free speech, editorial independence and legitimate debate about Israel, Palestine and Gaza. Antisemitism must be confronted, but selectively testing evidence and redefining political dissent as prejudice will not strengthen social cohesion – it will erode public confidence and create even greater division. #AUSPOL
Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis: www.newpolitics.com.au 
Support New Politics: 
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics
Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com  
Song listing:
‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

China's latest missile test triggered familiar warnings of an escalating security crisis, but was the reaction driven more by geopolitics than by the launch itself? This episode examines Australia's response, the role of the United States in shaping regional strategy, AUKUS, the growing contest for influence across the Pacific, and why China's primary audience was Washington rather than Canberra. We also explore the legacy of nuclear testing in the Pacific, Australia's relationship with Fiji, media narratives about China, and whether Australian politics has become trapped in a cycle of strategic alarmism instead of sober analysis. #AUSPOL  
Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis: www.newpolitics.com.au  
Support New Politics: 
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics
Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com  
Song listing:
‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.