Amy Remeikis
Beyond the obvious joke that modest tax reform and slightly increased subsidies for privatised services is about as socialist as Milton Friedman’s underpants, O’Brien’s instinctual answer also points to just how out of depth most Australian politicians are when it comes to meeting this obvious inflection moment.
Australia’s 538 local councils have united at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA)’s National General Assembly to call on the Australian Parliament to deliver an immediate increase in untied funding, warning the financial sustainability of councils and the services communities rely on are increasingly at risk.
Today, the ABS has released its latest survey on barriers to work, and more than a quarter of women aged 18-64 who were not retired but would like to work, or would like to work more hours, cited child care as the main reason for not doing so.
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According to the Australian Financial Review (AFR), Tania Constable, the head of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), was in Canberra yesterday ‘launching a “Hands off our Fuel” online messaging blitz’. Unsurprisingly, the mining lobby's ads are full of misleading, or downright false, claims.
Each year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) puts out its 'Australian Industry' figures, providing a detailed snapshot of how different sectors of the economy are performing. This year’s figures cover the 2024-25 financial year. And the sector with the highest profits margin (by a sizeable margin) was the oil and gas sector.
On the face of it, Hanson is right that the 2021 census reported 872,000 people spoke English either “not well” or “not at all”. But that number hides details that make Hanson’s claim highly misleading. For example, of those who reported speaking English “not at all”, most are Australian citizens. And about half of those have a pretty good reason for not speaking English – they’re babies.
Independent MP Zali Steggall has launched a fresh push for truth in political advertising laws, warning that artificial intelligence and deepfakes pose a growing threat to Australia's democracy. Ms Steggall tabled her latest private member’s bill, arguing that political advertising “remains a free-for-all” and has become a “standards-free zone” that requires urgent attention.
Australia’s total foreign aid budget was $5.097 billion in 2025-6. According to Animal Medicines Australia’s major survey and study of pet ownership, Australians spent $21 billion on their animals in the year to March 2025.
It isn’t always easy to keep up with what’s happening in the US. “Shorter America” is a series where Dr Emma Shortis loops you in on what’s going on in America and shares news and analysis that you can trust.
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Politicians can be too cynical for their own good. As I argued in The Point, they would often do better with the common good, not apparent political advantage, as their guide. Here are six times when politicians paid the price for pursuing short-term self-interest.
Over the weekend, we got some modelling that claimed the changes to negative gearing would increase rents by $2,000 per year, or $40 a week. Now, economic modelling can be a powerful tool to understand the impacts of a policy change. But if it doesn’t properly capture relevant changes, it can produce completely nonsensical results.
Australia's flagship climate policy is failing to reduce actual emissions because major polluters are relying on unlimited carbon offsets, according to new research. The Australia Institute report argues Labor’s Safeguard Mechanism has failed to deliver the promised reductions in gross emissions from Australia's largest industrial facilities.
A star Socceroo has delivered a powerful message to the world about multiculturalism, diversity and the contribution of refugees, ahead of Australia’s next game at the football World Cup. Adelaide-based winger Awer Mabil, one of four Socceroos who came to Australia as refugees before finding their way into the national soccer team, spoke to journalists in the build-up to the clash with co-hosts the USA on Saturday.
