Podcast
Politics Now
Hosted by ABC Australia · EN
The ABC's politics podcast, Politics Now, dives into the biggest political stories in Australia and around the world, giving you a balanced look inside the strategies and decisions behind the headlines. Whenever major news breaks, we'll be in your feed with coverage you can trust.
From Monday to Wednesday, Patricia Karvelas will chat to a rotating cast of the ABC's biggest political journalists about the latest news.
On Thursdays, 'The Party Room' with Patricia Karvelas and Fran Kelly will discuss the week's developments in depth with another journalist, and answer your questions.
On Saturdays, David Speers gets into the details of a major trend or issue with the help of an expert on 'Insiders On Background'.
113episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Is One Nation a bigger threat to Labor than the Coalition? | Insiders On Background
2w ago00:22:13Tap to summarizeThe rise of One Nation this year has been crushing for the coalition, but it is also posing a threat to Labor.Outgoing National ALP President and former Treasurer, Wayne Swan sat down with David Speers at Labor's 50th conference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
One Nation leadership rumbles emerge
3w ago00:36:21Tap to summarizeIt's Question Time! But before Fran and PK dive into your clever questions, they wrap up the latest political developments.Pauline Hanson's podcast interview with far-right UK agitator Tommy Robinson is making waves — including it seems, within the One Nation itself.The One Nation leader suggested her daughter Lee Hanson had the "potential" to be a future leader of the party, so where does this leave Barnaby Joyce?And what's the history of Royal Commissions in Australia and when do they work best? We asked an expert.And while housing has dominated the political agenda, what impact is our aging population having on demand?Could older people house sharing offer a solution and importantly, what kind of roommates were PK and Fran? (spoiler: one of them was very protective of their butter!)And could an Australian MP pull a "stunt" like Nigel Farage? PK and Fran don't think so — and they also feel VERY differently about Count Binface.Patricia Karvelas and Fran Kelly answer your clever queries on The Party Room: Question Time edition.Listen here to Royal commissions in Australia — when have they made a difference?Listen here toLabor's AI plan and Hanson's holidayGot a burning question?Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at thepartyroom@abc.net.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Labor's AI plan and Hanson's holiday
3w ago00:45:40Tap to summarizePrime Minister Anthony Albanese's landmark AI address has dominated the political week.But was the announcement of National AI standards a bit of an "about face" from the PM, after what was previously seen as a hands-off approach to AI regulation from the Government?And One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has been meeting with a series of fringe figures across the UK and has now been spotted in a resort in Sicily with mining magnate Gina Rinehart.So, how are the optics of the Pauline Hanson rubbing shoulders with far-right figures like Tommy Robinson playing with recent One Nation converts back home?Patricia Karvelas and Fran Kelly are joined by Ronald Mizen, AFR Political Correspondent on The Party Room.Got a burning question?Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at thepartyroom@abc.net.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Albanese's AI roadmap
3w ago00:27:47Tap to summarizePrime Minister Anthony Albanese has unveiled "world-leading" AI standards, urging Australians to embrace change and shape AI in the national interest.The PM used a landmark speech to lay out his vision for Australia's AI future, as Australians grapple with concerns over job losses, anxieties over the environmental impacts of AI data centres and copyright protections.Labor is set to legislate standards next year, with Anthony Albanese effectively shaping the debate that's to come — including at the Federal Labor Conference next week.Patricia Karvelas and Jacob Greber break it all down on Politics Now.Got a burning question?Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at thepartyroom@abc.net.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Is uncertainty the new normal?
4w ago00:35:25Tap to summarizeUS President Donald Trump has vowed to impose a toll on traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz, as the US military launches its latest wave of strikes against Iran.The Albanese Government is urging restraint and pointing to Australia's secure fuel supply — but is this the "new normal"?And four women and girls were killed in four days in separate incidents last week, PK and Raf reflect on frustrations around the media coverage of violence against women and the focus from governments to combat the issue.Patricia Karvelas and Raf Epstein break it all down on Politics Now.Got a burning question?Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at thepartyroom@abc.net.au1800 Respect national helpline:1800 737 732Women's Crisis Line:1800 811 811Men's Referral Service:1300 766 491Lifeline (24 hour crisis line):131 114Relationships Australia:1300 364 277NSW Domestic Violence Line:1800 656 463Qld DV Connect Womensline:1800 811 811Vic Safe Steps crisis response line:1800 015 188ACT 24/7 Crisis Line:(02) 6280 0900Tas Family Violence Counselling and Support Service:1800 608 122SA Domestic Violence Crisis Line:1800 800 098WA Women's Domestic Violence 24h Helpline:1800 007 339NT Domestic violence helpline:1800 737 732 3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Has One Nation support hit a ceiling?
4w ago00:32:06Tap to summarizeIt's another poll Monday, this time with PK and Clare!A new Resolve poll in the SMH and The Age shows support for One Nation has slipped, with leader Pauline Hanson's likeability also taking a tumble.In what will be a major relief for under fire Opposition leader Angus Taylor, the Coalition has benefited — picking up support. It comes as the Opposition leader rebukes One Nation and their economic credentials for the first time, so is the Coalition settling on a new strategy?And Labor is riding high after a successful week of international diplomacy, but there are "spotfires" building for Treasurer Jim Chalmers, ahead of the second tranche of budget tax measures.Meanwhile, as the Royal Commission on Antisemitism is this week shifts its focus to universities, the Government has announced it'll require higher education institutions to adopt definitions of antisemitism.Patricia Karvelas and Clare Armstrong break it all down on Politics Now.Read PK's analysis hereLabor scoring own goals while Coalition distracted by One Nation threatRead Clare's piece hereLabor's trust tax proposal leaves small businesses waiting to see what states will do with stamp dutyGot a burning question?Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at thepartyroom@abc.net.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Australia has a deficit dilemma, could means-testing wealth be the solution?
4w ago00:28:21Tap to summarizeDire budget deficits for years to come and stalling productivity growth are painting a bleak economic picture. Against this backdrop, a new policy idea has emerged: if Australia can't rely on productivity growth and tax reform to fix the budget blackhole, what about means-testing wealth? Peter Harris is the former chair of the Productivity Commission and now board director at the Policy Institute Australia.He told Jacob Greber, for this week's Insiders On Background, means testing wealth - including the family home - for paid parental leave, aged care, pensions and childcare could fix the budget blackhole. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
Modi, the Pacific and THAT podcast
Jul 900:46:51Tap to summarizeIt's been a big week on the international stage for Anthony Albanese, from a Pacific blitz to bilateral talks with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Melbourne.While a Chinese missile test threatened to overshadow the diplomacy tour, was the destabilising move actually a "cherry-on-top" for Australia — pushing Pacific nations closer to us?Back home, the fallout from the Telstra outage is continuing and so are the politics. So, did the Opposition "jump the shark?"And of course there was THAT podcast appearance and subsequent "unequivocal apology" from the PM this week. So, what are the risks for politicians trying to engage in new media to reach voters?Patricia Karvelas and Fran Kelly are joined by Stephen Dziedzic, ABC Foreign Affairs Asia Pacific Reporter on The Party Room.Got a burning question?Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at thepartyroom@abc.net.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
The politics of an outage
Jul 800:30:43Tap to summarizeA nationwide Telstra outage has caused chaos for commuters and businesses and prompted Communications Minister Anika Wells to return early from leave.And artificial intelligence is back in the spotlight, with Assistant Minister Andrew Charlton suggesting now is the time to embed safety into AI. It comes ahead of the Labor Conference where an internal debate over AI is set to get "messy".Meanwhile, a stoush is brewing between drug-makers and the Federal Government.Patricia Karvelas and Clare Armstrong break it all down on Politics Now.Read Clare's piece here — Critical Drugs could be pulled from PBS amid pricing stoushGot a burning question?Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at thepartyroom@abc.net.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →
PM rebukes 'provocative' missile test
Jul 700:25:42Tap to summarizePrime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned China's missile test in the Pacific as a "provocative act", suggesting it destablises the region.It comes as the PM holds bilateral talks with his Solomon Islands counterpart and continues his regional diplomacy blitz.And back home, as preparations get underway for the Federal Labor Conference, there are already some clear battlelines taking shape.Melissa Clarke and Tom Crowley break it all down on Politics Now.Got a burning question?Got a burning political query? Send a short voice recording to PK and Fran for Question Time at thepartyroom@abc.net.au Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →