David Speers

First-term senator Fatima Payman has quit Labor to sit on the crossbench, after becoming the first Labor MP in decades to defy her party in a vote to recognise Palestinian statehood.

The last week of parliament before the winter recess can often be messy — and this week proved to be no exception for either Anthony Albanese or Peter Dutton. 

Whether seen as a hero or villain, support for bringing Assange home eventually stretched across the political spectrum like few other issues, writes David Speers. 

Two years ago, few would have thought Peter Dutton would go to the next election without a 2030 climate target. So what's changed?

Immigration is a hot issue in the UK and US election campaigns as arrivals surge and voters face cost-of-living pressure. But reducing migrant numbers has economic consequences too.

The former federal treasurer is considering running for his old seat of Kooyong, but would need to displace pre-selected candidate Amelia Hamer to do so.

Andrew Giles is facing immense pressure over the decision known as Direction 99, but he shows no signs of going anywhere. This mess can be traced back to a meeting of two prime ministers looking to repair a broken relationship.

As we enter the final year of the parliamentary term, pressure is growing for alternative solutions. And if the Coalition's immigration policy announcement is anything to go by, it will need to lift its game on nuclear.

Power bill rebates aside, the real post-budget debate will likely be over the government's Future Made in Australia plan. This is where Peter Dutton has chosen to fight.

Former Treasury secretary Ken Henry has been involved in putting together more budgets than most, and while he can understand the clamour to bring down inflation, he has a different view to most commentators on what role the budget should play.

In the lead-up to this year's budget announcement, the Albanese government is struggling to maintain the public's focus and clear air to announce its plans. 

While Anthony Albanese says we're in a "race for jobs" with other countries offering big government subsidies and can't afford to be "left behind", Productivity Commissioner Danielle Wood isn't sure it's a race we should even be in.

Two horrific attacks in Sydney have sparked debate over what defines an ideologically motivated attack, and whether deliberately targeting women should count as an act of terror.

The prime minister sees an agenda to grow local green manufacturing as not only economically and strategically vital, but a political no-brainer. But that's only if it all works.

There have been "tipping points" since the war in Gaza began nearly six months ago. But this week's deadly Israeli air strike on an aid convoy may prove to be one of the most significant — and on one side of Australian politics, the response has been fury.

An unhappy experience with the Voice referendum explains the Albanese government’s reticence to push ahead on religious freedoms. Debates that risk inflaming community tensions are best avoided for now, even if that means failing to deliver on an election promise, writes David Speers.

How many older Australians is the government willing to squeeze to help fund a bigger and better aged care sector? And how hard is it willing to squeeze them? asks David Speers. 

There's a reason why opposition parties often prefer to avoid producing actual policy alternatives until they absolutely must, writes David Speers.

As Dunkley voters prepare for a by-election this first electoral contest for the year is likely to help define the strategies both sides of politics adopt as they eye the next election. And the cost of living crisis will be hovering on the sidelines, writes David Speers.

Both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton will be sweating on the outcome of the March 2 by-election. It will determine their immediate political fortunes and the all-important momentum for 2024, writes David Speers.

Amidst the parliamentary ping-pong between Labor's hard sell of its tax cuts and the Coalition's alarm at convicted immigrants on the loose, it's become clear all sides are keeping a close eye on another issue that could prove to be a far more powerful vote driver: housing, writes David Speers.

Two of the nation's most respected economists have put forward a bold plan they say can lower global carbon emissions by at least 6 per cent, super-charge a new green export industry for Australia, deliver much cheaper power bills and even dramatically cut the rate of inflation.

Dutton may not have produced much policy detail in the 21 months since the last election, but he's talking a big game about what's to come, writes David Speers. 

After unveiling his re-jigged tax plan last week, Anthony Albanese has conducted five press conferences, eight radio interviews and two TV interviews — the kind of media blitz usually reserved for winning an election, writes David Speers. 

The ABC's political docuseries Nemesis has arrived. We bring you the latest updates from episode one, with political analysis from David Speers.