The rise of One Nation creates a surprising opportunity for progressive voters.

After months of speculation, the Liberal Party has a new leader, and the Coalition has a new frontbench. So, does that mean we can expect some new ideas?

This week, Australia rolled out the red carpet for a world leader who has been accused of inciting genocide, while NSW police were caught on camera bashing people protesting against genocide.

In five days, Anthony Albanese will become Australia’s longest-serving prime minister since John Howard.

Australians have been lectured a lot in the past couple of years about social cohesion, but it reached a fever pitch this week in response to protests against the visit by Israel’s head of state.

The first Labor national government anywhere in the world was elected in Australia in April 1904.

Our first month of 2026 was an eventful one!

Last weekend, music fans across Australia tuned into national youth music station Triple J for the 33rd annual Hottest 100.

We are about to head back into parliament – and the sitting year proper – with one of the major parties again focused on itself, and the other doing all it can to ensure the focus remains on its rivals.

Anyone interested in politics would have heard the paraphrased Plato quote at some point – “one of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors”.

The biggest loser in the political brinkmanship Anthony Albanese and Labor lured Sussan Ley and the Liberals into with the hate group legislation no one wanted is, as always, the public.

Sussan Ley started 2026 much like she ended 2025 – extending her tenuous hold on the Liberal Party leadership by politicising tragedy.

Australia’s health system is in crisis and, while the tensions over funding between state and territory leaders and the Commonwealth is at an all-time high, people desperately waiting for medical help need real action, not performative posturing.

Another summer, another round of devastation: homes lost, communities evacuated, lives upended.

The first thought I had when the Albanese government’s under 16s social media ban was announced was: “Can I opt in?”

There is no denying Australia’s sense of safety has been shattered. There is no denying antisemitism exists in Australia and that the fears of the Jewish community have been horrifically realised in a way that perhaps we will never recover from. There is no denying that in the days and months to come we will

The horrific anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Bondi, the most deadly mass shooting since the Port Arthur massacre thirty years ago, makes gun law reform in Australia necessary. Suggestions from former prime minister John Howard and others that gun law reform is just “a distraction” are cynical in the extreme. Precisely no one is suggesting gun

It’s been a massive year for everyone here at the Australia Institute, and we couldn’t have done it without you!

The problem with having pattern recognition is that you can always see the fires before they start.

Last week the Liberal Party shamefully misquoted the head of the Reserve Bank in a weak attempt to justify its criticism of government spending.

The Albanese government could soon intervene to start fixing one of the biggest ongoing public policy fiascos in this country’s history: Australia’s rampant, uncontrolled gas export industry.

Thursday was Spotify Wrapped day, when people around the world, like kids following the latest playground craze, shared their “top five” list.

The greatest trick neoliberalism ever pulled was convincing people government intervention shouldn’t exist.

On the eve of his defeat as Liberal Party leader in 2009, Malcolm Turnbull gave an interview to press gallery legend Laurie Oakes that still shocks hardened political watchers today.

November was a busy month at the Australia Institute!

We are Australians that dearly love the land, water, wildlife, and culture of our great country. We are committed to communities having a fair go, to openness in decision-making and to having our voices heard on decisions that affect us. We are committed to the wellbeing of this generation and future generations – and to

Australians are the world’s biggest losers. Last year, Australians lost $34.8 billion in bets. That’s more than Australian households spend on electricity and gas ($29.5 billion) or alcohol ($26.8 billion) – so it seems safe to say we have a problem.

Australia’s health system needs intensive care, and so does the tax system that funds it.