Karen Barlow

EXCLUSIVE: As Sussan Ley confirms the decision to scrap the Liberals’ commitment to net zero, the party’s three new female parliamentarians speak of their views on the Liberals’ future.

As the Nationals announce they will no longer support net zero, some moderate Liberals are pushing to dissolve the Coalition agreement.

Environment Minister Murray Watt tells The Saturday Paper he is convinced his reforms will pass before the end of the year, although the Greens and the Coalition are both wary of supporting them in their current form.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody describes a wave of hate and calls for her resignation fuelled by the Murdoch press in response to her advocacy for transgender rights.

The home affairs minister says divisive voices are the loudest they have ever been in Australia – but a ‘ballast’ of cohesion remains and economic policies will calm the electorate.

A fracturing of the Liberal right faction has created chaos within the party, leading to what MPs have called ‘incredible ... damage’ to the Coalition’s reputation and prospects.

The Senate inquiry into climate misinformation invited both News Corp and Advance to its hearings – senators have received 5000 emails from Advance supporters, telling them to back off.

Liberal powerbroker Alex Hawke – a key figure in Scott Morrison’s inner circle – has emerged as the factional leader and numbers man on whom Sussan Ley depends for her control of the party.

MPs are demanding the government make public a ‘terrifying’ intelligence report on climate change to support this week’s National Climate Risk Assessment and target.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has stood firm against another far-right attack on her leadership, but it has exposed a struggle between the Liberal Party’s powerbrokers.

Environment Minister Murray Watt rejects criticisms that he’s bowing to Western Australian interests on key reform, and wants to seize a window of opportunity to work with Opposition Leader Sussan Ley for a deal by the end of the year.

The government has given ‘unprecedented’ time to Barnaby Joyce’s net zero bill weeks before it must deliver a new midterm emissions reduction target.

As an international coalition steps up support of Ukraine in its war with Russia, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has backed the prime minister’s offer of Australian forces to join peacekeeping efforts.

Amid pressure from tech giants and the promise of massive productivity gains, the industry and innovation minister is stepping back from a plan for new laws to regulate the use of AI.

Anthony Albanese is telling colleagues the recognition of Palestinian statehood is only a question of when, as the government responds to the crisis in Gaza.

As the Albanese government celebrates the success of the prime minister’s trip to China, it is clear the diplomatic visit has electoral implications in at least 15 seats.

The focus on a PM meeting with the US president ignores the realities of his chaotic stance on trade and greatly overstates its significance, insiders say.

The prime minister’s ambition to leave office at a time of his own choosing is buttressed by a historically large Left-leaning caucus committed to the Labor agenda.

A survey of new members and senators shows Labor’s caucus has a Left majority for the first time since national groupings were introduced – and details their home ownership, education and previous careers.

EXCLUSIVE: The trade minister tells The Saturday Paper about Australia’s edge in negotiations with the US over tariffs.

The prime minister has staked out a course for his second term that he hopes will address calls for bolder action, including from young voters and his Left faction colleagues.

The federal appeals tribunal, revamped to address a backload of cases, is now swamped as a result of volatile policy over international student intake.

EXCLUSIVE: The leader of the opposition has reunited the Coalition in her first weeks and now sets about the mammoth task of reconnecting to the electorate.

The Nationals staked their political future on four policy positions, in what looks increasingly like a messy and misguided coup.

Sussan Ley hopes to lead the Liberals from the centre, but former MPs warn there is ‘nothing even remotely sensible or centrist mulling around in that party room right now’.

As the Liberals deal with a comprehensive loss at last weekend’s election, there is division inside the party over what went wrong and what to do next.

Anthony Albanese’s Labor government has won the election resoundingly, securing a majority with strong swings around the country, and Peter Dutton has lost his seat of Dickson.

Both major parties have run election campaigns focused on the leaders to the exclusion of rising stars and talented rivals, even as shifting demographics highlight the need for generational change.

Both major parties are accused of missing the big picture in this election campaign, with the critical issues of climate, inequality and integrity left largely unexplored.

In an exclusive interview with The Saturday Paper, the prime minister says he is campaigning on three elements: his record, his promise and the risk of the alternative.

In an interview with The Saturday Paper, the independent ACT senator lays out the two top conditions for his support in the likely scenario of a hung parliament.

Medicare has been a centrepiece of every modern election campaign for Labor. In an interview with The Saturday Paper, the health minister is doubling down, with a focus on Peter Dutton’s record in his role.

The prime minister has kicked off a long-awaited official campaign that most believe will deliver a hung parliament, as the independents work to harness growing voter disaffection with the major parties.

With the economy dominating this election campaign, Labor insiders say they can shake voters’ traditional perceptions of the Coalition as the stronger steward.

The Albanese government delivers an election-eve budget sweetened with tax cuts, which the opposition will be under pressure to match, while conceding that a surplus is a decade away.

As Elon Musk guts the department overseeing America’s nuclear capabilities, concern is mounting about Australia’s AUKUS deal, with experts advising a turn back to Europe for procurement.

The government invited only the progressive independents – excluding the Greens, the Coalition and the relevant parliamentary committee – to a briefing on the still-unpublished Climate Risk Assessment report.

More than half a million Gen Zs will vote for the first time in this election, boosting a young demographic that is more powerful than ever and a serious threat to the major parties.

As the United States government aggressively dismantles gender and inclusion initiatives, there are signs of Australian companies stepping back from targets.

Lawyers have been engaged as Creative Australia and the arts minister both refuse to say what really happened before the dumping of Australia’s representative at the Venice Biennale.

Attempts to undermine Kevin Rudd’s ambassadorship – from the opposition and in the Murdoch press – have been described as ‘revenge’ for his criticism of the media mogul.

In an exclusive interview with The Saturday Paper, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is targeting new seats in all six states and believes he can hold majority government.

As Donald Trump threatens even the closest allies with tariffs, Trade Minister Don Farrell prepares to argue the case for exempting Australia – and America’s biggest rival, China.

The opposition’s plans to cut the public service are at odds with the scale of bureaucracy and consultants needed to support its nuclear power proposal, the minister for the public service says.

Insiders say the opposition is already taking cues from the new US administration’s hard line on gender and diversity policies.

Peter Dutton ends the year with detailed plans to wind back reconciliation, peppering departments with questions about the cost of Welcomes to Country and promising to scrap flags, dual names and the ambassador for First Nations people.

The opposition has seized upon the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue to claim that the government is contributing to rising anti-Semitism in Australia.

Labor insiders have criticised the prime minister’s treatment of his Left faction rival and say he is driven by personal grievance.

The government’s pledge to restore confidence in the bureaucracy is under attack as the Coalition embraces the mining magnate’s Trumpian vision for deep cuts.

His Liberal Party colleagues describe Angus Taylor as a gifted strategist with strong economic qualifications and driving ambition, but some fear he lacks cut-through in the political match-up with Jim Chalmers.

Independent MP Helen Haines has referred $1.35 billion in election grants to the audit office, saying they overwhelmingly skew to Labor electorates.

The Coalition is questioning the independence of teal incumbents and challengers for the next election in a new Liberal ‘teals revealed’ campaign.

Following a mixed reception to the latest piece of the Coalition’s policy, the shadow minister reveals further measures to come on deregulation and access to finance.

As Labor’s new Administrative Review Tribunal begins operation, former members have raised concerns about a lack of transparency and political interventions in the selection process.

In an interview with The Saturday Paper, Tanya Plibersek says she is still negotiating with the cross bench and believes she can pass Labor’s environment reform.

While Coalition insiders say Peter Dutton has rallied the party room around his nuclear policy, some fear that unity has been achieved at the expense of key seats.

As the government faces the prospect of its housing agenda unravelling, with two key bills stalled in the Senate, Labor and the Greens are locked in a bitter fight over an issue that could decide the next election.

The government is increasingly using non-disclosure agreements as a condition of consultation on reforms, threatening advocates and social welfare groups with imprisonment if orders are breached.

As the likelihood of minority government increases, Labor is actively cultivating relations with the teal independents.

As the new Administrative Review Tribunal prepares to begin operating on October 14, an analysis of 364 appointments shows Labor has been sincere in reforming the stacked body it replaces.

Two years into the decade-long national plan to end gendered violence, key reviews released this week have highlighted significant shortfalls in the strategy.

As Labor prepares to introduce a partial ban on gambling advertising, it faces internal dissent and an opposition strategy to paint the party as untrustworthy.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is seeking new powers to target the revenue of social media giants in order to curb their hosting of graphic, often violent, content.

As Anthony Albanese restructures Home Affairs, it can be revealed that the drones Labor claimed were being used to monitor released asylum seekers were decommissioned months before the High Court’s ruling on indefinite detention.

Labor will soon unveil a foundation of its cost-of-living election pitch: a proposal to introduce universal, affordable childcare.

EXCLUSIVE: In a rare interview, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody backs calls for domestic violence to be treated the same way as terrorism, and says the national plan needs to go further.

A parliamentary inquiry into how the financial system can be used against women has exposed a dramatic increase in reports of such abuse and a shortage of measures to prevent it.

Fatima Payman has confirmed she spoke with election strategist Glenn Druery before crossing the floor, as colleagues say her defection from the Labor Party was months in the making.

As the government struggles to attract support for its housing policies ahead of a cost-of-living election, homelessness services are left without essential funding.

The opposition leader has seized on disillusionment over the government’s lack of support for households to transition to renewables in the hope of making his uncosted nuclear policy a cost-of-living issue.

As the Coalition fractures over climate action, Anthony Albanese tells The Saturday Paper he believes it is the No. 1 issue for many voters.

With the Coalition stepping up attacks on the immigration minister, Home Affairs insiders spoke to The Saturday Paper about much-needed reforms to the department.

In an interview with The Saturday Paper, the Indigenous Affairs minister dismisses speculation about her political future and says the ‘fire is still raging’ to deliver change.

Staffers and politicians say workplace culture has been slow to improve. Unredacted survey results obtained by The Saturday Paper reveal the full extent of the failures that prompted the reforms.

The budget is a pitch to make investments in green projects the centrepiece of the next federal election – but observers say the plan lacks coherence and that it will take a year to sell that vision.

Labor’s budget confirms the election priorities of the energy transition, housing and cost-of-living support, while securing a second consecutive surplus. Its targeted spending is intended to avoid a rebound in inflation.

Tuesday’s budget will include a substantial support package for performing arts schools, several of which are on the brink of collapse.