February
Government bracing for tariff rejection by Trump
The Albanese government has started playing down the prospects of securing tariff exemption for the Trump administration.
Rudd, Chalmers, Farrell lock in US talks in race for tariff carve-out
The Albanese government is mounting a full court press in Washington to spare Australian exports from tariffs before the election is called.
Chalmers courts Blackstone, Citi in big super’s US push
The Albanese government is hoping to highlight the two-way investment opportunities between the US and Australia in the hope of wooing the Trump administration.
Chalmers straps in for trip to Trump World
The treasurer’s visit to Washington this week shows the difficulties of navigating the risks and presidential whims dominating any interaction with the Trump White House.
Can Albanese survive the Trump storm heading into election?
As Labor prepares for an election, any momentum for its agenda and achievements keeps being blown off course by the will and whims of Donald Trump.
This US senator stole Joe Hockey’s boots. Now they’ve joined forces
Joe Manchin says Australia will always be a valued ally even if it does not feel that way in the frenzied early days of Donald Trump.
Rudd has the Trump tariff job ahead of him in Washington
Cutting a fresh tariff deal with Trump will be a test of Rudd’s diplomatic skills and ability to secure access and favour in the White House and on Capitol Hill.
Trump lumps allies in with enemies in tariff chaos
US tariffs on steel and aluminium look likely to embroil Australia. What’s an under-pressure Anthony Albanese to do when a president doesn’t care about impact on allies?
Will ‘muzzle velocity’ backfire on Trump?
This week reminded critics and supporters of the chaos of Trump’s first term, when a propensity for wild ideas meant little to show for his four years in power.
January
Three-year terms keep us stuck in short-term thinking
As campaigning starts earlier each election, politics becomes overtly tactical, the public service enters zombie mode and business watches on frustrated as nothing gets done.
Fast-track airport entry for some Aussie travellers to US
Regular Australian visitors will be spared the hassle and long queues of the country’s notorious airport security system under a new system.
LA burning a reminder that climate action matters to Australia
In a hotter world, the risk of more common, more extreme weather is part of the prudent economic case for improving the environment.
What Justin Trudeau’s exit means for progressive politics
Canada’s prime minister is only the latest left-of-centre political leader to leave office in a fog of disillusion and domestic discontent.
Labor’s over the election barrel on Bruce Highway
It is fiscal integrity, more than political integrity, that is the concern as Labor embarks on what could be the start of an election spending spree.
Rudd puts his feet up for summer as world braces for Trump
Ambassador to the US and former prime minister Kevin Rudd has been watching cricket back home in Australia while Donald Trump assembles his new team.
December 2024
Anyone for tennis? Albanese needs to avoid the January jinx
A wander through some recent prime ministerial summers shows us that the season is stuffed with political danger.
November 2024
Labor MPs told to campaign hard on Senate votes
The party’s upper house decline has been stifling its policy ambitions, as it needs 14 extra votes for every bill it needs to pass.
The economics behind ‘credible threats’
Good strategy involves knowing the game, including your opponents, and committing to a strategy.
‘I would not have agreed to Future Fund shift’
With $230 billion to come into play, expect a long line of rent-seekers to form a queue, says former treasurer and Future Fund founder Peter Costello.
‘Like bears to a honey-pot’: how the Future Fund got political
Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ planned changes to the nation’s $230 billion savings account might be unfinished business for Labor.