This Month
Labor deploys Wong in increasingly divisive fight for Chinese vote
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has taken to Chinese social media platforms to attack Peter Dutton and the Coalition in the dying moments of the federal election.
April
Albanese denies he’ll revive the Voice
The prime minister has ruled out revisiting the Voice after Penny Wong described it as unfinished business.
Shelved airbase gambit fails to clarify Russia’s long-term ambitions
The fallout over Moscow’s bid for an airbase Indonesia has prompted a rare admission from Peter Dutton, and sparked fresh Russian criticism of AUKUS.
PM, Dutton both pledge US visit to reason with Trump after tariff hit
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton both say they will fly to the US soon after the election to try and convince Trump to reverse his decision.
March
Budget lunch gets a poor corporate turnout
Westpac’s Anthony Miller was the filling in a power sandwich, but CEOs were thin on the ground at the budget wash-up lunch.
Productivity an issue from housing to energy: Irvine
Andrew Irvine tells the Financial Review banking Summit that productivity is a complex challenge and needs a variety of fixes. How the day unfolded.
Unis can walk away from Trump’s demands on research: Varghese
Australia’s former chief diplomat says Donald Trump has the right to impose conditions on research funding, but equally universities must decide what is acceptable.
Unis urge EU pivot after Trump edict
Pressure is building on the federal government to respond to a Trump administration questionnaire that has been sent to Australian researchers.
Trump ideological vetting of local uni research a ‘slippery slope’
Australian researchers fear funding will be cut if their projects don’t comply with the Trump agenda.
PM uses critical minerals as bargaining chip in Trump tariff war
Australia is using its supply of critical minerals as leverage with the Trump Administration, in a bid to avoid a second wave of tariffs.
ASX dives 1.6pc; Tariffs ‘entirely unjustified’; The threat worse than tariffs
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Donald Trump is the political equivalent of a natural disaster
Trump’s tariffs on Australian aluminium will have a modest economic impact, but his assault on US allies is changing Australia’s place in the world.
Wong should have sent a stronger message about China and US uncertainty
The foreign minister missed an opportunity to be firm about the challenges from Beijing and the US, and Australia’s defence.
Trump doubles down on tariff war as Chalmers, RBA warn of local hit
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says Australia will continue to lobby for an exemption from US tariffs for steel and aluminium.
Trump’s glory moment upstages the world
The US president’s address to congress was Donald Trump’s favourite version of reality TV, featuring himself as the star.
February
Albanese hit hard by live fire from all sides
From Chinese warships, to Trump’s tariffs, to Australia’s sense of itself, Anthony Albanese is struggling to show he has convincing answers.
Government bracing for tariff rejection by Trump
The Albanese government has started playing down the prospects of securing tariff exemption for the Trump administration.
Australia seeks insurance for Trump’s ‘America First’ and China’s rise
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the global security outlook is “increasingly fragile” and authoritarianism is spreading.
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.
NZ ‘monitoring’ live-fire drills by China in international waters
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said it was unclear where the Chinese naval vessels were headed in international waters and for what purpose.