Politics
Federal
Opinion
Australia votes
Teals set to seize balance of power in sink-or-swim election
Against a backdrop of Trump-driven global chaos, a group of mostly female MPs will decide which major party forms a minority government at the coming election.
- by Niki Savva
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Lucky for some: the older get richer in the worst wealth divide in two decades
A long-running survey of Australians has found inequality has shot up, just as young people find themselves shut out of the housing market.
- by Shane Wright
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Australia votes
Labor tips $1.1 billion into pothole-ridden freeway
Political support federal and state Labor has sunk in Victoria over the past 18 months, adding urgency to the case for new federal funding for Victorian roads.
- by Paul Sakkal
Best of cartoons, March 6, 2025
The news of the day as interpreted by our talented artists, illustrators and cartoonists.
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Defence
Trump admin to Australia: spending $56 billion on defence isn’t enough by half
One of Trump’s top Pentagon picks, Elbridge Colby, made the United States’ first explicit call for Australia to massively increase defence spending to counter China.
- by Matthew Knott
Australia’s longest per capita recession since WWII comes to an end
A record seven quarters of falling GDP per person has finally ended, with new figures showing the economy improving in late 2024.
- by Shane Wright
From $5525 to $540,000: Ex-radio host’s whopping campaign war chest in third tilt against Liberals
Independent candidate Alex Dyson has amassed almost 100 times more in donations than the amount he spent during his first attempt at unseating Liberal Dan Tehan.
- by James Massola
Soft questions, angry comments: Albanese and Dutton hit the podcast campaign
Albanese and Dutton have embraced a strategy that helped return Trump to the White House: courting influencers who lob soft questions for audiences who don’t follow mainstream news.
- by Nick Bonyhady, Calum Jaspan, Olivia Ireland and Paul Sakkal
Meta says Labor taking secretive approach to social ban amid Trump threat
As Labor plots a restriction on teens using social media, Donald Trump is threatening tariffs against countries that target American tech firms.
- by Paul Sakkal
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Australia votes
Dutton revives controversial safety grants as he campaigns on crime
Emails obtained by this masthead reveal that Coalition MPs are urging supporters to come forward with projects they want funded from the Commonwealth cash.
- by David Crowe and Shane Wright
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal