Politics

By midweek it was obvious Peter Dutton wasn’t looking for a way to reconnect with the broader electorate, which is clearly what is needed. On the very morning Newspoll published a consolidated survey over three months of majority voter support across a majority of states for a constitutional Voice to Parliament, the Liberals spurned its findings.

Peter Dutton faces his first real test at the ballot box as Liberal leader in the Aston byelection. He is bracing for the worst while hoping he is saved by the century-long precedent of oppositions never losing seats to governments in these contests.

The climate wars are far from over. They will not be over until the fossil fuel industry stops waging them. While their progress has been slowed in recent years, the relentless bombardment of our future by the coal and gas industries continues unabated.

Paul Keating’s verbal torpedoes aimed at the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal have begun hitting their targets in the Labor Party. Keating – often and correctly described as a ‘Labor icon’ – has been joined by two of the party’s more influential figures in the area of foreign policy speaking out against the plan – long-serving Foreign minister Gareth Evans and former Gillard–Rudd era Foreign minister Bob Carr.

Australia’s political right is having another crisis. The Victorian Liberal Party is in the process of expelling one of its parliamentary members, Moira Deeming, over her involvement in an anti-transgender rally that attracted the support of neo-Nazis.

The deal is done. On Monday morning in San Diego, the leaders of the United States, Australia and Britain jointly revealed the key details of Australia’s road to becoming a nuclear power – of sorts. President Joe Biden announced that the US will sell Australia three to five used Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines sometime in the 2030s.

Whistleblowers are vital actors in our democracy, upholding our right to know. Without them – and the public interest journalism they make possible – corruption and human rights abuses go unaddressed.

Tanya Plibersek is well placed to be one of Australia’s best ministers for the Environment, but she has to stand up to powerful rivals in cabinet who are so far pushing the agenda in favour of fossil fuels and environmental destruction.

Budget repair is the major fiscal policy challenge the Albanese government faces right now. Although it has committed to expenditure savings, such efforts are unlikely to be sufficient to do much to repair the structural deficit. That means the net burden of tax will need to be increased.

There was a discernible shift in the national political calculus this week, with mounting challenges confronting the almost year-old Albanese government. It confirmed, if confirmation were needed, that there is no magic wand for easy solutions. The 10th interest rate rise in a row, announced on Tuesday, came in a week where three opinion polls showed a softening in support for the government.