David Speers

Both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton will be sweating on the outcome of the March 2 by-election. It will determine their immediate political fortunes and the all-important momentum for 2024, writes David Speers.

Amidst the parliamentary ping-pong between Labor's hard sell of its tax cuts and the Coalition's alarm at convicted immigrants on the loose, it's become clear all sides are keeping a close eye on another issue that could prove to be a far more powerful vote driver: housing, writes David Speers.

Two of the nation's most respected economists have put forward a bold plan they say can lower global carbon emissions by at least 6 per cent, super-charge a new green export industry for Australia, deliver much cheaper power bills and even dramatically cut the rate of inflation.

Dutton may not have produced much policy detail in the 21 months since the last election, but he's talking a big game about what's to come, writes David Speers. 

After unveiling his re-jigged tax plan last week, Anthony Albanese has conducted five press conferences, eight radio interviews and two TV interviews — the kind of media blitz usually reserved for winning an election, writes David Speers. 

The ABC's political docuseries Nemesis has arrived. We bring you the latest updates from episode one, with political analysis from David Speers.

In a wounded position politically, the government badly needed some policy victories to finish the year. A highly pragmatic approach was adopted to ensure it secured them, writes David Speers.

The ABC understands new legislation aimed at locking up some of the non-citizens released following last month's landmark High Court ruling will go to cabinet on Monday morning.

The Albanese government is under pressure and Peter Dutton is buoyed by the shift. Potential for disaster is waiting if the government can't land a workable fix to the mess left by the High Court ruling on detainees, writes David Speers.

Climate targets were legislated in one of the first acts of the newly elected Albanese government. It was a moment hailed as symbolising the sea-change election result, and now we know Australia is not on track to meet them, writes David Speers.

The day began with a clear sign the opposition leader was feeling confident: he held his first press conference in Parliament House in more than three months. It ended on a different note, writes David Speers.

Anthony Albanese has managed to pull off a successful double act over the past fortnight with his visits to both Washington and Beijing, writes David Speers.

Xi Jinping chose a Chinese proverb about gratitude to welcome Anthony Albanese to Beijing — a reference to diplomatic ties forged by Gough Whitlam. But 50 years later another is equally apt: let sleeping dogs lie, writes David Speers.

To say Anthony Albanese is walking a diplomatic tightrope as he mends fences with China, while drawing ever closer to the US, is putting it mildly, writes David Speers.

The decision comes ahead of PM Anthony Albanese's visit to Beijing. Tariffs of up to 220 per cent were imposed in 2020.

Despite criticising Labor for being obsessed with the Voice when it should have been more focused on the cost of living, the opposition is now very interested in prolonging the conversation, writes David Speers.

The settling of dust after an election can take weeks, sometimes even months. Not so with a referendum, David Speers writes.

The crisis in Israel is unlikely to directly shift votes one way or another in the Australian Voice referendum, but it does make it harder for the Yes campaign to be heard at precisely the time it needs to be, writes David Speers. 

If the Voice isn't the solution, as Peter Dutton argues, what is? How will Australia tackle Indigenous disadvantage if the majority vote No? Given the polls all suggest a No vote is the most likely outcome, the answer is surprisingly unclear, writes David Speers.

If there's a lesson from the evolution of the gig economy, it's that we don't yet know how AI will disrupt our economy and our lives. But it's at least worth considering potential impacts and contemplating sensible rules of the road early on, writes David Speers.

Whichever way the referendum goes, there will be enormous ramifications for reconciliation and Indigenous advancement. There will be political consequences felt all the way to the next election — and the next six weeks absolutely matter, writes David Speers.

The Intergenerational Report is an exercise in Treasury crystal ball-gazing 40 years into the future. And wherever you look in the latest release, the common thread is the need to boost productivity, writes David Speers.

Dismissing calls for a major tax shake-up, the government intends to continue pursuing incremental reform in what it calls "bite-sized chunks", including its already announced changes to superannuation tax breaks, tobacco excise and the petroleum resource rent tax.

The rejection of a rental freeze at yesterday's National Cabinet means the push from the Greens has hit a dead end. Will the party join the Coalition to vote down the government's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund? We'll see, writes David Speers.

About 30 per cent of Australians live in rental accommodation with growing numbers in seats that helped secure government for Labor. But the Greens want to win those votes and next week's National Cabinet will offer clues as to how determined Labor is to stop them, writes David Speers.