The Latest Articles by Michelle Grattan

The federal budget is headed for a small $1.1 billion deficit this financial year, according to the update released by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher on Wednesday morning.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has joined New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in calling for a sustainable ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Australia’s net-overseas migration levels will be cut dramatically over two years to bring the country’s exploding intake back to sustainable numbers.

Bill Shorten, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Government Services, has released the review of the NDIS, which recommends sweeping changes to the scheme. The reforms to come will see the states take up much of the responsibility for providing services for people with more minor issues, especially…

It’s not just kids who get report cards (PDFs these days) as school breaks up. So do government ministers, when parliament rises at year’s end.

The Albanese government has promised extra funding for health and to extend its top-up of the GST, in exchange for the states undertaking more of the heavy lifting on disability to help curb the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s cost blowout.

It’s always a rush at the end of the year to push out announcements, but the Albanese government, with an overloaded work program, is finding itself jammed as Christmas bears down.

The Labor member for the Victorian seat of Dunkley, Peta Murphy, has died aged 50 after a long struggle with cancer.

The government on Wednesday will introduce its legislation to enable preventative detention of former immigration detainees judged to pose a high risk of committing serious violent or sexual crimes.

Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, next week heads to COP28 in Dubai, leading the Australian delegation. He joins the podcast to talk about the meeting, which he hopes will be easier than last year’s.

Peter Dutton has his tail up, but he’s being careful to manage expectations. As the opposition celebrates its suddenly improved fortunes, Dutton told the party room this week that inevitably the government would recalibrate over the summer break.