Home
Search
thewest.com.au‌‌
PoliticsChevron Right Icon

Federal Politics

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and former PM Tony Abbott.

opinion
opinion
EditorialCommentsPremium
opinion
Does dire Coalition need to go back-to-the-future?

The Liberals need a game changer. It may be that person is not in the Parliament today.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese witn Prime Minister of Vanuatu Jotham Napat at Parliament House.

Federal PoliticsComments‘Knife fight’ for Pacific influence heats up as pact signed

Anthony Albanese and his Vanuatu counterpart finally inked their security agreement blocking foreign military bases from the island nation while Beijing’s largest surveillance was being tracked north of PNG.

Andrew Greene

Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead has agreed to stay on heading up Australia’s massive AUKUS project.

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
Federal PoliticsComments
The West Australian exclusive
AUKUS boss to stay on despite announcing retirement

The senior naval officer in charge of Australia’s massive AUKUS project will remain in the top job despite announcing his retirement, because the Albanese government is yet to find a replacement.

Andrew Greene and Jessica Page

Communications Minister Anika Wells says the world-first laws have ‘made an impact’. NewsWire / Martin Ollman.

Social mediaCommentsAustralia accuses apps of social media ban ‘dirty tricks’

Australia has accused big tech companies of ‘dirty tricks’ and ‘deliberately failing’ to comply with a social media ban for under-16s at least 20 countries are trying to emulate.

Caitlyn Rintoul

Steven Lowy has spoken of his experience as a Jewish Australian at the royal commission. NewsWire / Nikki Short

AustraliaCommentsThe Lowy Family savaged by online abuse

Examples include a TikTok video referring to Judy Lowy as ‘Genocide Judy’ that was secretly taken while she was raising money for a private Jewish school.

Aaron Patrick

Angus Taylor concedes hard work ahead to lift standing with voters.

Federal PoliticsVideoAngus Taylor’s grim admission after Coalition poll collapse

Fresh polling has prompted a candid assessment from Opposition Leader Angus Taylor as the Coalition struggles to win back voters.

Katina Curtis

Paul Hogan thinks Pauline Hanson is a pelican.

AustraliaVideoComments‘She’s a pelican’: Hogan rips Hanson, monoculture

Pauline Hanson last week said Australia needed a return of Paul Hogan and Norman Gunston, now, the Crocodile Dundee star has shared a blistering assessment of One Nation’s ‘monoculture’ vision.

Max Corstorphan

The Prime Minister of Vanuatu Jotham Napat (R) shakes hands with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House.

PoliticsVideoCommentsNo ‘foreign’ bases in Vanuatu under key pact with Australia

LIVE UPDATES: Anthony Albanese says Australia has been given certainty that there will be no foreign military bases established in Vanuatu following the signing of a long-awaited security agreement.

Kimberley Braddish and Madeline Cove

Labor’s former Attorney General Mark Dreyfus has detailed the antisemetic abuse he has endured as a Jewish politician.

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
Federal PoliticsComments
The West Australian exclusive
Former attorney-general shares vile anti-Semitic abuse

Labor’s former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus has detailed the anti-Semitic abuse he has endured as a prominent Jewish politician and called for a toughening up of hate-speech laws. 

Andrew Greene

The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese with the Premier of Western Australia, Roger Cook .

PropertyCommentsPremiumWA new homebuilding falls short of ambitious target

The number of new homes built and approved in Western Australia is behind what is needed for the state to meet its share of the 1.2 million national target, two years in to a big push on housing.

Katina Curtis

Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ capital gains tax changes have become law.

Federal PoliticsCommentsChalmers refuses to explain Labor’s ‘widow tax’ fix

Jim Chalmers has refused to spell out exactly how the government will apply key concessions in its tax reform package while insisting small businesses are getting a ‘generous’ Budget deal.

Chloe Maher

The Albanese Government has promised to throw the book at companies not doing enough to keep under 16s off social media by doubling the maximum penalty for breaches, despite not yet fining a single platform. 

Federal PoliticsCommentsChanges to social media ban sends $99m threat to tech giants

The Albanese Government has promised to throw the book at companies not doing enough to keep under 16s off social media by doubling the maximum penalty for breaches, despite not yet fining a single platform. 

Claire Sadler

WA Liberal MP Andrew Hastie has declared ‘war’ on One Nation, vowing his party has plenty of fight left amid the rise of the Pauline Hanson-led force.

Federal PoliticsVideoComments‘Never surrender’: Liberal MP declares ‘war’ on One Nation

WA Liberal MP Andrew Hastie has declared ‘war’ on One Nation, vowing his party has plenty of fight left amid the rise of the Pauline Hanson-led force.

Caitlyn Rintoul

The ban on self-managed super funds buying property may have unintended consequences.

Federal PoliticsCommentsWhy divorced women are big losers from Labor super changes

Divorced women are the big losers from Labor’s deal with the Greens to stop self-managed super funds from being able to buy a residential investment property.

Stephen Johnson

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been hired by an Indian company specialising in worldwide visa and citizenship services.

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
Federal PoliticsVideoComments
The West Australian exclusive
India recruits former PM in big immigration play

EXCLUSIVE: As the Liberal Party pushes to clamp down on Australia’s immigration levels, former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has taken up a surprising new role.

Andrew Greene

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant will have full power to review the existing laws.

Federal PoliticsVideoCommentsUnder 16s social media ban to go under microscope

Australia’s ‘world-leading’ under-16s social media ban to be reviewed after study claims it’s ineffective.

Caitlyn Rintoul

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese talks new tax reforms passing parliament on SUNRISE this morning.

FEDERAL POLITICS VideoComments‘Out of touch’: PM grilled in intense Sunrise interview

Anthony Albanese’s attempt to spruik and celebrate his controversial tax changes has completely backfired in a failed breakfast television blitz that saw him slammed for being out of touch and a liar.

Caitlyn Rintoul

Kawsar Ahmad, 54, looked relieved and her supporters gasped as Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan granted her bail in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday afternoon.

Federal PoliticsVideoCommentsAccused ISIS bride to walk from court after bail win

LIVE UPDATES: A magistrate has granted bail for a woman charged with slavery offences after allegedly leaving Australia with her family to join Islamic State.

Chloe Maher and Emily Williams

Mark Butler won’t rule out more Budget changes.

Federal PoliticsVideoCommentsLabor hints at more Budget changes still to come

The Government has defended its latest Budget compromises while refusing to rule out yet more changes.

Madeline Cove

Senior Labor figures have backed Fremantle MP Josh Wilson after he was hit with a massive ban for punching his opponent in the face in an amateur soccer game last month.

WA NewsCommentsPremiumSenior Labor figures downplay MP’s shocking soccer punch

Senior Labor figures have backed Fremantle MP Josh Wilson after he was hit with a massive ban for punching his opponent in the face in an amateur soccer game last month.

Rhianna Mitchell and Andrew Greene

Four ISIS brides are facing charges relating to their time in the region after travelling to join the blood-soaked ISIS campaign.

EditorialVideoCommentsPremiumISIS brides raise wider questions about security

Ongoing management of those who have returned from the Middle East will place a huge drain on security agencies and taxpayers. There are also wider issues at play and questions that need answers.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s controversial tax overhaul bill has passed Parliament.

Federal PoliticsCommentsAlbo forced to fix ‘widow tax’ as CGT bill passes Parliament

The Government has had to make yet another change to its tax package hours before it passed Parliament, after revelations it would have imposed a ‘widow tax’ on property owners whose partner died or divorced.

Katina Curtis

Anthony Albanese says new online regulations to crack down on dangerous algorithms is a ‘priority’ to put the onus on tech giants amid warnings that they fuel extremism. 

Social mediaComments‘Priority’: PM moves to rein in ‘unaccountable’ tech giants

Anthony Albanese says new online regulations to crack down on dangerous algorithms is a ‘priority’ to put the onus on tech giants amid warnings that they fuel extremism.

Caitlyn Rintoul

Independent MPs Allegra Spender announce their new party “Community Strong Australia”.

Federal PoliticsCommentsNew teals party pitches to ‘angry’ One Nation voters

The MPs rejected suggestions the timing was to take advantage of new electoral laws placing caps on spending and donations.

Andrew Greene