Insiders

The world was understandably gripped this week by Donald Trump's rather surprising suggestion that the US might take ownership of Gaza and turn it into what he's called the Riviera of the Middle East. Whether this was his intention or not, the bombshell announcement did take a lot of attention away from something else the President had done just a day or two earlier, roll out his grand tariff strategy. His threats to impose hefty tariffs on both Canada and Mexico didn't actually eventuate, at least not yet, but a new 10% tariff on Chinese goods did, and China didn't take this hit lying down. It's responded with trade sanctions of its own. So is this the beginning of a wider US-China trade war, and what does that mean for Australia? 

Heads are best kept below the parapet for now, in what's already proving to be a more difficult environment to navigate than the first Trump presidency.

Hopes of a rate cut. Fears of another antisemitic attack. The election year begins with intense debate over the economy and national security. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton joins Insiders. 

Wednesday's inflation figures came in lower than either the Reserve Bank or most market economists predicted. So, will we see a rate cut in February? 

It's the start of the election year Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers were banking on and the reason why talk of an early poll, either late last year or at the very start of this year, was always misguided.

Happy new year. And happy election year! We may not know exactly when Anthony Albanese will send us all to the polls – but we do know it has to happen by May. So, for this special holiday edition, we thought it would be worth setting the table for what we can expect over the weeks and months ahead. What are the issues that will decide this election? How are the major parties approaching them? And what can we expect from Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton in this campaign?David Speers speaks to Patricia Karvelas to look into the political crystal ball for 2025.

The Albanese Government heads into the summer break with a major win.

The final week of parliament for the year has involved an avalanche of legislation. Most of it has been well ventilated and debated over recent months – think social media age limits or changes to the Reserve Bank board structure.But there was a batch of bills involving tough immigration reforms that didn’t receive as much attention. These changes involve new deportation powers and travel bans – and they’re due to whip through with bipartisan support – despite howls of protest from human rights groups.By the time you’re listening, they’re likely to have passed the Senate. David Speers speaks to Dr Abul Rizvi, a former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration, about what these changes will mean in practise. 

Before the last election, Anthony Albanese often talked about "kicking with the wind" in the final quarter. Now, he's talking about "leaving nothing on the field", even if he's leaving a few promises behind in the interests of improving Labor's election chances.

As the clock ticks down on the parliamentary year – it's do or die for a stack of government reforms.