technology The AI race just got crowded—and Apple hasn't shown up yet The AI race has more serious contenders than it did a year ago — and the company with perhaps the strongest hand still hasn't played it.
Fiscal Policy Wages are up - just like everything else The government's wage data release buries the number that actually matters — and the one it leads with tells a very different story.
Housing Unions blind to their own hypocrisy The ACTU's case against wage freezes rests on logic that should kill its own rent freeze proposal — so why isn't it applying that logic consistently?
Regulation The real winner from gambling reform Australia's new gambling bill has real measures — but it stops exactly where the tax revenue starts to get uncomfortable.
Housing Old Idea: freeze rents. History says it’s a bad idea too. A rent freeze sounds like relief for renters under pressure — but the same policy has been tried before, and the people it hurts most are the ones it was supposed to help.
Government Spending State gov buys staff loyalty in regional Victoria, one duplex at a time Victoria is building housing for rural doctors and nurses — but is the government now a landlord, a regulator, and an employer all at once?
Regulation Terrorists don’t respect gun laws The Bondi buyback targets licensed gun owners who follow the law. The question no one in government is answering is how the attackers got their weapons.
Law & Order Alcohol delivery delays will change behaviour, but which behaviour? South Australia says a two-hour alcohol delivery wait will reduce domestic violence. The behavioural logic is shakier than the headline suggests.
Health Policy Government counts paramedics, not wait times Victoria just announced 294 new paramedics. The one number that would tell you whether that's enough is nowhere in the release.
Regulation The great packaging war. Who cleans up? Australia's new packaging bill would make producers pay for the waste they create — but Europe's experience suggests the levy and the outcome aren't the same thing.
Housing The housing bubble is leaking fast Two structural supports for Australian property prices are cracking at once — and the biggest policy shock hasn't landed yet.
Government Spending Victoria's $2bn teacher pay bet: can it buy better schools or just make a budget hole? Victoria just promised its teachers up to 32% more pay — but the government hasn't said what it will cost, or what else will give.
Regulation Credit card surcharge ban closes an escape hatch for renters—and reshuffles who pays Australia's surcharge ban promises cheaper payments — but for renters who rely on credit cards to bridge the gap to payday, it may mean no payment option at all.
party-policy Former Premier exits to trigger by-election and dodge accountability A Premier resigns months before an election she was set to lose — and by doing so, ensures she'll never have to face the voters' verdict on her record.
Labour Market Earnings up $300 a week, but the asterisks matter Australia's wages are up $300 a week — but how much of that is real, and how much is just inflation wearing a pay rise costume?
Government Spending We all saw what we saw. If the PM can’t see it, then we see a fool A week of genuine legislative wins — gun buybacks, gambling reform, childcare wages — and almost none of it cut through. Here's why that was entirely avoidable.
Government Spending Victoria deploys budget cops to keep station counters staffed Victoria says 400 police reservists will free up 86,000 officer shifts. The training program that qualifies them takes one week.
Energy Spending bounces back, but the EV shift tells a bigger story Australia's EV surge looks like an environmental story. The spending data says it's actually about fuel bills — and it's quietly hollowing out a $12 billion revenue stream.
Foreign Policy If Indonesia picks China, where does that leave Australia? An Indonesian warship just exercised with China's navy off Taiwan — and Australia's defence posture wasn't built for what happens next.
Regulation More rural rules doesn’t necessarily lead to more bars on your phone Seven million regional Australians have patchy coverage and months-long waits for technicians — but the proposed fix may be making the economics of rural investment worse.
Government Spending Community’s central role in disaster recovery Community groups are doing the front-line work of disaster recovery in NSW — but the funding model may be quietly destroying what makes them effective.
Labour Market Food delivery workers get minimum hourly pay trade-offs Australia just gave food delivery riders a pay floor — but who pays the price when the bottom rung gets harder to reach?
Government Spending A public equity stake in Tomago Aluminium would make things worse Taxpayer money is flowing into Tomago Aluminium — but would a government equity stake actually protect workers, or make every future decision harder?
Government Spending Government $2.5b power bill A $2.5 billion rescue for one smelter's power bill — and it's not the first. What the Tomago deal reveals about who's really paying for the energy transition.
Government Spending Care worker’s wage ‘justice’ could put other workers in wage ‘jail’ A bill called 'Wage Justice' may deliver exactly that for childcare workers already employed — but what does it cost the ones still trying to get in?
