How Pauline Hanson fractured the Coalition

The Coalition government has fractured on a number of issues this week, most significantly in response to a bill introduced by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

As parliament enters its final fortnight of the year, a number of Coalition senators crossed the floor to vote against the government, in favour of One Nation’s legislation - which aims to oppose vaccine mandates.

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Inside Australia’s most dangerous hotel

As Australia wraps up its hotel quarantine program, one group of people remain confined in hotel rooms indefinitely: people seeking asylum. A recent outbreak of Covid 19 at a hotel detention facility in Carlton has raised serious questions regarding the safety and treatment of those inside. Today, Elle Marsh on who is responsible for protecting the detainees, and why the government should have seen this outbreak coming.

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The historic reforms to sexual consent laws

On Tuesday the NSW Parliament passed historic reforms to sexual consent laws. Now, similar laws are being introduced in Victoria, and advocates are calling for national reform. Today, campaigner and contributor to The Saturday Paper Saxon Mullins, on the push to update Australia’s laws around sexual assault, and why it’s taking so long.

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The towns the pandemic just hit

Australia’s latest Covid-19 outbreak began in the town of Katherine and is now spreading to remote communities across the Northern Territory. Almost everyone who has tested positive so far is Indigenous, and the region is facing a health crisis.

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Is there still hope for the planet after COP26?

The COP26 climate summit in Glasgow was seen as the world’s ‘last best chance’ to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. On that measure it failed. World leaders have agreed to meet again next year to revisit their targets. Tim Flannery, one of Australia’s most well known environmentalists, had a front row seat at the negotiations, and to what he describes as Australia’s ‘embarrassing’ contribution.

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The Liberal MP abandoning Scott Morrison

The federal Coalition government holds office by the barest of margins - just one seat. Now, a popular and high profile Liberal incumbent has announced he won’t be recontesting his electorate, throwing the party’s election preparations into jeopardy. Today, Paul Bongiorno on why the Liberal MP abandoning Scott Morrison thinks Anthony Albanese might be a better Prime Minister for the country.

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Death threats and nooses: How a pandemic bill sparked far-right protests

Protesters have camped outside the Victorian Parliament for a week, protesting a new bill that would extend the state’s public health orders. While some of them are far-right extremists, who have threatened violence against politicians, the bill has also been criticised by human rights lawyers. Today, Julia Kretzenbacher on why the bill sparked such an intense backlash.

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Scott Morrison’s secret climate weapon

According to the Prime Minister, the economic impact of the Coalition's plan to reach net zero won’t be that significant. But at the last election Scott Morrison had a very different position when he was opposing Labor’s emissions reduction policy. Today, Mike Seccombe on the documents that reveal who’s behind the federal government’s climate modelling and what it tells us about the way science is being spun for political purposes.

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