We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2024, before we return in early February for the election year.

One of the big issues of the federal election will be energy policy, with the opposition backing nuclear power over wind and solar as its path to a greener, cleaner world.

This episode aired just after Coalition leader Peter Dutton first unveiled his nuclear plans, all dissected by chief political correspondent David Crowe and national climate and environment editor Nick O’Malley.

National affairs correspondent Matthew Knot also makes an appearance to talk about a visit from Chinese premier Li Qiang.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.

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If things are supposed to be slowing down for Christmas, well, nobody told our federal politicians. This week we had a mid-year economic update and a contentious debate about the Coalition’s nuclear energy plans.

Today, chief political correspondent David Crowe joins Jacqueline Maley to look back at the political year and explore some of its themes.

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This week was dominated by the appalling anti-Semitic attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea in Melbourne’s south-east. There followed more attacks in Sydney - A car was torched in the Eastern suburbs, where there is a strong Jewish community, and houses there were graffitied with anti-Israel slogans.

The violence was followed by political conflict. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was accused of not doing enough to quell anti-Semitism and make Jewish Australians safe. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was accused of politicising the whole issue.

So could the PM have handled the week better? And what did his handling of the firebombing tell us about his powers of leadership? Will Dutton get any blowback for his lack of bipartisanship over the issue?

Plus, Peter Dutton’s rejection of the Aboriginal flag, and Labor’s childcare policy.

Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss is chief political correspondent David Crowe and political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should retire. Not right now, but a “decent interval” after the next election, if he wins it.

So says Sydney Morning Herald and Age columnist Niki Savva, who joins Jacqueline Maley this week to talk about the government’s prospects of re-election, how well Peter Dutton has performed as Opposition leader and whether the Teal Independents have fulfilled their promise in the 47th parliament.

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This week was the last sitting week of the parliamentary year, and there is speculation the Prime Minister will call an election early in 2025, meaning it might have been the last parliamentary session of the Albanese government, full stop.

So what legislation did the government get through this week? And more broadly, how well positioned is it, going into an imminent election campaign?

Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss is chief political correspondent David Crowe.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.

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This week, the federal Opposition ruled out co-operating with the government on legislation to cap the number of international students coming to study at Australian universities.

Both Labor and the Coalition say that international student numbers need to come down, to ease pressure on housing and infrastructure. But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Labor’s bill was flawed because it favoured the big Group of eight universities at the expense of regional unis.

Dutton promised the Opposition will impose bigger cuts on international students than Labor, and he said that the best way to bring down migration numbers is to vote for the Coalition at the next election.

So what will the central issues of the next election be? When is it likely to be?

Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss is political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal politics reporter Natassia Crysanthos.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.

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As much as we can know anything these days, we can probably say the next election is going to be very close.

But what about the Greens, often called the third party of Australian politics? How are they faring with the Australian public? Have they successfully rebranded from being the party of the environment to being a broader based movement?

National Affairs Editor James Massola and Federal Political Correspondent Paul Sakkal joins Jacqueline Maley for Inside Politics.

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Donald Trump has been elected as the 47th American president.

His decisive victory will have major impacts on global affairs and on the Australian economy. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton were quick to congratulate Trump, and both leaders will be assessing their relationship with the President elect over coming weeks.

So what does a Trump presidency mean for Australia?

Joining Jacqueline Maley to unpack is chief political correspondent David Crowe and Nine’s national affairs editor Andrew Probyn.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.

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