The federal budget has been hit by a fierce campaign from large sections of the media and a handful of high-profile millennial entrepreneurs. But so far, Labor’s polling has remained relatively unscathed.

But that doesn’t mean voters are happy. People might not be shifting their votes over this budget, but many still feel there’s nothing in it for them right now.

For the Coalition, that should be an opening. Instead, it's One Nation turning that frustration into real momentum.

Today, Director of Strategy and Analytics at RedBridge Group, Kos Samaras, on Labor’s budget woes, the Coalition’s failure to capitalise, and the populist right’s growing hold on Australian politics.

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Guest: RedBridge Group Director, Kos Samaras

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It started with a single nightclub attack and escalated into what’s been dubbed Melbourne’s hospitality crime war.

More than 30 clubs, pubs and restaurants have now been targeted in drive-by shootings, break-ins and firebombings. And while dozens of arrests have now been made, the people behind the attacks remain a mystery.

One theory? That an international crime syndicate led by a man called “the Ghost” is ordering the hits from a bunker in Iraq.

Today, senior reporter at the Herald Sun, Seb Costello, on the escalating attacks threatening the lives and livelihoods of Melbourne venue owners.

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Guest: Senior reporter at the Herald Sun, Seb Costello

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For two decades, we’ve had a tax policy that pushed up house prices, gave landlords huge advantages, and ultimately created an intergenerational wealth divide.

A week ago, the government said it wanted to do something about that and announced changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax.

But the budget hasn’t gone down well – for some, it doesn’t go far enough to make a real difference to the housing market. For others, particularly in business, changes to capital gains go too far.

Today, Treasurer Jim Chalmers defends his budget.

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Guest: Treasurer Jim Chalmers

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You may know him as Keli Holiday, one-half of Peking Duck, or even as Abbie Chatfield’s boyfriend…

Now, Australian musician Adam Hyde has become the latest high-profile victim of Trump’s tough border rules – after he was denied re-entry to the States in the middle of his North American tour.

The explanation? National security concerns. That’s it – nothing more.

And it’s not an isolated incident. In Trump’s America, Australian artists are increasingly finding themselves blocked from entry, threatening their careers and livelihoods in a market that’s crucial for their success.

Today, co-founder of Lamestream, Osman Faruqi, on border control, censorship and why the Australian government should be pushing back

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Guest: Co-founder of Lamestream, Osman Faruqi

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This weekend in Vegas, athletes including Australian swimmer James Magnussen will take part in the Enhanced Games – a competition that freely allows doping.

It's the creation of controversial Australian entrepreneur Aron D’Souza, and it's bankrolled by Peter Thiel and one of Donald Trump’s sons.

The competition has enticed athletes with huge cash prizes – and is, in turn, selling the performance-enhancing drugs those athletes will experiment with.

Today, Chief Sports Writer at The Sydney Morning Herald Tom Decent – on the spectacle, and the seediness of the Enhanced Games.

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Guest: Chief sports writers at the SMH, Tom Decent

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Over the weekend, Eurovision got a feel-good ending. Bulgaria won the contest for the very first time with their infectious song Bangaranga. And Australia came close - with Delta Goodrem placing 4th.

But the controversy over Israel didn’t go away. Israeli singer Noam Bettan finished second, after getting a huge huge public vote – despite protests outside the contest, boycotts from five countries, and warnings over the Israeli broadcaster KAN running a campaign telling people to vote ten times.

Eurovision insists it’s a non-political contest... but over the past three years, Israel’s place in it has exposed how political that stage can be – and how useful it can be for a government trying to shape how the world sees it.

Today, author of Eurovision!: A History of Modern Europe Through the World’s Greatest Song Contest, Chris West, on the boycott, the vote, and how Israel turned the world’s biggest song contest into a soft-power campaign.

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And Eurovision audio is courtesy of SBS.

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Guest: Author of Eurovision!: A History of Modern Europe Through the World's Greatest Song Contest, Chris West.

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This week’s budget shows AUKUS is getting bigger.

The government is putting more money into the agencies, workforce and infrastructure needed for nuclear-powered submarines.

But the deal still relies on the US agreeing to sell them to Australia, and on a Trump administration that has already reviewed AUKUS through an “America First” lens.

And as the program grows, the public still knows very little about what Australia is trading away to keep it alive.

Today, former Director of War Studies for the Australian Army, Dr Albert Palazzo, on the secrecy around AUKUS – and the US military expansion on Australian soil.

This episode was originally published in December 2025.

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Guest: Former Director of War Studies for the Australian Army and adjunct professor at UNSW, Dr Albert Palazzo

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After Labor handed down its fifth budget, Anthony Albanese spent the week answering one question: had he broken his promise?

The government wanted the budget framed as a fairness agenda built around changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax and trusts, and a pitch to younger Australians locked out of housing. Instead, the immediate political fight became whether voters could trust the prime minister.

But the noise around broken-promises obscures deeper conversations about what the housing tax changes will actually deliver, the omission of a gas export levy, and the tens of billions of dollars being cut from the NDIS.

Meanwhile, Angus Taylor’s budget reply showed where the Coalition wants the argument to go next: migration, welfare and net zero – as One Nation surges in the polls.

Today, Cheek Media CEO and host of Big Small Talk, Hannah Ferguson, on the ambition, compromises and contradictions in Labor’s budget – and what young voters are being asked to accept.

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Guest: Cheek Media CEO and host of the Big Small Talk podcast, Hannah Ferguson.

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