Tony Wright, the associate editor of The Age, has been writing for 50 years. He is the master of what we call the political sketch.
Sketches are akin to a verbal cartoon and, when done well, capture a moment in politics.
Today, in a bonus episode of Inside Politics, we bring you Wright's sketch on the disintegration of the Coalition, titled: It’s a mess of Titanic proportions on the Coalition’s ship of fools.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One Nation is having a bit of a moment.

Pauline Hanson’s outfit, accused by both major parties of exploiting racial anxiety over her career, has faded into irrelevance at points since she burst onto the scene in the late 1990s.

But two new polls have recorded record-high primary votes for One Nation. One of them saw One Nation’s vote rise above the Coalition, which split in spectacular fashion this week, over new hate crime legislation in the wake of the Bondi massacre.

The break-up of the Coalition, and the rise of One Nation, may point to a tectonic change in conservative politics.

At same time, the attack at Bondi has further sapped trust in our political system as politicians have brawled in the wake of a tragedy.

I’m Paul Sakkal, and you’re listening to Inside Politics, from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
From Parliament House this week, we recorded an interview before the Coalition split, with One Nation’s newest recruit, Nationals defector and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are back with a special episode of Inside Politics as a few things have happened this week - namely the break-up of the Coalition, a century-old political alliance.

Nationals leader David Littleproud announced the split on Thursday morning, blaming Liberal leader Sussan Ley in the process.

Federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos joins chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal in today's episode.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since recording this episode, Nationals Leader David Littleproud formally announced that the Coalition has split, blaming Opposition leader Sussan Ley for forcing the Nationals into an untenable position.

It comes after Littleproud's frontbenchers sensationally quit the Coalition shadow cabinet on Wednesday night in solidarity with three rebel MPs who voted against Labor's hate-crime laws.

Now, the spotlight is back on whether Ley can continue leading the Opposition.

That is no doubt much to the relief of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has faced a backlash for rushing the bills through parliament without enough time for proper scrutiny. 

Today, federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos speaks on the rocky first few parliamentary days of the year.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ronald Reagan’s presidency of the 1980s is known as the ‘Reagan Revolution’, while Franklin D Roosevelt - the only president who has served for more than two terms -  is known for his reformist agenda.

So, now that it’s officially a year on from Donald Trump’s inauguration, for a second time, how does the scale of what he has upended and changed compare?

Today North American correspondent Michael Koziol on the deliberate chaos of the Trump presidency, and whether he is likely to toss aside legalities and run for a third term.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kazem Hamad rose rapidly to become one of the nation’s most powerful organised crime players. The syndicate he is accused of heading waged a relentless turf war for control of Australia’s multibillion-dollar illicit tobacco trade, which has seen firebombings around the country. But Hamad’s arrest last week was unexpected, because it happened not in Australia, but thousands of kilometres away in Iraq. Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago on the capture of one of Australia’s most wanted accused criminals.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Australian Open stars, such as Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, hit the courts this week, they’ll do so with the support of screaming fans, massive sponsorship deals, and a shot at a record-breaking prize haul. But what of those who aren’t even close to being world No.1?

For them, the journey to the Open is often a juggle to make ends meet – one of scrimping and saving – sometimes without a paid coach, let alone a sponsor.

Today, sports reporter Marc McGowan on whether Australian Open competitors get paid enough. And the gruelling journey to the Australian Open for the tennis players you've probably never heard of.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inside Politics is still on a break, but we’re set to return in two weeks.  

Today, we return to an episode released just after Anthony Albanese’s successful meeting with Donald Trump, and one in which we had a special guest -  former Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten.

Bill also has some advice for the opposition, and its leader Sussan Ley, before a slight diversion to discussing the dress sense of our chief political correspondent, Paul Sakkal.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Kevin Rudd announced on Monday that he would leave his post as ambassador to the United States a year early, it was a penny-drop moment for many.

Wasn’t this inevitable since his incredibly awkward meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House in October?

Today, foreign affairs and national security correspondent Matthew Knott on where this leaves our relationship with the most mercurial US president in recent memory. 

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The protests that have been spreading across Iran for weeks have been growing more violent. Video footage showed and eye witnesses described security forces opening fire on protesters, while reports from human rights agencies say the death toll is in the thousands .
But could these protests tip over into a counter-revolution? Might Iran’s brutal Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his regime be overthrown?
Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian Middle Eastern scholar, spent 804 days in an Iranian prison before being released in 2020. Today, she discusses how this uprising differs from previous ones in Iran. And what it will take for the Iranian regime to fall.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While firefighters in Victoria battle devastating bush fires that have destroyed homes and livestock, at the other end of the country, Queenslanders were bracing for floods from ex-tropical cyclone Koji.

Today, David Bowman, a professor of pyrogeography and fire science at the University of Tasmania, on what causes this climate whiplash and how our changing climate is worsening our extreme weather.

Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.