Seems like a day you might need some fun facts... how about this? Albanese overtakes Morrison in length of service as PM today (and yesterday he overtook Labor hero Curtin) thenightly.com.au/politics/ant...

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's thoughts on the Liberal leadership ructions, sparked partly by her party's rise in the polls? "It doesn’t matter what jockey you put on, it’s still a dead horse," she told @westaustralian.bsky.social

"We recommend against committing special forces to Afghanistan in a dedicated combat role." This is a July 2005 Cabinet submission from the Defence and foreign affairs ministers. The next day, John Howard announced Australia would deploy special forces to Afghanistan. thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

This flew under the radar yesterday for obvious reasons but still worth noting: MPs’ travel entitlements will be reviewed as part of a broader examination that also covers a rethink on electorate office security, funded in the mid-year budget update thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

The "fixer" mantle in politics has been passed on - and there are some big things looming that will need fixing. My column today thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

The 11pm phone call. The business amendments the Coalition wouldn’t pass on. The secret thumb signals. Inside the environment law negotiations that led to a deal five years in the making thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Fresh figures reveal WA projects have consistently taken longer to get approvals than the national average - Murray Watt has seized on this as proof of the need for the EPBC overhaul. Meanwhile, business is telling the Coalition to get on board. thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

It's 5.04pm, the House has adjourned and the Senate is still in its 90-minute-long question time that started at 2pm

Latest on EPBC changes: business is now demanding that stronger environmental protections be delayed until at least one state signs up to streamline approvals thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

The word "goodwill" has been thrown around a lot over the past six months of consultation on the latest attempt to overhaul the nation's unwieldy environmental laws. But it was never going to survive the release of actual details for the new bill thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

AEC tells the electoral matters committee that not knowing the election date makes booking venues for polling places very tricky - more than once they've lined up a place only to find there's a wedding there on the actual date!

The agency in charge of scrutinising the government is again having to cut the number of audits because of funding woes despite Labor promising to make sure it had enough money to do its job properly thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Does Andrew Hastie quitting the shadow cabinet give Sussan Ley "clear air"? Hardly! thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

The future of the critical minerals strategic reserve will hinge on Albanese's meeting with Trump in a fortnight - "If Trump says yes... this will work," an industry source told The West thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Critical minerals are the hot topic on the global stage at the moment. Australian execs who visited Washington recently have returned saying it's clear the Trump administration has "aggressively" stepped up the timetable for finding supply chains outside of China. thenightly.com.au/politics/don...

Kim Beazley has warned that the national security implications of only China producing critical minerals are so extreme that Australia should tip a bucket of money into the sector and not worry whether it will make profits - my story in today's paper thewest.com.au/business/pou...

Sussan Ley will use her first major economic speech as leader to declare that people need to stop thinking government will take care of everything, and position the Coalition to oppose a shift towards universal childcare thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

The most peculiar aspect of the Jacinta Nampijinpa Price chaos last week might be just how cheap tickets were to see the Liberal Party’s rockstar at Perth events - my column today thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Jacinta Price is the star guest at another Liberal Party function in Perth, this one being held at an Indian cultural centre. It's left community members stunned - story from my colleagues Jessica Page and Charlton Hart thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is billed as the “special guest” at a WA Liberal Party fundraiser tomorrow… run by the Curtin branch women’s committee thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

For the parliamentary procedure nerds out there (you know who you are), the new Reps standing orders are being debated. Key changes: - People can't automatically keep the same seat they had in the last term - Speaker can boot badly-behaving MPs for 1hr or 3hrs

The Liberals are recruiting crossbenchers to back new laws to strip the PM's power to allocate staffing numbers for his opponents - ICYMI, my exclusive story thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

WA Labor's party secretary steps into a new job as a senator tomorrow. Ellie Whiteaker opens up about what drew her to Labor, leaving behind a "campaigning powerhouse", and what she wants to achieve with her next challenge. thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Resources Minister Madeleine King reveals Australia helped drive the critical minerals pact at the G7 - aimed at breaking China's near-monopoly - and there will be more to come on this front when the PM meets Trump thewest.com.au/business/min...

Remember when Albanese said he wasn't sure Trump had a phone, despite much photo evidence to the contrary? Trump to journos on Air Force One on his way back from the G7: "I don't believe in telephones because people like you listen to 'em."

Australians have main character energy when viewing our relationship with the US... The truth is — especially with the conflict between Israel and Iran escalating — the chat with a middle power ally is unlikely to be top of mind for the President this week. (my column) thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Anne Aly - freshly elevated to cabinet - wants to change the way Australians think about multiculturalism, moving away from "just" food and arts to better value its economic contributions thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Inside the pro-life, anti-net zero push to influence the Nationals leadership vote this afternoon thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

After a lot of argument in the election this week about what merits a good plan for Defence, this was a fascinating intervention from former minister Joel Fitzgibbon, who warns Australians (inside and outside politics) have become too complacent on the issue thenightly.com.au/politics/fed...

Fascinating analysis by my colleague @ellenransley.bsky.social of which pollies are spending big on social media ads during the election campaign so far thenightly.com.au/politics/fed...

Early voting 🗳️ now open

Dutton hit the national security and community safety button yesterday, adding to what is already a very blokey campaign. My column today thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

The election analysis you need this Easter weekend - @damienwoolnough.bsky.social with a fashion take(down) of the leaders www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/fa...

Diss tracks, distractions and disinterest - but what younger voters want is real action on housing. My column today thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

While most politicians will halt their campaigning on Anzac Day, the WA Greens will instead host a dance party to raise money for their election bid thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Labor used its campaign launch to offer more cost of living support, and reframe what it means to be a strong leader thenightly.com.au/politics/fed...

The election campaigns are headed back west as the Coalition thinks it’s turned a corner while Labor insists it still has momentum - but fears it can still stuff things up thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Inside the battle for Bullwinkel, the new seat in WA that all three major parties want to add to their column thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

Exclusive from my colleague Jessica Page today - Labor will launch its campaign on April 13 in Perth, in a re-run of its successful “we love WA” 2022 strategy

A trio of "known unknowns" loom this week with the potential to derail Albanese and Dutton's election plans - my column today thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

The most optimistic part of today’s Reps program?

Today Angus Taylor announced $5m to build basketball courts in northern Tasmania and claimed it was a housing policy. Don't believe me? Read the transcript...

Ministers have announced sooooo many grants over the past several weeks. In fact, more than $1.7 billion worth... thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

If you squinted right, Roger Cook’s speech on Saturday night could have been delivered by Anthony Albanese - my column today on the WA and federal elections thewest.com.au/politics/fed...

PM says if he does drop past Yarralumla this afternoon it will just be for birthday cake #auspol

Seems like Peter Dutton mentions cold storage in press conferences almost as often as Anthony Albanese mentions Peter Dutton... #auspol

About time there was a non-Albanese pronunciation discussion during a political radio interview

Albanese complains questions about election timing are "so boring" - says people have been asking him for a year about the date. #auspol

The electoral funding overhaul just passed through its last parliamentary hurdle with a bunch of divisions but minimal fuss #auspol

The coming election campaign could be unlike any we’ve seen. Trump’s ability to suck the oxygen out of the news cycle is just one factor - I wrote this thinking of last week’s Mid East blowup but we’ve seen it again this week on steel and aluminium tariffs. Strap in! thewest.com.au/politics/fed...