The millennial disdain for the Coalition got even worse in 2025, according to the first glimpse of the Australian election study. A primary of 21 and a 2PP of 64-36 is an “existential” problem as the party debates net zero, says Simon Jackman. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...

Going in deep on the troubled HAFF. It will shake the tag that it hasn’t built any new homes (from scratch) eventually. But it’ll still be an excruciating process, like building anything in Australia. Loads of never-before-seen detail to chew on: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

More details this morning from Treasury’s briefing headings, including the full set on housing for you to read for yourself. Among the opportunities identified: reviewing Commonwealth Rent Assistance www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

A rare insight into what Treasury really thinks, all thanks to an email mishap. Raise taxes and cut spending if you want to fix the budget. Your housing target won’t be met. And be prepared for a US dollar crisis. My report with Dan Ziffer: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

It’s no small thing that the treasurer sees a window of opportunity to reform tax, and there is no shortage of problems he could fix. But he must be willing to create losers, and that’s always been the hard part. My analysis for your Saturday morning. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...

I’m thinking of getting involved in some discords, are there good ones floating around? I vaguely recall some being mentioned in these circles.

A number of markers laid by Bragg in his interview with me, which you can both read and watch here. A very substantial shift underway on housing and a quiet but firm rinsing of the Sukkar strategy. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05...

A close look at the suburban results. In mid-affluent areas, massive primary swings towards Labor, not just where they won but in Cook, Mitchell, Berowra. In outer suburban areas, Dutton's all-consuming obsession, third party splintering did not help him a jot. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05...

This was a real pleasure!

Updates on about 60 seats here with sentiment from across the camps. The baseline expectation is a moderate Labor loss in Victoria and a wash elsewhere. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04...

The list of seats where work from home is likely to be most prevalent reads like a shopping list of marginals My anatomy of a backflip: www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04...

Nice chart from Macrobond putting tomorrow's tariffs in historical perspective. Eight decades worth of trade liberalisation efforts already binned by Trump.

My take from last night’s budget coverage on the fiscal big picture after a full term of Labor budgets.

Suffice it to say I was less than impressed by the tone of estimates this week, even by estimates standards. So I wrote about it. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03...

My contribution to the ABC’s series Untangling the Housing Crisis is an examination of the hard evidence. A solution is not as far away as many think. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02...

Solid haul at the Lifeline Book Fair

Technodeudalism 🤟🏽

🤨

Anybody seen a good long read on why hyper online left young people get feverish about random things and deify them a la Putricia? Not sneering at it, just feel there’s some insight there that eludes me. Like why is the PROTECT HER AT ALL COSTS bit so left coded? No reason why it has to be but it is

What Caught My Eye going to be an all-timer in Rd 1

Lot of very cursed ads kicking around on The Other Website these days, but this gentleman wants to make sure you're familiar with your major thirds and minor sixths.

Upon further reflection this movie would also have been improved by casting everyone except Ralph Fiennes as a muppet

Saw conclave. Needed an electoral analyst type. What were the preference flows from Adeyemi? How crucial was the orthodox bloc with the different hats. Etc.

Jobs vacancies tick up in November, with most of it in the private sector (yes, seasonally adjusted) www.abs.gov.au/statistics/l...

Labor's candidate for Leichhardt doubling down on The Repacholi Stratagem (preselect Big Units). Could be a game changer.

Ah, the sounds of summer. Test cricket on the radio, chirping of cicadas in the evening, announcement that the Bruce Highway is still being upgraded.

Got through a bit over half of these which is pretty good going I think! The Judt rocked, as did Power Without Glory.

This pic goes so hard

Pulse check on Gavaskar?

DiDi it’s 11am

Siraj shushing a crowd that is mostly Indian fans cheering for him

I’ve watched the Sunil Gavaskar commentary sook up so many times now I’ve lost count

Wage-price Labuschpiral consolidates strong Aussie start

Another year passes and I remain irredeemably shithouse at present wrapping. Measuring, cutting, shaping, taping, one unmitigated nightmare. 2/3 look fine but conceal mangled horrors within. Merry Christmas.

Magnificent cultural artefact this. Not a lick of anything even slightly left of field, every choice somehow more mainstream than the last. And yet you can’t deny they are, indeed, bangers and you’d be singing along unselfconsciously. If that isn’t Warnie.

With the out of the office on and the 🍹 awaiting, I’m also marking one year at the ABC. It’s still a thrill and a privilege. I’m a true believer in rigorous, fair public broadcasting and hope you’ve derived a public good from my work! Thanks to all on here from whom I continue to learn a great deal.

Simply having a wonderful Christmastime (ABS maps has added the new electorate boundaries)

Counting the drones on the New Jersey skyline they've all come to look for America

You'd better believe I'm excited for my annual summer break book binge. Here's my list. Skews towards political non fiction because counterintuitively it's only when I'm away from work that I want to read that stuff. But there's a mix. Share yours pls! I'll report back with reviews.

The true meaning of Christmas is Bob Dylan singing O Come All Ye Faithful in Latin open.spotify.com/track/6iTQd6...

There’s a strange and serene beauty to some of these. Why are they… so moving?

The Coalition's preferred scenario has a slower shift towards electric vehicles and all-electric homes, which means less demand for electricity. So consumers may be spending less on electricity, but they will be spending more on gas and petrol.

Peter Dutton's nuclear proposal relies on a smaller economy and higher emissions, and would cost more than $300 billion, per his long-awaited costing. Coal would stay longer to fill the gap before nuclear plants arrive in 12 years' time at the earliest. www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12...

Sitcom idea: The Office, but about when a young go-getter mujahed arrives to take over a dilapidated Baathist ministry full of work-shy, scheming nepotism hires.

Opening a book on Chalmers RBA Board appointments. Taking submissions (this is not a real thing): Jeff Borland $1.50 Cherelle Murphy $3.50 Stephen Koukoulas $5.20 Angela Jackson $6.00 Craig Emerson $9.00 Nicki Hutley $21.00 Zac Gross $51.00 Richard Holden $51.00 Steve Hamilton $1001.00

Bluesky has the juice

Annual entreaty not to be a grinch about Spotify wrapped, it’s nice when people share their music tastes! Tell me about yours

Andrew Leigh announcing that donations under $2 can be tax deductible if you keep the receipt, which in the nicest possible way is something that only Andrew Leigh would actually bother to do.

Ron’s been splinched

And now it is over!