Parliament

In the current Parliament major reforms are coming along almost as frequently as buses. This week there are two separate and equally momentous legislative reform bills on the agenda.  Audio

MPs spend many hours shouting past each other about the budget, but have tactics and objectives behind all the hubbub. Phil Smith dissects the year’s first budget debate-fest - the eight hour long… Audio

MPs have been getting down and dirty in the critical mud-wrestling phase of legislation to reform the public health system, the Pae Ora (Healthy futures) Bill. Audio

Parliament’s health select committee hears a cry for help from workers in aged care residential facilities that staffing levels in their sector are unsafe and failing people. Audio

Time is running out for changes to be made to proposed major health reform as the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill is in its committee stage. Audio

The MP behind a Member's Bill which targets online grooming of children by adult predators hopes for it to be widened in scope to include offline or ‘real life’. Audio

Australians are waking up to life with a new Prime Minister, with Anthony Albanese and Labor ousting Scott Morrison's incumbent Liberal National coalition in yesterday's election. Political… Audio

The Budget gets presented, debated and commented on more than most best sellers but like A Brief History of Time very few people have the time and energy to read all of it.  Audio

The budget wasn’t the only thing at Parliament this week. There was also legislation on surrogacy, free speech, political conflicts of interest, and sexual harassment. Audio

Question Time works best if the MPs ask tight, non-political questions. Straight questions are more likely to get straight answers, so they’re kept as tight as possible but not always by choice. Audio