Australian Book and Language Studio

Labor has plenty of seats in parliament. According to today’s ABC political analysis, some MPs are becoming increasingly worried about keeping them. Poor polling, policy resistance and reported backbench frustration are putting pressure on Anthony Albanese. The government’s parliamentary benches remain crowded. The suggestion box, apparently, is filling up too. ABC political editor Jacob Greber…

New South Wales wholesale electricity prices hit more than twenty-three thousand dollars per megawatt hour this week. At that price, you’d expect the electricity to arrive personally, wearing a suit and apologising. First, breathe: that was a short-lived wholesale market price, not the rate automatically charged on everyone’s household bill. On Monday, heat pushed up…

A parliamentary inquiry has questioned Plymouth Brethren leaders over allegations involving church members, election intimidation and neo-Nazi associates. It’s a serious subject, and a reminder that election scrutiny sometimes involves considerably more than checking who authorised the corflutes. Church leader Bruce Hales denied involvement in, or knowledge of, the alleged activities. His son Gareth said…

Australia’s trade agreement with Europe has hit a political roadblock, and cheese is part of the argument. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie says the Coalition will oppose the Australia–European Union free trade agreement. Nationals leader Matt Canavan warns it could damage Australian dairy producers by exposing them to competition from subsidised European cheese. International diplomacy: sometimes…

Australia needs more homes. Unfortunately, fewer people are signing up to have them built. The Housing Industry Association reports that new home sales fell 17.5 per cent in the September quarter, reaching their lowest quarterly level in eighteen months. Our housing strategy appears to be approaching a roundabout with everyone insisting somebody else should go…

Australia’s unemployment rate is sitting at a five-year high, and nearly 40,000 fewer people were employed in September. The economy appears to have misunderstood the instruction to bring prices down. It’s started with employment. The latest ABS figures put unemployment at 4.7 per cent. There’s a wrinkle: August’s figure was revised upwards to the same…

Forget the trench coat, secret handshake and mysterious briefcase. An alleged Chinese spying network apparently preferred LinkedIn. Espionage has entered the corporate era. Somewhere, James Bond is being asked to endorse someone’s stakeholder-management skills. An ABC investigation reports that two accounts linked to suspected Chinese intelligence operatives built connections with more than 100 people linked…

Angus Taylor wants a major cut to immigration. The Coalition’s pitch: fewer arrivals, less pressure on housing, and higher priority for the skills Australia needs. It sounds straightforward. Unfortunately, Australia’s economy has more moving parts than an IKEA wardrobe, and the instructions are considerably worse. Under the plan announced on October 6, net overseas migration…

Nearly 80,000 older Australians could drop their private health insurance under proposed government rebate changes. Apparently, retirement now comes with a new hobby: checking which household expense you can still afford. But first, an important clarification: these changes are proposed, and the legislation still faces a Senate battle. The government wants to remove the additional…

Australia has told Vladimir Putin: thanks, but we’re not buying your diesel. Following Donald Trump’s fuel agreement with Russia, Energy Minister Chris Bowen reaffirmed that Australia would maintain its opposition to Russian fuel. Apparently, “fill it up” now requires a foreign-policy briefing. Bowen’s argument is that Russia should not benefit financially while continuing its invasion…

Australia wants to put Pacific nations at the centre of global climate diplomacy. But ahead of this week’s meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu, the leaders’ guest list looks thinner than hoped. The pre-COP31 gathering runs from October 5 to 8, preparing the ground for November’s global climate negotiations. For Australia, it’s a test of diplomatic…

For many parents, online gaming looks like children building worlds, playing with friends and having fun. But those same spaces can expose children to grooming, sexual exploitation and violent extremist material. A new eSafety report has identified uneven protections across the companies behind Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite and Steam. Some safeguards have improved. Significant shortcomings remain.…

Australian retirement savings have entered an unlikely political argument: how to protect our lamb exports from American tariffs. Trade Minister Don Farrell suggested Australian super funds consider investing in the US lamb industry as part of efforts to ease trade tensions. That prompted industry criticism, while Treasurer Jim Chalmers stressed that funds must prioritise members’…

You buy a coffee, tap your card, and discover the advertised price wasn’t quite the final price. Australians have good reason to dislike that experience. Ending card surcharges makes prices clearer and comparisons easier. But there’s a catch: removing the surcharge doesn’t remove every cost of processing the payment. Since October 1, new rules have…

Labor is tightening the rules on international students changing courses, arguing that education should not become a vehicle for endlessly extending a temporary stay. That principle is reasonable. A student visa should support genuine study, and providers or agents selling misleading migration promises deserve scrutiny. But the difficult question is how to distinguish someone exploiting…

For approximately fifteen hundred Hunter Valley mine workers, this decision offers relief. For Australians concerned about climate change, it raises a difficult question: how long can we keep extending coal production while promising to cut emissions? NSW’s Independent Planning Commission has approved the continuation of Hunter Valley Operations, with its North mine allowed to operate…

Australian home prices fell 1.1 per cent in September, the sixth consecutive monthly decline. For anyone locked out of the market, that might sound like welcome news. For someone who recently bought with a small deposit, it could feel terrifying. And that’s the contradiction at the heart of Australia’s housing debate: we want homes to…

When a treasurer promises “budget savings”, Australians should listen carefully. Because a saving on the government’s balance sheet can become an extra expense on yours. Jim Chalmers is signalling further savings ahead of the mid-year budget update, while maintaining that Australia should avoid recession. That’s a difficult balancing act: contain inflation, support struggling households, and…

David Shoebridge has taken over the federal Greens leadership, and his message to Labor is unmistakable: expect a fight. He succeeds Larissa Waters, who stepped down for health reasons, with Steph Hodgins-May elected deputy. But the bigger story is the ambition behind the change. Shoebridge says the Greens want to replace Labor. That raises the…

Australia’s cash rate has hit 4.6 per cent, its highest level in fifteen years, and families are being asked to tighten belts that already have no holes left. On September 29, the Reserve Bank delivered its fourth rate rise this year. For mortgage holders, that means another squeeze. For businesses with loans, it means higher…