Insiders - Back To You

It's often said that if schoolchildren behaved the way politicians do in Question Time, they would be sent to the Principal's office. Does it have to be this way? Does the public benefit from the daily shouting match on the floor of the House? Or can something be done to improve it? Also, what does the result of the Victorian election tell us about the state of the Liberal Party? David Speers is joined by ABC Political Reporter Melissa Clarke and ABC PM host David Lipson to answer your questions. This is the last episode of Insiders - Back to You for 2022, but if you have questions you'd like answered by our panel next year, send them to backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

What can the election campaign in Victoria tell us about the state of Australian politics more generally? In the first state-wide poll since the federal election in May, a big question is whether the momentum built by minor parties and independents is continuing. And in a rematch between two major party leaders - Daniel (Dan) Andrews and Matthew (Matt) Guy, will the pandemic play a big role in deciding who will next form government in Spring Street? David Speers is joined by the host of ABC Radio Melbourne Drive and the Matters of State podcast Rafael Epstein, and ABC News Breakfast co-host Lisa Millar to answer your questions. If you have a question you'd like answered next week, send them to backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

After six years keeping Australia in the cold, Chinese President Xi Jinping met face-to-face with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the G20 summit, in a sign that relations may be warming. What does this mean for Australia's security and economy? And how can we better protect ourselves from data breaches, after two big ones in recent weeks? David Speers is joined by ABC Political Reporter Greg Jennett and ABC Radio Darwin Breakfast host Jo Laverty to answer your questions. If you have a question you'd like answered next week, send them to backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

The US mid-term election result spelled bad news for Donald Trump's ambitions for a return to the White House in 2024. But as he prepares to announce the beginning of his campaign, he's still the bookies' favourite to win the next US election. Would a return to Trumpism change the US-Australia relationship? David Speers is joined by ABC Political Reporter Jane Norman and ABC Radio Sydney, Newcastle and NSW Afternoons host Josh Szeps to answer your questions, and give VCE politics students some advice before their exams. If you have a question you'd like answered next week, send them to backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

In their Melbourne Cup Day meeting, the Reserve Bank board not only increased interest rates again, they also increased their estimate of where inflation will peak. So are their efforts to cool down the economy by raising the cost of debt working? And is a new cable to Tasmania the solution to the mainland's energy woes? David Speers is joined by ABC Political Reporter James Glenday and AM host Sabra Lane to answer your questions. If you have a question you'd like answered next week, send them to backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

Every time there's a federal budget, news outlets publish a list of "winners and losers" - people who will benefit from the budget changes, and people who won't. Is that helpful? Or does it just make people become obsessed with "what's in it for me?" The Albanese government's first federal budget carried good news for families, students and people experiencing housing stress, but not much for people struggling with high energy bills. To answer your budget questions, David Speers is joined by ABC Political Editor Andrew Probyn and ABC Radio Sydney Breakfast host James Valentine. If you have a question you'd like answered next week, send them to backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers is set to hand down his first budget next week, and he's trying to keep expectations low. The national deficit is standing in the way of some of Labor's biggest election promises - but how much should we worry about deficit, anyway? ABC finance reporter Alan Kohler and ABC Radio Brisbane Mornings presenter Rebecca Levingston join David Speers to discuss budgets, bushmasters, and bikies. If you have a question you'd like answered next week, send them to backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

Debate is raging over whether it's reasonable to break election promises in the face of changing economic conditions. Promises were made ahead of the election on energy prices and taxation which are now proving difficult to deliver as the global economy worsens. Do we focus too much on promise and not enough on the greater good? To answer your questions on the energy transition and tax cuts, David Speers is joined by ABC Political Reporter Matt Doran and ABC Radio Adelaide Mornings host David Bevan to answer your questions. If you have a question you'd like answered next week, send them to backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

Interest rates are rising rapidly, meaning mortgages - and by extension rents - are increasing. But where is that extra money going? The banks? The government? To answer your questions about interest rates, the stage 3 tax cuts, 4 year parliamentary terms and more, David Speers is joined by PM Presenter David Lipson and ABC Far North Rural Reporter Charlie McKillop. If you have a question you'd like answered next week, send them to backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

We're finally getting a federal anti-corruption commission, but it looks like hearings will be held in private except under "exceptional circumstances". What does that mean? And why should politicians with nothing to hide be worried about their reputations being damaged in public hearings? Additionally, the National Cabinet has decided to end COVID isolation rules, two and a half years after they were implemented. Is it time to move on from the pandemic, or will it just make things worse? To answer your questions, David Speers is joined by ABC Political Reporter Melissa Clarke and ABC Radio Perth Drive host Geoff Hutchison. If you have a question you'd like answered next week, send them to backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

As the official period of mourning over the death of Queen Elizabeth II ends, some are asking if now is the time for another referendum on replacing the Governor General with an Australian President. But as that debate restarts some are asking if we should use a more Australian term for our potential new head of state, while others ask if we need a separate head of state at all? To answer your questions on the republic, the upcoming federal budget, and why India and China continue to support Vladimir Putin, David Speers is joined by ABC Political Reporter Claudia Long and ABC Capricornia breakfast presenter Paul Culliver.

In just four months, the Reserve Bank cash rate has risen from a historic low of 0.1% to a seven-year high of 2.35%, leaving borrowers scrambling to keep up. The bank's governor Philip Lowe has faced questioning in parliament over his previous prediction that rates would not rise until 2024. Meanwhile, the death of Queen Elizabeth II has rekindled the Republic debate - or has it? David Speers is joined by ABC Business Reporter Rhiana Whitson and ABC Radio Canberra Drive host Anna Vidot to answer your questions. If you have a question you'd like answered next week, send them to backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

Business and union leaders met with delegates in Canberra for the Jobs Summit this week to try and fix the nation's crippling skills shortage. Have they done it? This week listeners ask about the future of jobs, as robots and automation become more prevalent, and whether skilled migrants solve the worker shortage. The panel also get stuck into tax chat, asking whether the Government will repeal the Stage 3 tax cuts, or what they might do instead. And it's been more than 100 days — so when will we see a Federal ICAC? This week David Speers is joined by political editor Andrew Probyn and ABC Newcastle's Drive presenter Paul Turton to answer your questions.

Should we increase immigration or bring in more asylum seekers? Do we need to get pensioners back into work? Does the housing crisis need to be dealt with first? These are some of the questions the Albanese government is wrestling with a week out from their Jobs and Skills Summit. Additionally, gas is on the agenda, after the government opened up 46,000 square kilometers for offshore gas exploration. ABC Political Reporter Matt Doran and ABC Southern Queensland Mornings Presenter Belinda Sanders join David Speers to answer your questions on jobs, housing, gas, and the continuing debate over Scott Morrison's secret portfolios.

Our inbox has been blowing up with questions about the revelation that while Prime Minister, Scott Morrison secretly took on five ministerial portfolios, sometimes without telling the relevant ministers. Was he making extra money? Was the Governor-General wrong to participate? What does it mean for the Liberal-National coalition agreement? ABC Political Reporter Melissa Clarke and ABC Radio Brisbane Mornings presenter Rebecca Levingston join David Speers to discuss the biggest, and strangest, political story of the week. If you have questions you want our team to answer next week, email backtoyoupodcast@abc.net.au

State parliaments in New South Wales and Victoria are currently gripped by rolling integrity scandals. This comes as the new Albanese government formulates a plan for a federal integrity commission. So what do these scandals tell us about how best to improve integrity in politics across the country? ABC Radio Sydney Breakfast host James Valentine and ABC Radio Melbourne Drive host Raf Epstein join David Speers to discuss the new NSW parliament report into bullying and harassment, the John Barilaro saga, the issues in Matthew Guy's office, and whether journalists can do more to hold politicians to account.

China has responded to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan with large military exercises in and around the Taiwan Strait. It's forced Australia to once again consider its stance on supporting the self-governed democratic island. ABC Defence Correspondent Andrew Greene and ABC Radio Darwin Breakfast Presenter Jo Laverty join David Speers to discuss this, the government's climate legislation, and the Voice to Parliament referendum.

The Prime Minister is at the Garma Festival in Arnhem Land, so the Back To You podcast is too. ABC Indigenous Affairs Editor Bridget Brennan and ABC journalist Dan Bourchier join David Speers at the festival to discuss the issues facing our First Nations people, and when we can expect a referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

As the first week of the 48th Parliament of Australia looms, the Albanese government is dealing with the ramifications of an environmental report which had been shelved by the previous government, and setting the ball rolling on a review of the Reserve Bank. ABC national environment reporter Michael Slezak and ABC political editor Andrew Probyn join David Speers to answer your questions about the challenges ahead.