Albanese wants universal childcare, Mamdani has a roadmap When asked about his legacy, Anthony Albanese has always been clear about what he wants to be remembered for: universal childcare. It’s a headline vision he shares with a prominent politician on the o...

"Albanese wants universal childcare, Mamdani has a roadmap" by @skyelark.bsky.social @thepointau.bsky.social
thepoint.com.au/explainers/2...

Albanese wants universal childcare, Mamdani has a roadmap When asked about his legacy, Anthony Albanese has always been clear about what he wants to be remembered for: universal childcare. It’s a headline vision he shares with a prominent politician on the o...

Anthony Albanese says he wants universal childcare to be his legacy, something he shares with New York's Zohran Mamdani. But Albo's plan is far less ambitious than what NYC is already implementing. There's an obvious question: Why?

thepoint.com.au/explainers/2...

The arts sector in Australia is in crisis, and the federal government thinks encouraging more philanthropy is the answer.

But donations from the rich won't fill the gap left by chronic government underfunding.

@skyelark.bsky.social #auspol

A chart showing Australia is well below the OECD average for arts spending

Now is a good time to talk to the government about arts policy: they're accepting submissions for the next plan.

May be a good time to remind them that Australia has very low arts spending compared with other developed countries.

Laws are only effective if they're enforced and right now there's a big gap between the # of people get a firearm for hunting or sport shooting and the # of people who actually engage in those activities. If they're not using the gun for the stated reason, why are they are allowed to keep them?

New research from @australiainstitute.org.au

The ‘gaping hole’ being used to get a gun licence in NSW People claiming to be recreational hunters or sporting shooters but who do neither are slipping through the net.

Up to 250,000 NSW gun owners say they need a firearm to hunt or play sports - but only 36,000 actually did either. What are they doing with their guns? We don't know.

This is the 'gaping hole' in Australia's gun laws: www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

Australia's gun laws in major need of reform.

200,000+ gun owners in don't use their weapons for the reasons stated on their licence.

This is a major security risk for the community

Great story on SMH front page on important new @australiainstitute.org.au research.
www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

"When [economists] say the labour market's too tight & we need unemployment to rise, they say it so cavalierly."

"One, because they know they're not going to lose their jobs."

@grogsgamut.bsky.social & @skyelark.bsky.social on the latest episode of Dollars & Sense. #auspol

🎧 theaus.in/4aU32AI

Sussan Ley’s seat of Farrer, which spans most of the NSW side of the Victorian border, including the town of Albury, will go into a campaign frenzy as Liberals, Nationals, One Nation and Independents all seek to succeed the former Liberal leader.

Read more on The Point: https://theaus.in/46LbUGl

Photo of Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers NEW EPISODE | Future uncertain as US says war on Iran has 'only just begun' Listen to Dollars & Sense now via the link or wherever you get your podcasts.

The US-Israel war on Iran could have serious, lasting impacts on the global economy.

@grogsgamut.bsky.social & @skyelark.bsky.social discuss the implications of this illegal war & the latest data on the Australian economy.

🎧 theaus.in/4aU32AI

What to expect from the Farrer by-election One month ago, Sussan Ley was the leader of the Liberal Party. Two weeks later, she retired from Parliament altogether after losing the leadership to Angus Taylor. And now, Speaker of the House Milton...

The Farrer by-election, now scheduled for May 9th, could be a four-cornered or even five-cornered contest. Who will the candidates be and how will the race play out? I took a look on @thepointau.bsky.social

thepoint.com.au/explainers/2...

The Albanese Government's case for crackdown on FOI fell apart when it became clear that there is no "flood" of FOI requests.

Case load is about the same as 20 years ago. The extra costs and delays are a result of FOI officers spending their time trying to block access and censor documents.

Motion by leave A motion moved to suspend standing orders by Senator Gallagher was agreed to. Senator Gallagher moved a motion to discharge the Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025 from the Notice Paper - debate in progress

We love to see it. ⚰️

3 reasons to be glad the Government's FOI changes have been scrapped Today, the Albanese Government pulled its “friendless” Freedom of Information Amendment Bill.

The Government has finally abandoned its 'friendless' changes to FOI laws after it became clear they wouldn't pass the Senate. Here's three reasons to be glad they did, on @thepointau.bsky.social

thepoint.com.au/explainers/2...

Minor/indie vote rises from sub-10% in 1970s to 34% at 2025, and 48% in current polling.

Almost half of Australians now say they intend to vote for minor parties and independents -- up from 34% at last year's election.

Even before One Nation's meteoric (though to-date only speculative) rise, the 2025 election was a high point.

Excellent work by @skyelark.bsky.social on how many guns are stockpiled in each postcode of Sydney
live.thepoint.com.au/2026/03/the-...

Here’s my @australiainstitute.org.au colleague Allan Behm on Australia’s dismal response to Trump’s illegal war.

If you live in Sydney, do you know how many guns are being stockpiled in your suburb?

There are hundreds of guns owned by a single person in each of Cremorne, Malabar beach and Narrabeen - and that's just the top of the list: thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...

BREAKING: UK Greens smash Reform and Labor to win the by-election in Manchester. This is real momentum and it’s how we defeat the racist right across the globe, with hope and confidence we can build a brighter and fairer future. 💚💚💚

Photo of Shadow Treasurer Tim Wilson NEW EPISODE | Why the wealthiest don't need another tax cut Listen to Dollars & Sense now via the link or wherever you get your podcasts.

Australia is a low-taxing nation.

@grogsgamut.bsky.social & @skyelark.bsky.social discuss Tim Wilson’s claims about tax, Trump's tariffs & Australia’s bizarre subsidies for fossil fuels.

🎧 theaus.in/4cPVkbW

Australia’s Winter Olympians are overwhelmingly private school educated Australia’s privatised schooling system makes our high schools the most expensive in the developed world. These high costs have far-reaching consequences for inequality in our society, including in wh...

Almost 80% of Australia's Olympic team went to private schools - compared to just 40% of Australians.

Our unequal education system is on full display at the Winter Olympics:
thepoint.com.au/off-the-char...

This is indefensible.

Calls for people to lose their jobs and livelihoods are overdone in Australia.

But how can these officers continue to be employed?

Surely they must be charged with assault.

Nothing says cohesion like a punch in the head: Violence of Minns' goons exposes the lie of 'social cohesion' NSW Police's actions against protesters in in Sydney was about the powerful dictating the terms of free speech — through state-sanctioned violence if necessary.

"Social cohesion is a scam, a strategy employed by the powerful to delegitimise and suppress the voices of the less powerful... If you are othered by powerful groups, you become the victim of cohesion, not the beneficiary; what you get from social cohesion is a punch from an armed official."

Graph shows FOI decisions were much higher in 2016-17 than under the Albanese Government.

Crisis? What crisis?

Govt's own docs prove that there was no "swarm" of FOI requests that required Australians' FOI rights to be restricted.

No wonder govt delayed 150 days before releasing.

@skyelark.bsky.social on @thepointau.bsky.social live blog: live.thepoint.com.au/2026/02/the-...

The Point Live: Mass protests planned in response to Israeli president visit, Codependent Coalition back together Mass protests are planned around the country in response to the visit from Israeli head of state Isaac Herzog, who has been accused of inciting the commission of genocide. The Coalition have reunited...

Most power-sharing agreements between major parties and minor parties/independents are public --

So why is the Coalition Agreement secret?

@skyelark.bsky.social on @thepointau.bsky.social live blog live.thepoint.com.au?post=928adea...

According to new Australia Institute research, the inequality between private and public education will continue to grow, and Australian students, along with the Australian community and economy, will suffer.

Read the full piece on The Point: https://theaus.in/4rsPW2I

The Point Live: RBA raises rates to 3.85%, Liberals, Nationals abort leadership moves amid talent deficit Parliament officially returns for 2026 with the Nationals and Liberals still in turmoil and unable to agree on a new leader, while One Nation continues to establish itself as the new conservative forc...

The Nationals are the party of the bush, making Liberals the party of the city, right?

In fact, Libs have lost most of their metro seats -- so One Nation's rise in the regions threatens the Libs as much as the Nats.

@skyelark.bsky.social on @thepointau.bsky.social live.thepoint.com.au#732cfc1bdd

Triple J Hottest 100 out tomorrow!

Last year just 27 Aus songs made it. Lowest since 1994!!

Why? – Streaming favours the USA

Thankfully, DJ Albo is in the house and can turn this around! Thread on how.

What are the proposed gun control reforms and how did we get here? The Albanese Government’s omnibus ‘Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill’ includes the most significant reforms to Australia’s gun control laws since 1996.

Last night, the Commonwealth passed its part of the most significant gun control reforms since 1996.

But how did we get here? What does this legislation do? And how have the far-right taken advantage of Australia's gun laws?

New from me on @thepointau.bsky.social
thepoint.com.au/explainers/2...