Politics

Politics · 2 October 2026

Cartoonists’ ‘Best Of’ Leaves Politicians Wondering Who Got the Last Laugh

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

A look at the October 2 ‘Best of cartoons’ selection and what it says about the state of Australian politics, with a nod to the artists who managed to capture the absurdity.

Politics · 2 October 2026

EU Envoy Declares Canberra Must ‘Regulate’ AI or Face a Robot Revolt

Rex Blister, Sydney desk

In a dramatic Canberra briefing, the EU’s new envoy warned that Australia’s failure to adopt stringent AI regulation could trigger a global technological uprising, even as China and the US snicker from the sidelines.

Politics · 2 October 2026

Greens Trade Their Protest Signs for Committee Minutes as Shoebridge Takes the Helm

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

David Shoebridge assumes leadership of the Greens, nudging the formerly anti‑establishment party toward the comfort of bureaucratic routine and committee paperwork.

Politics · 2 October 2026

Lawyers Told Their 'Sharp Practices' Are Actually Just Razor-Sharp Competition, Says Government

Rex Blister, Sydney desk

The government has issued a stern warning to a select group of migration lawyers, informing them that their fraudulent parent applications constitute 'sharp practices' rather than simple forgery. The lawyers, meanwhile,…

Politics · 1 October 2026

Greens urged to open windows on leadership vote, lest they wilt in parliament

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

The Australian Greens are debating whether to broaden their leadership election from a closed MPs' poll to a full‑membership ballot, a change framed as a chance to let more sunshine in before the party risks stagnation…

Politics · 1 October 2026

Council swaps stop signs for Matt Golding sketches, commuters queue for a legend

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

Sydney’s council replaced a batch of standard road signs with Matt Golding’s whimsical illustrations, turning the morning commute into a guessing game and stretching queues longer than the Harbour Bridge rush hour. O…

Politics · 1 October 2026

RBA Flags One‑Percent of Homebuyers Stuck Owing More Than Their Roofs Amid Inflation‑Induced Headaches

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

About one per cent of Australian homebuyers now sit in negative equity, prompting the Reserve Bank to warn that a global financial shock could hit harder than a summer heatwave, especially as inflation refuses to cool.

Politics · 1 October 2026

Ink‑Stained Councillors: How the City’s Cartoonists Turned Bureaucracy into a Sketchbook

Mabel Crowe, Sydney desk

Sydney’s leading cartoonists have taken a bemused look at local politics, rendering council debates as a series of absurd sketches that expose the art of bureaucratic performance.

Politics · 1 October 2026

Canberra in Crisis: Minns’ Grenade, Chalmers’ Bank Split Denial—Albanese Watches from the Sidelines

Rex Blister, Sydney desk

In a day that could have been straight out of a political drama, NSW Premier Minns lobbed a grenade at the Australian capital, while Treasurer Chalmers brushed off rumours of a split with bank chief Michele Bullock, leav…