In this first part of the review of the 2025 year in federal politics, we look at Australia’s continuing culture wars, a federal election that reshaped the political landscape, and a deepening moral failure on Gaza that many in power would rather not discuss. From Australia Day and the ongoing Invasion Day debate to the relentless attempts by Peter Dutton and conservative commentators to weaponise “wokeness,” cancel culture and identity politics, this episode examines why these tactics are losing their potency with a changing electorate.
We reflect on Victoria’s historic Treaty process with First Nations people and how the sky stubbornly refused to fall in, despite dire warnings from the Liberal Party. The implementation of this real reform weakens scare campaigns, and how these developments may pave the way for other states and territories. Against this backdrop, we analyse the 2025 federal election campaign, widely regarded as one of the worst run by a major political party in Australian history, ending in a catastrophic defeat for the Liberal Party and the loss of Peter Dutton’s own seat.
We look at how the Labor government, under Anthony Albanese, ran a cautious but disciplined campaign focused on stability and competence, while the Coalition relied almost entirely on fear, culture war outrage and an implausible nuclear energy policy. We examine why this strategy failed, why the Liberal Party’s primary vote and seat count collapsed to historic lows, and how the party now finds itself stranded in the political wilderness, having failed to learn from its 2022 defeat.
We also look at the unexpected results for the Australian Greens, whose vote remained relatively stable while their lower house seat number collapsed, raising questions about strategy, parliamentary power and the limits of protest politics within Australia’s electoral system.
Australia had an overwhelmingly weak and timid response to the genocide in Gaza. While the issue was largely absent from the election campaign, it was a deliberate silence. We scrutinise the Albanese government’s continued supply of military components to Israel, its refusal to impose sanctions, its carefully worded expressions of concern, and the growing sense that Australia has stood on the wrong side of history during a humanitarian catastrophe. We discuss the abandonment of core Labor Party principles, and the political calculations that placed lobby pressure ahead of human rights and international law.
Finally, we examine the power of the Israel lobby and its influence across politics, mainstream media, universities, arts organisations and public institutions. From the Antoinette Lattouf case and editorial censorship at major newspapers, to cancelled talks, exhibitions and public events, we expose how debate on Palestine has been systematically suppressed. We consider what this means for free speech, academic freedom, journalism and democratic accountability in Australia, and why independent media has become one of the few places left where these conversations can happen honestly.
