Today, we're delving into the expenses scandal, if indeed we are calling it a scandal, that has engulfed the Communications Minister Anika Wells. A $100,000 taxpayer funded flight to New York snow-balled into a drip-feed of information about flights to the Formula 1 grand prix, the Boxing Day tests and even a family reunion at Thredbo. All of this dropping at precisely the moment the minister wanted to be talking about the social media ban that was instituted this week.

So, what are the rules around taxpayer-funded travel for MPs? And do the pass the 'pub test'?

Joining host Jacqueline Maley is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal, and chief political commentator James Massola.

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This week the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was on his honeymoon after his low-key Lodge wedding last weekend, while Senate estimates rolled on in Canberra, uncovering some interesting secrets.

Notable was the head-scratching amount that Communications Minister Anika Wells spent on flights to New York, made public ahead of the mammoth social media ban coming into effect.

Chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos join host Jacqueline Maley for this week's Inside Politics.

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Well, Barnaby Joyce finally announced his resignation from the Nationals this week, paving his way to join One Nation, in a week where Pauline Hanson recycled a burqa stunt from 2017.

And it’s amid this turmoil that we have a special guest with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and Jacqueline Maley - Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.

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Recently on this podcast we have been highly fixated on the problems within the Liberal opposition and we have neglected the government somewhat. So this week we are going to focus on Labor, and to that end we have a real treat for listeners. Sean Kelly, a columnist for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, was previously a Labor staffer with Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. He is the author of a book called The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison, and he has just published the latest quarterly essay – which is called The Good Fight, What Does Labor Stand For?

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This week in federal politics there was really only one show in town, and that was the compelling and 'can't look away' car crash that is the Liberal party's continued ructions on its net zero policy.

They culminated, or maybe even concluded, on Thursday afternoon, when the Liberal Party met and finally came up with a policy.

Today, host Jacqueline Maley is joined by chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and chief political commentator James Massola.

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It’s been a rather torrid week for the Coalition, with yet more messy fighting over whether it will dump its commitment to Australia achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

This was followed by controversial comments by former frontbencher Andrew Hastie on late-term abortions.

Today’s guest is Senator Jane Hume, a Liberal moderate, joining chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and host Jacqueline Maley.

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This week we're going to talk about the government's weaknesses, which might seem a little bit counter-intuitive, because Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been flying so high on the international stage, where he dined with US President Donald Trump at a dinner at ASEAN.

But back on the domestic front, there are a few weaknesses, particularly in the economy.

Chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal, joins host and senior columnist Jacqueline Maley for this week's Inside Politics.

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The week in federal politics could not have been more fun. We had Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travel to Washington, finally, for his meeting with US President Donald Trump. The meeting was a total hit, and Albanese came home with a deal on critical mineral supply and reassurances on the AUKUS submarine pact.

Jacqueline Maley is joined by chief political correspondent, Paul Sakkal and special guest Bill Shorten, former opposition leader and a cabinet minister. Bill Shorten is now Vice Chancellor at the University of Canberra.

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