Brett Worthington
Canberra, ACT
Brett is the federal political correspondent with ABC News Digital. He started his career in newspapers before joining the ABC as a rural reporter. Brett presented the South Australian Country Hour and was the ABC's Parliament House national rural reporter. His claims to fame are growing a backyard wheat crop as the western Victorian rural reporter and later baking scones with the CWA live on the radio.
Latest by Brett Worthington
Prime minister defends integrity as he explains tax cut change
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vows he is an "honest person" as he continues to defend breaking an election commitment on the contentious stage 3 tax cuts.
Analysis
analysis:Penny Wong never misses a microphone. She'll need that skill as she navigates the Middle East
Foreign Minister Penny Wong is one of the nation's most disciplined politicians, who heavily calculates everything she says. It's a skill she'll need as she faces her biggest challenge to date when she touches down in the Middle East.
Analysis
analysis:Still beginner's luck or has budget bet from 'cautious and conservative' Chalmers paid off?
Economists say luck is offering Labor plenty of good economic fortunes. Treasurer Jim Chalmers doesn't see it that way but won't be complaining if it continues.
Budget bottom line improves, but few signs of real wage growth as inflation savages benefits of higher pay
Australians hoping to see their wages grow noticeably in real terms will have to wait longer than expected, with the federal government's budget update showing higher-than-forecast inflation savaging the benefits of higher pay.
Analysis
analysis:No one was expecting the parliamentary year to end like this
For the Albanese government, the 12 days of its second Christmas in office were definitely not meant to look like this, write Annabel Crabb and Brett Worthington.
Pocock and Lambie force government to split industrial relations changes. Here's what's happening
First responders will have easier access to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compensation and contractors will receive the same pay as full-time employees in the same role, after the government agreed to crossbench demands.
'This is truly a loss for our nation': Parliament pays tribute to Labor MP Peta Murphy
Peta Murphy is remembered as a happy warrior who used her role in public life to fight for the rights of others.
Prime minister says government 'broken-hearted' following death of Peta Murphy
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, announces the death of Victorian Labor MP Peta Murphy, praising the contribution the 50-year-old made to public life.
Analysis
analysis:High Court happenings, a Home Affairs take down, and a rare nice moment: Unpacking this week in parliament
Home Affairs boss Mike Pezzullo was shown the door this week, as the policy scramble triggered by the High Court's indefinite detention ruling continues, write Annabel Crabb and Brett Worthington.
Analysis
analysis:The questionable High Court advice that could have prevented a whole lot of Labor pains
It's hard to see how the fallout from a landmark High Court ruling on indefinite immigration detention can be described as anything other than potty, with politicians rushing around like chooks with their heads cut off.
Pat Dodson, known as the 'father of reconciliation', to retire from Senate on Australia Day
Labor senator Pat Dodson, known as the "father of reconciliation" after decades of advocacy for Indigenous people, will retire from federal politics on January 26.
Peter Dutton links visas for Palestinians with prospect of a 'catastrophic outcome' for Australia
Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton raised the prospect of a "catastrophic outcome" as the result of Palestinians receiving visitor visas to come to Australia amid the Israel-Gaza war.
Analysis
analysis:This one sentence caused Clare O'Neil a whole lot of pain
It took just one sentence from Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil for ears to prick up. Innocuous to many, they were shocking to those in the know and again left Labor having to correct the record, writes Brett Worthington.
Government defends Anthony Albanese for not raising Chinese warship incident with Xi Jinping
The government has confirmed it was left to Defence Minister Richard Marles to raise concerns with Chinese officials after Australian Navy personnel were injured in an incident with a Chinese warship, despite Anthony Albanese speaking with Xi Jinping days after the incident.
'This is not over': Government facing the prospect of more people being released from immigration detention
The federal government expects it will have to do more to overhaul Australia's immigration detention system after a High Court ruling prompted the release of 93 people, including murderers and sex offenders, from immigration detention.
Analysis
analysis:Political players appear to be at war with their former selves
The political week started with brisk assurances from the government of quiet competence, but went to custard quickly with the news that several sexual offenders had been released from immigration detention, writes Annabel Crabb and Brett Worthington.
Analysis
analysis:In just 16 minutes, the High Court made a decision that put Albanese in a tight spot
With the Coalition on his right and a High Court ruling and the Greens on his left, Anthony Albanese finds himself in a fraught political position that could prove catastrophic to his government, writes Brett Worthington.
Analysis
analysis:Albanese got a jump start on the world stage thanks to his predecessor
When he gets off the plane in China, not being Scott Morrison will help Anthony Albanese, but it only goes so far in stabilising relations in the long term, writes Brett Worthington.
Analysis
analysis:With Albanese in the US, Israel-Gaza conflict is shining a light on the differences between his deputies
With the prime minister out of the country this week, clear differences emerged between the acting PM and the foreign minister, who diverged somewhat on the Israel-Hamas conflict, writes Brett Worthington.
Analysis
analysis:Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is one of the big winners from the referendum — but can she dodge the awkward questions?
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was arguably one of the biggest winners from the referendum on a Voice to Parliament, but she faces an awkward truth back home, writes Brett Worthington.
Analysis
analysis:Albanese will have questions to answer over the Voice, but the result also raises concerns for the opposition
This referendum will likely have hundreds, if not thousands, of untold stories about the toll it has taken on First Nations people. There's no denying it will have political implications, too, writes Brett Worthington.
'Not the end of the road': PM accepts referendum result, maps path forward for Indigenous recognition
Anthony Albanese vows to forge a new way forward to close the gap in life outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, after voters resoundingly reject a Voice to Parliament.
PM says Australia must do better for first peoples as Voice referendum voted down
Australians have rejected recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the nation's first people in the constitution through the establishment of a Voice to Parliament advisory body.
PM rules out legislating Voice if referendum fails
Anthony Albanese says the government will "respect the outcome of the referendum" if the Voice vote fails next weekend.
Analysis
analysis:'Very angry': Two scenes this week show what it’s like to be a woman in public life
For decades, being a woman in the public eye has made you fodder for sexist attacks. There are some that take great delight in coming for women who dare lift their head about the parapet, writes Brett Worthington.