Hello and welcome back to Australia Institute Live!

It’s been quite a few lifetimes since parliament last sat (in March) and while the election campaign was only 37 days, it too felt like a lifetime.

As Anthony Albanese told his new MPs at Government House at a special reception yesterday:

I acknowledge Jodie and Nathan for the sacrifices that they have made for me during what seemed like a lot longer than 37 days, the campaign. I’ve been going since 5 January. I will have a day off at some stage, not withstanding some of the commentary made from time to time. But at some stage, maybe before the end of the year, I will have some time off. But they give up a lot. As do all of the families of your representatives.

Whether you’re elected for the first time or on multiple occasions, your families won’t see as much of you as they would like and you won’t see as much of them as you would like. You come back – for the little ones, you come back home after a week sitting and there will be changes in your sons or daughters or the children that you care for and missing out on those moments is a big deal. It’s a big sacrifice for them as well as for you, and today is about acknowledging the families and saying thank you to them as we go forward.

The world as we knew it, has changed. America is completely untrustworthy (whether it ever was trustworthy is a question for another time). Israel’s war on Gaza has intensified and spread across the Middle East, with Palestinians still be slaughtered on a daily basis. The first week of parliament will not be able to ignore these global events – anti-genocide protesters have already descended on Canberra to ensure that Gaza and Palestine are not forgotten by the new parliament, while urging them to act.

Those protests will continue throughout the week.

While Albanese has just returned from a very successful trip to China, Australia still has not worked out how to handle Trump’s America. That too is going to have ramifications, with Trump threatening tariffs on Australia’s medical exports (of up to 200%) and US pharmaceutical companies attempting to destroy the PBS.

Domestically, the Albanese government has said that it will be “humble” and stick to its election commitments, keeping that small target. There is some tension within the Labor caucus to push for more, so that is something to keep an eye on.

But the polls are in Labor’s favour, with the latest Newspoll showing an increase in both primary support for Labor and the 2PP. The Coalition are at 29%, which incidentally matches its representation in the House of Representatives. That’s a new record low.

So join us as we take you through the day before the parliament sits. You have researchers, experts and more to answer your questions and help guide you all through it. Amy Remeikis will be your blog mistress.

Ready? I am not. But coffee number two is on, so let’s get into it!