A story splashed across the front of News Corp’s biggest-selling tabloid newspapers this week was all about gas. We need to ‘step on the gas’, the papers said, to avoid higher bills and blackouts. But the ‘special report’ was actually ‘proudly sponsored’ by the fossil fuel industry.Bridie Jabour talks to Guardian Australia’s editor, Lenore Taylor, and deputy editor Patrick Keneally about how the mining industry – and the media – are trying to shape the election agenda

Despite saying multiple times that he would never do it, the US president, Joe Biden, has now pardoned his only surviving son. Hunter Biden was due to face sentencing later this month for his conviction on federal gun charges and a separate tax case. The decision, as America prepares for the return of the president-elect, Donald Trump, has left some Democratic lawmakers frustrated and disappointed. Reged Ahmad speaks to the Guardian’s Washington DC bureau chief David Smith about the ‘heartfelt hypocrisy’ of Biden’s balancing act between country and family, and why he sees Biden’s controversial move as a vote of no confidence in America’s institutions as he walks out the door You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

Parliament has wrapped for 2024 and politicians are now back in their electorates for the summer. Labor ended the year on a high, striking deals to pass more than 30 pieces of legislation through the Senate in just one day. And while the sitting year is over, speculation is still running hot over when the prime minister will call the federal election. Nour Haydar speaks to chief political correspondent Paul Karp about what the government achieved – and compromised – in the final frenetic sitting day, and what Anthony Albanese could now be weighing up as he decides when voters will head to the polls

In the early hours of 17 May 2023, Senior Constable Kristian White shot 95-year-old Clare Nowland with his Taser in a Cooma nursing home. Last week, after a high-profile trial in which he pleaded not guilty, a jury found White guilty of the manslaughter of the great-grandmother. He now awaits sentencing. Reged Ahmad speaks to reporter Jordyn Beazely about the unresolved questions surrounding how police officers interact with vulnerable people

The conversation about fluoride’s health benefits has exploded after a US federal toxicology report, court ruling and independent scientific review all called for updated risk-benefit analysis. Ian Sample hears from Catherine Carstairs, professor of history at the University of Guelph in Canada, about how attitudes to fluoridation have evolved, and Oliver Jones, professor of chemistry at RMIT University, Melbourne, about where the science stands today You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

A heatwave has hit eastern Australia. As Sydneysiders struggled through the heat, the premier, Chris Minns, asked residents to cut back on their power use to prevent parts of the city from plunging into a blackout. And while the grid strained to keep up with demand, an all-too-familiar debate erupted about the transition to renewable energy.Bridie Jabour talks to Guardian Australia’s head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, and deputy editor Patrick Keneally about the challenges the Labor government faces when selling its climate credentials during a cost-of-living crisis

The remaining members of the Bali Nine – Scott Rush, Matthew Norman, Si-Yi Chen, Martin Stephens and Michael Czugaj – are all serving life sentences in jail. But now there is a real possibility the five men, arrested in 2005 for attempting to smuggle heroin out of the resort island, may finally return to Australia to serve their time here. Guardian Australia reporter Ben Doherty is a former foreign correspondent covering south-east Asia, and Kate Lamb was a senior Indonesia correspondent before joining as an international editor in Sydney. Both reporters reflect on what has happened nearly 20 years since the arrests and examine the delicate politics behind bringing the remaining members back to Australia.

When climate and energy policy is in the news, it’s not always easy to decipher what’s accurate and what’s not. There can be straw man arguments, false equivalencies and misleading claims. An interview with Dick Smith broadcast around Australia on a long-running ABC radio program earlier this month caused environment and climate correspondent Graham Readfearn to raise an eyebrow. He examines the millionaire businessman’s claims about renewable energy – and why his comments matter

Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones’s devastated families have pleaded with Laos authorities to get to the bottom of a suspected mass methanol poisoning tragedy. The Australians, both 19, are among six foreign tourists who have died in Laos. It’s not clear how the tourists came to ingest the suspected poison, but their deaths have started a conversation about the possible dangers of bootlegged liquor. Victorian state reporter Adeshola Ore tells Reged Ahmad what we know happened in Vang Vieng and why the parents of the teenagers who died hope their deaths are ‘not in vain’ You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

Everyone in US politics has an opinion on why the Democrats lost the election, and finger-pointing within the party is rife. As the debate rages, Jonathan Freedland will be speaking to various experts about what the party got wrong – and how it can bounce back. This week he meets James Carville, the veteran political strategist who helped get Bill Clinton elected twice You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

With only one parliamentary sitting week left this year, the ALP and the Coalition have their sights set on the upcoming federal election.Reged Ahmad talks to Guardian Australia’s editor Lenore Taylor, deputy editor Patrick Keneally and head of newsroom Mike Ticher about how the major parties are not only looking forward – they’re also looking back at the US election and whether there are lessons for them in Donald Trump’s big win

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson have dominated the breakfast slot in Sydney for almost two decades. But their show’s recent expansion into the Melbourne market has tanked. And while they have a reputation for crude language and stunts, the conversations that are broadcast continue to raise questions about how the show skirts decency standards. Senior correspondent Sarah Martin and reporter Kate Lyons tell Nour Haydar how Australia’s highest-rating radio program gets around broadcast regulations

Big money and politics seem to go hand in hand, but the government wants to pass new electoral reform laws that they say will keep cashed-up donors out of federal politics. But the detail has independents and minor parties crying foul.Guardian Australia chief political correspondent Paul Karp speaks to Reged Ahmed about why Labor and the Coalition have been accused of cooking up a ‘secret deal’ on new electoral rules

In the lead-up to his return to the White House, president-elect Donald Trump has quickly assembled a new team of loyalists including Elon Musk, a Fox News host and a vaccine sceptic. While his cabinet nominees will still need approval from Congress, the controversial list is already raising alarm bells. Washington DC bureau chief David Smith speaks to Nour Haydar about what these latest announcements tell us about Trump’s plans for his second term

At a moment when the world feels like a particularly unsettling place, Guardian podcast Science Weekly is asking what it is that makes humans happy – and how can we bring more happiness into our lives? In episode one of this two-part series, Ian Sample asks what makes a country happy. Johannes Eichstaedt, assistant professor of psychology and human-centred AI at Stanford University, explains why the Nordic countries often rank highly in the annual World Happiness Report and what we can learn if we look beyond them

Guardian Australia’s political editor, Karen Middleton, speaks to the federal housing and homelessness minister, Clare O’Neil.They discuss the housing crisis, whether a double dissolution is on the horizon, and the role housing will play in the upcoming federal election

The Guardian is no longer posting on Elon Musk’s X. The move comes after Musk’s hands-off approach has allowed lies and hate speech to spread on the platform formerly known as Twitter. The world’s richest man has also become increasingly aligned with the US president-elect, Donald Trump, often using the now toxic social media site to shape political discourse.Bridie Jabour talks to Guardian Australia’s editor-in-chief, Lenore Taylor, and deputy editor Patrick Keneally about the future of news online, and why the Guardian has quit X

As a privately owned company, Aldi rarely gets the sort of scrutiny faced by its listed competitors Coles and Woolworths, which are required to provide regular public disclosures including profit updates. But this week the public got a rare glimpse into the supermarket chain’s profits and strategy as its executives underwent questioning by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Senior business reporter Jonathan Barrett tells Nour Haydar how the German company makes $12bn in annual revenue and why it rejects online shopping. You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

Dental care in Australia is largely privatised and nearly always expensive. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, almost one in five adults delay or don’t see a dentist due to cost. For those who can access the public system, staff are often overstretched and the long wait times mean crucial appointments come far too late. Guardian Australia health reporter Natasha May speaks to Reged Ahmed about how the perfect smile is a privilege increasingly available only to the wealthy. You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

Will richer nations find the climate finance desperately needed by developing countries? Damian Carrington reports