As 2025 draws to a close, the temptation is to look for neat summaries and settled conclusions. But in the latest episode of our podcast Pearlcast, that impulse is firmly resisted.

In this Pearlcast Year in Review panel discussion, Pearls and Irritations Editor Catriona Jackson hosts a conversation with Founder and Editor-in-Chief John Menadue, political journalist Karen Middleton and barrister and commentator Greg Barns.

It’s a frank assessment of a year that delivered political power without reform, global upheaval without clarity, and growing unease about where Australia is heading next.

The conversation opens with the re-elected Labor government and its unexpectedly large majority. Rather than heralding a bold........

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