Katina Curtis
@katinacurtis.bsky.social
Canberra bureau chief for The West Australian
It's 5.04pm, the House has adjourned and the Senate is still in its 90-minute-long question time that started at 2pm
October 30, 2025 at 6:05 AM
It's 5.04pm, the House has adjourned and the Senate is still in its 90-minute-long question time that started at 2pm
Latest on EPBC changes: business is now demanding that stronger environmental protections be delayed until at least one state signs up to streamline approvals thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
MPs warn Watt against gutting environment laws
Business is demanding the Government halt stronger environmental protections until at least one State has signed up to streamline project approvals to ensure all sides benefit from new laws.
thewest.com.au
October 28, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Latest on EPBC changes: business is now demanding that stronger environmental protections be delayed until at least one state signs up to streamline approvals thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
The word "goodwill" has been thrown around a lot over the past six months of consultation on the latest attempt to overhaul the nation's unwieldy environmental laws. But it was never going to survive the release of actual details for the new bill thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Attitude on environment laws hasn’t survived the details
When parts of the new environmental approvals legislation were released to stakeholders last week, the rush of people legging it back to their corners was deafening after an air of collegiality.
thewest.com.au
October 27, 2025 at 11:22 PM
The word "goodwill" has been thrown around a lot over the past six months of consultation on the latest attempt to overhaul the nation's unwieldy environmental laws. But it was never going to survive the release of actual details for the new bill thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
AEC tells the electoral matters committee that not knowing the election date makes booking venues for polling places very tricky - more than once they've lined up a place only to find there's a wedding there on the actual date!
October 14, 2025 at 10:56 PM
AEC tells the electoral matters committee that not knowing the election date makes booking venues for polling places very tricky - more than once they've lined up a place only to find there's a wedding there on the actual date!
The agency in charge of scrutinising the government is again having to cut the number of audits because of funding woes despite Labor promising to make sure it had enough money to do its job properly thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Government watchdog cuts scrutiny amid dire funding shortage
The agency in charge of scrutinising the Federal Government has warned it’s underfunded despite Labor promising to make sure the watchdog had enough money to do its job properly.
thewest.com.au
October 6, 2025 at 11:54 PM
The agency in charge of scrutinising the government is again having to cut the number of audits because of funding woes despite Labor promising to make sure it had enough money to do its job properly thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Does Andrew Hastie quitting the shadow cabinet give Sussan Ley "clear air"? Hardly!
thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Hastie’s clear air pledge muddies the leadership waters
Far from giving Sussan Ley clear air, Andrew Hastie quitting the Coalition’s frontbench has effectively set him up as the shadow opposition leader.
thewest.com.au
October 6, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Does Andrew Hastie quitting the shadow cabinet give Sussan Ley "clear air"? Hardly!
thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
The future of the critical minerals strategic reserve will hinge on Albanese's meeting with Trump in a fortnight - "If Trump says yes... this will work," an industry source told The West thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Trump-Albanese meeting key to critical minerals stockpile
Anthony Albanese is going to offer Donald Trump priority access for America to buy Australia’s critical minerals and rare earths when they meet this month, so the US Defence industry isn’t reliant on ...
thewest.com.au
October 6, 2025 at 3:19 AM
The future of the critical minerals strategic reserve will hinge on Albanese's meeting with Trump in a fortnight - "If Trump says yes... this will work," an industry source told The West thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Critical minerals are the hot topic on the global stage at the moment. Australian execs who visited Washington recently have returned saying it's clear the Trump administration has "aggressively" stepped up the timetable for finding supply chains outside of China. thenightly.com.au/politics/don...
US ‘aggressively’ pivoting towards Aussie critical minerals
The United States is eyeing investments in Australian critical minerals as it aggressively steps up its timetable to reduce America’s reliance on China.
thenightly.com.au
October 3, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Critical minerals are the hot topic on the global stage at the moment. Australian execs who visited Washington recently have returned saying it's clear the Trump administration has "aggressively" stepped up the timetable for finding supply chains outside of China. thenightly.com.au/politics/don...
Kim Beazley has warned that the national security implications of only China producing critical minerals are so extreme that Australia should tip a bucket of money into the sector and not worry whether it will make profits - my story in today's paper thewest.com.au/business/pou...
Beazley calls for strategic urgency on critical minerals
Kim Beazley has warned that the security implications of only China producing critical minerals are so extreme Australia should tip a bucket of money into the sector and not worry whether it will make...
thewest.com.au
September 29, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Kim Beazley has warned that the national security implications of only China producing critical minerals are so extreme that Australia should tip a bucket of money into the sector and not worry whether it will make profits - my story in today's paper thewest.com.au/business/pou...
Sussan Ley will use her first major economic speech as leader to declare that people need to stop thinking government will take care of everything, and position the Coalition to oppose a shift towards universal childcare thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Ley’s lifters and leaners: leader lays out economic agenda
Sussan Ley will declare Australians need to stop looking to government as the answer to everything and argue the economic pendulum has swung too far towards dependency.
thewest.com.au
September 16, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Sussan Ley will use her first major economic speech as leader to declare that people need to stop thinking government will take care of everything, and position the Coalition to oppose a shift towards universal childcare thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
The most peculiar aspect of the Jacinta Nampijinpa Price chaos last week might be just how cheap tickets were to see the Liberal Party’s rockstar at Perth events - my column today thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Liberal rockstar draws crowds to the cheap seats in WA
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price attended a string of Liberal Party events and fundraisers in Perth last week. The tickets set people back less than $100.
thewest.com.au
September 15, 2025 at 11:50 PM
The most peculiar aspect of the Jacinta Nampijinpa Price chaos last week might be just how cheap tickets were to see the Liberal Party’s rockstar at Perth events - my column today thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Jacinta Price is the star guest at another Liberal Party function in Perth, this one being held at an Indian cultural centre. It's left community members stunned - story from my colleagues Jessica Page and Charlton Hart thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Price refuses to back Ley as Indian comments divide Libs
Jacinta Price has refused to back in Liberal Leader Sussan Ley as a stand-off over the senator’s comments about Indian migrants ratchets up.
thewest.com.au
September 10, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Jacinta Price is the star guest at another Liberal Party function in Perth, this one being held at an Indian cultural centre. It's left community members stunned - story from my colleagues Jessica Page and Charlton Hart thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is billed as the “special guest” at a WA Liberal Party fundraiser tomorrow… run by the Curtin branch women’s committee thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
‘Special guest’ Jacinta Price a drawcard to Curtin Lib event
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price will appear at two WA Liberal Party events as pressure intensifies on the Senator over the damage she’s caused the party’s standing with the Indian Australian community.
thewest.com.au
September 9, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is billed as the “special guest” at a WA Liberal Party fundraiser tomorrow… run by the Curtin branch women’s committee thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
For the parliamentary procedure nerds out there (you know who you are), the new Reps standing orders are being debated. Key changes:
- People can't automatically keep the same seat they had in the last term
- Speaker can boot badly-behaving MPs for 1hr or 3hrs
- People can't automatically keep the same seat they had in the last term
- Speaker can boot badly-behaving MPs for 1hr or 3hrs
July 22, 2025 at 11:58 PM
For the parliamentary procedure nerds out there (you know who you are), the new Reps standing orders are being debated. Key changes:
- People can't automatically keep the same seat they had in the last term
- Speaker can boot badly-behaving MPs for 1hr or 3hrs
- People can't automatically keep the same seat they had in the last term
- Speaker can boot badly-behaving MPs for 1hr or 3hrs
The Liberals are recruiting crossbenchers to back new laws to strip the PM's power to allocate staffing numbers for his opponents - ICYMI, my exclusive story thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Cash leads push to strip Albo’s staffing numbers power
The Liberals appear to have have won crossbench support to strip Anthony Albanese’s ‘vindictive’ power to cut the staffing numbers for non-Labor politicians.
thewest.com.au
July 13, 2025 at 11:12 PM
The Liberals are recruiting crossbenchers to back new laws to strip the PM's power to allocate staffing numbers for his opponents - ICYMI, my exclusive story thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
WA Labor's party secretary steps into a new job as a senator tomorrow. Ellie Whiteaker opens up about what drew her to Labor, leaving behind a "campaigning powerhouse", and what she wants to achieve with her next challenge. thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
New WA senator wants to be in the room where change happens
Ellie Whiteaker was drawn to the Labor Party as the home of aspiration. The kind of place where a girl from Kalgoorlie, the first in her family to go to uni, could find a way to change the world for e...
thewest.com.au
June 30, 2025 at 2:24 AM
WA Labor's party secretary steps into a new job as a senator tomorrow. Ellie Whiteaker opens up about what drew her to Labor, leaving behind a "campaigning powerhouse", and what she wants to achieve with her next challenge. thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Resources Minister Madeleine King reveals Australia helped drive the critical minerals pact at the G7 - aimed at breaking China's near-monopoly - and there will be more to come on this front when the PM meets Trump thewest.com.au/business/min...
Australia ready to benefit from G7’s critical minerals pact
Resources Minister Madeleine King revealed there would “100 per cent” be more to come on global collaboration to develop the critical minerals market when Anthony Albanese meets Donald Trump.
thewest.com.au
June 23, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Resources Minister Madeleine King reveals Australia helped drive the critical minerals pact at the G7 - aimed at breaking China's near-monopoly - and there will be more to come on this front when the PM meets Trump thewest.com.au/business/min...
Remember when Albanese said he wasn't sure Trump had a phone, despite much photo evidence to the contrary?
Trump to journos on Air Force One on his way back from the G7: "I don't believe in telephones because people like you listen to 'em."
Trump to journos on Air Force One on his way back from the G7: "I don't believe in telephones because people like you listen to 'em."
June 18, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Remember when Albanese said he wasn't sure Trump had a phone, despite much photo evidence to the contrary?
Trump to journos on Air Force One on his way back from the G7: "I don't believe in telephones because people like you listen to 'em."
Trump to journos on Air Force One on his way back from the G7: "I don't believe in telephones because people like you listen to 'em."
Australians have main character energy when viewing our relationship with the US... The truth is — especially with the conflict between Israel and Iran escalating — the chat with a middle power ally is unlikely to be top of mind for the President this week. (my column)
thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Conflict will push Albanese talks down Trump’s priority list
Australians have main character energy when viewing our relationship with the US: it’s of massive importance to us, so of course Anthony Albanese must be the main priority for Donald Trump this week.
thewest.com.au
June 17, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Australians have main character energy when viewing our relationship with the US... The truth is — especially with the conflict between Israel and Iran escalating — the chat with a middle power ally is unlikely to be top of mind for the President this week. (my column)
thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Anne Aly - freshly elevated to cabinet - wants to change the way Australians think about multiculturalism, moving away from "just" food and arts to better value its economic contributions thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Anne Aly aims to reshape multiculturalism with new portfolio
Anne Aly sees her trio of new portfolios - small business, multicultural affairs and international development - as being joined by a thread of aspiration and economic opportunity.
thewest.com.au
May 13, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Anne Aly - freshly elevated to cabinet - wants to change the way Australians think about multiculturalism, moving away from "just" food and arts to better value its economic contributions thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Inside the pro-life, anti-net zero push to influence the Nationals leadership vote this afternoon thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Pro-life emails flood Nationals MPs with Canavan support
A caravan of right-wing pro-life and anti-tax groups online are flooding the inboxes of Nationals MPs with emails backing Matt Canavan ahead of a party room vote on the leadership.
thewest.com.au
May 11, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Inside the pro-life, anti-net zero push to influence the Nationals leadership vote this afternoon thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
After a lot of argument in the election this week about what merits a good plan for Defence, this was a fascinating intervention from former minister Joel Fitzgibbon, who warns Australians (inside and outside politics) have become too complacent on the issue thenightly.com.au/politics/fed...
Ex-minister blasts Australia’s complacency on defence
A former Labor defence minister has issued a withering assessment of Australia’s complacency in the face of looming conflict, urging bipartisanship and stronger will to build up the Defence Force.
thenightly.com.au
April 25, 2025 at 9:09 AM
After a lot of argument in the election this week about what merits a good plan for Defence, this was a fascinating intervention from former minister Joel Fitzgibbon, who warns Australians (inside and outside politics) have become too complacent on the issue thenightly.com.au/politics/fed...
Fascinating analysis by my colleague @ellenransley.bsky.social of which pollies are spending big on social media ads during the election campaign so far thenightly.com.au/politics/fed...
Labor outspends rivals in $500,000 social media ad blitz
A new analysis of political social media ads has revealed the biggest spenders in the lead-up to the election, with an independent MP the highest-spending parliamentarian.
thenightly.com.au
April 22, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Fascinating analysis by my colleague @ellenransley.bsky.social of which pollies are spending big on social media ads during the election campaign so far thenightly.com.au/politics/fed...
Reposted by Katina Curtis
Early voting 🗳️ now open
April 21, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Early voting 🗳️ now open
Dutton hit the national security and community safety button yesterday, adding to what is already a very blokey campaign. My column today thewest.com.au/politics/fed...
Dutton hits security button in search for campaign reset
Peter Dutton’s shift to national security and community safety adds to what is already a very blokey campaign from the Liberals in this election.
thewest.com.au
April 21, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Dutton hit the national security and community safety button yesterday, adding to what is already a very blokey campaign. My column today thewest.com.au/politics/fed...