‘Pay, that gets you dinner’: How power is shaping politics

Sean Kelly, on the money, secrecy and private power shaping our politics, and what happens when voters stop trusting the system itself.

Aug 14, 2026, updated Aug 14, 2026

In Australian politics, access can be bought, factions can operate beyond public view and conduct can be deeply troubling without ever meeting the definition of corruption.

None of it is especially new, and maybe that’s the problem.

Meanwhile, people are becoming more disconnected from the institutions that shape their lives and less convinced that those institutions are working in their interests.

Today, columnist for The Age and SMH Sean Kelly the discusses the money, secrecy and private power shaping our politics, and what happens when voters stop trusting the system itself.

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Guest: Columnist for The Age and SMH Sean Kelly

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