Sky News launches new Australian politics series with David Speers

Sky News has launched a new short-form political series Power Plays with David Speers that examines some of the most significant moments, scandals and crises in Australian political history.

From security scandals, affairs of the heart to attempted assassinations, the 10-episode short-form series looks through the political archives to recount the events, speak to insiders and witnesses to examine how they have shaped Australia’s political history.

Hosted by award-winning Sky News political editor David Speers, Power Plays will cover key events from Federation in 1901 and the first sitting of the Australian Parliament, to the 21st century and the rise and fall of many of the nation’s leaders.

A new episode airs at 7.45am AEDT and 6.45pm AEDT each Sunday on Sky News Live, with rare vision and facts including interviews with key players, eye witnesses and political experts.

David Speers said: “The way our current crop of politicians churn through leaders and up-end policies, it’s easy to think we’re living in a period of unprecedented upheaval.

“This look back at Australia’s rich political history is a powerful reminder our nation is no stranger to turmoil, scandal and genuine constitutional crisis. The encouraging thing is our robust democracy has survived it all and thrives to this day. It’s important to understand Australia’s political history to put the current situation in context.”

The first episode in the series was It’s Time, which examined the events surrounding Gough Whitlam’s election win in 1972 when Labor took leadership of the country after 23 years of a conservative government.

Other episodes in the series will look at events surrounding the sacking of the Whitlam Government and the beginning of the Fraser Era, attempted and successful assassination attempts in Australia, the scandals and love affairs that rocked Parliament and the security scares of the 1950s.