Is inflation driving Chalmers and Albanese apart? A new Back to Back Barries episode asks

The Guardian's Back to Back Barries podcast has taken up a question that is being asked in Canberra: is inflation pulling Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese apart? The episode, titled "Back to Back Barries: Is inflation driving Chalmers and Albanese apart? – podcast", has hosts Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry discussing how the economy is affecting the approval ratings of both men. The Guardian

The episode also looks at what happens when the relationship between a prime minister and treasurer breaks down. The Guardian's summary says Chalmers has blamed Australia's accelerating inflation, meaning a rise in the general level of prices that keeps climbing. Inflation is the rate at which everyday costs go up, and it is one of the main pressures on household budgets.

The discussion widens to global politics. The hosts examine recent elections around the world, including whether United States President Donald Trump's association with rightwing parties has hurt his cause.

Closer to home, the episode covers One Nation, the minor party led by Pauline Hanson, facing scrutiny over a political cartoon. The cartoon depicts Bluey, the animated children's show, ramming politicians with a car.

Cassidy has covered 14 federal elections as a political journalist. He served as senior press secretary to then prime minister Bob Hawke and is a former host of ABC TV's Insiders. Barry is a former Liberal Party strategist who worked for Christopher Pyne and Malcolm Turnbull, and he runs the political research company RedBridge Group.

The series is released every Saturday and is available through the Full Story podcast feed.