It was just before Christmas when Geraldine Brooks sat down for the first in a series of conversations with Anthony Albanese – and his popularity was plummeting. His critics have painted him as weak and ineffective – a narrative reinforced by the failure of the Voice referendum and a perception of inaction on climate change.

Today, Geraldine Brooks on the public’s perception of Anthony Albanese – and, win or lose, what will be his legacy.

Just a few days after the US presidential election, Prospect Park, in the middle of Brooklyn, burst into flames.

For Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Geraldine Brooks, who has long called America home, an autumn bushfire in the dense urban heart of Brooklyn was a scary sign of what’s to come under Donald Trump’s second term as US president.