Sarah Martin
Sarah Martin follows the money and machinery of federal politics, using investigative tools to show how wealth, party structures and political operators intersect at the national level. She works as a senior correspondent on Guardian Australia’s national investigations team, after a long stretch on the federal politics beat. Her reporting moves between detailed written investigations and narrative podcasts, with recurring focus on One Nation, corporate power and the consequences of political decision-making.
National political investigations
Martin’s current work centres on Guardian Australia’s investigations team, where she specialises in business and politics.
She applies document-based reporting, flight-tracking data and expense records to uncover how major private interests influence political parties and public life. In coverage forming the basis of the first episode of the podcast series The Populist, she assembles flight and spending records to trace financial support from Gina Rinehart to One Nation, challenging public denials from party leadership and mapping the scale of that backing. Her investigations sit at the intersection of corporate wealth and political organising, showing how resources are marshalled to build branches, run campaigns and shape the national debate.
Across this work she maintains a focus on verifiable evidence, using data and documents to ground narratives about power rather than relying on rhetorical claims or party spin.
Coverage of One Nation and minor-party power
Martin has become a key reporter on the internal dynamics of One Nation and the broader rise of minor-party influence in federal politics. In “One Nation’s rapid national expansion in disarray as ‘significant risks’ force dissolution of new branches,” she examines how an aggressive push to establish branches across electorates has created governance problems significant enough to force the party to wind back parts of its structure.
That coverage looks at the mechanics of party-building, including membership growth, branch management and risk controls, rather than treating One Nation solely as a polling story. Her investigation for The Populist podcast complements this by showing how external funding and logistical support underpin the party’s expansion, linking travel patterns, events and financial flows to its status as a fast-growing force on the right.
Together, these pieces show Martin’s interest in how organisational fragility, financial backing and strategic ambition combine inside minor parties seeking national reach.
Narrative podcasts on power, wealth and gender
Martin extends her reporting into audio, using narrative podcasts to tell complex political and business stories in accessible form.
She reported and produced the seven-part podcast Gina for the Guardian, examining the life and influence of Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, and the political and commercial networks around her. In a bonus episode of that series, she explains a landmark court ruling in which Rinehart lost hundreds of millions of dollars, setting the decision in the context of a 15-year legal battle and its implications for control of family wealth.
Her work on Guardian podcasts also includes hosting duties on Australian politics, where she has filled in as chief political correspondent and guided listeners through current federal developments. Away from corporate and party power, Martin has fronted episodes exploring gender equality, including a conversation with Sam Mostyn about achieving full gender equality and the scale of the “prize” if policy and practice catch up.
The audio strand of her work shows a consistent interest in explaining how wealth, institutions and social change collide in national politics.
Background on the federal politics beat
Martin’s investigations are underpinned by more than 15 years’ experience as a print journalist covering politics and business. She began as a cadet in regional newspapers before moving through metropolitan and national mastheads on political reporting roles, building familiarity with party structures and parliamentary processes. In 2014 she joined the parliamentary press gallery to report on federal politics, covering governments, oppositions and leadership contests from inside the national legislature.
She has held senior roles in political reporting, including time as Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent before moving into her current investigations position. This trajectory from daily gallery reporting to longform investigations gives her a broad view of how short-term tactical battles connect to longer-term shifts in power and policy.
It also means her current work on topics such as One Nation’s expansion and corporate influence is informed by years of watching how parties campaign, legislate and govern at the federal level.
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