In December last year, in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, Anthony Albanese promised the biggest national gun buyback since Port Arthur. He wanted states and territories to agree to new gun laws by March and legislate them by July. But that first deadline has passed – and the national response is fracturing. Queensland and the Northern Territory are refusing the buyback, Tasmania is rejecting a cap on the number of firearms a person can own, and a national register is not expected to be runn...
May 02, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1902
The Albanese government has moved quickly on the royal commission into antisemitism, accepting all the recommendations from its first report, before public hearings begin. It comes at a volatile moment in national politics, after the issue was seized on by the opposition in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, and as the issue of the conflicts in Iran, Gaza and Lebanon continue to expose deep division across the country. Meanwhile, One Nation is trying to turn its momentum in the polls into some...
May 01, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1901
The first report from the Royal Commission into Antisemitism has landed at a volatile moment. Australia’s terrorism threat level is already listed as probable, and the war in Iran is adding new pressure to an already fragile security environment that risks fuelling grievances, inflaming extremism, and increasing the risk facing Jewish communities in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. But the interim report leaves some of the hardest questions for later, including whether warnings before the at...
Apr 30, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1900
Iran’s war time propaganda videos featuring AI rap music and Lego characters are getting millions of views online. They praise the Islamic Republic, and mock Trump. But their message is also dark, anti-semitic and leaning into conspiracy theories. So how has a regime that’s shut down the internet, and isn’t known for its sense of humor captured the zeitgeist so well? Today, Holly Dagres, an Iranian-American analyst from the Washington Institute on Iran’s viral meme war and what it tells us about...
Apr 30, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1899
It was a relationship that saw both Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson rise to power. Now, the Tucker-Trump bromance is officially over. Conservative media powerhouse Tucker Carlson has offered an apology to voters for backing the president, as their relationship turned sour. Today, Jason Zengerle, staff writer for the New Yorker, on the end of Tucker and Trump – and what it means for the MAGA movement. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com...
Apr 29, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1898
From his diagnosis with oesophageal cancer in 2024 to openly wrestling with end-of-life decisions, beloved ABC broadcaster James Valentine took his listeners along with him as he stared down his own death. Now, after his passing, that openness continues – with James’ decision to share the fact that he ended his life through voluntary assisted dying, or VAD. Today, Go Gentle Australia founder Andrew Denton on James’ decision, and why some Australians still have trouble accessing VAD, despite it b...
Apr 28, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1897
Donald Trump has compared himself to Abraham Lincoln and JFK after an alleged shooter, dubbed in his reported-manifesto as the “friendly federal assassin”, charged a security point armed with guns and knives. For a moment, the White House Correspondents dinner continued, the president and his guests unaware until the secret service pulled him from the stage, forming a human shield. This marks the third alleged assassination attempt on Donald Trump in two years. As political violence targeting bo...
Apr 27, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1896
In October 2022, Dan Duggan was arrested at a Woolworths in Orange, regional New South Wales, after dropping his kids off at school. American prosecutors claim the former US Marine pilot helped train Chinese military pilots in South Africa more than a decade ago, in breach of US arms trafficking laws. Duggan denies that, and says he believed he was involved in lawful civilian flight training. He’s now facing extradition to the United States. But before the arrest, the charges, and before the ext...
Apr 26, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1895
Dan Duggan’s case is now an extradition battle. Former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus approved the Australian citizen’s extradition to the United States and the Federal Court has rejected the latest attempt to stop it. Duggan’s supporters say this is no longer just a legal case – they believe it’s also shaped by geopolitics and the growing rivalry between the United States and China, and by Australia’s willingness to go along with Washington. Today, journalist Michael Sainsbury, and Saffrine Dugg...
Apr 26, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1894
When Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan introduced the state's treaty bill into parliament, she said it would pave the way for a formal apology, the introduction of Aboriginal truth-telling into the school curriculum, and a better future for Indigenous Australians in the state. The treaty is the culmination of almost a decade of work that established the First Peoples’ Assembly – which led the negotiations – and delivers on ‘Voice, Treaty and Truth’, making Victoria the first state in the country t...
Apr 25, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1893
Indigenous leaders across the country welcomed Victoria’s treaty. The legislation enshrines a democratically elected body for First Peoples, called Gellung Warl, that will be consulted on laws and policies affecting Indigenous communities. Now there are calls for other states and territories to use the Victorian example as a model to establish their own treaties. But there’s also pushback – with critics calling it costly and divisive in claims that echo The Voice debate – and with state and terr...
Apr 25, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1892
This week, the Albanese government moved to rein in the NDIS, making a hard political argument that one of the most impactful reforms in recent memory now has to be smaller to survive. In Canberra, a Senate hearing pressed on another pressure point: whether, at a time of global instability and rising costs, Australia should be getting more from its gas exports. And in the first electoral test for the reshaped right, there may be signs that One Nation’s surge in the polls has reached its limit. T...
Apr 24, 2026•18 min•Ep. 1891
The government says the NDIS has drifted too far from its original purpose, has grown too fast and too loosely, and that it now needs a major reset. Health Minister Mark Butler says the changes, which will see eligibility tightened, participants reassessed and 160,000 people booted from the NDIS are about making the scheme sustainable and pulling it back to the people it was originally designed to support. But for people with a disability, families and carers, the language has done little to cal...
Apr 23, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1890
It’s not often politicians are taken to task by regular Australians on the issues that fill them with rage. But that’s exactly what happened at this week’s senate inquiry into taxing Australia’s gas companies for their windfall war profits. Konrad Benjamin, a former high school teacher, gave evidence at the hearing – and he didn’t hold back The self proclaimed “citizen’s lobbyist” is making headlines around the country. Today in a special bonus episode, founder of Punter’s Politics Konrad Benjam...
Apr 23, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1889
This week, accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith, who is out on bail for five charges of murdering unarmed Afghan civilians and prisoners in 2009 and 2012, came out swinging. The highly decorated soldier categorically denied the allegations against him, saying he will never give up the fight. Roberts-Smith insists he’s proud of his service in Afghanistan, and of the men and women who served alongside him. Men like Glenn Kolomeitz – a defence force lawyer deployed with Ben Roberts-Smith’s squadr...
Apr 22, 2026•14 min•Ep. 1888
This year a Russian documentary filmed at a school in Russia won an Academy Award. Its hero? A Russian Primary school teacher, Pasha Talankin. After Russia invaded Ukraine Mr Talankin found himself trapped in the job of teaching propaganda to students. He filmed it all until he was forced to flee the country. And what he captured offers a rare glimpse into Putin’s Russia, and the classroom propaganda program indoctrinating Russian kids. Today, Andrei Soldatov a Russian investigative journalist, ...
Apr 21, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1887
It’s been dubbed by underworld kingpins as “ dis organised crime” A new wave of young, amateur gangsters is changing the scene – with brazen daylight attacks, hit jobs on rivals’ family members, and cases of alleged mistaken identity. Of course, it’s all about money, notoriety and settling scores. Today, Mark Morri, crime editor at the Daily Telegraph, on the evolving world of gangland violence – where contract killing can now be ordered off an encrypted app. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you ...
Apr 20, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1886
The images coming out of the US-Israeli-led war in Iran have been described as apocalyptic. Oil depots have burned for days. Strikes have hit petrochemical facilities and the area around the Bushehr nuclear power plant. In Tehran, toxic black smoke has blanketed the city, with residents reporting black acid rain falling from the sky. After thousands of missile and drone strikes, Iran and parts of the Gulf are facing not only a humanitarian and economic crisis, but an environmental one too. Analy...
Apr 19, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1885
One of Australia’s most prestigious universities is now at the centre of three investigations and could be about to face a fourth. Last year, ANU vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell resigned after pressure over a massive restructure and the hidden role consultants played in shaping it. Now two inquiries are now looking at whether the changes, meant to save $250 million, were ever justified. A separate investigation is looking into bullying allegations against former chancellor Julie Bishop. And Bell ...
Apr 18, 2026•13 min•Ep. 1884
This week, the Albanese government has been forced to confront a growing sense of instability, with fresh warnings from the IMF about the global economy, including the potential impact on Australia. It’s placed new pressure on Treasurer Jim Chalmers ahead of the budget, as the government deals with a fuel supply scare that pulled the prime minister back to the country in the middle of an overseas mission to secure supplies for the nation. As Labor tries to steady nerves, the opposition is pushin...
Apr 17, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1883
For years, gambling advertising has spread far beyond the ad break, becoming a familiar part of how Australians watch sport, follow news about sport and spend time online. Three years after the Murphy review called for a comprehensive ban, the Albanese government has finally responded. But the government’s plan to reign in online gambling advertising has drawn sharp criticism. With campaigners and crossbenchers arguing it falls well short of what was recommended. And in that gap, a bigger fight ...
Apr 16, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1882
It started as a bunch of mummy bloggers on the internet trading tips on everything from breastfeeding to toddler tantrums. Now the world of child and family influencers has become a billion-dollar business where kids equal content and absolutely nothing is off limits. Today, Fortesa Latifi, author of the new book “Like, Follow, Subscribe: Influencer Kids and the Cost of a Childhood Online” offers a rare look inside the belly of the beast from some of the kids who have come out the other side. If...
Apr 15, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1881
It’s a controversial proposal – immigration based on blatant discrimination. Opposition leader Angus Taylor has laid out the beginnings of the Liberal Party’s hard line migration policy in a provocative speech in Canberra. Some of his proposals had echoes of Donald Trump, others of John Howard – as he made a play for One Nation’s growing pool of lapsed Liberal voters. So what does it all mean? And will his bold move on migration pay off at the polls? Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middlet...
Apr 14, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1880
Israel has passed a new law allowing for the execution of Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks. The law passed through the country’s parliament despite opposition from Israeli and international human rights groups, as well as the governments of the UK, Germany, France and Italy. Israel’s national doctors’ union has refused to carry out lethal injections, meaning those sentenced under the law would face death by hanging. The government says the law will deter future Palestinian attacks. Some ...
Apr 13, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1879
More than a decade after he retired from AFL, John Barnes collapsed without warning and began having seizures. The former Essendon and Geelong ruckman says years of head knocks left him with epilepsy, memory problems, and a life he barely recognised. Now, as a growing class action takes on the AFL over concussion, Barnes is speaking about the damage he says the game caused – and the accountability he still wants. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7...
Apr 12, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1878
In September of 2012, Australian soldiers descended on the rural village of Darwan in Afghanistan, killing four men. That raid and the events of that day were central to the defamation action brought by Ben Roberts-Smith. The court eventually found it was substantially true that he had committed war crimes – including kicking Ali Jan, an Afghan villager, off a cliff and ordering his execution. Ben Roberts-Smith maintains his innocence, and the allegations have never been proven to a criminal sta...
Apr 11, 2026•19 min•Ep. 1877
The fighting may have temporarily eased in the Middle East, but the fallout is still moving through the global economy. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted, fuel markets are unsettled, and Australia is exposed. Now, Anthony Albanese is in Singapore trying to secure supply, as the opposition presses the government over how prepared the country really is. Today, Tony Wood, Energy and Climate Change Senior Fellow at the Grattan Institute, on the state of the Strait, the ongoing ...
Apr 10, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1876
Ben Roberts-Smith was once held up as the face of Australia’s war in Afghanistan. This week, he was arrested and charged with war crimes. Ben Roberts-Smith maintains his innocence. For journalist Chris Masters, the road to that moment began almost two decades ago, when he travelled to Afghanistan to report on the war up close. Over time, he began hearing whispers that some elite soldiers had crossed a line. Those whispers turned into a years-long investigation, alongside Nick McKenzie, into alle...
Apr 09, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1875
Eighteen years ago, Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generations and said those injustices must never happen again. But in that same year, Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts was taken from her family at just 10 years old. Now, as a lawyer and advocate, she says Australia is still taking First Nations children from their families – and that the number in out-of-home care is today higher than the estimated number removed during the Stolen Generations. Today, Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts on her own removal, t...
Apr 08, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1874
It’s been a war of shifting deadlines for President Trump. And now, his latest one expires this morning. Trump is threatening that if Iran fails to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the US will strike the country’s bridges and power plants in what he’s calling "Energy Plants Day and Bridges Day” – stating 'a whole civilisation will die tonight' if Tehran ignores his ultimatum. But indiscriminately targeting infrastructure that civilians rely on to survive could amount to war crimes. Today, Rachel Van...
Apr 07, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1873
