Over the past few weeks an inquiry into Crown Resorts, Australia’s largest gambling company, has laid bare a culture of risk taking and threats. It’s also embroiled one of the company’s biggest shareholders. Today, Mike Seccombe on James Packer’s extraordinary evidence, and what’s at stake for Crown. Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe. Background reading: James Packer’s testimony at the Crown inquiry in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-...
Oct 13, 2020•16 min
Experts have accused the government of failing to properly fund the aged care sector in this year’s federal budget. Advocacy groups are also concerned about the lack of support for young people, women, the unemployed and migrants. Today, Rick Morton on the groups left behind by the Morrison government’s recovery plan. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton. Background reading: Budget 2020 does little for the vulnerable in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy for privacy an...
Oct 12, 2020•16 min
For decades, students in Footscray in Melbourne’s West, have been taught in Vietnamese alongside English, in line with the suburb’s long-standing heritage. But now, the program is under threat. Today, André Dao on why we value some languages more than others, and what it says about where Australia sees its place in the world. The audio of Professor Alan Crookshank in this story is from the Earshot series “Tongue Tied and Fluent.” Guest: Contributor to The Monthly Andre Dao. Background reading: A...
Oct 11, 2020•16 min
Actors Shari Sebbens and Gemma Bird Matheson take on the quiz this week. Gemma can tell you how many minutes there are in half a day, and Shari knows the name of Tara June Winch’s 2020 Miles Franklin award-winning novel. But neither of them have any idea where the inventor of the Rubik's Cube was born. Guests: Shari Sebbens and Gemma Bird Matheson See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 09, 2020•24 min
In his budget reply speech last night Opposition leader Anthony Albanese outlined his response to the economic crisis and criticised the federal government for spending in the wrong places. Today, Paul Bongiorno on how the political battlelines between the major parties are being drawn. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 08, 2020•14 min
Lidia Thorpe entered the Senate this week, becoming the first Aboriginal Senator representing Victoria. Today, she talks to Ruby Jones about rebuilding after the pandemic, and what we can learn from the communities that she represents. Over the next few weeks 7am will be interviewing prominent Australians who have written about their vision for the country in The Saturday Paper . Guest: Senator for Victoria, Lidia Thorpe. Background reading: After the virus: Fighting for our future in The Saturd...
Oct 07, 2020•15 min
Josh Frydenberg’s second budget is a world away from the surplus he was predicting last year. Now, in the middle of a pandemic, debt is on track to hit $1 trillion and the Treasurer is talking up a jobs-led recovery. Today, Karen Middleton on a budget of big numbers and heroic assumptions. Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 06, 2020•14 min
The future of Australia’s universities hangs in the balance, with radical reforms to funding and student fees due to be voted this week. The government has been negotiating furiously behind closed doors to pass its legislation through the Senate. Today, Rick Morton, on the surprising stance taken by Senator Jacqui Lambie. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton. Background reading: Jacqui Lambie’s stand on education in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy for privacy and op...
Oct 05, 2020•15 min
Helen Garner is one of Australia’s most celebrated authors, and today on 7am she talks to host Ruby Jones about the diary she kept during lockdown in Melbourne and what she experienced during her months of isolation. Guest: Author and contributor to The Monthly Helen Garner. Background reading: The lockdown diaries in The Monthly See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 04, 2020•16 min
In a truly collaborative effort, host of online cabaret “Choose Your Own Variety” Ali McGregor and comedian Claire Hooper are let down only by the self-confessed sports-shaped hole in their knowledge. Still, they know the chemical formula of table salt, they work out the cube root of 729, and via a circuitous route, through pop culture, they arrive at which vaccine was invented by Jonas Salk. Guests: Ali McGregor and Claire Hooper In the paper: A Little Night Music in The Saturday Paper See acas...
Oct 02, 2020•21 min
As the Treasurer prepares the upcoming federal budget he’s facing pressure to spend big and keep the economy afloat. But can a government historically preoccupied with cutting spending invest more in economic stimulus? Today, Paul Bongiorno on the challenge facing Josh Frydenberg, and the country. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 01, 2020•13 min
Throughout the pandemic, there’s been a vocal group of journalists who are adamant the risk of Covid-19 is being overblown. But what drives this kind of thinking, and is it changing anyone’s mind? Today, Richard Cooke on the Covid contrarians, and what they tell us about the state of the Australian media landscape. Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Richard Cooke. Background reading: The media’s Covid-19 contrarians in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informatio...
Sep 30, 2020•16 min
When the NSW National Party threatened to break up the state’s Coalition over the issue of koalas many were mystified. But behind the political fireworks lies a story about a party being squeezed from both the right and the left. Today, Mike Seccombe on the Nationals fight for survival. Guest: National Correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe. Background reading: NSW Nationals over a Barilaro in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudi...
Sep 29, 2020•17 min
Australia’s universities have been hit hard by the pandemic, with thousands of job losses. Now the federal government wants to change the way the sector is funded, and how much students will pay. Today, Rick Morton on the crisis facing our universities, and why we’re on the brink of destroying our national research capacity. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton. Background reading: Coalition to cut $2 billion a year from university research in The Saturday Paper See acast.co...
Sep 28, 2020•15 min
Victoria’s second wave has been attributed to an outbreak of Covid-19 amongst private contractors working in hotel quarantine, and now government documents reveal more contractors at quarantine hotels have tested positive for the virus. Today, Osman Faruqi on Melbourne’s ‘hot hotels’ and the risks they might still pose. Guest: Editor of 7am , Osman Faruqi. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 27, 2020•15 min
Fearful of geography-based questions, this week’s guests – theatre maker Anne-Louise Sarks and political commentator Sean Kelly – nevertheless manage to navigate their way through the choppy waters of Caribbean nations, English cities and French history. Guests: Anne-Louise Sarks and Sean Kelly In the paper (this time, in The Monthly): Snapback See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 25, 2020•18 min
Scott Morrison has spent the week untangling himself from Tony Abbott’s policies, on both climate change and the NBN. Today, Paul Bongiorno on new roadmaps and old problems. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 24, 2020•14 min
Staff and students at Brunswick North West Primary School have endured one of the longest school shutdowns in the world, and they’ve created their own community radio station to help each other through it. Today, Ruby Jones talks to the students and the teacher behind BNWPS radio. Guest: Brunswick North West Primary School music teacher Jack Madin and his students. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 23, 2020•14 min
Confidential documents leaked to The Saturday Paper show that hospitals remain a key area of coronavirus transmission, while doctors and nurses in Melbourne complain that they’re still not getting access to proper protective equipment. Today, Osman Faruqi on how healthcare worker infections are contributing to the length of Victoria’s second wave. Guest: Editor of 7am Osman Faruqi. Background reading: Confidential document reveals healthcare outbreaks in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy ...
Sep 22, 2020•18 min
A Royal Commission has heard hundreds of aged care centres are facing financial collapse, as the crisis in the sector takes its toll. In the second half of this special two part series, Rick Morton investigates what happened to the aged care sector under the leadership of Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton. Background reading: The collapse of aged care (part two) in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information...
Sep 21, 2020•17 min
For decades, we’ve been warned about a crisis in Australia’s aged care sector, and the coronavirus pandemic has exposed its failures. In the first half of a special two part series Rick Morton traces the problems in aged care to Howard-era reforms, demanded by private, for-profit providers. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton. Background reading: The collapse of aged care (part one) in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystu...
Sep 20, 2020•17 min
What do Walloons, Novak Djokovic and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles all have in common? They’re all questions that stump actor Belinda Bromilow and her husband, Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning writer Tony McNamara. Guests: Belinda Bromilow and Tony McNamara Background reading: Oscar-nominated screenwriter Tony McNamara in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 19, 2020•23 min
The federal Opposition is seeking to capitalise on the current economic downturn by arguing that the government’s policies are making things worse. Meanwhile, the prime minister is pinning his hopes on a gas-led recovery. Today, Paul Bongiorno on how Labor fired up, and the political battle over energy policy. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 17, 2020•15 min
Australia’s economy has taken its biggest hit since the Great Depression, but so far government stimulus measures have cushioned most people and businesses from the worst impacts. Those stimulus measures are about to dry up. Today, the upcoming danger zone for Australia’s economy, and how we can avoid it. Guest: CEO of the Grattan Institute Danielle Woods. Background reading: The way out of the Covid-19 recession in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Se...
Sep 16, 2020•14 min
Australia has one of the most concentrated media markets in the world, and that concentration could worsen as Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp launches a new service. Today, Mike Seccombe, on how the Australian Associated Press was nearly shut down, and now faces the prospect of being starved out. Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe. Background reading: Murdoch grab: The other story behind AAP’s sale in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out inf...
Sep 15, 2020•15 min
A coronavirus vaccine is the best chance the world has of returning to some kind of normal, but the stalling of one of the most viable candidates last week was a reminder that nothing is guaranteed. Today, Karen Middleton on the Australian government’s plans and the likelihood of a vaccine in 2021. Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton. Background reading: Vaccine trials and tribulations in The Saturday Paper See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out inf...
Sep 14, 2020•14 min
A leaked briefing from Victoria’s chief health officer has contradicted public statements on contact tracing, and highlighted flaws with the privatised response to coronavirus in the state. Today, Osman Faruqi details the extraordinary call, and what it means for Victoria’s roadmap out of the pandemic. Guest: Journalist and editor of 7am, Osman Faruqi. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 13, 2020•17 min
Actor Miranda Tapsell describes her partner, James Colley, as a little nerd. His performance on the quiz doesn’t do anything to dispel that. If you don’t need any hints to answer “What technology is used to make telephone calls over the internet?” then a little nerd is exactly what you are. Guests: Miranda Tapsell and James Colley In the paper: Top End Wedding actress Miranda Tapsell See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 12, 2020•22 min
Scott Morrison is waging a war on two fronts this week. He’s locked in a battle with state governments to reopen borders, and he’s increasingly blaming the Victorian government for the severity of the state’s second wave. Today, Paul Bongiorno on the growing political divide across the country. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 10, 2020•14 min
As coronavirus transforms the country before our eyes, cultural institutions are trying to record what is happening in real time, as part of a movement towards constructing ‘social histories’. But, as Lauren Carroll Harris reports, Australian museums are hampered by a lack of a national vision for how to conduct arts and culture in the country. Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Lauren Carroll Harris. Background reading: Museums collecting Covid-19 objects in The Saturday Paper See acast.c...
Sep 09, 2020•14 min
