This week we're bringing you something special. The first episode of our new podcast: Read This. In the first episode of the show, host Michael Williams sits down with author Helen Garner. She invites us over for cake and conversation about what she’s writing about, how she problem solves and the inspiration she gets from watching her grandson’s footy training. Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter Guest: Helen Garner See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 07, 2023•31 min•Ep. 1001
Some of the biggest stories and characters in Australian politics could soon be under the scrutiny of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. It’s already had hundreds of referrals, with more to come. But not everyone is warmly welcoming the new corruption watchdog to federal politics. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on how our politicians have greeted the new NACC. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper , Paul Bong...
Jul 06, 2023•17 min•Ep. 1000
El Niño is coming again and Australia is vulnerable. The UN’s World Meteorological Organization declared this week that the extreme weather event has begun, and the impacts will be felt across our health, ecosystems and economy. Today, climate scientist, contributor to The Saturday Paper and a lead author for the IPCC Joëlle Gergis – on what’s headed our way and what we have to do to avert crisis. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper an...
Jul 05, 2023•15 min•Ep. 999
It’s the dawn of a new era in federal politics, with a brand new anti-corruption watchdog now operating and promising to help combat corruption in Canberra. In its first 48 hours since opening on Saturday, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) had already received 44 referrals for investigation. But there are concerns the way the NACC has been designed could mean it will struggle to meet the public’s expectations for exposing corruption. Today, senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Cent...
Jul 04, 2023•17 min•Ep. 998
The ‘Yes’ campaign has intensified its efforts this week, with thousands of people turning out for rallies nationwide on Sunday to back the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. It’s the kind of visible community campaigning that ‘Yes’ organisers have long been promising would ramp up as the referendum approaches. But it came at the end of a difficult week for the campaign, with some major opinion polls showing support is declining – and may have fallen behind the ‘No’ vote. Today, associate editor of...
Jul 03, 2023•17 min•Ep. 997
Once there was public outcry from some quarters that ICAC would even investigate Gladys Berejiklian – one of the most popular premiers in NSW history. Flowers were left at her electoral office after she stepped down, and talkback radio callers were furious with ICAC for precipitating her resignation. But now we know that Berejiklian was seriously corrupt when she was treasurer and later the premier. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on Gladys Berejiklian’s conduc...
Jul 02, 2023•19 min•Ep. 996
Today on the show, author Carrie Tiffany, with her piece from the Monthly. After the death of her mother, Carrie reflects on the hold of sugar upon her family’s health and history. Carrie will read her piece, ‘Sweet Regret’ after a short conversation with the Editor of the 7am podcast, Scott Mitchell. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Author, Carrie Tiffany See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 01, 2023•21 min•Ep. 995
Stuart Robert may have resigned from parliament – but this parliament might not be done with him yet. New allegations, which he strongly denies, paint a picture of a lobbying firm setting up arrangements to profit Robert if he helped them win government work. And we’ll soon see how voters react, with a by-election in Roberts’ seat looming. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the latest Stuart Robert revelations and why opinion polls are putting chills through Canberra. Soci...
Jun 29, 2023•16 min•Ep. 994
Since the Voice to Parliament referendum was announced, it has enjoyed majority support, according to the biggest opinion polls – that is, until this week. As legislation for the referendum made its way through parliament, the debate on the chamber floor and in the media only became more acrimonious. Now, the polls seem to suggest the resounding majority hoped for by advocates of the Voice might be harder to come by. Today, the author The Voice to Parliament Handbook with Kerry O’Brien and board...
Jun 28, 2023•17 min•Ep. 993
Parliament is struggling with how to handle the case of Senator David Van, who continues to strenuously deny allegations of sexual harassment and assault levelled by Senator Lidia Thorpe and others. The case shows how, more than a year after the Jenkins review into the culture at parliament house, it remains uniquely incapable of handling complaints, finding the truth and providing a safe workplace for all. Today, chief political correspondent Karen Middleton, on why people can stay in parliamen...
Jun 27, 2023•18 min•Ep. 992
Russian president Vladimir Putin may have averted an armed mutiny, but the wounds could prove fatal for his leadership. Wagner group, a private military force that has flourished with Putin’s blessing, and just halted its march from the Ukrainian front towards Moscow, has exposed cracks in the Russian government. Russia’s ruling elites will now exchange deep recriminations over how the attempted insurrection was able to get so far. Today, fellow at the ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, M...
Jun 26, 2023•18 min•Ep. 991
A string of recent incidents involving the use of force has raised questions about the way in which Australian police wield power, and how these incidents are investigated. The officer who allegedly Tasered a 95-year old woman, Clare Nowland, is in court next month and is expected to fight the charges. Meanwhile, a Queensland police officer was caught on video punching and Tasering a man who’d been in a car crash, and will be investigated by an internal police standards body. Today, contributor ...
Jun 25, 2023•18 min•Ep. 990
We learned this week that United States president Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, will accept a plea deal on federal tax crimes. With the 2024 presidential race already underway, Republicans are calling the deal evidence of nepotism and corruption – none more loudly than Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. Trump, of course, is facing a much more lengthy federal indictment, with 37 charges against him. That could mean a prison sentence running several decades if he’s found guilty at his upcoming trial....
Jun 22, 2023•19 min•Ep. 989
The government’s housing policy could be dead in the water. On Monday, the Greens chose to block the legislation – by deferring the vote on the bill until October. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the delay is the same as rejecting it, and he’s seeking urgent legal advice about whether this could be a trigger for a double dissolution of parliament – which could bring on an early election. Today, Greens spokesperson on housing and homelessness Max Chandler-Mather, reveals why the Greens block...
Jun 21, 2023•25 min•Ep. 988
Kathleen Folbigg was once known as Australia’s worst female serial killer – now she’s free after being pardoned. New scientific evidence played a big role in her release. But there are other issues that drove the media and the justice system’s condemnation of Folbigg. The way her psychological state, her grief and her reliability were questioned speak to the treatment of women who are accused of murder. Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Wendy Bacon, on the fight for Kathleen Folbigg’s par...
Jun 20, 2023•22 min•Ep. 987
The Albanese government is campaigning to host the next United Nations Climate Conference in partnership with Pacific nations. Some have described this as an Olympic moment, but there is real concern it’s just an exercise in public relations and greenwashing Australia’s climate policies. In response, Pacific countries are now demanding Australia do more on climate action before agreeing to be part of the bid. Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper, Polly Hemming on how Australia is peacocking ...
Jun 19, 2023•17 min•Ep. 986
One way that inequality becomes baked into Australian society is through education. For decades, the school system has become increasingly stratified – to the benefit of private schools and detriment of public ones. So, what are the consequences of this divide, and how will the past twenty years of education policy shape the Australia we see tomorrow? Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Jane Caro on why Australia stubbornly clings onto the myth of education equality and the damage it’s doin...
Jun 18, 2023•21 min•Ep. 985
Today, journalist Esther Linder will be reading her piece from the May issue of The Monthly . While Australians often can’t skip a rent payment, they can skip a meal. And as the cost of living soars, more and more Australians are going hungry. Through the lens of hunger, Linder looks at economic inequality, Australia’s failure to perceive the growing gaps in wealth. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Journalist Esther Linder See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...
Jun 17, 2023•27 min•Ep. 984
Parliament began this week with bitter arguments over the handling of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation, with the opposition using leaked text messages from Higgins’ phone to prosecute their case against the government. But it took only two days for fresh allegations of another sexual assault to emerge. Liberal senator David Van has been advised he will no longer sit in the party room, following accusations of sexual harassment and assault from independent senator Lidia Thorpe. Van denies the cl...
Jun 15, 2023•18 min•Ep. 983
Activists around Australia have proven willing to risk jail time and fines of tens of thousands of dollars under new anti-protest laws, as states and territories rush to crack down on climate and environmental protests. Victoria has said the state will end native logging by 2024, but it remains committed to harsh anti-protest laws aimed at protecting the industry. Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Elle Marsh, on the harsh penalties for environmentalism and the people willing to face them....
Jun 14, 2023•17 min•Ep. 982
Personal text messages between Brittany Higgins and her partner, David Sharaz, have been splashed over the news for days – reopening questions about the lead up to the interview when Higgins first went public with the allegation she was raped in a ministerial office. The Coalition says the texts show evidence of “collusion” and “weaponisation” on the part of the Labor government. But as the political scandal spirals, the source of the texts, the motives for the leak and the consequences of them ...
Jun 13, 2023•17 min•Ep. 981
While the push towards a Voice to Parliament continues, decisions are still being made that affect the lives of Indigenous people. Mines continue to open on traditional lands, in states around the country the age of criminal responsibility remains as young as 10 years old, and the gap is not closing. There are plenty of things that governments across the country could be doing right now to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians, but politicians seem to be focused only on the future. Today, ...
Jun 12, 2023•16 min•Ep. 980
A speaking tour claiming to quote “let women speak” has been at the centre of disturbing scenes across Australia. In Melbourne, neo-Nazis stood on the steps of Victorian Parliament and openly performed the Nazi salute – while in Canberra, Senator Lidia Thorpe was tackled and held to the ground by police as she tried to protest the tour. So who is this British woman touring Australia, provoking these scenes? Contributor to The Saturday Paper and co-editor of the book Nothing to Hide: Voices of Tr...
Jun 11, 2023•19 min•Ep. 979
Is Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe pushing Australia into a recession? That has now become the biggest question in the Australian economy – as household budgets are squeezed even further by an interest rate rise that almost no-one wanted to see. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on Phillip Lowe, the treasurer and the fight over wages. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper , Paul Bongiorno. See omnystudio.com/listen...
Jun 08, 2023•17 min•Ep. 978
It’s the department that’s supposed to watch over the support system for Australians with a disability – and ensure the care they’re receiving is good. But the very people doing this job, at the Quality and Safeguards Commission of the NDIS, could be in an unsafe workplace. And the strangest part of all: the leadership of the commission has allegedly been pretending there isn’t a problem. Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton, on how the organisation that oversees the NDIS wa...
Jun 07, 2023•19 min•Ep. 977
The Australian Tax Office suspected that PwC used confidential information to help their big corporate clients get richer – seven whole years ago. But they did shockingly little about it. They didn’t even share that information with government ministers. The reason, they say, is that their hands were tied – that bureaucratic rules kept them from exposing one of the biggest scandals in the history of our tax system. Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper , Karen Middleton on ...
Jun 06, 2023•20 min•Ep. 976
A new green energy agreement with the US, signed by President Biden and Prime Minister Albanese, will allow the Pentagon to fund mining projects in Australia. It’s part of a race to control the energy sources of the future, and associated technologies – everything from computer chips to electric vehicles to advanced weaponry. So what does this deal mean for our security, as the US tries to match China’s progress using Australia’s natural resources – and are we getting a good deal? Today, nationa...
Jun 05, 2023•15 min•Ep. 975
Ben Roberts-Smith dined with prime ministers, attended the Queen’s funeral as a hero and was held up as an icon of the Australian Defense Force. In fact, a huge portrait of him still hangs in the Australian War Memorial today. But now, a court has found that allegations Ben Roberts-Smith is a murderer, a war criminal and a bully who disgraced his country have been proven. Today, Chief Political Correspondent for The Saturday Paper and author of ‘An Unwinnable War’, Karen Middleton on how the tru...
Jun 04, 2023•22 min•Ep. 974
To mark the 200th edition of The Monthly , the editor of the magazine, Michael Williams, joins us – to read a piece by the late-Mungo Maccallum from the debut issue nearly 20 years ago. Mungo was a totally unique character of Australian journalism – once described by Gough Whitlam a "tall, bearded descendant of lunatic aristocrats" – he could deftly bounce from the funny and odd to the great stories and issues of our times. We very much hope you enjoy us revisiting his first essay for The Monthl...
Jun 03, 2023•17 min•Ep. 973
Anthony Albanese says politicians are running around Canberra claiming the sky is falling. “Chicken littles”, he’s calling them, doomsayers trying to whip up unfounded fears about the Voice. Opposition leader Peter Dutton has reacted as if the reference to the old folk tale is a deeply insulting slur, but it’s hardly the most charged language that’s been used by one of our politicians in recent weeks. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the latest political skirmish – and w...
Jun 01, 2023•17 min•Ep. 972
