Rupert Murdoch is the media’s most powerful man. His newspapers and TV networks can topple leaders, change policies and throw into doubt the outcome of entire elections. In this six-part series from Schwartz Media, investigative journalist Paddy Manning charts Rupert Murdoch’s rise from a small newspaper in Adelaide to his reign as the last global media mogul. Find out what drives Rupert Murdoch and what happens now he has handed over the empire. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...
Oct 27, 2023•7 min•Ep. 1090
This week, Anthony Albanese was given the highest honour a guest of the US president can receive, a state dinner – attended by powerbrokers from Washington and Hollywood. But while the PM was riding high in the US, back home his government is polling at its lowest levels since their election. So, is it all downhill from here? Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on why Labor is losing popularity, and what they’ll need to do to win it back. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twi...
Oct 26, 2023•16 min•Ep. 1089
Calls are growing louder for a ceasefire, or at least a “humanitarian truce”, in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Israeli troops are still on standby at the border, and the Netanyahu government seems committed to pushing into Gaza. But though several hostages have been freed, hundreds are still held by Hamas – can Israel invade without putting their lives at risk? Today, world editor of The Saturday Paper Jonathan Pearlman on the secretive hostage negotiations, and why Israel’s ground inva...
Oct 25, 2023•16 min•Ep. 1088
Independent MP Zali Steggall has used her time in parliament to advocate for stronger climate targets, and criticised both Labor and Coalition governments for not acting fast enough. Now she’s calling for an urgent change to our climate targets in Australia, to raise them and to include every sector in the economy. Today, Member for Warringah Zali Steggall on what climate action she wants to see next, and why the government isn’t aiming high enough. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and ...
Oct 24, 2023•15 min•Ep. 1087
In Australia, if you’re on welfare your payment can be suspended by a for-profit, private company – even if you’ve done nothing wrong. With tens of thousands of jobseekerspeople being affected by suspensions every week, anti-poverty experts are urging the government to act, warning thatit’s putting already vulnerable people are already at risk and are urging the government to act. Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton, on why private companies have the power to put welfare re...
Oct 23, 2023•17 min•Ep. 1086
Thomas Mayo, one of the most prominent “Yes” campaigners for the referendum, is still reeling from its defeat. But after observing a week of silence, along with other Indigenous leaders, he’s had time to reflect on the campaign’s loss and on his own regrets. So, does he think Australia is better or worse off for having had the vote? And does he want another referendum? Today, author and contributor to The Saturday Paper Thomas Mayo on what went wrong, who’s to blame and what comes next. Socials:...
Oct 22, 2023•18 min•Ep. 1085
For many Australians, facing the reality of this country is a task that has proved enduringly difficult, both at a public and a political level. For investigative journalist David Marr, finding the right way to tell the stories that allow us to see the truth of our history is a personal quest and one that has led to his latest book. This week, Michael talks with David about shame – both personal and national – and why his family agreed that he had to write Killing for Country . Reading list: Pat...
Oct 21, 2023•28 min•Ep. 1084
After the Voice to Parliament was rejected, attention turned to Canberra this week to ask what’s next. But for those who held out any hope our politicians had a plan prepared to address Indigenous disadvantage, they were sorely mistaken. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper, Daniel James, on whether there’s a path to treaty and what the debate will now look like in a new chapter of Indigenous affairs. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Pa...
Oct 19, 2023•18 min•Ep. 1083
Australia’s record on climate action places us well behind other countries. But, at a global summit in New York last month, you’d be forgiven for thinking Australia was a climate leader, after being praised for partnering with a small pacific nation facing the worst consequences of climate change. So, how do our climate representatives manage to sell Australia as an environmental leader, while opening up new fossil fuel projects back home? Today, director of The Australia Institute climate and e...
Oct 18, 2023•16 min•Ep. 1082
The US Supreme Court has become extraordinarily politicised. Judge appointments are watched like a spectator sport and decisions like the overturning of Roe v Wade blur the lines between the judicial and the political. There’s a growing concern that a movement against the High Court of Australia is borrowing tactics from the United States. Today, lawyer and author of Courting Power Isabelle Reinecke, on the threat of the anti-court movement on Australia’s justice system and why the High Court ne...
Oct 17, 2023•16 min•Ep. 1081
The international community could soon bear witness to the ground invasion of Gaza, one of the most densely populated residential areas in the world. That is how Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Israel appears to have decided to retaliate after the recent attack by Hamas. It marked the greatest loss of life in a single day in Israel’s history. Since then, Israel has laid a “complete siege” on Gaza, shutting off delivery of food, fuel and medicines. Today, world editor of The Saturday Paper Jon...
Oct 16, 2023•18 min•Ep. 1080
The “No” campaign’s victory was anything but assured 12 months ago. It’s victory came from the elevation of key spokespeople and talking points, cooked up by a group most Australians have never heard of: the CIS. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on the secretive groups that crafted negative messaging and elevated key leaders in the successful “No” campaign. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper , Mike Se...
Oct 15, 2023•17 min•Ep. 1079
Australians have resoundingly voted against the Voice to Parliament referendum in every state. First Nations Australians won’t be recognised in the constitution, and they won’t have a Voice. It means the Uluru Statement from the Heart has been rejected and the path of Voice, Treaty, Truth is over. Today, contributor to The Monthly and The Saturday Paper , Daniel James, on what this result says about our country and how we’ll move forward after voting No. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter...
Oct 14, 2023•18 min•Ep. 1078
Tomorrow, Australia will vote on the future of reconciliation. It’s a binary question, but we’re being asked to consider the country’s relationship with the First Australians and how we want to conduct political discourse. The final episode in this series looks at the two different Australias we are choosing between, with someone who has spent her life in the struggle for reconciliation and understanding: Professor Marcia Langton. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Pr...
Oct 12, 2023•28 min•Ep. 1077
There was a time when conservatives could have supported the Voice, by backing a proposal brought by Indigenous Australians at the request of then prime minister Tony Abbott. Instead, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, after months of equivocation, decided to reject the Voice with all the gusto we’ve come to expect from the man who walked out on the national apology. So how did it come to this? What damage is anti-Voice rhetoric doing to public debate? And do conservatives really want to do anythin...
Oct 11, 2023•32 min•Ep. 1076
The “Yes” campaign set out to accomplish a rare feat in Australian politics: to win a majority of Australians and a majority of states. That is, to win a referendum. It began as a difficult task and has only become more gruelling as bipartisanship was lost and the polls turned. But this is a grassroots campaign, with tens of thousands of volunteers attempting to reach Australians with face-to-face conversations in time to win a majority on polling day. So how was the campaign built? And can it r...
Oct 10, 2023•26 min•Ep. 1075
Over the course of the referendum’s official campaign, the case against the Voice has been dominated by the conservative “No” campaign, led by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, Jacinta Price and Warren Mundine. But what is the “progressive No” case – the advocates of which are predominantly First Nations people. The Blak Sovereign movement against the Voice isn’t officially campaigning for its demise and isn’t backed by less-than-transparent fortunes and vested interests. Their opposition comes fr...
Oct 09, 2023•24 min•Ep. 1074
On October 14, we will be asked a question to which we must answer yes or no. While the question itself is simple, the issues in and around the debate over the proposed alteration to the nation's founding document are anything but simple. To understand how we got here and why we are voting on a Voice to Parliament, it’s important to understand what happened to ATSIC, the last consultative body for Indigenous people. Its failures drive the "No" campaign and its disbandment drives the "Yes" campai...
Oct 08, 2023•36 min•Ep. 1073
Today on the show, writer and historian Robyn Annear, with her piece from the September edition of The Monthly. While researching the opening of the Yan Yean reservoir in the 1800s, Robyn followed a thread, unravelling the history of sewage and sewerage in Victoria. From cast-iron pissoirs and open-air urinals, to robo-dunnies and the National Public Toilet Map app, our local history of public toilets is rich with squalid detail. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: wri...
Oct 07, 2023•13 min•Ep. 1072
Australia will vote in the historic Voice to Parliament referendum in just over a week. While the “Yes” camp has lost support throughout the campaign, polls show it’s making a comeback and has even flipped some outspoken “No” voters. So, what’s behind the change, and will the “No” camp be able to maintain its lead? Today, contributing writer for The Monthly Rachel Withers on how Voice supporters are convincing voters and what’s in store for the campaign’s final week. Socials: Stay in touch with ...
Oct 05, 2023•18 min•Ep. 1071
Barely a decade ago the NDIS, the scheme to support Australians living with a disability, was called the social reform of a generation. Last week it was called out the Disability Royal Commission report as a system in desperate need of attention. Disability advocates say that despite its good intentions, the NDIS isn’t living up to its bold vision. Today, writer of the latest Quarterly Essay , ‘Lifeboat: Disability, Humanity and the NDIS’, Micheline Lee on what’s wrong with the NDIS and how we c...
Oct 04, 2023•16 min•Ep. 1070
Over the weekend, 85 fires blazed across New South Wales. Fires remained out of control in Victoria’s Gippsland yesterday, and more threatened homes in rural Queensland. It’s a frightening start to bushfire season, and summer isn’t even here yet. For many, it conjures fears about a repeat of the 2019 Black Summer. Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper and former commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW Greg Mullins on why the last few weeks have changed his mind about the season ahead. Socials: St...
Oct 03, 2023•16 min•Ep. 1069
The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, is hoping to be the next president of the United States. To become the Republican nominee, Ron DeSantis knows who he needs to win over: religious Americans who oppose things like abortion and gay rights. He’s called upon an unlikely figure for help – an Australian preacher known for his outspoken conservative views. Today, author of Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity Is Taking Over the World and contributor to The Saturday Paper Elle Hardy, on how ...
Oct 02, 2023•16 min•Ep. 1068
Australia has a new Sex Discrimination Commissioner. Anna Cody will be tasked with tackling discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation and gender, as she continues implementing the remainder of her predecessor Kate Jenkins’ Respect at Work project. Today, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody discusses how her work establishing a domestic violence legal service that helps First Nations women and her recent role as the law school dean at Western Sydney University have shaped her...
Oct 01, 2023•17 min•Ep. 1067
One of Australia’s top-paid public servants has been accused of trying to pull the strings of senior federal politicians. Texts from Mike Pezzullo, the secretary of Home Affairs, to a Liberal Party powerbroker appear to show a bureaucrat who wasn’t adhering to his duty of impartiality. The messages show a senior public servant bad-mouthing ministers, attacking political decisions and attempting to influence portfolio appointments. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on how Pe...
Sep 28, 2023•16 min•Ep. 1066
Dan Andrews was a premier like no other. As Labor’s longest-serving Victorian leader he provoked outrage, conspiracies and adoration beyond his state’s borders. Andrews became a symbol for lockdowns across Australia, but within Victoria he had an unusual ability to write his own narrative and win elections. Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin Mckenzie-Murray on the duality of Dan and what made him into a controversial, but extremely popular leader. Socials: Stay in touch with us...
Sep 27, 2023•16 min•Ep. 1065
Rupert Murdoch changed the face of global media – and now he’s stepping down from his empire and giving it to his son, Lachlan. Only a few years ago, it would have been an unthinkable succession, as father and son were estranged. But those deep wounds healed, and at 92, Rupert is ready to let his son’s vision take shape. So, what is that vision? And how will Lachlan’s views influence the media in Australia? Today, Lachlan Murdoch biographer, Paddy Manning, on why Rupert chose Lachlan, and what t...
Sep 26, 2023•18 min•Ep. 1064
When US President Joe Biden was looking at how to make the largest economy in the world switch to electricity, he turned to an Australian… Dr Saul Griffith had a seat at the table as the future of American industry was sketched out. So how will America’s plan affect Australia? Are we adapting fast enough? And what’s the cost if we don’t? Today, former advisor to the Biden administration on climate policy, and contributor to The Saturday Paper , Saul Griffith, on the potential for a green economi...
Sep 25, 2023•15 min•Ep. 1063
Today, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joins us for a special conversation about the Voice to Parliament. In this episode, the prime minister shares what makes him so personally invested in the Voice, whether he got the timing of the referendum wrong and what he thinks Australia will look like if we vote “Yes”. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 24, 2023•23 min•Ep. 1062
Today’s episode is a very special edition of Weekend Read . Patrick Dodson is a respected Aboriginal elder, a federal Senator, and widely known as the Father of Reconciliation. He is a fierce advocate for the Voice to Parliament, but Patrick Dodson has spent most of the campaign out of the spotlight, while he undertakes cancer treatment for his recent diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma. Recently, Senator Dodson was able to record this episode in his country, the lands of the Yawuru people, in Broom...
Sep 23, 2023•49 min•Ep. 1061
