In spite of pouring rain, government opposition and a failed police ban, 90,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge yesterday. It was the largest pro-Palestinian protest in Australia’s history. It was a moment of mass demonstration against 21 months of war in Gaza, where tens of thousands of civilians, including children, have been killed. Despite warning that the march could become dangerous, the protest remained peaceful and marked a powerful expression of a shifting public conscie...
Aug 03, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1629
Anthony Albanese has been waiting decades to recognise a Palestinian state. Now, as countries like France, Canada and the UK all declare their own intention to do so, the Prime Minister is weighing up how Australia will respond. It’s a delicate balance – with competing pressures from within his own party, and an opposition denying there’s a starvation crisis in Gaza. Today, press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno on the growing political momentum behind the case for statehood and the private phone ...
Jul 31, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1628
Australia’s plan to ban teenagers from social media has been called “world‑leading”. The law, which comes into effect December 10, threatens platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook with fines of up to $50 million if they let under-16s open or keep accounts. But as implementation draws closer, questions remain about how the ban will be enforced, what it means for online privacy, and whether it will reshape the way everyone uses the internet. Today, digital‑rights advocate Samantha Florea...
Jul 30, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1627
As companies across the world pursue generative AI technology, new forms of manipulation become possible. At the forefront of this are neurotechnologies, which directly connect to your brain and collect your brain data, and persuasive technologies, which can use that data to influence how you feel. In countries like China where the tech industry is controlled by the government, the use of these technologies for disinformation and social control has already taken hold. Today - senior analyst at t...
Jul 29, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1626
When Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff struck a deal with the AFL to build a brand new stadium in Hobart's historic center, it was a decision made without cabinet, treasury or parliamentary backing. It's that stadium that's kicked off a messy fight over who will lead Tasmania. It’s now been over a week since the election that delivered a hung parliament and neither the Liberal leader or Labor leader have managed to form government. Today, award-winning author Richard Flanagan, on the political c...
Jul 28, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1625
Countries have a legal obligation to tackle climate change, according to a landmark finding from the world’s highest court. Last week, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion that said climate change is an “urgent and existential threat” to humanity and countries have a “duty to cooperate” on addressing it. For the Pacific Island students who brought their case to the ICJ, the ruling marks the end of a six year fight. They hope it also marks the start of a new chapter where...
Jul 27, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1624
When parliament returned this week, the seating chart said it all. With 123 Labor members in the parliament – the government is taking up much of the room. But it was the Nationals taking the oxygen with their growing calls to abandon net zero. Their position is at odds with science, economics and many within the joint party room. Meanwhile Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is trying to keep the Coalition on life support as their popularity sinks to its lowest level in 40 years for the coalition is a...
Jul 24, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1623
When an Israeli airstrike hit the gate of Syria’s Defence Ministry in central Damascus, the blast echoed far beyond the capital. It was a warning shot in a growing fight over who controls Syria’s fractured south. With sectarian tensions reigniting between Druze militias, Bedouin fighters and government troops, the country’s uneasy calm is close to breaking. Today, Damascus‑based journalist Heidi Pett, on the latest in this conflict – and how it could redraw the map of Syria. If you enjoy 7am , t...
Jul 23, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1622
The Australian Federal Police investigate some of the country's most serious crimes - terrorism, corruption, drugs, and human trafficking. But a new report from the Commonwealth Ombudsman has found that the one thing the AFP is not good at investigating is itself. It's found that the agency is dismissing complaints that should be investigated, including allegations of corruption and assault within its own ranks. Today, journalist Karen Middleton on allegations inside the AFP, and what it tells u...
Jul 22, 2025•13 min•Ep. 1621
When UNESCO voted to put the Murujuga Cultural Landscape in north-west Australia on the World Heritage List, they recognised the ancient rock art as a “masterpiece of human creative genius”. It was a reflection of the work of the Murujuga traditional owners who fought for the carvings to be recognised on the world stage. But what went on behind the scenes shows the limits of a heritage listing when it comes to stopping gas companies, the governments that profit from the burning of fossil fuels, ...
Jul 21, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1620
This is the second episode in a two part series. If you haven’t yet, start by listening to Part 1: How the Epstein conspiracy turned MAGA against Trump. Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein have a well documented history together. What started off as a friendship eventually turned sour, with Trump claiming he never really liked him. But even though there is no evidence that Trump was involved in any of Epstein’s crimes, the association is now doing damage. Not because they were friends, but because ...
Jul 20, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1619
As Donald Trump tries to hose down criticisms over his mishandling of the Epstein files, some of his most ardent supporters are now turning against him. For years Donald Trump fueled conspiracy theories related to the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. For Trump’s MAGA base, his re-election meant finally uncovering the truth about the powerful associates on “Epstein’s list” . Now, Trump says the investigation is over, the Epstein list is a “hoax” cooked up by the Democrats, and any supporte...
Jul 20, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1618
Australia is caught in a perilous balancing act. This week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Premier Xi Jinping to stabilise ties with China; as leaks from Washington revealed the steep demands of our AUKUS agreement with the United States. In the shadow of rising tensions over Taiwan, the question of where Australia stands, and who we stand with, has never been more complicated. Today, host of the ABC podcast Global Roaming , Hamish Macdonald, on how the Albanese government is navigatin...
Jul 17, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1617
The Federal Court has dismissed a landmark class action brought by Uncles Paul Kabai and Pabai Pabai – two Torres Strait Islander men who said Canberra owed them a duty of care to safeguard their homelands from rising seas. Justice Michael Wigney accepted the islands are being “ravaged by human-induced climate change,” yet ruled the law offers “no real or effective” path to relief – and the Commonwealth argued Torres Strait Islanders can “protect themselves” by moving. The Uncles insist losing i...
Jul 16, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1616
It’s been a year since the Albanese government appointed Jillian Segal to the role of Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in Australia. Last week, alongside the Prime Minister, Ms Segal released her plan. It recommends media organisations should be monitored and funding should be withheld from universities and cultural institutions if they don’t stop antisemitism. But critics say what she’s proposing could backfire. Today, human rights lawyer and executive officer at the Jewish Council of Austr...
Jul 15, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1615
Anthony Albanese’s meeting with Xi Jinping this week is a crucial opportunity to strengthen relations with our biggest trading partner. But it comes at a time when Australia is trying to break China’s grip on the supply chain of critical minerals. China’s global domination has been in the works for decades – a grand plan that gives China ready access to materials essential for everything from fighter jets to wind turbines. It also gives Beijing extraordinary leverage over Western economies and d...
Jul 14, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1614
The Liberal Party knows it needs to change. But the battle over how is already tearing the party apart. Sussan Ley has declared herself a “zealot” for getting more women into parliament. But she faces stiff resistance from the conservative wing of the party, including from some of its older statesmen which see quotas as undemocratic and an attack on the idea of ‘merit’, But gender imbalance is not the only problem they’re facing. Liberal insiders say unless the party finds a way to broaden its a...
Jul 13, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1613
Spotify has transformed how the world listens to music. But as it’s grown, the company behind it, and its founder Daniel Ek, have been reshaping more than just the music industry. Ek has become a key figure in the global defence industry, investing more than a billion dollars into military technology based on artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Spotify itself has embraced AI in ways that many artists say undermine their work. Today, author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of th...
Jul 10, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1612
When journalist Antoinette Lattouf picked up a casual contract with ABC Radio Sydney, she didn’t expect it to end in court. But after she reshared a Human Rights Watch post about Gaza, the ABC pulled her off-air on day three and ended her employment. Last month the Federal Court ruled that decision unlawful, finding senior executives acted after “an orchestrated campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to have Ms Lattouf taken off air”, and ordered the ABC to pay her $70,000 in compensation. The verdict...
Jul 09, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1611
In the Central Australian community of Yuendumu, Kumanjayi Walker’s family gathered this week to hear coroner Elizabeth Armitage share her findings into his death. Walker was a 19 year old Warlpiri-Luritja teenager who was shot and killed by former constable Zachary Rolfe in 2019. Today, investigative journalist Kate Wild on what the inquest revealed about the racist culture of the Northern Territory police, how it enabled Zachary Rolfe to act with impunity – and whether institutional change is ...
Jul 08, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1610
Erin Patterson has been found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, after serving her estranged ex-husband’s family beef wellington, which contained death cap mushrooms. Erin Patterson said the addition of death cap mushrooms to the dish was a tragic accident, and maintained her innocence throughout the trial. But after deliberating for a week, the 12 person jury reached a unanimous verdict yesterday. Sarah Krasnostein is an award-winning writer and legal scholar. S...
Jul 07, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1609
A child care worker in Victoria has been charged with more than 70 offences relating to the sexual abuse of children. Following the arrest, the state health authorities recommended 1200 children, some as young as five months old, get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. The government is scrambling to figure out how this happened, and how to stop it happening again. But for ABC investigative journalist Adele Ferguson, this is the unsurprising outcome of a long brewing crisis in childcare ce...
Jul 06, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1608
Australia is positioning itself as a critical supplier of the minerals the world needs to build clean technology. But for now, China dominates the market, and its grip on supply chains gives it enormous leverage. At the same time, the Albanese government is racing China to shore up its influence in the Pacific; a region already feeling the sharpest impacts of climate change. Today, contributing editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis, on the high-stakes contest for influence in our region, and how...
Jul 03, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1607
AI chatbots have crept into our lives – and some abusers are weaponising them. By feeding intimate details about their partners into tools like ChatGPT, they’re producing “performance reviews” that shame, degrade and control. Today, writer Madison Griffiths on this new form of tech-enabled coercive control – and why ChatGPT always sides with the abuser. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support . Socials: Stay in touch with us on ...
Jul 02, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1606
For generations, First Nations people have called for a truth telling process so their stories can be heard. In Victoria, for the first time in Australia’s history, that has finally happened. For the past four years, the Yoorrook Justice Commission has been gathering the testimony of thousands of Victorians to put on record the truth about the state’s history. The culmination of that work has now been handed to the Victorian government. Today, we hear the story of the Yoorrook Justice Commission...
Jul 01, 2025•18 min•Ep. 1604
This is the second installment of a two part series about the history and impact of the Yoorrook Justice Commission. In this episode, we hear the stories of First Nations elders whose loved ones were stolen, and who lived through the racist policies whose legacies are still felt in society today. We also hear what happened when the Victorian Premier became the first sitting leader to testify. And now that the truth has been told, Daniel discusses the recommendations of the report and what happen...
Jul 01, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1605
Last week, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published testimony from Israeli soldiers who admitted to deliberately shooting unarmed Palestinian civilians while they waited for humanitarian aid – claims the Israeli government denies. According to authorities in Gaza, at least 583 people have been killed in the past month at aid distribution centres in Gaza, and many more people have been injured. The United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres has called the Israeli and US-backed aid centers “...
Jun 30, 2025•18 min•Ep. 1603
Two years ago, some of our colleagues had the idea to start a show about books. The result was Read This – a weekly podcast about the books we love and the stories behind them. In each episode, host Michael Williams speaks to an author about their work and their life. It’s a favourite show of everyone on the 7am team and as it finishes up as a Schwartz Media podcast, we wanted to pay tribute to our colleagues who make this show so special. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 30, 2025•4 min•Ep. 1602
A sleek Chinese-made ute is suddenly one of the most popular vehicles on Australian roads. It’s cheap, fast and packed with tech. But behind its rise are questions security agencies are struggling to grapple with. Because the cars we drive today are no longer just cars; they’re also data collection tools. And in a tense geopolitical climate – the lines between convenience and surveillance are blurring. Today, senior fellow at the Lowy Institute and contributor to Australian Foreign Affairs, Rich...
Jun 29, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1601
In this inaugural episode of Read This , host Michael Williams and founding editor Sarah McVeigh head to Helen Garner’s house for cake and conversation. Helen shares what she’s writing about, how she problem solves, and the inspiration she gets from watching her grandson’s footy training. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 28, 2025•30 min•Ep. 1600
