Diego Franco was a food delivery rider. He worked for Uber, DoorDash and Deliveroo, to transport food in Australia. What happened to him, and his subsequent case at the Fair Work Commission was supposed to set a powerful precedent for people who work across the whole gig economy – and give workers in these industries the same rights as employees. But instead, his case faltered - and the reason was a High Court decision that he wasn’t a party to. Today, journalist and lawyer Kieran Pender on the ...
Aug 28, 2022•16 min•Ep. 767
The Solicitor-General’s legal advice on Scott Morrison’s secret appointments painted a complex picture. What Morrison did was legal, but it fundamentally undermined principles of the constitution. So is that it? Should the country and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese move on? Or are there more questions to be answered? Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the inquiry to come and if Anthony Albanese is overplaying his hand. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagr...
Aug 25, 2022•16 min•Ep. 766
Wages aren’t rising fast enough to keep up with inflation, and it means that many workers are actually falling behind. At the same time, the corporate profit share is going up – it's now at a record 31 per cent of Australia’s national income. These are the stakes for next week’s national job summit, where businesses, unions and economic experts will sit down with the new government to make their case for changes to our jobs, workplaces and our pay. Today, executive director of the Australia Inst...
Aug 24, 2022•16 min•Ep. 765
With the balance of power in the senate, the Greens hold significant sway over what gets done under this government. But at the same time, the dynamics within the Greens party room have dramatically transformed – out of 16 Greens parliamentarians, five are now from Queensland. So how will they change the Australian Greens and what agenda do they represent? Today, journalist Paddy Manning on the Brisbane Greens and how their “radical agenda” began to appeal to Queenslanders. Socials: Stay in touc...
Aug 23, 2022•13 min•Ep. 764
Today, the Prime Minister will reveal legal advice on Scott Morrison’s secret appointment to five ministries. While the country waits to hear about what legal dilemmas the affair entails, the former prime minister’s colleagues are responding both privately and publicly. The explanations from Morrison have left some unconvinced and there are still questions over the purpose of such a ministerial power grab. Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton on the reactio...
Aug 22, 2022•15 min•Ep. 763
The spread of monkeypox is testing public health officials worldwide. It’s a virus that is challenging both our ability to get vaccines and medicines to the people who need them most - and the ability of health authorities to send the right message. So what is the right health message? And how do we empower communities, after they have been through two years of a Covid-19 pandemic? Today, science journalist Bianca Nogrady on the origins and challenges of the Monkeypox outbreak. Socials: Stay in ...
Aug 21, 2022•17 min•Ep. 762
It's the rolling scandal that has dominated the week in politics, and permanently marked Scott Morrison’s legacy. This week it emerged that while in power the former prime minister secretly swore himself into five different ministries: Health, Finance, Resources, Treasury, and Home Affairs. The public didn’t know, his former government colleagues didn’t know, and in most cases, the very ministers in those portfolios didn’t know. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the perpl...
Aug 18, 2022•18 min•Ep. 761
Australia’s wealthiest postcodes and the millionaires who pay no tax have been revealed in the latest data drop from the Tax Office. It gives us new insight into who has wealth in Australia, how they keep a hold on that wealth and whether the taxation system is fair. Today, author and professor Chris Wallace on who the real burdens are on our economy. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram . Guest: Author and professor Chris Wallace. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...
Aug 17, 2022•15 min•Ep. 760
Right-wing groups in the US are holding armed rallies against the FBI, with one field office of the bureau attacked by a gunman. A raid last week by agents on Donald Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago, opened the floodgates of anger after classified government documents were found on the premises. Trump has now called for calm, but maintains the FBI’s raid was part of a witch-hunt and that he has done nothing wrong. Today, world editor at The Saturday Paper Jonathan Pearlman on what the FBI w...
Aug 16, 2022•15 min•Ep. 759
It started with a job: $500,000 to be a trade envoy in New York. Now, an entire state government has become embroiled in a scandal over job appointments and how they get made. As Australia prepares to implement a federal anti-corruption body, in New South Wales – the state that first put in place an independent anti-corruption commission – we're learning a lot about why we need more transparency in politics. Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton, on the job offer that threate...
Aug 15, 2022•17 min•Ep. 758
It’s been one year since the Taliban swifty took control of Afghanistan as the US pulled out after 20 years of war. In the days following the takeover, foreign countries rushed to evacuate diplomatic staff from Kabul. Thousands of Afghans were also airlifted out, but many, even those who worked directly with Australia and other foreign nations remain trapped. Today, chief political correspondent for *The Saturday Paper* Karen Middleton reveals the details of a deal struck in the last few weeks b...
Aug 14, 2022•16 min•Ep. 757
China has a message for Australia: be quiet and take the trade money. In a chilling speech, China’s ambassador to Australia laid out his nation’s aims with startling honesty – including that China would pursue what he called ‘reunification’ with Taiwan at any cost. The reason he was sending that message has everything to do with US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan, which raised the threat of conflict in the region. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on China’s me...
Aug 11, 2022•17 min•Ep. 756
When a Voice to Parliament was first proposed in the Uluru Statement from the Heart – it was dismissed by then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. It seemed possible the proposal might never be put in front of the Australian people. But Australians could soon get to vote in a referendum and we will be asked whether Australia should amend its constitution to create an Indigenous Voice to parliament. Today, someone who has spent years working towards constitutional recognition: chair in constitutiona...
Aug 10, 2022•18 min•Ep. 755
A former intelligence officer in Canberra, known as Witness J, was charged, sentenced, and jailed in complete secrecy in 2018. It was only after he brought his own legal complaint, and journalists noticed some security guards in the courthouse, that anything about his case was made public. Now, as fragments of the proceedings against the man known as Alan Johns filter out, we’re learning what happens when our spy agencies go to court. Today, Chief Political Correspondent at The Saturday Paper, K...
Aug 09, 2022•17 min•Ep. 754
The new government has inherited a problem that no one wants to talk about: the deep inequality of funding between public and private and independent schools. That discrepancy is most evident when it comes to the way that students with disabilities are funded. Today, senior reporter at The Saturday Paper Rick Morton reveals the $600 million funding shortfall for students with a disability in the public system. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Senior reporter for The...
Aug 08, 2022•15 min•Ep. 753
Our food supply is facing violent shocks — pandemic, war, and floods. And the threat to food security is unprecedented. Underpinning the problem is the catastrophe of climate change, which will impact not only us but our neighbours too — creating implications for national security. Today, Esther Linder on a looming food crisis that Australia isn’t prepared for, and what it means for the way we eat. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Journalist for The Saturday Paper ,...
Aug 07, 2022•13 min•Ep. 752
Today on the show, journalist and author Bronwyn Adcock will be reading her piece from the latest issue. It follows the fate of Encep ‘Hambali’ Nurjaman - a man arrested as a central figure in the Bali Bombings nearly 20 years ago - and interrogates his fraught path to justice in the War on Terror, through CIA black spots and Guantanamo Bay, torture and rendition, and bureaucratic obfuscation. Guest: Journalist and author, Bronwyn Adcock Background reading: The Trial in The Monthly . See omnystu...
Aug 06, 2022•28 min
Labor's first fortnight in power has been marked by a significant win — a successful agreement to pass a bill that would see a 43 per cent emissions reduction target become law. That agreement was made entirely without the opposition, with Peter Dutton effectively removing his party from negotiations at the beginning of the week. So what is the Coalition’s strategy, when it comes to climate, or to just being in opposition? Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on what Dutton is ...
Aug 04, 2022•14 min•Ep. 751
For more than ten years, the Greens and the Labor Party have been blaming each other for holding back progress on climate action. Now, things have shifted — Labor’s new emissions reduction target will almost certainly become legislation, after the Greens announced that they’ll support it. But that support has only come after fierce negotiations and several concessions from the Albanese government. Today, national correspondent at The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on the high-stakes political game...
Aug 03, 2022•15 min•Ep. 750
As a homelessness crisis escalates around the country, there’s one jurisdiction where the situation is particularly stark. In the wealthiest state in Australia, more than 120 people have died on the streets in the past two years. And while the causes of homelessness are complex, there’s no doubt Western Australia’s tenancy laws are making things worse: especially when it comes to “no grounds” rental evictions. Today, writer and campaigner Jesse Noakes on the deadly consequences of evictions, and...
Aug 02, 2022•14 min•Ep. 749
An investigation into factional misconduct in Victoria has created debate about how the Labor Party is structured and how it can be reformed. The stakes are incredibly high for the party: not only is some of the conduct illegal and undemocratic, but it also risks losses in seats where independents are likely to run on integrity. Today, Labor speechwriter and contributor to The Saturday Paper Dennis Glover on the party within a party. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest:...
Aug 01, 2022•15 min•Ep. 748
As Australia faces a new wave of Covid-19 variants, experts say the country has a chance to plot a different course with the virus. That involves acknowledging that it is not going away - that it will be here for a long time, and that masks and ventilation will be needed to manage it. Today, lead researcher at the Kirby Institute Raina MacIntyre on hope, denial and Covid-19. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram . Guest: Lead researcher at the Kirby Institute Raina MacIntyre. S...
Jul 31, 2022•13 min•Ep. 747
After five years of inaction, the Albanese government has made implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart a key item of business. Anthony Albanese has described it as a hand held out to the country. But there are still questions over whether a referendum will succeed. Senator Patrick Dodson is telling colleagues they should put it up regardless - if the vote is lost, the country will have to live with it. Today, columnist from The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the first week of a new par...
Jul 28, 2022•16 min•Ep. 746
Labor is working through the specifics of the nuclear submarine deal Scott Morrison set up before he lost office. Some in the party believe AUKUS was established in part to wedge Labor on the issue of non-proliferation. So what is next for the plan to buy nuclear submarines? And what can Labor do to ensure their purchase doesn’t undermine a commitment to ending nuclear wars? Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton on the one of the biggest projects Australia i...
Jul 27, 2022•15 min•Ep. 745
As Covid-19 hospitalisations break records in almost all states, there is a curious absence of political leadership. Frontline workers wonder why there is no greater attempt at community mitigation. What has shifted? Why are politicians no longer following the health advice, at least on masks? Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on Covid-19 and the politics of fatigue. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Associate editor of The Saturday...
Jul 26, 2022•15 min•Ep. 744
New figures show that the Morrison government stacked government boards and tribunals at a level unprecedented in Australian politics. These appointees were sometimes unqualified and incompetent. They particularly affected the Administrative Appeals Tribunal - where members can be paid up to $500,000 a year. Now it is clear that they have badly altered decision making processes. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on how key bodies have been politicised beyond reco...
Jul 25, 2022•14 min•Ep. 743
Last week, opposition leader Peter Dutton called for policy reform to regulate social media due to its impact on civil discourse. He said debate in this country was absurd, dangerous, reckless and reprehensible. But who gets to define what is and isn’t “civil” in the public sphere? And what does that say about power? Today, lawyer and contributor to The Saturday Paper Nyadol Nyuon on Peter Dutton, social media and how impoliteness can be a radical agent of change. Socials: Stay in touch with us ...
Jul 24, 2022•13 min•Ep. 742
When parliament returns next week, Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party will sit on the government benches for the first time. It’s a significant test for what has changed since the election. Albanese has already made clear that the agenda will be focused on legislating his climate targets. If he fails, it will be a blow to his credibility. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the state of the environment. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram . Guest: Columnist ...
Jul 21, 2022•15 min•Ep. 741
The Albanese government is partway through a successful reset of its relationship with China. The incredible thing is, they haven’t changed any policies. But will a change in language be enough to fix a diplomatic rift? And what’s next for Australia’s relationship with the Pacific, where it is trying to balance China’s influence? Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on the turnaround in how Beijing views Canberra. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instag...
Jul 20, 2022•15 min•Ep. 740
Many were surprised when the new employment minister, Tony Burke, announced it was “too late” to end mutual obligations. The decision was made to preserve billions of dollars in contracts already signed with companies that profit from the system. But there is no evidence it helps people find work. Today, senior correspondent for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on the industry selling poor people. Guest: Senior correspondent for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton. Background reading : Albanese offers ...
Jul 19, 2022•15 min•Ep. 739
