As the world gathers at COP27 to decide on the next steps in our response to the climate crisis, the biggest point of contention is one idea: climate justice. It’s an idea that could force the richest nations – such as Australia – to pay for the damages and loss that climate catastrophe is causing in poorer countries. But could it really happen? Is it viable? And would Australia ever sign up to the idea of climate reparations? Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on...
Nov 14, 2022•23 min•Ep. 823
Australia is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on eight nuclear-powered submarines. It’s estimated to be one of the biggest spends in the history of the Australian government. So why are we buying them? Are they the best use of taxpayer money? And will they even be able to do the job they’re meant to do? Today, former director of war studies at the Australian Army Research Centre and adjunct professor at UNSW Canberra Albert Palazzo, on whether new submarines can actually keep us safe. So...
Nov 13, 2022•17 min•Ep. 822
Today, author and farmer Sam Vincent, with his piece from the latest edition of The Monthly . It explores how native Australian ingredients have gone from novelty to gourmet; now featured in some of the most acclaimed fine dining establishments in Australia. But what does the rise of culinary nationalism mean for the way we think about Australian food? Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Author and farmer, Sam Vincent Background Reading: Native foods in the Plate South...
Nov 12, 2022•53 min
The Labor government’s workplace reform package, which it promises will increase wages, has passed the lower house. But it may struggle to pass the senate. There’s frustration mounting between crossbenchers, unions and government ministers – and that’s threatening to derail the most important reform package this government has put forward. But instead of the dispute paralysing the whole of Canberra, something else is happening… Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Chris Wallace on a new seaso...
Nov 10, 2022•15 min•Ep. 821
Elon Musk says he plans to turn Twitter into his ideal version of a public square, and use it to advance the evolution of human communication. But his vision of that public square also involves people paying to be prominent – and the public are not allowed to parody Musk, unless they clearly state they’re making a joke. So what does the chaotic week at Twitter tell us about the world’s richest man, his ideas about speech and how far he’ll go to influence the way we communicate? Today, author Ell...
Nov 09, 2022•18 min•Ep. 820
Not long ago, the Australian government was forced to abandon a scheme it was using to pursue welfare recipients for money. The robo-debt scheme was binned in 2019 after the government finally asked the solicitor-general for legal advice. He told them what many had long suspected: it was probably unlawful. So who else knew about the potential illegality of robo-debt? How early did they know? And why did it go ahead at all? Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on the robo-deb...
Nov 08, 2022•17 min•Ep. 819
Today, Americans head to the polls in the country’s midterm elections. At stake is control of the US House of Representatives and the Senate. Both are on a knife's edge, and major losses for the Democrats could make the next two years of Joe Biden’s presidency incredibly difficult and bring major reform to a standstill. That is something Donald Trump will be hoping for, as reports circulate that he could announce his presidential campaign for 2024 within days. Today, former Democratic Party advi...
Nov 07, 2022•17 min•Ep. 818
Peter Dutton has an uphill battle, even he would admit that. But the Liberal leader known for tough, hardline conservative talking points is trying to appear more like Australia’s next prime minister – by insisting he has a softer side, and striking a contrast with his predecessor Scott Morrison. Beneath Dutton’s attempts to rebrand himself, who is he… and where did his ideas come from? Today, contributor to The Monthly Malcolm Knox on who Peter Dutton is, and what he’s prepared to do to become ...
Nov 06, 2022•18 min•Ep. 817
People counted Dutton’s Opposition out, but Labor’s restrained budget might have opened up some attack lines for the Liberals… with some help from the Murdoch media. A distressed global economy and rising electricity prices are leaving Labor open to Liberal accusations that they’ve broken an election promise to lower power prices. And: an update on Labor’s industrial relations reforms. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper , Chris Wallac...
Nov 03, 2022•19 min•Ep. 816
Internal tensions at the organisation that tells us about the weather — the Bureau of Meteorology — appear to be going from bad to worse. Among the latest revelations, the Bureau’s daily forecasts, which many of us rely on, might be getting less accurate. We’ve also learned that the renaming of the organisation was called a ‘rebrand’ internally, even though management publicly claimed they never attempted such a thing. Today, senior reporter at The Saturday Paper , Rick Morton joins us again, wi...
Nov 02, 2022•15 min•Ep. 815
When an inner suburb of Melbourne was hit by flooding a few weeks ago, attention turned to Flemington Racecourse: home of the Melbourne Cup. The track is a floodplain, and in prior floods it had become submerged in water. But not this time. This year, a new flood wall protected it. But could the wall that saved Flemington Racecourse have doomed nearby houses? Or is that debate obscuring the bigger problems facing our cities as the climate crisis closes in? Today, associate editor of The Saturday...
Nov 01, 2022•18 min•Ep. 814
Unlike in almost every other country in the world, the Australian government actively helps some of our biggest carbon emitters make claims to consumers that they are “green” or even “carbon neutral”. For consumers looking to sign up for household gas and electricity, it’s hard to know which companies to trust. And more importantly, the system could help prop up fossil-fuel projects that threaten to derail our emissions reduction targets. Today, senior researcher at The Australia Institute’s cli...
Oct 31, 2022•17 min•Ep. 813
The prices of Australian houses are dropping faster than ever before – but is this a blip on the way to higher prices, or an actual value crash? And if it is a real crash… could that be a good thing? Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper , Mike Seccombe, on the rollercoaster of the Australian property market. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper , Mike Seccombe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...
Oct 30, 2022•14 min•Ep. 812
After 45 days of economic chaos under Liz Truss threatened the welfare of ordinary Britons, the UK now has a new prime minister: Rishi Sunak. Sunak’s family wealth of over a billion dollars makes him an unlikely figure for the task – he is the richest MP in the British parliament. But he has made history as the country’s first British Asian prime minister. Today, world editor of The Saturday Paper Jonathan Pearlman, on the ascent of Rishi Sunak and the challenges ahead of him. Socials: Stay in t...
Oct 27, 2022•19 min•Ep. 811
Some of the world’s most treasured art works have been under attack in the last few weeks. Paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso and Monet have been doused in food by climate activists trying to draw attention to the urgent climate crisis. So is this plea for action working? And why are activists turning to this kind of protest? Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper , Mike Seccombe, on the divide within the environmentalist movement, and what is driving protesters towards desperate actio...
Oct 26, 2022•18 min•Ep. 810
A Labor government has handed down a budget for the first time in nine years. It isn’t the budget that many might have imagined in May when the party won the election. It lands just as a global economic storm appears to be gathering momentum. Last night, we got the pitch that tells us how this Labor government thinks it can contend with the challenge and what it plans to deliver for Australians. So what’s in it? Who’s getting money? Who is missing out? And how does it set up this term for Prime ...
Oct 25, 2022•17 min•Ep. 809
Last Tuesday, while torrential rains brought floods that cut off whole towns in Victoria, Australia’s weather forecasting agency made a strange announcement. The Bureau of Meteorology called on all media to change the name they had used to refer to it: the BoM. Instead it wanted to be called The Bureau. What seemed like an odd branding announcement at first, has led to a series of revelations about working conditions for Australia’s official weather forecasters. Today, senior reporter for The Sa...
Oct 24, 2022•18 min•Ep. 808
An idea that Australia discarded a decade ago will return on Tuesday night. That idea is a so-called “wellbeing budget”. It is being talked up by the Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Chalmers has promised that Australia will follow countries like Scotland and New Zealand in judging the success of government spending not just against GDP and income per person, but based on whether it improves the wellbeing of the Australian people. Today, social researcher and director of research at 89 Degrees East, Rebe...
Oct 23, 2022•16 min•Ep. 807
The Labor party has been making promises. The latest is that it hopes to end domestic and family violence within a generation. But ahead of the budget, the leadership of the party are in a tricky position by promising no tax hikes, no excessive borrowing, but fixing funding to services. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the storm clouds gathering as we go into budget week. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram . Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper , ...
Oct 20, 2022•18 min•Ep. 806
It's been two weeks since millions of Australians learned their data might have been compromised in the Optus hack. Since then other data breaches have been revealed, and the precarious nature of the way our personal information is often stored is becoming clear. So what actually happens when someone tries to steal your identity? Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper , Emma Phillips, on how it feels to lose control of your identity, and her fight to get it back. In a statement in response to ...
Oct 19, 2022•14 min•Ep. 805
What happens when an organisation founded on radical activism decides to work with, instead of against, authorities? For Captain Paul Watson that conundrum has led to an acrimonious split from the organisation that he started, Sea Shepherd. Watson has been hailed by some as a hero for his exploits against whaling ships on the high seas — but others say he’s an ‘eco-terrorist’ who has given environmentalism a bad name. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on whether ...
Oct 18, 2022•17 min•Ep. 804
The notorious Evin prison in Iran, which holds the Islamic Republic’s political prisoners, was on fire over the weekend. Around the country, protests that began over the death of a woman in police custody have now morphed into a broad anti-government movement – the most significant in years. This time, protesters are being more daring than ever before. Some are calling for the death of Iran’s supreme leader and flaunting Iran’s strict morality laws in the streets. Today, scholar of Middle Easter...
Oct 17, 2022•16 min•Ep. 803
Xi Jinping is ascending to a historic level of power. He is the leader of the Chinese Communist Party, which has 95 million people who are members, and is the most powerful President of China since Chairman Mao. Now, he is becoming what some experts have called China’s ‘leader for life’. That makes him one of the most powerful men in history. Today, former prime minister of Australia Kevin Rudd on the coronation of Xi Jinping and how his ideology has changed China forever. Socials: Stay in touch...
Oct 16, 2022•20 min•Ep. 802
Today, author Cate Kennedy reads her piece from the latest edition of the Monthly. Beginning in the first months of lockdown, it asks the question: why did so many people turn to collective song and music, while stuck in isolation? Choirs conducted over video chat and jam sessions in the digital world might not be a perfect replacement for the connection of performing together in a room – but it seemed like there was something essential in the act of coming together to create music. So what is i...
Oct 15, 2022•18 min
Arts policy in Australia has been virtually non-existent for ten years, and in those ten years the arts have suffered enormously. Today, we bring you an exclusive one-on-one interview between the editor of The Monthly , Michael Williams, and the man who says he wants to save the arts: Arts Minister Tony Burke. The challenges are huge. From music and live gigs, to literature and publishing, to film and television – every part of the sector has been damaged by years of funding uncertainty. Then, w...
Oct 14, 2022•28 min
The Labor party keeps saying this coming budget is full of hard decisions. We know the budget is already in deficit, but services are underfunded and if the government wants to improve childcare, disability care and more, then money will have to come from somewhere. Anthony Albanese has vigorously ruled out dumping the expensive stage three tax cuts. So what is left on the table for Labor to turn to? Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on whether Labor is brave enough to make ...
Oct 13, 2022•16 min•Ep. 801
Much of the country has been hit by torrential rain, and communities across Victoria and New South Wales are inundated with floodwaters. But this is just the start, as according to the Bureau of Meteorology we could be facing an entire summer of floods and cyclones. As Australia braces for the worsening effects of the climate crisis, experts say we are still too focused on disaster relief and that adapting and preparing communities for disaster is underfunded. Today, a lead author for the Interg...
Oct 12, 2022•16 min•Ep. 800
Yesterday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers offered a grim warning to Australia: we could be on the brink of a global recession. While Australians are already familiar with inflated prices and rising interest rates, the global financial outlook is getting worse. What does it mean for Australians? And if a downturn happens, who will be worst affected? Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on how the United States could be making a global recession more likely. Socials: Stay in ...
Oct 11, 2022•17 min•Ep. 799
Labor has been shy to propose any major changes to the unemployment system. During the election, it ruled out raising the rate of unemployment benefits and while in opposition, it offered support to the coalition’s new ‘Workforce Australia’ scheme for the way job services operate. But now we have new insight into what Labor is saying behind closed doors and the new government appears far from happy about what it’s discovered in the unemployment sector. Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Pap...
Oct 10, 2022•16 min•Ep. 798
Ten years ago the then-prime minister Julia Gillard delivered a speech to parliament about misogyny. At the time, the speech was poorly received by the Canberra press gallery and described by some journalists as "desperate". But online, it took on a life of its own. Now, what has become known as the misogyny speech can be found on merchandise, in TikTok videos, and is used as shorthand for a particular sense of frustration at sexism in Australian politics. Today, Independent MP for the seat of G...
Oct 09, 2022•18 min•Ep. 797
