You would expect that when you give your personal data to the government, that data remains safe. But that’s not how it was for some people who were sent debt notices under therobo-debt scheme – and in at least one case, that information was released after the person had suicided. So who should take responsibility when private data is used to protect an unlawful system? And how do we stop that from happening again? Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on how the robo-debt ro...
Feb 06, 2023•22 min•Ep. 883
On Australia’s doorstep, one country has taken the global war on drugs to the extreme. When Rodrigo Duterte became president of the Philippines in 2016 he promised to slaughter drug dealers – and his hardline anti-drug regime lasted until last year, when he was beaten in elections. But has the end of Duterte really ended the slaughter? Has the new government lived up to its promises? Or do the bodies in Manila’s morgues tell us the war has gone underground? Today, contributor to The Monthly Marg...
Feb 05, 2023•18 min•Ep. 882
Australia is supposed to be reducing its emissions at a rapid pace, and last year, the Albanese government put a new target into law. Now, we will finally get to see exactly how Labor plans to force our biggest polluters to reduce their emissions. But will the proposal win the support it needs? And how will it shape the political year to come? Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on why next week could either end the climate wars, or start a whole new chapter. Socials: Stay in...
Feb 02, 2023•14 min•Ep. 881
More and more people have to pay to see a doctor, GPs are leaving the profession, and the cost of seeing a specialist is rising at an alarming rate. That’s why the government is promising the biggest overhaul to Medicare in its 40-year existence – the details of the plan could be released any day now. Everything is on the table for consideration: increasing the Medicare rebate, giving pharmacists the power to prescribe drugs and more. But how do we make sure we get changes to Medicare right? Tod...
Feb 01, 2023•16 min•Ep. 880
Between his death, two weeks ago, and his burial tomorrow, a furious battle has raged over George Pell’s legacy. If you happen to read The Australian newspaper, though, you probably wouldn’t be aware there are two sides to the debate. The Murdoch newspaper has been glowing about Pell’s influence. Why is the Murdoch media so invested in how the former Catholic cardinal is remembered? And what are they willing to ignore to make their case? Today, legal affairs editor for The Saturday Paper Richard...
Jan 31, 2023•16 min•Ep. 879
Australian law is far from perfect. Not only can it be unjust, it’s sometimes simply no longer fit to do what it was intended to. The person responsible for maintaining our federal laws is the attorney-general. And, since the last election, that’s Mark Dreyfus. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe – on Mark Dreyfus, what drives him, and why he says Australia’s treatment of refugees has been “deliberately cruel”. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagra...
Jan 30, 2023•16 min•Ep. 878
Tony Windsor was a politician and, as an independent, he helped hand minority government and the prime ministership to Julia Gillard. He says that at the end of the day, politicians are, by their nature, weak. And if there’s any example that’s taught him that, it’s the decades-long fight over our water and how we protect it. Today, former Independent MP Tony Windsor on our water, how gas developments can threaten it and how grassroots campaigns can force politicians to back down. Socials: Stay i...
Jan 29, 2023•19 min•Ep. 877
A crime wave in Alice Springs grew into a national crisis this week, with politicians jumping on planes in a last-ditch effort to listen to a community whose concerns have fallen on deaf ears. But how did the crime rate in Alice Springs become an issue for Anthony Albanese? And how could the situation have deteriorated so far? Today, columnist for T he Saturday Paper Chris Wallace on how giving communities a voice could force politicians to face complex challenges. Socials: Stay in touch with us...
Jan 26, 2023•17 min•Ep. 876
It’s been over 30 years since the high court acknowledged that terra nullius was a lie, that this country was not empty – that Indigenous Australians had an ongoing claim to the land beneath our feet. But still today, officially, large swathes of Australia are held as what’s called ‘crown land’. What is it? And what do the assumptions about crown land say about the attitude to land ownership in modern Australia? Today, author and Noongar woman, Claire G. Coleman on the case for returning crown l...
Jan 25, 2023•18 min•Ep. 875
Jacinda Ardern’s decision to resign as the Prime Minister of New Zealand shocked her country and the world. She had seemed almost universally beloved. And the young, empathetic and energetic politician was the most world-renowned prime minister New Zealand has ever had. So what made Ardern unwilling to continue? And does she leave her country with the kind of meaningful change she set out to make? Today, freelance correspondent Charlotte Graham-McLay, who is writing a book about the 2019 Christc...
Jan 24, 2023•21 min•Ep. 874
The Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia has been a battleground for months – and now, it’s the target of Russia’s newest offensive. Fighting there could be about to get a lot worse. Ukrainian forces are readying a defense, but the war effort in this part of southeastern Ukraine involves more than fighting back on the frontlines. Dr Natalya Mosol is a psychologist, and for the past year, she’s been working with people who have seen the worst of the war. Today, Dr Natalya Mosol, who features in Jane ...
Jan 23, 2023•16 min•Ep. 873
The premier of NSW, Dominic Perrottet wore a Nazi uniform to his 21st birthday party. Since the revelations, Jewish groups in NSW have told journalists that they have fielded calls, particularly from elderly members of the community, in tears after hearing about the incident. But why did Perrottet come out and admit the scandal? Does it have anything to do with the looming election? And who was circulating the rumours about the premier’s 21st birthday? Today, national correspondent for The Satur...
Jan 22, 2023•18 min•Ep. 872
Summer has provided everyone with a respite from politics, even our politicians. But as they return, they’ll need to face up to problems that have been long in the making. The pandemic is still with us, and clues from the northern hemisphere point towards variants that authorities will have to keep a close eye on. And in the meantime, this week, we have been warned that inequality got worse throughout the pandemic. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper , Chris Wallace on how Covid-19 made the ...
Jan 19, 2023•18 min•Ep. 871
When Liberal MP Julia Banks quit the Morrison government in 2018, her resignation was cited as an example of how hostile the political environment can be towards women. But Banks’ story and her resignation happened to coincide with a landmark report: Respect@Work. That report, and the changes it recommended, languished on the desk of the former government. But reform is now finally coming into effect and, in theory, should change the workplace for women. Today, former politician Julia Banks, on ...
Jan 18, 2023•16 min•Ep. 870
George Pell’s body is returning to Australia after last weekend’s funeral service in the Vatican. He will be interred in the crypts below St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. To his supporters, Pell was a guardian of traditional faith and doctrine, whose conviction on charges of child sexual abuse was overturned by the High Court. To thousands of survivors of child sexual abuse perpetrated by priests across Australia, Pell was the leader who oversaw an era when the Church moved too slowly, and protect...
Jan 17, 2023•19 min•Ep. 869
This year Peter Dutton has begun to spread doubt about the Voice to Parliament. His question is: where’s the detail? One woman has spent years fleshing out the proposal. Marcia Langton co-authored a report on The Voice, and briefed every party room in Canberra about what the model could look like. Today, Professor at the University of Melbourne Marcia Langton on the details of the Voice to Parliament, and what’s at stake if Australia gets this moment wrong. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twit...
Jan 16, 2023•18 min•Ep. 868
Elon Musk has lost more money than any human being who has ever lived. It’s not because of his purchase of Twitter – well, not directly, anyway. It’s because in the last 12 months, the share price of his other company, Tesla, has plummeted. But why is Elon Musk, the erratic entrepreneur, so intertwined with Tesla? How has the company become an extension of one man’s ideas? And is that healthy? Today, veteran Tesla-watcher and financial journalist, Antony Currie, on the unshakeable faith in Elon....
Jan 15, 2023•18 min•Ep. 867
On this Weekend Read, chief political correspondent for the ABC’s 7.30 program Laura Tingle, with her piece from the summer issue of The Monthly. It’s called ‘A patch of land’, and in it she writes of the joys of tending and surrendering herself to a native garden, before bidding it a fond farewell after nearly 20 years. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Chief political correspondent for the ABC’s 7.30 program, Laura Tingle Background Reading: A Patch of Land See omn...
Jan 12, 2023•12 min•Ep. 866
Australia’s domestic security agency, ASIO, says right-wing extremism now makes up half of its priority cases. And the far right, while still fringe, has capitalised on division and social media to push its message during the pandemic. So just how big a risk is this movement today? And how did we allow this discredited and dangerous ideology to get a foothold once again? Author Lydia Khalil discusses how counter-terrorism turned a blind eye to the far -right and how we all need to solve that pro...
Jan 11, 2023•15 min•Ep. 865
When we talk about the most significant events of the last year, the one that might have the biggest impact on humanity actually took place far above the Earth’s atmosphere. Up there, in orbit around earth, is one of the most powerful tools humans have ever had to hunt for the origins of our universe – and for alien life. The James Webb Space Telescope has the ability to look so far and with such clarity that we can get an insight into a period of time that our best scientists have only ever spe...
Jan 10, 2023•16 min•Ep. 864
Each year, around a million Australians visit the US . But it's becoming a more dangerous place: firearm murders alone increased by 35% between 2019 and 2020. But you won’t find that statistic in the guidance for Australians travelling to the US. And it’s a risk that disproportionately affects people of colour. Today, author and contributor to The Monthly, Santilla Chingaipe on the travel guidance we rely on for our safety and what it tells us about how race functions in bureaucratic definitions...
Jan 09, 2023•14 min•Ep. 863
Misinformation, fear and pain: when Andrew Denton was asked to speak on the topic of euthanasia, he found something that he couldn’t look away from. What started as a single lecture became the biggest political fight of his life. And the last year has seen the fruit of those labours, with every state now having laws to allow people the right to choose to end their life when faced with terminal illness. The territories are well on their way to doing the same. Go Gentle Australia, the organisation...
Jan 08, 2023•21 min•Ep. 862
Today, on the Weekend Read, writer and artist Sarah Walker with her piece, “Little Breaks”, from The Monthly . It’s a story of joy and sadness in the ocean. She writes of her time in the water as a beginner surfer, finding glee in shallow breaks. But beyond the break, in the deeper water, there’s also loneliness, isolation and vulnerability. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Writer and artist, Sarah Walker Background Reading: Little Breaks See omnystudio.com/listener...
Jan 05, 2023•19 min•Ep. 861
When Anthony Albanese declared victory in last year’s election, one of the first commitments that he made was to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full. While the Uluru Statement from the Heart includes truth-telling and a treaty, a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament is the first step that the government plans to take. If it goes ahead, it will be the first referendum since the republic vote just over 20 years ago. Professor Gary Foley, senior lecturer of history at Vic...
Jan 04, 2023•14 min•Ep. 860
This year has seen an explosion of film and TV releases – as sound stages fill with productions, following the end of lockdowns that threatened the industry. But if you’re like us, this summer you might just be taking a breath and getting a chance to catch-up on the things you missed throughout the last year. So with that in mind, we’ve invited writer and critic Clem Bastow to share some of her favourite releases. She’ll be joined by the editor of The Monthly, Michael Williams, in a discussion t...
Jan 03, 2023•25 min•Ep. 859
Deep in Australia’s oldest forests there are criminal gangs operating: illegally chopping down trees to sell the wood. The authorities know it’s happening, but the problem is catching the perpetrators in the act. The old growth forests are sprawling and these gangs know how to evade rangers and police. Today, author and contributor to The Monthly , Sophie Cunningham on the crime against our oldest and most precious old growth forests. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest...
Jan 02, 2023•16 min•Ep. 858
Lachlan Murdoch is the presumptive heir to the global Murdoch media fortune – and with his father, Rupert, now aged 91, Lachlan’s time could be imminent. But Lachlan’s rise to the top has not been smooth. After a bright start, the first-born son fell out of grace with his father and was exiled to Australia, only to return to favour when the family was in crisis. Now it seems that Lachlan could be the successor to the empire after all. So what does Lachlan Murdoch stand for? Journalist Paddy Mann...
Jan 01, 2023•21 min•Ep. 857
Next year, Australians will get to vote in a referendum and we will be asked whether Australia should amend its constitution to create an Indigenous Voice to parliament. In this episode from August, we spoke to the first person to read the road map to that referendum outloud after the Uluru Statement from the heart was agreed to. Today we revisit this episode with someone who has spent years working towards constitutional recognition: chair in constitutional law at the University of NSW, Megan D...
Dec 29, 2022•17 min•Ep. 856
When you become prime minister, a lot changes – but there’s only a few people who know exactly what that's like. One of them is Kevin Rudd,and this year the former prime minister joined the show to share his experience of the way the Murdoch media changes its approach when you enter Government. Today in this episode from June, former prime minister Kevin Rudd on the way News Corp brings new governments to heel. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Former prime minister ...
Dec 28, 2022•15 min•Ep. 855
This year, the case that established the legal protection for people in the United States to choose to have an abortion has been overturned. Since this episode aired in June, 13 states have banned or restricted the access to abortion and the fight for access rights continues in courtrooms across the country. So how did a small minority of religious conservatives overturn the rights of millions to choose? Today we are revisiting this episode from the moment the US Supreme Court made a ruling that...
Dec 27, 2022•21 min•Ep. 854
