For so many, Noni Hazlehurst is the patron saint of early childhood nostalgia, known for her magnetic presence on Play School. But Noni has had a long and storied career on stage and screen in Australia – from hosting Better Homes & Gardens to starring in the award-winning one-woman play Mother . On this episode of Read This , Noni chats with Michael about her new memoir, Dropping the Mask . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 18, 2025•26 min•Ep. 1450
This Sunday, Israel and Hamas are due to start a 42-day ceasefire in Gaza as part of a deal that could end the war. The announcement has prompted thousands of Palestinians to celebrate on the streets of Gaza, where residents have had no reprieve from bombardments and ground battles since 2023. If the agreement holds, desperately needed humanitarian aid will reach the people of Gaza, many of whom are living in freezing tents in the middle of winter. Dozens of hostages, who have been held by Hamas...
Jan 16, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1449
Outgoing Labor minister Bill Shorten has said he’s leaving politics at the end of the month confident with the state of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. As Minister for the NDIS, Shorten has been focused on making reforms to the scheme in an effort to reduce costs and ensure its sustainability. But despite claims the government’s reform of the NDIS is focused on fraud crackdowns, a third of the savings will come from pushing children off the scheme. Today, senior reporter for The Saturd...
Jan 15, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1448
When Cathy McGowan won the seat of Indi as an independent in 2013, it sent shockwaves through the political establishment. The Liberal Party had lost what was supposed to be one of their safe seats. At the time, McGowan was one of only two independents in the House of Representatives. In 2022, the Liberals lost six seats to independents, and at least 51 electorates across the country are currently planning to put forward a community backed independent in this year’s election. Today, former feder...
Jan 14, 2025•13 min•Ep. 1447
In the past few weeks, Elon Musk has posted thousands of times on his social media platform X about British politics, the far-right activist Tommy Robinson and conspiracy theories over a decades-old sex abuse scandal. Now, the British government’s agenda has stalled as the prime minister faces questions about the theories Musk has elevated. It’s a stark example of how the world’s richest man can influence politics in any country, and comes at a time when competitors like Meta chief executive Mar...
Jan 13, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1446
The 2025 federal election campaign has already begun, even if unofficially. While most Australians are still enjoying their summer, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are already in fight mode. For Labor, the stakes are high. To secure a second term, they’re hoping to reverse their losses in Queensland and regain popularity with an apathetic electorate. For the Coalition, it’s about regaining ground in suburban seats and capitalising on the government’s self infli...
Jan 12, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1445
From afar, Alice Springs/Mparntwe is a whirlpool of myth and truth. It’s a town with competing interests and few solutions, marked by chaos and decades of government overreach. Today, Yorta Yorta man and host of 7am Daniel James traces the origins of the so-called crime crisis in Alice Springs and reflects on all the interventions, big and small, that have led to this point. Please enjoy “Children of the Intervention” by Daniel James, a companion piece to 7am ’s three-part podcast series This is...
Jan 09, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1444
Tucked away in a Sydney suburb is one of Australia’s largest landfill sites. Here lies a stark reminder of the millions of tonnes of waste that form the collateral of our modern lives. Author and critic James Bradley visited the landfill to reflect on our relationship with private consumption and investigate why there is so little accountability for the damage caused by our waste. Please enjoy “The Tipping Point”, read by James Bradley and first published in the September edition of The Monthly....
Jan 08, 2025•35 min•Ep. 1443
Indonesia’s recently sworn in President Prabowo Subianto is many things. To millions of young Indonesians, he is a daggy dancer on TikTok. But to a cohort of voters with longer memories, he is a veteran of a brutal and oppressive military force. Today, principal fellow of the Indo-Pacific Research Centre at Murdoch University Jacqui Baker charts Prabowo Subianto’s extraordinary climb to the presidency and what it means for Indonesia’s fragile democracy. Please enjoy “Forcing History”, read by Ja...
Jan 07, 2025•43 min•Ep. 1442
This year, Andrea Robin Skinner, the daughter of the late Nobel Prize-winning Canadian author Alice Munro, revealed something about her mother that had stayed hidden throughout Munro’s entire life. When Skinner was nine years old, Munro’s husband – who was also Andrea's stepfather – had assaulted her. Today, art critic and author Sebastian Smee reads his piece on the author Alice Munro. It’s an insightful and sharp piece of writing by one of the best observers of the art and literary worlds. Ple...
Jan 06, 2025•48 min•Ep. 1441
Peter Dutton’s first major promise when he became opposition leader was to build nuclear power plants. It was a curious idea with no cost attached, and polling suggested it had little community support. Today, journalist Marian Wilkinson joins with her investigation into the conservative charity group figures driving the opposition leader’s pivot to nuclear energy. Marian’s sharp reporting on the nuclear lobby only becomes more relevant with each day we inch closer to the next federal election. ...
Jan 05, 2025•30 min•Ep. 1440
Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist whose work has been translated into fifty-five languages. In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This , Michael chats with Elif about her latest novel, There are Rivers in the Sky, which follows a single drop of water across millennia. Reading list: The Bastard of Istanbul , Elif Shafak, 2006 The Forty Rules of Love , Elif Shafak, 2009 Honour , Elif Shafak, 2011 10 Minutes 38 Seconds In this Strange World , Elif Shafak, 2019 T...
Jan 02, 2025•27 min•Ep. 1439
Winner of both the Miles Franklin Award and the Stella Prize, author Evie Wyld writes dark and often trauma-informed books, but she also has a remarkable capacity to capture the tenderness of memory. In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This , Michael is joined by Evie for a conversation about her latest book The Echoes , which explores how we tell stories around and into the absences that define us. Reading list: After the Fire, A Still Small Voice , Evie Wyld, 2009 All The Birds...
Jan 01, 2025•27 min•Ep. 1438
Writer Leslie Jamison is celebrated for her ability to link the personal to the cultural to the critical in ways that resonate and move and connect with readers. In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Michael sits down with Leslie to discuss her latest book, Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story, a memoir about rebuilding a life after the end of a marriage Reading list: The Gin Closet, Leslie Jamison, 2010 The Empathy Exams , Leslie Jamison, 2014 The Recovering , Leslie Jamiso...
Dec 31, 2024•29 min•Ep. 1437
Rumaan Alam is a best-selling author who made a splash in 2020 with his critically acclaimed novel Leave the World Behind . In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This , Rumaan joins Michael for a conversation about his latest novel, Entitlement , and they discuss class, desire, and the influence of Sylvia Plath. Reading list: Rich and Pretty , Rumaan Alam, 2016 That Kind of Mother , Rumaan Alam, 2018 Leave the World Behind , Rumaan Alam, 2020 Entitlement , Rumaan Alam, 2024 You can...
Dec 30, 2024•28 min•Ep. 1436
Musician and writer Nardi Simpson is a Yuwaalaraay woman from freshwater country in north-west New South Wales. Her debut novel was 2020’s critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning Song of the Crocodile . In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Michael sits down with Nardi for a wide ranging conversation about her new book, The Belburd . Reading list: Song of the Crocodile , Nardi Simpson, 2024 The Belburd, Nardi Simpson, 2024 You can find these books and all the others we m...
Dec 29, 2024•27 min•Ep. 1435
Every day this week, critics from The Saturday Paper and beyond are bringing you their top picks of the year. From the partying Russian oligarchs to grave robbing in an Italian fishing village, writer/curator Kate Jinx’s best film picks of 2024 will take you on a cinematic journey. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Kate Jinx is a writer and film curator, director of Golden Age Cinema in Sydney and co-host of the Culture Podcast . See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...
Dec 26, 2024•16 min•Ep. 1434
Every day this week, critics from The Saturday Paper and beyond are bringing you their top picks of the year. From the adventure of a lifetime to a family torn apart by murder, senior producer for 7am Cheyne Anderson brings you a collection of gripping podcasts perfect for your summer road trip. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Senior producer for 7am Cheyne Anderson See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 25, 2024•16 min•Ep. 1433
Every day this week, critics from The Saturday Paper and beyond are bringing you their top picks of the year. 2024 was a blockbuster year in music: Beyonce went country, Taylor Swift went everywhere, and we all went Brat. Today, with The Saturday Paper ’s music critic Shaad D’Souza, we’re exploring the albums that defined the year. That includes Charli XCX of course, but also a surprising new album from Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and a tender exploration of modern masculinity by MJ Lenderman. Soci...
Dec 24, 2024•14 min•Ep. 1432
Every day this week, critics from The Saturday Paper and beyond are bringing you their top picks of the year. From the saddest comedy on our screens to a queer reality show – The Saturday Pape r’s television critic Sarah Krasnostein looks back at the highlights of 2024. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: The Saturday Paper ’s television critic Sarah Krasnostein See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 23, 2024•18 min•Ep. 1431
Every day this week, critics from The Saturday Paper and beyond are bringing you their top picks of the year. From a reimagining of a classic to the sidelines of footy practice, editor of The Monthly and host of Read This Michael Williams has your beach reads covered. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Editor of The Monthly and host of Read This Michael Williams See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 22, 2024•18 min•Ep. 1430
For Read This ’s last episode of 2024, host Michael Williams heads to Fitzroy Pool to find out what people are reading as the weather warms up. Plus, a handful of previous Read This guests offer book recommendations for the summer holidays. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 21, 2024•20 min•Ep. 1429
Anthony Albanese has finished the year with his lowest approval rating yet. The prime minister’s popularity has been crumbling ever since his party was elected to government in 2022, with some polling suggesting that he is now as unpopular as Scott Morrison was heading into that election. His image has been damaged by the purchase of a $4.3 million mansion during a housing crisis, as well as receiving flight upgrades courtesy of Qantas. Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason K...
Dec 19, 2024•16 min•Ep. 1428
Like coming up for air after 50 years. That’s how one man described the current moment in Syria. Since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, thousands of Syrians have been celebrating in the streets and wandering through Assad’s abandoned palace. But many more are searching through the massive network of prisons that underpinned Assad’s repressive regime, hoping to find out the fate of lost loved ones. Meanwhile, Syria’s new rulers, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, are grappling with how to seize control ...
Dec 18, 2024•16 min•Ep. 1427
Alice Springs is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Violent crimes committed by young people, including a recent attack on a woman and her two-month-old baby, have left the town shaken. The baby has suffered a brain bleed and a fractured skull, and there are now big questions about how to keep the community safe, what justice should look like and why crimes like this happen at all. Today, Arrernte woman Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, the national body representing Aboriginal and Torre...
Dec 17, 2024•16 min•Ep. 1426
It’s been nearly four months since all branches of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union were forced into administration and hundreds of union officers were kicked out. The government wanted a clean slate after allegations of bullying, intimidation and infiltration from outlaw bikie gangs. Now, those underworld figures are seeking payback. And the man tasked with cleaning up the union is facing death threats. Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray ...
Dec 16, 2024•15 min•Ep. 1425
The Liberal Party says it wants the next election to be a referendum on energy. After months of waiting, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton finally released the costings for his $331 billion nuclear power plan. The modelling suggests the nuclear plan would be $264 billion cheaper than Labor’s renewables rollout, and deliver lower energy prices for consumers. But Dutton’s plan contradicts the CSIRO's new GenCost report, which found a nuclear power plant would likely cost twice as much as renewable en...
Dec 15, 2024•15 min•Ep. 1424
John Safran has been a fixture in Australian media since his breakthrough in 1997 with ABC TV's Race Around the World . After several TV series of his own that explored ideas about faith, race and culture, John made the shift to book-length journalism. On this episode of Read This , Michael sits down for a conversation with John about his latest book, Squat , and John reveals the deeper story behind his week living in Kanye West’s Malibu mansion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...
Dec 14, 2024•25 min•Ep. 1423
After a scathing ruling from a Nevada probate commissioner, Rupert Murdoch and his eldest son Lachlan’s attempt to amend a family trust may have backfired spectacularly, with the commissioner concluding the two acted in “bad faith”. Rupert was attempting to give permanent control of his conservative media empire, comprising Fox and News Corp, to his designated successor Lachlan after Rupert dies. The initial attempt to amend the trust was also kept secret from Lachlan’s three eldest siblings – P...
Dec 12, 2024•15 min•Ep. 1422
This week, on the streets of Damascus, there were signs of an army in retreat – tanks abandoned and Syrian army uniforms scattered on the roads where soldiers had torn them off. It reflected the speed at which rebel forces had taken over Syria, with Bashar al-Assad’s brutal reign finally coming to an end after 13 years of civil war. As celebrations spread across the nation, the Syrian people face the task of rebuilding a country now in the hands of rebel groups. Today, Middle East correspondent ...
Dec 11, 2024•17 min•Ep. 1421
