While Peter Dutton’s electorate braced for Cyclone Alfred, the opposition leader flew to Sydney to attend a $25,000 dollar-a-head dinner at Justin Hemmes’ Vaucluse mansion. It was a choice that’s been pilloried in the media – and the government. But as Labor sets about to raise money in similar ways, it raises questions about who has the ear of our leaders – and what Australia’s wealthiest people are getting in return for their donations. Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason...
Mar 27, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1515
Traditionally, the idea of bail meant that someone accused of a crime had the right to be free until their trial. But over nearly fifty years, that has shifted dramatically, with bail now used as a tool for crime prevention. Jurisdictions across Australia are adopting more punitive bail laws – with Victoria just passing what it calls “the toughest laws in the country”. The government says it’s about community safety, but legal and human rights experts warn that these changes will put more childr...
Mar 26, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1514
Jim Chalmers has handed down the Labor government’s election budget. Front and centre was a surprise tax cut for all Australians, along with many of the measures we’ve been promised, including a boost to Medicare, energy bill relief, housing support and student debt reductions. As the government makes its pitch for re-election, gross public debt is forecast to hit $1 trillion next year, and a decade of deficits loom. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on what’s in the budget ...
Mar 25, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1513
The ceasefire in Gaza collapsed a week ago as Israel launched a series of airstrikes. Since then, more than 600 people have been killed, including children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.Israel says the attacks were aimed at Hamas’s surviving leadership – and just a few days ago, Hamas confirmed its top political leader is dead. As the war reignites, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing his own political survival. Today, Middle East correspondent for The Economist Gregg C...
Mar 24, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1512
When footage of a CFMEU “health inspector” assaulting a woman was made public last week, it shocked a lot of people. But many union members weren’t surprised. It’s been six months since the CFMEU, one of Australia’s most powerful unions, was put under federal administration. But now, the lawyer tasked with investigating corruption within the union is openly saying not only has it not improved – it’s worse than he could have imagined. Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper , Martin McKenzi...
Mar 23, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1511
Tasmanian writer Robert Dessaix is a man of many talents when it comes to the written form – from travel memoir and fiction to biography and philosophy, he’s done it all. He became a household name for many listeners to ABC Radio following a long stint hosting the beloved show Books and Writing . Now, at 81, Robert is back with a new memoir. This week, Michael is joined by Robert for a conversation about memory, dance, and being a chameleon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 22, 2025•26 min•Ep. 1510
Kos Samaras spends hundreds of hours listening to what voters really think. In focus groups and in surveys, his research and political strategy firm, RedBridge Group, gathers the opinions of everyday Australians to paint a picture of the national mood: What is worrying us? What do we think of the prime minister’s mansion, or the opposition leader’s share portfolio? Which politicians can we trust? But Samaras says this picture gets warped by politicians who live and die by the two-party preferred...
Mar 21, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1509
Over the past month, a flotilla of Chinese military ships came close to Australian shores unannounced. They conducted live-fire drills off the coast of Eden, New South Wales – disrupting dozens of flights out of Sydney airport. The Chinese ships have arrived at a time when Australia’s ability to rely on the United States for defence is questionable, and their presence has sparked concerns that we’re unable to handle our own security in the event of an attack. Today, Director of the Lowy Institut...
Mar 20, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1508
Are Catholic priests employed by the Church, or by the hand of God? This question was at the heart of a five-year legal battle between a survivor of child sexual abuse seeking compensation from the Catholic Church and Bishop Paul Bird of the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat. The High Court’s decision last November – that the Catholic Church does not employ priests and therefore is not liable – came as a surprise to lawyers and as a devastating blow to survivors seeking justice. Australia now stands ...
Mar 19, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1507
In December last year, a group of crossbenchers dialled into a secret call with the Albanese government. It was to get a briefing on a government-commissioned report on the national security risks posed by climate change – a report the government has been sitting on since early 2023. Described by one senator as “frankly terrifying”, the Climate Risk Assessment report has not been shared with the Greens, the Coalition, or even the relevant parliamentary committee on intelligence. Now, as the fede...
Mar 18, 2025•12 min•Ep. 1506
The discovery of an abandoned caravan full of explosives on the outskirts of Sydney earlier this year triggered widespread panic and fear. There were reports of a list of Jewish targets – and right away, NSW Premier Chris Minns and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it terrorism. In the months that followed, discourse concerning the caravan became increasingly politicised, with Peter Dutton blaming the prime minister for putting Australians at risk. But all the while, police were warning the...
Mar 17, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1505
Donald Trump’s full-throated support of Elon Musk continues, despite more and more people questioning why an unelected billionaire is exerting enormous power over the future of the American government. While Musk claims to be bringing his business expertise to cutting government waste, his true motives are becoming clearer. WIRED reporter Vittoria Elliott has discovered Musk’s actions come straight from an ideological playbook designed to unshackle businesses from government oversight. In part t...
Mar 16, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1504
Acolytes of Elon Musk, working in the Department of Government Efficiency, are currently gutting the US government, with Musk claiming he’ll find savings of up to US$2 trillion. Department by department, DOGE staff – mostly young men from the tech world – are sacking federal employees and gaining access to some of the government’s most sensitive information. Vittoria Elliott, a reporter for WIRED covering platforms and power, has been tracking the Silicon Valley figures reshaping the US governme...
Mar 16, 2025•13 min•Ep. 1503
Novelist Sonia Orchard was in her 40s when a revelation during a therapy session turned her life upside down. Could the relationship she’d had in her teens with a man more than a decade older in fact be abuse? In her new memoir, Groomed , Sonia investigates her own story, sharing her gruelling journey through the justice system, and shines a light on the failures – social, structural, legal – that entrench and prolong the trauma for victim survivors. This week, she speaks with Michael about the ...
Mar 15, 2025•29 min•Ep. 1502
Australia’s Chinese community proved to be a powerful voting bloc in the last election. And as the time draws near to vote again, a growing number of politicians have realised that appealing to the country’s 1.5 million Chinese Australians is key to electoral success. But as journalist Wing Kuang has found, the major parties’ attempts to court Chinese voters are proving to be rocky. The Chinese-owned app, RedNote, is a new frontier in efforts to reach Chinese voters. But with speech on RedNote f...
Mar 14, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1501
Donald Trump’s trade war is escalating, as his wide-ranging tariffs take effect. Australia had hoped to avoid a 25 per cent tariff on our steel and aluminium – but we now know there’ll be no exemptions. As Canada and the EU retaliate with counter-tariffs, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is focused on stemming the damage, by arguing other large industries – that would impact the Australian economy much more – should be immune. But as Trump’s foreign policies become increasingly aggressive, his de...
Mar 13, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1500
When Launceston nurse and midwife Amanda Duncan appeared at a Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry into ambulance ramping last year, her testimony was macabre and shocking. Duncan claimed hospital management at Launceston General Hospital had altered death certificates – meaning deaths that should have been investigated were quietly recertified. Those revelations triggered a public inquiry, yet questions have been raised about its scope and accountability as new cases continue to emerge that extend f...
Mar 12, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1499
As Trump’s radical reshaping of the US pulls into focus, so too has the list of those who have gained entry to his inner circle. That list includes not only Australia’s richest person – but also Australia’s largest private arms supplier. Robert Nioa isn’t yet a household name, but the weapons mogul is a close confidante to Peter Dutton, married to a Katter, as well as a fishing and hunting pal to Donald Trump Jr. Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis, on Robert Ni...
Mar 11, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1498
Most Australians have been targeted by a scam attempt, from spam text messages to intricate love fraud. The scams have cost us billions. But behind these attacks is a highly organised and secretive industry – fuelled by human trafficking. It’s believed hundreds of thousands of people are being held against their will in so-called “scam factories” across South East Asia, including in Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines. Many of these factories are run by Chinese-linked gangs operating in border...
Mar 10, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1497
Julie Bishop built her career as a politician representing Australia on the world stage. Now, she’s taken on a new lobbying role, working for a China-linked resources company who are attempting to mine uranium in Greenland. Bishop’s gig comes at a time when China and the US are ramping up their fight for domination in the Arctic – and if she’s successful, the benefits will flow to China. Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper , Ben Abbatangelo, on the mine that could ruin Greenland – and what ...
Mar 09, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1496
In Andrea Goldsmith’s ninth and latest novel, The Buried Life , she unpicks the relationships between people and the undercurrents of doubt and faith that define a life. But more than anything else this is a book that is first and foremost concerned with death. It’s a subject that has long fascinated Andrea, something she discusses deeply with host Michael Williams on this episode of Read This . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 08, 2025•27 min•Ep. 1495
Cyclone Alfred hits as we gear up for the federal election, bringing back memories of the floods and bushfires that tore through the country last time we voted. How Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton handle this moment could be crucial, as voters refocus on the increasing impact of climate change and closely scrutinise the plans both parties have to address it. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe, on the politics of natural disasters – and why every election is a c...
Mar 07, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1494
Australia is heading into a federal election at a time when trust in politics and our institutions is eroding. Over the past two decades, satisfaction with the political system has collapsed, driven by economic inequality, housing stress and the rapid spread of disinformation across social media. Political parties are already preparing for a campaign that will lean heavily on negative messaging – an approach that has proven effective but intensifies division. With trust in both politicians and t...
Mar 06, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1493
One evening, two weeks ago, Natan Mwanza was stabbed and killed at a bus stop in Melbourne’s south-west. He was 24 years old. Natan’s family had migrated to Australia from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008, and his death sparked an outpouring of grief from African diasporic communities in Australia. Historian and filmmaker Santilla Chingaipe also felt the impact of Natan’s death and sought to understand what had happened. But it soon became a story about how we write and report on crime –...
Mar 05, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1492
When Arthur Sinodinos arrived in Washington as Australia’s ambassador to the United States in 2020, he was told the best way to get things done with Donald Trump was to go straight to the person in the White House handling the issue. In many cases, that wasn’t a typical official – it was a business figure, a loyalist, or even a family member. As Trump 2.0 takes shape, his administration is doubling down on an “America First” agenda, with key roles for long-time allies, Republican operatives and ...
Mar 04, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1491
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in the Oval Office on Friday, they were there to sign a deal that would give the US access to a significant share of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. Instead, Trump and Vance berated and taunted Zelensky, before asking him to leave. The deal remained unsigned, and relations between the two countries are now in tatters, with military and aid support for Ukraine from the Trump administration ...
Mar 03, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1490
Warmer waters, disease and antibiotics have pushed Tasmania’s salmon farms into crisis. But it’s not just an environmental disaster – it’s also a political one. With an election looming, the Albanese government is pouring millions into salmon farming in an attempt to save jobs and votes, even as rotting fish litter the shore. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on what is happening in Tasmanian waters – and how it will impact the upcoming election. If you enjoy 7a...
Mar 02, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1489
In Melbourne-based author Sean Wilson’s new book, You Must Remember This , he tackles the complicated, tragic, and often fraught subject of dementia. On this episode of Read This Sean joins host Michael Williams for a conversation about loss, family, and how to hang on to one’s humanity as illness strips it away. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 01, 2025•27 min•Ep. 1488
It was just before Christmas when Geraldine Brooks sat down for the first in a series of conversations with Anthony Albanese – and his popularity was plummeting. The prime minister's net approval rating had dropped to minus 17, while Peter Dutton’s had ticked up to zero. Since then, the polls haven’t improved for Albanese. His critics have painted him as weak and ineffective – a narrative reinforced by the failure of the Voice referendum and a perception of inaction on climate change. This portr...
Feb 27, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1487
When the country’s peak arts body, Creative Australia, decided to dump Australia’s representative at the Venice Biennale, it set in motion an existential crisis for the arts. The artist in question, Khaled Sabsabi, was removed from the role just days after his appointment – following an article in a News Corp newspaper, a set of opposition questions in the Senate and a phone call from the Arts Minister Tony Burke. Now, the boss of Creative Australia faces questions about why he decided to drop S...
Feb 26, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1486
