This week, more than a dozen people were arrested while protesting at a defence conference in Sydney. The demonstrators from Palestine Action Group were protesting the presence of Israeli defence contractors, who were exhibiting at the event. The riot squad, along with dogs and mounted police officers clashed with protesters and used pepper spray several times on the crowd. Clashes like this one have become routine in Australia – with a change in police tactics, as officers increasingly use pepp...
Nov 08, 2025•13 min•Ep. 1719
Back in 2021, the Coalition was united in their support for net zero, with then-prime minister Scott Morrison describing the plan as “100 per cent supported by the government”. Now, just four years later, the Nationals have walked away from it – and the Liberal Party is set to follow. Despite personally supporting net zero, Sussan Ley will scrap it in an attempt to hold on to the leadership. But with the party’s right winning the battle on climate policy, they’re also set to win the war within t...
Nov 07, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1718
The killing in the city of El Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region is so brutal and widespread that bloodstains on the ground can be seen from space. For a year and a half, a militia group called the RSF has been attacking the city – and last, week it fell, resulting in the mass slaughter of civilians. In the past two years, 12 million people in Sudan have fled their homes – and more than 150,000 people have died, making this the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. The violence is sponsored and enab...
Nov 06, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1717
Last week, Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to “immediately” resume US nuclear weapons testing. The order breaks with more than three decades of protocol for the United States – justified, according to the president, by the actions of China and Russia. And as these nuclear-armed powers expand and modernise their arsenals, countries closer to Australia are openly debating whether to follow. Today, professor of strategic studies at the ANU and a contributor to Australian Foreign Affairs , Bren...
Nov 05, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1716
Recently, the creators of ChatGPT have made a surprising announcement: erotica is coming to the world’s most popular AI platform. It’s the latest step in a transformation of the internet — where artificial intelligence is shaping not just what we read or search, but how we think, feel and even form relationships. Today, associate editor for Crikey Cam Wilson, on OpenAI’s bold new direction, the mental health risks behind the decision — and what happens when the world’s most powerful chatbot star...
Nov 04, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1715
Last week, trans teenagers in Queensland and their families had a short moment of joy: the supreme court overturned the state government’s ban on gender affirming care. The judge found the decision to stop children from accessing puberty blockers was done without proper consultation. He found that the ban had been rushed through without giving medical professionals warning – or a chance to weigh in. But just six hours after the court’s ruling, the Queensland government shot back: with the health...
Nov 03, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1714
Some childcare centres in Australia are so understaffed that children are left alone for hours. Other centres spend less than a dollar a day on feeding them. Yet the industry receives billions in public subsidies and dodgy centres are allowed to keep operating even after serious breaches. What’s emerging is a picture of a broken childcare system – one where regulators aren’t doing their job and no one is held to account. Today, NSW Greens MLC Abigail Boyd on what she uncovered about the horrific...
Nov 02, 2025•19 min•Ep. 1713
Back in 2023, Australia’s top court made a landmark ruling: it was against the law for the Australian government to indefinitely hold people in immigration detention. That ruling had massive implications for our country’s border policies. It overturned 20 years of precedent – and it led to the release of people into the community who had been held in immigration detention after having their visas cancelled – but weren’t able to return to their home country. After that, the Albanese government st...
Nov 01, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1712
Murray Watt has talked a big game about fixing our environment laws by the end of the year. But this week, the government’s attempt to do that fell apart – with the crossbench and Coalition senators refusing to back the changes. At the same time, Labor faced a dramatic revolt in the Senate over its refusal to release a secret report meant to fix the culture of cronyism – and jobs for mates. Having campaigned on restoring integrity to government, Labor is now facing a Senate demanding it live up ...
Oct 31, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1711
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have met face-to-face for the first time in six years. The meeting, on the sidelines of the APEC summit, comes at a time of deep tensions between the world’s two largest economies. Tariffs are soaring, critical minerals are being weaponised and the battle over tech dominance is reshaping global supply chains. Trump likes quick wins, while Xi likes playing the longer game – and for Australia the stakes couldn’t be higher, as we rely on China for our prosperity and the ...
Oct 30, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1710
Anthony Albanese’s $13 billion critical minerals deal with Donald Trump has been touted as a huge win – one that strengthens our relationship with our most powerful ally – and delivers massive US investment in our national interest. But while Australia and the US talk it up as a blow to China’s stranglehold on these important commodities, questions remain about the cost: to our communities, to our environment, our health – and the economy. Today, Professor Susan Park from the University of Sydne...
Oct 29, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1709
Tech giants have invested billions into AI – and are looking for ways to get a return. So when Microsoft offered its customers its new AI function “co-pilot” recently, it told them they’d need to pay a higher price for their subscription – or cancel. AI was now part of the deal, whether they wanted it or not. Except it wasn't. Now, the ACCC is suing Microsoft – alleging they intentionally misled customers to make them believe they had to pay more. It’s part of a bigger campaign to crack down on ...
Oct 28, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1708
When Joshua Brown was arrested for allegedly abusing children at childcare centers across Melbourne, it exposed a horrifying reality: patchwork regulation and an understaffed, profit-driven industry is failing children. Months on, as state and federal governments try to deal with the fallout – and as the Albanese government pumps record investment into the early childhood sector – experts say children still aren’t safe in childcare. Today, crime reporter at The Age Sherryn Groch on the tension b...
Oct 27, 2025•18 min•Ep. 1707
The National Anti-Corruption Commission has over 200 employees, an annual budget of $60 million, and has received more than 5,000 referrals. It also hasn’t made a single major corruption finding in the two years it’s been operating. And adding to questions around performance and credibility, it was recently revealed that the NACC’s Chief Commissioner, Paul Brereton, has been consulting for the Defence Force while leading the federal watchdog – which has oversight of the ADF. Today, journalist Ni...
Oct 26, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1706
When Anthony Albanese met with Donald Trump, the two leaders cut a deal on critical minerals worth $13 billion. And as we settle into a new phase of the relationship with our most important ally – this is Australia’s crucial bargaining chip, as the US tries to break China’s grip on the supply chain of critical minerals. China’s global domination has been in the works for decades – a grand plan that gives China ready access to materials essential for everything from fighter jets to wind turbines....
Oct 25, 2025•13 min•Ep. 1705
Barnaby Joyce has announced he would not recontest his seat of New England, saying his “relationship with the leadership of the Nationals in Canberra has unfortunately, like a sadness in some marriages, irreparably broken down”. People are now guessing whether his flirtation with One Nation will turn into marriage. So does the former Nationals leader belong in Pauline Hanson’s party – and will he be any happier there? Today, journalist and founder of Rampart News , Joe Aston, on whether this is ...
Oct 24, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1704
“We are in this together… we’ll play some more soon.” That’s what Prince Andrew wrote to Jeffrey Epstein in 2011 – the day after a photo of Andrew with accuser Virginia Giuffre hit the papers. The email undercuts the prince’s claim that the two had cut ties in 2010, and is part of a new stream of documents surfacing as US Congress releases tens of thousands of pages from the Epstein files. And as the revelations about Prince Andrew keep coming – he’s now dropped his titles and royal honors. Toda...
Oct 23, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1703
When Professor Christian Downie appeared before a Senate inquiry into climate and energy misinformation, he warned that Australia is facing coordinated campaigns designed not to debate climate solutions, but to stall them. Professor Downie has spent years inside boardrooms and the lobbying world studying how these campaigns are built – tracing the billions spent on messaging by lobby groups, PR firms and think tanks – and outlining what he calls “the climate obstruction playbook”. It’s a strateg...
Oct 22, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1702
Anthony Albanese was so chuffed with his meeting with US President Donald Trump that the prime minister joked he’d use Trump’s endorsement in his next campaign ads. While Trump is used to a procession of world leaders coming through his door, there was more at stake for Albanese, who is trying to manage an increasingly difficult relationship. In the end, the two leaders struck a major critical minerals agreement that will see billions in US investment pumped into Australia, and made assurances t...
Oct 21, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1701
When Donald Trump met Vladimir Putin in Alaska back in August, he rolled out the red carpet, talked up his ability to end the war, but ultimately came away with no deal. Now, high off his recent Middle East peace deal, Trump is saying he’s “gotta get Russia done”. He met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last week – and he’s preparing another face-to-face with Putin. So what would it take to end the war? Today, associate professor of political science and international affairs at Georg...
Oct 20, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1700
Charlie Lewis writes about politics for Crikey . He’s been a close observer of Tony Abbott – from his time as a Liberal Party bomb thrower, to his face-offs with Julia Gillard, to his short ‘Prince Philip-themed’ time as prime minister. Now, Charlie’s tracking Abbott’s political afterlife: which brings him to Sydney’s affluent Northern Beaches, and the launch of the former prime minister’s new book: Australia – A History. The book is seen by many as Abbott’s attempt to counter a “black armband” ...
Oct 19, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1699
From afar, Alice Springs is a whirlpool of myth and truth. A town with competing interests and few solutions, marked by chaos and decades of government overreach. That all came to a head earlier last year, with what’s been described as a “youth riot” in town. The violence led to the Northern Territory government imposing an emergency curfew. This is when the headlines started: in cities and towns across Australia, we read about a “crisis” about “rampages”. One newspaper described the kids here a...
Oct 18, 2025•30 min•Ep. 1698
Police are everywhere in Alice Springs. You see them driving pursuit vehicles and caged vans on the streets, or stationed outside the bottle shop checking IDs. But more police doesn’t mean less crime – it just means more people are getting locked up. As Alice Springs reels from the police shooting of Warlpiri teenager Kumanjayi Walker, and in the wake of an apology from the Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy for systemic racism, Daniel James wants to find out whether it's poss...
Oct 18, 2025•31 min•Ep. 1697
Alice Springs is littered with “For Sale” signs as those who can afford it are packing up and leaving. Punitive government curfews made daily life more challenging, and families struggle to see a future for themselves if things continue the way they are. With the Country Liberal Party elected on a promise to be even tougher on crime – and lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 10 years old – more government interventions are on the way. But there’s also the story of those who stay to hel...
Oct 18, 2025•29 min•Ep. 1696
This week, the federal government dramatically re-wrote its signature tax policy. The changes mean that a small section of people with very high super balances will pay less tax. That backflip has big consequences – for the government's budget, and for its commitment to addressing wealth inequality in this country. Today, press gallery journalist Paul Bongiorno, on why the government caved to pressure from outside, and within, its own ranks. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is b...
Oct 17, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1695
The Australian Parliament Sports Club has been attracting a lot of unwanted attention lately – for registering as a lobbying group, accepting sponsorship from the gambling lobby, and for kicking out ex-Wallabies captain David Pocock for having a problem with all that. Daanyal Saeed is Crikey’s media reporter and he broke the story in the first place. Since then, he’s been following it up – revealing that despite the Prime Minister’s insistence he wasn’t at all involved, he had in fact spoken at ...
Oct 16, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1694
In a desert camp in northeast Syria, behind razor wire, with thousands of other people, live 12 Australian women and 25 Australian children. They are the wives and children of men who went to Syria to join ISIS. With Australia unwilling to help bring them home, they’re living in danger – and in limbo. The recent arrival of two women and four children who smuggled themselves out of a Syrian camp and found their way back to Australia has sparked fresh debate over the Australian government’s obliga...
Oct 15, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1693
When the Taliban retook Afghanistan in August 2021, the country’s embassy in Canberra stayed open. It’s an embassy in exile – staffed by diplomats from the former administration – and advocating on behalf of Afghans here in Australia. Until now, there have been 17 embassies of its kind around the world – in countries that don’t formally recognise the Taliban. But recently, Germany decided to expel its embassy’s exiled staff and instead invite representatives of the Taliban regime. Today, press g...
Oct 14, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1692
Melbourne photojournalist Alex Zucco was cleaning her camera lens when a police officer hit her directly in the face with a stream of capsicum spray at a protest outside the Melbourne Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition last year. In July this year, a police officer allegedly punched former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas in the face at a pro-Palestine rally, seriously injuring her eye. Lawyers and activists say these incidents fit a pattern of increased police force against protest...
Oct 13, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1691
In the 1970s, eight children in Perth were sent to a psychiatric hospital to be ‘treated’ for being transgender. Their experiences became the basis of a medical study that claimed kids could be cured of their identity. Now, nearly forty years after it was released, that same study is being cited in arguments against trans healthcare and being used to shape policy and law. Today, Walkley Award-winning journalist and founding editor of ABC Queer, Mon Schafter, on how a forgotten experiment from an...
Oct 12, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1690
