This is part two of a two-part series. Start with Part 1: The true cost of crocodile skin. The lucrative Australian crocodile skin industry has always sold its conservation credentials – arguing that by farming the animals, they were ensuring the future of the species. Two prominent scientists, using successful media businesses to promote research which showed those benefits, gave credibility to an industry worth 100 million dollars. Their work also reportedly underpinned Northern Territory and ...
Jan 08, 2026•14 min•Ep. 1779
Last year, the federal environment minister approved Woodside’s plans to keep its North West Shelf project producing gas out to 2070. Both the government and Woodside claim that gas is a necessary transition fuel as the world decarbonises – but how convincing are their arguments? Today, investigative journalist and author of the Quarterly Essay Woodside vs the Planet , Marian Wilkinson, on how one company captured the country – and convinced us that we need the gas industry. This episode was ori...
Jan 07, 2026•18 min•Ep. 1778
When one of the world’s most powerful families converged in a Nevada court room in 2024 to fight over the future of their empire, what unfolded was tightly guarded. Rupert Murdoch was attempting to change a decades-old family trust in order to install his chosen son, Lachlan, as heir apparent when he dies. But then, in a rare interview with The Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins, James Murdoch gave his account of the case and how it tore his family apart. Today, Coppins tells us why James spoke...
Jan 06, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1777
One of the cardinal Murdoch family rules is never speak about the family outside the family. So, when journalist McKay Coppins got in touch with James Murdoch back in 2024, he really wasn’t expecting a reply. But Coppins was curious – what would happen to the Murdoch empire when Rupert died? And what it would mean for his youngest son, James, who was seemingly an outcast from the family? What he didn’t yet know was there was a secret high stakes legal battle going on – and James was ready to tal...
Jan 06, 2026•12 min•Ep. 1776
As hard-fought gains in reproductive medicine, voluntary assisted dying and LGBTQI health care have been made – another story has emerged. One where religious pharmacists, doctors and hospital systems believe it's justifiable to withhold medication or support, often with devastating consequences. Now, one in five pharmacists in Australia will refuse you care if the medication you’re asking for doesn’t align with their beliefs – and in some parts of the country, that number is closer to half. Tod...
Jan 05, 2026•14 min•Ep. 1775
Donald Trump wants to write the next chapter in US spaceflight history. With billionaire tech CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk by his side, he’s outlined an ambitious agenda: to land the first humans on Mars before he leaves office. Whether or not that goal is achievable, the plan would massively reshape America’s space program to the benefit of Musk’s company. NASA has already suffered from Musk’s efforts to gut the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency – and key Sp...
Jan 04, 2026•14 min•Ep. 1774
Elon Musk is pressing NASA to abandon its planned journeys to the moon – projects that have been decades in the making, with billions already spent and contracts already signed. Despite backlash from NASA insiders and politicians on both sides of Congress – who view his plans as costly, disruptive and politically toxic – Musk remains resolute. Today, Wall Street Journal reporter Emily Glazer, on whether the SpaceX CEO can really upend NASA’s return to the moon. This is part two of a two-part ser...
Jan 04, 2026•13 min•Ep. 1773
In the 1990s, a small group of men in Silicon Valley imagined a world without governments or rules – a world run by code. They called themselves the cypherpunks , and they believed technology could replace politics entirely. Those ideas didn’t stay online. They shaped the culture of the tech industry, which in turn has reshaped Western civilisation itself. Now, the billionaires behind it all are trying to remake democracy in their image. Today, writer and contributor to The Monthly , Elmo Keep, ...
Jan 02, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1772
In just one year, Donald Trump has transformed America's government and its institutions. His actions and agenda reflect a far more emboldened president in his second term – and the guardrails designed to keep a president in check, from the courts to Congress, are buckling. Trump’s success in reshaping the system raises deeper questions about exactly what kind of country the United States will become. Today, Director of the Australia Institute's International & Security Affairs Program, Dr E...
Jan 01, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1771
After decades of spectacular growth built on property and heavy industry, China has tried to chart a new path – one driven by electric vehicles, green technology and AI. But as those bets begin to falter, there are questions about whether China has reached its peak, with stubborn problems like high youth unemployment and an ageing population seemingly intractable. So as the new year begins, what is Xi Jinping’s plan to course correct? And if he can’t pull it off, what does that mean for Australi...
Dec 31, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1770
Like so many of us, Chloe Hooper spent 2025 obsessing over the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson. It was different to the crimes she’s written about before, in her books The Arsonist and The Tall Man , which was about a death in custody. For Chloe, it was the domesticity of the mushroom killings, the family dynamic, that drew her in. But why did this story captivate the country at-large? And what does it say about us, particularly about women, that we are drawn to true crime? These were some...
Dec 30, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1769
One of the big stories of the 2025 election campaign was the wipeout of the Australian Greens. In a stunning defeat, they lost three out of their four lower house MPs, including their leader Adam Bandt. It left the party with big questions, about why they weren’t growing at a time when young people are more progressive than ever. Now, more than six months out from the election, and under the leadership of Larissa Waters, they are beginning to show some signs of where the party wants to go next. ...
Dec 29, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1768
This year, Anthony Albanese promised to make big changes — on childcare, on Medicare, on the cost of living. But while the government delivered some wins, it also quietly stepped back from the fights it didn’t want to have — on gambling, housing, and corporate power. Today, contributing editor of The New Daily , Amy Remeikis, looks back on yet another huge year in politics, on the deals Labor made, the reforms it shelved, and what it reveals about how this government really works. If you enjoy 7...
Dec 28, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1767
It’s been a huge year for video games. Small developers are leading a renaissance of original ideas breaking through into the mainstream. They are going up against blockbuster franchises like Call of Duty – and winning. The 7am team debated adding “games” to our ‘best of’ features this year – but the numbers don’t lie. More than four out of five Australians game and the industry is at least three times the size of the film industry. Games can be so many things: high art, pop art – and pure dopam...
Dec 26, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1766
Ruby Jones listens to a lot of podcasts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they all circle the same theme: journalism. Today, she’s bringing you her favourite journalistic podcasts of the year – recommending everything from immersive narrative series to friends with chat shows. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support . Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: 7am host Ruby Jones Photo: Ian West/PA Wire See omnystudio.com/listene...
Dec 25, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1765
Kate Jinx watches hundreds of films every year – for her job programming feature films at the Melbourne International Film Festival, and, because she loves them. Today, she’s bringing you her five favourites from 2025. There’s Leonardo Dicaprio, of course. There’s also heists, collaborative theatre as film, PTSD but funny, and, there’s porridge. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support . Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagra...
Dec 24, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1764
It’s been a heavy year in many ways. And when you work in news, there’s no shying away from that. But music can be a respite – something to help process the heaviness, and something that brings escape and joy. When we asked Head of Music at SXSW, Claire Collins, to pick her favourite albums of the year, both the heaviness and the joy were reflected back at us. She’s picked five albums for you to blast this summer, as you prepare for the year ahead. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support...
Dec 23, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1763
Marieke Hardy is a writer, broadcaster and former panelist on the ABC’s First Tuesday Book Club . Marieke’s passion and enthusiasm for the books she loves is contagious. But she’s also direct and unapologetic when a book isn’t for her, so you always know that when she recommends something, it’s going to be worth your time. Her list of favourite books starts with a sprawling novel about friendship and love – and winds its way through so many other huge themes: grief, violence, war, and how the in...
Dec 22, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1762
Sarah Krasnostein has had a huge year. She’s teamed up with Helen Garner and Chloe Hooper to write The Mushroom Tapes – a true-crime book about Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial that asks what our fascination with the case says about us. She’s also continued her work as a television critic, watching a hell of a lot of TV. In her list of the best TV of 2025, Sarah Krasnostein is drawn to shows that feel uncomfortably close to real life – from teenage boys pulled into the manosphere to post-apo...
Dec 21, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1761
In the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack, the country is grieving. It's a moment that calls for unity and for leadership. But what we’ve seen is something else. Within days, political lines hardened. A former prime minister stepped in. The opposition shifted its message. And international leaders joined the chorus. With political venom so close to the surface, the moment has revealed something deeper about how crisis is now handled in Australian politics. Today, press gallery veteran Paul Bon...
Dec 19, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1760
Two months ago, Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire plan for Gaza. But since the truce began on October 10, Gaza authorities say Israel has carried out nearly 800 attacks, killing almost 400 people – including in a recent strike targeting a senior Hamas commander. Israel, meanwhile, says militants have repeatedly violated the ceasefire, killing at least three Israeli soldiers. And as Hamas refuses to disarm, Washington seems to have gone silent. Today, Middle East correspon...
Dec 18, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1759
As the country tries to understand how a Hanukkah gathering in Bondi ended with 15 people dead, more details about the alleged shooters have come to light. Authorities say the attack was inspired by Islamic State. The two gunmen had recently travelled to the Philippines for military-style training. The surviving gunman, now in custody, had been known to ASIO since 2019. And yet the attack still went ahead, raising fresh questions about the limits of Australia’s counter-terrorism systems – and ho...
Dec 17, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1758
Donald Trump has promised to deport a million people in his first year back in office. As a result, immigration officers are conducting widespread raids across the country – often targeting and locking up American citizens. The Trump administration says nearly 70 percent of the people Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested are criminals. But ICE’s own data shows the overwhelming majority have no criminal conviction at all. Today, reporter at ProPublica Nicole Foy, on how Trump’s immigr...
Dec 16, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1757
On Sunday night in Bondi two gunmen opened fire on Jewish families. Sixteen people, including one of the gunmen, are confirmed dead, making the tragedy Australia’s first mass shooting in nearly 30 years. A further 42 people were taken to hospital, as well as the second gunman, who is under police guard. ASIO has confirmed one of the gunmen was known to them, and there are reports the men are linked to Islamic State. As authorities grapple with the terror event, The Prime Minister Anthony Albanes...
Dec 15, 2025•14 min•Ep. 1756
Catherine Liddle is the CEO of SNAICC, the national body that represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. Every year, Catherine and her team document how First Nations children are faring, and how they’re treated. And yet again, the picture is devastating. Catherine’s report shows that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are more likely to be reported to authorities, they’re more likely to be taken away from their families and they spend more time ins...
Dec 14, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1755
This week, devastating figures were released that show the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care. It’s damning evidence that not enough has changed since the Stolen Generations. Last year, we published a story about the long shadow cast by a policy of child removal, centred on the notorious Kinchela Boys Home in NSW. It’s a place that holds painful memories for the many survivors of the Stolen Generations who went through its doors. Hundreds of...
Dec 13, 2025•17 min•Ep. 1754
This week, Labor rolled out its flagship social media ban for under-16s. The reform was expected to be one last win for the government after a year of political victories. But while the spotlight was on the minister leading the charge, it was for all the wrong reasons. Instead of having runway to promote the ban, Anika Wells spent the week defending her use of taxpayer-funded expense entitlements. Today, former political advisor to two prime ministers, Sean Kelly, on how even a tightly planned p...
Dec 12, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1753
Condoms and other contraceptives are set to become more expensive in China, as the Communist Party tries to boost population growth. With the economy slowing, birth rates declining and the population ageing, the government is now trying all kinds of ways to make women have more babies – from taxing contraception, to new laws on marriages, to cash bonuses and propaganda campaigns. Reproduction is now seen as a national security issue, and the success or failure of the new policies will have far-r...
Dec 11, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1752
Over the past week, Labor Minister Anika Wells has become the face of a new debate over politicians' perks. Revelations about a near-$100,000 trip to New York to talk up Australia’s teen social media ban at the UN, followed by reports of taxpayer-funded family travel to grand finals, ski fields and overseas sporting events, have seen her refer three-and-a-half years of expenses to the parliamentary watchdog. The prime minister insists her claims are “within the rules”, but the backlash – and eve...
Dec 10, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1751
AUKUS is moving full steam ahead. That was the promise made in Washington, as Richard Marles and Penny Wong stood beside their US counterparts, stating the alliance is stronger than ever. But behind those assurances is a Pentagon review of AUKUS that the public isn't allowed to read – and in Canberra, a hand-picked AUKUS committee that will mostly meet in secret, raising questions about what our government is trading away to stay friends with our most powerful ally. Today, former Director of War...
Dec 09, 2025•16 min•Ep. 1750
