It’s been revealed this week that Monash IVF has paid millions of dollars in secret settlements, after two nightmare mixups saw women implanted with the wrong embryos – one of them giving birth to a stranger’s baby. At least three families have now received compensation for the bungle, which was caused by human error. But these mistakes – at one of the oldest and most reputable clinics in the country – have had devastating consequences that reach far beyond the affected families, damaging the co...
Mar 07, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1842
When the United States launched strikes on Iran, Australia was quick to back the move. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it’s about defending global security. But critics say that argument sounds familiar. More than two decades ago, another Australian prime minister used almost identical arguments to justify joining America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Back then, Albanese himself warned those decisions would redefine Australia as a willing backer of US militarism no matter whether it is in...
Mar 06, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1841
An effort by Congress to rein in President Trump’s war in Iran has failed. Democrats and a few Republicans tried to use the War Powers Resolution to force Trump to get approval from Congress to keep fighting – but it didn’t pass. Now the war is dragging in more countries, fuelling a global crisis and dividing nations. Today Jasmine El-Gamal, former Pentagon adviser and founder of Averos Strategies, on Trump’s war – is it ego, blind ambition or part of a plan to reshape the world? If you enjoy 7a...
Mar 05, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1840
When the High Court handed down its Mabo decision, it cracked open the legal fiction at the heart of the nation. Terra Nullius was gone. For John Howard, then in opposition, it provided an opportunity. He framed the moment not as correction, but as a threat. A story was spun to suburban and regional Australia: your backyard, your lease, your livelihood were suddenly, all under threat. For John Howard, the real battle was over the nation’s conscience. He dismissed what he called the “black armban...
Mar 04, 2026•28 min•Ep. 1839
It’s just over two years into his first term and John Howard is taking the country to another election. In that short time he has seized the mantle of economic credibility away from Labor and rewritten the argument about who could be trusted to manage the economy. The memory of Labor's reforms while in government were suddenly distant, and the constant reminder of the devastating recession of the 90s were kept fresh in the mind of voters by Howard and his treasurer Peter Costello. Economic Manag...
Mar 03, 2026•20 min•Ep. 1838
It was the second of March 1996. After 13 years of Labor in power, Paul Keating’s government had been defeated in a landslide, closing the door on the Hawke-Keating era and opening another on a new political age. John Howard’s victory marked the beginning of a prime ministership that would run for eleven years – redefining the Liberal Party, reshaping the economy, hardening the culture wars and changing the way power is exercised in Canberra. In this three-part series, Amy Remeikis – contributin...
Mar 02, 2026•24 min•Ep. 1837
The United States has entered a new war in the Middle East – alongside Israel – launching strikes inside Iran. Iranian authorities say civilians have been targeted, including in a strike on a girls’ primary school in Minab – killing more than a hundred children. Israel says it’s targeting the regime’s military and nuclear infrastructure. And across the region, Iran has already fired missiles and drones at Israel and at Arab states hosting American forces. Then came the most consequential announc...
Mar 01, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1836
Immigration is back at the centre of federal politics – again. The Coalition’s new leadership is arguing Australia needs lower numbers, tougher rules, and a clearer cap on how many people we bring in each year. It’s a familiar conversation. In the lead up to the 2024 election, Peter Dutton tried to put a hard number on it – promising to cut migration by 100,000 a year, saying it would help free up housing for Australians. But critics say a large cut would hit the workforce Australia relies on, i...
Feb 28, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1835
In Canberra, a fight both major parties have tried to avoid is back. The Senate is examining the capital gains tax discount – the Howard-era change that slashed tax on asset profits and helped turn housing into a national obsession. It’s long been considered untouchable, especially after Labor’s bruising 2019 election defeat. But with house prices entrenched, inequality rising and the budget under strain, pressure is building on the government to do something. Today, economist and Executive Dire...
Feb 27, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1833
Whistleblowers have exposed some of Australia’s biggest scandals – from Robodebt and misconduct in the banking sector, to alleged war crimes in Afghanistan – stories that often only come to light because someone inside decides to speak up. But for the people who do, the personal cost can be devastating: retaliation at work, legal threats, even prosecution. And that fear keeps others silent, leaving wrongdoing to fester. The Albanese government came to office in 2022 promising a stronger integrit...
Feb 26, 2026•13 min•Ep. 1832
Full of hubris and bravado, the State of the Union Address was classic Trump – the showman who knows how to work a crowd. In the chamber there was plenty of love, but on the streets of America the President’s popularity has been falling. Today, US journalist Steve Clemons, editor at large of The National Interest- on the speech and the spectacle – how did Trump’s state of the union go down, and what does it all mean for the midterms. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support us is by makin...
Feb 25, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1831
When Russia struck Ukraine four years ago it kicked off the first full scale war in Europe since World War II. Now, as Russia knocks out Ukraine’s power grid, and people freeze at temperatures of below minus 20 – is it time for President Zelensky to cut a deal? Today, Kateryna Argyrou Chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations on travelling through a war torn country and whether it is time for Ukraine to cut a deal. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support us is by maki...
Feb 24, 2026•18 min•Ep. 1830
By the time a wide-eyed Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was slumped in the back of a Range Rover on his way to the police station last week, the reality had hit home. The man who was once a prince, watching his life crumble before his eyes. Now, as the world reels from Andrew’s arrest, and the royals scramble to protect themselves from one of the biggest crises the palace has ever faced – a warning from a royal biographer: that Charles could go down too. Today, royal historian Andrew Lownie, who lite...
Feb 23, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1829
Elon Musk and his SpaceX team want to launch up to one million satellites as part of a proposal to power massive data centres in space. They pitch it as a clean, green alternative to regular data centres. But as Earth’s orbit becomes increasingly crowded, what will Elon’s mega constellation do to our night sky? And could a crash between satellites set off a catastrophic chain reaction? Today, Associate Professor of Astronomy Sam Lawler on the potential for disaster, the need for new space laws, ...
Feb 22, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1828
Coles and Woolworths are now in court. The case, brought by the consumer watchdog, came on the back of hundreds of angry posts on X, TikTok and Reddit from shoppers archiving the supermarkets giants’ prices – and accusing them of gaming their “Down Down” and “Prices Dropped” promotions. The ACCC alleges some of those promotions were misleading – with the “discount” price the same as, or higher than, what had been charged just weeks earlier. Today, economist and journalist Peter Martin on the “il...
Feb 21, 2026•14 min•Ep. 1827
This week Pauline Hanson declared there are “no good Muslims” and renewed her call for a ban on people from Gaza and other so-called “terror hotspots”. After a backlash from across the community she has since walked back her comments on Muslim Australians, but her track record for stoking racial division remains intact. It’s language that was once politically toxic. Now it’s cutting through with a whole generation of voters who feel they’ve been dudded by the promise of prosperity through hard w...
Feb 20, 2026•13 min•Ep. 1826
Sue-Anne Hunter has had a long career which started as a social worker and reached the heights of Commissioner for Victoria’s Truth Telling Commission - The Yoorook Justice Commission. Now she’s been appointed as Australia’s first National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, and the weight of the responsibility is very real. Her appointment comes at a time when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults are being imprisoned at one of the highest ra...
Feb 19, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1825
They’re known as the ISIS brides. 11 women and 23 kids who, for nearly a decade, have languished in a dusty desert detention camp in Northern Syria. Some of the children have known no other home. But the PM insists the group, who are all Australian citizens, aren’t welcome here. Thwarted at the last minute, as they tried to make their way back home this week. The group is now in limbo once more. Today, Greens Senator David Shoebridge and Syria expert Josh Landis on the threat of radicalisation, ...
Feb 18, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1824
It was 2019 when journalist Emily Maitlis sat down for that car crash interview with then-Prince Andrew. It was the beginning of the end for the prince. Now, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has again hit the headlines, this time for allegedly sharing secret trade documents with Jeffrey Epstein. And as the fallout from the Epstein files threatens to take down everyone from ambassadors to prime ministers - Emily Maitlis again has a front row seat as the saga unfolds. Today, Emily Maitlis from The News ...
Feb 17, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1823
The CFMEU construction union has been under a cloud since investigative journalist Nick McKenzie started digging into allegations of corruption in 2024. Bikie figures, organised crime, intimidation. All taking place on major government-funded projects. Now, a report has laid out all those stories in one place. And even Nick says he was stunned by the scale of it. The report's author, barrister Geoffery Watson, not only tore the CFMEU to shreds - but also claimed the Victorian government knew abo...
Feb 16, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1822
More than 30,000 people from Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste are on a working visa in Australia as part of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme – or PALM. The government sells it as a ‘triple win’: workers earn Australian wages, Australian employers fill jobs they say they can’t fill locally, and money flows back to families and economies across the region. But Morgan Harrington has been investigating the cases where workers say they were exploited and mistreated – including being...
Feb 15, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1821
On Monday, about 6,000 people attended a protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Sydney. The event began peacefully – but videos later emerged, showing protesters being pepper-sprayed, beaten, and arrested by police. Police say some demonstrators wanted to march to NSW Parliament despite a restriction making it unlawful – and that when orders to disperse were ignored, they had to move the crowd on. Twenty-seven protesters were arrested. There have been a number of incidents in ...
Feb 14, 2026•13 min•Ep. 1820
It took just nine months for the Liberal Party to turn on its first female leader. After months of internal agitation and sliding polls, a spill motion was called and, by the end, Ley was out – replaced by a man many conservatives had wanted all along, Angus Taylor. Taylor, a former energy minister and standard-bearer for the party’s right, has promised discipline, economic clarity and a return to what he calls “core Liberal values”, where culture wars aren’t a distraction; they’re the strategy....
Feb 13, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1819
The knives are out. The spill is on! Liberal MP Angus Taylor is set to challenge Sussan Ley for the leadership in a party room showdown at 9am. Their colleagues are now scrambling to pick sides as the face off looms. So, who will emerge triumphant? And how will the chaos play with voters? Today, contributing editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis on Taylor’s chances, the gender question, and whether a leadership change can save the Liberal party. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support us...
Feb 12, 2026•15 min•Ep. 1818
It’s Australia’s loudest, proudest celebration. But two weeks out from Mardi Gras – there are claims a rebel group has hijacked the event from inside the community. We hear from the two groups at war over the future of the parade. Today, Peter Murphy from Protect Mardi Gras, and Charlie Murphy from Pride in Protest on the battle threatening to tear Mardi Gras apart . If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support . Socials: Stay in tou...
Feb 11, 2026•17 min•Ep. 1817
Jimmy Lai is a media tycoon and hero of Hong Kong’s freedom movement. A symbol of the city’s fight for democracy and a free press – he has been silenced, handcuffed, and now sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Hong Kong court. Seen as a traitor by Beijing, Lai has been jailed on charges of sedition and collusion with foreign forces – which he says are politically motivated. Today, Sebastien Lai on fighting for his father’s freedom and what this case says about China’s ongoing crackdown in Hong ...
Feb 10, 2026•12 min•Ep. 1816
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has arrived in Sydney for a four-day visit to Australia, invited in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack in December. On Monday, Herzog visited Bondi and laid a wreath to honour the 15 people killed in the attack. At the same time, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in Sydney’s CBD to oppose the visit – after organisers launched a Supreme Court challenge to the NSW government’s decision to declare the visit a “major event”, a move that activates special polic...
Feb 09, 2026•13 min•Ep. 1814
It’s been just over two weeks since the Liberal and National parties’ dramatic split and now the Coalition is back together. Sussan Ley and David Littleproud insist they’re now solid, guaranteeing that after two Coalition splits in the space of a year - this time, there’ll be no more break ups. Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton on how the Coalition got back together after their big blow up, and whether this time it’s for good. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support us is b...
Feb 08, 2026•13 min•Ep. 1813
TikTok is the most influential media platform for Australians under the age of 25. It’s where millions get their news – whether they realise it or not. But TikTok is no longer just a cultural force. A Trump-aligned group of investors has taken over its American operations, aimed at keeping China at arm’s length. Now, users are claiming that content about ICE and its operations in Minnesota, where two American citizens were killed by federal agents, has been difficult to post, has disappeared fro...
Feb 07, 2026•16 min•Ep. 1812
This week Australians were hit with another reminder that the cost-of-living crisis isn’t over, and that the government's room to move is narrowing fast. An interest rate rise has sharpened the pressure on Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers, just as a federal budget looms. The government is now forced to weigh up expectations of economic reform vs political risk. Meanwhile, the Opposition is unravelling in plain sight; the Coalition split, with the Nationals relegated to the crossbench. Today, pr...
Feb 06, 2026•14 min•Ep. 1811
