Erin Patterson has been sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years after murdering three people and attempting to murder a fourth with a lunch laced with death cap mushrooms. Justice and courts reporter Nino Bucci tells Nour Haydar how Justice Christopher Beale arrived at his decision and how Patterson reacted when she learned her fate
Sep 08, 2025•19 min
It’s been more than 200 days since Donald Trump’s return to power, and many have been left asking: are we seeing authoritarianism normalised in the US? Global affairs correspondent Andrew Roth talks to Reged Ahmad about whether the US is at a point of no return for democracy under Donald Trump
Sep 07, 2025•20 min
Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry discuss this week’s immigration debate and why politicians from all sides need to speak up strongly on the benefits of immigration. They also take a look at Dan Andrews’ ‘photo bomb’ alongside some of the world’s most powerful men, aged care and whether PMs should have longer terms
Sep 05, 2025•27 min
The violent and confronting scenes that took place at anti-immigration rallies across the country last weekend continue to reverberate throughout Australian politics. Protesters said they marched because migration levels have reached record highs. Despite the real figures telling a different story, some sections of the media ignored the issue of racism and claimed those taking to the streets were motivated by legitimate concerns. Bridie Jabour speaks to Guardian Australia’s editor, Lenore Taylor...
Sep 04, 2025•23 min
Tens of thousands of spectators packed the stands to witness Xi Jinping’s military parade marking 80 years since the defeat of Japan in the second world war. And watching from above, along the Chinese leader, were some of the world’s most powerful men, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. The parade follows diplomatic meetings with other non-western leaders, including India’s Narendra Modi.Helen Davidson talks to Nour Haydar about why Xi has invited some of the world’...
Sep 03, 2025•19 min
Thousands attended the ‘March for Australia’ anti-immigration rallies around the country on the weekend. Among those there were neo-Nazi groups and far-right figures who have captured the headlines. While the organisers have distanced the events from white supremacists, and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said some good people attended too, the protests have still been widely condemned as hateful. Reged Ahmad speaks to independent researcher into rightwing extremism Dr Kaz Ross on whether ...
Sep 02, 2025•20 min
On Friday, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, released a six-line statement announcing a new deal struck with Nauru. The deal allows the government to deport about 280 members of the NZYQ cohort, a group of noncitizens living in Australia whose visas were cancelled on character grounds. And despite costing hundreds of millions of dollars, the public have been told little detail about how the arrangement will work. Senior reporter Ben Doherty speaks to Nour Haydar about why critics have label...
Sep 01, 2025•15 min
Treating an iron deficiency can be elusive and frustrating. That’s particularly true for women who may have been misdiagnosed with depression and other chronic illnesses, until those low iron levels are finally picked up. Reged Ahmad speaks to health reporter Natasha May on why so many women have to wait years to find out what’s wrong, and whether a new test could be the solution
Aug 31, 2025•14 min
Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry discuss the expulsion of Australia’s Iranian ambassador and Anthony Albanese’s plan to help first home buyers. They also examine what the Coalition could do to get out of its post-election slump
Aug 28, 2025•28 min
Since Tuesday morning, police have been searching for Dezi Freeman, a so-called ‘sovereign citizen’. Police say he has fled into bushland after the killing of two police officers, allegedly in ‘cold blood’, at a property in the Victorian town of Porepunkah. Reged Ahmad speaks to Catie McLeod, who is on the ground in Porepunkah, and Nino Bucci about what we know of the suspect and the manhunt for him
Aug 27, 2025•20 min
Iran directed at least two attacks against Australia’s Jewish community, the domestic spy agency has determined, prompting the Albanese government to expel Tehran’s ambassador from Australia. The prime minister announced on Tuesday that Asio had ‘credible intelligence’ to determine the Iranian government was behind the attacks against the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne and Lewis’s Continental Kitchen in Bondi, Sydney. Iranian diplomats posted to Australia were not involved, the Asio directo...
Aug 26, 2025•14 min
Earlier this month an Australian-based Uyghur group launched legal action against Kmart in the federal court. The case has put the retailer’s supply chain under scrutiny for potential links to forced labour in China’s Xinjiang province. Nour Haydar speaks with senior reporter Ben Doherty about the legal action against Kmart and the warnings that Australia could become a dumping ground for products linked to forced labour
Aug 25, 2025•15 min
Australia’s gun laws are often called the gold standard for community safety, but almost 30 years on from the Port Arthur massacre that led to decisive reforms, there are more legal firearms in the country than ever before. Nour Haydar speaks with senior correspondent Sarah Martin and investigations reporter Ariel Bogle about why the number of guns in Australia is on the rise, the escalating threat of 3D-printed weaponry and why the gun lobby claims it’s ‘winning’ the fight against firearm contr...
Aug 24, 2025•22 min
Barrie Cassidy, Tony Barry, and George Megalogenis discuss how productive the economic roundtable in Canberra was this week, and which ideas the government will act on first. They also discuss how the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has handled Benjamin Netanyahu’s continued attacks on his leadership
Aug 22, 2025•30 min
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has launched a diplomatic attack against his Australian counterpart – calling Anthony Albanese ‘a weak leader’ who betrayed Australian Jews. The row kicked off when Australia pledged to recognise a Palestinian state alongside international allies in response to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians. At the time, Albanese claimed Netanyahu was ‘in denial’ at the suffering of civilians in Gaza. Bridie Jabour is joined by the editor...
Aug 21, 2025•21 min
Calls for childcare reforms have become louder since revelations surfaced of multiple sexual abuse charges laid against a Victorian worker. Federal and state education ministers are set to meet on Friday in an attempt to restore faith and safety to a service few can live without – but is real change possible? Senior reporter Kate Lyons talks to Reged Ahmad about whether the government’s next moves will give parents and carers the reassurance they desperately need
Aug 20, 2025•20 min
Six months on from their explosive meeting in the White House, Volodymyr Zelenksyy once again met with the US president, Donald Trump, in Washington. But this time the Ukrainian president arrived with the support of key European leaders, who dropped everything in the hopes of securing a potential deal to end the war with Russia. Washington DC bureau chief David Smith speaks to Nour Haydar about whether Europe’s united front managed to steer Trump away from the Kremlin, what chance is left of a c...
Aug 19, 2025•20 min
As Labor’s much-hyped economic summit begins, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, say they want to hear big ideas to bring about the reform Australians are hungry for. But does the government’s talk match its political ambition? Reged Ahmad speaks to chief political correspondent Tom McIlroy about how Labor’s economic roundtable will shape the future of Australia
Aug 18, 2025•20 min
It used to be a view held by a secretive few on the fringes of society, but preparing for disaster has now grown in popularity, with many believing having a backup plan just makes good sense. Senior reporter Kate Lyons speaks to Reged Ahmad on whether there is value in preparing for an apocalypse that may never come
Aug 17, 2025•18 min
Ahead of next week’s productivity roundtable, Tony Barry and George Megalogenis examine how Jim Chalmers and Anthony Albanese work together and compare the duo to their counterparts of decades past. They also examine the timing of the prime minister’s plan to recognise Palestine and the RBA’s decision to cut interest rates. *Barrie Cassidy is on holidays and will return next week
Aug 15, 2025•25 min
Next week – just over 100 hundred days into its second term – the Albanese government will bring together business leaders, unions and interest groups at an economic roundtable to try and figure out how to best jumpstart the economy. Big ideas such as a four-day work week and limiting negative gearing have been put forward, but the prime minister has been quick to dampen expectations.Bridie Jabour talks with the head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, and Guardian Australia’s economics editor, Patrick Co...
Aug 14, 2025•20 min
Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif was on air until Sunday, when the 28-year-old correspondent was killed along with five other journalists in a targeted strike carried out by Israel. Al Jazeera’s managing editor, Mohamed Moawad, tells Nour Haydar why al-Sharif refused to leave Gaza, even though ‘he knew this day would come’
Aug 13, 2025•25 min
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet on Friday in Alaska for a high-stakes summit on the Ukraine war. But the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will not be there, and European leaders fear damaging concessions could be made without Ukraine at the table. Our global affairs correspondent, Andrew Roth, speaks to Reged Ahmad about whether this meeting between two strongmen could end the war in Ukraine.
Aug 12, 2025•20 min
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has confirmed his government will join other allies to formally recognise Palestinian statehood. Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent, Tom McIlroy, speaks to Nour Haydar about why the Australian government is making this move now, and if it will change anything for the Palestinians living under attack in Gaza
Aug 11, 2025•20 min
When Adani first sought government approval for its Carmichael coalmine in Queensland, a major selling point was the company’s pledge to deliver $22bn in taxes and royalties. While the mine is now smaller than originally planned, it still generates millions in revenue each year of operation and the Australian government has not received a single cent in corporate tax. Business editor Jonathan Barrett speaks to Reged Ahmad about how the company has generated a loss on paper and why it’s time for ...
Aug 10, 2025•20 min
Tony Barry and George Megalogenis (filling in for Barrie Cassidy) discuss Donald Trump’s sacking of his chief statistician over unflattering job figures and compare it to a similar move by Chinese leader Xi Jinping. They also discuss the Sydney Harbour Bridge protest and whether it will change policy both abroad and here in Australia.
Aug 08, 2025•29 min
On Friday, an interim suppression order prohibiting Australian media from reporting on any evidentiary rulings made in pre-trial hearings and during Erin Patterson’s trial was lifted. Now we can reveal what the jury never got to hear. Justice and courts reporter Nino Bucci tells Reged Ahmad how the court heard Patterson’s estranged husband suspected she had been trying to poison him, too
Aug 08, 2025•22 min
Palestinian paediatrician Abdalkarim Alharazin has seen more suffering and death than most over his time as a junior doctor on Gaza’s frontlines. Amid relentless Israeli bombardment, displacement and starvation, he applied for and has been accepted into a master of public health at the University of Sydney. With significant hurdles ahead, logistically and financially, Alharazin joins Nour Haydar to talk about what he’s witnessed and his plans to rebuild Gaza’s health infrastructure
Aug 08, 2025•14 min
Hundreds of thousands of people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on the weekend to protest against the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza. But, police, organisers and the protesters themselves all portrayed the same public event in a very different light. And depending on which news outlet you read, you might have a different understanding of how that event unfolded.Bridie Jabour talks to the editor, Lenore Taylor, and the head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, about the political fallout from...
Aug 07, 2025•20 min
After three decades at the helm of Human Rights Watch, the former executive director Kenneth Roth has written a memoir about his time campaigning against human rights violations around the world – including in the Palestinian occupied territories. As the Albanese government faces increasing public pressure to take action against Israel, Roth speaks with Nour Haydar about why he thinks there’s always a strategy to pressure governments into supporting better human rights outcomes
Aug 06, 2025•26 min