Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry take a look at Anthony Albanese’s support of Donald Trump’s bombing of Iran and ask: will the US - Australia relationship send traditional party supporters elsewhere? Also: why it’s time for the Liberals to embrace gender quotas. And, keen to canvas opinion on Chinese influence in the Pacific region, Barrie conducts his own focus groups in the Cook Islands.
Jul 04, 2025•29 min
The rapper faced charges often levied at mafia bosses. Anna Betts explains what the jury heard, and Andrew Lawrence tells Nosheen Iqbal what the verdict means for the music mogul
Jul 04, 2025•30 min
This week headlines warned of a ‘bomb cyclone’ forming on the Australian east coast. However, the Bureau of Meteorology has stopped short of using that terminology in media commentary and has not officially called this week’s event anything other than a ‘vigorous’ coastal low. But the severe weather system did wreak havoc on some parts of the coastline, causing flooding, damage to properties and flight cancellations.Nour Haydar speaks with the head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, and deputy editor Pat...
Jul 03, 2025•16 min
In 2019, the people of Bougainville overwhelmingly voted in favour of independence. Once controlled by Britain, Germany, Japan, Australia and Papua New Guinea, some see the reopening of a massive copper and gold mine known as Panguna as the key to the new nation’s success. But it was only three decades ago that Bougainvilleans went to war to shut it down.Nour Haydar speaks with Ben Doherty about the road to independence for Australia’s Pacific neighbour and the risk of repeating mistakes from th...
Jul 02, 2025•23 min
The childcare sector has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of a Victorian worker being charged with dozens of child sexual abuse offences. While the allegations are yet to be tested by the courts, the fallout from the unfolding case has been profound as both state and federal governments consider the next steps. Reged Ahmad speaks to Victorian state correspondent Benita Kolovos on what this case means for the future of an industry relied on by so many Australian families
Jul 02, 2025•14 min
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, is in a battle to raise the Liberal party from the electoral ashes and remake it into something that can win again. And that includes fixing its women problem. Guardian Australia’s chief political correspondent, Tom McIlroy, discusses whether Ley needs to consider reforming her party to return to power – and recruit women
Jul 01, 2025•20 min
He is now the Democratic candidate for the New York City mayoral race. After running a highly successful and viral campaign culminating in him defeating establishment rival Andrew Cuomo, are there lessons for the party in his win? Washington DC bureau chief David Smith tells Nour Haydar about Zohran Mamdani’s rise and what it means for the Democrats
Jun 30, 2025•24 min
As the cost-of-living crisis takes hold, more people are turning to op shops for secondhand clothes. Among the thrift shops is Savers, a US for-profit that is dividing opinions. It claims to offer a more sustainable alternative for shoppers, but some have mixed feelings about its business model. Business editor Jonathan Barrett explains to Reged Ahmad why there are questions around the retailer’s relationships to non-profit partners even as those shunning fast fashion say it’s more sustainable
Jun 29, 2025•18 min
George Megalogenis joins Tony Barry in the studio this week to discuss why Donald Trump is unlikely to drag Australia into war, whether the prime minister could win back-to-back landslides, and how it feels when you get it wrong as a political commentator
Jun 27, 2025•29 min
Anthony Albanese and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, have endorsed the US bombings of three Iranian nuclear facilities, arguing the targeted strikes were necessary to prevent the regime developing a nuclear weapon. International law experts condemned the attacks as unlawful under the UN charter. Nour Haydar is joined by the editor, Lenore Taylor, and deputy editor Patrick Keneally to discuss Australia’s entangled relationship with the United States
Jun 26, 2025•19 min
What started as five casual radio presenter shifts has turned into one of the most closely watched court battles in Australian media. In 2023, Antoinette Lattouf was removed as a fill-in host of an ABC radio program after she shared a Human Rights Watch post on the Israel-Gaza conflict on her social media that stated Israel had used starvation as a ‘weapon of war’. Lattouf sued the national broadcaster for wrongful termination and – after a costly legal fight – a verdict has finally been deliver...
Jun 25, 2025•29 min
An investigation by consumer group Choice has found that several leading Australian sunscreens don’t provide the level of protection they say they do. The findings, which have been disputed by manufacturers, have raised questions about the testing and regulations of sunscreens in Australia. Consumer affairs reporter Catie Mcleod tells Nour Haydar why questions are being asked about the claims made by some brands and what consumers need to know now
Jun 24, 2025•17 min
Just over a week ago, Iranian and American officials were set to meet for a fresh round of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program. Now the region is on the brink after the US joined Israeli attacks on Iran, striking three key uranium enrichment sites. And Iran has vowed to retaliate. Professor Ben Saul, the Challis chair of international law at the University of Sydney, tells Nour Haydar why he thinks the weekend’s events signal the breakdown of the rules-based order
Jun 23, 2025•25 min
The mushroom trial that intrigued the world is drawing to a close after weeks of evidence – including testimony from the accused Erin Patterson. Now the defence and prosecution have set out their closing arguments. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, for allegedly and deliberately serving four lunchtime guests beef wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms at her home in regional Victoria. Reged Ahmad speaks to courts and justice reporter Nino...
Jun 22, 2025•29 min
As the US president deliberates on whether or not to launch strikes on Iran, Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry discuss the global effort to de-escalate the conflict in the Middle East and what it all means for Australian politics. Also in this episode: Could Jim Chalmers be the next prime minister?
Jun 20, 2025•23 min
The world is hanging on to Donald Trump’s every word, waiting to see if or how the US will intervene in the Israel-Iran conflict. While Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, warns of risks to global stability and urges dialogue, questions remain about the appetite for diplomacy. Bridie Jabour speaks to Guardian Australia’s international editor, Bonnie Malkin, and deputy editor Patrick Keneally about how the Israel-Iran war erupted and what could happen next
Jun 19, 2025•22 min
Aviation journalist Jeff Wise on the crash of flight AI171, in which at least 270 people died, and how one passenger in seat 11A managed to survive
Jun 18, 2025•26 min
Anthony Albanese had hoped to meet Donald Trump in person for the first time at the G7 summit in Calgary, Canada. But now that meeting will no longer take place – as the US president cut short his time at the conference, returning to Washington amid escalating conflict in the Middle East. Tom McIlroy tells Nour Haydar what this means for Australia’s relationship with one of its strongest allies, the future of the controversial Aukus deal and whether Albanese will get another meeting with Trump
Jun 17, 2025•19 min
It has been five days since Israel launched attacks on Iran and the war seems to be escalating. The civilian death toll is rising and Israeli forces have issued an evacuation order for parts of Tehran. Meanwhile, Iran has managed to evade Israel’s defences with missiles. The Guardian’s senior international correspondent, Julian Borger, explains to Michael Safi that Israel’s war aims seem to have changed You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport
Jun 17, 2025•24 min
On Friday it was announced that David Beckham was to receive his knighthood – the fruits of a campaign for the honour that started more than a decade ago. So why now? And what does it say about the UK’s honours system – and its class system – that it took so long? Longtime Beckham watcher Zoe Williams speaks to Helen Pidd
Jun 16, 2025•26 min
Aotearoa/New Zealand artist Marlon Williams spent five years on his latest album, Te Whare Tīwekaweka, which is entirely in the Māori language. The release coincides with the current New Zealand coalition government limiting the use of the Indigenous language in the public service, and the suspension of three MPs who performed a Māori haka in protest of a bill which has been criticised as reversing Indigenous rights. Marlon Williams speaks to Reged Ahmad about singing in his first language on th...
Jun 15, 2025•27 min
In the lead-up to Anthony Albanese’s trip to the G7 summit in Canada, Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry discuss the Pentagon’s Aukus review as well as the two countries’ contrasting views on sanctions on Israeli politicians. Also in this episode: will Tasmanian voters punish Labor for pushing them into another election? And what did trade unionist Bill Kelty say to Bob Hawke that made him cry?
Jun 13, 2025•28 min
The US Department of Defense has announced a review of the Aukus submarine deal, just days before Australia’s prime minister is due to meet Donald Trump at the G7 summit in Canada. Political reporter Josh Butler tells Nour Haydar what this means for relations between the two countries and why it throws Australia’s defence strategy into doubt
Jun 12, 2025•20 min
A Guardian Australia investigation reveals the government inertia behind the suicide crisis in Australian jails. Dozens of inmates have killed themselves in the past two decades using ligature points that authorities knew about, but failed to remove. Reporters Ariel Bogle and Christopher Knaus speak to Reged Ahmad about why the warnings are still being ignored and what it will take to stop these preventable deaths
Jun 11, 2025•25 min
Millions around the world watched Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad as she documented online her life under Israeli attack after 7 October 2023. Now she has released a memoir: a collection of diary entries, recounting living under siege and her love for her homeland. She speaks with Nour Haydar about life during and after fleeing the war You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport
Jun 10, 2025•21 min
Donald Trump’s decision to deploy 2,000 national guard troops against demonstrators protesting against widespread immigration crackdowns in Los Angeles has been criticised as the ‘act of a dictator’. Washington DC bureau chief David Smith tells Nour Haydar why the US president’s attack on the protests is a diversion from his feud with billionaire Elon Musk You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport
Jun 09, 2025•20 min
Three years ago, British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous defender Bruno Pereira vanished while on a reporting trip near Brazil’s remote Javari valley. The Guardian’s Latin America correspondent, Tom Phillips, investigates what happened in the first episode of a new six-part investigative podcast series Listen to the whole series here: theguardian.com/mita
Jun 08, 2025•27 min
Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry take a look under the hood of the week in Australian politics. They examine the Albanese government’s response to US requests to increase defence spending, the extended fall out from the North West Shelf licence approval and the continuing pressure on the Liberal party – this time at the state level
Jun 06, 2025•27 min
After nearly a month of hearing experts, witnesses and police officers testify, this week Erin Patterson herself took to the stand. Patterson is facing three charges of murder and one of attempted murder – after she served a beef wellington lunch laced with death cap mushrooms – at her house in regional Victoria in 2023. She’s pleaded not guilty to those charges. Justice and courts reporter Nino Bucci takes Reged Ahmad through some of the key moments of her evidence, as she tells her side of the...
Jun 06, 2025•31 min
The Albanese government wants to increase the tax on super balances above $3m. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says it is a modest change but there have been countless articles and columns warning of the economic havoc it could wreak and the impact this would have on the retirement savings of young Australians. Nour Haydar speaks to the national news editor, Josephine Tovey, and the head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, about what will happen if Labor pushes forward with the reform
Jun 05, 2025•19 min