As Trump’s radical reshaping of the US pulls into focus, so too has the list of those who have gained entry to his inner circle. That list includes not only Australia’s richest person – but also Australia’s largest private arms supplier. Robert Nioa isn’t yet a household name, but the weapons mogul is a close confidante to Peter Dutton, married to a Katter, as well as a fishing and hunting pal to Donald Trump Jr. Today, special correspondent for Th...
Mar 11, 2025•16 min•Ep 1498•Transcript available on Metacast Most Australians have been targeted by a scam attempt, from spam text messages to intricate love fraud. The scams have cost us billions. But behind these attacks is a highly organised and secretive industry – fuelled by human trafficking. It’s believed hundreds of thousands of people are being held against their will in so-called “scam factories” across South East Asia, including in Myanmar, Cambodia and the Philippines. Many of these factories are run by Chinese-li...
Mar 10, 2025•16 min•Ep 1497•Transcript available on Metacast Julie Bishop built her career as a politician representing Australia on the world stage. Now, she’s taken on a new lobbying role, working for a China-linked resources company who are attempting to mine uranium in Greenland. Bishop’s gig comes at a time when China and the US are ramping up their fight for domination in the Arctic – and if she’s successful, the benefits will flow to China. Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper , Ben Abbatangelo, on the mine t...
Mar 09, 2025•15 min•Ep 1496•Transcript available on Metacast In Andrea Goldsmith’s ninth and latest novel, The Buried Life , she unpicks the relationships between people and the undercurrents of doubt and faith that define a life. But more than anything else this is a book that is first and foremost concerned with death. It’s a subject that has long fascinated Andrea, something she discusses deeply with host Michael Williams on this episode of Read This . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 08, 2025•27 min•Ep 1495•Transcript available on Metacast Cyclone Alfred hits as we gear up for the federal election, bringing back memories of the floods and bushfires that tore through the country last time we voted. How Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton handle this moment could be crucial, as voters refocus on the increasing impact of climate change and closely scrutinise the plans both parties have to address it. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe, on the politics of natural disasters – and why every ele...
Mar 07, 2025•16 min•Ep 1494•Transcript available on Metacast Australia is heading into a federal election at a time when trust in politics and our institutions is eroding. Over the past two decades, satisfaction with the political system has collapsed, driven by economic inequality, housing stress and the rapid spread of disinformation across social media. Political parties are already preparing for a campaign that will lean heavily on negative messaging – an approach that has proven effective but intensifies division. With trust in both politicians...
Mar 06, 2025•16 min•Ep 1493•Transcript available on Metacast One evening, two weeks ago, Natan Mwanza was stabbed and killed at a bus stop in Melbourne’s south-west. He was 24 years old. Natan’s family had migrated to Australia from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008, and his death sparked an outpouring of grief from African diasporic communities in Australia. Historian and filmmaker Santilla Chingaipe also felt the impact of Natan’s death and sought to understand what had happened. But it soon became a story about how we write and...
Mar 05, 2025•15 min•Ep 1492•Transcript available on Metacast When Arthur Sinodinos arrived in Washington as Australia’s ambassador to the United States in 2020, he was told the best way to get things done with Donald Trump was to go straight to the person in the White House handling the issue. In many cases, that wasn’t a typical official – it was a business figure, a loyalist, or even a family member. As Trump 2.0 takes shape, his administration is doubling down on an “America First” agenda, with key roles for long-time alli...
Mar 04, 2025•16 min•Ep 1491•Transcript available on Metacast When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in the Oval Office on Friday, they were there to sign a deal that would give the US access to a significant share of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. Instead, Trump and Vance berated and taunted Zelensky, before asking him to leave. The deal remained unsigned, and relations between the two countries are now in tatters, with military and aid support for Ukraine from the Trump administr...
Mar 03, 2025•15 min•Ep 1490•Transcript available on Metacast Warmer waters, disease and antibiotics have pushed Tasmania’s salmon farms into crisis. But it’s not just an environmental disaster – it’s also a political one. With an election looming, the Albanese government is pouring millions into salmon farming in an attempt to save jobs and votes, even as rotting fish litter the shore. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on what is happening in Tasmanian waters – and how it will impact th...
Mar 02, 2025•17 min•Ep 1489•Transcript available on Metacast In Melbourne-based author Sean Wilson’s new book, You Must Remember This , he tackles the complicated, tragic, and often fraught subject of dementia. On this episode of Read This Sean joins host Michael Williams for a conversation about loss, family, and how to hang on to one’s humanity as illness strips it away. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 01, 2025•27 min•Ep 1488•Transcript available on Metacast It was just before Christmas when Geraldine Brooks sat down for the first in a series of conversations with Anthony Albanese – and his popularity was plummeting. The prime minister's net approval rating had dropped to minus 17, while Peter Dutton’s had ticked up to zero. Since then, the polls haven’t improved for Albanese. His critics have painted him as weak and ineffective – a narrative reinforced by the failure of the Voice referendum and a perception of inaction on cl...
Feb 27, 2025•16 min•Ep 1487•Transcript available on Metacast When the country’s peak arts body, Creative Australia, decided to dump Australia’s representative at the Venice Biennale, it set in motion an existential crisis for the arts. The artist in question, Khaled Sabsabi, was removed from the role just days after his appointment – following an article in a News Corp newspaper, a set of opposition questions in the Senate and a phone call from the Arts Minister Tony Burke. Now, the boss of Creative Australia faces questions ...
Feb 26, 2025•14 min•Ep 1486•Transcript available on Metacast It was 2020 when the government first discovered that a glitch in its system was wrongfully cutting welfare recipients off from their payments. Rather than fixing the error, the department did nothing for three years. In that time, ten people died. Whether their deaths were the result of suicide or destitution after losing support, Services Australia won’t say. Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton with his exclusive story about the ministers who failed to act on ...
Feb 25, 2025•15 min•Ep 1485•Transcript available on Metacast The results in the latest Closing the Gap report are grim. Only five of the 19 targets are on track, and Indigenous incarceration rates are rising. But is the policy itself part of the problem? Critics like independent senator Lidia Thorpe argue that Closing the Gap hasn’t delivered change and should be scrapped. Meanwhile, the government has announced hundreds of millions in new spending, including major investments in remote communities and initiatives to reduce grocery prices in the Nor...
Feb 24, 2025•15 min•Ep 1484•Transcript available on Metacast 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 last year, 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 J...
Feb 23, 2025•12 min•Ep 1483•Transcript available on Metacast Last year, one of the world’s most powerful families converged in a Nevada court room to fight over the future of their empire. 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. Exactly what happened in that court room was a tightly guarded secret. 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....
Feb 23, 2025•16 min•Ep 1482•Transcript available on Metacast Two time Miles Franklin Award-winning author Alex Miller is 88, but with 17 books under his belt and more writing on the way, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. On this episode of Read This , host Michael Williams sits down with Alex to discuss his latest book The Deal , which revisits the life of Lang Tzu, a character in his critically acclaimed novel The Ancestor Game . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 22, 2025•24 min•Ep 1481•Transcript available on Metacast In news rooms, board rooms and electoral offices around the country, there's one question driving everyone insane: when is Anthony Albanese going to call the election? Nervous backbenchers are willing him to strike while the Reserve Bank’s decision to cut interest rates is fresh in voters’ minds, but the prime minister is being coy about his preferred date. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on when Labor insiders are expecting an election and how Peter Dutton is ...
Feb 21, 2025•16 min•Ep 1480•Transcript available on Metacast Australia faces its most “difficult threat environment” in 50 years, with larger and more varied plots than ever before. That was the message from the director-general of ASIO, Mike Burgess, when he gave his annual threat assessment on Wednesday night, taking the extraordinary step of declassifying some of the intelligence behind the warning. According to Burgess, foreign interference and espionage are at extreme levels, with ASIO foiling five major terror attacks against Australians...
Feb 20, 2025•14 min•Ep 1479•Transcript available on Metacast Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s confirmation as US health secretary made official one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial appointments. Kennedy’s confirmation came off the back of fiery questions from both Democrats and Republicans on his record on vaccines. Under oath, Kennedy denied he was against vaccinations, but watching closely was investigative journalist Brian Deer, who says Kennedy is beyond a vaccine sceptic – he’s “the most prominent anti-vaccine ...
Feb 19, 2025•16 min•Ep 1478•Transcript available on Metacast On Tuesday afternoon, the Reserve Bank cut the official cash rate to 4.1 per cent. It’s the first interest rate cut since 2020, after 13 consecutive hikes between May 2022 and November 2023. Treasurer Jim Chalmers welcomed the cut, saying it's a relief “Australians need and deserve”. But RBA governor Michelle Bullock has warned not to expect further cuts and given the impact on mortgage repayments will be modest, how much political mileage the government can get out of this rem...
Feb 18, 2025•14 min•Ep 1477•Transcript available on Metacast Meals on Wheels is an essential service for many elderly people across the country. It’s the sort of service that you can’t really put a price on – providing community connection and support to people who might be falling through the cracks. That’s what makes this failed plot to take over Meals on Wheels so shocking. It’s a story that’s got it all: dubious alliances, shocking lies, boozy nights – and millions of dollars. Socials: Stay ...
Feb 17, 2025•15 min•Ep 1476•Transcript available on Metacast When Bob Brown spoke out against the invasion of Iraq in 2003, at the height of the war on terror, he was widely derided. He was mocked in the press, and even abused by a young Queensland MP, Peter Dutton. But looking back, he says it’s one of his proudest moments. Now, at 80 years old, Bob argues that speaking up in public and in private is crucial to pushing back against the strongman leaders of today – with their assaults on democracy and on the planet. Today, lifelong activist an...
Feb 16, 2025•14 min•Ep 1475•Transcript available on Metacast In 2017, Rachel Khong released her debut novel Goodbye, Vitamin to critical acclaim. In 2024, she followed it with her second novel, a sweeping family saga spanning five decades. Real Americans is a fascinating exploration of what makes us who we are and challenges some of the corrosive myths that underpin America. In this episode of Read This , Michael chats with Rachel about her new book and she shares her thoughts on luck, science, and the ultimate unknowability of each othe...
Feb 15, 2025•30 min•Ep 1474•Transcript available on Metacast The Brereton inquiry uncovered shocking allegations of war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. But there was one failing of Australian soldiers that wasn’t investigated. According to documents and interviews, some Australian soldiers in Afghanistan used foreign rules of engagement in combat which they weren’t trained in, or permitted to use. The use of these rules may have resulted in the killing of a large number of unarmed Afghans who would not otherwise have be...
Feb 13, 2025•15 min•Ep 1473•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament it must face up to the fact only five of the 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track, as he handed down the government's annual implementation plan. Pledging an $842.6m investment in the Northern Territory over the next six years, the prime minister said closing the gap is about acknowledging what’s working and what isn’t. The federal, state and territory governments, along with peak bodies, have committed to improving the li...
Feb 12, 2025•15 min•Ep 1472•Transcript available on Metacast Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has thrown American science and medical research into disarray. Through a flurry of executive orders, he withdrew the US from the World Health Organization, imposed a communications blackout on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ordered the removal of publications, guidelines and databases “that inculcate or promote gender ideology”. Thousands of government webpages were taken offline, erasing references to gender, race a...
Feb 11, 2025•15 min•Ep 1471•Transcript available on Metacast Veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher has reported on Elon Musk for decades. In that time, they’ve talked publicly and privately on many occasions. But not anymore. Elon Musk is in the process of dismantling US government spending as the head of the new “Department of Government Efficiency”, better known as DOGE. And Kara Swisher says the techno-dictatorship he’s building with Trump’s blessing is just the beginning. Socials: Stay in touch wit...
Feb 10, 2025•15 min•Ep 1470•Transcript available on Metacast Australia is a small player in global trade, compared with giants like the US and China. And when the world’s two biggest economies embark on a trade war, we feel the impact. Donald Trump’s new tariffs on China could reverberate through the Australian economy – affecting everything from iron ore exports to the cost of everyday goods. Australia is making the case that tariffs don’t make economic sense. But with Trump, the usual rules don’t apply. Today, c...
Feb 09, 2025•12 min•Ep 1469•Transcript available on Metacast 
