Two-time Miles Franklin Award-winning author Michelle de Kretser has never been afraid of formal experimentation. Her seventh and latest book supports that idea. It is bold and, once again, a heady mix of serious intellectual inquiry with beautifully observed characterisation and formal play. On this episode of Read This , Michael sits down with Michelle for a conversation about Theory & Practice and she reveals why writing it felt so different to all of her other books. Se...
Feb 08, 2025•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Peter Dutton is making a bold move – aligning himself with Donald Trump. Dutton’s colleagues have been quick to draw the comparison, pitching him as strong and decisive. But it’s a political strategy not without its risks. Trump’s return to the White House is already causing global instability, from a new trade war with China to extraordinary announcements on Gaza. With the federal election looming, Dutton is hoping a strongman approach will resonate with the electo...
Feb 06, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump said the United States would “take over the Gaza strip”, “level it out” and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. He made the comments during Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, the first foreign leader to visit since the inauguration. Trump also said that Palestinians should be permanently settled somewhere outside of Gaza – an idea Arab nations including...
Feb 05, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tens of millions of dollars in “dark” donations to political parties have renewed calls for election funding reform. The Australian Electoral Commission’s annual release of political contributions data for 2023-24 revealed the major parties received over $140 million in donations, with close to half of that undisclosed. Even the disclosed donations are only now just being reported – in some cases 18 months after they were made. The Albanese government is proposing to refo...
Feb 04, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast The arrival of DeepSeek wiped more than $1 trillion off the value of America’s tech firms, topping the country from its unquestioned position at the forefront of the global AI race. The Chinese AI company also upstaged President Donald Trump’s announcement of the Stargate Project – a $500 billion AI initiative. The fact that a relatively small disruptor like DeepSeek could cause such damage raises serious questions about everything Silicon Valley wants us to believe about artif...
Feb 03, 2025•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast At George Pell’s funeral, some of Australia’s most powerful people paid tribute to a man they believed was wrongfully smeared by accusations of child sex abuse. But even as his supporters venerated his legacy, the National Redress Scheme was offering compensation to men who survived Pell’s abuse as children. Today, investigative journalist and contributor to The Monthly Louise Milligan shares the stories of two survivors who want the world to know what Pell did to them, a...
Feb 02, 2025•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lech Blaine’s debut book Car Crash , told the gripping story of his life in the aftermath of a horrendous road accident that killed several of his friends. Since then he’s written political essays and thoughtful journalism for The Monthly , the Quarterly Essay and beyond. On this week’s episode of Read This we’re bringing you Michael’s conversation with Lech at Canberra Writers’ Festival, where they discussed his latest book...
Feb 01, 2025•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump returned to the White House with a campaign that routinely attacked trans gender people. On the night he was elected, trans people in the United States were panicking. Online, they shared concerns about access to hormone treatment and surgery, while swapping notes about moving to countries where they might feel safer. In Australia, writer and lawyer Sam Elkin began preparing for what the Trump era will mean for trans people in our country. Now, senior federal politicians have begun ...
Jan 30, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast The company that’s run Australia’s immigration detention network for over a decade, British conglomerate Serco, has lost its contract, but not before helping build what’s been called one of the world’s ‘most extreme and secretive’ detention regimes. Across the life of the contract, there have been scandals, incidents of self-harm and allegations of mistreatment and disproportionate use of force. The federal government’s decision to dump Serco has been we...
Jan 29, 2025•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast As a child, Grace Tame often felt isolated and misunderstood, a feeling later explained by her autism diagnosis. It’s a common experience for autistic people, who have long been misrepresented, misdiagnosed and mistreated. The government aims to address this with Australia’s first National Autism Strategy, which it says will prioritise the voices and experiences of autistic people. While there's optimism, questions remain about whether the six-year plan will lead to real change. Toda...
Jan 28, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 2017, the billionaire businessman Sanjeev Gupta rescued the Whyalla steelworks from administration, becoming known as the “saviour of steel”. There was hope in this small town, 400 kilometres north of Adelaide, that steelmaking would continue and the thousands of people who rely on the steelworks for their livelihoods would get a reprieve. But now, the 60-year-old steelworks has been losing $1 million a day, and if it is forced to close – which looks increasingly likel...
Jan 27, 2025•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Peter Dutton’s announcement last month that he won’t stand in front of the Aboriginal flag got the exact reaction he was likely after – talkback minutes, headlines, private agreement from some quarters and outrage from others. Professor Marcia Langton saw something else. She knows the tactic: a toxic political circus in the lead up to Australia Day, centred on lies about Aboriginal people. And she knows Dutton’s record on Indigenous affairs. She doesn’t want him any...
Jan 26, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Best known for his thought-provoking explorations of sexuality and identity across generations, British author Alan Hollinghurst rose to international stardom after his 2004 novel The Line of Beauty was awarded the Booker Prize. In his seventh novel, Our Evenings , Alan adopts the memoir format, offering a delicate meditation on memory, loss, and the passage of time. On this episode of Read This , Alan discusses his life and career and reveals why this book is as close as...
Jan 25, 2025•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast As wildfires tore through some of LA’s most affluent neighbourhoods, burning down mansions owned by celebrities, some wondered if it might be a turning point in how seriously we take the climate crisis. But climate scientist Joëlle Gergis wasn’t sharing that hope. Instead, Gergis was angered by our heartache for wealthy communities while the impact of climate change disproportionately affects the poor. And to make matters even worse, a climate denier has entere...
Jan 23, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast When Scott Morrison’s government was swept from power in 2022 it was the Coalition’s worst election result in 70 years. The cities deserted them and they lost ground in every state, except Queensland. The conventional wisdom was it would take Peter Dutton two terms in opposition to turn the Coalition's fortunes around, with a strategy of focusing on Queensland and regional areas this election before recapturing city seats in the next cycle. But that long-term plan has disappear...
Jan 22, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Just three days before his inauguration, US President Donald Trump announced a new venture into cryptocurrency. Trump promoted the launch of the token, called ‘$TRUMP’, on social media, inviting his followers to join a “very special Trump Community.” Within hours of going on sale, the price of the meme coin surged. Trump has previously sought to cash in on his popularity, selling an array of merchandise including Trump-branded sneakers, fragrances, and even NFT trading ca...
Jan 21, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jannik Sinner is currently defending his title as the world’s best male tennis player at the Australian Open. But come April, he’ll be defending himself in another arena – the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Last year, the tennis world was shocked by revelations both Sinner and women’s world No. 2 Iga Świątek had tested positive for banned substances. Their cases were resolved in private, raising concerns their high profiles and considerable resources gave them an unfair ...
Jan 20, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump will be president again by tomorrow, and he says “everybody” wants to be his friend. And while it might not be everybody, plenty do. Trump’s broken the record for the amount of money that’s been donated to a US presidential inauguration fund, with $US200 million coming in from billionaires and companies all wanting time with him. These funds are not just for throwing a party. The money can also be used in secretive ways and aren't subject to the same rules as...
Jan 19, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast For so many, Noni Hazlehurst is the patron saint of early childhood nostalgia, known for her magnetic presence on Play School. But Noni has had a long and storied career on stage and screen in Australia – from hosting Better Homes & Gardens to starring in the award-winning one-woman play Mother . On this episode of Read This , Noni chats with Michael about her new memoir, Dropping the Mask . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 18, 2025•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast This Sunday, Israel and Hamas are due to start a 42-day ceasefire in Gaza as part of a deal that could end the war. The announcement has prompted thousands of Palestinians to celebrate on the streets of Gaza, where residents have had no reprieve from bombardments and ground battles since 2023. If the agreement holds, desperately needed humanitarian aid will reach the people of Gaza, many of whom are living in freezing tents in the middle of winter. Dozens of hostages, who have been held by...
Jan 16, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Outgoing Labor minister Bill Shorten has said he’s leaving politics at the end of the month confident with the state of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. As Minister for the NDIS, Shorten has been focused on making reforms to the scheme in an effort to reduce costs and ensure its sustainability. But despite claims the government’s reform of the NDIS is focused on fraud crackdowns, a third of the savings will come from pushing children off the scheme. Today, senior reporter fo...
Jan 15, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast When Cathy McGowan won the seat of Indi as an independent in 2013, it sent shockwaves through the political establishment. The Liberal Party had lost what was supposed to be one of their safe seats. At the time, McGowan was one of only two independents in the House of Representatives. In 2022, the Liberals lost six seats to independents, and at least 51 electorates across the country are currently planning to put forward a community backed independent in this year’s election. Today, ...
Jan 14, 2025•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the past few weeks, Elon Musk has posted thousands of times on his social media platform X about British politics, the far-right activist Tommy Robinson and conspiracy theories over a decades-old sex abuse scandal. Now, the British government’s agenda has stalled as the prime minister faces questions about the theories Musk has elevated. It’s a stark example of how the world’s richest man can influence politics in any country, and comes at a time when competitors like ...
Jan 13, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast The 2025 federal election campaign has already begun, even if unofficially. While most Australians are still enjoying their summer, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton are already in fight mode. For Labor, the stakes are high. To secure a second term, they’re hoping to reverse their losses in Queensland and regain popularity with an apathetic electorate. For the Coalition, it’s about regaining ground in suburban seats and capitalising on the government&...
Jan 12, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast From afar, Alice Springs/Mparntwe is a whirlpool of myth and truth. It’s a town with competing interests and few solutions, marked by chaos and decades of government overreach. Today, Yorta Yorta man and host of 7am Daniel James traces the origins of the so-called crime crisis in Alice Springs and reflects on all the interventions, big and small, that have led to this point. Please enjoy “Children of the Intervention” by Daniel James, a companion piece to 7am &rsquo...
Jan 09, 2025•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tucked away in a Sydney suburb is one of Australia’s largest landfill sites. Here lies a stark reminder of the millions of tonnes of waste that form the collateral of our modern lives. Author and critic James Bradley visited the landfill to reflect on our relationship with private consumption and investigate why there is so little accountability for the damage caused by our waste. Please enjoy “The Tipping Point”, read by James Bradley and first published in the September edition of The Monthly....
Jan 08, 2025•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Indonesia’s recently sworn in President Prabowo Subianto is many things. To millions of young Indonesians, he is a daggy dancer on TikTok. But to a cohort of voters with longer memories, he is a veteran of a brutal and oppressive military force. Today, principal fellow of the Indo-Pacific Research Centre at Murdoch University Jacqui Baker charts Prabowo Subianto’s extraordinary climb to the presidency and what it means for Indonesia’s fragile democracy. Please enjoy “Forcing History”, read by Ja...
Jan 07, 2025•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast This year, Andrea Robin Skinner, the daughter of the late Nobel Prize-winning Canadian author Alice Munro, revealed something about her mother that had stayed hidden throughout Munro’s entire life. When Skinner was nine years old, Munro’s husband – who was also Andrea's stepfather – had assaulted her. Today, art critic and author Sebastian Smee reads his piece on the author Alice Munro. It’s an insightful and sharp piece of writing by one of the best observers of the art and literary worlds. Ple...
Jan 06, 2025•48 min•Ep 1441•Transcript available on Metacast Peter Dutton’s first major promise when he became opposition leader was to build nuclear power plants. It was a curious idea with no cost attached, and polling suggested it had little community support. Today, journalist Marian Wilkinson joins with her investigation into the conservative charity group figures driving the opposition leader’s pivot to nuclear energy. Marian’s sharp reporting on the nuclear lobby only becomes more relevant with each day we inch closer to the next federal election. ...
Jan 05, 2025•30 min•Ep 1440•Transcript available on Metacast Elif Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist whose work has been translated into fifty-five languages. In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This , Michael chats with Elif about her latest novel, There are Rivers in the Sky, which follows a single drop of water across millennia. Reading list: The Bastard of Istanbul , Elif Shafak, 2006 The Forty Rules of Love , Elif Shafak, 2009 Honour , Elif Shafak, 2011 10 Minutes 38 Seconds In this Strange World , Elif Shafak, 2019 T...
Jan 02, 2025•27 min•Ep 1439•Transcript available on Metacast 
