ABC News Daily is the podcast that helps you understand the issues affecting your world. Every episode, host Samantha Hawley walks through one story with the help of an ABC colleague or expert in under 15 minutes. When you want coverage you can trust, listen to ABC News Daily.
Key topics of recent episodes include the Donald Trump administration, anti-Semitism in Australia, TikTok’s future, artificial intelligence, Israel-Hamas war and ceasefire, Australian dollar, bushfires, the Australians election, Peter Dutton, Anthony Albanese and incumbency.
From interest rates, real estate and the housing crisis, to scams and US politics, ABC News Daily brings you facts and analysis you need to understand the biggest news stories.
In this election year expect regular updates on Australian politics, with key comments from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as they compete for votes in the 2025 Australian election. The podcast picks apart major policy areas, including energy policy, finance and the Federal Budget.
The podcast covers news from America, with analysis on the Donald Trump administration in the White House. His return to power has big implications for global politics and security and US journalists and experts will explain what's at stake.
As Australians battle a cost-of-living crisis, ABC News Daily looks at the causes of inflation, rising rental costs, house prices, insurance costs and the price of groceries. Key experts in business and finance join Samantha Hawley, explaining the state of the economy, the unemployment rate and the jobs market.
Whether you rent, own an investment house or apartment, or are repaying a mortgage, ABC News Daily offers unique insights and analysis. When there are big moves from the Reserve Bank (RBA) on interest rates, or remarkable reactions in the ASX or the Australian dollar, guest experts, including economists, explain why.
Look into ABC News Daily's archive to find episodes on electric vehicles (EVs), artificial intelligence (AI), the big banks, supermarkets, TikTok, Ozempic, Tesla, Elon Musk, Twitter, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, COVID, cyber security, spies, espionage, education, schools, teachers, crime and issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) Australians.
ABC News Daily follows developments in the Middle East and the war between Israel and Hamas, with insights into the mindset of Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinians and the role of Iran.
The podcast looks at the latest from Ukraine as Volodymyr Zelensky fights to repel the Russian invaders led by Russia's President Vladimir Putin. As China's Xi Jinping contemplates the future of Taiwan, ABC News Daily will sort fact from fiction. When North Korea's Kim Jong Un fires ballistic missiles, we'll assess the danger his regime poses.
When scammers target superannuation, your tax return and the ATO, you'll hear advice on what you can do to protect yourself.
As climate change fuelled by greenhouse gas emissions increases the risk of natural disasters, including fires and floods, ABC News Daily brings you fact-based analysis.
The future of electricity generation in Australia is being debated, and as claims are made about the merits of nuclear power, come to ABC News Daily for context around its potential role in replacing or augmenting coal and gas power plants and what it could mean for power bills. The podcast covers the future of renewable / green power generation, including the use of wind turbines, solar and hydro electric power.
The podcast looks at key businesses, including Coles and Woolworths, Qantas, the Commonwealth Bank and the construction, resources and manufacturing industries. When they report record profit, battle unions, or raise prices, the podcast pays attention.
ABC experts including Ian Verrender, Alan Kohler, Laura Tingle, Patricia Karvelas, John Lyons, and Annabel Crabb join Samantha Hawley to step through big issues and current affairs.
Inflation’s now at its lowest level in more than three years, so when’s the interest rate cut coming? One factor the RBA is looking at is the unemployment rate which might need to rise before it acts. Today, chief business correspondent Ian Verrender on the old economic theory linking unemployment and inflation and his prediction on when interest rates will start to fall. Ian Verrender highlights the delay in the impact of interest rate changes, likening it to adjusting a shower’s temperature. H...
Sep 25, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
After the pager and walkie-talkie attacks last week, Israel has scaled up its air strikes in southern Lebanon. So, as its fight against Hezbollah intensifies could it go further by sending in ground troops? Today, Dov Waxman, a professor of Israel Studies at the University of California on Israel’s goals and what might come next. Professor Waxman explains that the recent escalation is a significant shift in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. This low-intensity war has been ongoin...
Sep 24, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Childcare in Australia is expensive and finding a spot can be really hard. Even if you never need it, getting it wrong matters for women’s rights and the economy. Today, we look at how we got it so wrong, the money being made and the ideas to try and fix it. We speak with a mother who’s struggled to get enough care for her children and hear how it’s set back her plans to return to work as a teacher. Alexandra Dockrill shares the financial and professional setbacks she faces due to the childcare ...
Sep 23, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
As it dawned on David Sweeney’s father that the people he was investing with online were scammers, he made a shock admission to his family. “I’ve lost all the money,” he said. It was the start of a fight led by his son David against the banks that had allowed about $1 million to leave his father’s accounts. It was an ordeal that lasted for five years, as a bank tried to deny it had been given a warning about the scammers before the money was taken. In the end, David Sweeney’s family got all the ...
Sep 22, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Since Donald Trump falsely accused migrants in Springfield, Ohio of eating pet dogs and cats, the US city has made headlines around the world and has been thrown into chaos. Bomb threats have shut down schools and Haitian migrants feel intimidated in their adopted home. So, what’s life really like there for long term residents and the thousands of migrants who breathed new life into Springfield, while also straining services including health and education? Today, Associated Press reporter Julie ...
Sep 19, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
On Tuesday afternoon in Lebanon, hundreds of pagers used by members of the Hezbollah militant group to communicate, exploded all at once. It was a deadly attack, a young girl is among the dead and almost three thousand others are injured. Israel is being blamed, although it hasn't admitted its role. Today, intelligence expert John Blaxland on the sophisticated strike that’s embarrassed and rattled Hezbollah. Professor Blaxland says the attack is unprecedented in its coordination and technologica...
Sep 18, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Instagram is making changes to how teenagers use the social media platform, applying limits to the content they see and who can get in touch with them. It’s a first for a social media giant as concern grows about the harmful content children are exposed to online. The announcement comes as the federal government works on an outright ban of social media for children. The precise age limit is still to be settled, South Australia thinks under-14 is appropriate, but any ban is likely to require some...
Sep 17, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Donald Trump is unharmed after a second apparent assassination attempt, this time on his golf course in Florida. A Secret Service agent opened fire on a gunman after seeing a rifle barrel poking through a fence while the former president was nearby. What does the incident say about the former president’s security and will it win him any more votes? Today, Emma Shortis, a US politics expert at the Australia Institute on the threat of political violence in the US. She highlights the volatile natur...
Sep 16, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
The US election isn’t until November, but voting is starting in some states this week. The polls are tight, but even if Kamala Harris wins more votes overall than Donald Trump, she could still lose the election given the complicated electoral college system. It’s happened before, when Hillary Clinton won the support of millions of more Americans than Trump in 2016, but he went on to become president. The electoral college is the reason that on election night we’re all watching to see how individ...
Sep 15, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
The Murdoch family will head to court in Nevada in the US next week in a fight over the future of the media empire. It’s a real-life succession drama, as Rupert Murdoch seeks to ensure his son Lachlan has full control of the editorial policy of the businesses once he dies. To do that, he’s got to beat three of his other children in court and he’s reportedly arguing that making the change is in good faith and would prevent power struggles resulting from the lack of consensus between the children....
Sep 12, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
With less than two months until election day, US presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have come face to face in a wild, personal and fiery televised debate. From claims of migrants eating pet dogs to fear raising about Democrats wanting to ‘execute’ babies, Donald Trump was repeatedly corrected by the moderators. Kamala Harris spoke about her background, directly addressed her opponent and insisted she had a plan for the future. At the end of it, pop superstar Taylor Swift came...
Sep 11, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
For a long time, Australia’s taxation system has been set up to benefit property investors and landlords and any attempts to change that have been shouted down. But with the generational divide in home ownership becoming more pronounced, voters are shifting their views. Today, host of Q+A and The Party Room podcast Patricia Karvelas on whether governments will finally be forced to scrap negative gearing. Featured: Patricia Karvelas, host of RN Breakfast, Q+A and The Party Room...
Sep 10, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
David Finney was a sailor in the Australian Navy who served for two decades and at the height of his career even received a bravery commendation. But in 2019 he took his own life. He’d been medically discharged from the ADF before his death. Ever since, his mother, Julie-Ann has been fighting to hold to account a defence force she says could and should have done so much more to save his life. Now after three years, a Royal Commission into the deaths by suicide of thousands of current and former ...
Sep 09, 2024•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Millions of Australians live in apartments and the number is set to grow as housing density increases in our biggest cities. Being part of a strata scheme is part and parcel of owning an apartment, but many owners are not taking an active interest in how the blocks are being managed. A Four Corners investigation has revealed a rot at the heart of the strata management industry that’s draining the funds of owners. Today, investigative reporter Linton Besser shares stories of greed in many of Aust...
Sep 08, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Cats are killing Australia’s wildlife at such an alarming rate that governments around the country are working on a major crackdown. The draft management plan focuses mainly on feral felines, but domestic cats, let out of the house to roam are also recognised as a problem. In some council areas, felines would be forced to be securely enclosed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Today, Sarah Legge, a leading researcher in the field who’s worked with the federal government on its plan, discusses th...
Sep 05, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under increasing pressure to negotiate a ceasefire in the war in Gaza as families of the hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 plead for more to be done to bring them home. So why is Netanyahu not willing to do another deal with Hamas and can he survive growing anger and protests at home? Today, Dr Eyal Mayroz, an expert on peace and conflict studies at Sydney University on the fate of more than one hundred hostages still unaccounted-for. Dr. Mayro...
Sep 04, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Elon Musk’s X, also known as Twitter, has been banned in Brazil and Pavel Durov, the CEO of encrypted messaging service Telegram has been arrested in France. So, as the world becomes more concerned about the dangers of social media - have we finally reached a turning point on big tech - or is this merely a crackdown on free speech? Today, Professor of Communications and Media Studies at Monash University, Mark Andrejevic on why governments are finally holding tech billionaires to account....
Sep 03, 2024•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast
On any given day you are being bombarded by gambling ads on television, radio and online. A parliamentary committee is pushing for a full ban on advertising to protect younger generations from the dangers of gambling, but there are indications the government will stop short of that. Today, investigative journalist and occasional Radio National Breakfast host Steve Cannane on the arguments being made by the powerful gambling industry in its lobbying against a full ban. Featured: Steve Cannane, AB...
Sep 02, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Airlines may soon be forced to pay cash refunds to customers in Australia for cancelled or unreasonably delayed flights under the government's much-anticipated crackdown on the aviation sector. It comes after widespread backlash from consumer groups and calls for more competition against Qantas and Virgin airlines, which currently dominate the domestic market. Today, ABC investigative reporter Adele Ferguson on the new rights for travellers and if the industry shake-up goes far enough. Featured:...
Sep 01, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
As presidential election polls tighten in key US states, Donald Trump and his supporters are already laying the groundwork to challenge the legitimacy of the result if he loses. As part of his campaign, the former president has repeatedly accused the Democrats of cheating, and begun sowing the seeds of doubt about the integrity of the election. Today, Geoff Kabaservice from the Niskanen Centre in Washington DC on the election deniers who will refuse to accept a Trump loss. Featured: Geoffrey Kab...
Aug 29, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
The government’s proposed caps on the number of international students starting at universities next year will have a financial impact on some of Australia’s biggest higher education institutions. With fierce competition for housing pushing up rents in our major cities, could the caps also ease key cost of living pressures? Today, the ABC’s chief business correspondent, Ian Verrender, on why a ‘tragedy’ for unis reliant on foreign student fees might lead to less economic pain across the board. F...
Aug 28, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
A giant solar farm planned in remote Northern Territory has been given environmental approval. Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes is backing the Sun Cable project that would send electricity to Darwin and beyond to Singapore, via an undersea cable. Today, Giles Parkinson from RenewEconomy.com.au on when it might be up and running. Featured: Giles Parkinson, founder and editor of RenewEconomy.com.au
Aug 27, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched major attacks against each other on the weekend, raising tensions in the Middle East. Given Hezbollah’s ties to Iran, the ongoing war in Gaza and the recent assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran, the world remains braced for a much larger conflict. The ABC’s global affairs editor John Lyons has toured the region for the Four Corners program, getting rare access inside Iran. Today, he explains Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’ and explores w...
Aug 26, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Sales of electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars are rising in Australia. But do we have electricity infrastructure that can cope with the demand? Owners will often want to charge at peak times in the early evening, but that convenience could stress the power grid to breaking point and require expensive upgrades to electricity generation and distribution. Today, energy reporter Dan Mercer on the solutions to spread out the demand or even draw power from car batteries to stabilise the grid. Fea...
Aug 25, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Generative AI tools can now produce sophisticated music complete with fake lyrics, a fake singer and fake instruments. With the right prompt and training, artificial intelligence tools can even be used to produce cheap new songs that almost sound like they’re from your favourite artist. AI has some of Australia’s biggest artists worried and a study from the industry suggests nearly a quarter of their revenue is at risk. Today, singer, songwriter Ben Lee joins Sam Hawley with his take on AI music...
Aug 22, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
NASA doesn’t like to phrase it this way, but right now a couple of astronauts are stuck in space. Their mission was meant to take eight days, but might last into next year because the Boeing spacecraft they were testing has experienced some technical difficulties. Today, space expert Rebecca Allen on how NASA plans to get them back to Earth. Featured: Dr Rebecca Allen, Co-Director of the Space Technology and Industry Institute at Swinburne University of Technology...
Aug 21, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
The debate over whether Australia should be granting visas to Palestinians from Gaza has been getting pretty heated. In part it’s turned into a row over what is and isn’t racist. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says we need a ban because of a security risk posed by people from that war zone. But with 1300 people having already managed to reach Australia and others being granted permission to come, is there really any danger? Today, the ABC’s Patricia Karvelas discusses the policy and the politics...
Aug 20, 2024•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Thirty months into a gruelling war, Ukraine surprised its enemy by invading Russia. It’s the first major foreign incursion there since World War II and a deep embarrassment for Russian president Vladimir Putin. Today, Rajan Menon, an international relations expert from The City College of New York on whether Ukraine’s major shift in tactics will pay off. Featured: Rajan Menon, international relations professor at The City College of New York...
Aug 19, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Forget the great Australian dream, we’re a nation with a growing number of forever renters. It’s just too politically difficult to do anything that would improve the affordability of buying a home. The situation bolsters the case for strengthening renters’ rights, ensuring longer leases with more checks on the power of landlords. Today, ABC finance expert Alan Kohler shares his ideas on how to save renters. Featured: Alan Kohler, ABC finance presenter...
Aug 18, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
Kamala Harris was barely more popular than Joe Biden when she replaced him as the Democratic presidential nominee. But new polling shows she is gaining significant ground against Donald Trump. Today, Molly Ball, senior political correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, on the re-energised Democratic campaign and how Trump’s struggling to keep things on track. Featured: Molly Ball, senior political correspondent for the Wall Street Journal...
Aug 15, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast
