7am

When the Taliban retook Afghanistan in August 2021, the country’s embassy in Canberra stayed open. It’s an embassy in exile – staffed by diplomats from the former administration – and advocating on behalf of Afghans here in Australia. Until now, there have been 17 embassies of its kind around the world – in countries that don’t formally recognise the Taliban. Bu...

Melbourne photojournalist Alex Zucco was cleaning her camera lens when a police officer hit her directly in the face with a stream of capsicum spray at a protest outside the Melbourne Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition last year. In July this year, a police officer allegedly punched former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas in the face at a pro-Palestine rally, seriously injuring her ey...

In the 1970s, eight children in Perth were sent to a psychiatric hospital to be ‘treated’ for being transgender. Their experiences became the basis of a medical study that claimed kids could be cured of their identity. Now, nearly forty years after it was released, that same study is being cited in arguments against trans healthcare and being used to shape policy and law. Today, Walkle...

Recently, Spotify’s founder, Daniel Ek, announced he’s stepping back from running the company. He leaves as one of the richest men in his home country of Sweden – with Forbes estimating his wealth at $9.6 billion. In a departure note to staff, Ek said he wants to focus on creating more European “supercompanies” – companies he described as “developing new t...

Labor is trying to land one of its toughest reforms – an overhaul of Australia’s environmental laws.  Environment Minister Murray Watt says he wants to speed up housing and energy project developments, make it clear where construction can and can’t go ahead, and create a federal environment watchdog. After a failed deal with the Greens in the last parliament, Labor is now de...

Almost two years to the day since October 7, Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza. The agreement involves the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, with Israel pulling back its troops to an agreed-upon line and allowing aid into Gaza. The first hostages are expected to be released as soon as this weekend.  Tod...

Anthony Albanese was first elected on a pledge to fix the climate wars. The most recent test of that promise was the emissions targets he announced on the world stage. But if the targets themselves don’t meet the standards set by scientists – and the policy underpinning them hasn’t dramatically altered – what’s really going to change? Today, journalist Nick Feik on th...

The government says it wants to make it easier for Australians to buy a home. Its latest expansion of the five per cent deposit scheme means almost anyone, regardless of income, can now buy a home with a fraction of the usual savings required for a deposit.  It is the boldest version yet of a policy first introduced under the Morrison government.  But behind the promise of affordability...

It started with a series of posts on social media. Nostalgic images of Australia from decades ago, accompanied by statements like  "we're starting to feel like strangers in our own home”  WA Liberal MP Andrew Hastie’s public posts about what he’s calling “out of control” immigration, as well as housing and energy costs have now led to his resignation. ...

Every Wednesday morning during sitting weeks, politicians, staffers, public servants and journalists gather for a friendly game of sport. It’s meant to be casual, even wholesome.  But recently, that club, the Parliament Sports Club, quietly re-registered as a lobbying organisation. Its board includes the Prime Minister. Its members include representatives from the major sporting codes &...

This week, Rick Morton won the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards for his book Mean Streak. It’s a huge achievement and we are thrilled for him. This book was the culmination of years of reporting on Robodebt – a government scheme that destroyed lives. At 7am, we were lucky enough to work with Rick on a series, which we published in 2023, about how Robodebt was allowed to happen. A...

Anthony Albanese recently returned from a major overseas trip, rubbing shoulders with royalty and sharing the stage with world leaders. But behind the scenes, there were also quiet discussions about a possible Plan B for AUKUS.  With parliament about to sit again, his government faces pressure from the crossbench over defence and foreign policy – while the Opposition is consumed by inte...

TikTok is the most influential media platform for Australians under the age of 25. It’s where millions now get their news - whether they realise it or not.  But the app is no longer just a cultural force. It’s now at the centre of a global power struggle - between China – and Trump’s America, over who gets to control the algorithm. In the US, a Trump aligned group of i...

Rick Morton was writing about the restructures happening at several universities earlier this year when documents from the University of Technology Sydney caught his eye. UTS had hired KPMG to help it save $100 million through a restructure. That restructure has now led to the announcement of 400 job losses, with the entire School of Education gone. Rick noticed that UTS had asked KPMG to provide...

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have unveiled a 20-point proposal they say could end the war in Gaza “immediately” – after nearly two years of bombardment and mounting international pressure. At its core, Hamas must release all hostages, disarm and have no role in Gaza’s future governance. Israel would not commit to a full withdrawal – retaining the freedom to re-...

Dr Rachel Coghlan is a palliative care doctor based in Melbourne, who worked with doctors in Gaza before October 7, 2023. Since then, she has been in regular contact with her colleagues there, as they have continued to show up for work to care for their patients in increasingly horrific circumstances. But now, as Israel’s bombardment of Gaza City intensifies, doctors in Gaza face a devastati...

When Donald Trump took power, he promised retribution against his political opponents. Now, he’s delivering - and he’s using the justice department to do it, with the US Attorney launching a two-count indictment against former FBI Director James Comey.  And it seems like that’s just the beginning.  The justice department has also been directed to investigate the Open So...

Anthony Albanese has finally managed to get a meeting with Donald Trump, after months of trying.  But why did it take so long? And what does it say about just how rocky our relationship with the US has become? As political journalist and author of Albanese: Telling it Straight Karen Middleton reports, the Australian government has been working hard to soften the Trump administration’s a...

The communications watchdog has opened a formal investigation into Optus after a 13-hour failure blocked about 600 triple-zero calls – now linked to three deaths. The government is furious, calling it “completely unacceptable”, and warning of “significant consequences”. But is it actually their fault too? Today, journalist and contributor to Crikey, Michael Sainsbury,...

The Albanese government has been on an unprecedented campaign of diplomatic activism in the Pacific Islands – all to keep China’s military at a distance. At the same time, AUKUS is remaking our defence strategy, with eight nuclear-powered submarines, expanded facilities for US forces, and plans for a new east-coast submarine base. For some watching on, those two approaches are at odds...

Almost a month after two police officers were shot and killed in regional Victoria, the accused gunman – Dezi Freeman – is still at large. Victoria Police have deployed thousands of officers, searched more than a hundred properties, and offered the biggest reward in Victorian history – with no result. People have also been combing Freeman’s Facebook history, which plots a j...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in New York for the UN General Assembly, where Australia has formally recognised the State of Palestine – a step that more than 150 UN member states have now taken. The move is part of what Australian calls "a co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution". But with no active peace process, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin...

The Coalition is again in crisis. The latest Newspoll puts its primary vote at 27 per cent – its worst on record. And with one frontbencher sacked over immigration comments and others threatening to quit over climate policy, the party seems more divided than ever. Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton on the ideological battle lines tearing the party apart. If you enjoy 7am, the be...

Having released the National Climate Risk Assessment – a report full of apocalyptic climate warnings – earlier this week, the government has now announced its 2035 emissions reduction target. It’s a range, not a single number: 62–70 per cent below 2005 levels. The government says it’s achievable and ambitious, backed by more renewables and industry support. Critics sa...

The UN Commission of Inquiry has delivered its starkest assessment yet – finding that Israel has been and is committing genocide in Gaza. Israel has rejected the report, saying it’s acting in self-defence and takes steps to protect civilians. Meanwhile, Israel has begun a major ground offensive in Gaza City after weeks of bombardment. And abroad, Israel’s strike in the Qatari cap...