Hack

A group of Australian women and children linked to Islamic State who've spent a decade in a Syrian refugee camp desperately want to come home. But with the government saying it's not its job to help them and One Nation calling for them to be banned, are they stuck? And one of Australia's biggest unions is facing wild allegations of corruption in Victoria. So how much are dodgy unions costing taxpa...

Are Australia's major supermarkets tricking customers with discounts that actually don't offer a saving? The ACCC thinks so, and its action against Coles officially kicked off today. And Bondi Beach gunman Naveed Akram appeared in court today, facing 15 murder charges and one charge of terrorism. We hear from a reporter who was there. Plus, have you got a friend from a different generation? How ab...

Juggling study and work can be a struggle at the best of times. But some uni students are also required to complete thousands of unpaid hours for placement, and many say 'placement poverty' is causing severe financial and psychological distress.  Now, a group of students and politicians are calling for the government to expand its paid placement scheme.  Last year, the government started paying st...

Angus Taylor has been voted in as the new leader of the Liberal party and Sussan Ley says she's quitting politics. We unpack the leadership showdown (and Taylor's infamous social media comment). And is a grand gesture romantic or manipulative? Olympain Sturla Holm Lægreid's public confession about cheating on his girlfriend has left the internet divided.  Plus, Wuthering Heights is out and people...

Australia may have a new opposition leader by tomorrow, with Angus Taylor officially challenging Sussan Ley today.  As of now, eight members of the shadow frontbench have quit ahead of the partyroom vote.  So how did we get here? We unpack the key players and dark horses vying for a new position.  Plus, from toothbrushes and food wrapping to your desk at work, the plastics we use contain thousands...

Have you ever thought about how much plastic might be in your body? We're in constant contact with plastics, even though we don't know much about many of the chemicals that are used to make them. It's something that was worrying Kal Glanznig, so he decided to have his urine tested. And the results left him speechless. In this week's long listen, Dave speaks with Kal about why he's hopeful Australi...

The injectables industry in Australia is booming, and practitioners say their clientele is getting younger. So what's driving young people towards cosmetic procedures? And as the Queensland government moves to introduce hate speech reforms, including bans on controversial slogans "globalise the intifada" and "from the river to the sea", we unpack what your rights are when it comes to free speech. ...

You've been seeing the videos: violent clashes in Sydney between police and people protesting the visit of the Israeli President Isaac Herzog. The protesters were breaking special restrictions in place during Isaac Herzog's trip, and police are defending how they handled it. So what happened? And how does the police response leave Australia's Palestinian community feeling?  Plus, people with disab...

Should more students be paid for their compulsory course placements? The government says "placement poverty" is a real issue. So why do a bunch of students in courses from medicine and pharmacy to psychology and occupational therapy miss out? And Israeli President Isaac Herzog spent his first full day in Australia, meeting with members of Sydney’s Jewish community in Bondi in the wake of the Decem...

It's hard enough already being a young person in Australia and trying to buy your first home. Saving for a deposit can take years, finding a place you're happy to live in can take months, and then after all of that, your dream might disappear in minutes when you rock up at an auction and get out-bid by a cashed up older buyer. But are real estate agents conspiring to make the experience worse? And...

Three million documents from the Epstein files including the names of some of the world's most powerful people were dumped on the internet this week. We take stock of the fallout. And 13-year-old Austin Appelbee's wild story of survival made international headlines this week. He swam 4 kilometres across the sea to save his family. Can anyone top this hero story? Plus, are Winter Olympics ski jumpe...

An attempted terrorism attack, motivated by "pro white ideology": that's what WA authorities allege happened in Perth 10 days ago, when they say a man threw a homemade bomb into an Invasion Day crowd.  And Iranians say they're being harassed and silenced right here in Australia, as they speak up for friends and family who are facing a vicious crackdown back home. Plus: why do young Nats see some b...

Every week, protesters have been taking to the streets of Aussie cities begging for other Australians to listen. They're standing in solidarity with Iranians facing a violent crackdown by their own government, as the country's religious rulers try to crush protests and stifle debate by cutting off internet access. International observers think tens of thousands of Iranians have been killed by the...

After the deaths of 2 teenage brothers in a suspected double murder-suicide in Perth last week, disability advocates say some of the talk online is becoming dangerous. Plus years of rising antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the Bondi Beach terror attack have many Jewish Australians living with fear, grief and social ostracism.  And with Israeli president Isaac Herzog's visit to Australia further divid...

Should courts hear about the "good character" of people who get convicted of crimes? One state has decided no, and is changing rules around sentencing. So with other states looking into it too: what's really in a reference? And while some young victim-survivors who've been campaigning for an end to good character references are celebrating, not all legal experts are convinced it's the right move....

The US Department of Justice has released millions of files related to the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. So what's new?  And the leaders of both the National and Liberal parties are fighting to hold their positions after the Coalition's break-up. David Littleproud held on today — can Sussan Ley do the same? Plus: one state is cracking down on underquoting to stop real...

Often when you hear people talk about screen time, the focus is on young people.  The Australian government has even banned kids from being on social media before they turn 16. But is Gen Z really the problem? Or are older generations spending more time staring at their phones (and tablets and TVs)? On the deep dive today, we ask young Aussies about screen time, disconnecting and talking to their...

Pauline Hanson is launching a music and film career, all while her One Nation party keeps surging in opinion polls. What's going on? And a private moment, or fair game for the cameras? Coco Gauff wasn't happy when her racquet smash backstage at the Australian Open this week went viral.  Plus, a new twist in the Beckham family drama. Now brothers Cruz and Romeo have entered the feud. How long can i...

Police in Perth say they're investigating a "potential terrorist act" at an Invasion Day rally on Monday, as Indigenous communities say they've felt ignored and scared all week. So could the media, politicians and police have done better? And ever dreamed of being the ruler of your own domain? We speak to the young Aussie who has claimed a piece of land in eastern Europe and declared it his own co...

Daniel Jackson says he's the youngest head of state in the world. There's just one problem: no other nation recognises his country. What started out as joke when he was 14 has developed into the Free Republic of Verdis. The micronation which Daniel is working to set up is between Croatia and Serbia, on a marshy piece of land in the Danube river. It has a flag, a government, and hundreds of "citize...

From recreational shooters to contract hunters, gun-owners are still working out how Australia's new firearms laws will impact them. So what's changing? And does Australia need to do more to monitor radical preachers? Former prime minister Scott Morrison thinks so.  Plus boomers love to slam young people for the amount of time they spend on their phones. But is it boomers that actually have the bi...

ICE officers in the US city of Minneapolis have killed a second protester, as locals fight against the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration. We get the latest from the ground with journalist Laura Jedeed.  Plus as part of her reporting, Laura was researching what it takes to sign up for ICE. So why did the agency end up hiring her? And back home: there were 4 shark attacks in 48 hours l...

It's Hottest 100 day today, and all over Australia, people are getting around their favourite music discoveries. But one of the main platforms that helps people find new tracks is having a bumpy ride, with users boycotting Spotify because of AI, algorithms and the investments of the company's CEO. So what is the boycott Spotify movement about? And what does it tell us about the state of music in g...

Is parliament's response to the Bondi terrorist attack about to destroy the coalition? It's the question everyone in Canberra is asking, after politicians returned for the year for an emergency sitting. The to-do list this week was short: tougher gun restrictions and new laws governing hate speech. So what did the parliament achieve, and how are laws about to change? In this ep of the hack summer...

When Luke Bateman was at the peak of his NRL career, his seemed to be living the dream of many young Aussie men.  At 24, he was earning hundreds of thousands of dollars to play the sport he loved. But the reality of what was happening in Luke's life was much darker.  He was struggling with a gambling addiction and depression.  In this extended interview Luke opens up, revealing details of how he r...