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After nearly two years of lockdowns and border closures there was hope that this summer things might be different in Australia. But then, Omicron hit.  Now we’re entering year three of the Covid-19 pandemic. Case numbers are higher than ever, hospitals are being pushed to their limit and rapid tests are extremely difficult to find. So how did we get here? Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Pa...

Author and activist Bri Lee regularly runs workshops on consent and sex in schools. She writes about those workshops in the context of a growing national conversation about sexual harassment and assault. Today, Bri reads her article from The Monthly , 'Ill-informed consent'.   Guest: Contributor to The Monthly Bri Lee. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Sarah Krasnostein, the best-selling author of ‘The Trauma Cleaner’, reads her essay from The Monthly .  It’s called ‘The most hated man’ and it explores the sentencing of Richard Pusey, who was convicted of outraging public decency after he filmed the horrific aftermath of a car crash that killed four police officers. Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Sarah Krasnostein. See omnystudio.co...

It’s another special bonus summer episode of The Culture ! On this episode of The Culture , author and The Saturday Paper’s TV critic Sarah Krasnostein breaks down the best TV shows of 2021 - from drama, to comedy, to the best of Australian television. Guest: Sarah Krasnostein. TV critic for The Saturday Paper. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Scott Ludlam, ICAN ambassador and former Australian Greens Senator, reads his cover essay from the latest issue of The Monthly . It’s called ‘The Endgame’. It explores the trial of Julian Assange, and the powers fighting to extradite him, while his condition deteriorates in a UK prison. Guest: Scott Ludlam, ICAN ambassador and former Australian Greens Senator. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

On this special bonus summer episode of The Culture , we’re talking the best of films in 2021. It was a great year for movies, and there’s plenty of stuff to catch up on if you didn’t have the time to hit the cinema as much as you would have liked. Joining host Osman Faruqi is film critic and the co-host of the Total Reboot podcast, Alexei Toliopoulos.  Guest: Alexei Toliopoulos, film critic and c...

Twenty five years ago Paul Kelly, one of Australia’s greatest songwriters, released ‘How To Make Gravy’, a song that has since become a staple at many family Christmas gatherings. ‘How to Make Gravy’ is full of anecdotes and snapshots about summer in Australia: the hot weather, Christmas roasts, dancing, and of course, family reunions. It’s a song that perfectly encapsulates what this time of year...

Capitol riots, the Delta strain, sexual assault allegations rocking Parliament, the war in Gaza, the Olympics, COP26 and humanity’s last chance, the world’s longest lockdown, freedom days, and now Omicron and the start of a federal election campaign. Today, we look back at the news events that defined 2021 - in sound. Original music and composition in this episode by Alex Gow.  Stay in touch with...

For more than ten years hundreds of people seeking asylum in Australia have been detained on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. The Australian government has made it clear that none of them will be resettled here. But now a group of refugee advocates have a new plan to help them - involving a third country: Canada. Today, one of those advocates, assistant professor Dr Laura Beth Bugg, on...

When Gladys Berejiklian spectacularly resigned as Premier of NSW, most people expected that would be the end of her political career. But then she was publicly encouraged by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to make a comeback - to run for federal parliament. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on the real reason Scott Morrison wanted to enlist Gladys Berejiklian, and wh...

The Covid-19 pandemic has been one of the most disruptive and devastating events in recent history. But it also led to a series of incredible scientific breakthroughs, including the fastest ever development of a new vaccine.  Now, the technology behind the Covid-19 vaccine, which has already saved millions of lives, is being adapted to find solutions for previously incurable diseases. Today, senio...

Australia has largely fallen behind the rest of the world when it comes to action on climate change. Even our closest allies regularly criticise our government’s slow approach to tackling the issue. While polls show a majority of Australians actually want to phase out our reliance on fossil fuels and move to renewables, there are some who are uncertain on how this future looks. Today, social resea...

Today, Mark McKenna, professor of history at the University of Sydney, will be reading his piece from the latest edition of The Monthly. It's called 'The Stunted Country', and in it, he argues that there can be no possibility of an Australian republic without constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians. Guest: Mark McKenna, professor of history at the University of Sydney. Background read...

Wes Anderson is back with this 10th feature film, ‘The French Dispatch’, his take on a fictional magazine reporting from France to an American audience in the 1960s and 70s. The movie has all the hallmarks we’ve come to expect from Wes Anderson, including a massive cast, a very specific sense of colour, and a lot of whimsy.  To talk about the film, and the work of Wes Anderson more broadly, we’re...

As 2021 comes to an end, most of us are winding down. But in Canberra, the contest is just beginning.  With an election on the horizon, both the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor leader Anthony Albanese have started pitching for votes.  Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper , Paul Bongiorno on what we’ll see as both leaders fight for their political future.  Guest: Columnist for The Saturd...

Every year, in the lead up to Christmas, thousands and thousands of native flying insects, known as Christmas beetles, would emerge from the soil and attach themselves to trees, street lights and crawl into homes across Australia. Or at least that’s what used to happen. In recent years Christmas beetles have disappeared, concerning scientists who are worried climate change is to blame. Today, prod...

A new report released by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner has revealed a toxic workplace culture in Parliament House, with nearly half of the women working there experiencing sexual harassment and bullying. But almost immediately after the report was released, a number of fresh allegations and scandals emerged in Parliament, demonstrating how deep the problem is. Today, chief political correspo...

Traditionally the Liberal Party’s biggest threat at federal elections is the Labor Party. But this time they’re facing an insurgency in their heartland. A number of high profile and well resourced independent candidates are challenging Liberal MPs in some of the party’s safest seats.  Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper , Mike Seccombe on what is motivating this wave of independen...

For the past three years one of the most secretive court cases in Australia has been taking place in Canberra. The former attorney-general for the ACT, Bernard Collaery, has been charged with conspiracy, but the details of the case have been hidden from journalists and the public.   Today, senior lawyer for the Human Rights Law Centre, Kieran Pender, on the trial of Bernard Collaery, and why the g...

This week the art world lost an icon and a visionary. The fashion designer, Virgil Abloh, passed away at the age of 41, two years after being diagnosed with cancer. From his beginnings in Chicago, to his collaborations with Kanye West and becoming the first black person in history to be appointed artistic director at Louis Vuitton, Virgil transformed fashion, music and art. To help unpack just how...

This week, two of the nation's most high profile politicians have announced that they will be quitting politics. The departure of the Health Minister Greg Hunt and former Attorney-General Christian Porter only adds to the pressure that the Prime Minister Scott Morrison is under right now - pressure created by the internal division plaguing the Coalition. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Pau...

In the lead up to the last federal election Scott Morrison promised he would introduce new laws to protect religious freedoms.  Now the federal government has finally introduced a religious discrimination bill to parliament. And there are concerns that they could make it easier for individuals to discriminate against marginalised communities, like the queer community, without consequence. Today, c...

For months scientists have been warning us that if global vaccination rates didn’t lift - new, potentially more dangerous strains of Covid-19 could emerge. Now it looks like their fears might have been realised with the emergence of the new Omicron variant.  Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on the threat posed by the Omicron variant, and how vaccine hoarding by rich nation...

Powershop was one of Australia’s fastest growing energy companies. It’s investment in renewables and political advocacy for climate change action made it one of the most popular electricity providers in the country. But in a shock announcement to its customers, Powershop announced it had been sold to one of the world’s biggest polluters. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Se...

Earlier this month, Peng Shuai, one of China’s most successful tennis stars posted a statement on social media, detailing allegations of sexual harassment levelled against a powerful Chinese politician.  Half an hour later, the post, and her entire, feed disappeared.  Then she did too.  Today, Linda Jaivin, on what happened to one of China’s biggest sports stars. Guest: Writer and author of The Sh...