The Quicky

What if something like your Uber rating affected everything you do in life? That's what's happening in China right now, there are trials underway to create a social credit scoring system that will have an impact on whether you can travel, get a loan, even access a dating app. So what does it look like to have your every moment tracked, monitored and reported on? We speak to Mamamia reporter Gemma...

In late 2016 Fernando Manrique hooked two gas cylinders up to his Sydney home. Those cylinders contained deadly carbon monoxide, an odourless colourless gas which would, later that night, filter through the bedrooms of his wife and two children. The story that first hit the headlines wasn't the same as the one we're hearing at the inquest now. Those headlines pointed to stressed parents and the bu...

Last week, the co-founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange was arrested by British Police after spending nearly 7 years holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. The 47 year old is now in custody waiting to see if the situation he predicted would happen, the conspiracy that sexual assault allegations were all a ruse to get him to the US to face charges he helped leak confidential military document...

Welcome Game of Thrones fans to a very special day... Monday April 15 (for Australians) is the debut of the first episode of the eighth and final series. But where did all this start? How did this story of kings and queens, of ethically questionable behaviour and dragons cement itself as the epic tale of our time? Today we speak to a woman who has dedicated herself to the study of the phenomena th...

Hands up if you're guilty of flushing a wet wipe down the loo, or pouring oil from your frypan down the sink? Then you are a co-creator of a fatberg! Fatbergs are a relatively recent phenomena, clogging our sewage systems and creating a dirty job that costs millions of dollars a year to keep under control. Today our experts take us down into the sewers and break down a dirty, smelly problem that w...

Do we really need a child sex offender register? Will it help protect potential victims or will it just hinder the potential rehabilitation of those whose names end up on it? Today we speak to both sides of the debate. Dr Karen Gelb has the hard facts on why it causes more harm and fear, while Bruce Morcombe, whose son Daniel was murdered by a known child sex offender tells us who needs it the mos...

What's the motivation behind online catfishing? When Melbourne woman Lydia Abdelmalek turned up to face court in 2019, no one would have pegged her as a mastermind of online deception. But the 29 year old was found guilty of 6 counts of online stalking involving multiple victims, a multi layered world, a Home and Away star and sadly, even a death. But what was her motivation? We speak to the journ...

Teenager Hoda Sharrouf and her sisters want to come home to Australia, the problem is, they're the daughters of Aussie ISIS fighter Khaled Sharrouf and his wife Tara Nettleton. With both of their parents now dead and the daughters trying to survive in a squalid and dangerous refugee camp, the politics of their situation is now in the headlines. Do we bring the children who had no say in joining th...

With MAFS ending for another crazy, unhinged season, there are plenty of relationship based reality shows waiting in the wings to take over your nightly viewing hours. Most, if not all of them, will feature a dysfunctional relationship between at least two women. It's called catfight culture and it extends beyond reality TV with women in most industries accused of not being able to get along. In t...

In May 2007 the lives of Kate and Gerry McCann were changed forever when their 3 year old daughter Madeleine went missing from the holiday resort they were staying in in Portugal. But were they involved in their own child's disappearance?  Today we speak with the author's of 'Looking for Madeleine' who will show us the evidence that continues to haunt Maddie's Mum and Dad. CREDITS Host/Produc...

On the internet... there's an army of vegan youtubers who preach their plant based diets to millions of people across the globe. But recently, some of them have been falling off the vegan wagon. Today we speak to Dr Kat, who has a doctorate in Exercise Physiology and Health Sciences and Australia's most trusted scientist Dr Karl Kruszelnicki to find out whether the health issues vegan youtubers sa...

From all reports The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle is about to give birth within the next few weeks. That means technically, she's on maternity leave. But what does that look like for a royal? Today we speak to a trio of royal experts to find out what the women of the British royal family do when they're preparing to welcome a new baby. CREDITS Host/Producer: Claire Murphy Executive Producer: El...

Happy Budget Day! We know that federal budgets aren't the most exciting thing going around but what if we told you this budget could be the best one for you and your bank balance? Today, CPA Australia Head of Policy Paul Drum talks us through why a budget delivered right before an election is the sweetest budget of them all. CREDITS Host/Producer: Claire Murphy Executive Producer: Elle Beattie Aud...

How can an embryo sue an abortion clinic? 21 year old Ryan Magers has made history in the US, taking new laws that consider an embryo to be a person, to sue an abortion clinic over the death of his unborn child, a pregnancy consensually terminated by his then girlfriend. Today we speak with Reporter Rosemary Westwood and the President of reproduction choice here in Australia Jenny Ejlak to find ou...

This week Al Jazeera broke the story that two One Nation members, Pauline Hanson's own Chief of Staff James Ashby and Queensland leader Steve Dickson, had been busted in a sting trying to line up donations from the US's powerful gun lobby the NRA. But who are the NRA? Are they just gun toting extremists? And what do they want with our politicians? Today we talk to... to find out whether we should...

Concierge parenting; those who “are there at a little desk waiting for any problems” before they “sort them out” for the offspring. You may have heard some buzz words doing the rounds lately describing how we parent kids these days. Some call it snow plough parenting, others call it concierge parenting, you may have heard it used in relation to the super rich parents who bo...

When you Google image search 'Australian Farmer' you're bombarded with pictures of men young and old, dressed in flannel shirts and a wide brimmed hats set against a backdrop of brown paddocks or lush green hillsides. But did you know that women are contributing almost half of the average Aussie farm income in 2019? Today we speak to Australia's invisible farmers and the woman who is putting the l...

With the Mueller report showing there was no collusion between the US President and Russia at the 2016 election, Donald Trump isn't leaving the Whitehouse any time soon. So now he's cleared of any wrongdoing, do we really need to worry about him? Today we speak with a psychologist who says an aspect of Donald Trump's personality is something we should all be concerned about. Is he a narcissist? An...

Fake 'likes': Have you ever wondered how some businesses are able to generate such a huge numbers of likes and shares on their social media platforms, when it doesn't seem warranted?  Today we’re speaking with tech guru Trevor Long to find out how low paid workers overseas are boosting worldwide engagement from within factories known as 'click farms'.  CREDITS Host/Producer: Claire...

This week we've seen New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern cement her place as a leader of her generation. She's responded to the terror attacks in Christchurch with meaning and purpose, her people saying instead of feeling like she was above or removed from them, she was right there beside them. But who is Jacinda Ardern? Today we speak with writer Amelia Lester who has spent time with one of...

Have you ever read a tabloid story about a woman who is rushed to hospital with what she thinks is appendicitis and it turns out to be a baby and you're like - yeah right. Or some women, like convicted murderer Kelly Lane who competed in a water polo match the day she went into labour and no-one suspected she was pregnant and you're wondering how could nobody notice? Today we speak with two women...

Having trouble figuring out what's going on with Brexit? You're not alone. Today we're going to try and make sense of it all, how did it start, what's happening right now and what can we expect as the UK tries to divorce itself from the European Union. Strap yourselves in for the Brexit breakdown CREDITS Host/Producer: Claire Murphy Executive Producer: Elle Beattie Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri &n...

Anti Vaxxers aren't new, in fact, as long as vaccinations have existed so have those opposed to them. But in 2019, instead of the argument existing between doctors and scientists and a group of concerned citizens, the anti vax movement has seen a dangerous new player enter the game... the social media influencer. Today we look at the NRL WAGS who have joined the Anti Vax army and speak to Dr John...

On Friday March 15, an Australian man entered two mosques in New Zealand and opened fire.  Today we're not focused on a right wing extremist, today we're telling stories of bravery, of hope and of how we as a community can get past this idea of 'us and them'. NZ Herald reporter Will Trafford was at the Linwood mosque after Friday's terrible events... and what he found, was that people are inc...

How do you even end up in a cult? Cult survivor Carli McConky says it's so much easier than you think. In today's episode, Carli and the author of a new book detailing cults from around the world Jo Thornely, tell us how people get sucked into cults, why they stay and what happens when you want to get out. CREDITS Host/Producer: Claire Murphy Executive Producer: Elle Beattie Audio Producer: Ian Ca...