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Over the past week, Labor Minister Anika Wells has become the face of a new debate over politicians' perks. Revelations about a near-$100,000 trip to New York to talk up Australia’s teen social media ban at the UN, followed by reports of taxpayer-funded family travel to grand finals, ski fields and overseas sporting events, have seen her refer three-and-a-half years of expenses to the parlia...

AUKUS is moving full steam ahead. That was the promise made in Washington, as Richard Marles and Penny Wong stood beside their US counterparts, stating the alliance is stronger than ever. But behind those assurances is a Pentagon review of AUKUS that the public isn't allowed to read – and in Canberra, a hand-picked AUKUS committee that will mostly meet in secret, raising questions about what...

Australia’s neo-Nazis are forming secret mothers’ groups – and have plans for a network of homeschools for their children. And when a government minister expressed concern, she was threatened – the latest in a string of threats against female politicians by neo-Nazis. Now, the federal police have raised the alarm, raising questions about the risk of further political violen...

In the waters off the Caribbean, the United States military has been blowing small boats out of the water – boats they say are carrying drugs. Now, the Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, is facing questions about whether his strike orders are illegal, and US President Donald Trump is doubling down, threatening strikes on Venezuelan soil. It’s the latest escalation in Donald Trump&rsqu...

Adele Ferguson is an investigative journalist at the ABC. She’s spent more than a year reporting on the crisis unfolding in Australia’s childcare system.  Last week, alongside her colleague Chris Gillett, she won the top honour in journalism –  the Gold Walkley. Her work has inspired us at 7am and so today, we’re bringing you an episode we made back in July, where...

When Labor came to power, it promised to clean up politics – to end the “jobs for mates” culture once and for all. But this week, the government quietly released the report it’s been sitting on for more than two years – and it’s not a great look.  The ‘No Favourites’ review found an appointments system riddled with nepotism, where friends are gi...

The Australian Energy Market Operator says the electricity grid is unprepared to manage the planned closure of the Eraring power station in New South Wales – and eastern parts of Australia could be set for widespread blackouts. The Coalition and parts of the media have seized on the report saying it’s proof that the government has an “obsession” with renewables, over reliab...

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago, Australian leaders have repeatedly stated that Australia “stands with Ukraine”. But as the invasion has intensified – with nightly missile and drone attacks, rolling blackouts and water cuts across Ukrainian cities – Australia's support has slowed. The federal government hasn’t announced a fresh package of aid...

Right now, Tiktok is awash with videos of how to get around the social media ban for under 16s, which is due to come into effect in a week. At the same time, fringe apps like Yope are rocketing up the Apple charts, as teenagers plan where they’ll go when the major platforms boot them off.  There’s also a court case underway, challenging the government on whether the ban is even le...

Limb lengthening surgery – where bones in your leg are broken, a rod inserted and extended – can be high risk, and is especially controversial when it's done for cosmetic reasons.  The procedure is a speciality of the Florida based Paley Institute, which now plans on opening an Australian arm.  The centre is no stranger to controversy – and neither is the man they&rsquo...

At its height, in 2014, there were over a thousand people being held on Nauru, as part of Australia’s offshore detention system. But in the decade since, that figure has shrunk to less than 100. Yet the Department of Home Affairs continues to pay outsized and exorbitant fees on contracts no longer fit for purpose – all in the name of keeping Manus Island and Nauru off the front page an...

Australia’s plan to ban teenagers from social media has been called “world‑leading”. The law, which comes into effect December 10, threatens platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook with fines of up to $50 million if they let under-16s open or keep accounts. But as implementation draws closer, questions remain about how the ban will be enforced, what it means for online p...

Environmental law reform has been sitting in the too-hard basket for years — under successive governments, the system stayed broken. Now, just days before the end of the parliamentary year, Labor has passed the first major changes in a generation. The government chose to work with the Greens, agreeing to scrap logging exemptions, close coal and gas loopholes, and hand real enforcement powers...

When we heard news that Barnaby Joyce was quitting The Nationals – we knew we’d cover it with our friend in Canberra, Amy Remeikis – but the more we talked about it, there was someone else we needed to hear from too.    Barnaby’s old sparring partner and the former member for New England, Tony Windsor, was loading cattle when we called. And he said the expected mo...

Companies are betting big on AI – and burning through cash to do it. They’re pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into building data centres and developing new models – such as ChatGPT. And so far, these projects are yet to see a financial return. There is one clear winner: Nvidia – the company that makes the chips that power this tech. But how long can its customers kee...

The year is 1934, and the setting is Scotland. Startling photos have emerged, appearing to capture the Loch Ness monster. Fast-forward 90 years to 2024, to an election campaign in Australia, and a video is released of a prime minister promising to ban gambling ads. Both are fake – designed specifically to deceive. And while humans have always had a tendency to mislead each other, what’...

Negotiators at this year’s global climate summit in Brazil almost didn’t reach a deal – but when they did, the watered down pledge left many countries reeling. While the agreement boosts finance for poorer nations experiencing the worst of global warming – it fails to even mention the fossil fuels driving it. Outside the official COP process, dozens of countries signed a pl...

In Russia, the rules of power are being rewritten. For decades, Vladimir Putin governed through a network of loyal elites — oligarchs, bureaucrats, security chiefs — each rewarded for their obedience and connections. But since the invasion of Ukraine, that system has begun to fracture. The old elite are being sidelined, and a new cast is emerging: relatives, ideologues, and battlefield...

A sleek Chinese-made ute is suddenly one of the most popular vehicles on Australian roads. It’s cheap, fast and packed with tech. But behind its rise are questions security agencies are struggling to grapple with. Because the cars we drive today are no longer just cars; they’re also data collection tools. And in a tense geopolitical climate – the lines between convenience and sur...

This week, we had Sussan Ley on 7am. But we weren’t alone. Sussan Ley was everywhere , speaking with everyone – about scrapping net zero, and inevitably, about her leadership. So, did the media blitz work? And what has chaos in the Coalition meant for the government while the press gallery has been looking the other way? Today, Network Ten’s political editor Ashleigh Raper on the...

This week, we saw something almost unprecedented in American politics: a unified Congress, as all but one person voted to have the Epstein files released.  These documents have plagued Donald Trump since he campaigned to release them while running for his second term as president, then backtracked once he won – sparking a mass revolt from his otherwise loyal MAGA base. After months of t...

Sussan Ley describes herself as a moderate – a Liberal leader who wants to keep her party in the centre. But last week, after months of internal pressure, she led the Liberal Party to formally abandon its commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050, a target first adopted under Scott Morrison, arguing that dropping it is the only way to deliver cheaper power bills. The decision has please...

For the first time in history, almost one in five Australians support One Nation. Their surge in popularity comes as the Liberal Party bleeds support from both ends of its base, as it tears itself apart over climate and immigration. So, is this just a protest – or the start of a permanent shift on the right of Australian politics? Today, Director of Strategy and Analytics at Redbridge, Kos S...

Last week, the Victorian government stunned even its own MPs – announcing laws that will allow children as young as 14 to be tried in adult courts and face life sentences. The proposal was rushed into Cabinet with no warning – ministers were given just minutes to read it before the meeting began. Only a year ago, Labor promised to raise the age of criminal responsibility. Now, in respo...

Anthony Albanese leads a party that no longer argues in public. Labor presents as unified, consistent, and on message. But behind that unity is another story. One where a party once defined by its dissent and debate has become scared of conflict, to the point where its identity is formed not by beliefs, but by a commitment to staying in power no matter what. Sean Kelly has worked up close with Ant...