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Last year, one of the world’s most powerful families converged in a Nevada court room to fight over the future of their empire. Rupert Murdoch was attempting to change a decades-old family trust in order to install his chosen son, Lachlan, as heir apparent when he dies. Exactly what happened in that court room was a tightly guarded secret. But then, in a rare interview with The Atlantic staf...

Two time Miles Franklin Award-winning author Alex Miller is 88, but with 17 books under his belt and more writing on the way, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. On this episode of  Read This , host Michael Williams sits down with Alex to discuss his latest book  The Deal , which revisits the life of Lang Tzu, a character in his critically acclaimed novel  The Ancestor Game...

In news rooms, board rooms and electoral offices around the country, there's one question driving everyone insane: when is Anthony Albanese going to call the election? Nervous backbenchers are willing him to strike while the Reserve Bank’s decision to cut interest rates is fresh in voters’ minds, but the prime minister is being coy about his preferred date. Today, columnist for The Sat...

Australia faces its most “difficult threat environment” in 50 years, with larger and more varied plots than ever before. That was the message from the director-general of ASIO, Mike Burgess, when he gave his annual threat assessment on Wednesday night, taking the extraordinary step of declassifying some of the intelligence behind the warning. According to Burgess, foreign interference...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s confirmation as US health secretary made official one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial appointments. Kennedy’s confirmation came off the back of fiery questions from both Democrats and Republicans on his record on vaccines. Under oath, Kennedy denied he was against vaccinations, but watching closely was investigative journalist Brian Deer, who...

On Tuesday afternoon, the Reserve Bank cut the official cash rate to 4.1 per cent. It’s the first interest rate cut since 2020, after 13 consecutive hikes between May 2022 and November 2023. Treasurer Jim Chalmers welcomed the cut, saying it's a relief “Australians need and deserve”. But RBA governor Michelle Bullock has warned not to expect further cuts and given the impact on m...

Meals on Wheels is an essential service for many elderly people across the country.  It’s the sort of service that you can’t really put a price on – providing community connection and support to people who might be falling through the cracks. That’s what makes this failed plot to take over Meals on Wheels so shocking.  It’s a story that’s got it all: d...

When Bob Brown spoke out against the invasion of Iraq in 2003, at the height of the war on terror, he was widely derided. He was mocked in the press, and even abused by a young Queensland MP, Peter Dutton. But looking back, he says it’s one of his proudest moments. Now, at 80 years old, Bob argues that speaking up in public and in private is crucial to pushing back against the strongman lead...

In 2017, Rachel Khong released her debut novel  Goodbye, Vitamin  to critical acclaim. In 2024, she followed it with her second novel, a sweeping family saga spanning five decades. Real Americans is a fascinating exploration of what makes us who we are and challenges some of the corrosive myths that underpin America. In this episode of  Read This , Michael chats with Rachel about he...

The Brereton inquiry uncovered shocking allegations of war crimes committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. But there was one failing of Australian soldiers that wasn’t investigated. According to documents and interviews, some Australian soldiers in Afghanistan used foreign rules of engagement in combat which they weren’t trained in, or permitted to use. The use of these rules m...

This week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament it must face up to the fact only five of the 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track, as he handed down the government's annual implementation plan. Pledging an $842.6m investment in the Northern Territory over the next six years, the prime minister said closing the gap is about acknowledging what’s working and what isn’t. The...

Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has thrown American science and medical research into disarray. Through a flurry of executive orders, he withdrew the US from the World Health Organization, imposed a communications blackout on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ordered the removal of publications, guidelines and databases “that inculcate or promote gender ideolo...

Veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher has reported on Elon Musk for decades. In that time, they’ve talked publicly and privately on many occasions.  But not anymore. Elon Musk is in the process of dismantling US government spending as the head of the new “Department of Government Efficiency”, better known as DOGE.  And Kara Swisher says the techno-dictatorship he’s...

Australia is a small player in global trade, compared with giants like the US and China. And when the world’s two biggest economies embark on a trade war, we feel the impact. Donald Trump’s new tariffs on China could reverberate through the Australian economy – affecting everything from iron ore exports to the cost of everyday goods.  Australia is making the case that tariff...

Two-time Miles Franklin Award-winning author Michelle de Kretser has never been afraid of formal experimentation. Her seventh and latest book supports that idea. It is bold and, once again, a heady mix of serious intellectual inquiry with beautifully observed characterisation and formal play. On this episode of  Read This , Michael sits down with Michelle for a conversation about  Theory...

Peter Dutton is making a bold move – aligning himself with Donald Trump. Dutton’s colleagues have been quick to draw the comparison, pitching him as strong and decisive. But it’s a political strategy not without its risks. Trump’s return to the White House is already causing global instability, from a new trade war with China to extraordinary announcements on Gaza.  Wi...

In a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump said the United States would “take over the Gaza strip”, “level it out” and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. He made the comments during Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, the first foreign leader to visit since the inauguration. Trump also said that Palesti...

Tens of millions of dollars in “dark” donations to political parties have renewed calls for election funding reform. The Australian Electoral Commission’s annual release of political contributions data for 2023-24 revealed the major parties received over $140 million in donations, with close to half of that undisclosed. Even the disclosed donations are only now just being reporte...

The arrival of DeepSeek wiped more than $1 trillion off the value of America’s tech firms, topping the country from its unquestioned position at the forefront of the global AI race. The Chinese AI company also upstaged President Donald Trump’s announcement of the Stargate Project – a $500 billion AI initiative. The fact that a relatively small disruptor like DeepSeek could cause...

Lech Blaine’s debut book  Car Crash , told the gripping story of his life in the aftermath of a horrendous road accident that killed several of his friends. Since then he’s written political essays and thoughtful journalism for  The Monthly , the  Quarterly Essay  and beyond. On this week’s episode of  Read This  we’re bringing you Michael&rsqu...

Donald Trump returned to the White House with a campaign that routinely attacked trans gender people. On the night he was elected, trans people in the United States were panicking. Online, they shared concerns about access to hormone treatment and surgery, while swapping notes about moving to countries where they might feel safer. In Australia, writer and lawyer Sam Elkin began preparing for what...

The company that’s run Australia’s immigration detention network for over a decade, British conglomerate Serco, has lost its contract, but not before helping build what’s been called one of the world’s ‘most extreme and secretive’ detention regimes. Across the life of the contract, there have been scandals, incidents of self-harm and allegations of mistreatment...

As a child, Grace Tame often felt isolated and misunderstood, a feeling later explained by her autism diagnosis. It’s a common experience for autistic people, who have long been misrepresented, misdiagnosed and mistreated. The government aims to address this with Australia’s first National Autism Strategy, which it says will prioritise the voices and experiences of autistic people. Whi...

In 2017, the billionaire businessman Sanjeev Gupta rescued the Whyalla steelworks from administration, becoming known as the “saviour of steel”.  There was hope in this small town, 400 kilometres north of Adelaide, that steelmaking would continue and the thousands of people who rely on the steelworks for their livelihoods would get a reprieve. But now, the 60-year-old steelworks h...

Peter Dutton’s announcement last month that he won’t stand in front of the Aboriginal flag got the exact reaction he was likely after – talkback minutes, headlines, private agreement from some quarters and outrage from others. Professor Marcia Langton saw something else. She knows the tactic: a toxic political circus in the lead up to Australia Day, centred on lies about Aborigin...