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Tonight’s budget promises relief for Australia’s single parents, who will receive extra income support until their youngest child turns 14. It’s a reversal of a controversial decision made by the Gillard government.  So does this signal a broader attempt to address the standard of living for the most vulnerable Australians? Or, is it a rare bit of relief in an otherwise tough budget? Today, Financ...

If, over the weekend, you watched the coronation of King Charles, stood up in your living room and read out a pledge of allegiance – you were probably in the minority of Australians. But that was the invitation from the palace in the lead-up to Saturday evening’s coronation ceremony. So, how relevant is King Charles III? Is a republic now possible? And how quickly could another referendum be upon...

Today, writer Quentin Sprague, with his piece from The Monthly .  He examines the recent revelations of “white hands on black art” – reports of White gallery figures instructing and even working on the canvases of Indigenous artists – and examines how white Australia applies the idea of ‘authenticity’ onto the work of Indigenous artists. Quentin will read his story, ‘White privilege and black disa...

The economic news got worse this week, with the RBA unexpectedly raising interest rates and some dire economic forecasts. So far, it looks like the economic assistance the government will offer in the upcoming budget will be targeted. It probably won’t raise JobSeeker — except for over 55s — and it’s unlikely to pause rising HECS debt. So, after a decade or more of young people falling behind econ...

Missiles that can precisely target enemy forces 500 kilometres away are the future of the Australian defence forces, according to the recent defence strategic review. What we are defending ourselves with today is woefully inadequate for our strategic circumstances, the review found. But other big questions are emerging: how will we pay for the changes it’s proposing? Can we save money on purchases...

If you went to university, there’s an increasing likelihood you could be carrying HECS debt for several decades. There are now more than 300,000 people carrying HECS into their 50s — six times more people than just over 15 years ago. And, this June, HECS debts are set to rise again at a historic pace. Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on how HECS went from a promise of oppo...

Imagine being arrested, put into custody – and in desperate need of medical care. Who is responsible for helping you? Who are you meant to turn to for healthcare? For Veronica Nelson, who died in custody in 2020, a private company was responsible – Correct Care. Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Denham Sadler takes us inside how a contract to look after the health of prisoners was taken awa...

‘We don’t have enough money.’ That’s what governments always say this time of year. But the case is being made for the poorest and most disadvantaged among us to get more support in the upcoming budget. But is it true? And if it is, are there ways to repair the budget that would leave enough money to help raise people out of poverty? Today, economist and CEO of the Grattan Institute, Danielle Wood...

This week, the way the government chooses to spend its money was put into sharp focus. On Monday, it announced a bold new plan for military spending, but soon after, it found itself besieged by calls to raise the rate of JobSeeker – for Australians struggling with poverty. So, why can we afford to spend money on one, but not the other? And is it a question that voters will start asking? Today, col...

Criticism of the Voice to Parliament from the conservative side of politics has ratcheted up ever since Peter Dutton’s decision to oppose it. The main accusations are: the proposal for the Voice is coming from elites and not ‘regular’ Indigenous Australians, and it won’t achieve practical change. Today, union organiser and member of the referendum working group, Thomas Mayo, on the loudest voices...

From settling the biggest payout in US libel history, to the abandoned defamation claim against Australian website Crikey – It’s been a tumultuous week in the courts for the Murdochs. By avoiding open court, they have tried to draw a line under the furore around Fox News presenters’ claims the 2020 US election was stolen. But will the Murdoch empire be able to move on? Will the Murdochs be forced...

Something going on far above us, in orbit, might be doing more to shape the future of humanity than any events here on earth. Up there is one of the most powerful tools humans have ever had to hunt for the origins of our universe – and for alien life. The James Webb Space Telescope has the ability to look so far and with such clarity that we can get an insight into a period of time that our best s...

He published secret documents that gave us damning insight into the West’s military conduct inIraq and Afghanistan, and for that Julian Assange will likely be extradited to the US to face charges that could add up to 175 years in prison. In the last couple of weeks, Assange has received his first visit from an Australian high commissioner in London, and foreign minister Penny Wong is publicly sayi...

Today on the show, writer Richard King, with his piece ‘Machine Learning’ about the AI chatbot ChatGPT. He begins his story with discourse sweeping a university campus as AI reaches the hands of ordinary students and teachers. How will this technology – still only a few months old – change not only teaching and marking, but the very nature of the transfer of knowledge? This is the question he sets...

It’s independent of government, has enormous power over our lives and hasn’t been reformed in 25 years. But yesterday, the Reserve Bank bowed to a scathing review and even Governor Philip Lowe conceded parts of the RBA had been out of step with modern expectations. But will a new board of experts improve the way interest rates are set? Can workers have a seat at the table? And what does it mean fo...

After a week that forced a reshuffle on the Coalition front bench, Peter Dutton had to announce a new spokesperson for Indigenous Australians – he needed someone who would enthusiastically support his ‘No’ position on the Voice to Parliament. His choice was Jacinta Nampijinpa Price – a first-term senator. So who is Dutton’s new pick? How did she rise so quickly through the ranks? And what does she...

Australia has a body that’s supposed to look after all of our mental health, and make recommendations to the government on how to make the situation better. It’s called the National Mental Health Commission. But inside the commission, some of the staff that are supposed to be coming up with solutions have faced layoffs, stress, anxiety, and worse. So, how did a commission set up with the best inte...

Kate Jenkins has wrapped up a distinguished term as Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner. In her seven years in the job, we’ve seen the global Me Too movement, along with the reckoning in Canberra sparked by allegations from former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins.  So how have these cultural moments impacted the push for gender equality in this country?  And what still needs to change? Tod...

It was meant to transform the way we deal with waste. Australians were told to sort through their bins, and take plastic bags and packaging to drop-offs at the country’s biggest supermarkets to have them recycled. But instead of being recycled, tonnes and tonnes of this plastic was shoved into storage. Now, authorities are still trying to track it all down. So how did it all go so wrong? Today, na...

If the Liberal Party’s announcement that it would oppose the Voice to Parliament was meant to take attention away from fractures in the Liberal Party – the result has been very different. This week, the party’s spokesperson on Indigenous Australians resigned his post, and the party’s most high-profile Indigenous figure tore up his party membership. So how did it come to this? And have these splits...

Cost of living pressures and interest rate rises mean that millions of Australians are struggling. But what often isn’t acknowledged by the Reserve Bank, its governor, or many of our political leaders, is that some people are doing just fine in these economic conditions – in fact, they can benefit from them. Those people are the wealthiest Australians – in particular, people who have paid off thei...

Australia isn’t the first country to ban TikTok from government devices. In fact, all of our closest allies have already taken steps to keep the app away from government secrets. So how justified are these fears? Is the next step a forced sale? Or even a total ban? Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Marty McKenzie-Murray, on how the company behind TikTok learned to walk the party line....

Penny Wong has assumed the Foreign Affairs portfolio at a crucial time in Australian history. For years China has been on the rise, but now it’s challenging the United States’ dominance in the Pacific. World leaders and military planners are openly weighing the risk the two superpowers could stumble into war. How does Australia navigate a path to peace? That question now rests on Penny Wong’s shou...

In recent weeks, we’ve covered an appearance by neo-Nazis at a rally in Melbourne, as well as ASIO’s decision to steer away from labels like ‘right’ and ‘left’ when talking about radicalisation in Australia. The issue of far-right extremism has often been covered in Australia as a political issue, but what about as an issue of safety and security? Today, we revisit our conversation with the author...

Today on the show, author of ‘ Sundressed ’ and fashion editor for The Saturday Paper Lucianne Tonti reads her piece on confronting the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothing condemned to landfill every year.  The Australian fashion industry is a major cause of the 227,000 tonnes of waste clothing generated each year — much of it never worn before being discarded. Non-profits are attempting t...