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When you become prime minister, a lot changes – but there’s only a few people who know exactly what that's like. One of them is Kevin Rudd,and this year the former prime minister joined the show to share his experience of the way the Murdoch media changes its approach when you enter Government. Today in this episode from June, former prime minister Kevin Rudd on the way News Corp brings new govern...

This year, the case that established the legal protection for people in the United States to choose to have an abortion has been overturned. Since this episode aired in June, 13 states have banned or restricted the access to abortion and the fight for access rights continues in courtrooms across the country. So how did a small minority of religious conservatives overturn the rights of millions to...

One of the most consequential political shifts of 2022 was the election of several ‘teal’ independent candidates to the federal parliament. The teals were mostly professional women who ran in traditionally Liberal-held seats, and campaigned on climate, integrity, and equality. Their election en masse was a shock to the Liberal party, and could herald a more permanent shift away from the major part...

For decades we’ve been reassured that everything at Australian casinos is above board.  They’re supposed to be heavily regulated, closely monitored, and operated by reputable, publicly-traded corporations. But this year, much of what we’ve been told unravelled. Since this episode, from September this year eleven former and current executives at the Star Entertainment Group were slapped with fines...

Seven months ago, Anthony Albanese’s Labor broke almost ten years of Coalition rule.  Labor’s celebration were large and loud – and 7am was there to record the moment. We spent the night in Marrickville, home soil for the new prime minister, at Labor’s election night party. Over the course of the night we spoke with our reporter Karen Middleton, incoming minister Tony Burke, and, at the end of the...

Back in May, our producer Elle Marsh was given unprecedented access to Dr Monique Ryan and her campaign, as they attempted to unseat one of Australia’s top politicians. At the time, we had no idea whether the so-called teal candidates would be successful in their campaigns against Liberal party members, often in safe seats.  Kooyong, the seat that Dr Ryan was running for, had been held by the Libe...

This year, the only head of state that most Australians have ever known died. It led to an outpouring of grief and mourning, particularly in the UK, but that wasn’t the only side of the story. There were also protests, marches and an attempt from some to reckon with the monarchy’s colonial past. Today we’re featuring this episode from September with the United Kingdom’s first Professor of Black St...

Months after he lost the Prime Ministership, it’s still hard to get a handle on who Scott Morrison was. If anything, the secret ministries saga has only raised more questions about what drives him, what his values are and who he really is. After years in public life, Scott Morrison can still seem hollow and one-dimensional. According to his biographer, Sean Kelly, this is deliberate.  That’s why w...

At 6 O’Clock in the morning on Thursday the 24th of February, Vladimir Putin addressed the world – he said he would begin a special military operation. It was the moment war broke out, and soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, sending troops into mainland Europe. Listening back to those first moments of war, it puts new context on just how surprising the next few months would be: the world’s response...

We’re seeing a fitting end to a tumultuous year – parliament was urgently recalled to thrash out an energy deal, and a former prime minister grilled in front of a royal commission.  This week’s showdowns were stark reminders of just how much our politics has transformed since January. But have the major parties learnt the right lessons from 2022? Who has listened to voters? And who’s at risk of lo...

It’s happening again. Ahead of these holidays, infections of Covid are spiking, and people are going home sick in droves. At the same time we’re also seeing major announcements from the federal government on changes to Covid policy, which signal the beginning of treating the virus like other respiratory illnesses. Today, Nobel laureate Professor Peter Doherty on what we can still learn from Covid...

The founder of Hillsong Church, Brian Houston is on trial. He faces charges of concealing historic child sexual abuse by his father, Frank Houston – who was also a Pentecostal pastor. Houston has returned to Australia and is fighting the charges in a Sydney court, with his defence team arguing that he didn’t conceal the crime from police. Today, author and contributor to The Saturday Paper Elle Ha...

When our politicians are making decisions, they’re often lobbied. These lobbyists arrange meetings, and make the case why the company they represent would do a good job, why a certain policy would be a good one or a bad one. In short, they represent vested interests. There are supposed to be rules to disclose this activity to the public. But what happens when the rules don’t apply? What happens wh...

Up to 15 months in jail, with a minimum non-parole period of 8 months – that’s the sentence that a climate protester was handed recently in NSW. It caused widespread alarm from human rights and civil liberties groups, and it heralds a new era in sentencing as anti-protest laws are passed around the country. But will this sentence change the tactics of the climate action movement? Or will it open t...

There’s one last thing Anthony Albanese has to do before the end of the political year. Energy prices are still out of control, and they’re only set to get worse. That’s in part because of global pressures, but also because ageing coal-fired power stations are going offline, without enough cheap electricity ready to replace their output. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on th...

The trial of Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins – an accusation he strenuously denies – will not see a court room again, and a verdict will never be reached. It leaves both parties in limbo, and already there is rampant speculation that civil lawsuits could be filed. But the end of the prosecution raises concerning questions about our justice system, the media and who is put a...

Australia has a new, stronger emissions reduction target. But we are also one of the world’s biggest exporters of fossil fuels, and there’s no plan from the government to reduce that. That’s because Australian coal and gas exports that are burned overseas aren't counted in our emissions. But could that change? And will Environment minister Tanya Plibersek begin to consider those emissions and the...

The Liberal Party is trying to resurrect its popularity after a devastating loss this year, under the leadership of Scott Morrison. But can changing the personalities at the top of the party make a difference? Or is there something deeper behind the decline in its fortunes?  A study published yesterday indicates that only one in four voters under the age of 40 voted for the Coalition – and that se...

In 1992, the UN General Assembly agreed that 3 December every year would be International Day of People with Disability. It marked an early attempt to treat disability as a human rights and access issue – something that was becoming a movement across the world at the time. Here in Australia, It was the same year that Australia passed the Disability Discrimination Act. But thirty years later, how m...

A prime minister will never again be able to secretly appoint themselves to act in multiple ministries. The practice will be made unlawful, with new rules to make appointments public – even Scott Morrison agrees with that. He said as much, when he rose in front of the parliament to explain his actions. But the speech he delivered was hardly an admission of guilt. Today, columnist for The Saturday...

There are people inside government departments who want to use insights into human behaviour to influence us. At its best, it can help design systems to get the best outcomes for people. But at its worst, it can ‘nudge’ people into accepting bad outcomes; from not appealing decisions to not getting the services they’re entitled to. Today, senior reporter at The Saturday Paper Rick Morton, on the j...

This week, streets across China filled with angry protestors. Some held blank pieces of paper instead of signs, to protest censorship, others chanted ‘Down with Xi Jinping’. They’re the most significant protests China has seen for 30 years, according to analysts. But how have they happened under the surveillance regime of the state?  And what do they mean for the future of the Chinese Communist Pa...

If you don’t believe in God, then heaven help you in the ADF. Those are the words of Senator David Shoebridge, who has argued that our military is putting too much faith in religious chaplains to provide support for service members. The military employs 158 full-time chaplains, 150 of whom are ordained Christian ministers. But as the military becomes more diverse and more secular, who are these ch...

The wages and workplaces of Australians could be about to change. The government’s new industrial relations packages promises to make pay more transparent and strengthen the hand of workers in negotiations. But whether this passes, comes down to the decision of one man: David Pocock. His vote has become the most valuable commodity in Canberra. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper M...

The first major election since a wave of green and teal changed the federal map is set for this Saturday. The Victorian election is about a lot of things, including being a referendum on Dan Andrews and his premiership. But the election could also tell us more about how the electoral forces in Australia are shifting, and how alternatives to the major parties are rising. Today, election analyst and...