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The World Cup is the most watched sporting event on earth. Some predict that this year’s matches in Qatar could be watched by 5 billion during the month-long tournament. But the grand spectacle of the World Cup is stained with allegations that migrant workers have died to make it happen. So what does it take for the world to look away? And what happens when sport and politics can’t be separated? T...

The world has come to new agreements on climate action. At COP27 in Egypt, measures to tackle damage and loss in countries affected by climate change have been decided upon. But there was also disappointment, largely around the failure to make more ambitious commitments to reduce emissions. The summit also marked a turning point for Australia — a chance for a new government to bring its new target...

Last week, Mike Cannon-Brookes succeeded in staging what amounts to an internal coup at Australia’s largest climate polluter, AGL. Having failed in his attempt to take over the company, the tech billionaire used its annual general meeting to get four new directors onto its board.  Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on what’s next for Cannon-Brookes and the dirty com...

Some of the most sensitive data to be obtained by hackers in Australian history has been published. A Russian network of hackers has put online private medical data including names, records of pregnancy terminations, HIV status, and treatment for drug and alcohol problems. The data was obtained in an attack on Medibank, and the vulnerability of the health insurer has now convinced the Australian g...

Australia was one of the first western nations to recognise the communist government of China, almost 50 years ago. But more recently, China appeared to freeze out Australia diplomatically, and for six long years Chinese President Xi Jinping did not meet an Australian prime minister. This week, that changed. But how did the meeting come about? What was said? And can we restore diplomacy while cont...

Dr Charlie Teo is known for his incredible brain surgeries, taking on operations that other doctors won’t touch. But several families have come forward, who allege they were misled about the risks and that Teo’s operations left their loved ones worse off than before. Teo denies any wrongdoing, and says he treats his patients like he would want to be treated.  But there’s another player in this sto...

It was the governor-general’s pet project, a foundation that promised to nurture the future leaders of Australia. But the elite foundation never came to be – the new government has axed it. So why did the governor-general put his name to it? Why did Scott Morrison decide to fund it before it was viable? And who was advocating for it? Today, Chief Political Correspondent for The Saturday Paper Kare...

As the world gathers at COP27 to decide on the next steps in our response to the climate crisis, the biggest point of contention is one idea: climate justice. It’s an idea that could force the richest nations – such as Australia – to pay for the damages and loss that climate catastrophe is causing in poorer countries. But could it really happen? Is it viable? And would Australia ever sign up to th...

Australia is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on eight nuclear-powered submarines. It’s estimated to be one of the biggest spends in the history of the Australian government. So why are we buying them? Are they the best use of taxpayer money? And will they even be able to do the job they’re meant to do? Today, former director of war studies at the Australian Army Research Centre and adjunc...

Today, author and farmer Sam Vincent, with his piece from the latest edition of The Monthly .  It explores how native Australian ingredients have gone from novelty to gourmet; now featured in some of the most acclaimed fine dining establishments in Australia. But what does the rise of culinary nationalism mean for the way we think about Australian food? Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter an...

The Labor government’s workplace reform package, which it promises will increase wages, has passed the lower house. But it may struggle to pass the senate. There’s frustration mounting between crossbenchers, unions and government ministers – and that’s threatening to derail the most important reform package this government has put forward. But instead of the dispute paralysing the whole of Canberr...

Elon Musk says he plans to turn Twitter into his ideal version of a public square, and use it to advance the evolution of human communication. But his vision of that public square also involves people paying to be prominent – and the public are not allowed to parody Musk, unless they clearly state they’re making a joke. So what does the chaotic week at Twitter tell us about the world’s richest man...

Not long ago, the Australian government was forced to abandon a scheme it was using to pursue welfare recipients for money. The robo-debt scheme was binned in 2019 after the government finally asked the solicitor-general for legal advice. He told them what many had long suspected: it was probably unlawful. So who else knew about the potential illegality of robo-debt? How early did they know? And w...

Today, Americans head to the polls in the country’s midterm elections. At stake is control of the US House of Representatives and the Senate. Both are on a knife's edge, and major losses for the Democrats could make the next two years of Joe Biden’s presidency incredibly difficult and bring major reform to a standstill. That is something Donald Trump will be hoping for, as reports circulate that h...

Peter Dutton has an uphill battle, even he would admit that. But the Liberal leader known for tough, hardline conservative talking points is trying to appear more like Australia’s next prime minister – by insisting he has a softer side, and striking a contrast with his predecessor Scott Morrison. Beneath Dutton’s attempts to rebrand himself, who is he… and where did his ideas come from?  Today, co...

People counted Dutton’s Opposition out, but Labor’s restrained budget might have opened up some attack lines for the Liberals… with some help from the Murdoch media. A distressed global economy and rising electricity prices are leaving Labor open to Liberal accusations that they’ve broken an election promise to lower power prices. And: an update on Labor’s industrial relations reforms. Socials: St...

Internal tensions at the organisation that tells us about the weather — the Bureau of Meteorology — appear to be going from bad to worse. Among the latest revelations, the Bureau’s daily forecasts, which many of us rely on, might be getting less accurate. We’ve also learned that the renaming of the organisation was called a ‘rebrand’ internally, even though management publicly claimed they never a...

When an inner suburb of Melbourne was hit by flooding a few weeks ago, attention turned to Flemington Racecourse: home of the Melbourne Cup. The track is a floodplain, and in prior floods it had become submerged in water. But not this time. This year, a new flood wall protected it. But could the wall that saved Flemington Racecourse have doomed nearby houses? Or is that debate obscuring the bigger...

Unlike in almost every other country in the world, the Australian government actively helps some of our biggest carbon emitters make claims to consumers that they are “green” or even “carbon neutral”. For consumers looking to sign up for household gas and electricity, it’s hard to know which companies to trust. And more importantly, the system could help prop up fossil-fuel projects that threaten...

The prices of Australian houses are dropping faster than ever before – but is this a blip on the way to higher prices, or an actual value crash? And if it is a real crash… could that be a good thing?  Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper , Mike Seccombe, on the rollercoaster of the Australian property market. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: National c...

After 45 days of economic chaos under Liz Truss threatened the welfare of ordinary Britons, the UK now has a new prime minister: Rishi Sunak. Sunak’s family wealth of over a billion dollars makes him an unlikely figure for the task – he is the richest MP in the British parliament. But he has made history as the country’s first British Asian prime minister. Today, world editor of The Saturday Paper...

Some of the world’s most treasured art works have been under attack in the last few weeks. Paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso and Monet have been doused in food by climate activists trying to draw attention to the urgent climate crisis. So is this plea for action working? And why are activists turning to this kind of protest?  Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper , Mike Seccombe, on th...

A Labor government has handed down a budget for the first time in nine years. It isn’t the budget that many might have imagined in May when the party won the election. It lands just as a global economic storm appears to be gathering momentum. Last night, we got the pitch that tells us how this Labor government thinks it can contend with the challenge and what it plans to deliver for Australians. S...

Last Tuesday, while torrential rains brought floods that cut off whole towns in Victoria, Australia’s weather forecasting agency made a strange announcement. The Bureau of Meteorology called on all media to change the name they had used to refer to it: the BoM. Instead it wanted to be called The Bureau. What seemed like an odd branding announcement at first, has led to a series of revelations abou...

An idea that Australia discarded a decade ago will return on Tuesday night. That idea is a so-called “wellbeing budget”. It is being talked up by the Treasurer Jim Chalmers.  Chalmers has promised that Australia will follow countries like Scotland and New Zealand in judging the success of government spending not just against GDP and income per person, but based on whether it improves the wellbeing...