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The latest leaders debate has been described as “messy” and a “joke” by observers.  There’s one more debate to go before the election — but it won’t be hosted by the public broadcaster, the ABC — despite the organisation’s best efforts. In fact, the ABC has been effectively sidelined, as the rocky relationship between the government and the national broadcaster continues to play out. Today, senior...

Sometimes the contest for a single seat can be about more than who wins. Hunter is just that; it’s a seat that spans some of Australia’s oldest coal mines, and the questions in Hunter have huge consequences for us all. How seriously we are taking the climate crisis, how quickly we can transition to renewable energy and whether workers in these industries will be looked after. Today, investigative...

As we close in on election day, housing affordability has become a central issue of this campaign. First, Labor announced its solution, the Help to Buy scheme and then just a few days later, the Reserve Bank increased the cash rate from its historic low of 0.1% to 0.35%. People’s mortgages are going up and it could put upward pressure on rents. So, how are cost of living pressures factoring into t...

Adam Bandt sits down for a one-on-one interview with Ruby Jones. This election, issues the Greens have championed for years, like an integrity commission and reducing emissions, are now finding a lot of popular support. But the party finds itself at a crossroads. It’s been unable to increase the number of lower house MPs and senators it has at the federal level for over a decade. Adam Bandt, the p...

The war in Ukraine has led to soul searching about how Russian oligarchs have built cosy relationships with institutions around the world. Lawyers and bankers in London have been warned by the British prime minister not to defend the wealth and reputations of Russian oligarchs who have ties to Vladimir Putin’s government. And one of those oligarchs actually has a connection to Australia as well. L...

The Labor Party officially launched their campaign on Sunday, unveiling new policies and making their most comprehensive pitch to voters so far. But the policy offering remains slimmer than it was three years ago, which is part of what has been described as the party’s small target strategy. So what is Labor actually offering? And who are they targeting with these election promises? Today, nationa...

As we enter the final weeks of the election campaign there’s one group of people more stressed, more disillusioned than most. Teenagers, desperate to see change but unable to vote to get their voice heard.  Today, 7am producer Kara Jensen-Mackinnon on a day in the life of a teenager trying to make change happen before it’s too late. Guest: Producer for 7am , Kara Jensen-Mackinnon. Stay in touch wi...

Today, Anthony Albanese is set to end his isolation and return to the campaign trail after he tested positive for Covid-19 last week.  As he returns to campaigning in-person, the cost of living has become an even more pressing election issue. New inflation figures show prices are 5.1 per cent higher today than they were this time last year – which could mean interest rates are raised in the middle...

This election, one person is having more of a say than anyone else when it comes to the political advertising Australians are seeing everyday. That person is Clive Palmer. And he’s not only outspending the major political parties by a significant margin, he’s also got a huge personal say in the ads he’s putting onto billboards and TV screens. That’s because he writes them all himself.  Today, seni...

In the Northern Territory, there’s a youth detention centre that has been subject to multiple reports, complaints, and a Royal Commission.  That commission recommended it be shut down, but children as young as 10 years old are still being held there, with reports of minors having been locked inside their cells for 23 hours a day. Today, journalist for The Saturday Paper , Esther Linder on the gran...

As the election tightens, there is a very real possibility that neither major party wins the 76-seat majority they need to govern in their own right. If this happens, they will have to convince independents and minor party representatives in the lower house to join them and form a minority government. For independents in this scenario, it’s an enormous choice – who do they support, what do they as...

Earlier this year, Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame went to Canberra together. The day before, Prime Minister Scott Morrison had delivered an apology to people who had worked at federal parliament, who had been subjected to sexual harassment, assault and bullying. What Ms Higgins and Ms Tame said at the National Press Club was a devastating indictment of Australia’s political institutions, and as t...

With a crucial deadline now passed, Liberal candidate Katherine Deves will almost certainly remain the Coalition’s pick for the seat of Warringah.  That’s despite her transphobic comments, and the concern expressed about them from senior Liberal figures. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the Katherine Deves controversy and how it looks to the independents who could be shapi...

The Vote is your essential guide to the 2022 election. We’ll bring you original reporting from around the country, interviews with political candidates and the sharpest analysis from the campaign trail. Building on the reporting of  The Saturday Paper  and  The Monthly , episodes of The Vote will come to you in your regular 7am feed. Hosted by Ruby Jones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

On the campaign trail, Anthony Albanese struggled to say whether he would change the way people are appointed to the Australian Human Rights Commission. In fact, he didn’t know who the most recently appointed commissioner was. The reason he was being asked about it though, was because the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions recently threatened to downgrade Australia’s Human Right...

Hillsong Church’s growth and success has faltered in recent years. Founded by Brian Houston in New South Wales, the global megachurch has outposts in 30 countries, including the United States. But mounting scandals at home have led Brian Houston to step aside and now, sensational allegations of misconduct in its US operations have been made public. Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper , R...

Two years ago, the High Court made a landmark decision that prevented the deportation of non-citizen Aboriginal Australians.  Now, the federal government is seeking to overturn that decision after a man, Shayne Paul Montgomery, used the case to successfully challenge his deportation.   Today, lawyer and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Kieran Pender, on the case of Shayne Montgomery, and concern...

In 2020 we brought you the story of the last family left on Nauru.  Just over a week ago - that family was released. They were among the 26 refugees freed from onshore detention.  So, today we’re re-releasing that 2020 episode, featuring journalist Hannah Ryan on the story of Mustafa and Salah.  Their story is a reminder of what hundreds of refugees have endured within the Australian detention sys...

Today, we are spotlighting an episode of 7am from the archive: A major study found that the therapeutic use of the illicit drug MDMA, more commonly known as ecstasy, could cure people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At the time, an Australian psychologist was finally embarking on Australia’s first ever clinical trial using the drug.  James Bradley on the healing power of MDMA - and...

As Russian forces have withdrawn from around Kyiv, Ukrainians have found shocking scenes of civilians executed and evidence of alleged war crimes. But Russia isn’t leaving these towns to give up on its war in Ukraine. Today, world editor for The Saturday Paper Jonathan Pearlman, on the race to gather evidence of war crimes and Vladimir Putin’s new plan to win the war in Ukraine. Guest: World edito...

In the final days of a Government, before an election is called, last-minute appointments are often made. Last week, the Morrison government made 19 of those, to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Half of the people appointed have ties to the Liberal Party or to conservative politics. Senior Reporter for The Saturday Paper , Rick Morton on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the case of one...

With an election called, Labor leader Anthony Albanese has six weeks to convince Australia he would make a better prime minister than Scott Morrison. The challenge is to avoid the mistakes of the last Labor election campaign, but as a small target, can he still be inspiring enough to win over voters – and secure a majority? Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper and biographer...

After years in public life, Scott Morrison can still seem hollow and one-dimensional. According to his biographer, this is deliberate. But with the election now running, Morrison faces one of the strange truisms of politics: that what helped him win last time could be what costs him victory this time. Sean Kelly, author of The Game: A portrait of Scott Morrison , on what we know about the prime mi...

With the countdown to the federal election on, both sides of politics are attempting to shore up internal support and reassure voters.  Labor is still firmly ahead in the polls, but the race is getting tighter, at least according to newspoll.  In an unprecedented development, however, members of the Liberal Party have begun turning on Scott Morrison. Today columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bon...

From The Monthly and LiSTNR comes The Politics Podcast , a new daily podcast that cuts through the noise and delivers you the in-depth analysis of the moments that defined the day in politics. Hosted by Rachel Withers from The Monthly , The Politics Podcast drops at 5.30pm each weekday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.