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As Australia faces a new wave of Covid-19 variants, experts say the country has a chance to plot a different course with the virus. That involves acknowledging that it is not going away - that it will be here for a long time, and that masks and ventilation will be needed to manage it. Today, lead researcher at the Kirby Institute Raina MacIntyre on hope, denial and Covid-19. Socials: Stay in touch...

After five years of inaction, the Albanese government has made implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart a key item of business. Anthony Albanese has described it as a hand held out to the country. But there are still questions over whether a referendum will succeed. Senator Patrick Dodson is telling colleagues they should put it up regardless - if the vote is lost, the country will have to...

Labor is working through the specifics of the nuclear submarine deal Scott Morrison set up before he lost office. Some in the party believe AUKUS was established in part to wedge Labor on the issue of non-proliferation. So what is next for the plan to buy nuclear submarines? And what can Labor do to ensure their purchase doesn’t undermine a commitment to ending nuclear wars? Today, chief political...

As Covid-19 hospitalisations break records in almost all states, there is a curious absence of political leadership. Frontline workers wonder why there is no greater attempt at community mitigation. What has shifted? Why are politicians no longer following the health advice, at least on masks? Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on Covid-19 and the politics of fati...

New figures show that the Morrison government stacked government boards and tribunals at a level unprecedented in Australian politics. These appointees were sometimes unqualified and incompetent. They particularly affected the Administrative Appeals Tribunal - where members can be paid up to $500,000 a year. Now it is clear that they have badly altered decision making processes. Today, national co...

Last week, opposition leader Peter Dutton called for policy reform to regulate social media due to its impact on civil discourse. He said debate in this country was absurd, dangerous, reckless and reprehensible. But who gets to define what is and isn’t “civil” in the public sphere? And what does that say about power? Today, lawyer and contributor to The Saturday Paper Nyadol Nyuon on Peter Dutton,...

When parliament returns next week, Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party will sit on the government benches for the first time. It’s a significant test for what has changed since the election. Albanese has already made clear that the agenda will be focused on legislating his climate targets. If he fails, it will be a blow to his credibility. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the s...

The Albanese government is partway through a successful reset of its relationship with China. The incredible thing is, they haven’t changed any policies. But will a change in language be enough to fix a diplomatic rift? And what’s next for Australia’s relationship with the Pacific, where it is trying to balance China’s influence? Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe o...

Many were surprised when the new employment minister, Tony Burke, announced it was “too late” to end mutual obligations. The decision was made to preserve billions of dollars in contracts already signed with companies that profit from the system. But there is no evidence it helps people find work. Today, senior correspondent for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on the industry selling poor people. G...

New details have emerged in the divorce of Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall. After speculation their marriage ended over everything from smoking and drinking to Hall controlling how much Murdoch could see of his adult children, it is now clear that the real disagreement was over the division of the $71 billion deal to sell his film and television interest to Disney. Today, Paddy Manning, contributor...

The rise of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison was seen as a triumph for a special kind of opportunistic populism. Much was written about what their success meant for democracy. So what does their decline mean? Was the repudiation about their politics - or about a world in crisis? Today, social researcher and contributor to The Saturday Paper Rebecca Huntley on the fall of the so-calle...

Today, author Don Watson will be reading his cover piece from the latest issue of The Monthly. It's called 'How to be a prime minister', and in it he discusses the task ahead for Anthony Albanese. How will the new leader restore the idea that governments should seek to make the country better? Guest: Contributor to The Monthly Don Watson See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Tony Abbott re-emerged in a string of radio and television interviews. Some Liberals speculate it is part of a push he is making to become president of the NSW Liberal Party.  In the course of this, Abbott has also become a surprise backer of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s foreign policy. Another big week of international meetings was met with applause by a former prime minister bett...

At its worst, long Covid can lead to complete debilitation. It can cause fatigue and an inability to complete basic tasks. But understanding the cause and the cure for the illness has been a challenge for scientists.  This challenge becomes more urgent as case numbers rise.  Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Bianca Nogrady on the people living with long Covid. Socials: Stay in touch with us...

Hillsong is in crisis. More and more people are leaving. But what happens after someone leaves the church? And what does it tell us about how the church operates? Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Tanya Levin on why former Hillsong members are increasingly reporting that they suffer PTSD and what’s known as religious trauma syndrome. Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Tanya Levin See...

Late last week, the attorney-general dropped charges against whistleblower Bernard Collaery. It was a sensational development in a case that has outraged many. But Collaery is not the only whistleblower on trial for revealing shocking misconduct by the government, the public service, or the army. What’s next for those cases? Today, lawyer and contributor to The Saturday Paper Kieran Pender on the...

Boris Johnson has announced he will resign as Prime Minister of the UK. He once delivered his party historic victories, but now he is being called a risk to the United Kingdom and an existential threat to the existence of the Conservative party — by some of his own colleagues. So how did one man do so much political damage? Today, World Editor of The Saturday Paper , Jonathan Pearlman on Boris Joh...

Anthony Albanese returned from Europe this week to several crises sweeping the country. Floods have devastated communities on the east coast, and now two new subvariants of Omicron have health authorities warning another wave of Covid-19 infections is only ramping up. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Chris Wallace on the end of Anthony Albanese’s honeymoon and the urgent work ahead for the...

NASA’s latest mission to Mars has the explicit aim of discovering whether or not there has been life on the red planet. It’s led by the first Australian and the first woman to lead such a major mission for NASA, astrobiologist Abigail Allwood.  So what are scientists uncovering and are we closer than ever before to discovering evidence of life on Mars? Today, contributor to The Monthly Will Higgin...

Yesterday afternoon, the Reserve Bank of Australia lifted rates for the third time in three months – raising the cash rate by a full 50 basis points to 1.35%. The rise will lift interest rates to their highest levels in years and put more pressure on household budgets, but it’s something the RBA says is necessary to bring down inflation. However, the RBA’s decision comes just as questions are bein...

Last week, environmental activists Blockade Australia shut down traffic in Sydney, causing hours of chaos in the city. But it was the police response to the blockade that could have the longest legacy, with Human Rights Watch calling the police crackdown and the use of new anti-protest laws “an alarming new trend”. So what did the police do to crackdown on these protestors and what do their action...

The decision of the US supreme court to overturn Roe v Wade , and the winding back of abortion rights in America has led to reflection on rights and access to reproductive healthcare. Here in Australia, the Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said it was a reminder to Australians to “remain vigilant because hard-fought-for wins before our parliaments can be taken away easily.” So are women treated e...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Europe and he’s there because of the war in Ukraine. Four Asia-Pacific nations, including Australia, have been given a seat at the table at the latest NATO summit because NATO is keen to engage partners around the world. But it’s also an opportunity for Albanese – to reset relationships with NATO members like the United States, France, Spain and the UK. So has...

Trans athletes have effectively been banned from elite swimming, because of a decision last week by the international governing body of the sport, FINA. The decision and the document released by FINA could have an impact not just on swimmers, but on how other sports around the world handle participation and inclusion. So, what does it say? How have the people it affects most – trans athletes – rea...

The case that established the legal protection for people in the United States to choose to have an abortion has been overturned. The majority of Americans support the right to choose, but trigger bans in several states across the country have made it immediately illegal to perform an abortion. So how did a small minority of religious conservatives overturn the rights of millions to choose?  Today...