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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 according to the former prime minister, one of the most drastic changes is the way you’re treated by News Corp. So what kind of conversations does a prime minister have with the Murdoch press? And what’s at stake if you don’t play the game required of you?...

This winter flu, colds and Covid are all pushing hospitals to breaking point. Across the country, hospital staff are overworked and frustrated. And tomorrow nurses and midwives across NSW will stop work over pay and conditions. So what is happening to the care of patients as hospitals fill up? And can we stave off a major crisis? Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton on a deva...

Australia has a new emissions reduction target. Last week, Anthony Albanese promised the United Nations Australia will cut emissions by 43 per cent of our 2005 levels by 2030. But the Prime Minister wants to turn that target into law by passing it through parliament. Whether he can will come down to the historic new senate crossbench, which was finalised this week. Today, columnist for The Saturda...

The Liberal Party is now in the political wilderness. As well as a devastating federal election loss, the party is only in government in New South Wales and Tasmania. The immediate reaction to the recent federal election focused on Scott Morrison’s personal approval and a series of scandals in the last term of government.  But is there a bigger decline happening? Is something irreparably broken in...

In recent weeks, we’ve seen chaos at airports around the country, and it’s about to get worse. Major airports and airlines have warned that the July school holidays could see even more delays and disruptions as they scramble to try and fill thousands of job vacancies. Of course, there’s one Australian airline that used to fly above all the chaos: Qantas. It’s long been one of the safest and most r...

There’s a type of power plant we don’t have in Australia. Advocates say that it could help us overcome both the climate crisis and the energy crisis. They’re suggesting bringing nuclear energy to Australia. So why is there a conversation about nuclear power right now? Is it safe? And could it even work in Australia? Today, former Greens senator and anti-nuclear activist Scott Ludlam on the Nuclear...

Right now, our grocery bills are soaring, with some common vegetables more than doubling in price. Part of the reason is that there’s a nation-wide shortage of leafy greens, but there’s also a bigger force at play: inflation. Inflation is now at a higher level than anytime since 1990 and the cure for inflation could involve more economic pain for many of us. Today, journalist and Policy Fellow at...

Today, writer and pianist Anna Goldsworthy will be reading her piece from the latest issue. It's called ' The slow fade of music education ', and in it she discusses the importance of music and learning, in an arts landscape eroded by nearly a decade of wilful neglect. Guest: Writer and pianist, Anna Goldsworthy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the wholesale energy market was suspended.  It’s the first time the Australian energy market operator has ever had to take that step to keep electricity flowing to homes and to businesses. But this crisis has been decades in the making, caused by a policy vacuum that both sides of politics share responsibility for. So the question now is, how do you fix over a decade of political inacti...

As new Labor ministers begin their jobs in earnest, they say they’re discovering an unexpected challenge — the depth of disarray left behind. According to some ministers that looks like negligence, delayed decisions, and a demoralised workforce. Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton on the state of the public service, and the task of the new government to fix it.  Guest: Senio...

There are power interruptions forecast around Australia and gas prices are skyrocketing. But the strange thing about high gas bills arriving at Australian households is that we’re one of the biggest gas exporters worldwide.  So why are we paying so much for it? Do we need even more gas? Or would that be learning the wrong lessons from this current crisis? Today, journalist Jesse Noakes on eye wate...

Last week, a legal battle involving the Australian YouTube sensation Friendlyjordies and the former deputy premier of NSW John Barilaro came to an end, with a judge finding the YouTube videos from 2020 were ‘replete with racist, hate-filled rants’. But it wasn’t the comedian Friendlyjordies who was in court this time. It was the owners of YouTube, Google. So what did we learn about how Google runs...

Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie is known as one of the most outspoken conviction politicians in the country.  Now, she’s poised to add to her influence in the senate, with her former office manager Tammy Tyrrell likely to claim a seat under the banner of the Jacqui Lambie Network.   But Jacqui Lambie’s political success hasn’t always been assured In fact, when she entered politics - via a housing...

A fully independent commission to investigate federal corruption was one of the biggest issues for voters at the recent election. Now, the new Labor government has given us a first glimpse of how they plan to set one up. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on the first steps towards integrity. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper , Paul Bongiorno. Stay in touch with us on Tw...

What does standing by while bad things happen do to us? That’s the question Father Rod Bower has been asking himself. For almost 10 years, Father Rod, wrote messages in support of refugees, climate action and same-sex marriage on the sign out the front of his Gosford Church. But, according to him, years of political point scoring on these issues has done more than just delay action – it’s injured...

University students don’t read detailed feedback, so what’s the point in paying academics to give it? That’s the position of some of the management at one of Australia’s most prestigious universities. Now, staff are striking and battlelines are being drawn in one of the biggest industrial disputes in the history of the university sector. So is there an end in sight to the crisis in universities? W...

The new Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, has been keen to say he wants Australians to get to know him better. He’s acknowledged making some mistakes in the past, including walking out of the 2008 apology to the Stolen Generation. But now, an exclusive report by Karen Middleton has revealed that last year, Peter Dutton intervened to cancel an Australian Defence Force plan to give military bases dua...

Right now, the UK government is deliberating on whether to sign-off on the extradition of Australian Julian Assange to the US.  If that happens, Assange — who was charged with espionage offenses in relation to material published on Wikileaks — faces charges that could result in a 175-year sentence. But the Australian election has given Assange’s family and supporters renewed hope. So, will a chang...

As the new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attempts to set the agenda and tone of the next parliament, Labor’s challenges are crystallising.  Climate policy is shaping up as a key battleground, with Labor confronted by a Greens dominated senate, and an Opposition that won’t back Labor’s targets. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on Albanese’s agenda and why he’s demanding disc...

Barnaby Joyce has been rolled as leader of the National Party and replaced by David Littleproud. Joyce says he’s not sad about it, but unlike Scott Morrison he did try to hang on to his party’s leadership after the election. So what state has Joyce left the Nationals in? Will his successor be any different? And is there a chance that Joyce could make yet another political comeback? Today, contribu...

This week China tried to sign up 10 pacific nations to a new regional security pact. Pacific leaders walked away from the deal – but just for now, and Chinese diplomats are hopeful they’ll get the deal done eventually. If it happens, it would be another huge shift away from Australia by Pacific leaders. So what is China offering? How did Australia lose the trust of our neighbours? And if China’s i...

For four years, one Tamil family, with their two small children have been living in community detention. The parents, Priya and Nades, have maintained for years that they just want to return to their home in Queensland, Biloela and now they finally can. How did they learn they would be able to return? And what does the decision say about the future of immigration policy in Australia? Today, journa...

The stunning victories of six new teal independents, in seats the Liberal Party thought were unloseable, has redrawn the political map in Australia. Throughout the campaign, critics of these Independents suggested they had powerful backers who were co-ordinating things behind the scenes. According to the Liberal Party, chief among them was Simon Holmes à Court, the founder of climate lobby group C...

After Saturday’s election result, the Coalition have begun a post-mortem on what went wrong as incoming Liberal leader Peter Dutton vows the party won’t become ‘Labor-lite’.  And, in his first week as Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese has wasted no time in sending signals about the kind of government he intends to lead. But as votes are still being counted in an election that has reshaped the polit...

The Hillsong Church was started in Sydney by Brian and Bobbie Houston. It went on to become one of the world’s greatest Pentecostal forces. That was until a series of scandals forced Brian and Bobbie out. Now leaked emails show exactly how the family responded. Guest: Author of Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity Is Taking Over the World Elle Hardy. Background reading: The Hillsong emails...