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After being postponed last year, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games officially begin tonight in the middle of Japan’s third wave of Covid-19 and amidst a pandemic that is still raging across the world. Tens of thousands of athletes and officials have poured into Tokyo, but stadiums will be empty, with fans prohibited from taking part. But, with athletes pulling out and more and more participants testing...

Throughout this pandemic one group in particular have been at the forefront of key policy debates: young people . From whether schools should close, to how likely children are to get sick from Covid-19, the conversation has been filled with uncertainty and doubt. But as we’ve learnt more about the virus, a new fault-line has emerged: the question of how and when to vaccinate young people. Today, c...

Four years ago the mining giant Adani was struggling to fund its massive coal project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin. Public pressure and a political backlash had stalled the company’s plans to build the biggest coal mine in the country. So Adani turned to the Chinese government to try and secure its financing.  Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper , Mike Seccombe on how a group of...

The rapidly spreading Delta variant has forced nearly half of Australia’s population back into lockdown, and it’s not clear when the restrictions might end. The slow uptake of vaccinations has been pointed to as a key factor behind the latest outbreaks, and how fast they spread. But why is vaccine uptake so slow in Australia? Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on how shiftin...

The Tarkine rainforest, in Tasmania's north west, is Australia's largest temperate rainforest and home to some of the country’s most endangered species.  So far it’s natural wilderness has remained largely untouched. But now a mining company has started clearing the Tarkine, to build a new dam. And the project could cause irreparable damage to the natural environment.   Today, former leader of the...

In 2017 Melbourne musicians Ed Service and Jack Madin recorded a song in their Brunswick studio. It was recorded with, and for, their friends. The track got some love at local gigs and warehouse parties, but disappeared pretty quickly. Ed and Jack soon moved on with their lives and got day jobs. But four years later that song they wrote has gone international. It’s playing at festivals and stadium...

This week Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a new COVID-19 financial support package for Sydneysiders currently in lockdown.  The new measures were welcomed as a necessary response to help those impacted by a loss of work and business. But the announcement was met with frustration from other states, particularly Victoria, who had been asking for help during their own lockdowns. Today, contri...

Chris Cheers is a psychologist who spent the long lockdown in Melbourne last year supporting people struggling with their mental health.  A few days ago he began sharing advice on social media about getting through lockdowns, as a way to support those in Sydney. His posts went viral, encouraging other Melbournians to share their own tips. Today, Chris Cheers on how those of us not in lockdown can...

It's been over 50 years since equal pay for equal work became law in Australia, but right now women are still significantly underpaid. In recent years, efforts to better value women's work and increase wages have stalled but now, a new case being brought to the Fair Work Commission by a group of aged care workers could change that.   Today, writer for The Saturday Paper Kristine Ziwica on the case...

According to most scientists, the world has until 2030 to transition away from coal-fired power in order to prevent runaway climate change. Six years ago one Australian energy company tried to do just that. But now, new details have emerged showing the role played by the federal government in trying to stop that from happening. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on...

Over the past few years the federal government has passed more and more laws granting police and security agencies greater access to our private communications.   Law enforcement agencies claim the powers protect Australians from criminals, but there are growing concerns that they actually weaken our online security. Today, writer for The Saturday Paper and chair of Digital Rights Watch Lizzie O’S...

In basements and bars across the country crowds gather to cheer on people wearing tight, spandex outfits as they toss and pummel each other all over a ring. In today’s episode we visit Deathmatch Downunder: one of the most spectacular, violent and progressive professional wrestling events in the country. It’s popular, it’s growing and it’s the perfect combination of sports and entertainment. But w...

For most of the past year the Coalition government has faced sustained criticism over its treatment of women. Now a former Liberal MP has added fuel to the fire, lashing a culture of sexism and bullying in the Liberal party, and accusing a cabinet minister of sexual harassment.  Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the latest allegations levelled against the Morrison governmen...

For most of the past 18 months, Australia has been hailed as a world leader in terms of its handling of the pandemic. But now, some of our biggest cities have been plunged back into lockdowns, restrictions and border closures, while Europe and the United States reopen. Last week the federal government outlined a plan to get us back to some kind of normality but it’s been criticised for being prett...

A scathing new report has found that in the lead-up to the last election the federal government spent more than half a billion dollars on infrastructure projects heavily targeted to seats held by the Coalition, or seats they were trying to win. The funding was specifically for car parks, but it raised serious questions about how government funding decisions are made, and the politicisation of the...

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, but now it’s on the cusp of being declared “in danger” by UNESCO. But scientists have been warning for decades that rising sea temperatures could kill off the Reef, though their concerns were largely ignored by the government. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on the scientist who pred...

In a recent landmark judgement, the federal court has found that the government owes children a duty of care in preventing harm from the impacts of climate change. The case, which centred around the proposed expansion of a NSW coal mine, could have far reaching legal implications in Australia. Today, writer for The Monthly Kieran Pender on the case that saw a group of teenagers take on the Ministe...

Today, Richard Flanagan, Booker prize winner and author of The Living Sea of Waking Dreams , reads his essay from the latest issue of The Monthly . It’s called ‘To be free’ and it explores why he writes, and, in his words “the need to write against the dogmas of conformity”.   Guest: Writer for The Monthly Richard Flanagan. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. See omnystudio....

Less than eight percent of Australians are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. This week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the Astra-Zeneca vaccine, previously only available for people over 60, could now be accessed by anyone, regardless of their age.  The announcement led to significant pushback, particularly from the Queensland government, who are still advising younger Australians t...

Australia’s meat processing industry is one of many that relies heavily on migrant workers, to do jobs that Australian residents often aren’t willing to do.  Many of those migrant workers come from China, with the promise that hard work will lead to permanent residency in Australia. But for some that promise is never delivered on. Today, writer for The Monthly André Dao on how Australia’s immigrat...

In the past few days over 10 million Australians have been plunged back into lockdowns, as fresh outbreaks of Covid-19 spread across major cities. The emergence of these new clusters has highlighted how vulnerable Australia still is during this phase of the pandemic, largely as a result of our low vaccination numbers. The current crisis forced the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, to announce a radi...

A case currently before the High Court, involving one academic’s controversial views on climate, could have significant ramifications for freedom of speech in Australia. Physicist Peter Ridd was fired after he publicly criticised his colleague’s research on the Great Barrier Reef, but what started as an employment dispute has become a test case on climate denial and cancel culture. Today, writer f...

As Australia grapples with new outbreaks of Covid-19, questions about the origins of the virus have been re-emerging. US President Joe Biden recently urged intelligence agencies to investigate where the virus came from, and who was responsible. And at the G7 summit, world leaders formally discussed the controversial Wuhan lab-leak theory: the idea that the virus didn’t emerge naturally, but came o...

After two years on the backbench, Barnaby Joyce is back as leader of the Nationals and as Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister. His return to power caught Scott Morrison off guard, and has put the spotlight on the tense relationship between the two Coalition parties. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on what triggered Barnaby Joyce’s return and what it means for the future of Aus...

Behrouz Boochani spent six years detained on Manus Island, a victim of Australia’s Pacific Solution. Last year he was granted refugee status in New Zealand, and since then has used his freedom to advocate on behalf of the hundreds of other asylum seekers detained by Australia. One group of detainees, the Murugappan family from Biloela, were recently moved from Christmas Island into community deten...