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The Red Cross has collected more than $115 million since Australia’s bushfire crisis began. But where is that money going? The organisation has been criticised for not getting money to victims quickly enough. In this episode, Rick Morton explains why current and former Red Cross staff are speaking out.  Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper , Rick Morton. Background reading: Red Cross empl...

As the government deals with the Bridget McKenzie scandal, questions are being asked about other larger grant programs. In this episode, Karen Middleton explains the flaws in the system and explores other programs that haven’t gained real attention. Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton. Background reading:  Sports grants story exposes broken system in The Sat...

As minister for defence, Brendan Nelson controversially spent $6.6 billion on Boeing fighter jets. Now he is running the company’s Australian division. In this episode, Mike Seccombe looks at the links between our government and the global weapons trade. Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe. Background reading:  Close ties between government and military industries in...

In a terrible summer, the bushfire season still has months to run. The volunteers fighting the fires are exhausted and under-resourced. Rick Morton on whether we can meet the next bushfire crisis without radical changes.  Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.  Background reading:  The long, hot summer in The Saturday Paper  The Saturday Paper The Monthly  For more information...

As fires continue on both sides of the continent, and the government succeeds in putting off commitments at the UN climate talks, Scott Morrison has gone on holidays. Paul Bongiorno on what the year looks like from this end of the calendar. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. Background reading: PM travels as country burns in The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The Monthly Fo...

Anthony Albanese says ending Australian coal exports won’t halt climate change. He says we need to cut emissions, but Adani should get on with it and start digging in the Galilee Basin. Karen Middleton on how Labor is resetting its coal rhetoric. Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Pape r Karen Middleton. Background reading: Labor changes message on coal in  The Saturday Paper  T...

Helen Garner has been keeping a diary for as long as she has been a writer. She published extracts from last year’s in the latest issue of The Monthly magazine. This is a selection from them. Guest: Author Helen Garner. Background reading: Diaries (2018-19) in The Monthly The Saturday Paper The Monthly For more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au . See acast.com/privacy for pri...

As the Hillsong Church booms internationally, its local arm is still dealing with the fallout from the royal commission into child sexual abuse. Rick Morton on the man who fought the church – and its senior pastor’s father. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton. Background reading: Sexual abuse survivor rebukes Hillsong head in The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The Monthly...

Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, former members of the Stasi are still working to control the conversation about the regime they once served. Anna Funder on how understanding what happened in East Germany can help us comprehend the age of surveillance in which we now live. Guest: Author Anna Funder. Background reading: Stasiland now in The Monthly The Saturday Paper The Monthly For...

As fires burn across the east coast and Sydney suffers catastrophic air pollution, the Coalition government is arguing to do less on climate change. Scott Morrison all but avoids mentioning it. Paul Bongiorno on the reality that’s filling people’s lungs and making their eyes sting. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. Background reading: PM's clouded judgement on climate in The...

Seven years ago, David Savage was injured while working for the Australian government in Afghanistan. He has fought since to have his compensation settled and to have what actually happened to him acknowledged. Karen Middleton on one man’s long fight for the truth. Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton. Background reading:  AusAID bomb victim’s treatment ‘a di...

Following an inquiry into digital platforms, the government finds itself wedged between News Corp and the tech giants. Both sides are lobbying heavily. Rick Morton on the battle to regulate the internet — or not. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton. Background reading:  Australia and digital data in The Saturday Paper   The Saturday Paper  The Monthly  For more information on...

Description: Following his wrongful conviction for the murder of Canberra’s top police officer, David Eastman sought compensation. But there are bigger questions in this case, about how the legal system responds to mental health. Sam Vincent on how a troubled man tried, unsuccessfully, to represent himself. Guest: Writer and journalist Sam Vincent. Background reading: The retrial of David Eastman...

In Canberra in the 1970s and ’80s, David Eastman was thought of as a serial pest. That was until he was convicted of murdering the assistant commissioner of the Australian Federal Police. The problem was, he didn’t do it. Sam Vincent on a case that sent the wrong man to prison for 19 years. This is part one of a two-part episode. Guest: Writer and journalist Sam Vincent. Background reading: The re...

As the parliamentary year ends, and politicians go home for summer, Scott Morrison is celebrating the repeal of medevac. The key vote came from Jacqui Lambie, who says she has a deal with the government. She won’t say what it is, and the government says it never happened. Paul Bongiorno on the end of another year in politics. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. Background readi...

Hydrogen will be a major renewable energy source, and can be produced by splitting water atoms. But the government is ignoring this low-carbon option to ensure Australia’s hydrogen industry is controlled by fossil fuels. Mike Seccombe on how Angus Taylor and Matt Canavan are turning a green energy source brown. Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe. Background reading:...

As the first two decades of the 21st century come to an end, Australia is going to be forced to confront its place as a middle power and embrace an electorate that is markedly different to the parliament. George Megalogenis on what’s likely to happen in the 2020s. Guest: Author and journalist George Megalogenis. Background reading: The middle of nowhere in The Monthly The Saturday Paper The Monthl...

Andrew Bolt has led a campaign against Bruce Pascoe and his book Dark Emu . But after reading the explorer journals on which the book is based, Rick Morton was unable to find any errors. This is the story of a culture war and a columnist who won’t say if he’s read the book he’s condemning. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton. Background reading: Bolt, Pascoe and the culture w...

As the fallout from the Westpac scandal continues, attempts are already underway to limit corporate responsibility. Michael West on why the story broke and what happens next. Guest: Founder of michaelwest.com.au and contributor to The Saturday Paper Michael West. Background reading: The Saturday Paper The Monthly For more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au . See acast.com/priv...

Scott Morrison has put himself in a difficult position, calling the NSW police commissioner to check on an investigation into his own minister. Paul Bongiorno on the questions that need to be answered. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. Background reading: Taylor twist as Morrison phones a 'friend' in The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The Monthly For more information on to...

According to author Jeff Sparrow, a new fascism is emerging from the internet – one that is rooted in meme culture, but that harnesses mass shootings as a political tool. This is the story of how the Christchurch massacre came to represent a new frontier in the far right. Guest: Author of Fascists Among Us , Jeff Sparrow. Background reading: Under fire from the new fascism  in The Saturday Paper T...

As Julian Assange fights against extradition to the United States, an unlikely group of politicians is working to have him returned to Australia. Rick Morton on the question of law that underpins his case. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton. Background reading: Saving Julian Assange in The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The Monthly For more information on today’s episode,...

A speaking tour of Europe has revealed the strategy behind Peter Ridd’s rejection of reef science: he believes that if people doubt the reef is dying, they will doubt climate change more broadly. Max Opray on the Australian physicist whose sacking became a cause célèbre.  Guest: Morning editor at Schwartz Media Max Opray. Background reading: Peter Ridd and the climate sceptics in The Saturday Pape...

Xi Jinping’s ambitions for China are paranoid and expansionist. His mindset mirrors that of the guerrilla fighters in the Chinese Civil War. Peter Hartcher on how understanding this history helps in understanding Australia’s relationship with China now.  Guest: Author of Quarterly Essay 76: Red Flag Peter Hartcher. Background reading: Quarterly Essay: Red Flag The Saturday Paper The Monthly For mo...

The Morrison government has halted its robo-debt program, finally confronting issues with the troubled scheme. Separately, the government has affirmed its reliance on Chinese trade – irrespective of human rights concerns. Paul Bongiorno on the week in politics. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. Background reading: Dogged by dollar dilemmas in The Saturday Paper The Saturday P...