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Scott Morrison began the week praying in front of 21,000 people. He closed it promising a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Paul Bongiorno on what could be the making of a legacy moment.  Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. Background reading: Scott Morrison, prayers and Hillsong  in  The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The Monthly For more information on today...

In the 1960s, Anne Hamilton-Byrne set up Australia’s most notorious cult, The Family. Last month, she died. Martin McKenzie-Murray spoke to one of the survivors, Ben Shenton, about living outside the cult and reckoning with her death. Guest: Chief correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray. Background reading: She’s with Lucifer now – her master  in  The Saturday Paper The Saturd...

Scott Morrison’s tax cuts are based on an American theory of economics trialled in the 1970s. But the evidence since suggests trickle-down economics does not work. Mike Seccombe on why the Coalition perseveres with its reforms. Background reading: Reagan "voodoo" at the budget's heart in The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The Monthly Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Sec...

As the government produces new legislation to temporarily ban foreign fighters from returning to Australia, there is growing concern over whether existing citizenship legislation might be unconstitutional. Karen Middleton on why a High Court challenge is unlikely. Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton. Background reading: The point of no returns in  The Saturd...

The pendulum that is used to predict outcomes in elections is broken. There is no longer a “national mood” or “national conversation”. Richard Denniss on what this means and how it might change the role of money in politics, too. Guest: Chief economist at The Australia Institute and writer for The Monthly and The Saturday Paper Richard Denniss. Background reading: Money, votes and the 'pendulum'  ...

As Scott Morrison’s tax cuts make their way through the parliament, there are fresh questions over religious freedoms. Paul Bongiorno on pragmatism and our Pentecostal prime minister. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. Background reading: Faith and tax cuts as 46th parliament begins  in  The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The Monthly For more information on today’s episode,...

As the government pushes to repeal the medivac legislation, lawyers and doctors contradict the arguments put against it. Martin McKenzie-Murray details the desperate situation of families the bill could have helped. Guest: Chief correspondent for The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray. Background reading:  No truth behind Dutton’s medivac rhetoric  in  The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The...

A landmark high court decision has opened up new questions about how the law should define parenthood, especially for single women who conceive with the help of a known sperm donor. Bri Lee on what this means and the societal assumptions that underpin the court’s ruling. Guest: Writer and contributor to The Saturday Paper Bri Lee. Background reading: Parental guidance in The Saturday Paper The Sat...

The discovery of water ice on the moon has started a new race in space exploration. This time, it is driven by tech start-ups and venture capital. Ceridwen Dovey on the legal framework that governs this race and Australia’s unique role in it. Guest: Writer and contributor to The Monthly Ceridwen Dovey. For more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au. Background reading: Mining on...

Scott Morrison’s inner circle is a group linked by faith and friendship – and now, the front bench. Some in this group trace their connections back to his preselection and even before. Their ties were confirmed during the leadership spill last year. Karen Middleton on who is close to Morrison and why. Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton. Background Reading: ...

As Labor loses party discipline over tax cuts, the Coalition enters into an ugly post-mortem of its leadership change. Paul Bongiorno on the jostle for positions before parliament returns next week. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. Background reading: Labor's contortions on tax package  in  The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The Monthly For more information on today’s epi...

Israel Folau is the first Australian athlete to be sanctioned for his religious beliefs. His sacking by Rugby Australia has opened up a fissure in the debate over equality and freedoms. Martin McKenzie-Murray on how faith and sport are bound together in Folau’s life. Guest: Chief correspondent for The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray. Background reading: In God we trust  in  The Saturday Pape...

As millions protest on the streets of Hong Kong, the democratic freedoms promised in the handover to China are being tested. Louisa Lim on the character of the movement and the changes for which it is asking.  Guest: Senior lecturer in journalism at the University of Melbourne and author of The People’s Republic of Amnesia Louisa Lim. Background Reading: Protests erupt over Hong Kong extradition b...

When Rosie Batty's son was murdered, she became a public figure. She felt a great urgency about the contribution she could make – but it took an extraordinary toll. Martin McKenzie-Murray spoke to her about grief and healing. Guest: Chief correspondent for The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray. Background reading:  The private toll of public grief  in  The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The...

This election was shaped by two men with very different characters. One of them was defined by certainty and the other by his insecurities. Erik Jensen on how leadership interacts with uncertainty, and what it means for the country. Guest: Editor-in-chief of Schwartz Media and author of Quarterly Essay 74: The Prosperity Gospel Erik Jensen. Background reading: Quarterly Essay: The Prosperity Gospe...

Despite a public commitment to passing their tax reforms as a single package, some in the Liberal Party see benefits in not getting the cuts through parliament. Conversely, some in Labor want to see the cuts pass and have the Coalition deal with the consequences. Paul Bongiorno on double-bluff politics. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. Background reading: The cost of Coaliti...

Australia records higher losses from gambling than any country in the world. Our politics encourages the industry for the sake of tax revenues. James Boyce on how the sector uses faulty research to avoid regulation. Guest: Writer and historian James Boyce. Background reading: The lie of 'responsible' gambling in  The Monthly The Saturday Paper The Monthly For more information on today’s episode, v...

As the trade war escalates between China and the US, Australia is increasingly wedged. The country faces its biggest strategic challenge in modern history, while around it the global systems of trade are at threat of being torn apart. Mike Seccombe on how the US became the radical actor in this story. Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe. Background reading: Australia...

Where once it might have seemed radical, presidential hopefuls and tech entrepreneurs are now talking about breaking up the social media giants. Their power has become too great and they are not able to regulate themselves. Osman Faruqi on the battle between free speech and hate speech at places like Facebook. Guest: Journalist and deputy editor of ABC Life Osman Faruqi. Background reading: Hate s...

Before entering parliament, Scott Morrison ran Tourism Australia. He was sacked by the minister, but the details of what happened have never been made public. Karen Middleton on the clearest picture yet of his time in the office. Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton.  Background reading: Fresh documents in Morrison's sacking in The Saturday Paper The Saturday...

As Scott Morrison completes his first overseas trip since winning the election, there are worrying signs for the economy and for press freedom. Paul Bongiorno on interest rates, AFP raids and Kristina Keneally’s new responsibilities. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno. Background reading: Morrison goes from royals to rate cuts to raids in  The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper...

Charlie Teo is Australia’s best-known surgeon. He is also the country’s most controversial specialist. Martin McKenzie-Murray on what defines Teo and the balance he asks us to strike between hope and orthodoxy. Guest: Chief correspondent for The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray. Background reading: The promise of renowned neurosurgeon Charlie Teo in  The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The...

A law that allows drunkenness as a defence against criminal behaviour is the subject of a campaign for reform. But government is not listening and the legal establishment is not interested in seeing it change. Bri Lee talks about what is called “Mistake of Fact”. Warning: this episode contains descriptions of sexual assault. Guest: Author, advocate for consent reform and writer for The Saturday Pa...

Scott Morrison’s cabinet is a careful balance between those who backed him during last year’s leadership spill, and those who backed Peter Dutton. There are well-received appointments and others that are more controversial. Paddy Manning discusses who is where and what it means. Guest: Contributing editor (politics) for The Monthly Paddy Manning. Background reading: Inside the broad church of Scot...

Anthony Albanese has been elected unopposed to lead the Labor Party. He sat down with his biographer, Karen Middleton, to talk about what just happened and what guides his thinking on key policies. Guest: The Saturday Paper ’s chief political correspondent Karen Middleton. Background reading: Starting again: the Albanese interview in  The Saturday Paper The Saturday Paper The Monthly For more info...