Australia Matters

American alliances aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. On this episode of After America , Matt Duss joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the Trump administration’s new tariffs against Europe, what if anything it might do in Iran, and its threats to prosecute political opponents. This discussion was recorded on Friday 16 January (AEDT) 2026. A time for Bravery: what happens whe...

From Minnesota to Greenland, the Trump administration is bulldozing guardrails meant to protect human life and dignity. On this episode of After America , Professor Elizabeth N Saunders from Columbia University joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the “chaotic cruelty” of the Trump administration, its escalation of hostilities over Greenland and whether it will strike Iran. This discussion...

Richard Denniss discusses the government’s response to the Bondi terrorist attacks, the chaos of the Trump administration and how to protect Australia’s democracy. On this episode of Follow the Money , Richard Denniss and Ebony Bennett discuss the political and policy response to devasting Bondi terrorist attacks, the cancellation of Adelaide Writers’ Week, Trump and the Australi...

The Trump administration’s imperial march is gathering pace. On this episode of After America , Emma Shortis and Angus Blackman discuss the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, the credibility of the Trump administration’s threats against Greenland and elsewhere, and the fatal shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement...

What would it take to make the PALM scheme a genuine win-win for Australia and its neighbours? In the fourth and final episode of PALMed Off , host Morgan Harrington canvases some of the proposed solutions to the problems facing the PALM scheme, including an amnesty for disengaged workers and ensuring that everyone working in Australia has the right to leave their employer. PALMed Off is a special...

PALM visas holders do not get Medicare (outside of a trial limited to 200 people), so what happens when they are injured, get sick or fall pregnant? In episode three of PALMed Off , host Morgan Harrington hears how a lack of affordable medical care can have dire consequences for PALM visa holders and discusses the problems faced by women who fall pregnant whilst working in Australia. PALMed Off is...

Where do the thousands of people who have left the PALM scheme, but stayed in Australia, go? How do they survive without a valid visa and, more importantly, what does the future hold for them? In episode two of PALMed Off , host Morgan Harrington travels to Leeton, New South Wales, a town that’s become a safe haven for some of the estimated 7,000 people who have ‘disengaged’ from...

In this summer mini-series, we examine the Australian guestworker program that could be putting people from Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste at risk of modern slavery. In PALMed Off , a special  Follow the Money mini-series, we explore the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, a program that allows people from nine Pacific Island nations and Timor Leste to work in Australia o...

Rumours about America's role in the dismissal of Gough Whitlam have circulated for decades – but is there any truth to them?  On this special episode of Follow the Money , Dr Emma Shortis explores the state of the Australia-United States relationship under the Whitlam government, the machinations at the time around the renewal of Pine Gap, and the previously untold account of Dr Liz Cha...

If you or anyone you know needs help, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via their website, www.lifeline.org.au . Support Australia Matters: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you or anyone you know needs help, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via their website, www.lifeline.org.au . Support Australia Matters: https://nb.australiainstitute.org.au/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big economic reform probably isn’t as hard as governments think. On the final episode of Dollars & Sense for 2025, Greg and Elinor discuss why it’s a time for bravery in our economic policy-making and whether rate hikes are on the way in 2026. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 11 December. A time for Bravery: what happens when Australia chooses courage is available now via A...

Traditional custodians are fighting back against climate-destroying gas developments being rammed through by Canadian governments. On this episode of Follow the Money , Hereditary Chief Na’Moks of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, Gwii Lok’im Gibuu Jesse Stoeppler of the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en Nations, and Kai Nagata from not-for-profit Dogwood tell us about their figh...

Defense Secretary Hegseth doesn’t want the US military to fight with “stupid rules of engagement”. On this episode of After America , Allan Behm and Angus Blackman discuss the American ‘double-tap’ strike on an alleged drug boat, Pete Hegseth’s use of Signal to share sensitive military information, and why Trump spent a night posting 160 times on Truth Social. T...

Rooftop solar and data centres are drivers of Australia’s economic growth, but do they really bring the same value to Australian society? On this episode of Dollars & Sense , Greg and Angus discuss why the devil is in the detail of the latest economic growth figures and how the Victoria has led the other states on housing affordability. This discussion was recorded on Thursday 4 December...

These days, Aussie music is falling out of the charts, leaving local acts wondering if they’ll ever see your face again. INXS. Kyle Minogue. Even the Wiggles. Australia has an incredible musical legacy, but with declining streaming numbers and revenues heading abroad, will the Aussie musician just become somebody we used to know? On this episode of Follow the Money , former Spotify Chief Eco...

Trump’s statements about resuming American nuclear testing left administration officials scrambling. On this episode of After America , Dr Ruth Mitchell, neurosurgeon and Nobel Prize winner with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Trump’s nuclear testing claims, American...

By offering generous tax concessions to property investors and making it nearly impossible to live on JobSeeker, Australian governments have being making inequality worse. On this special episode of Dollars & Sense , we discuss the cost of growing inequality with Dr Cassandra Goldie AO, CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), Kasy Chambers, Executive Director of Anglicare Aust...

Australian scientific discoveries have improved people’s lives and made the economy more productive – so why is the CSIRO being forced to shed workers again? On this episode of Follow the Money , Matt Grudnoff and Ebony Bennett discuss the latest job cuts at the CSIRO, why this is a missed opportunity as researchers leave the United States, and why science investment matters for produc...

Rumours about America's role in the dismissal of Gough Whitlam have circulated for decades – but is there any truth to them?  On this special episode of After America , we explore the state of the Australia-United States relationship under the Whitlam government, the machinations at the time around the renewal of Pine Gap, and the previously untold account of Dr Liz Cham, former executi...

By taxing Australian resources more effectively, we could not only have a greener economy – but a fairer one as well. On this special episode of Dollars & Sense , Liam O’Brien from the Australian Council of Trade Unions and Dr Ingrid Burfurd from The Superpower Institute join Dr Richard Denniss to discuss taxing the gas industry more effectively. This discussion was recorded on Wed...

With brave climate leadership, says former South Australian Premier Mike Rann, Anthony Albanese could leave a lasting legacy similar to Bob Hawke with Medicare, Paul Keating with compulsory superannuation and Kevin Rudd with the apology to the Stolen Generations. On this episode of Follow the Money , Mike Rann addresses the fossil fuel industry’s tobacco-like tactics, South Australia’s...

By negotiating an end to the government shutdown without getting anything much in return, some Democrats have gone back to their old trick of resisting the President by giving him exactly what he needs. On this episode of After America , Crikey ’s Charlie Lewis joins Dr Emma Shortis to discuss Congress’ failure to extend life-saving health insurance tax credits, Trump’s inability...

The capital gains tax concession and negative gearing have worked together to make housing less affordable and exacerbate inequality. Tax doesn’t just affect markets, it shapes society. On housing, excessive tax concessions have driven up prices, concentrated wealth and locked many of the market. On this special episode, Maiy Azize from Everybody’s Home, Josie Lee from Oxfam Australia,...

Protecting Australia’s incredible natural environment from bad policy, spurred on corporate interests and a hostile media, can sometimes feel like an impossible task. But sometimes, people power wins out. On this episode of Follow the Money , former head of the Australian Greens Bob Brown joins Ebony Bennett to discuss the irreplaceable beauty of Australia’s natural environment, the cu...