Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

For over one hundred years, the Ruhr region was the grimy, polluted heart of Germany’s coal and steel. Today it has no coal mines. Instead, it is a cultural hub more than fifty museums and is a centre for green energy innovation. How did they do it?

It was a bad year for crypto even before the spectacular collapse of FTX. Although eminent economists and investors warned that cryptocurrency was a speculative bubble—even a Ponzi scheme—the growth of digital currency exchanges fuelled investment in crypto. Are we seeing the beginning of its death spiral?

Centrelink’s 'automated debt recovery system' - or Robodebt - sparked two Senate inquiries, an Ombudsman inquiry, numerous court cases and now a Royal Commission. Despite being found to be unlawful by the Federal Court, questions remain. How and why was this system introduced? And why was it allowed to run for so long?

Casino inquiries, cashless gambling cards, new laws on gambling advertising—the gambling industry in Australia is under the microscope as never before. Just how far has the tide turned and what needs to be done to address the problems associated with Australia’s gambling addiction?

The NDIS was meant to transform the lives of all Australians with a disability, but things haven’t quite gone to plan. Many people have found the NDIS difficult to access or inadequate and there has been a huge cost blowout. Hear the story of the NDIS – what we’ve got right, what we’re got wrong and how we might fix it.

The federal government has committed to work with states and territories, local government and investors to reshape housing in Australia. Perhaps most significant is the commitment to build fifty thousand social and affordable homes, bringing some relief to those on the lowest incomes currently forced into the private rental market.

The US midterm elections are happening this week and many people say that the outcome could determine the future of democracy in America. We look at one side of this electoral race—the Republican Party—and its historical links with the extreme right.

The choice is between the former leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva—known as Lula—and the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro. Who are these men and what will this vote mean for the future of Latin America’s biggest country?

The death last month of a young Iranian woman while in the custody of the morality police has sparked widespread protests across Iran. Protests are not new in Iran. Since the 1990s, there have been many protests, but these are unusual in that they are being led by women and girls. This is the story of women and politics in Iran.

As the all-powerful Chinese Communist Party elite gather for a public display of their authority, Xi Jinping cements his grip on China. Xi’s family background put him on the fast track to success within the Party, although like many so-called ‘princelings’, he endured great hardship during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. How did Xi rise to the top and what has his ascendancy meant for the people of Chi...

The modern-day Commonwealth emerged out of the British Empire. Can it separate itself from this colonial past and its legacy of slavery and racism?

The sky’s the limit for New York City skyscrapers, from the Art Deco delights of the Chrysler Building to today’s controversial supertalls.

After decades of cutbacks, pay freezes and allegations of politicisation, is the Australian Public Service still able to give the government of the day informed and independent advice?

The World Heritage Convention has become a victim of its own success, with increasing political pressure sidelining expert advice and the deluge of sites put forward threatening the value of the ‘brand’. 

In Scandinavian prisons the focus is on rehabilitation not punishment.

LIV, a new professional golf competition backed by Saudi Arabia, has created bitter division among players, challenging the future shape of the game.

Taiwan today produces ninety per cent of the world’s most sophisticated microchips that power everything from our smart phone and laptops to military equipment, electric cars and rockets that go to Mars. But Taiwan is also in the eye of a political storm, caught between China on the one side and the United States on the other.  How did the tiny island of Taiwan come to dominate the production of m...

Secret trials and overblown sentences are the hallmarks of state hostage-taking. What can governments do when their citizens are wrongfully detained overseas?

Decisions made by the Reserve Bank affect so much of our lives—from our mortgage repayments to the cost of supermarket items. For the first time in decades, how it operates is up for review.

The e-book has turned the book industry upside down affecting bookshops, publishers, authors, libraries and readers. This program was first broadcast on 24 October, 2021

In the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are calling for an Indigenous Voice to parliament. While they haven’t set out how that would work there are models we can look back on. Ever since the referendum of 1967 federal governments have attempted and failed to set up administrative organisations to give Indigenous Communities a say in their own affairs. As we on...

Britons were promised an economy free from European regulation and the right to make their own laws once they left the EU. Instead, British businesses are setting up in Europe and holidaymakers are stuck in traffic as they try to get to France.

In the 1970s, scientists warned of a potential natural disaster – the destruction of the ozone layer by CFCs, chemicals commonly used in fridges and spray cans. The world came together to protect the ozone layer. Why hasn’t this happened with climate change?

Choosing to not drink is a pretty big thing in this country. Globally we’re well up there in terms of consumption levels and risky drinking - alcohol is entrenched in almost all aspects of society. But there’s growing interest in staying dry past July. Australia has a long history with alcohol but are we seeing a change in drinking habits?

PNG has hundreds of languages groups, almost a thousand tribes and is one of only four nations globally that doesn’t have any women in parliament. Over three weeks the country is holding its national election – the 10th since it gained its independence from Australia in 1975.