The Yarn

Gender-affirming surgeries can cost tens of thousands of dollars. None of it is covered by Medicare.    This week on The Yarn, reporter August Mikleus shares his investigation into the years-long fight for public funding, and what happens when trans patients are forced to front the costs themselves.     Show Notes: August Mikleus ’ reporting for The Citizen. See omnystudi...

In this episode of The Yarn, everybody is trying to stay in touch with somebody who has died. A family who turned their house into a hospital, a granddaughter burning money for her grandfather, a woman who says the dead can be booked by the hour, and a stargazer chasing light from stars that no longer exist.  Stories by Isaure Duruy, Ruiying Tang, Olivia Wright and Jiali Hong. Hosted by Prees...

In this episode, we're joined by Craig Silverman, one of the world's leading experts on online disinformation, who says the era of tech companies funding fact-checking is over.  Craig has spent more than two decades reporting on how our information environment gets manipulated, from a blog tracking newspaper corrections in 2004, to investigations into the digital environment for BuzzFeed News...

In this episode of The Yarn, we meet people who broke new ground without setting out to. The team behind Victoria's first golden kelp restoration project, a sailor who raced a yacht through the roughest water on the planet, and the first woman on the fireground in her region.  Stories by Theoné van der Merwe, Bea Chirnside and Eamon Leggett. Hosted by Preeshita Shah...

In this episode of The Yarn, we meet people whose lives turned on a single first. A boy who became a Beyblade champion, a man whose first night at a soccer club became twenty-five years, and a journalist who chased her first byline from Fiji to Melbourne.  Stories by Erielle Sudario, Sihan Ren and Yixin Zhang. Hosted by Preeshita Shah.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

In this episode of The Yarn, the watching comes with a verdict. Cameras keeping guard over a wildlife sanctuary, an app that tracks a delivery rider's every stop, footballers waiting on selection, and women who change how they move through the city just to avoid being watched.  Stories by Alexandra Nevill, Ruonan Yang, Harry Robertson and Sophie Sewell. Hosted by Preeshita Shah. See omny...

This is the second episode in our three-part series, Somebody's Watching - and it's about Love, and Other Surveillance. In this episode, nobody is performing. But they're being watched anyway. And some of the watching arrives dressed as love, fear, or judgement. Sometimes, a chaotic blend of all. We meet a woman who was outed by a photograph, we step into a self-defence class where women practise...

This is the first episode in our new three-part series, Somebody's Watching - and it’s about Screentime.  In this episode, we meet people who perform for the screen. But in the economy of attention, both performers and watchers are being surveilled.  We meet a streamer who games in front of thousands, we visit a cafe built on viral dessert pastry stuffed with pistachio and wrapped...

On Chinese social media, political influencers risk censorship with every post.   On today’s episode of The Yarn, we speak to feminist content creators from China and Australia about their differing experiences, both online and in real life.     This episode was created by Rachel Liu, Jinghe Huang, Yufei Li, and Zijun Qi.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Food can provide far more than just sustenance. For many, meals are a pivotal link to memory, identity, and belonging.   On today’s episode of The Yarn, our reporters explore the transformative power of food. They speak to a gardener growing Chinese vegetables in Australia, a baker building community through a cake club, and others who turn to food for multifaceted nourishment.  Th...

This week on The Yarn, we explore the benefits of volunteering.   Volunteers from aged care homes, food delivery programs, and elsewhere explain how small contributions can make a big difference in their local communities.     This episode was created by Tianxiao Zhou, Sophie Sewell, Yuqing Hao, Lijing Zhu, and Shumin He.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Melbourne’s Teddy Bear Hospital might sound childish, but it’s where medical students practice vital skills (albeit with stuffed animals as patients). It’s one of several unorthodox learning methods explored in this week’s episode of The Yarn.      This episode was created by Erielle Sudario, Lewis Weir, Yuxuan Qia...

Last week, we heard from international students struggling with fee hikes. Today, we explore the ongoing challenges once they finish their studies.   We speak to graduates about the application process for post-study work visas, the completive job market, and the unfair disadvantages they face compared to permanent residents.   &nbsp...

Today, we talk to international students feeling the crunch of the University of Melbourne’s fee hikes.   For three years running, their enrolment costs have risen by seven per cent. On top of this, they’re dealing with a rental crisis, demanding coursework, and restrictive limits on working hours.   This episode was created by Beatrix Chirnside, Rae Zhang, Harry Robertson, a...

In this episode, we’re exploring the motivations behind acts of kindness.   We speak to Victorians working in homelessness support, sex worker advocacy, and other fields about why they’re so dedicated to their causes.   This episode was created by Michael Saliba, Alexandra Nevill, Yunqian Shi, Ruonan Yang, and Hope Kloppenburg.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

In the words of Joan Baez, action is the antidote to despair.   Today on The Yarn, we’re sharing stories of resistance and resilience, from pro-Palestine activists fighting for free speech, to teachers striking for fairer working conditions.      This episode was created by Siena Kinkela, Yiming Liu, Zoe Eyles, Matt Melia, and Lynn Pan.  See omnystudio.com/listener f...

To mark World Press Freedom Day, we're dedicating an episode of The Yarn to journalists in danger. We speak to reporters and media experts about navigating war zones, covering authoritarian regimes, and why exposing the truth is often a matter of life and death.    This episode was created by Isaure Duruy, Jiali Hong, Xue Xue, and Olivia Wright. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

This week, we're hearing about what keeps people up at night — and what keeps them hopeful in the face of despair. Student activists, marine ecologists, and other change makers share their tactics for turning fear into action.    This episode was created by Eamon Leggett, Theone Van Der Merwe, Fan Chu, and Yixin Zhang. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donating used clothes might seem sustainable, but Australia's textile waste is causing an environmental catastrophe in Fiji. This week on The Yarn, reporter Shayal Devi explains how “waste colonisation” is harming the pacific nation.     Show Notes: Shayal Devi's reporting for The Citizen See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To most Melburnians, urban seagulls are noisy pests. But why did these once coastal creatures abandon their seaside habitats in the first place? This week on The Yarn, reporter Luisa Bonazzoli explains the human-led changes forcing gulls into cities.       Show Notes: Luisa Bonazzoli's Feature for The Citizen   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the final episode of our Passion Project series, we’re hearing from trailblazers, trendsetters, and leaders. From a woman motorsport racer smashing her industry’s glass ceiling, to a music teacher rekindling passions for a neglected genre. This episode features reporting by Aimee Watson, Molly O'Farrell, Nina Bartholomeusz, Katya Ewing, and Vivien Frischknecht. See omnystudio.com/l...

Next in our Passion Project series, five stories about communal care. In this episode, a former cult member guides others to freedom, an ICU doctor supports burnt-out colleagues, and an anorexia survivor helps those in recovery.   This episode features reporting by Eliza McIntosh, Celina Lahdo, Sanober Bhavnagri, Charlie Williams, and Jenson Galvin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

On this week’s episode of Passion Project, we’re entering the DIS-comfort zone.   We’re investigating extreme hikers who rebel against modern life, elite athletes struggling with burnout, and others who push themselves to the absolute limit.  This episode features reporting by Grace Viney, Berit Anna Rojer, Kezia Tan, and Rose Beattie.  See omnystudio.com/listener...

Nude  movie screenings might sound perverse, but this one-of-a-kind experience has been selling out Melbourne cinemas. It's just one of the hyper niche interests we're exploring in this week's episode of Passion Projects — our new series about outliers, trailblazers, and the pastimes they love.  This episode features reporting by Lachie Carroll, Cathy Yee, Mia Leys, Cassia Cunningh...

Today, we’re sharing a talk from Pulitzer Prize-winning war journalist Chris Hedges, who believes the Western media is complicit in the Gaza genocide.  Chris spent two decades covering war zones in places like Iraq, Sarajevo, and Gaza. He’s also the author of more than a dozen books. His most recent is A Genocide Foretold: Reporting on Survival and Resistance in Occupied Palestine...