Sri Lankan-born Canadian essayist, poet, and Booker Prize-winning novelist Michael Ondaatje recently released a stunning collection of poems. Ondaatje is now 80 years old and it’s almost half a century since he published his first novel; even longer since he first published poetry. On this episode of Read This he joins Michael for a conversation about A Year of Last Things and why writing remains such a joyful act of discovery.

Charlotte Wood became a mainstay in Australia’s literary firmament in 2016 following the release of her award-winning novel, The Natural Way of Things. Her latest book, Stone Yard Devotional, is a meditation on grief, solitude, what it means to live a good life, and what we owe one another. It has been shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. On this episode of Read This, Michael sits down with Charlotte to discuss her new book, and she shares the psychic catastrophe that informed its final form.

Read This: Charlotte Wood Thinks Restraint Is Underrated

There’s a greater than 50 per cent chance that there will be a terrorist attack – or a planned attack – in Australia in the next year.
That’s the reality behind the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s recent decision to upgrade the nation’s terror threat level to “probable”.
So the need for all states and territories to be working on a united strategy with the federal government to prevent terrorist attacks is greater than ever.
But that’s not what’s happening. The states and territories have taken the unprecedented step of abandoning the Albanese government’s planned counter-terrorism strategy, in favour of figuring it out themselves.
Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis, on why the national strategy on counterterrorism has collapsed – and what it means for our safety.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

Exclusive: States abandon federal terrorism ‘clusterf--k’

As much as they would hate to admit it, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris fit the definition of “coastal elite”. The United States presidential candidates are a wealthy New York businessman and reality TV star running against a San Francisco liberal with a career in public office.
That’s why they’re both hoping their vice-presidential candidates and running mates will speak to a specific group of voters – the blue collar, working class area of the Midwest.
And yesterday’s debate showed that both J.D. Vance and Tim Walz are taking that opportunity seriously.
Today, ABC journalist and host of the Global Roaming podcast Geraldine Doogue, on how the two candidates are using their roots to appeal to voters in very different ways.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: ABC journalist and host of Global Roaming, Geraldine Doogue.

Midwest and masculinity: The Vance-Walz debate

There are hundreds of angry posts on X, TikTok and Reddit from citizen journalists archiving Coles and Woolworths' published prices and noticing some strange patterns.
The posters complain that the two supermarket giants have misled their customers with their “Down Down” and “Prices Dropped” promotions.
Now, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched legal action, alleging the big two presented discounted promotions that were actually higher, or the same, as the price that had been charged for the same items just weeks beforehand.
Today, economist and contributor to The Saturday Paper Peter Martin, on the “illusory” discounts and how a Cadbury Caramello Koala helped fuel the outrage.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Economist and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Peter Martin.

Inside the Coles and Woolworths 'fake' discounts case

When Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in Beirut over the weekend, Michelle Jasmin Dimasi felt the blast from her apartment. 
Michelle’s an Australian journalist and she’s been based in the city for a few months.
Now, as Israeli airstrikes continue, she is preparing to leave, likely by plane. 
But for a million displaced people within Lebanon, that calculation of where to go, and how to get out, is much more complicated.
Today, Michelle Jasmin Dimasi on the reality of life in Lebanon right now and why thousands of people, including Syrian refugees, are fleeing back into Syria.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Journalist Michelle Jasmin Dimasi

A report from the border of Lebanon and Syria

The leader of Hezbollah has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.
Hassan Nasrallah led the group for more than 30 years, building it into a powerful political force within Lebanon and the most heavily armed non-state militia in the world.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly ordered the killing from his hotel room in New York, before his speech at the United Nations general assembly.
Joe Biden has called the killing a “measure of justice”.
But Lebanon is entering three days of mourning, at a time when more than half a million people are displaced there and airstrikes continue.
Today, Middle East correspondent for The Economist Gregg Carlstrom on Hassan Nasrallah’s legacy and what his death means for Lebanon, and for Israel.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Middle East correspondent for The Economist Gregg Carlstrom

How the assassination of Hezbollah’s leader will reshape the Middle East

Read This: Michael Ondaatje Is Learning Everything Again

The Reserve Bank should lower interest rates, and if they don’t, the government should make them, according to the Greens.
Their spokesperson for economic justice Nick McKim has said he won’t support the government's reforms to the RBA unless the treasurer intervenes in the bank’s decision-making processes and tells them to lower interest rates. 
It’s a big demand: something that has never happened before and is unlikely to now, with Labor saying the Greens are “out of control”.
And there is also unrest within the Greens about the position, with some concerned the demands go too far at a time when the party is looking to make itself a viable alternative to the two major parties at the next election.
Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on just how independent the Reserve Bank is and what the Greens are playing at. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe

Inside the Greens' interest rate demands

The Liberal National Party has been in the political wilderness in Queensland for most of the past three decades. But in a month’s time that’s likely to change, after an election campaign fought on youth crime.
Yesterday, David Crisafulli announced courts would be able to access young people’s full criminal histories, even after they have turned 18. It’s a move legal experts say is cheap and won’t change rates of offending.
All this tough talk hides a more complicated story, in which a small number of highly publicised and shocking crimes obscure the fact that, by the police’s own figures, youth offending is near record lows.
Today, we hear from a survivor of Queensland’s youth justice system about the real reasons young people offend, and what helped her escape the cycle.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram

What 'tough on crime' means in Queensland

In more than 30 years of lobbying for gambling reforms, Tim Costello says no government has tried to silence him through the use of a legally binding non-disclosure agreement.
That’s until the Albanese government asked him to sign an NDA as part of lobbying the government on new gambling advertising laws.
The chief advocate for the Alliance for Gambling Reform says he believes its purpose was to “muzzle” the group.
It’s part of a growing government trend to use non-disclosure agreements as a condition of consultation on reforms, even threatening advocates and social welfare groups with imprisonment if orders are breached. 
Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow, on the impact these NDAs have on meaningful consultation and how the government justifies its turn towards secrecy.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Barlow.

‘Muzzling’ advocates: the Albanese government’s reliance on NDAs

If you ask a Melbourne local, almost all of them would have heard of the 1977 Easey Street murders.
In one of Victoria’s most brutal unsolved killings, two women in their 20s were stabbed dozens of times in their home on Easey Street in Collingwood.
Now, after 47 years and examining over 130 “persons of interest”, police have finally made an arrest.
Today, journalist and author of Murder on Easey St Helen Thomas, on the killings that haunted Melbourne and the suspect – known as “the boy with the knife” – that police overlooked for decades.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Journalist and author of Murder on Easey St, Helen Thomas.

Easey Street and ‘the boy with the knife’

Peter Dutton is now on TikTok, and his first post was about as inspiring as you might imagine. It’s shot in an office, he’s wearing a suit, and he’s talking about housing.
It’s easy to see this as a case of trying to appeal to the kids. But it’s also a sign of a broader trend among Australian politicians, with around a third of them now on TikTok and more likely to join the platform.
Peter Dutton’s move to TikTok is especially curious, beyond his use of the word “demure”. It signals that he’s made a calculation that the opportunity for votes is more important than any of the security concerns flagged about the app’s parent company, ByteDance.
Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis on whether TikTok is actually a threat – or just an opportunity for political embarrassment. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

TikTok politics: Very demure, very Dutton

Even if you’re not an obsessive Ancient Rome aficionado, you may have heard of Mary Beard. With more than 20 books to her name, including the wildly successful SPQR, Mary might be most famous for her work as a BBC host for shows such as Pompeii: Life and Death in a Roman Town and Julius Caesar Revealed. On this episode of Read This, she sits down with Michael to discuss her life sentence — the half dozen words that set her on the path to becoming Britain’s best-known classicist — and why the Roman Empire is so misunderstood.

Read This: Friends, Mary Beard Fans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears

In a court case earlier this year, an art installation at Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art that was designed to playfully poke at the historic and ongoing disadvantages faced by women was found to be discriminatory.
MONA’s Ladies Lounge was a small, private room within the museum, bordered by silk green curtains and open only to those who identify as “ladies”.
MONA is appealing the decision, arguing that men weren’t being rejected from the lounge, but rather their rejection was an experience of the artwork itself.
Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Gabriella Coslovich on the Ladies Lounge saga, and what happens when discrimination is the entire point.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Gabriella Coslovich.

Fake artwork and discrimination: The MONA Ladies Lounge saga

As a child refugee in India, Harini dreamt of making it to Australia to study medicine and become a doctor.
She arrived in Australia in 2013 when she was 10 years old, leaving behind her two siblings and mother.
Harini did not realise her visa status made her different to her classmates until she received a university offer for a biomedical science degree that required her to pay international student fees of nearly $100,000.
After attempting to self-fund her studies and falling a year behind in payments, the university disenrolled Harini in 2023 – four months before she was set to complete her degree.
Today, Harini Rathnakumar on how her promise of a better life in Australia was shattered, and the many others stuck in visa limbo.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Harini Rathnakumar

‘They don’t want us here’: an asylum seeker’s shattered education dreams

When Bill Shorten finally gave up his hopes of ever becoming prime minister, one door closed and another, much more lucrative, door opened. 
In his new role as vice-chancellor of the University of Canberra, he could earn up to three times as much as the PM. 
His appointment comes amid a fight about the exorbitant salaries Australian vice-chancellors receive and as his government's new cap on international students raises big questions about funding shortfalls in higher education. 
Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on how much vice-chancellors earn and how they justify it. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe

University bosses and their million-dollar salaries

When Jim Chalmers said that interest rate hikes were “smashing the economy” he was either stating the obvious or starting a war, depending on who you ask.
For weeks – in question time and in the news – a picture has been forming of an aggrieved treasurer, angry at the governor of the Reserve Bank. At the same time, senior unnamed Labor insiders have called Michelle Bullock a “nutter” and the RBA board “weirdos”.
But behind the apparent breakdown between the government and the Reserve Bank, there’s a much more bitter feud going on: between Jim Chalmers and Angus Taylor, who has recently walked away from a bipartisan plan to fix the Reserve Bank.
Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis on how the deal unravelled and what it means for the future of the Reserve Bank.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

Jim Chalmers, Angus Taylor and the future of the Reserve Bank

The militia movement in the United States has a long and bloody history. 
In the aftermath of January 6, it was buoyed by Donald Trump’s praise of those who attacked the Capitol, and the numbers of people wanting to join militia groups grew. With a resurgence in numbers, militia groups are now patrolling the US-Mexico border, forming bonds with active duty police and military and trying to influence the midterm elections.
With the presidential election fast approaching, investigative reporter for ProPublica Joshua Kaplan has gained rare access to the secretive world of one militia, American Patriots Three Percent, to find out how they are preparing for the election and what will happen if Donald Trump loses.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Investigative reporter for ProPublica Josh Kaplan 

Inside the secret world of an American militia

Star investigative journalist Louise Milligan has spent her career working on some of the most high-profile criminal cases in Australia. This incredible breadth of experience informs her first novel Pheasant’s Nest, which follows the abduction of a young journalist and provides a unique insight into the media, policing and politics that surround a crime like this. On this episode of Read This, Michael sits down with Louise to discuss the leap from reporting to fiction and why writing this book was a kind of therapy.

Read This: Louise Milligan Wears Her Heart on Her Sleeve

When former inmate Daniel Vansetten heard about the idea of a national newspaper, produced for prisoners and by prisoners, he jumped at the opportunity to be involved.
He says the incarceration system in Australia can be an information black hole and About Time intends to rectify that.
The free paper is available to approximately 21,000 prisoners in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT.
It’s tailored to prison life, and with the ambition to shift information in and out of prisons, hopes to create a community among incarcerated peoples.
Today, contributor to About Time Daniel Vansetten and the paper’s managing director Rosie Heselev on giving prisoners a voice and the empathy they hope it will inspire.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Contributor to About Time Daniel Vansetten and managing director of About Time Rosie Heselev.

Australia’s first national newspaper – for prisoners, by prisoners

The United States presidential campaign so far has largely been based on fashioning public perceptions: with the Democrats painting Donald Trump as a threat to democracy, and Republicans calling Kamala Harris a radical Marxist who will destroy America.
And with the election just around the corner, their first and possibly only debate was a chance to tell Americans about their visions for the country.
So with most polls showing both candidates at a dead heat, did we learn anything about what they’re actually offering voters? 
Today, senior researcher at The Australia Institute Dr Emma Shortis, on who came out on top of the US presidential debate, and whether it was enough to make a difference.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Senior researcher at The Australia Institute, Dr Emma Shortis

Trump v Harris: two visions of America

Peter Dutton’s first major promise when he became opposition leader was to build nuclear power plants.
It was a curious idea with no cost attached and and without much community support, according to polling. 
Now, the Labor government has signalled it wants the next election to be fought on the viability of these plants, with the release of a new attack ad focusing on how expensive nuclear power would be.
Beyond the cost, questions remain about the legality and safety of nuclear power in Australia.
Today, emeritus professor and former head of the School of Science at Griffith University Ian Lowe fact checks Peter Dutton’s nuclear promise.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Emeritus professor and former head of the School of Science at Griffith University Ian Lowe 

Why Labor wants to fight the election on nuclear power

Politics was changed at the last election in a way the major parties are still grappling with.
Now, the record crossbench it delivered looks set to grow even more, with a hung parliament looking ever more likely.
In the lead up to the next election, Labor is courting the teals, knowing the relationship could be crucial to forming government and keeping Coalition MPs out of inner-city seats.
Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Barlow, on Labor’s plan and the fight that could derail it. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Barlow

Inside Labor’s courting of the teal independents

The Albanese government’s long-promised National Anti-Corruption Commission was met with high hopes that it would weed out corruption within our institutions and restore faith in politics.
But when it came to its first big test – investigating the robodebt scandal – it took the commission a year to decide it would do nothing.
Now, there are concerns that the NACC is failing to live up to its obligations and has been marred by silence and secrecy.
Today, special correspondent in Canberra for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis, on what the National Anti-Corruption Commission has achieved one year on and whether it’s enough.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

Has Albanese’s NACC been a failure?

Gerald Murnane doesn’t have readers, he has acolytes. The New Yorker described him as “the reclusive giant of Australian letters”. He’s written 10 novels, several collections of short stories and essays, and a memoir about horse racing. Together these books represent one of the most formidable and singular bodies of work in literature. On this episode of Read This, Michael drives out to the Goroke golf course to chat with Gerald on his home turf.

Read This: We Visited Gerald Murnane at the Goroke Golf Course

Bill Shorten has wanted to be the prime minister since he was a teenager. 
Yesterday he finally gave up that ambition, announcing his resignation from politics. 
Shorten spent almost two decades in parliament – rising to be opposition leader and contesting two elections, but never winning.
As an architect of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, his legacy is significant. But his political failures have also shaped the country in enduring ways.
Today, Schwartz Media’s editor-in-chief Erik Jensen on how Bill Shorten’s career has changed Australia.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Schwartz Media’s editor-in-chief, Erik Jensen

Why Bill Shorten is quitting politics

At a Senate committee last year, the NRL and Football Australia acknowledged the link between head injuries in contact sports and the neurodegenerative disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
But a core member of the NRL’s concussion research group is also one of the most outspoken critics of the link between repeated head injury and CTE, calling it an “invented disease … conjured out of thin air”.
His views corroborate the Australian NRL’s multimillion-dollar research program into former elite-level rugby league players, which to date has concluded there is no link between concussion and depression or other cognitive problems.
So how does the NRL justify advancing a position that most scientists don’t agree with? 
Today, journalist and contributor to The Saturday Paper Wendy Carlisle, on the brain epidemic killing ex-athletes and why the science is still being contested.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Journalist and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Wendy Carlisle.

The scientific controversy over head injuries in sport

Although Australians voted resoundingly against an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, Thomas Mayo – one of the Voice’s key campaigners – has not given up hope.
He says while the “Yes” campaign lost the referendum, what they gained was resilience and a new generation of Indigenous leaders ready to take up the fight.
He’s also written a new book, Always Was Always Will Be: The Campaign for Justice and Recognition Continues – outlining a vision for what comes next. 
Today, Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander activist Thomas Mayo.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Today, Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander activist, Thomas Mayo.

Thomas Mayo on continuing the fight for recognition

The census is meant to reflect the country back to us – to give vital data on who makes up Australia. 
But this week it’s become a political landmine for the federal government, who first cancelled questions on sexual orientation and gender identity, only to partially reverse that decision amid tense backlash. 
But the question of data isn’t just academic. This debate is coming at a time when the Victorian coroner has specifically asked for more data on the transgender community following a number of young trans women taking their own lives.
Today, writer and co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia Sam Elkin, on the government’s decision to exclude trans people from the census and why counting them could save lives.
And just a warning, today’s episode discusses suicide. Please take care while listening.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Writer and co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia Sam Elkin.

Why trans people need to be counted in the census

It’s been almost a decade since Jacqui Lambie dramatically quit the Palmer United Party.  
Since then, she’s become a political force in Canberra and in her home state of Tasmania as the leader of the Jacqui Lambie Network. 
At the last federal election, Lambie’s longtime staffer Tammy Tyrrell won a senate spot – and at the last Tasmanian election, just a few months ago, the party won three seats.
But now, the JLN is imploding, after Tyrrell resigned and two of the three Tasmanian MPs were sacked.
Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on the allegations Lambie spied on her colleagues and why she hasn’t been able to hold the party together.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton.

Is this the end of the Jacqui Lambie Network?

Writer, artist, and filmmaker Miranda July has a devoted – even rabid – following, through her writing, her work on the screen, and her collaborative art projects. On this episode of Read This, she and Michael discuss her new novel, All Fours, which explores desire, intimacy, dance, and an often overlooked part of the ageing process.

Read This: Miranda July Wrote the Book She Couldn’t Find

The most damaging controversy the Indigenous art sector has experienced in years started with a video.
The Ngura Pulka exhibition was set to open in June last year, featuring 28 new paintings by three generations of Aṉangu artists represented by the APY Art Centre Collective in South Australia.
The footage shows white studio assistants working on canvases from an APY Lands artist, which became the linchpin for a vicious media campaign and provoked a series of investigations.
Today, art curator Bruce Johnson McLean and reporter and contributor to The Saturday Paper Gabriella Coslovich on the APY art scandal and the complicated question of authenticity in the Aboriginal art world.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Gabriella Coslovich.

Inside the ‘white hands on black art’ saga

It’s been a tough few weeks for Jim Beyer, the CEO of Australia’s third largest goldmining company, Regis Resources.
The multi-billion dollar McPhillamy goldmine in NSW had been through all the approvals processes, but at the last minute, Beyer had to tell investors that it likely won’t go ahead.
The announcement comes after an intervention from the Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, on behalf of a group of traditional owners.
The resources industry, the Coalition and conservative parts of the media are all furious, with some claiming that cultural heritage laws are being “hijacked” by green groups.
Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on Tanya Plibersek, the goldmine, and who should get a say when it comes to approving mining projects.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe.

Tanya Plibersek and the billion-dollar gold mine

Jess Hill hasn’t been sleeping much lately. For the past three months, she’s been working on a plan to try to end violence against women and children. 
Now, that plan is out. The rapid review looks beyond the education campaigns that we have come to understand as domestic violence prevention and calls for a complete overhaul to the way the government responds to men killing women. 
Today, journalist and co-author of the rapid review Jess Hill on what’s in the report and whether we’re going to see any change in the national plan to end gendered violence.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Author of See What You Made Me Do: Power, Control and Domestic Abuse and co-author of the rapid review Jess Hill.

Jess Hill on how to stop domestic violence

It was the biggest escalation between Hezbollah and Israel since October 7.
On Sunday, Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel while Israel said it hit more than 40 targets in Lebanon – and isn’t done yet.
The attacks come as talks of a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel continue with no sign of an outcome. 
Today, world editor of The Saturday Paper and editor of Australian Foreign Affairs Jonathan Pearlman on whether the Middle East is headed for all-out war. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: World editor of The Saturday Paper and editor of Australian Foreign Affairs, Jonathan Pearlman

Are Hezbollah and Israel gearing up for all out war?

After the resounding defeat of last year’s referendum on the Voice to Parliament, the path towards Truth and Treaty has appeared to be on shaky ground.
But history has been made in Victoria, with the state’s Indigenous representative body formally confirming it is ready to negotiate with the government on a state-wide treaty.
The process is being led by the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, an elected body representing Victoria’s traditional owners and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in the state.
Today, co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Ngarra Murray, on how this moment was reached, and how instructive it will be for the rest of the country as it grapples with what happens next.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Co-chair of the First People’s Assembly of Victoria, Ngarra Murray

‘We’re always going to fight’: Victoria’s groundbreaking path to Treaty

Roxane Gay is a prominent American author, professor, and cultural critic known for her unflinching honesty, quick wit, and razor-sharp intellect. She has gained acclaim for her essays, fiction, and memoirs that explore identity, gender, race, and body image. This week on Read This, Roxane joins Michael for a conversation about what it means to be a public intellectual and how this has shifted throughout her career.

Read This: It’s Not Roxane Gay’s Job to Make People Happy

The ABC’s Managing Director David Anderson announced his shock resignation yesterday afternoon, after being reappointed for his second term in the role late last year. Anderson said stepping down was “the right time for me and the right time for the ABC”. 
The decision comes just months after Kim Williams took up his new role as chair with big plans for renewal inside the ABC. Today, ABC veteran Jon Faine on what this means for the future of the national broadcaster and who might be next in the Managing Director’s seat. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: ABC veteran Jon Faine

Jon Faine on why the ABC's boss just quit

In 2022, Elon Musk said Donald Trump was “too old” to be president, and Donald Trump called Musk a “bullshit artist”.
In the relatively short time since, Elon Musk has endorsed the former president and offered him some free publicity by interviewing Trump on his website X.
It’s now been revealed that Elon Musk has also been working behind the scenes to fundraise for Trump’ presidential campaign for months, raising millions of dollars while going to great lengths to keep his involvement secret.
Today, Wall Street Journal reporter and author of The Everything War: Amazon's Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power Dana Mattioli, on the political transformation of Elon Musk and what she uncovered about his secret plans to return Trump to the White House.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Wall Street Journal reporter, Dana Mattioli.

Elon Musk’s secret plan to buy Trump the presidency

Alan Joyce was once hailed as a saviour of perhaps Australia’s most iconic business.
The former CEO of QANTAS was championed by his board and well known in the Australian business community for his support of social justice causes throughout his 15 years in the job.
So, it’s been a dramatic fall from grace. 
Joyce has now left his successors with a reputational mess after a series of bad decisions that left customers furious. And he’s had his bonus cut by millions.
Today, reporter Marc Moncrief on what Joyce did wrong and whether his punishment will do anything to rebuild Australia’s trust in QANTAS.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Business journalist and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Marc Moncrief

QANTAS crash: How Alan Joyce lost a $9 million bonus

The treatment or mistreatment of refugees fleeing to Australia has been the wellspring of Australian politics for almost a quarter of a century.  
This time, it's Peter Dutton with his call for Palestinians fleeing Gaza to be banned from coming to Australia. The language is designed to wedge the government by making them look soft on national security.
 It comes at a time when ASIO has called for politicians to dial down the heated and divisive rhetoric consuming national conversations, with fear it could spark violence within the community. 
Today, former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration Abul Rizvi on how we screen refugees and why Peter Dutton’s ban makes no sense.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration Abul Rizvi

Peter Dutton's Palestinian ban is textbook Peter Dutton

The hard-right group behind the “No” campaign, Advance, is amassing a multi-million dollar war chest to take down its next opponent: the Australian Greens.
Advance has called the Greens the “single biggest threat to freedom, security and prosperity in Australia” – and they have big plans to target their voters ahead of the next election.
Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis on who is behind Advance and why they believe they can flip progressive women to the hard right.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

After the 'no' vote: Advance’s plan to destroy the Greens

It was 2014 when Bruce Pascoe went from being a prolific, yet relatively unknown writer, to public enemy #1 in Australia’s culture wars. That was the year that Bruce published his now infamous book, Dark Emu, and its re-examination of accepted historical accounts of pre-invasion Australia. On this episode of Read This, he joins Michael for a discussion about his new novel Imperial Harvest and shares why he still believes we need the messiness of democracy.

Read This: All Bruce Pascoe Needs Is a Biro

“I didn’t have a boyfriend to text anymore so might as well text a therapist,” a millennial podcast host tells her audience while recommending they seek out counselling.
Online therapy services like BetterHelp are some of podcasting’s biggest advertisers, promising to address the barriers that prevent people from accessing face-to-face therapy.
Now, the American company is expanding its app into Australia – recruiting Australian psychologists while capitalising on the failings of a mental health system that’s difficult to navigate. 
But are patients actually better off with subscription-based therapy apps?
Today, clinical and forensic psychologist Dr Ahona Guha on the dangers of app-based mental health support and what happens when you turn psychologists into gig-economy workers.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Clinical and forensic psychologist, Dr Ahona Guha.

‘It’s not 1800-phone-a-friend’: the failed promise of therapy apps

Brittany Higgins has now been at the centre of three court cases.
First, there was the criminal trial of Bruce Lehrmann - which was aborted with no findings made against him.
Lehrmann later sued Network 10 and journalist Lisa Wilkinson, claiming that they defamed him by identifying him as a rapist.
The court found that he did, to a civil standard, rape Higgins.
Now, Higgins’ former boss, Senator Linda Reynolds, is suing her for a series of social media posts claiming that she was uncaring and unsupportive.
So is taking a rape survivor to court the best way to restore your reputation?
Today, legal affairs editor for The Saturday Paper Richard Ackland, on Senator Linda Reynolds’ defamation case and why some politicians are so quick to sue.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Legal affairs editor for The Saturday Paper, Richard Ackland.

Linda Reynolds, Brittany Higgins and the rise of political defamation

Three years ago the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. 
From his new home in Adelaide, Australia, Hazara human rights activist and photographer Muzafar Ali watched warlords returning to the places he had loved but had been forced to leave. He saw Western journalists describing a place they didn’t know and didn’t really understand. 
So last month, Muzafar returned to Afghanistan at great personal cost to document what life is like there. He found a network of underground schools where girls are risking their lives to get an education. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Hazara human rights activist and photographer Muzafar Ali

Inside the illegal underground schools for Afghan girls

Neale Radley was in his early 40s when he dived off a houseboat and hit a sandbar, becoming a high-needs quadriplegic. With no family members able to look after him, he was faced with limited options and ended up in aged-care.
Now, a clause in the government’s New Aged Care Act could mean that more younger people will end up in aged-care, potentially unwinding decades of work to prevent this from happening.
Today, Neale Radley on the reality of living in aged-care as a younger person and The Saturday Paper’s senior reporter Rick Morton on the plan that might make the problem worse.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Neale Radley and senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton.

Labor’s plan to put young people into aged care

This year’s Olympics has been phenomenal for women in sport.
Paris 2024 also set a milestone as the first Olympics to achieve full gender parity on the field of play.
But these achievements have been overshadowed by the abuse levelled at two female boxers who both clinched their first olympic medals over unfounded speculation about their sex.
One of the boxers, Imane Khelif, has spoken out several times in the face of it all.
The saga is fuelled by a current moral panic about ‘fairness’ in women’s sport – but it’s also part of a long and insidious history of scrutinising the bodies of female athletes, especially the successful ones.
Today, Fox Sports News presenter and women's sports advocate Sam Squiers on why female bodies remain one of the main objects of regulation by sports committees.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Fox Sports News presenter and women's sports advocate, Sam Squiers.

Imane Khelif and the scrutiny of female athletes’ bodies

In this episode of our sister podcast, Read This, host Michael Williams speaks with journalist, editor and media proprietor Eric Beecher about his new book The Men Who Killed the News. Eric has worked for some of the most well-respected newspapers in the world, including the Sydney Morning Herald and the Wall Street Journal. He’s currently the head of Private Media, which runs the website, Crikey.

Read This: Eric Beecher Is a Media Mongrel

It’s been called a forever war: the fight over how to teach children to read.
For decades, an outdated method has lingered in Australian classrooms as states protect schools’ right to teach how they wish.
Following a recent report from the Grattan Institute that found a third of Australian children couldn’t read well, state governments are finally picking a side and mandating the best way to teach reading.
Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on why “vibes-based learning” stuck around for so long and how children should actually be taught literacy.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Associate editor of The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray.

Is Australia failing to teach kids to read?

In the weeks since he was announced as Donald Trump’s running mate, some of JD Vance’s past remarks have resurfaced. He is now at the centre of a number of bizarre rumours and jokes.
 They’ve been picked up by some Democrats, who are labelling the two men on the republican ticket as ‘weird’.
Kamala Harris has chosen the man who started the ‘weird’ line of attack, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, as her running mate – 17 days after Harris herself became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.
Walz has been described as a plain speaker with ‘dad appeal’ – a stark contrast to his opponents.
So, is being ordinary enough to win over American voters?
Today, senior researcher at The Australia Institute, Dr Emma Shortis, on the tactics of the two VP candidates and what their nominations say about their respective parties.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Senior researcher at The Australia Institute, Dr Emma Shortis.

Battle of the VPs: Tim Walz v JD Vance

Hardly any foreign journalists have been into Gaza since Israel’s bombings began. The Economist’s editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes is one of the few who has.
On a recent trip, Zanny visited the streets of Jerusalem, the Knesset, Gaza and the West Bank, and spoke to dozens of people about what will happen to Gaza when, or if, the fighting stops.
Now, an end to conflict in the Middle East seems further away than ever. Iran’s supreme leader has vowed to retaliate against Israel after the head of Hamas’ political bureau was assassinated in Tehran last week.
While tensions continue to escalate, the question remains: who will control Gaza once the dust settles?

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Editor-in-chief for The Economist, Zanny Minton Beddoes.

Who decides the future of Gaza?

They’re hard to miss: the number of gambling ads flooding our screens and devices everyday. They’ve become such an inescapable part of sport that a parliamentary inquiry was formed, which looked at the impacts the ads have on the community. 
In the final months of her life, Labor MP Peta Murphy was the chair of that inquiry – and after hearing from the gambling industry, dependent sporting codes and families impacted by gambling addiction – her position was unequivocal: all ads for online gambling should be banned.
It’s been more than 14 months since the government received her recommendations and yet the proliferation of gambling ads has continued unabated. Now, the government could be set to water down a ban, in favour of caps on the number of ads per hour.
Today, Independent Senator David Pocock on the stranglehold the gambling industry has on Australian sport and politics and what it would take to change that.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Independent Senator David Pocock

‘Find some courage’: David Pocock on Labor’s flawed gambling laws

It was supposed to be a routine call out when four police officers attended a property in regional Queensland just before Christmas in 2022.
The young officers approached the house, looking to do a routine welfare check, when they were fired on. After a siege that lasted hours, six people were killed, including two constables.
In the weeks that followed, media reporting focused on the strangeness of the town, and the strangeness of the Train family: two brothers and the woman that had been both of their wives.
Today, journalist and author of The Believer Sarah Krasnostein on the inquest into the Train family murders and the bigger questions that need to be answered if we’re to prevent similar attacks.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Journalist and author of The Believer, Sarah Krasnostein

The Train family murders: A new age of radicalisation

In this episode of our sister podcast, Read This, host Michael Williams speaks with the winner of the 2024 Miles Franklin Award, Alexis Wright. Her epic novel Praiseworthy, also won the Stella Prize and has been described as “an astonishing feat of storytelling and sovereign imagination.

Read This: Alexis Wright Is the 2024 Miles Franklin Winner

At Sydney Airport on a muggy night in November 2022, a group of volunteers from Sydney’s northern beaches crowd inside arrivals waiting to greet a family they had never met.
Known as the ‘Manlygees’, they’re there to welcome a Kurdish family originally from Syria who had spent the past decade in a refugee camp in Iraq.
They’re part of an ambitious pilot program introduced in 2022, called the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot, or CRISP, in which a sponsoring community acts as the safety net for refugees rather than government-funded settlement services.
But two years on, the program’s successes are hitting constraints, with experts questioning whether CRISP can become a genuine pathway to settlement, or whether it’s a shortcut to positive government PR.
Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Cheyne Anderson on whether the experiment is working.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Cheyne Anderson.

'I have eyes, but I don't see': The community groups helping refugees settle

It wasn’t so long ago that renewables pundits glowingly described hydrogen as the “Swiss Army knife” of renewable technologies, able to be turned to almost any purpose.
But more recently, the gas has become an expensive and painful point of political debate, with many experts tempering their praise.
Now, one of hydrogen’s biggest backers, mining magnate Andrew Forrest, has announced he is scaling back his green hydrogen projects.
Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on how the green hydrogen dream evaporated.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe.

The end of ‘Twiggy’ Forrest's hydrogen dream

When Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to twenty years jail for sex trafficking crimes, journalist and writer Lucia Osborne-Crowley was there in the courtroom. 
She watched on as Ghislaine Maxwell – a British socialite, and close associate of Jeffrey Epstein – waited to hear her fate. And she listened as her victims testified to the harm inflicted by Maxwell’s predatory actions. 
But the more Osborne-Crowley learned, the more she came to understand the trial as a sham. Many other unnamed, powerful accused perpetrators associated with Epstein and Maxwell are, to this day, still protected. 
Today, Lucia Osborne-Crowley, author of The Lasting Harm, on the survivors of the crimes of Ghislaine Maxwell, and those who got away with it. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Author of The Lasting Harm Lucia Osborne-Crowley

Inside Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial

It was one of the biggest corporate scandals the country has ever seen when it was revealed that PwC had used confidential government information to enrich itself and its corporate clients. 
Since then there have been two parliamentary inquiries, an AFP investigation, nine investigations by the tax practitioners board, one internal review and an investigation by the international arm of the company. 
Yet important questions remain unanswered.  
Today, special correspondent Jason Koutsoukis on the key questions at the centre of the tax leaks scandal — and when we can expect answers to them. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

These PwC executives still haven't been held accountable

The historic teal wave at the last election delivered the two major parties their worst electoral results ever.
So, perhaps it’s no surprise that the government looks set to introduce new laws that could make it harder for newcomers to compete.
The minister responsible says he wants to address the “growing threat of big money in politics.” The rules could include a requirement that all donations over $1000 be disclosed and made public in real time, with caps on the amount that can be donated. 
A cap on spending is also on the table – somewhere around a million dollars per candidate, per seat, which is significantly less than many of the teals spent to win.
Today, independent member for Goldstein Zoe Daniel on how much it costs to beat an incumbent and the double standards of the major parties.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Independent member for Goldstein Zoe Daniel

Zoe Daniel on what it costs to win an election

In this episode of our sister podcast, host Michael Williams speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks. She shares her life sentence and reflects on how her upbringing provided the essential building blocks for a career as a writer.

Read This: How Geraldine Brooks Became a Novelist

Climate activist Katta O’Donnell sued the Australian government for failing to disclose how much climate change would impact the value of government bonds. 
It was a world-first case, she was a law student at the time and she won. But the experience left her feeling more disillusioned than ever and determined to find another way to make change.
Today, Katta O’Donnell on why she believes direct action is the way forward on climate.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Katta O’Donnell

'I sued the government over climate – but I'm not done'

Recently, Mike Seccombe has been looking into the divide between Australia’s richest and poorest schools – to find out why this gap keeps widening.
And what he found was a broken system. Rich parents are able to get huge tax breaks by donating to opulent building projects at their kids’ private schools. 
It’s a practice that goes way back – and many argue – is outdated.
Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper and a proud state school boy, Mike Seccombe, on why we need an overhaul of the charitable giving system that delivers some kids castles.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe

Why Labor supports private school tax breaks

On a remote island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, there are two towns.
One is home to a thriving economy. It has a golf course, cinema and tennis courts. It’s the richest postcode in the Northern Territory. Most of the people who live there are white.
The other is home to the Anindilyakwa people - the Traditional Owners. The locals live just a few hundred metres from the world’s largest manganese mine. Here, life outcomes are worse than anywhere else in the country. 
This jarring contrast raises questions about where the royalties of this mine are flowing – and why the Traditional Owners are seeing so little return to their community.
Now, the National Indigenous Australians Agency has referred the white chief executive of the Anindilyakwa Land Council to the National Anti-Corruption Commission over his plan to take a personal 10 per cent stake in a mining project on the island.
Today, Gunaikurnai and Wotjobaluk writer Ben Abbatangelo on the plan and the man who stood in its way.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Gunaikurnai and Wotjobaluk writer Ben Abbatangelo

The executive, the mine and the corruption referral

With just over a hundred days to go until the US election, Joe Biden has announced he’s dropping out of the presidential race.
In a letter posted to X, he said “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term”.
His decision comes after weeks of pressure from donors and colleagues to drop out.
The question now is whether the Democrats will unite behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who President Biden has endorsed to succeed him. 
Today, senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre Bruce Wolpe on the key players who pushed Biden out and whether Kamala Harris can defeat Donald Trump.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre Bruce Wolpe

Why Biden pulled out: 'Money is the mother's milk of politics'

News stories about violence against women have been coming hard and fast these past few weeks. 
These stories of the women — and sometimes children — killed, usually by a man they knew and often in a terribly violent way, are hard to read. 
Yet years of education campaigns and talk of respect for women seem to have made no difference, and every few days, another woman dies.
Today, Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr Anna Cody on why men kill women, and why Australia’s domestic violence problem is still getting worse. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Anna Cody

The truth about men who kill women

For many Australians, facing the reality of this country is a task that has proved enduringly difficult, both at a public and a political level. For investigative journalist David Marr, finding the right way to tell the stories that allow us to see the truth of our history is a personal quest and one that has led to his latest book. In this episode of our sister podcast, Read This, Michael talks with David about shame – both personal and national – and why his family agreed that he had to write Killing for Country.

Read This: David Marr vs Australia’s Old Lie

This week, allegations of corruption, criminal infiltration, standover tactics and other nefarious activities within the ranks of the CFMEU have been all over the media. 
The reports have shocked, but not surprised, many in the community.
Stories of underworld figures trading their leather for high viz, motorcycle helmets for hardhats – all in order, it is alleged, to get a slice of taxpayer-funded projects.
Now there are questions over who knew what, when, and what it means for some of Australia’s largest infrastructure projects.
Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on the fallout from the CFMEU upheaval.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Associate editor of The Saturday Paper, Martin Mckenzie-Murray.

Who knew the CFMEU's dirty secrets?

In the Pitjantjatjara communities of Anangu Country on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain, cancer rates are higher than elsewhere in Australia.
This is the legacy of nuclear testing by the British government, which staged seven atomic explosions between 1956 and 1963, contaminating the land. 
Thanks to nuclear engineer and whistleblower Alan Parkinson, we know that the cleanup, in his words, was more of a “cover up”, with cost-cutting measures putting communities at further risk.  
As Australia stares down the barrel of a climate crisis, and with the climate wars back in the news – blowing the whistle on environmental harms is more important than ever. 
Today, senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Center and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Regina Featherstone, on how whistleblowers are an untapped resource in the pursuit of a safer climate.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Center and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Regina Featherstone.

How to be a climate whistleblower

Shenane Hogg spent nine months in a coma after suffering abuse at the hands of her partner.
During her recovery, she discovered her abuser had amassed $56,000 of debt in her name.
Shenane’s story is just one of many that was heard at a parliamentary inquiry into how the financial system can be used to abuse women.
The inquiry has heard chilling evidence of a sharp rise in financial abuse that can manifest as offensive and threatening messages in streams of bank transfers, raiding of a partner’s super benefits, or making them liable for joint debts.
Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow on the cost of financial abuse, and why we’re failing to prevent it.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow.

The surge in financial abuse against women

The attempted assassination of former US president Donald Trump shocked America.
Prominent public figures from all sides of the political spectrum have spoken out and condemned the use of violence, with President Joe Biden saying “it’s not who we are as a nation”.
But is that true?
And does this response downplay just how pervasive political violence has been in US history?
Today, journalist and author of The Forever War: America’s Unending Conflict with Itself Nick Bryant on America’s long and sordid tradition of violence and dangerous rhetoric.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Journalist and author of The Forever War: America’s Unending Conflict with Itself Nick Bryant

Assassinations, insurrections and massacres: an American story

In Queensland, one issue is already dominating the upcoming state election: youth crime.
So when the Liberal National Party launched their campaign, Peter Dutton was the perfect man to help sell their pitch.
The federal opposition leader and former Queensland cop has been stressing his closeness to his home state.
Already Peter Dutton has promised to crack down on crime, slow immigration, break up supermarket monopolies, and shift the green energy focus to nuclear.
So will the Queensland election be a testing ground for Dutton’s federal agenda?
Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis on how Peter Dutton is marketing himself, and whether Australia is ready to look more like Queensland.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis.

Peter Dutton’s big Queensland energy

Long before she was hosting 7:30 on the ABC, Leigh Sales dreamed of becoming a novelist. In this episode of our sister podcast, Read This, she joins Michael to discuss her secret desire to write fiction, the art of crafting a good story, and how being a journalist allowed her to become a professional stickybeak.

Read This: Leigh Sales Is a Professional Stickybeak

When Mostafa Azimitabar was imprisoned on Manus Island, he was overcome with a desire to paint.
With no art supplies, he used a toothbrush – a technique he continues with to this day.
Mostafa survived the brutality of Australia’s asylum seeker detention system for more than eight years. Freed in 2021, he now lives in Sydney.
His art has been shortlisted for the Archibald prize twice. But he paints from the edges of a country whose systems remain hostile towards him, as he navigates temporary visas with no stability, at constant risk of deportation.
Today, artist and refugee Mostafa Azimitabar on how his work is a testimony to his suffering and the one thing authorities can never take from him.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Artist and refugee, Mostafa Azimitabar.

Artist and refugee Mostafa Azimitabar on painting from a hostile country

In 2018, then prime minister Scott Morrison announced a royal commission into aged care, shedding light on the astonishing prevalence of abuse in residential facilities.
It’s been three years since its final report was handed down and advocates say very little has improved.
The commission highlighted just how difficult accountability and justice can be to achieve after someone in care is harmed. Especially when the abuse is at the hands of those in charge of the nursing homes and home care services.
The federal government is attempting to remedy this with new laws that could see directors and management jailed in particularly egregious cases.
Today, poet and aged care advocate Sarah Holland-Batt on whether the government's new laws will be enough to turn around the disaster that is our aged care system.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Poet and aged care advocate, Sarah Holland-Batt

Will the threat of jail time help fix Aged Care?

There's a shadow world beneath Canberra, fed by the defence, foreign affairs and security communities, and it is hugely influential in how the government responds to our biggest geopolitical challenges.
Margaret Simons has spent decades keeping a close eye on this world. Recently, the story of one think tank, China Matters, caught her attention.
The group, dedicated to bettering Australia’s understanding of China, was defunded during a time of aggressive posturing towards the superpower and talk of war.
Today, investigative journalist and contributor to The Monthly Margaret Simons on why this influential think tank came undone, and how a crew of anti-China politicians called the ‘Wolverines’ led the attack.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Investigative journalist and contributor to The Monthly Margaret Simons

The China think tank attacked by Wolverines

If you pick up a copy of The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald, you’ll see the tagline ‘Independent. Always.’ under the masthead.
Now, as journalists at those papers reel from an announcement that Nine Entertainment is slashing 200 jobs across the company, some are wondering if they’re being targeted for the papers’ recent coverage of Nine’s troubled culture. 
Are the cuts payback for certain papers being too independent? 
Today, National Correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on why Australian media is struggling and what the future of independent news looks like.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: National Correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe

Inside Nine's journalism cuts: 'Quite a few people suspected retribution'

Donald Trump’s lead in the polls for the 2024 presidential race has widened following a fumbling debate performance from Joe Biden, and concerns about the President’s age.
With the increasing likelihood of a second Trump presidency, attention is now turning to his potential governing agenda.
The blueprint, called Project 2025, is more than 900 pages long and includes calls to sack thousands of civil servants, expand presidential power, and dismantle federal agencies.
Today, senior researcher at The Australia Institute, Dr Emma Shortis, on Project 2025, and the threat of ‘a second American Revolution’.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Senior researcher in International and Security Affairs at The Australia Institute, Dr Emma Shortis

Project 2025: The Trump presidency wish list

George Saunders is one of literary fiction's most acclaimed living writers. Along with his many collections of short stories, he also published the Booker Prize-winning novel Lincoln in the Bardo. To celebrate Read This' first birthday, we're bringing you Michael Williams' interview with George Saunders. They talk about his life and career and the three words that made him a writer.

Read This: The Three Words That Made George Saunders a Writer

Smut Clyde spends several hours every day, scouring online science journals for suspicious-looking research.
He’s part of a growing team of online ‘science sleuths’, combating the rising number of fake research papers being published.
These papers are typically generated, with the help of AI, by ‘paper mills’: a cottage industry relying on overworked and desperate researchers to fuel their profit. 
Today, 7am producer and journalist Cheyne Anderson on how this epidemic of fraudulent research is infecting the scientific record and the self-appointed ‘sleuths’ who are fighting it.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Producer for 7am, Cheyne Anderson.

The internet sleuths fighting fake research

When people think of the CFMEU, Australia’s powerful and fearsome construction union, they picture its top dog, John Setka.
But as he prepares to step down from the union’s Victorian branch, Setka’s legacy is overshadowed by his brutality. Many current and former colleagues think his leadership was poisonous to the union, and that he may have even destroyed it.
Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin Mckenzie-Murray on the power and legacy of CFMEU boss, John Setka, and what comes next for the union.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Associate editor of The Saturday Paper, Martin Mckenzie-Murray.

The power and legacy of 'militant' union boss John Setka

Sebastien Lai woke up one morning in 2020 to find dozens of missed phone calls – his father, the Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, had just been arrested.
Sebastien is in Australia now, trying to convince our political leaders to advocate for his dad’s release from a Hong Kong prison.
Today on the show, Sebastien Lai tells the story of how his father Jimmy went from media mogul to political prisoner and what this means for journalistic freedom in Hong Kong.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Sebastien Lai

The son of Hong Kong's jailed media tycoon

In high-security labs, from Silicon Valley to mainland China, researchers are racing to be the first to achieve what has been dubbed ‘Q-day’.
On that day, all encryption and security could be laid bare – the deepest plans of militaries around the world, our medical records and private encrypted conversations could all be exposed. The internet could essentially break.
Q-day, after all, is the day the most powerful machine yet comes online: the first fault-free quantum computer.
Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis on why Australia wants to join the race, and why one American company got the billion-dollar deal to do it.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis

The Albanese government's $1 billion computer

By the end of this week, the United Kingdom will almost certainly have a new prime minister and closure on 14 years of Tory leadership.
One man in particular is working very hard to prevent that, and it’s not the current Tory leader. Since it kicked off with a bizarre, rain-soaked announcement, Rishi Sunak’s election campaign has been marked by ineptitude, misstep and ignorance.
Today, veteran UK correspondent and contributor to The Saturday Paper Paola Totaro on the stratospheric rise of the young strategist from regional New South Wales, whose dark arts of electioneering have pulled off a series of “miracle” victories. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Veteran UK correspondent and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Paola Totaro

Rishi Sunak's Australian communications 'magician'

Over the past few months, there’s been a lot of focus on universities’ relationships with weapons manufacturers.
Students set up encampments and occupied buildings, arguing that their unis are complicit in the assault on Gaza and demanding more transparency from their universities’ administrators.
But, as writer and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Anna Krien started investigating the defence money flowing into education, she was shocked to find weapons companies are also tied to schools, shaping key parts of the curriculum.
So where did this link between defence and education begin? And is this a price we’re willing to pay for a skilled defence industry?
Today, Anna Krien on how the student protests revealed deep divisions and even deeper ties in our education sector.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Writer and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Anna Krien

Why would a university have a deal with Lockheed Martin?

Julian Assange has finally landed in Australia, a free man.
Today, his brother Gabriel Shipton on how the deal to release the long-incarcerated WikiLeaks founder came together. National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe explains what comes next.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Julian Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton; national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.

Julian Assange is home: Gabriel Shipton on how his brother was freed

Meredith Whittaker turned her back on Google after raising concerns about the mass surveillance fueling AI, but she didn’t leave tech entirely.
The former AI whistleblower is now the President of Signal, a messaging app that keeps conversations encrypted – used by journalists, whistleblowers, drug dealers, militants and others who want to keep communications secure.
So why did she blow the whistle on Google? Is privacy the answer to AI? Or does privacy cause just as much harm as surveillance?
Today, President of the Signal Foundation Meredith Whittaker, ahead of her public appearance at The Wheeler Centre in Melbourne, on the tech giants who hold our future in their hands.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: President of the Signal Foundation, Meredith Whittaker

The woman who spoke out against Google on AI

Back in 2016, when Donald Trump was elected President, the Australian government was caught off guard. The then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull called golfing legend Greg Norman just to get Trump’s phone number.
This time around, the government is taking the prospect of a second Trump presidency seriously and has begun making preparations for it.
Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis on what the government thinks Trump 2.0 could mean for Australia and the safety measures that are already underway. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis

Morrison and Rudd: The unlikely duo could be Australia's Trump whisperers

Once upon a time, Australians were told Pine Gap was a space base. Then we were told it was a weather station. But now, of course, we know the installation deep in the Northern Territory outback is a US spy base.
Which isn’t to say it’s any less secretive – we still don’t know a huge amount about what goes on there.
We do know it’s likely America’s biggest offshore spy base and that it gathers critical intelligence about current conflicts.Now, we also know that it’s undergone a rapid expansion.
Today, editor of Declassified Australia and contributor to The Saturday Paper Peter Cronau, on how he discovered the base’s new technology and what it means for Australia’s safety.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Editor of Declassified Australia and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Peter Cronau

The spy base we’re not supposed to know about is getting bigger

For 31 years, there has been a rivalry – drawing on a divide so inherent and base – that it pits mate against mate.
We’re not talking about State of Origin, we’re talking about the Reclink Community Cup.
The football contest began in Melbourne, but is now held in cities across the country – with the Rockdogs, a team of not-so-athletic musicians, taking on the Megahertz, a band of various music media personalities. The winner claims the bragging rights.
Today, 2024 co-captain of the Rockdogs Anna Stewart will read her story, ‘Reclink Community Cup’. 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Digital content assistant, musician and 2024 co-captain of the Rockdogs Anna Stewart.

The Weekend Read: Anna Stewart on being a captain of one of the biggest games of the year

Nuclear power has been politically toxic in this country for decades.
It’s been 55 years since a leader went to a federal election promising to build reactors and won. But Peter Dutton is hoping to do just that.
And as unlikely as it sounds, he’s convincing people. A little over ten years ago, 62 per cent of Australians opposed nuclear power. Today, polls show the majority support it.
So how is a policy so beset with challenges and criticism winning people over?
Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on why a policy that may never work can still be a political weapon.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

Will Australia get behind Dutton's nuclear campaign?

There’s been another strike against whistleblowing.
Richard Boyle was a tax office employee when he raised concerns internally about a scheme to garnish overdue taxes directly from people’s bank accounts. When that didn’t work, he told journalists.
A court in Adelaide yesterday upheld a ruling that he’s not a whistleblower – which means he now has no defence for leaking that confidential information.
Today, Macquarie University professor of journalism and whistleblower advocate Peter Greste on why the government talks big on open democracy, but hasn’t acted to fix the system.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Macquarie University professor of journalism and whistleblower advocate Peter Greste

Peter Greste on the latest blow against whistleblowers

There’s no nice way to put it: Australian childcare is broken, and not just for those with children.
It’s prohibitively expensive, getting the days you’re after is like winning the lottery and if you do get some government subsidy, you have the pleasure of hours on the phone to Centrelink.
We’re at a critical point though. The government has promised a huge overhaul of the system and the prime minister is considering reducing the cost to just $10 per kid, per day.
Today, CEO of The Parenthood Georgie Dent on the problems at the core of this broken system and the Centre for Policy Development’s Katherine Oborne on one way to fix it.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: CEO of The Parenthood, Georgie Dent; The Centre for Policy Development’s program director Katherine Oborne.

Making childcare universal: Will it be an election secret weapon?

Peter Costello’s legacy was set. He was the longest serving treasurer in Australian history and under the then prime minister John Howard, he transformed our economy into what it is today.
That was until he appeared to push a journalist asking pesky questions at Canberra Airport earlier this month and all of it was caught on camera. 
Three days later, he resigned as Chair of Nine amid a storm of scrutiny around its workplace culture.
Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on Peter Costello’s reign at Nine and the enemies he made along the way.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.

Peter Costello's decade at Nine: Is this the end of his public life?

Barely a week goes by when the Department of Home Affairs isn’t under the blowtorch of media or political scrutiny.
In one way, the level of scrutiny is to be expected. When a department is so huge it takes in security, intelligence, immigration and policing functions, with some 14,000 staff under the one secretary – it’s inevitable.
The question is, should one department have so much power? 
Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow on the inner workings of the super department.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Barlow.

How Home Affairs became a scandal factory

Two years ago, on the day after the Labor government was sworn into office, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen called a press conference.
In those very first remarks, the new minister said the climate wars were over.
Some scoffed at the time. There were still plenty of political fights to be had over how Australia would reach net zero – but there was nonetheless a belief that Australia would move forward with climate policy. This week that changed.
Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the week Peter Dutton promised to tear up emission targets for 2030 and why the next election will be a climate election after all.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

Climate Wars II: Judgement Day

The US has a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, and this one seems to be gathering momentum.
It’s not much different to the previous plans, except that it’s backed by the UN Security Council.
The council’s resolution says Israel has accepted the deal, and Hamas has welcomed its adoption, but it hasn’t been signed. So, why not? What’s preventing an agreement on a ceasefire?
Today, senior foreign affairs reporter for the Huffington Post Akbar Shahid Ahmed on whether Gaza is any closer to a ceasefire.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Senior foreign affairs reporter for the Huffington Post Akbar Shahid Ahmed

Is Joe Biden’s ceasefire plan already failing? (Update)

If you were a public service chief picking a firm to run ethics training, would one of the big four consulting firms be your first pick?
They have faced intense scrutiny both in the media and in a recent senate inquiry, which will today release its report with recommendations to keep the private consultancy sector in check.
Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis, on what the crackdown might entail and why the public service still thinks a consulting firm is best placed to teach ethics to its leaders.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis

Disgraced consultancy given deal to run government ‘ethics' training

Australia is about to receive a visit from the most senior Chinese leader we've had on our shores in almost a decade.
But this visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang comes at an interesting time for China. President Xi Jingping is contending with economic stumbles and looming sanctions, making his vision for the future more precarious than ever.
So what is going on inside Xi's inner circle? And what message will Xi’s close political ally bring with him when he lands in Australia?
Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Richard McGregor, on the rumours that are swirling about China’s leadership and what they reveal about Xi’s grip on power.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper and senior fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute, Richard McGregor

Xi Jinping’s right-hand man is coming to Australia

When the robodebt royal commission’s final report landed, it was scathing. It condemned the entire scheme, the individuals who rolled it out and the government culture that enabled it.
The commissioner went to significant lengths to refer six people to the then very fresh National Anti-Corruption Commission.
But last week, the NACC decided to drop the investigation, essentially saying it had nothing to add.
So, what’s the motivation behind this shift? Why not take a swing at the architects of such a discredited and damaging scheme?
Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on why no one is being held to account for the scheme and the impact on victims.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram
Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton

Home

Discover

Sign up for free to listen for longer

Home

Discover

Sign up for free to listen for longer

Read This: Michael Ondaatje Is Learning Everything Again

Mark as played

Share

About the episode

View all episodes