ABC News Daily: Recent Episodes
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ABC News Daily is the podcast that helps you understand the issues affecting your world. Every episode, host Samantha Hawley walks through one story with the help of an ABC colleague or expert in under 15 minutes. When you want coverage you can trust, listen to ABC News Daily.
The climate wars are back after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton revealed a plan to abandon the 2030 emissions reduction target and build nuclear power plants.
He says the Coalition is still committed to net zero by 2050, but will Australians really stomach a watering down of our climate policy ambition for the next decade?
Today, host of ABC Radio National Breakfast and The Party Room podcast, Patricia Karvelas, on Dutton’s climate punt.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, host of ABC Radio National Breakfast and The Party Room podcast
The Russian leader Vladimir Putin seems more confident, as his forces are making gains in Ukraine’s east.
New weapons from the United States are starting to reach the front lines, raising Ukrainian hopes of repelling the invading forces.
Today, Rajan Menon from the Washington based think tank Defense Priorities, on when the war might end.
Featured:
Rajan Menon, director of the Grand Strategy program at Defense Priorities
It was all captured on camera. The former treasurer Peter Costello barged into a reporter at Canberra airport.
Now he’s resigned as chairman of Nine Entertainment.
It’s not been a great time at Nine with its former news boss Darren Wick reportedly departing with a million-dollar payout despite sexual harassment accusations against him.
Today, host of the ABC’s Media Watch program Paul Barry on how the scandal unfolded.
Featured:
Paul Barry, host of Media Watch
Robotaxis are already on the roads in some cities overseas, including San Francisco.
Elon Musk wants to call his version of the self-driving vehicle the Cyber Cab and he dreams of Tesla owners sending their cars out on their own to collect passengers.
But how close are we to having cars like this on Australian roads and are they really safe?
Featured:
Michael Milford, professor of robotics at Queensland University of Technology
A ‘Future Made In Australia’ has a nice ring to it.
But is it really wise for the government to throw almost $23 billion at industries to help along the transition to net zero emissions and a green future?
The federal opposition thinks it will just mean billionaires like Gina Rinehart get richer.
Today, the host of the ABC Radio National Breakfast, Q+A and the Party Room podcast, Patricia Karvelas on what the government's planning and whether the gamble will pay off.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, ABC presenter
To some he’s a hero for helping to expose alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, to others he’s a criminal who stole and shared military secrets.
This week, a judge jailed former military lawyer David McBride for five years and eight months for sharing classified information with journalists.
Today, investigative reporter Adele Ferguson on the case against him and what the jailing means for whistleblowers.
Featured:
Adele Ferguson, ABC investigative reporter
The federal budget delivers a $300 power bill rebate to every household in the country, along with the previously announced tax cuts.
The treasurer says it’s responsible cost of living relief that’ll force the inflation rate down faster than expected.
So, could that lead to earlier cuts to interest rates?
Today, the ABC’s Ian Verrender speaks with Sam Hawley from within the budget 'lock up' where reporters and experts get early access to the government’s economic plan.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC Chief Business Correspondent
A former Chinese spy has revealed the lengths taken by its security services to track down dissidents overseas, including in Australia, and get them back home.
Some expat Chinese who are critical of the communist party and leader Xi Jinping fear for their lives, despite being Australian residents.
Today, Echo Hui on her exclusive interview for Four Corners with the spy who’s now in Australia and the national security questions raised by her investigation.
Featured:
Echo Hui, Four Corners reporter
He shares one of the most famous names in US political history, but can he change the course of the next US election?
Robert F Kennedy Jr, a nephew of the former president John F Kennedy is running as an independent and while he won’t win, he could steal votes from both Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Today, Eliza Collins from the Wall Street Journal on Kennedy’s campaign, his extreme views and how he could become a problem for both camps.
Featured:
Eliza Collins, Wall Street Journal national political reporter
At Columbia University in the heart of New York City late one evening this week riot police stormed a university hall.
They entered via a window to arrest students who’d for weeks been camping out at the campus to protest against the war in Gaza.
Now, the pro-Palestinian movement that’s seen more than a thousand students arrested across the US has landed here.
Today, we look at the encampments popping up on campuses across the country and ask how will university leaders allow freedom of speech while ensuring Jewish students and staff feel safe?
Featured:
Dr Tim Dean, senior philosopher at the Ethics Centre
As we head towards summer, it looks like the lights will go out for some of us.
The energy market operator predicts blackouts in some parts of the country because governments have failed to replace ageing coal plants with renewable power fast enough.
Today, energy expert at the Grattan Institute Alison Reeve on why we have to rely on coal power for longer than expected.
Featured:
Alison Reeve, Climate Change and Energy Deputy Program Director at Grattan Institute
It looks like the Reserve Bank has achieved what it set out to do, force us to spend less and slow the economy by hiking up interest rates.
But the economy is now also in a per capita recession. So what is that and should we worry about it?
Today, business and economics reporter Gareth Hutchens tells us what it means for our hip pockets and jobs.
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Gareth Hutchens, ABC business and economics reporter
After three years of above average national rainfall, the switch has been flicked.We’re heading for a hotter and drier spring than average, which isn’t good news for summer. But does that mean we’ll be battling bushfires once again? Today, a former Fire and Rescue Commissioner and founder of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action Greg Mullins on how to prepare for what’s ahead. Featured: Greg Mullins, former commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW and founder of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action
In just under five weeks’ time we will be asked to vote yes or no in a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. As it draws nearer, how are First Nations communities in some of the most remote parts of the country feeling about the proposed constitutional change? Today, Voice Correspondent Dan Bourchier on his Four Corners’ investigation. Featured: Dan Bourchier, ABC Voice Correspondent
When you’re watching sport on a weekend, whether at a professional, amateur or even school level, you’ll always hear the crowd gasp if a player takes a blow to the head. We know it’s not good for the brain, especially a child’s, but do we really understand the extent of the damage it can cause? This week a Senate committee recommended a national strategy to reduce concussion in sport.Today, we speak to former AFL player Shaun Smith who has probable CTE, a brain disorder caused by repeated head knocks, and neuroscientist Dr Fatima Nasrallah about how we could make sport much safer. Featured: Shaun Smith, former AFL playerDr Fatima Nasrallah, neuroscientist at the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland.
We all love getting a fresh, hot meal, delivered quickly and cheaply to our front door, and the rise of the gig economy has made that so much easier. But the federal government is starting to grapple with what happens when armies of delivery riders, rushing to complete jobs quickly, are unleashed on our roads and footpaths. Today, reporter Lydia Feng on the personal stories of the workers who’ve died and the true cost of our convenience. Featured: Lydia Feng, ABC reporter
He took over the flying kangaroo back in 2008, now Alan Joyce has departed Qantas earlier than expected after a string of damaging controversies. But he recently delivered a big profit for shareholders and he walks away with millions of dollars in his own pocket. Today, senior business correspondent Peter Ryan on the Irishman’s track record, how he lost the public’s trust and whether the iconic Australian brand can be repaired. Featured: Peter Ryan, ABC senior business correspondent
As the Reserve Bank prepares to meet again on interest rates, it’s worth considering the impact of the 12 rate rises we have already had.We know thousands of borrowers are now battling to pay off their loans, but fears of widespread mortgage defaults have not yet eventuated. Today, business reporter Daniel Ziffer on inflation, mortgage stress and when things might start to get a bit easier. Featured: Daniel Ziffer, ABC business reporter
The United States has banned exports of advanced computer chips to China and also prohibited American investment in sensitive Chinese technology. It’s a big shift in policy aimed at interrupting Beijing’s technological and military advancement. Today, Dr Benjamin Herscovitch from the ANU’s School of Regulation and Global Governance on why the decision could reverberate for decades and whether Australia will follow suit. Featured: Benjamin Herscovitch, research fellow at the ANU's School of Regulation and Global Governance
An infamous kiss at the Women’s World Cup in Sydney has sparked a scandal and a conversation about sexism that’s reverberating from Spain across the globe. Still the head of the Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales has been defiant, repeatedly declaring “I will not resign” after kissing footballer Jenni Hermoso on the lips after the team’s big win. Today, the ABC’s Annabel Crabb unpacks that moment, the fallout and why the actions of one “doofus guy” could bring about positive change for women’s football. Featured: Annabel Crabb, ABC writer and presenter
We finally have a date for a referendum with the prime minister arguing there is no downside to voting yes.
But the No campaign has been gaining traction. It says a Voice to Parliament will divide Australia by race.
Today, Fran Kelly and Carly Williams from the Voice Referendum Explained podcast, on what we can expect in the six weeks before we vote.
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Fran Kelly and Carly Williams, presenters of The Voice Referendum Explained podcast
It’s been dubbed the ‘Spirit of Australia’ but is Qantas really serving the interests of the travelling public?
And why won’t the government allow airlines like Qatar Airways to create more competition by flying here more often?
Today, business reporter Nassim Khadem on whether Qantas is too important to fail and if it deserves special treatment to keep it profitable.
Featured:
Nassim Khadem, ABC business reporter
How would you like to live in an apartment barely big enough to fit a double bed or a complex where you share a bathroom with six other units?
As residents of Australia’s big cities grapple with a rental crisis, it’s time to look at life for renters in Tokyo, New York and London.
Today, reporter Angelique Lu on whether conditions here are really any better.
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Angelique Lu, ABC reporter
You may not have noticed unless you’ve been travelling overseas, but the Australian dollar is on the slide.
There’s every chance it could fall below rates seen during the pandemic and the Global Financial Crisis.
Today, the ABC’s business editor Ian Verrender on how China’s economic woes are partly to blame and what it means for our economy.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
While everyone has their eyes on the war in Ukraine, another war is threatening to break out in West Africa.
There's been a seemingly unstoppable wave of coups washing along the edge of the Sahara, gaining strength each time.
After the recent military coup in Niger, locals were seen chanting "down with France" and "long live Putin".
What are France and Russia doing in West Africa? And could they end up in a proxy war?
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He wouldn’t be the first enemy of Vladimir Putin to end up dead, so no wonder suspicion falls on the Russian leader for the apparent demise of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the man who staged a short-led mutiny in Russia back in June.
Russia says the Wagner group leader was on a plane that crashed north of Moscow, leaving no survivors.
Today, Rajan Menon from the Washington-based think tank Defense Priorities on what it means for Putin’s war and his power.
Featured:
Rajan Menon, Grand Strategy Program director at Defense Priorities
Australia’s dominant supermarkets Coles and Woolworths have returned bumper profits of $1.1 billion and $1.62 billion respectively for the full financial year.
So, are shoppers getting a fair deal during a cost of living crisis?
Today, Prashan Karunaratne from Macquarie Business School on the market power of the big players and why it might be worth avoiding them altogether.
Featured:
Prashan Karunaratne, Bachelor of Commerce course director at Macquarie University
It used to be known as wagging - skipping a day of school here and there.
But now Australia is facing a much deeper problem with thousands of students refusing to go at all.
It was first blamed on the pandemic, but now it’s clear the problem runs far deeper.
Today, the ABC’s national education and parenting reporter Conor Duffy on school refusal and what can be done to stop it.
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Conor Duffy, ABC national education and parenting reporter
The federal government has a new plan to help solve the rental crisis.
It’s going to give the states and territories $15 thousand every time a new home is built, targeting an additional 1.2 million homes by 2029.
Today, urban planner and policy analyst from Sydney University, Nicole Gurran, on whether that’s really going to help and what more could be done.
Featured:
Nicole Gurran, professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Sydney
Did you know the AFL is the only major sporting code in the world where not a single elite male player has ever come out publicly as being gay?
Today, Four Corners reporter Louise Milligan on her investigation into the league, its management and its fans.
Featured:
Louise Milligan, Four Corners reporter
Microchips are in your car, your microwave — there might even be one in your kettle. They run everything.
And the best microchips are made by TSMC, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
TSMC chips have put Western tech companies and militaries streets ahead of China, and China is not happy about it.
TSMC is so important, that the world could go to war over it.
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If there was an Australian politician facing 91 criminal charges would you consider voting for them at an election?
Probably not, but in America there are plenty of people who would.
Donald Trump was indicted for a fourth time this week but still he’s the Republicans’ pick to run at next year’s US election.
Today, political scientist at the University of Chicago, Susan Stokes, on Donald Trump’s supporters and why they won’t give him up.
Featured:
Susan Stokes, political scientist at the University of Chicago
Almost a fortnight after three people died from suspected mushroom poisoning in Victoria, details about the fatal lunch are still emerging.
The woman who cooked what’s believed to be the killer meal has now produced a statement for police which adds even more intrigue to the story.
Today, investigative reporter Dan Oakes who exclusively obtained the statement, on what we know now and the lingering questions.
Featured:
Dan Oakes, ABC investigative reporter
The Matildas will take on England tonight in a World Cup semi-final. If they win and go on to take out the entire tournament do we really deserve a public holiday?
Today, ABC Grandstand’s Quentin Hull on when politics and sport mix and why we’ve all jumped on the Matildas bandwagon.
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Quentin Hull, ABC Grandstand commentator
You may have noticed your home insurance bill is a lot higher than usual.
In the past year there’s been a huge jump in premiums, with most of us paying almost 30 per cent more.
Those in flood prone areas are seeing even bigger rises.
Today, what’s behind the premium price spikes and what can be done to bring them down.
Featured:
Sharanjit Paddam, Principal of Climate Risk at Finity Consulting
Inflation might be starting to come down but when will we see a noticeable difference in how much we’re paying for everything?
And when will our wages actually catch up with the cost of living?
Today, business reporter Michael Janda on why we haven’t had a real pay rise for 14 years.
Featured:
Michael Janda, ABC senior digital business reporter
Inflation in Argentina is at 100 per cent. The government is printing money fast and locals are spending in US dollars because the peso is so unreliable. The economy is like a rollercoaster.
It might be tempting to think, "they're different over there", but here's the thing: they're kind of not. Argentina — one of the wealthiest countries in the world — was once uncomfortably similar to Australia. Until it totally lost control of its own economy.
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The Commonwealth Bank reported a whopping $10.2bn profit this week, with the CEO saying strong banks are good for Australia.
But how is it making such huge money as its home loan customers are squeezed by rising interest rates?
Today, economist Angela Jackson on the fairness of big bank profits and whether the banks should be hit with a super profits tax.
Featured:
Angela Jackson, lead economist at Impact Economics and Policy
The Voice to Parliament is on track to be defeated at a referendum, according to a string of opinion polls.
How is the No campaign and the federal opposition managing to successfully cut through to voters?
Today, Patricia Karvelas on the tricky position the government has found itself in and why it won’t back out of a vote now.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, host of Radio National Breakfast and The Party Room podcast
The court case involving Brittany Higgins and Bruce Lehrmann was one of the most watched in history.
Now an inquiry has found a key legal figure in the proceedings was “grossly unethical” and misled the trial judge.
Today, reporter Patrick Bell on how it came to this and what it means for our justice system.
Featured:
Patrick Bell, ABC reporter
The world’s richest person Elon Musk wants to reach into your everyday life with an app that would do everything from payments, to news, chat and streaming video.
To do that he’s shaking up Twitter which he bought for more than $60 billion last year.
It’s now called X, but can you trust it?
Today, senior writer at The Verge Elizabeth Lopatto on why Elon Musk is risking so much to chase his dream.
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Elizabeth Lopatto, senior writer at The Verge
When the Matildas took on Canada and won in the Women’s World Cup more than two million Australians were watching.
Expect those numbers to grow when they come up against Denmark.
Today, The Ticket podcast host Tracey Holmes on tonight’s game and the remarkable growth in the popularity of women’s football.
Featured:
Tracey Holmes, ABC Sport senior reporter and host of The Ticket podcast
Donald Trump has been charged with trying and failing to delete CCTV evidence of farcical, and allegedly criminal behaviour.
It's just the latest charge in the case against the former president over his… interesting decision to take classified documents with him when he left the White House.
Could it land him in jail? This episode of If You're Listening tells the story of how Trump got into this predicament, and his plan to get out of it.
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We know fast fashion is incredibly damaging for the environment, but have you ever thought about what it’s doing to your health?
Cheap fashion is full of microplastics and you’re almost certainly breathing them in.
Today, War on Waste host Craig Reucassel on his shock and rather uncomfortable discovery.
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Craig Reucassel, War on Waste host
When he lost the 2020 US election, Donald Trump couldn’t accept it. Now he’s been charged with conspiring to try and overturn the result.
It’s the third time the former president has been indicted this year, but still he’s pushing ahead with his campaign to return to the White House.
Today, legal analyst Jill Wine-Banks on Donald Trump’s legal woes and why they aren't hurting his campaign for president.
Featured:
Jill Wine-Banks, Watergate prosecutor and legal analyst
The Reserve Bank may have decided to hold rates for a second consecutive month but with 12 hikes in just over a year it’s still really tough out there.
For those wanting to buy a home despite the rate rises, competition in the market is intense.
So who’s buying the properties?
Today, business reporter Nassim Khadem on the groups ensuring house prices remain high.
Featured:
Nassim Khadem, ABC business reporter
The world has had the hottest July on record, leading the UN chief to warn that the era of ‘global boiling’ is here.
While parts of Australia experienced more mild winter temperatures, searing heat waves are making life difficult across vast swathes of the northern hemisphere.
Today, a climate scientist on what it means for our summer and whether the extreme conditions can be stopped.
Featured:
Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, Associate professor and climate extremes researcher at UNSW Canberra
When China lifted its strict Covid restrictions it was expected the economic powerhouse would surge ahead once again.
Instead the Chinese economy is now in serious trouble.
Today, ABC business editor Ian Verrender on what’s gone so wrong and what Beijing’s woes mean for us.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
Thousands more Australians will head to the movies in the coming days to lay their eyes on Barbie.
But what does the frenzy over the film say about our culture, consumerism and feminism?
Today, TV and film critic Wenlei Ma on why a movie about a plastic doll has so many of us talking.
Featured:
Wenlei Ma, film and TV critic
The Matildas will take to the field again tonight in the FIFA Women’s World Cup where they’ll be hoping for their second win.
The team has won legions of fans and is boosting the profile of the women’s competition across Australia, but it hasn’t come easily.
Today, ABC Sport football writer Samantha Lewis on how the Matildas have helped pave the way for diversity and inclusion in a sport tightly controlled by its governing body.
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Samantha Lewis, ABC Sport football writer
China’s been caught spying on the largest ever joint Australia-US military exercises.
Australia and its allies expected the intrusion and this week released images of a Chinese surveillance ship in the Coral Sea.
Today, Stephen Dziedzic on what it means at a time when we’re trying to patch up our relationship with Beijing and repair trade.
Featured:
Stephen Dziedzic, ABC foreign affairs reporter
Other countries are turning to sugar taxes to address the rise in obesity, increasing the price of sugary drinks so consumers seek out cheaper and healthier alternatives.
So why don’t we have a sugar tax here even though the medical profession is pleading for it?
Today, investigative reporter Linton Besser on the powerful food and beverage industry and how it lobbies politicians to block change.
Featured:
Linton Besser, ABC investigative reporter
Billions of our taxpayers dollars are going to the big four accounting firms every year, but should we really be outsourcing what can in some cases be top secret work to private firms like Deloitte and PwC?
Today, investigative journalist and business columnist, Adele Ferguson on how the firms have infiltrated government departments.
Featured:
Adele Ferguson, ABC investigative journalist
With two new Hollywood blockbusters just out, you might be thinking of heading to the movies.
Make the most of it because if US-based actors and writers stay on strike much longer the pipeline of film and television production will dry up.
Today, Meg James, senior entertainment writer at the LA Times on the worldwide impact of the strikes and why Artificial Intelligence is a big reason why Hollywood stars have downed tools.
Featured:
Meg James, Los Angeles Times senior entertainment writer
Almost 400-thousand Australians have dementia, so chances are you either have it or know someone who does.
This week’s news that an experimental drug has been found to slow the advance of Alzheimer’s disease has raised hopes that sufferers could enjoy more good months.
Today, an expert in the field on how the drug works and how soon patients here might have access to it.
Featured:
Associate Professor Yen Ying Lim, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University
We love watching the Commonwealth Games, especially when we’re winning gold, but Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews thinks they’re too expensive.
Blaming cost blow-outs, he’s cancelling the 2026 games in Victoria, putting the future of the games at risk.
Today, national sport reporter David Mark on the anger the decision sparked and what it means for our sporting reputation.
Featured:
David Mark, ABC National Sport Reporter
Opening your power bill can come as real a shock and it’s only going to get worse with prices rising by up to a quarter this month.
But if you’re lucky enough to have solar panels on your roof you’re having a much better time of it.
The problem is there’s a growing divide between those who have them and those who don’t.
Today, energy reporter Dan Mercer on the Australians being left behind by the energy transition and the deep discontent the gap is likely to fuel.
Featured:
Dan Mercer, ABC energy reporter
As construction firms across the country collapse, thousands of people are losing their life savings, their businesses and homes.
The cascading effects of surging costs, worker shortages and rising interest rates include home dreams turning to nightmares and subcontractors often left hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Today, Four Corners reporter Stephen Long on his investigation into the ailing sector and what could be done to fix it.
Featured:
Stephen Long, Four Corners reporter
A new way of teaching in the classroom is being adopted in some schools, with a focus on how young brains absorb knowledge.
But is this the revolution in teaching that its proponents suggest?
Others argue better pay and less admin will do more to improve the standard of teaching.
Today, the ABC’s Education and Parenting reporter Conor Duffy on how best to teach the teachers.
Featured:
Conor Duffy, ABC Education and Parenting reporter
Access to abortion in Australia is about to become a little easier, with restrictions on doctors and pharmacists around medication for terminations being eased.
The Federal government says it’s a crucial change, as it will help women in regional and remote areas get an abortion and at a lower cost.
Today, reporter Claudia Long on the slow evolution of abortion services in Australia.
Featured:
Claudia Long, ABC political reporter
Artificial intelligence is disrupting and transforming our working lives.
While it holds the promise of greater productivity, it could also threaten a wide range of jobs and make income inequality even worse.
Today, how research into artificial intelligence tech may be targeting the wrong problems and missing chances to help humanity.
Featured:
Prof Bhaskar Chakravorti, Dean of Global Business, Tufts University
The waiting lists for care for transgender children in Australia are growing and public debate over medical intervention is becoming increasingly toxic.
Today, the ABC’s Patricia Karvelas on the battle over the bodies of trans kids and whether Australia’s approach is the right one.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, ABC presenter
The final report of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt scheme finds it was crude and cruel, neither fair nor legal, and it recommends both civil action and criminal prosecutions.
Today, legal expert Dr Darren O’Donovan, who’s fought for victims for years, on their struggle for justice.
Featured:
Dr Darren O’Donovan, La Trobe University Law School
We now have a national anti-corruption watchdog, but will it mean we’ll be able to trust politicians more than we currently do? And who will it go after first?
Today, AJ Brown from Transparency International Australia on how the body will work and whether there are enough protections in place for those who expose wrongdoing.
It’s official - the world is back in an El Niño event.
You won’t notice it just yet, but historically it means we’re heading for a very hot and dry period.
Today, a climate scientist steps us through why it’s happening and what we can expect.
The Reserve Bank board may have kept rates on hold for now, but with 12 increases in just over a year it’s still a hard time for borrowers up and down the country.
So what effect is that having on the housing market and house prices?
Today, business reporter Michael Janda on why the property market never seems to take a hit.
The Yes campaign for the Voice to Parliament ramped up on the weekend with rallies around the country, for now though the polls suggest more Australians would vote no when we head to a referendum.
But what do First Nations people in the remote areas of the country think?
Today investigative journalist Jane Bardon takes us there and reveals many residents have never even heard of the Voice.
We've been speaking a lot about interest rates this year, and no wonder: there have been 12 painful rate rises in 13 months, with the RBA to meet again this week.
But why is it the only tool used to bring inflation under control?
Today, the ABC TV’s finance guy, Alan Kohler, on how ending price gouging could be a simple alternative.
Featured:
Alan Kohler, ABC TV news finance presenter
It's a finding that will further damage voters' trust in politics, and in politicians: while the former, once highly popular, New South Wales Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, denied it to the end, the state's corruption watchdog has found she engaged in 'serious corrupt conduct', although she won't face charges.
So what did the ICAC find?
Today, ABC investigative reporter, Amy Greenbank, on the phone taps that brought the former leader down.
Featured:
Amy Greenbank, ABC investigative reporter, Sydney
It was a brief act of mutiny, lasting just 36 hours.
But what does the armed rebellion in Russia across the weekend mean for the future of the Russian state, and its leader Vladimir Putin?
Today, the co-host of the Kremlin File podcast, Olga Lautman, on what the biggest challenge to Putin’s leadership in decades means, and what might come next.
Featured:
Olga Lautman, Senior Researcher, Centre for European Policy Analysis and co-host, Kremlin File podcast
After a huge rise in our power bills last year, millions of households are about to see another big hike from this weekend.
That’s despite the government extending its price cap on gas and a big push towards renewables.
Today, the ABC’s energy reporter, Dan Mercer, on what’s happening in the market and how we can protect ourselves from spiralling costs.
Featured:
Dan Mercer, energy reporter, ABC national regional and rural team
The Australian Tax Office is meant to be one of the most secure and forensic agencies in the country - we trust it to get things right.
But its vulnerabilities were exposed, after a criminal syndicate managed to steal more than $100 million of taxpayers' money.
Today, Four Corners reporter, Paul Farrell, takes us inside the biggest tax fraud in our history, and explains how it was exposed.
Featured:
Paul Farrell, investigative reporter, Four Corners, ABC TV and ABC iview
Over the weekend, the Russian president came closer than he's ever been to losing his grip on power, as the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin attempted to overthrow his regime, before backing down.
It's been a confusing, chaotic few days.
Today, a Russian security expert, Associate Professor Matthew Sussex from the Australian National University, on what it means for Vladimir Putin's future, and his brutal war in Ukraine.
Featured:
Dr Matthew Sussex, Associate Professor, Fellow, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University, Canberra
It's a story that's captivating the world: the missing five men, who went deep into the Atlantic Ocean to try and get a glimpse of the wreckage of the Titanic.
Oxygen may have run out in the missing Titan submersible but rescuers are still hard at work.
Today, an oceanographer on the dangers and complexities of the mission.
Featured:
Arthur Trembanis, oceanographer at the University of Delaware
The Greens have been accused of forming an ‘axis of evil’ in the Parliament, by joining with the Coalition to block the government’s key housing bill.
But are they really the enemy for demanding a rent freeze to try to stop landlords charging tenants whatever they like?
Today, Insiders host, David Speers, on the housing deadlock, and why the government refuses to cap rents.
Featured:
David Speers, host, Insiders, ABC TV and iview
For First Nations Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe, the passing of the Voice bill through the Parliament this week was akin to 'Assimilation Day'.
Meanwhile, the Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney described it as a momentous, unifying moment for the nation.
So, with such divided views on the referendum within the Parliament, what sort of debate can we expect as everyone prepares to head to the ballot box?
Today, the ABC's National Indigenous Correspondent, Carly Williams, on how to make sense of it all.
Featured:
Carly Williams, ABC National Indigenous Correspondent
With Russia at war with Ukraine, keeping our secrets safe from Moscow is vital.
But history tells us Australia hasn't been very good at spying on spies and knowing when our agencies have been infiltrated.
Today, investigative reporters Sally Neighbour and Margot O'Neill on an ASIO mole who sold our intelligence to the Russians, and why our spy agency kept it secret for so long.
Featured:
Sally Neighbour, investigative reporter, ABC Four Corners and ABC iview
Margot O’Neill, investigative reporter, ABC Four Corners and ABC iview
You may have enjoyed a spot of shopping on the weekend, but if you're still heading out to spend up big, you're among a diminishing crowd.
We now know there's been a huge slump in consumer spending, as more and more of us find it harder to make ends meet with soaring rents and rising interest rates.
So, with New Zealand already in a technical recession, is there a downturn coming here too?
Today, the ABC’s business editor, Ian Verrender, on where our economy's heading, midway through the year.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
Once again, the treatment of women in politics has come into question, after the independent Senator Lidia Thorpe used parliamentary privilege to allege she'd been sexually assaulted in a stairwell at Parliament House.
It came a day after she had stood in the Senate to accuse the Victorian Senator, David Van, of sexual assault, an accusation he denies and which she later withdrew.
Senator Van has now been asked to leave the Liberal Party room.
Today, ABC political reporter, Dana Morse, on Lidia Thorpe's allegations, and the culture at Parliament House.
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Dana Morse, ABC political reporter, Parliament House, Canberra
In the US, Donald Trump is marking his 77th birthday.
But we can only imagine what sort of celebration it might be, a day after he was arraigned in a federal court in Miami.
The former president is pleading not guilty to dozens of charges relating to the mishandling of classified material, some of which he kept in a bathroom at his Florida home.
Today, legal analyst Jill Wine-Banks, who was one of the prosecutors during the Watergate scandal, on the case against Mr Trump, and whether a Florida jury would really convict him.
Featured:
Jill Wine-Banks, legal analyst and former Watergate prosecutor
The long-awaited counteroffensive in Ukraine has begun.
In what could be a pivotal moment in the almost 16-month-old war, Ukrainian forces are battling to retake cities occupied by Russia.
Today, a former US State Department security advisor on what the frontline looks like, and what the renewed fighting could mean for the future of the war.
Featured:
Max Bergmann, Director, Europe, Russia, Eurasia program, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington DC
We're hearing a lot about artificial intelligence - or AI - recently, and it's really a mixed bag.
It's technology some experts say can save lives, while others are warning it could become so powerful it will actually destroy humanity.
So what should we make of it?
Today, AI expert and chief scientist at the University of New South Wales AI Institute, Professor Toby Walsh, on why we should be alert, not alarmed.
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Professor Toby Walsh, Chief Scientist, UNSW AI Institute, University of New South Wales, Sydney
When you head to your weekend soccer or cricket match to cheer on the school team or local club, it's fun and usually not too serious.
But what you probably don't know is there are a lot more people than you realise taking an interest in what’s going on on the pitch.
Today, ABC investigative reporter, Pat McGrath, on his Four Corners report into the gambling giants infiltrating community sport.
Featured:
Pat McGrath, investigative reporter, Four Corners, ABC TV and iview
Last week, one of Australia's most decorated soldiers, Ben Roberts-Smith, was found to be a war criminal and murderer, after losing a civil defamation case against three newspapers.
The shock ruling in the Federal Court has now reopened debate over the behaviour of Australian special forces deployed during the war in Afghanistan.
Today, investigative reporter Chris Masters, who along with Nick McKenzie exposed Ben Roberts-Smith, on the continuing fallout of the case, and the failings of the military's chain of command.
Featured:
Chris Masters, investigative reporter, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald
This week, Bruce Lehrmann gave his first media interview, after the trial over the alleged rape of former political staffer Brittany Higgins was abandoned last year.
In it, Mr Lehrmann, who's never been found guilty of any wrongdoing, maintained his innocence, saying the alleged assault at Parliament House in Canberra simply didn't happen.
It came as an inquiry into the justice system's handling of the case heard its final evidence.
Today, we speak to ABC court reporter, Elizabeth Byrne, who's covered the story from the start.
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Elizabeth Byrne, ABC court reporter, Canberra
With the Reserve Bank hitting borrowers with yet another interest rate rise, households will be feeling even greater financial strain.
The cash rate is now 4.1%, and there's concern that last week's decision to increase the minimum wage could fuel inflation further, pushing interest rates higher still.
Today, ABC business and economics reporter, Gareth Hutchens, on whether or not the wage increases signal there's more pain to come.
Featured:
Gareth Hutchens, ABC business and economics reporter
She was once dubbed 'Australia's worst serial killer', after the deaths of her four children. But now, Kathleen Folbigg is a free woman, after spending two decades in jail. In a miscarriage of justice case reminiscent of the wrongful conviction of Lindy Chamberlain, the NSW Attorney-General has pardoned the 55-year-old after new scientific evidence emerged. Today, ABC Background Briefing reporter Rachael Brown on Kathleen Folbigg's freedom and what it says about the judicial system. Featured: Rachael Brown, reporter, Background Briefing, ABC Radio National and ABC listen app
It's financially pretty tough right now. But who’s really hurting the most? While the Reserve Bank Governor, Philip Lowe, is suggesting younger Australians could find a housemate or live with their parents, many older Australians are holidaying, dining out and hitting the shops. Today, ABC business reporter, Stephanie Chalmers, on the growing generational divide. Featured: Stephanie Chalmers, ABC business reporter
Ben Roberts-Smith was a war hero: Australia's most decorated soldier, receiving a Victoria Cross. Now, a court has found in a civil defamation case that newspaper reports that he's a war criminal and murderer are true. The former SAS soldier had taken defamation action against three newspapers, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Canberra Times, after they stated he was involved in the unlawful killing and assault of unarmed prisoners in Afghanistan. Today, defamation expert Associate Professor Jason Bosland on the federal court's ruling, and its wider implications. Featured: Associate Professor Jason Bosland, Director, Centre for Media and Communications Law, Melbourne Law School
The federal government pays private consulting firms hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars every year. But can we really trust they're acting in our best interests and, if not, why are we outsourcing such a large amount of public sector work to them? Today, the host of Radio National's The Money, Richard Aedy, on the expanding PwC scandal, and whether it will change who the government does business with. Featured: Richard Aedy, host, The Money, ABC Radio National and ABC listen app
In recent years, the relationship between China and the West has soured, costing billions of dollars in lost trade. But that rift has had an unexpected upside for Australia, with surging demand for some of our raw materials, like lithium. Today, the ABC's business editor, Ian Verrender, on the end of the iron ore era, and why Australia's mining luck is set to continue. Featured: Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
When you're halfway through building a new home - or renovating an old one - and the builder goes bust, it's devastating for everyone involved. Now, more and more people are finding themselves in exactly that position, with building company insolvencies in Australia at the highest level in almost a decade. So what’s going on? Today, ABC business reporter, Michael Janda, on what the crisis in the industry says about the wider economy, and where we’re heading next. Featured: Michael Janda, ABC business reporter
After the Royal Commission into the Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the stage was set for hundreds of survivors to receive financial compensation. But Four Corners has found wealthy organisations, from the Scouts to Catholic dioceses, are now using extraordinary legal tactics to fight compensation claims from victims - even in cases where the offender has been found guilty. Today, reporter Louise Milligan on her investigation. Featured: Louise Milligan, reporter, Four Corners, ABC TV and ABC iview
When one of the nation's most prominent Indigenous journalists, Stan Grant, decided to step away from the ABC this week, it sparked a debate over race, racism and the Australian media. The Wiradjuri journalist said a lack of support from the ABC, after weeks of racial abuse against him, led to his decision, which came at the same time MPs began debating the Voice to Parliament bill. Today, the ABC's referendum correspondent, Dan Bourchier, on Stan Grant's announcement, and how it coincides with an increase in online hate as the nation prepares for the referendum.Featured: Dan Bourchier, ABC referendum correspondent
When he touched down in Sydney this week, India's leader received a rock star welcome. A few weeks back, Narendra Modi became the leader of the most populous nation in the world, after India surpassed China for the title. Now, he wants to transform India's economy into a global superpower to rival Beijing. Today, a fellow at the Australia India Institute, Dr Pradeep Taneja, on the two faces of Prime Minister Modi, and why - despite his chequered human rights record - nations like Australia can't resist him. Featured: Dr Pradeep Taneja, senior lecturer, University of Melbourne and academic fellow, Australia India Institute
You probably know a bit about hydrogen from your science lessons at school.But you're about to hear a lot more about it, as Australia embarks on a massive push to become the world's hydrogen superpower. The hope is the element will soon be fuelling everything from cars to passenger jets, as the world races to switch off fossil fuels. Today, ABC business reporter Rachel Pupazzoni on how Australia became a leader in the field and why it could lead to our next investment boom. Featured: Rachel Pupazzoni, ABC business reporter
In Australia, egg freezing has become big business, as clinics target women worried about their fertility. But has something gone awry, when Australians in their early 20s are deciding to undergo the expensive, invasive procedure? Today, ABC 7.30 reporter Rhiannon Shine on the risks involved, and whether it's really worth it. Featured: Rhiannon Shine, reporter, 7.30, ABC TV and ABC iview
Australia is in the middle of a severe housing crisis. But did it really need to be this way? If you look at Scandinavia, the answer is no. Today, Dr Sidsel Grimstad from Griffith University on the co-operative housing networks in Denmark, Sweden and Norway that mean barely anyone’s left homeless, and how they could work here too. Featured: Dr Sidsel Grimstad, senior lecturer, Griffith University, Brisbane
The US economy is in such a crisis, president Joe Biden has had to cancel a trip here next week. He has less than a fortnight before the nation defaults on its debt - meaning it would essentially run out of money - for the first time ever. Today, economist Dr Louise Sheiner, from the Brookings Institution in Washington DC, on how America's fragile political system could drag all of us into a recession. Featured: Dr Louise Sheiner, senior economics fellow and policy director, Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, Brookings Institution, Washington DC
As the US grapples with a crisis over its debt ceiling, there's concern the entire world could be plunged into a financial crisis. Today, ABC business and economics reporter, Gareth Hutchens, unpacks how we'll know if we’ve been pushed into a recession, and what it will mean for Australians if we are. Featured: Gareth Hutchens, ABC business and economics reporter, Canberra
When the government went about drafting new tax avoidance laws in 2014, it turned to the big consulting firm, PwC, to help put together the best policy possible. But it had no idea the very firm it was paying to do that would use the highly confidential information it obtained to try to help its own multinational clients avoid the new tax. Today, ABC business reporter, Daniel Ziffer, on the evolving scandal, and whether Australian taxpayers are being ripped off. Featured: Daniel Ziffer, ABC business reporter
It's an energy drink that contains double the Australian legal limit of caffeine, and teenagers can't get enough of it. So how and why did the Prime Energy drink become so popular, to the point it's being traded on some school buses? Today, we take a deeper look at how YouTubers are infiltrating the lives of kids around the world, and why - even if they try - parents can't keep up. Featured: Rachelle Hampton, culture writer and podcast co-host, Slate.com and ICYMI podcast
China says it's sending a peace envoy to Ukraine, but the prospect of Beijing brokering a deal to end the war has been met with scepticism. Instead, fighting looks set to enter a second, more violent and possibly decisive stage. Today, the ABC's global affairs editor, John Lyons, speaks to us from the capital Kyiv about life on the ground, and what comes next in the war. Featured: John Lyons, ABC global affairs editor, Kyiv
Although Australia's natural resources, like oil and gas, belong to us all, we seem to get to see just a fraction of the super profits the global energy giants are making from them. So why did the government only tweak that with a small change in this week's budget, when it desperately needs the extra revenue? Today, the ABC's energy reporter, Dan Mercer, on why the Treasurer Jim Chalmers won’t go further. Featured: Dan Mercer, energy reporter, ABC national regional and rural team
Donald Trump just keeps losing court battles. In the latest, he's been found liable for sexually abusing and defaming magazine writer E. Jean Carroll, who had accused him of rape. Today Shayna Jacobs, who covered the case for the Washington Post, on how it unfolded in the courtroom, and what it means for the many other women accusing the former President of sexual misconduct. And a warning: some listeners might find the content in this episode distressing. Featured: Shayna Jacobs, courts and national security reporter, The Washington Post
Jim Chalmers has delivered Australia's first budget surplus in 15 years, and with inflation tipped to drop and wages rising sooner than we'd expected, things seem to be looking up. Today, in a special episode from inside the Treasury lock-up, the ABC's business editor, Ian Verrender, explains what the budget papers tell us about the cost of living crisis in the months ahead. Featured: Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
One of the biggest problems we're facing as a nation right now is a lack of housing which is leading to soaring rents.It's also resulting in a spike in the number of Australians who find themselves homeless.Today, the ABCs social affairs correspondent, Norman Hermant on how we ended up here and what needs to be done to fix it.
With 11 rate rises, soaring rents, rising grocery bills and eye-popping power prices, it's become really hard for a lot of Australians to make ends meet. So as the government prepares to deliver a budget tomorrow, how and who is it going to help? Today, Radio National Breakfast host and the Party Room podcast co-host, Patricia Karvelas, on what might be on offer, and whether Labor will go after the big end of town. Featured: Patricia Karvelas, host, ABC RN Breakfast and co-host, The Party Room
We used to think of it as the Spirit of Australia, but in recent years we've had much more of a love-hate relationship with Qantas.Now, the man who's been at the helm for 15 years is on his way out. Today, ABC investigative reporter, Stephen Long, on how Alan Joyce changed our national carrier, and whether our flying experience will improve, now he's going. Featured: Stephen Long, ABC investigative reporter
Australia's efforts to combat smoking have been revered around the world, but now we’re breeding a new generation of nicotine addicts. Vaping has taken off, and the government's now trying to catch up with a ban on the recreational use of e-cigarettes. But will it work, or just push sales further into the black market? Today, a leading researcher in the field on the vaping epidemic. Featured: Dr Emily Banks, professor of epidemiology and public health, Australian National University, Canberra
Even though inflation seems to be coming down, the Reserve Bank has started raising interest rates again, making it the eleventh time in a year. So what's going on? And when will the prices of everything from food to rent return to normal? Today, ABC business reporter, Nassim Khadem, on why it's going to take a while yet. Featured: Nassim Khadem, ABC business reporter
From face-lifts to tummy tucks and liposuction, in Australia cosmetic surgery has become a multi-million-dollar business.But things can - and do - go very wrong. Today, investigative reporter Adele Ferguson on the government's announcement of a crackdown on the cosmetic cowboys.Featured: Adele Ferguson, investigative reporter, ABC Four Corners, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald
With a wary eye on China, the government's committed us to buying nuclear submarines worth more than 300 billion dollars.But they've done it without having the workforce to operate them or anywhere to dump the nuclear waste.Today Four Corners reporter Angus Grigg on our very high risk defence gamble.
We've been hearing the Murdoch name a fair bit recently as the family manoeuvres its way through various legal challenges around the world - from a billion dollar payout in the US to a high profile defamation suit in Australia.Now it's Prince Harry's turn: He's after Rupert Murdoch over historic phone hacking allegations.Today, Media Watch host Paul Barry on whether the Murdoch empire is on shaky ground and the family's succession plans.
The government says private companies and shonks are partly behind the huge blow out in how much the National Disability Insurance Scheme is costing taxpayers. It's announced a crackdown to end businesses profiteering from the scheme, which for the first time this financial year will cost more than Medicare. Today, a disability advocate on what's gone wrong with a scheme which is vital for hundreds of thousands of Australians. Featured: El Gibbs, writer and disability advocate
It can write an essay, generate a fake image, help police catch an offender and even detect cancer: it feels like artificial intelligence, or AI, is taking over everything humans do. But just like humans, it also has the potential to be incredibly sexist and racist. Today, an AI expert on what to watch out for, as the computer technology increasingly shapes our day-to-day lives. Featured: Meredith Broussard, Associate Professor, New York University and author, 'More than a glitch: confronting race, gender and ability bias in tech'
The biggest overhaul of our defence force since World War Two will see us rapidly acquire long-range strike capabilities, meaning our military will be able to hit targets at sea. It's in response to rising military threats from China. But while we're angering Beijing by upping the ante on the military front, in other areas - like trade - things are actually improving. Today, Chinese trade expert and lawyer, Associate Professor Weihuan Zhou, on the complex diplomatic relationship between Australia and China, and how it's undergoing a reset. Featured: Dr Weihuan Zhou, Associate Professor, School of Private and Commercial Law, University of New South Wales, Sydney
There are so few electric cars in Australia, you probably know very few people who drive one.While the Europeans and Americans are surging ahead, we haven't even had a national plan to boost sales — until last week, when the Federal Government released a new strategy.Today, an electric vehicle expert on whether we can catch up with the rest of the world and how soon we'll all be driving one.Featured:Dr Adhikari Smith, research fellow, University of Queensland, Brisbane
The decisions it makes have a huge impact on our livelihoods, but is the Reserve Bank of Australia fully accountable for the pain it can cause? Not according to a review that's called into question how it has been operating under the current Governor, Philip Lowe. Today, the host of Insiders, David Speers, on why the RBA is about to undergo massive change, as the era of monthly interest rate rulings comes to an end. Featured: David Speers, host, ABC TV Insiders
Fox News peddled Donald Trump's big lie that the 2020 US election was stolen from him; now, its owner Rupert Murdoch is paying the price. He's settled in a defamation case, costing his network more than one billion Australian dollars. Today, a US reporter covering the case on why the hefty price tag is just the start of the media mogul’s legal woes. Featured: Elahe Izadi, media reporter, The Washington Post
Since the inception of HECS, millions of Australians have been through uni using the student loan to cover their costs, repaying the government once they’re earning over a threshold.It's a system that's stood the test of time, but with the debt being indexed inline with inflation, the bill for around three million Australians is climbing at the fastest rate in decades. So does the system need to change? Today, the architect of HECS on whether it's still working. Featured: Dr Bruce Chapman, former economic advisor to the Hawke government, architect of HECS and Emeritus Professor, Australian National University, Canberra
If you rent or know anyone who does, you would know costs are soaring and there's barely anything on the market, while the wait for public housing can be more than a decade. Meanwhile, the Airbnb and holiday rental world is booming, where there are tens of thousands of properties ready for short-term lease. So how did we get to this point? And how do we get out of it? Today, the ABC news finance guy, Alan Kohler, on how successive governments ruined the golden era of housing. Featured: Alan Kohler, ABC news finance presenter and founder, Eureka Report and The Constant Investor
Since the end of last year, Australia's been hit by some of the biggest and most damaging hacks in our history, with the government now scrambling to make our data safer. But can it really take on the might of the Russians who are likely behind the attacks? Today, the ABC’s global affairs editor, John Lyons, on his Four Corners investigation into the internal workings of some of the biggest gangs in the world. Featured: John Lyons, ABC global affairs editor
As we head into winter, the federal government has launched a fresh round of ads urging adults to get their COVID boosters. But there are differing views in the medical field over whether everyone needs another shot. Today, an epidemiologist on the next wave, and what the latest science says about protection against COVID. Featured: Professor Tony Blakely, epidemiologist, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne; chair, New Zealand Royal Commission to draw lessons from pandemic response; contractor, Moderna Australia
It's one of the biggest dumps of top secret US defence documents since Wikileaks, and we still don't know who's behind it.A trove of highly classified material from the Pentagon has ended up on Discord, Twitter and 4chan, embarrassing the US and angering some of its closest allies.Today, The Washington Post's national security reporter, Missy Ryan, on why the world's secrets don't seem to be safe in American hands.Featured: Missy Ryan, national security reporter, The Washington Post
He was meant to be key in promoting a 'No' vote in the Voice to Parliament referendum, but now he's quit so he can campaign for a 'Yes' vote instead.The Opposition's Indigenous Australians spokesman, Julian Leeser, is heading to the backbench.Today, the ABC's political reporter for Indigenous affairs, Dana Morse, on an extraordinary defection, and what it means. Featured: Dana Morse, ABC political reporter
It's shot to fame in Hollywood, and is so popular in Australia we ran out of stock. The diabetes drug, Ozempic, is now being used for weight loss, and it helps to shed kilos fast. Today, a GP on how it works and the ethical decisions for doctors as demand for the drug exceeds all expectations. Featured: Dr Natasha Yates, GP, Gold Coast, Queensland
It won't be cheap, but it is very feasible that tourists could soon be traversing around the moon. Not only that, there could one day be a permanent human presence there. That's because in its latest mission NASA's betting on finding enough water on the lunar surface to make it habitable. Today the Washington Post's space reporter, Christian Davenport on how that could then lead us to Mars. Featured: Christian Davenport, reporter covering NASA and space, The Washington Post
He was originally accused of paying hush money to an adult film actor, but now we know more about the criminal charges against Donald Trump, it seems the allegations run far deeper. The former US president is accused of covering up multiple affairs so as to give himself a better chance of winning the 2016 election. Today, lawyer and former FBI agent, Asha Rangappa, on the 34 charges against Trump, and whether his denials really stand up. Featured: Asha Rangappa, lawyer, former FBI agent and senior lecturer, Jackson School of Global Affairs, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, US
With 10 consecutive rate rises, the Reserve Bank is finally giving Australian households a break. It's placed rates on hold, but will it last? Today, the ABC's business editor, Ian Verrender, on how there's been a big shift in the RBA board’s thinking, and what comes next. Featured: Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
As the Reserve Bank weighs up whether to increase interest rates for an eleventh consecutive time, the spotlight is on whether it's doing the right thing by all Australians. An independent review into the bank has handed 51 recommendations to the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, to improve its practices. So will it help those struggling the most? Today, ABC business and economics reporter, Gareth Hutchens, on how and why life in Australia has become less fair in the past 30 years.Featured: Gareth Hutchens, ABC business and economics reporter
The Paralympics have transformed the sporting arena for those with disabilities, but now the integrity of the event has been brought into question. A Four Corners investigation has uncovered allegations of athletes exaggerating or even lying about their impairments to give them a better chance of winning. Today, investigative reporter, Hagar Cohen, on how the rules are being bent and broken, to the determinant of the majority of competitors doing the right thing. Featured: Hagar Cohen, ABC Four Corners investigative reporter
It's quite possible, in the past six months or so, that you've been among the millions of people who have had personal data stolen by criminals, after three of the biggest hacks in Australia's history were publicly disclosed. Optus, Medibank and, this month, Latitude Financial have all fallen prey to malicious cyber-attacks, but they're just the ones we know about. So what don't we know about? Today, a data researcher on the thousands of breaches that are hidden from the public. Featured: Dr Jane Andrew, professor, University of Sydney Business School
We'll soon all be voting in a referendum on whether to create an independent advisory body to give First Nations Australians a Voice to Parliament. But now we know the wording of the question and the changes that would be made to the constitution, some lawyers warn it could open up a legal minefield. Today, Professor Asmi Wood, a constitutional law expert and an advisor on the Voice, on whether those concerns are valid. Featured: Dr Asmi Wood, barrister, member of the Constitutional Expert Group and professor, School of Law, Australian National University, Canberra
Over the past few years, we've suffered through devastating bushfires and terrible floods in Australia.But while we've been bearing the brunt of climate change, we haven't had a national climate policy. That is, until this week, when the Greens confirmed they'd struck a deal with the Albanese government on a bill that is meant to force the nation's biggest polluters to slash emissions. So how will it work? Today, we speak with professor of environmental and climate change economics, IPCC lead author Dr Frank Jotzo, about the deal, and why it shouldn't mean consumers will pay more. Featured: Dr Frank Jotzo, lead author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and professor, Australian National University, Canberra
Is there any place left for conservative politics in Australia? The New South Wales election result suggests not, with the entire Australian mainland now red, with Labor in power in every state and territory except Tasmania. Today, a public policy expert on why Coalition parties seem to have lost touch with what many voters want. Featured: Dr Ariadne Vromen, chair of public administration, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Canberra
It's one of the most important decisions you'll make in your lifetime: buying a home.But can you really trust the people selling it to you? Today, Four Corners reporter, Paul Farrell, on his investigation into the questionable practices of real estate agents. Featured: Paul Farrell, ABC TV Four Corners reporter
You've probably seen the clip by now of Senator Lidia Thorpe being thrown to the ground by police outside Parliament House in Canberra. She was trying to confront a British anti-trans-rights campaigner, Kelly-Jay Keen-Minshull, known online as 'Posie Parker', whose tour of Australia this week has attracted support from neo-Nazis, including at a rally in Melbourne. It's raising concerns about the growth of extremist groups in Australia. So what's fuelling it? Today, we speak with an expert on conspiracies and the far-right. Featured: Dr Kaz Ross, independent researcher
We're all facing the financial pressures that come with the spiralling cost of everything, and on the weekend residents in one state will get the chance to punish politicians for it. In New South Wales, Australia's longest-serving state government is asking voters for an unprecedented fourth term, and polls and history suggest it could be a tall order. Today, the ABC's elections analyst, Antony Green, on why the NSW coalition government might not survive, as voters find it harder and harder to make ends meet.Featured: Antony Green, ABC elections analyst
He wants to be seen as a peace broker in the Ukraine war, but is that really why Chinese President Xi Jinping is rubbing shoulders with Vladimir Putin in Moscow? Today, Bates Gill from the Asia Society Policy Institute on China's ambitious plans and whether they should worry Australia. Featured:Bates Gill, Executive Director of Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis
At the height of the pandemic, many Australians found themselves with less work and struggling to make ends.Because of that, and with lots of uncertainty about the months ahead, many jumped at the chance to access their retirement savings early, as part of a federal government change.Now, we know a lot more about what those who withdrew spent the money on: a new study suggests gambling was high on the list.So was allowing people access to their own super for cash during a crisis the right idea?Today, we speak to one of the co-authors of the study, economist Dr Steven Hamilton, and we chat to two Australian women who will now have a lot less in their super funds for when they retire.Featured:Dr Steve Hamilton, economist, George Washington University, Washington DC
When you're sitting on a bus or train and watching people with their heads in their phones, there's a fair chance many of them are watching videos on TikTok. The platform, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is currently the most downloaded app in the world, and nations including the US are increasingly worried about how its algorithm works, and where all the data it's collecting might end up. Today, tech and privacy reporter for Vox.com, Sara Morrison, on the TikTok bans sweeping the world. Featured: Sara Morrison, senior reporter, Vox.com
The US is weathering its worst bank failure since the Global Financial Crisis.So why did Silicon Valley Bank collapse and what implications could it have for us here in Australia?Featured:Nassim Khadem, ABC business reporter
As we move into winter this year, if you live on the east coast you’re about to be slugged with a huge spike in your power bills once again.Today, an energy expert explains why prices just keep going up and when it will end.Featured:Alison Reeve, Climate Change and Energy Deputy Program Director, the Grattan Institute
In as little as four years' time, US nuclear-powered attack submarines will be deployed to Australia, the government says to keep us safe.They're the length of a rugby pitch and can cruise through the water in almost complete silence, and the price tag is mind-blowing too: up to $368 billion over the next 30 years. Today, the ABC's political editor, Andrew Probyn, on how fear of China has driven us to the biggest defence investment in our history. Featured: Andrew Probyn, ABC political editor
When you cruise the aisles at the supermarket, you would have noticed almost everything is more expensive.Coles and Woolworths blame inflation, but is that really all that’s at play? Today, the ABC’s Business Editor Ian Verrender on why company profits are soaring while households struggle to make ends meet.Featured:Ian Verrender, ABC Business EditorSubscribe to ABC News Daily on the ABC listen app.
Three years into the pandemic, most of us have had at least one bout of COVID.While it’s usually not that pleasant, we recover.But for hundreds of thousands of Australians the symptoms can last for months.Today we visit a long COVID clinic.Featured:Dr Anthony Byrne, St Vincent's HospitalPaul, long COVID patient
Imagine the distress you'd feel if you were told, out of the blue, that you owed the federal government thousands, or even tens of thousands, of dollars.That's the anguish the former coalition government inflicted on 400,000 Australians when it tried to illegally claw back welfare payments. Public hearings in the Royal Commission investigating who's to blame for the deeply flawed Robodebt scheme end this week. Today, ABC reporter Rachael Mealey walks us through the key evidence. Featured: Rachel Mealey, ABC national affairs reporter
In Australia, the law says we're meant to work a 38 hour week.In reality though, many of us do a lot more than that. So how many extra hours is reasonable? That's a question being tested in court, in a high profile case involving the teal independent MP Monique Ryan and her former staffer, the activist Sally Rugg, who says she worked up to 80 hours a week. Today, an expert in employment law on why Australians are working too much, and what the case could mean for employees across the nation. Featured: Dr Giuseppe Carabetta, senior lecturer in employment law, University of Technology Sydney
As the saying goes: all that glitters is not gold.And at the Perth mint, which is in the business of selling the precious metal, that's certainly the case at the moment.An ABC investigation has found that holes in the mint's compliance regime could have left it a target for criminals trying to launder money. Today, ABC TV Four Corners reporter, Angus Grigg, on why that could end up costing taxpayers millions of dollars. Featured: Angus Grigg, ABC TV Four Corners reporter
With the growing cost of living, we'd all love to pay less in income tax. So why is there a growing number of people arguing against the so-called 'stage 3 tax cuts'? Today, the host of ABC Radio National Breakfast, Patricia Karvelas, explains the biggest shake up to income tax in decades, and how the wealthier you are the better you'll do. Featured: Patricia Karvelas, host, ABC Radio National Breakfast
Since the war began in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons. Now, he's backing out of a nuclear agreement with the United States which limits the amount of nuclear warheads both nations can stockpile. But why? Today, the former US chief negotiator of New START on why Putin's decision could spell the beginning of a new arms race. Featured: Rose Gottemoeller, former NATO deputy secretary and former chief US negotiator, New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
Superannuation was set up to be your ticket to a comfortable retirement. But over the years, the richest Australians have done a lot better out of it than everyone else. Today, ABC 7.30's chief political correspondent, Laura Tingle, on the Albanese government's surprise move to target the wealthy with a tax hike on some of their super. Featured: Laura Tingle, ABC 7.30 chief political correspondent
In a suburb in the NSW city of Wollongong, residents want to shake things up by electrifying their homes, all at the same time. The hope is, if the residents of postcode 2515 can get rid of gas and coal from their lives, they'll show the rest of Australia how easily it can be done, and why it's a huge part of reducing our carbon emissions. Today, ABC TV Australian Story producer, Olivia Rousset, on how the plan works, and the man who's helping the community make it happen. Featured: Olivia Rousset, producer, ABC TV Australian Story
Fifty years ago, psychedelic drugs were successfully used to treat mental illness; that is, until politicians stepped in and banned them. But soon, Australia will lead the world in legalising the use of drugs like MDMA and psilocybin, which is found in magic mushrooms, to treat patients suffering depression and PTSD. Today, a leading researcher on the incredible success of the drugs in trials, and how they work. Featured: Dr David Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College London
The war in Ukraine is seen as Vladimir Putin's war. So should we really punish Russians by stopping their athletes from competing internationally? Australia is the latest nation to demand such a ban from next year's Olympics in Paris. Today, host of The Ticket podcast, Tracey Holmes, on the dilemma when sport and politics collide. Featured: Tracey Holmes, host, The Ticket podcast and senior reporter, ABC Sport
How would you feel if a bank made you guarantee in writing that you would move back in with your mother if you couldn’t pay your home loan anymore?It’s the sort of agreement people are being forced to make as the Reserve Bank continues to raise interest rates. Today, ABC business editor, Ian Verrender, on the incredible profits the banks are making as hundreds of thousands of people struggle to make ends meet. Featured: Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
To some, he's a god of brain surgery: a doctor willing to push the boundaries to save lives. To others, he's a risk taker, and he goes too far. This week, Charlie Teo has been appearing before a medical disciplinary commission in relation to the deaths of two of his patients. Today, we speak to journalist Isobel Roe, who's been covering the hearings, and we delve back into Charlie Teo's past. Featured: Isobel Roe, ABC journalist Dr Simon Chapman, Emeritus Professor, School of Public Health, University of Sydney
When Vladimir Putin started his war in Ukraine, he said it was all about fighting 'Nazis'.But if you've been listening to his speeches or spent any time watching Russian state TV lately, you'll notice the scope has widened dramatically.Now, the war is apparently about protecting Russians from perversion, paedophilia, and even the British children's cartoon character, Peppa Pig. Today, ABC TV Foreign Correspondent's Eric Campbell on Putin's bewildering propaganda, and the journalists who've escaped Russia and are now trying to counter his lies. Featured: Eric Campbell, reporter, ABC TV Foreign Correspondent
Whenever there's a gun attack in the US, you hear a lot about America's powerful gun lobby, and how it stops politicians from making meaningful changes to the laws. But do we have a similar problem in Australia, just in a different area? Anti-gambling advocates say we do: they argue poker machines are Australia's guns, and they're being protected by a powerful clubs lobby. Today, ABC TV Insiders host, David Speers, on the latest political efforts to crack down on pokies. Featured: David Speers, host, ABC TV Insiders
This year, body image activist Taryn Brumfitt was named Australian of the Year in recognition of the work she's done to alter the way we think about our bodies. Since accepting the award, she says she's been ignoring critics who question whether her campaign is worthy of receiving one of the nation's top accolades. Today, Taryn Brumfitt's colleague, Dr Zali Yager, on what the body positivity campaign is about, and the harm that can be caused when governments get body image messaging wrong. Featured: Dr Zali Yager, Executive Director, Body Confident Collective and Associate Professor, Victoria University, Melbourne
It's a year since Vladimir Putin started the war in Ukraine, a war that’s taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, rocked security in Europe and shocked the global economy. Today, an update on where the war stands 12 months in, and what to expect in the months ahead. Featured: Eugene Chausovsky, senior analyst, New Lines Institute, Washington DC
It's become one of the deadliest natural disasters of the century: the death toll from the Turkish and Syrian earthquake has surpassed 40,000. Today, we speak with ABC correspondent Allyson Horn from one of the worst hit Turkish cities, where residents are furious that buildings they were told were safe simply crumbled to the ground. Featured: Allyson Horn, ABC Middle East correspondent, Türkiye
The head of the Reserve Bank, Philip Lowe, fronted a Senate hearing yesterday, saying raising interest rates remains the best way to fight inflation. But is inflicting pain on Australian households with mortgages the only way? Today, ABC business and economics reporter, Gareth Hutchens, on an ingenious alternative. Featured: Gareth Hutchens, ABC business and economics reporter, Canberra
US President Joe Biden had promised to restore relations with China after the turbulent Trump years, but could balloons in the sky send the whole thing off course? Today, the ABC's East Asia Correspondent, Bill Birtles, on spying, and the fragility of the ties between the world's two superpowers. Featured: Bill Birtles, ABC East Asia correspondent
Anthony Albanese says he wants to end the climate wars, but tomorrow the battle will only intensify, when legislation to force big polluters to cut their emissions comes before the Parliament. So what's in the government's plan? Today, a longtime climate and investigative reporter on the details of the climate safeguards mechanism and the carbon credits trading scheme, and why opposition to both keeps building. Featured: Marian Wilkinson, investigative reporter and author, 'The Carbon Club'
For renters it feels like one of the hardest times in history, with rising costs and limited availability. So can anything be done to ease the pressure? Today, housing economist Cameron Murray on whether we’re overlooking a simple fix. Featured: Dr Cameron Murray, researcher, University of Sydney
This week, the Djab Wurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjamara Senator Lidia Thorpe quit the Greens and moved to the crossbench, after voicing concerns about the proposed Voice to Parliament. She's now declared herself a leader of the Black sovereign movement. Today, we unpack what Black sovereignty is, and its connection to the referendum later this year. And a warning: this episode of the podcast contains the voices of Indigenous people who have died. Featured: Dr Hannah McGlade, member of the UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues and Senior Indigenous Research Fellow, Curtin University, Perth
If you haven't had COVID or a booster shot in the last six months, the chances are you're more vulnerable than you think. In a few weeks, a fifth dose of a COVID vaccine will be offered to anyone over 18, and we're being urged to take it up. Today, epidemiologist Catherine Bennett on how we're entering a new phase of the pandemic. Featured: Professor Catherine Bennett, chair in epidemiology, Deakin University
The death toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck south-central Türkiye, formerly known as Turkey, is rising rapidly, as rescue workers race to save who they can. Today, Tim Costello, the former head of World Vision Australia, on the unfolding humanitarian crisis. Featured: Tim Costello, former chief executive, World Vision Australia
China says it was simply a weather balloon gone astray, but the Pentagon says Beijing was spying. So how many spy balloons are in the air, and could they be watching us? Today, an aerospace engineer and national security expert on what China is up to. Featured: Dr Iain Boyd, director, Center for National Security Initiatives, University of Colorado Boulder
By now, many of us will be feeling the pinch from rising costs and housing pressures, as inflation continues to soar.So what's the government going to do to help us?Today, 7.30's chief political correspondent, Laura Tingle, on what is shaping up as the most pressing issue for Anthony Albanese as Parliament returns.Featured: Laura Tingle, ABC 7.30 chief political correspondent
A report has recommended alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs be urgently extended, as the community grapples with how to stop a worrying crime wave. After a tense week in the town, today we speak to an ABC reporter based there to discuss what next for the people of Alice Springs and those in the townships and remote communities surrounding it.Featured: Samantha Jonscher, ABC senior reporter, Alice Springs
We had eight successive rate rises last year, but it didn't stop Australians from spending up big over the summer.It's meant inflation has continued to rise: it was 7.8 per cent in the December quarter, the highest in 33 years. So will the summer spending bring autumn pain?Today, AMP senior economist, Diana Mousina, on why 2023 might be tougher financially than we hoped. Featured: Diana Mousina, AMP senior economist
Over the last decade, dating apps have become hugely popular, with millions of Australians now meeting each other online. But many of the people using them say the apps are also rife with abuse and sexual harassment that often goes unchecked. Last week, the federal government convened a round table with some of the app companies to discuss ways to make dating safer.Today, an expert in communications on whether anything will change. Featured: Dr Kath Albury, Associate Professor, ARC Future Fellow, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne
Anthony Albanese wanted bipartisan support for the Voice to Parliament.Instead, he's being met with increasing political divisions. Today, ABC Radio National Breakfast host, Patricia Karvelas, on whether the government can convince Australians to vote yes without support across the Parliament.Featured: Patricia Karvelas, host, Radio National Breakfast
Australian politicians are being threatened with violence in volumes never seen before, with the Australian Federal Police receiving more than 500 reports of threats to MP's safety - a number that’s tripled in three years.It's been partly driven by the 'Sovereign Citizen' movement, with COVID-19 providing the perfect breeding ground for their conspiracies to spread.We speak to an expert in extremism about the role COVID's had to play and an MP about her own experience.Featured:Kaz Ross, independent researcher on the far-rightAnne Webster, Federal Member for Mallee
It can write poems, essays and even talk to you. That's why ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence bot, is being banned in schools and universities.Today, AI expert Toby Walsh on how the cutting edge technology is already changing our lives.Featured:Toby Walsh, Chief scientist, UNSW AI Institute
This is the year Australians will be asked to vote in a referendum, the first in 20 years. This time we’ll be voting 'yes' or 'no' to giving Indigenous Australians a Voice to Parliament. As the complex debate gets underway, today ABC Voice correspondent Dan Bourchier on what we’ll see in the months ahead and how to navigate your way through it. Featured:Dan Bourchier, ABC Referendum & Voice correspondent
He's a self confessed misogynist who's been charged with rape and human trafficking. So how did Andrew Tate make himself so appealing to millions of young men around the world?Today, we speak to Matt Defina who is working with Australian teenage boys to understand why so many are being drawn to Andrew Tate's toxic views on masculinity.Featured:Mett Defina, organisational psychologist at The Man Cave
After three years of doggedly sticking to a COVID-zero policy, last month China made a sudden and unexpected U-turn.Now the disease is ripping through the country as millions celebrate Lunar New Year. Today what we do and don't know about the biggest COVID outbreak the world has seen so far.Featured:Lily Kuo, China Bureau Chief, The Washington Post
As we embark on 2023, many of us will be thinking about our finances and whether this year will be any easier than last year. Today, with the possibility of a global recession still very much on the cards, we look at how Australia might fare.Featured:Alan Kohler, ABC Finance Guy
2022 was a good year for the Labor party, with a victory for Daniel Andrews in Victoria and a win at the federal election in May. When Anthony Albanese took over as PM we asked ABC 7.30's chief political correspondent, Laura Tingle how she thought he’d run the party and the parliament. As the year came to a close we checked back in to see what had changed and what to expect in the year ahead. Originally published on 28 November, 2022Featured: Laura Tingle, ABC 7.30 chief political correspondent
Russia's invasion of Ukraine did not go the way anyone expected.After multiple strategic losses the Kremlin was forced to pull its troops from key areas in the east of the country around Kherson and Kharkiv.Today, a former commander of US Ground Forces in Europe on what the Ukraine war means for Putin's grip on power and the future of the entire Russian federation. Originally published on 11 November, 2022Featured: Lieutenant General (retired) Ben Hodges, former commanding general of the US Army in Europe
In the Northern Territory thousands of US Marines and Australian soldiers are preparing for battle.The United States is even sending nuclear capable bombers here amid heightened concern from the Pentagon that China could invade Taiwan before 2027.Today, Four Corners reporter Angus Grigg on his investigation into how the top end is becoming a major military base for the US and why that could leave Australia vulnerable to attack. Originally published on 1 November, 2022Featured:Angus Grigg, reporter, ABC TV's Four Corners
When two sisters from Saudi Arabia were found dead and naked in their beds in a Sydney apartment it shocked Australians and puzzled police.It raised questions about who the young women were and why they fled their homeland. Today, Background Briefing reporter Rachael Brown on her chilling investigation into their mysterious deaths and why other Saudi women in Australia are living in fear. Originally published on 12 August, 2022Featured:Rachael Brown, Background Briefing reporter
Scott Morrison managed to be at the centre of multiple controversies this year, even after losing the election in May. One of his forays back in the headlines occurred after delivering a lengthy address at a Pentecostal church in Perth. In it, he referenced Satan, miracles and God's plan, telling the faithful it would be a mistake to trust in governments like they trust in God.Radio National Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas unpacked what he said and why they matter. Originally published on 21 July, 2022Featured: Patricia Karvelas, host, ABC RN Breakfast
Last July three men embarked on a perilous journey to stop a catastrophe from unfolding on Sydney's shoreline.On a tugboat, in 9 metre swells, they worked for hours to prevent a cargo ship carrying fuel from ploughing into a cliff, saving the lives of 21 crew members and averting an ecological disaster.We spoke to those men about an extraordinary rescue mission which had a nation holding its breath.Originally published on 8 July, 2022Featured:Brad Lucas, tugboat captainMarius Fenger, engineerAlex Alsop, deckhand
The decision by the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade has seen abortion clinics across America scramble to perform procedures before they're forced to close their doors.Today, US reporter Rosemary Westwood takes us to the only abortion clinic in Mississippi as it prepares to shut forever.Originally published 30 June, 2022Featured:Rosemary Westwood, public health reporter for public radio in Louisiana and host of the podcast Banned.
Can you imagine if an Australian prime minister broke strict COVID-19 lockdown rules, held more than a dozen parties at The Lodge, was fined by police for breaking the law, and still managed to keep the job?Well, in the UK, that's what Boris Johnson managed to pull off for several months until he finally stepped down.But how?Today, the chief political commentator at The Independent newspaper in London, John Rentoul, on the boozy nights at 10 Downing Street and how Boris Johnson managed to stick around for so long.Originally published on 10 June, 2022Featured:John Rentoul, chief political commentator, The Independent, London
At the moment around the country, 60,000 people are catching COVID every day, and official figures show at least 4.5 million of us have now had the disease. It means more and more Australians now have the debilitating condition known as 'long COVID'. But how much do we really know about it? Today, we speak to a Melbourne nurse who hasn't recovered from a bout of COVID she had in 2020, and we hear from a doctor at the forefront of global research into what remains a mystery illness. Originally published on 1 April, 2022Featured:Irene Tey, long COVID suffererDr David Putrino, director of rehabilitation innovation, Mt Sinai hospital system, New York
With residents in flood-devastated towns across New South Wales and Queensland trying to clean up and get on with their lives, the question is: what comes next? Should flood-prone towns be rebuilt? Or could they be moved to higher ground? Today, the ABC's national regional affairs reporter, Lucy Barbour, takes us on a journey to the small town of Grantham, in south-east Queensland, to find a lasting solution. Originally published on 25 March, 2022Featured: Lucy Barbour, ABC national regional affairs reporter Gordon Linley, Gundagai resident Shane Herrington, Wirajuda Warragul man Rebecca Sparkes, Grantham resident Tanya Hooper, Grantham resident
Imagine for a second what it would be like to not have a home this Christmas or to not have enough food to feed your family.That's the reality for a growing number of Australians faced with a massive increase in costs. In Sydney, Reverend Bill Crews provides three meals a day for the less fortunate and will help feed thousands, including many children, on Christmas day. After 50 years working in the field, today he discusses the changing face of poverty in Australia.Featured:Reverend Bill Crews, The Rev. Bill Crews Foundation
Federal parliament is set to pass the government's caps on coal and gas, with the hope that sometime next year it will start saving households money.But with estimates that multinational fossil fuel corporations could take away a whopping 140 billion dollar gross profit this year, is there more we could be doing to bring prices down?We speak to Alison Reeve from the Grattan Institute on whether the Government's going far enough to reduce our energy costs. Featured:Alison Reeve, Grattan Institute, deputy program director of Energy and Climate Change
Looting, trashing property, ramming stolen cars: crime in Alice Springs has been so severe recently, police have closed down the CBD on several occasions.At the centre of it all are teenagers and kids who say there's nothing keeping them at home and little else to do. We speak to investigative reporter Jane Bardon on the crime wave sweeping the Northern territory, why it's happening and what's being done to stop it.Featured: Jane Bardon, investigative journalist at ABC Darwin
A number of congressional hearings are set to begin this week in US into one of the biggest financial collapses in history.Around 30,000 Australians were caught up in the spectacular downfall of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, which went from a $50 billion company to declaring bankruptcy in a matter of hours.Today, Tory Newmyer from the Washington Post on the Wild West of cryptocurrency, and whether investors will keep coming back for more.Featured: Tory Newmyer, economic policy reporter, Washington Post
Australia's been hit by a number of large hacking scandals this year, with millions of Optus and Medibank customers having their data stolen. But did you know children could be just as vulnerable?While young kids are playing on tablets and smartphones, in the background millions of pieces of their personal data are being collected. Today, the ABC's national education and parenting reporter, Conor Duffy on how tech companies are building complex profiles that could follow our children throughout their lives.Featured: Connor Duffy, ABC education and parenting reporter
This week a climate change protester was jailed for 15 months after she disrupted traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier this year.It's outraged human rights groups and the United Nations but others say it's exactly the deterrent that is needed.Today, we discuss whether these kinds of protests are effective and if stricter laws will really discourage them.Featured:Sarah Maddison, Political Science professor and Director of the Australian Centre, University of Melbourne
While energy giants have made massive excess profits this year worth billions of dollars, consumers are facing soaring power bills. And it's going to get worse with predictions costs will have increased by 50 per cent by the end of next year. Today the ABC's energy reporter, Daniel Mercer on the government’' plan to intervene in the market to ease the pain. Featured:Daniel Mercer, ABC energy reporter
2022 has been a rocky economic year, and now we’ve had a pre-Christmas interest rate rise; the eighth in a row.So what can we expect in 2023? Today Business Editor Ian Verrender on why China has a lot to do with where we're heading. Featured:Ian Verrender, ABC's business editor
In 2021, Brittany Higgins became known across Australia after she publicly alleged she'd been raped in an office at Parliament House. The man she accused, Bruce Lehrmann has always maintained his innocence. Today, criminologist Dr Rachael Burgin on why the focus has shifted to how our legal system is working now the charges have been dropped.Featured:Dr Rachael Burgin, criminology lecturer, Swinburne University of Technology and CEO, Rape & Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy
As Christmas approaches, temperatures plummet and snow falls it's hard to fathom just how hard life is for the people of Ukraine.The country is being continually plunged into darkness, as Vladimir Putin targets the nation's energy system with missile and drone strikes. Today we touch base again with Olga Polotska, a resident in the capital Kyiv and we speak to a former energy expert at the US embassy in Ukraine about the long winter ahead. Featured:Olga Polotska, Kyiv residentSuriya Jayanti, former Energy Unit Chief at the US Embassy in Kyiv
Much of Australia has been ravaged by floods this year, with some towns almost virtually wiped out.
To make matters worse, many residents were unable to afford the soaring insurance costs, and have been left with nothing.
As rising costs associated with climate change are making more and more homes uninsurable nation-wide, we ask how we can protect Australians when insurance companies no longer will?
Featured:
Professor Paula Jarzabkowski, University of Queensland School of Business.
Integrity in politics has been in the spotlight again, with the former Prime Minister Scott Morrison censured by the Parliament over his secret ministries, in the same week a national anti-corruption commission was passed.
The commission will begin operating next year, but who will be hauled before it first?
Today, RN Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas on how the new body could go some way to restore confidence in our political system.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, host of RN Breakfast and The Party Room podcast
In the most significant dissent in decades, protesters are taking to the streets across China to vent their frustrations over COVID-19 lockdowns.
They’re not only demanding their freedom back but in some cases in incredibly rare defiance they’re demanding President Xi and the Communist party stand aside.
Today, ABC East Asia Correspondent, Bill Birtles, on how much longer the Chinese leader can hold on to COVID-zero.
Featured:
Bill Birtles, ABC East Asia correspondent
Australia's about to have a new industrial relations system that is meant to increase wages for the nation's lowest paid workers.
But businesses say it'll just lead to higher costs for employers and consumers, more strike action and fewer workers.
Today, business and economics reporter Gareth Hutchens on what's set to change and who will be better off.
Featured:
Gareth Hutchens, ABC economics and business reporter
It's been a good year for the Labor party, with a victory for Daniel Andrews in Victoria on the weekend and a win at the federal election back in May.
When Anthony Albanese took over as PM we asked ABC 7.30's chief political correspondent, Laura Tingle how she thought he’d run the party and the parliament.
Today, as it enters its last sitting week for the year, we check back in to see what’s changed and what to expect in the year ahead.
Featured:
Laura Tingle, ABC 7.30 chief political correspondent
Electric vehicles are about to become cheaper in Australia, with the Government securing Senate support for tax cuts it promised during the election.
But is it enough for Australia to catch up with the rest of the world?
Today, electric vehicle expert Gail Broadbent on what the changes mean and whether there’ll now be a Tsunami in sales.
Featured:
Gail Broadbent, electric vehicle expert at the University of NSW
The FIFA Men's World Cup is underway in Qatar and while it won’t stop billions of people tuning in, it’s never had such a contentious start.
Today, host of The Ticket podcast Tracey Holmes on corruption, bribery and human rights abuses and why she thinks the Arab nation has been judged too harshly.
Featured: Tracey Holmes, host of ABC's The Ticket podcast
When the war began in February, it was widely feared a large and well equipped Russian military would quickly crush Ukrainian forces.
Nine months in, it's done nothing of the sort.
Today, host of the ABC podcast Russia If You’re Listening on the Kremlin's failings through the eyes of one Russian soldier.
Featured:
Matt Bevan, host of Russia, If You're Listening
When Iranian woman Mahsa Amini died after she was arrested for breaching strict dress rules for women, protests erupted not only in Iran but across the world, including in Australia.
But some of those who attended rallies here say they're fearful because they believe they're being watched by the regime.
Background Briefing reporter Mahmood Fazal investigates how Iran intimidates its critics in Australia.
Featured:
Mahmood Fazal, reporter for Background Briefing
Since billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk took over Twitter, he's been inflicting a special type of chaos, sacking half the company's workforce, issuing ultimatums and alienating advertisers.
Over the weekend, he even allowed Donald Trump, who was banned in 2021, back on to the platform.
It's been such a tumultuous time, some observers think Twitter could collapse within days.
Today, senior writer at tech website The Verge, Elizabeth Lopatto on the richest man in the world's dreams for the site, and whether he can pull them off.
Featured:
Elizabeth Lopatto, senior writer, The Verge and author, 'This Week in Elon' newsletter
In 2015, world leaders legally agreed to cut emissions to limit climate change to well below 2 degrees.
They haven't achieved it.
Today, the ABC’s environment reporter, Michael Slezak, on where we stand at the end of the latest global climate summit in Egypt.
Featured:
Michael Slezak, ABC national science, technology and environment reporter
Donald Trump has announced his third official presidential campaign.
But what does it mean for the multiple criminal investigations he's facing, and the possible charges that could follow?
Today, former Watergate prosecutor and legal expert, Jill Wine-Banks, on how the former president is using his candidacy to shield himself from his legal woes, and why - in her view - it won't work.
Featured:
Jill Wine-Banks, former Watergate prosecutor and former US general counsel of the army
Donald Trump has announced his third official presidential campaign.
But what does it mean for the multiple criminal investigations he's facing, and the possible charges that could follow?
Today, former Watergate prosecutor and legal expert, Jill Wine-Banks, on how the former president is using his candidacy to shield himself from his legal woes, and why - in her view - it won't work.
Featured:
Jill Wine-Banks, former Watergate prosecutor and former US general counsel of the army
Talk about a surge in COVID: in the past week, the number of cases in Australia has increased by 47 per cent.
So as the virus takes hold again, are the vaccines still protecting us?
Today, co-host of the ABC's Coronacast podcast and host of The Health Report on RN, Dr Norman Swan, on how COVID is defying the odds and could interrupt yet another Christmas.
Featured:
Dr Norman Swan, co-host, Coronacast and host, RN The Health Report
Talk about a surge in COVID: in the past week, the number of cases in Australia has increased by 47 per cent.
So as the virus takes hold again, are the vaccines still protecting us?
Today, co-host of the ABC's Coronacast podcast and host of The Health Report on RN, Dr Norman Swan, on how COVID is defying the odds and could interrupt yet another Christmas.
Featured:
Dr Norman Swan, co-host, Coronacast and host, RN The Health Report
It was meant to be the midterm election that would kickstart Donald Trump's next presidential bid.
Instead, as counting continues, the Democrats have managed to retain control of the Senate, and the party is also doing better than expected in the House of Representatives.
So what does it all mean for the former president, who's promising a big announcement on his future tomorrow?
Today, a Republican Party expert on what the election result says about the deeply polarised political landscape in the US, and the outlook for Donald Trump.
Featured:
Geoffrey Kabaservice, vice president for political studies, Niskanen Center, Washington DC
It was meant to be the midterm election that would kickstart Donald Trump's next presidential bid.
Instead, as counting continues, the Democrats have managed to retain control of the Senate, and the party is also doing better than expected in the House of Representatives.
So what does it all mean for the former president, who's promising a big announcement on his future tomorrow?
Today, a Republican Party expert on what the election result says about the deeply polarised political landscape in the US, and the outlook for Donald Trump.
Featured:
Geoffrey Kabaservice, vice president for political studies, Niskanen Center, Washington DC
Take the ABC News Daily survey: https://forms.office.com/r/pYCCV9rbra
More than eight years since flight MH17 was shot down, a court in the Netherlands will this week deliver a verdict in the trial of three Russian men and one Ukrainian accused of murdering the 298 people on board, including 38 Australians.
The Malaysia Airlines plane was hit by a missile as it flew above eastern Ukraine in 2014, when Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists were engaged in intense fighting.
A number of Australian families will travel to Amsterdam to witness the court proceedings.
Today, we speak to two of them.
Featured:
Jon and Meryn O'Brien
Paul Guard
Take the ABC News Daily survey: https://forms.office.com/r/pYCCV9rbra
More than eight years since flight MH17 was shot down, a court in the Netherlands will this week deliver a verdict in the trial of three Russian men and one Ukrainian accused of murdering the 298 people on board, including 38 Australians.
The Malaysia Airlines plane was hit by a missile as it flew above eastern Ukraine in 2014, when Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists were engaged in intense fighting.
A number of Australian families will travel to Amsterdam to witness the court proceedings.
Today, we speak to two of them.
Featured:
Jon and Meryn O'Brien
Paul Guard
Take the ABC News Daily survey: https://forms.office.com/r/pYCCV9rbra
It could be one of the greatest strategic victories for Ukraine since the war began; the withdrawal of Russian troops from the southern city of Kherson, a key battleground.
There's scepticism over exactly what Vladimir Putin is up to, but it's clear the Russian leader’s war is faltering.
Today, a former commander of US Ground Forces in Europe on what it means for Putin's grip on power and the future of the entire Russian federation.
Featured:
Lieutenant General (retired) Ben Hodges, former commanding general of the US Army in Europe
Take the ABC News Daily survey: https://forms.office.com/r/pYCCV9rbra
It could be one of the greatest strategic victories for Ukraine since the war began; the withdrawal of Russian troops from the southern city of Kherson, a key battleground.
There's scepticism over exactly what Vladimir Putin is up to, but it's clear the Russian leader’s war is faltering.
Today, a former commander of US Ground Forces in Europe on what it means for Putin's grip on power and the future of the entire Russian federation.
Featured:
Lieutenant General (retired) Ben Hodges, former commanding general of the US Army in Europe
Take the ABC News Daily survey: https://forms.office.com/r/pYCCV9rbra
It has been a worrying time for millions of Australians who have been caught up in hacking scandals.
Medibank customers now have extra cause for concern with the criminals starting to release their sensitive information on the web.
Today, a cyber security expert on why the gangs will never be caught and how Australia became their target.
Featured:
Ciaran Martin, founding CEO of the UK government's National Cyber Security Centre
Take the ABC News Daily survey: https://forms.office.com/r/pYCCV9rbra
It has been a worrying time for millions of Australians who have been caught up in hacking scandals.
Medibank customers now have extra cause for concern with the criminals starting to release their sensitive information on the web.
Today, a cyber security expert on why the gangs will never be caught and how Australia became their target.
Featured:
Ciaran Martin, founding CEO of the UK government's National Cyber Security Centre
Take the ABC News Daily survey: https://forms.office.com/r/pYCCV9rbra
We've had seven months of successive interest rate rises as the Reserve Bank tries to slow out-of-control inflation.
But is it working yet, and when will the rate hikes stop?
Today, the ABC's business editor, Ian Verrender on how there are finally signs consumers are spending less and why the RBA is playing mind games to keep it that way.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC Business editor
Take the ABC News Daily survey: https://forms.office.com/r/pYCCV9rbra
We've had seven months of successive interest rate rises as the Reserve Bank tries to slow out-of-control inflation.
But is it working yet, and when will the rate hikes stop?
Today, the ABC's business editor, Ian Verrender on how there are finally signs consumers are spending less and why the RBA is playing mind games to keep it that way.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC Business editor
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As Americans prepare to head to the ballot box for the midterm elections , President Joe Biden is in deep trouble with polling showing a surge in support for the Republican party.
That's good news for Donald Trump, who’s hinting again at a 2024 US presidential campaign bid
Today co-host of Planet America, Chas Licciardello on the seats to watch and how President Biden could be about to lose his legislative power.
Featured:
Chas Licciardello, Planet America co-host
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As Americans prepare to head to the ballot box for the midterm elections , President Joe Biden is in deep trouble with polling showing a surge in support for the Republican party.
That's good news for Donald Trump, who’s hinting again at a 2024 US presidential campaign bid
Today co-host of Planet America, Chas Licciardello on the seats to watch and how President Biden could be about to lose his legislative power.
Featured:
Chas Licciardello, Planet America co-host
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The recent federal budget predicted our power bills will rise by 20 per cent this year and another 30 per cent next year.
It's a massive increase, but spare a thought for the people of Europe where electricity and gas bills have already soared by up to 80 per cent.
Today, energy and Russian foreign policy expert, Emily Holland on how Putin's war in Ukraine is setting Europe up for a miserable winter.
Featured:
Dr Emily Holland, Assistant Professor, Russia Maritime Studies Institute, US Naval War College
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The recent federal budget predicted our power bills will rise by 20 per cent this year and another 30 per cent next year.
It's a massive increase, but spare a thought for the people of Europe where electricity and gas bills have already soared by up to 80 per cent.
Today, energy and Russian foreign policy expert, Emily Holland on how Putin's war in Ukraine is setting Europe up for a miserable winter.
Featured:
Dr Emily Holland, Assistant Professor, Russia Maritime Studies Institute, US Naval War College
With the war in Ukraine now in its ninth month, the number of prisoners of war on both sides of the conflict is growing.
This week the ABC was granted rare access inside a POW prison in Ukraine.
There badly injured and disillusioned Russian soldiers spoke of how they were sent to battle in some cases with no training or sense of what they would face on the frontline.
Today ABC journalist Greg Jennett on his interviews with them and what he saw inside the prison.
Featured:
Greg Jennett, ABC reporter
For hundreds of thousands of Australians the former Coalition government's attempts to claw back welfare overpayments became a time of great distress. In some cases people took their own lives.
Now a Royal Commission into the Robodebt scandal has heard the Commonwealth was warned the debt recovery was potentially illegal years before the scheme even began.
Today 7.30 reporter, Paul Farrell on the woman who fought to expose the injustice and how the Royal Commission could reveal wrongdoing at the highest levels.
Featured:
Paul Farrell, ABC TV's 7.30 reporter
For hundreds of thousands of Australians the former Coalition government's attempts to claw back welfare overpayments became a time of great distress. In some cases people took their own lives. Now a Royal Commission into the Robodebt scandal has heard the Commonwealth was warned the debt recovery was potentially illegal years before the scheme even began.
Today 7.30 reporter, Paul Farrell on the woman who fought to expose the injustice and how the Royal Commission could reveal wrongdoing at the highest levels.
Featured:
Paul Farrell, ABC TV's 7.30 reporter
Owning a home was once seen as the path to a better life: the Great Australian Dream.
But now it's an ambition out of reach for more and more Australians, with the reserve bank continuing to hike interest rates and a shortage in properties to buy.
Today, business and economics reporter, Gareth Hutchens on the Government's pledge to build a million more homes and whether it will help, or even happen at all.
Featured:
Gareth Hutchens, ABC economics and business reporter
In the Northern Territory thousands of US Marines and Australian soldiers are training for battle.
It's a war game, but there's a lot at stake amid heightened concern from the Pentagon that China could invade Taiwan before 2027. The United States is even sending nuclear capable bombers here.
Today, Four Corners reporter Angus Grigg on his investigation into how the top end is becoming a major military base for the US and why that could leave Australia vulnerable to attack.
Featured:
Angus Grigg, reporter, ABC TV's Four Corners
First Optus, then Medibank. Millions of us have had our private data stolen, exposing us to identity theft and fraud. Now criminals even have our medical records.
Today, cryptographer, Vanessa Teague on why Australian laws are leaving consumers so vulnerable and why it won't be long before the next big data breach.
Featured:
Dr Vanessa Teague, Adj. Associate Professor, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Australian National University
There's going to be a new trial, starting next year, in the case against Bruce Lehrmann, who's accused of raping former political staffer Brittany Higgins.
Mr Lehrmann has always maintained his innocence, and says no sexual activity occurred between the pair.
The initial jury was discharged after misconduct by one juror, who was found to have had research material not permitted by the court.
Today, criminal justice expert Dr Julia Quilter on the complexity of rape trials.
Featured:
Professor Dr Julia Quilter, School of Law, University of Wollongong
In Canada, they call it genocide.
There, the widespread killings and disappearances of Indigenous women have been blamed on the state itself.
But here, we don't even bother to keep data on the hundreds of Aboriginal women murdered or who go missing.
Today, ABC Indigenous affairs editor and Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta woman, Bridget Brennan, on her Four Corners investigation into those who've been lost.
Featured:
Bridget Brennan, ABC Indigenous affairs editor
Surging inflation, rising unemployment and a debt mountain that's becoming more expensive with each passing month: the first Labor budget in a decade is a bracing read.
Seven months ago, the Treasurer Jim Chalmers' predecessor was promising everyone would be a winner.
So what changed?
Today, the ABC's business editor, Ian Verrender, on the treacherous landscape ahead for Australian households.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says he's prepared his government's first budget with an abundance of caution, meaning there will be very little to assist Australians with the surge in the cost of living.
Today, we look at one area of concern, the rapid increase in rental costs, and ask ABC business reporter Emily Stewart whether the Government can do anything to help.
Featured:
Emily Stewart, ABC business reporter
It's hard to comprehend just how terrifying living in Ukraine must be.
Russian forces are using missiles and Iranian attack drones to target cities, terrorising civilians and damaging vital power stations ahead of winter.
As the war continues, international investigators are on the ground to document those bombings and other potential war crimes, including rape and torture.
Today we speak to one of those investigators.
Featured:
Nigel Povoas KC, Mobile Justice Team lead prosecutor, Global Rights Compliance
Imagine securing a $15m sponsorship deal, only to realise it's not something the players can unanimously support.
That's the situation facing Netball Australia after a sponsorship with the Gina Rinehart led Hancock Prospecting saw divisions within the sport laid bare.
Why were some unwilling to wear the company's logo? How might players and administrators find a compromise? What does it say about the changing dynamic between sponsors and athletes?
Today, ABC Sport Daily's Patrick Stack picks through a sprawling story.
Featured: Georgina Robinson, senior journalist, Sydney Morning Herald
This week doctors were left furious after claims suspected fraud, misuse and billing errors are costing Medicare billions of dollars a year.
The Australian Medical Association says it's an unjustified slur with the vast majority of doctors sticking to the rules.
Today the journalist behind the report, Adele Ferguson on her investigation and why the profession needs to be held accountable.
Featured:
Adele Ferguson, reporter, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald
One of the government's top priorities in its first term is to hold a referendum to entrench an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the constitution.
Australia is decades behind a number of Scandinavian countries that have already done that for the indigenous population known as Sami.
Today, Foreign Correspondent reporter, Lauren Day on the lessons we can learn from them.
Featured:
Lauren Day, ABC reporter
Right now, Australian gas exporters are making massive profits off the back of the world's energy crisis.
As they ship the precious resource offshore, they're also charging more at home, leading to a huge spike in our energy bills that's fuelling the soaring cost of living.
Today Business Editor Ian Verrender on why the government won't take on the energy giants to level the playing field.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC Business editor
If you go to any main street right now, you'll likely be struck by the number of job ads stuck in shop windows.
It's not just the retail and hospitality sectors that are short staffed. Schools, childcare centres and hospitals are also desperate for workers.
Today, Four Corners reporter Adam Harvey on the communities at breaking point as the nation struggles with a severe labour shortage and what it means for future generations.
Featured:
Adam Harvey, reporter, ABC TV Four Corners
In the past five years, Beijing's relationship with countries like Australia and the US has become increasingly strained and fractured, with president Xi Jinping turning to nations like Russia for support.
Now the Chinese leader is about to be endorsed for another unprecedented five-year term at the Communist party's congress that began on the weekend.
Today, ABC East Asia correspondent Bill Birtles, on what that could mean for world order.
Featured:
Bill Birtles, ABC East Asia correspondent
Michael Cheika comes to life when talking about what it means to be both Lebanese and Australian.
It might go some way to explaining why the former Wallabies boss and current Argentina coach is leading the Cedars at the Rugby League World Cup.
It's not his only job. Presently he has three roles, in three continents in two codes.
Today, Cheika speaks to Patrick Stack about cultural identity, his rugby league experiment and the possibility of coaching in the NRL.
Featured: Michael Cheika, coach, Lebanon
There's been a horrifying turn in the war in Ukraine this week, with Russia targeting civilians in the capital Kyiv, and in a string of other major cities.
It's likely an order that came from the president, Vladimir Putin, but it was executed by a new military commander, Sergei Surovikin, known for his brutality.
Today, retired Australian army major general and military strategist, Mick Ryan, on the changing face of the conflict.
Featured:
Mick Ryan, military strategist and retired major general, Australian Army
While isolation rules lift here tomorrow, in China the Government is doggedly pursuing a zero-COVID policy with cities still being locked down with almost no notice.
For President Xi Jinping, keeping COVID out has been a platform of his leadership as he prepares to be endorsed for an unprecedented third term at the Communist Party's Congress that begins on the weekend.
Today, East Asia Correspondent, Bill Birtles on how much longer China can stay out of step with the rest of the world.
Featured:
Bill Birtles, ABC East Asia correspondent
Twenty years ago, Jemaah Islamiyah, or JI, launched its devastating attacks on nightclubs in Bali.
The bombings killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, and wounded hundreds more.
Today, one of South East Asia's most respected terrorism analysts, Sidney Jones, on the lead-up to the attack, and why a current lull in terrorist activity in Indonesia won't last.
Featured:
Dr Sidney Jones, Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, Jakarta
Do the wealthiest Australians need an extra $9,000 in their bank accounts?
The government doesn't think so, but it's pushing ahead with an election promise to deliver just that.
Today, ABC TV Insiders host David Speers on Labor's dilemma, as it weighs up whether and how to dump the policy while keeping voters onside.
Featured:
David Speers, host, ABC TV Insiders
Vladimir Putin has been dealt another embarrassing blow in his faltering war, after a key military supply route, a bridge linking Crimea to Russia, was badly damaged by a bomb.
It underscores the momentum Ukrainian soldiers have on the battlefield, as they continue to reclaim territory.
Today, correspondent for The New York Times, Andrew Kramer, who has been reporting from the front line since the start of the war, on Ukraine’s rapid gains, and Russia’s mounting losses.
Featured:
Andrew Kramer, correspondent and Kyiv bureau chief, The New York Times
A chief executive that stood down 30 hours after being named.
What is going on at Essendon?
In a year that's seen a coach, club president and two CEO's depart, we ask how much more turmoil lies ahead?
Today, ABC Sport Daily's Patrick Stack speaks to Corbin Middlemas about the dramatic two months at Essendon and how chief executive Andrew Thorburn departed so soon after being named in the role.
Featured: Corbin Middlemas, ABC Sport
Ten years ago, Julia Gillard stood up in Parliament and called out the sexism she'd been subjected to as Australia's first, and only, female prime minister.
It struck a chord with women, and became known as 'the misogyny speech'.
Today, 7:30's chief political correspondent, Laura Tingle, on the significance of that moment, and what it means now.
Featured:
Laura Tingle, chief political correspondent, ABC TV 7.30
At a football match in western Sydney at the weekend, some of the supporters were doing Nazi salutes, booing the Welcome to Country, and singing ultra-nationalist chants.
It was a return to the ugly displays of violence and hatred between different ethnic groups which were once common in suburban clubs around the country.
Today, Samantha Lewis, a football writer for ABC Sport, on how the 'beautiful game' is still reckoning with its complicated history in Australia.
Featured:
Samantha Lewis, football writer, ABC Sport
The barrage of interest rate rises continues, with the Reserve Bank lifting the official rate for the sixth consecutive month.
The rate rises aim to hold back inflation, but they risk hastening an economic downturn.
Today, Alan Kohler, on how new home owners are caught in the middle.
Featured:
Alan Kohler, ABC TV news finance presenter and editor-in-chief, Eureka Report
Rising rents are biting around the country, and in some towns, even those with steady work and a good rental history have been priced out of the market.
Charities have switched from helping with rental applications, to handing out tents.
Today, ABC TV Four Corners reporter Louise Milligan on how tens of thousands of workers have been left with no place to call home.
Featured:
Louise Milligan, reporter, ABC TV Four Corners
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, more than a dozen high profile Russian businessmen have been found dead.
The Kremlin says they're either accidental deaths or suicide, but western analysts doubt that.
Today, Bill Browder, who was once the largest foreign investor in Russia, on the lengths to which the Russian president Vladimir Putin is prepared to go to retain his grip on power, as his invasion of Ukraine falters.
Featured:
Bill Browder, businessman and Kremlin critic
Kissed by a 12-year-old boy and overwhelmed by public support, revelling as a role player and enthralled by a new breed of Opals, Lauren Jackson is living her best life in a feel-good comeback.
The 41-year-old basketball legend knows what special looks like and the Mum of two is daring to dream at the FIBA World Cup.
Today, ABC Sport Daily's Patrick Stack speaks with Jackson about her incredible return to international basketball.
Featured:
Lauren Jackson, Australian basketball legend.
It's been a tough year for our economy but spare a thought for the people of Britain, where the new government's mini-budget this week sent an already struggling economy into freefall.
Today, business editor Ian Verrender on why our own budget this month will be one of the most conservative yet.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
For more than 10 days, the women of Iran have been risking their lives by defying the country's strict dress code.
In cities across the country, they've been taking to the streets, burning their headscarves in protest against the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, after she allegedly violated the hijab mandate.
Today, Iranian-American journalist Negar Mortazavi on the brutal and deadly crackdown on the demonstrators that's now underway in response.
Featured:
Negar Mortazavi, journalist and host, Iran Podcast
The cyber attack on Optus was apparently so unsophisticated some analysts say a primary school student could have pulled it off.
So how did the telco fail to protect the data of millions of its customers?
Today, a cyber security expert on the overseas hacking gangs believed to be behind the breach.
Featured:
Justin Warren, chair, Electronic Frontiers Australia
Peter Dutton has been in politics for 20 years, and for much of that time his tough talk on immigration has defined him.
He once accused some asylum seekers of faking rape allegations, and on another occasion he said Melbourne wasn't safe because of violent African gangs.
Now, he's trying to develop a new public persona.
Today, Four Corners reporter Sean Nicholls on whether the former police officer from Queensland can pull it off.
Featured:
Sean Nicholls, ABC TV Four Corners reporter
It was largely eradicated almost 50 years ago, but the crippling disease polio is making a comeback.
The polio virus has been discovered in London, Jerusalem and New York state, where officials have declared a health emergency.
Today, the health commissioner from the US county where there are already hundreds of cases on what needs to be done to stop the worldwide spread.
Featured:
Dr Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, epidemiologist and health commissioner, Rockland County, New York
Family separations, a pregnancy termination, mistreatment of First Nations people.
A report into Hawthorn has revealed allegations against storied coaches Alastair Clarkson and Chris Fagan.
Today, as the AFL grapples with another racism scandal, ABC Sport's Patrick Stack unpacks the extent of the fallout.
Featured: David Mark, ABC Sport.
Vladimir Putin has threatened the world with nuclear war, and is scrambling to re-enlist thousands of former soldiers to boost his ailing forces in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Today, retired US army major, John Spencer, on whether the Russian leader is bluffing, and the consequences for the world if he's not.
Featured:
John Spencer, retired US army major and chair of urban warfare, Madison Policy Forum
There's a turf war going on in suburban Australian streets, where teenagers say it's a case of kill or be killed.
The violence is being fuelled by an extreme and disturbing form of rap, drill.
Today, ABC Four Corners reporter Grace Tobin on her extraordinary access to the rival gangs, and how some teenagers are being groomed as foot soldiers for organised crime.
Featured:
Grace Tobin, reporter, ABC TV Four Corners
With reporting by Mahmood Fazal, investigative reporter, ABC Background Briefing
Do you get a sense the pandemic could almost be over?
COVID-19 restrictions are lifting in several states this week, and our lives seem to be edging back to what they were like before we were plunged into a crisis in early 2020.
So what could be coming around the corner?
Today, epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely on why there's a very high chance we're nearing the end.
Featured:
Professor Tony Blakely, epidemiologist, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
In the UK, the past ten days have been anything but normal.
With the Queen's death, the nation was plunged into a period of mourning, which only officially ended after the funeral.
Today, former ABC chief foreign correspondent, Philip Williams, reflects on what unfolded, and what it says about the British psyche.
Featured:
Philip Williams, former ABC chief foreign correspondent, London
Since the start of the war, ten of thousands of Ukrainians have vanished: civilians who have been plucked from the streets by Russian soldiers, and in some cases detained and tortured.
Today, international correspondent for The Independent news website, Bel Trew, on her months-long investigation into those who were captured, and why it constitutes another possible war crime.
Featured:
Bel Trew, international correspondent, The Independent
Accusations of cheating, an offer to play naked to prove fairness, a chess great and a rowdy teenage disruptor.
Welcome to the wild world of professional chess where Norwegian megastar Magnus Carlsen and New York upstart Hans Niemann are embroiled in a controversial feud.
Today, ABC Sport Daily's Patrick Stack unpicks this unusual scandal with chess Grandmaster David Smerdon.
Featured: David Smerdon, Chess Grandmaster.
The east coast of Australia is in the midst of a third La Niña but is this summer going to be as soggy as the past two?
Today, meteorologist and ABC weather presenter Tom Saunders on what to expect and why there is always a silver lining.
Since the weekend, Ukrainian forces have recaptured thousands of square kilometres of territory, in a lightning-speed advance that caught the Russians by surprise.
So could Ukraine be winning the war?
Today, retired US army major and urban warfare expert, John Spencer, on the remarkable comeback, and how Ukrainian troops pulled it off.
Featured:
John Spencer, retired US army major and chair of urban warfare studies, Madison Policy Institute
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Since the FBI seized boxes of classified documents from Donald Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago, we've been learning a lot more about what they contained.
There are even reports the former President had taken details of a foreign government's nuclear capabilities, a move that could see him facing espionage charges.
Today, a former FBI investigator on why even if Donald Trump is found guilty and jailed, he could still try to run for President again, and probably will.
Featured:
Asha Rangappa, former FBI special agent and assistant dean, Jackson School of Global Affairs, Yale University
There's been an extraordinary counter-offensive in the war in Ukraine in the past few days, with Ukrainian troops successfully retaking 3,000 square kilometres of land and a key town in the north-east of the country.
But in Russia, the advances have been largely ignored by President Vladimir Putin, whose propaganda machine is in overdrive.
Today, correspondent with The New York Times, Valerie Hopkins, on life in Moscow, as the war rages on the other side of the border.
Featured:
Valerie Hopkins, correspondent, The New York Times, Moscow
Queen Elizabeth II had a deep and lasting connection to Scotland: she would spend any spare time she had there at Balmoral Castle, where she died last week.
But with Her Majesty's death, the push for Scottish independence could intensify, along with similar movements in Northern Ireland and Wales.
Today, author Dennis Altman on what King Charles III can do to stop the United Kingdom from falling apart, and what it also means for our own ties to the monarchy.
Featured:
Professor Dennis Altman, professorial fellow, La Trobe University, Melbourne and author, 'God Save the Queen: the strange persistence of monarchies'
Throughout her 70 years on the throne, the Queen fostered a lasting and deep relationship with Australia.
She visited here 16 times, the first in 1954, not long after her coronation.
Today, the ABC's royal correspondent, Juliet Rieden, on Her Majesty's special place in our nation's history, and the legacy she leaves behind.
Featured:
Juliet Rieden, ABC royal correspondent, The Australian Women's Weekly Editor-at-large, and author, 'The Royals in Australia'
China's rapid expansion of its military and recent exercises in the Taiwan Strait have heightened concern that Beijing might be preparing to invade Taiwan.
The Chinese ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, has added to that worry, by saying 'all means necessary' will be used to reunify the island with the mainland if the Taiwanese resist.
Today, the host of the ABC's 7.30 program, Sarah Ferguson, on her exclusive interview with the ambassador.
Featured:
Sarah Ferguson, host, ABC 7.30
Last week, there was a dramatic finale to the case that has captivated the nation, when Chris Dawson was found guilty of the 1982 murder of his wife, Lyn.
For Lyn's family, who have been speaking with the ABC's Australian Story program over the decades, they'd finally done it: they secured the justice they had been pursuing for so long.
But now, their pain continues.
Today, ABC TV Australian Story producer, Wendy Page, on her long-lasting connection to Lyn's loved ones, and why their battle isn't over yet.
Featured:
Wendy Page, producer, ABC TV Australian Story
There have now been five rate rises this year, but so far borrowers are only stumping up the repayments for the first two.
That's because the banks need time to recast the loans which, in the case of yesterday's additional rise, won't happen until around Christmas.
The time lag means the Reserve Bank of Australia doesn't really yet know the effect its constant rate hikes are having.
Today, the ABC's business editor, Ian Verrender, on why the RBA may have already damaged the economy by going too far.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
When you hear the term 'the spirit of Australia', your mind might turn to Qantas.
But is the airline living up to the title it uses in its ads?
Not according to Qantas pilots, engineers and baggage handlers, who've described a ruthless regime of cost-cutting and out-sourcing.
The airline defends its record on safety and staffing, although it concedes thousands of jobs have been shed over the three years of the COVID pandemic.
Today, reporter Stephen Long on his Four Corners investigation into concerns that the situation at Qantas could ultimately compromise safety for passengers.
Featured:
Stephen Long, reporter, ABC TV Four Corners
It's all happening against his wishes, but Boris Johnson's reign as the British leader has come to an end.
He had wanted to go down in the history books like his hero, Winston Churchill, but instead he’s leaving Downing Street with an uninspiring record.
Today, the chief political commentator for The Independent newspaper in London, John Rentoul, on Boris Johnson's chequered legacy, and the challenges for his likely successor.
Featured:
John Rentoul, chief political commentator, The Independent newspaper, London
The potential for a nuclear disaster in Ukraine is now so high, residents around a nuclear plant in the south-east of the country have been receiving iodine tablets to help protect them against cancer, if the worst occurs.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have rushed to Zaporizhzhia to assess the nuclear plant, that’s now under Russian control and has been under increasing attack.
Today, physicist Edwin Lyman on the very real threat of a radioactive meltdown, as Russia’s attempted invasion of Ukraine drags on.
Featured:
Dr Edwin Lyman, physicist and director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Washington DC
Business wants more workers, unions want more money for workers, but can the jobs summit at Parliament House deliver both?
Today Alan Kohler on whether the 'talkfest' can actually bring about the change the economy needs.
Featured: Alan Kohler, ABC News finance analyst
Around the world, air travel is frustrating and chaotic with flight cancellations, delays and lost luggage.
But is it really all down to COVID? Qantas says it is but that hasn't stopped growing calls for CEO Alan Joyce to resign.
Today, Business Editor Ian Verrender on the Irishman's 14 years at the airline's helm and why we've been falling out of love with our national carrier.
Featured: Ian Verrender, ABC Business editor
When a smooth-talking, politically connected businessman rolled into a small Australian suburb offering a quick turnaround investment, locals jumped at the chance.
But they ended up losing everything.
Today, Four Corners investigative reporter Caro Meldrum-Hanna on how she tracked down and confronted the man who promised riches that never came.
Featured:
Caro Meldrum-Hanna, reporter, ABC TV Four Corners
Taking on the might of the Murdoch family in court is no small feat, but the small Australian commentary website, Crikey, is doing just that.
Lachlan Murdoch is suing the platform for defamation, after it alleged links between his family and the January 6 Capitol riot in the US, which the Murdochs deny.
Today, the host of Media Watch on ABC TV, Paul Barry, on why it will be a test case for Australia's defamation laws you’ll want a front row seat for.
Featured:
Paul Barry, host, Media Watch, ABC TV
It could be all around us, but we can't see it, and we don't really know whether it exists.
Now scientists in Australia are leading a new state-of-the-art search deep underground to find evidence of elusive 'dark matter'.
Today, ABC reporter Ben Knight on why physics as we know it is at a crossroads.
Featured:
Ben Knight, senior ABC reporter
The government's top legal advisor may have found Scott Morrison's secret ministerial power grab was irresponsible rather than illegal, but that's far from the end of the matter.
The government thinks there's much more to uncover, which it hopes to do through a full-blown inquiry.
Today, the host of Insiders and the Back To You podcast, David Speers, on the scope of the examination to come, and why the former prime minister might be forced to face questioning.
Featured:
David Speers, host, ABC TV Insiders and ABC Podcasts Back To You
Right now, there's at least one job vacancy for every person who’s unemployed in Australia.
It sounds pretty good, but there's a catch: while everyone who wants a job could theoretically have one, wages are falling way behind inflation, meaning making ends meet is getting much harder.
Today, the ABC's business editor, Ian Verrender, on next week's jobs summit in Canberra, and whether it will lead to more money in our pockets.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
Six months ago this week, the world was shocked as Vladamir Putin waged his war on Ukraine.
As the first explosions rang out around the country we spoke to Ukrainian resident Olga Polotska as she hid in her Kyiv flat and to former Russia resident and expert Samuel Greene about how the unimaginable had become a reality.
Today we catch up with them again.
Featured:
Olga Polotska, Kyiv resident, executive director of the National Research Foundation of Ukraine
Professor Samuel Greene, director of King's Russia Institute & Professor of Russian Politics, King's College London
As the movement to fight climate change grows, protests have become increasingly disruptive.
But did you know police in some states have been given counter-terrorism-like powers to arrest those involved, even before an event begins?
Today, Background Briefing reporter, Geoff Thompson on why climate activists are finding it much harder to shut down cities.
Featured: Geoff Thompson, Background Briefing reporter
The FBI raid that saw classified documents seized from Donald Trump's home doesn’t seem to have dented his political ambitions, or his influence on the Republican Party.
As ever more alarming stories surface about the kind of secret material Donald Trump had allegedly illegally taken to Mar-a-lago, the former president's latest political victim, Republican Liz Cheney, a harsh critic, has lost her primary, and with it her chances of re-election.
Today, US national security expert Karen Greenberg on a dangerous time in American politics.
Featured:
Professor Karen Greenberg, Director, Center on National Security, Fordham University School of Law, New York
Why would any Prime Minister have themselves sworn in to multiple ministries and keep it secret from basically everyone?
Scott Morrison says it was for the good of the Australian people who saw him as being responsible for everything. But does that fit the facts?
Today, Insiders host David Speers on what we're learning now about the motives of the man who was our leader for almost four years.
Featured: David Speers, Insiders host
Revelations former prime minister Scott Morrison secretly appointed himself to multiple ministerial positions and hid it for years have rocked Australian politics.
Today Radio National's Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas on the former leader's strange power grab, why he did it, and what it says about our democracy.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, RN Breakfast host
The last parliament was dogged by allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.
But since the election, there's a new force in Canberra, with a record number of women winning seats on the parliamentary crossbench.
Today 4 Corners reporter Louise Milligan on her fly-on-the-wall access to some of the independents.
Featured: Louise Milligan, 4 Corners
People love a conspiracy theory, and since very early on in the pandemic there’s been fierce debate about where COVID-19 originated.
Did it come from a live animal market in Wuhan or leak from a research lab in the Chinese city?
New research says the lab theory can now be put to bed once and for all.
Today, world leading viral evolution expert Edward Holmes on why he was suspicious of the market six years before the disease swept the world.
Featured: Professor Edward Holmes, viral evolution expert, University of Sydney
When two sisters from Saudi Arabia were found dead and naked in their beds in a Sydney apartment earlier this year, it shocked Australians and puzzled police.
It has raised questions about who the young women were and why they fled their homeland.
Today, Background briefing reporter Rachael Brown on her chilling investigation into their mysterious deaths and why other Saudi women in Australia are living in fear.
Featured: Rachael Brown, Background Briefing reporter
There's a flourishing 'jobs for mates' culture in Australia, so it's hardly surprising when former politicians are appointed to lucrative overseas posts.
But do we really have to accept it?
In New South Wales a former deputy premier was forced to relinquish a plum United States post after a public outcry and now he's at the centre of an explosive inquiry.
Today, Insiders host David Speers on integrity in politics and why voters are demanding more of it.
Featured: David Speers, host of Insiders
The reserve bank has spent most of the year furiously increasing interest rates but now the big banks are betting they'll start falling again soon.
It's not due to an improving economic outlook. It's because the rapid rate hikes globally could land us in recession.
Today, ABC business editor Ian Verrender on the 'miserable' state of the economy and why the credibility of the RBA is on the line.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
You would have heard by now Australia has stepped up its border security because of an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in Indonesia.
So what would happen if the disease arrived here?
Today we speak to a farmer who lived through a devastating outbreak in England in the early 2000s and the life-changing experiences of an Australian vet who went to help.
Featured:
Robert Craig, dairy farmer, Cumbria UK Bill Sykes, cattle farmer and veterinarian
Last year, China tested a hypersonic missile that circumnavigated the globe before hitting its target.
It surprised the world, and it was a sign of just how advanced its military has become.
So amid calls for the US and its allies including Australia to develop better missile capabilities in response, how big is the threat?
Today, aerospace engineer and former NASA employee, Professor Iain Boyd, on the hypersonic arms race Beijing seems to be winning.
Featured:
Dr Iain Boyd, professor of aerospace engineering sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
History shows us changing the constitution can be an unpredictable process, but Anthony Albanese has made it clear that's one of his main aims during his first term as leader.
He's pushing ahead with a referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament, which would enshrine in the constitution a body to advise on matters relating to Australia's first peoples, and already there's resistance.
Today, ABC Radio National Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas on what could be a difficult path ahead.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, host, ABC Radio National Breakfast
There's already so much uncertainty in the world and now it's being compounded, with China scrambling jets in response to a visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
The headlines are worrying, pointing to the risks of an all-out war.
Today, the ABC's East Asia correspondent, based in Taipei, Bill Birtles on the potential for a crisis in the Taiwan Strait.
Featured:
Bill Birtles, ABC East Asia correspondent, Taipei, Taiwan
Interest rates have risen again, this time by half a percent, and from all accounts the Reserve Bank isn't finished yet.
The new Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says it means millions of Australians will be finding it much harder to make ends meet.
So what is he saying he'll do about it?
Today, economics reporter Gareth Hutchens on what we know of the new government's plans to ease the pain.
Featured:
Gareth Hutchens, ABC business and economics reporter
We know China's influence is growing in the Pacific, but exactly how it operates is often opaque.
Now, Four Corners has uncovered a paper trail that reveals just how far Beijing is willing to go to keep its friends in power.
Today, reporter Angus Grigg on how a Chinese-backed multi-million-dollar slush fund is ensuring the Solomon Islands prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, hangs on.
Featured:
Angus Grigg, ABC Four Corners reporter
Australian hospitals have never been so swamped by COVID-19 patients.
We're heading for another peak in infections, and the daily death toll has never been so high, while worldwide we appear to be faring worse than just about anywhere else.
But why? And how many more waves will Australia need to endure?
Today, epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely on why Australia's early success at keeping the virus at bay now seems to be working against us.
Featured:
Professor Tony Blakely, epidemiologist, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
This week, four pro-democracy advocates were executed in Myanmar, a year and a half since the military seized control of the country from the former civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Today, Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson on the first executions in Myanmar in 30 years, and why he fears there are more to come.
Featured:
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director, Human Rights Watch
The prices of everyday goods are going up faster now than at any other time during the past 20 years.
Yesterday we learned the inflation rate had hit 6.1 percent, and analysts says it's still heading up.
Today, the ABC's business editor Ian Verrender on whether all this means we're sliding towards the economic pain of a recession, and what we can all do if we are.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
When an Australian journalist was detained by the Taliban and forced to apologise for her stories, it highlighted the threats faced by reporters since coalition forces pulled out of Afghanistan almost a year ago.
Today, we speak to Lynne O'Donnell about her escape, and the terror the Afghan people are facing.
Featured:
Lynne O'Donnell, reporter, Islamabad, Pakistan
It's the first parliamentary sitting day of Anthony Albanese's government, but in recent days there's also been attention on the dying hours of Scott Morrison's leadership.
We now know that, as we were all casting our ballots, the government was scrambling to get news out about an asylum-seeker boat arrival.
Today, the ABC's political editor, Andrew Probyn, on how and why the long-standing convention to keep 'on-water operations' secret was broken.
Featured:
Andrew Probyn, ABC political editor
The Reserve Bank governor, Philip Lowe, once suggested interest rates wouldn't rise until 2024, but already this year, they've gone up three times.
We're being warned there could be far worse still to come, which will only add to the financial pain millions of Australians are facing.
Now, the Government's holding a review of the bank, which the Treasurer Jim Chalmers says will dig into just how well the RBA is serving us.
Today, Alan Kohler, on the shake-up he says the bank needs.
Featured:
Alan Kohler, ABC news finance analyst
The international golfing establishment is in turmoil, with two Australians in the spotlight for very different reasons.
One, Cameron Smith, this week won the prestigious British Open, while the other, former tournament winner and golfing legend Greg Norman, is being accused of selling out golf to improve the image of Saudi Arabia.
Today, host of The Ticket podcast Tracey Holmes on the great white shark's brash moves.
Featured:
Tracey Holmes, host, ABC The Ticket podcast
We haven't seen too much of him since he lost the election, but Scott Morrison has been back in the headlines after delivering a lengthy weekend address at a Pentecostal church in Perth.
In it, he referenced Satan, miracles and God's plan, telling the faithful it would be a mistake to trust in governments like they trust in God.
Today, Radio National Breakfast host Patricia Karvelas runs us through the key moments, and why they matter.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, host, ABC RN Breakfast
One of the first things the Albanese government did when it came to power was to allow a Tamil family to return to the central Queensland town of Biloela.
That decision focused attention on tens of thousands of other asylum seekers here who have been waiting for immigration rulings for around a decade, and in some cases are living in poverty without access to Centrelink, Medicare or the ability to work.
Today, national regional reporter Nathan Morris takes us to meet some of them.
Featured:
Nathan Morris, ABC national regional reporter, Gatton, Queensland
A spike in COVID cases has led the Government to urge everyone over 30 to get a fourth vaccine.
But how much longer will we need rolling booster shots?
Today viral immunologist Dr David Martinez on the promising early signs in trials for universal vaccines that could ward off current and future coronaviruses.
Featured:
Dr David Martinez, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina
Europe is bracing itself for an energy emergency, amid increasing fears the Kremlin could stop vital gas supply as a tool in its war.
Germany gets a large proportion of its natural gas from Russia, but the Nord Stream pipeline that provides it has been switched off, and there's growing concern Vladimir Putin won't put it on again.
Today, energy analyst Tom Marzec-Manser on how that could send not only Germany but the whole of Europe into recession, and mean we would be left paying more too.
Featured:
Tom Marzec-Manser, head of gas analytics, Independent Commodity Intelligence Services, London
Even though half a million Australians live with dementia, much remains unknown about the disease.
Recently, one global pharmaceutical company, Biogen, has been promoting a drug to combat its most common form, Alzheimer's, after it was approved for use.
Today, the host of the ABC's Health Report, Dr Norman Swan, on whether the drug really does what the company claims.
Featured:
Dr Norman Swan, host, ABC RN The Health Report and co-host, ABC Coronacast
The BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron are leading to a concerning jump in infections here and around the world.
That's partly because while current vaccines are preventing death and hospitalisation, they're no longer as effective at stopping COVID-19 from spreading.
Today, US virologist Jeremy Kamil on when Omicron-specific vaccines will be ready, and which nations will get them first.
Featured:
Dr Jeremy Kamil, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, Louisiana State University Health, Shreveport, Louisiana, US
Did you know koalas were listed as endangered in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT this year?
The iconic Australian marsupial is on a slide towards extinction, and the animals could all be gone from the wild on the east coast in less than 30 years.
Today, ABC Background Briefing reporter, Rachael Brown, on her recent investigation into the multiple threats facing koalas, and the political in-fighting that's hindering efforts to protect them.
Featured:
Rachel Brown, reporter, ABC Background Briefing
As residents of Sydney, the Hunter and their surrounds begin another clean up from devastating floods, it's worth also remembering the residents of Lismore.
Thousands of residents there still haven't been able to return to their homes, more than four months after flooding destroyed large parts of the city in northern New South Wales.
Today, local resident and ABC reporter Leah White takes us there, as the community grapples with questions like whether to rebuild amid predictions of more rains to come.
Featured:
Leah White, ABC reporter, Lismore, NSW
Lee and Mike Try, North Lismore residents
After dozens of ministerial resignations, Boris Johnson announced he would step down as the prime minister of the United Kingdom on Thursday, after surviving years of political scandals and personal missteps.
So what sort of politician was he really?
And what legacy does he leave behind?
Today, behavioural scientist Stephen Reicher on why he thinks Boris Johnson was far more dangerous for British democracy than his cavalier approach might suggest.
Featured:
Professor Stephen Reicher, behavioural scientist, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
On Monday, three men embarked on a perilous journey to stop a catastrophe from unfolding on Sydney's shoreline.
On a tugboat, in 9 metre swells, they worked for hours to prevent a cargo ship carrying fuel from ploughing into a cliff, saving the lives of 21 crew members and averting an ecological disaster.
Today we talk to those men about their extraordinary rescue mission.
Featured:
Brad Lucas, tugboat captain
Marius Fenger, engineer
Alex Alsop, deckhand
The Australian economy is looking shaky right now, as life gets tougher for millions of Australians with mortgages with major banks passing on this week's interest rate rise.
But the worst could still be to come, as speculation builds we could end up in a recession.
Today, finance expert Alan Kohler on what that would look like, and who we should blame if it happens.
Featured:
Alan Kohler, financial analyst
After months of torrential rain up and down the east coast, New South Wales is being hit by severe flooding again.
Today, ABC journalist Gavin Coote takes us to the hardest hit communities and University of New South Wales climate scientist Agus Santoso explains why there could be much more rain to come.
Featured:
Gavin Coote, ABC Radio reporter, AM
Jeremy Muller, Windsor resident
Kevin Shaw, Camden resident
Dr Agus Santoso, senior researcher, UNSW Climate Research Centre
More than 7,500 Australians have died from COVID-19 in 2022, and some think that number could reach 15,000 by the end of the year.
So what, if anything, is being done to slow the death toll?
Today we speak to a woman still struggling to comprehend the loss of a loved one and an epidemiologist about how Australia went from a world leader in controlling the disease to the bottom of the pack.
Featured:
Paige Carter, family member
Professor Michael Toole, Associate Principal Research Fellow, Burnet Institute
Thirty-six years years ago, Melbourne woman Ilsa Evans had an abortion, a decision she says changed her life immeasurably for the better.
On the weekend she was one of thousands of women who took to the streets to protest against the ruling in the United States to wind back abortion rights.
Today, why Ilsa is worried about Australia's abortion laws and an expert on just how secure our reproductive rights are. Featured:
Ilsa Evans, demonstrator and author
Dr Prudence Flowers, senior lecturer in US history at Flinders University
It's an unsettling time for Australians on unemployment benefits as they try to navigate a whole new set of rules.
A new Centrelink system means they'll need to earn points for a range of activities or risk missing out on their income support.
Today the ABC's social affairs correspondent, Norman Hermant on the anxious days ahead for hundreds of thousands of Australians as they try to make sense of the changes.
Featured:
Norman Hermant, social affairs correspondent
The decision by the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade has seen abortion clinics across America scramble to perform procedures before they're forced to close their doors.
Today, US reporter Rosemary Westwood takes us to the only abortion clinic in Mississippi as it prepares to shut forever.
Featured:
Rosemary Westwood, public health reporter for public radio in Louisiana and host of the podcast Banned.
When a missile hit a crowded shopping centre, killing at least 16 people, it reminded us Vladimir Putin is not willing to end the terror he is inflicting on Ukranian civilians.
That attack and renewed bombings in the capital Kyiv come as soldiers continue the relentless fighting in the east of the country.
Today, former Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan on why the battles remind him of World War 2 and whether the fighting could be over before the end of the year.
Featured:
Mick Ryan, retired Australian Army Major General
It was originally hailed as a great way to quit smoking, but now there are serious concerns a new generation of Australians could become hooked on vaping, thanks to a thriving black market on social media.
At the same time, big tobacco companies are working behind the scenes to relax laws and increase the use of e-cigarettes.
Today, 4 Corners reporter Grace Tobin, on why the industry has gone underground and how cigarette companies are reverting to old tactics.
Featured: Grace Tobin, 4 Corners reporter
Correction: This story stated that at the time of Juul's testimony Phillip Morris International owned a third of Juul. This was incorrect. The parent company of tobacco giant Phillip Morris USA owned a third of Juul.
Donald Trump may have been gone from the White House for almost a year and a half, but a decision by the US Supreme court to effectively ban abortion in half of the country his finger prints all over it.
Across the US, the ruling has created deep division at a time when Trump is once again in the spotlight over allegations he plotted to overturn the 2020 election.
Today, legal analyst Jill Wine-Banks who was one of the prosecutors during the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon on Trump's lasting legacy and what's going wrong in America.
Featured:
Jill Wine-Banks, legal analyst
COVID infections are on the rise again, thanks to the latest sub-variant of Omicron.
And if you think just because you've had COVID already you won't get it a second time, think again: even if you're vaccinated, your immunity only lasts a few months, and reinfection numbers are climbing.
Today, epidemiologist Nancy Baxter on the health dangers associated with having COVID-19 more than once, and why we should all be doing everything to avoid it.
Featured:
Professor Nancy Baxter, epidemiologist and head of school, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
It's always hard to tell what the Chinese government is planning, but what we do know is it's ordered a rapid expansion of the country's military, and it's testing it.
That concerns no-one more than the people of Taiwan, who are increasingly worried Beijing could be preparing to invade the island.
Today, the ABC's Taiwan-based East Asia correspondent, Bill Birtles, on what the world's largest military has been up to, and what it could mean.
Featured:
Bill Birtles, ABC East Asia correspondent, Taipei
A victory by trans athlete Lia Thomas at an American university swimming competition in March has sparked a furore that's now contributed to the sport's peak international body restricting transgender competitors.
This week, FINA effectively banned transgender women from the highest levels of competition, just as the world championships were getting underway in Budapest.
While some of Australia's most successful swimmers welcomed the ruling, it was a devastating blow for the transgender community, with other sports signalling they'll follow FINA's lead.
Today, Tracey Holmes from ABC Sport on a divisive debate ahead, and what it means for transgender athletes.
Featured:
Tracey Holmes, ABC Sport senior reporter and host, The Ticket podcast
He's been pursued by the United States government for more than a decade, and now Julian Assange is closer than ever to being extradited there on a string of charges including espionage.
The 50-year-old WikiLeaks co-founder faces what amounts to life in prison if he's found guilty of publishing highly classified US defence documents.
Today, international law expert Donald Rothwell on what's next for the Australian, and the implications for free speech if he ultimately ends up in an American jail.
Featured:
Professor Donald Rothwell, international law expert, Australian National University College of Law
Since Russia started its invasion of Ukraine, the west has been sending billions of dollars' worth of military hardware to give the country a fighting chance.
The weapons are the key reason Ukrainians have held out for so long.
Today, Hanna Homestead, an Associate at the Center for International Policy, on how much military might Ukraine has received, and how foreign weapons could fall into the wrong hands.
Featured: Hanna Homestead, Center for International Policy, Washington
Queensland in the 1950s: god-fearing, morally upstanding, tough on crime. Beneath the surface, a murky world of gambling, drugs and brothels kept in check by three crooked cops known as The Rat Pack. For thirty years, they ran a complex system of bribery and extortion as they pocketed the profits. But this trio never dreamed how things would end. That the women they exploited — madams, sex workers, entrepreneurs — would be their demise. Journalist Matt Condon shared a small taste of this story on last Monday's episode of ABC News Daily, and now we're sharing the full first episode of Dig - Sirens Are Coming. If you want to hear more, the full season is available now on the ABC listen app.
You'd know by now we're in the middle of an energy crisis.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says policy failures of the former government have led to the lack of power across most of the east coast, which has seen control of the national market taken off the big power generators for the first time.
Today, energy expert Matthew Warren, whose career has spanned the gas, coal and renewable sectors, on how we got to this point and what could have been done to save us from the threat of blackouts in the middle of winter.
Featured: Matthew Warren, energy expert
It's been an awful year for our personal finances, but at last around two million Australians are about to receive a bit more money in the bank.
The Fair Work Commission has ordered a 5.2 per cent increase in the minimum wage but with the soaring cost of food, petrol and power is it really enough to help make ends meet?
Featured:
Gareth Hutchens, ABC business reporter
So far it's been a pretty cold winter, so the thought of having no power at home probably sends a shiver down your spine.
But millions of us are being told to switch off our heating and conserve power, with others plunged into darkness from blackouts.
But did you know it has nothing to do with a power shortage?
Today, Australia if you're listening podcast host Matt Bevan on why our warmth or lack of it is all in the hands of the big power generators and why government policies have failed us. Featured: Matt Bevan, host, Australia If You're Listening podcast
There are still fewer than a dozen cases, but monkeypox is in Australia, and it's spreading.
It's highly unusual, because it's such a rare disease: our medical system has never had to deal with an outbreak before.
At the same time, Europe, the UK and America are recording hundreds of new infections.
Today, we speak to two US physicians about the treatment of a monkeypox patient, and we ask why the disease is suddenly on the move.
Featured:
Dr Amesh Adalja, infectious disease physician, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Baltimore
Dr Paul Biddinger, vice chairman for emergency preparedness, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Up until the 1980s, Queensland's police force was something else, led by crooked cops who thrived on bribery and extortion.
It was a murky world of gambling, drugs and illegal brothels that started to come crashing down when a small group of sex workers put their lives on the line to expose the racket.
Now, one of them has spoken out for the first time on the latest series of the ABC's Dig podcast, 'Sirens Are Coming'.
Today, its host Matt Condon on an extraordinary period in Queensland, and what it means for the state now as its anti-corruption watchdog faces fresh questions over its integrity.
Featured:
Matt Condon, host, 'Dig: Sirens Are Coming', ABC Podcasts
Can you imagine if an Australian prime minister broke strict COVID-19 lockdown rules, held more than a dozen parties at The Lodge, was fined by police for breaking the law, and still managed to keep the job?
Well, in the UK, that's what Boris Johnson has pulled off, at least for now.
But how?
Today, the chief political commentator at The Independent newspaper in London, John Rentoul, on the boozy nights at 10 Downing Street, and the no-confidence motion this week that the UK leader narrowly survived.
Featured:
John Rentoul, chief political commentator, The Independent, London
If you want to avoid the big spike in energy bills, generating your own power looks like a pretty good start.
On the back of the energy crisis, demand for rooftop solar panels in Australia is soaring.
But how easy are they to get, how expensive are they, and if we all rush out to get them at once, will the power grid cope?
Today, the ABC's regional energy reporter, Dan Mercer, on all things solar.
Featured:
Dan Mercer, ABC regional energy reporter
If you have a mortgage, it's a financially painful time, with interest rate hikes in consecutive months.
The latest one caught just about everyone off guard, coming in higher than expected at half a percentage point - the biggest increase in more than 20 years.
Today, the ABC's business editor, Ian Verrender, on why the Reserve Bank is hitting us so hard when the cost of everything else is going up too.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
By now, you've probably heard that your power bill is about to rise.
From next month, the energy costs for households could be as much as 18 percent higher, and if you managed to shop around for a cheaper deal with a smaller provider in recent years, it could be even worse.
Today, energy expert Bruce Mountain on the shock to come, and what the government could do to ease the financial pain.
Featured:
Bruce Mountain, director, Victorian Energy Policy Centre, Melbourne
We've been having a very royal time of it lately, with the Queen celebrating her 70th year on the throne, and images of the royal family splashed all over our screens.
But just before the Platinum Jubilee celebrations began, Anthony Albanese took a big step in reigniting debate over Australia cutting ties with the British monarchy.
Today, author Dennis Altman on the appointment of Matt Thistlethwaite as Australia's first ever assistant minister for the republic, and whether Australians will ever vote to ditch the royals.
Featured:
Dennis Altman, author, 'God Save The Queen: The Strange Persistence of Monarchies'
Imagine a year 12 double maths class with no teacher, where instead of learning, students are sitting on their phones during class.
Or a school where almost a quarter of all teachers are away.
That's the reality of what some schools are dealing with as teachers complain of a severe shortage.
Today, Background Briefing's Mayeta Clarke, on her exclusive access inside a classroom and why we should worry about what’s to come.
Featured:
Mayeta Clark, reporter, ABC Background Briefing
This week the Nationals underwent a fundamental change when they dumped Barnaby Joyce from the leadership.
The party's new leader David Littleproud moved immediately to distance the Nats from Mr Joyce and his views on things like climate change, even though they didn't lose a single seat at the election.
Today, Hon. Professor Geoff Cockfield from the University of Southern Queensland on the turbulent reign of Barnaby Joyce and whether his removal spells a new era for the Nationals.
Featured: Hon. Professor Geoff Cockfield, University of Southern Queensland, Co-editor of The National Party; Prospects for the great survivors
Finland and Sweden are scrambling to join NATO, even though it was Ukraine's push to become a member of the military organisation that was used by the Russian President to justify his war.
Today, defence expert from the American Enterprise Institute, Elisabeth Braw on Europe's rapidly changing security and why we haven't seen anything like it since World War II.
Featured: Elisabeth Braw, American Enterprise Institute
Things aren't going so well for Australians who've invested in cryptocurrencies.
The digital currency world, buoyant for so long, went into meltdown this month, with prices collapsing to near historic lows, and over a quarter of the global market evaporating.
It's the crash of an unregulated market full of inherent risks, but it's also a market increasingly being used by criminal gangs around the world.
Today, ABC Four Corners reporter Stephen Long on cryptocurrency's dark side.
Featured:
Stephen Long, reporter, ABC Four Corners
With a new Parliament to be sworn in soon, it's a momentous time for Indigenous Australians, who are now represented by more MPs and Senators than ever before.
Added to that, the prime minister Anthony Albanese is promising to deliver on the Uluru Statement from the Heart, after five years of delay under the Coalition.
That will require a referendum, the first Australians would face since the Republican vote in 1999.
Today, the ABC's Indigenous Affairs editor, Bridget Brennan, on what could be a difficult path ahead.
Featured:
Bridget Brennan, ABC Indigenous Affairs editor
Australia has taken a reputational hit on the international stage in recent years, mainly due to a stance on climate change that has lagged behind most other developed nations.
Now, it's up to Anthony Albanese to fix it, and to take on China as it seeks to push its way into the affairs of Pacific nations.
Today, ABC TV Insiders host David Speers on the new Prime Minister's first outing on the world stage, and the mounting challenges he faces.
Featured:
David Speers, host, ABC TV Insiders
Once again, America is in shock after a mass shooting, this time in a primary school in Texas that left at least 20 dead.
The US president, Joe Biden, has vowed to act on gun laws, but no leader before him has managed to overcome the might of the nation's gun lobby.
And now, with a radically conservative Supreme Court stacked with judges appointed by Donald Trump, the right to carry a gun could be expanded even further.
Today, we get the insights of a reporter who spoke to 12 mass shooters, as he investigated what could have been done to stop them.
Featured:
Alex Hannaford, reporter, New York
During the election campaign, the Greens say they knocked on 90,000 doors in Kevin Rudd's old seat of Griffith in Brisbane, a drive replicated in other key seats across the city too.
On Saturday, it all paid off, with the party securing the best result in its history.
Its success will change the dynamics of our parliamentary system, particularly in the Senate, where Labor already has a bitter history of negotiating with them on environmental policies.
Today, ABC 7.30's Queensland reporter, Peter McCutcheon, on how the Greens plan to translate their success into climate action.
Featured:
Peter McCutcheon, Queensland reporter, ABC TV 7.30
Voters in seats held by the Liberals for decades have rejected Scott Morrison and his party in droves, instead turning to independents with platforms on climate change action and integrity in government.
Today, the ABC's Fran Kelly on how Scott Morrison stopped listening to his party's heartland, and the painful period ahead for the election losers.
Featured:
Fran Kelly, co-host, ABC TV Afternoon Briefing, ABC Radio The Party Room
It's the start of a new political era, with Anthony Albanese about to be sworn in as Australia's 31st prime minister.
He'll be navigating a dramatically different parliamentary landscape: Labor and the Coalition have lost significant ground to a record number of independents and Greens, with the crossbench more than doubling in size.
So why have voters turned on the major parties?
Today, ABC 7.30's chief political correspondent, Laura Tingle, on the delicate balance Anthony Albanese has ahead of him, and whether he can succeed.
Featured:
Laura Tingle, ABC 7.30 chief political correspondent
The ABC has you covered this election as the votes roll in.
Here's how you can follow the latest developments throughout the weekend.
Millions of Australians will head to the ballot box tomorrow, where they could deliver Scott Morrison a second 'miracle' victory, or this time prove opinion polling right and vote in Anthony Albanese.
The ABC's election analyst, Antony Green, is usually the first person to call the election result on the night.
So how does he do it?
Featured:
Antony Green, ABC chief elections analyst
It's been an election campaign where Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese have criss-crossed the country donning hard hats and high visibility safety vests.
But how does that resonate with Australian women, who will play a more crucial role than ever before in determining who our next prime minister will be?
Today, the ABC's Annabel Crabb on why women are increasingly angry at their treatment, and how the traditional party system seems to be ignoring them.
Featured:
Annabel Crabb, ABC writer and presenter
It's one of the most critical issues of our time, and according to the ABC's Vote Compass it's the top concern for Australians as they head to the polls on the weekend.
And yet climate change has barely rated a mention from Scott Morrison or Anthony Albanese during the election campaign.
Today, the host of the ABC's Australia If You're Listening podcast, Matt Bevan, on the major parties' climate policies, and why their leaders seem so reluctant to talk about them.
Featured:
Matt Bevan, host, Australia If You're Listening podcast
In the final days of an election campaign dominated by cost of living concerns, Scott Morrison has announced a plan to allow Australians to dip into their superannuation to buy their first homes.
As voting day approaches, both major parties will argue you’ll be better off financially if you vote for them.
Today, the host of RN Breakfast, Patricia Karvelas, on who's campaigned best on cost of living concerns, and where what the parties are offering differs.
As Australians prepare to head to the polls on Saturday, one issue has been glaringly ignored throughout the campaign.
Almost no-one has been talking about COVID, even though our infection rates are still, per capita, among the highest in the world.
Today, Co-host of the ABC's Coronacast, Dr Norman Swan, on what's been happening with the virus, and why we ignore it at our peril.
Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden a year and a half ago, but the former President's hold on his Republican Party seems to be stronger than ever.
He has endorsed more than 150 candidates for the US midterm elections, which are also being seen as a referendum on Trump's enduring popularity.
Today, political analyst and author Geoffrey Kabaservice on what drives Donald Trump, and why the world should prepare for his return.
Featured:
Geoffrey Kabaservice, director of political studies, Niskanen Centre, Washington DC
As we head to the polls in just over a week's time, older Australians are benefiting from a system of tax and super policies that make their lives easier, while younger people struggle with rising prices for everything from housing to petrol and food.
So why does it seem baby boomers are getting such a good ride from both sides of politics?
Today, the ABC's business editor Ian Verrender on the reason he thinks Australia's youth are being done over.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
Vladimir Putin's Victory Day speech failed to deliver what experts expected: A major shift in the course of the war in Ukraine.
Instead, the Russian leader gave little away into what his next move will be, as Russian forces continue their protracted battle to take the east of the country.
Today, former US state department official and Russia policy expert Max Bergmann unpacks Putin's highly anticipated speech, and sketches out one scenario for how the war will end.
Featured:
Max Bergmann, Russia policy expert
Did you know Australia's about to enter another mining boom?
This time, it's not coal we're digging up, but critical metals needed to build things like wind turbines and electric cars.
Today, ABC Four Corners reporter Angus Grigg on his investigation into the unusual conflict between miners who say they're helping to save the planet, and environmentalists who say the industry needs to radically change its practices to ensure precious land isn't destroyed forever.
Featured:
Angus Grigg, reporter, ABC TV Four Corners
Homeowners have been slugged with an interest rate rise for the first time in more than a decade, but for Australians who rent it's bad news too.
The number of rental properties available is at the lowest level in almost 20 years, and rents are soaring.
Today, ABC business reporter, Daniel Ziffer, on what's driving the nation's rental crisis.
Featured:
Daniel Ziffer, ABC business reporter
While in Australia we're now learning to live with COVID, that's not the case in China.
For more than a month, dozens of cities including Shanghai have endured strict and at times bizarre lockdowns, as authorities battle to contain an outbreak of Omicron, and the capital, Beijing, could be next.
Today, ABC East Asia correspondent Bill Birtles on why the Chinese government could stick to its COVID-zero policies for years to come.
Featured:
Bill Birtles, ABC East Asia correspondent
The United States could be on the brink of a seismic change to how it deals with abortion.
A leaked Supreme Court draft report shows a landmark court ruling known as Roe v Wade that made abortions legal almost half a century ago could be overturned within months.
Today, US history expert Dr Prudence Flowers on why it could mean abortion is banned in at least half of the country.
Featured:
Dr Prudence Flowers, Flinders University
If you're paying off a home loan in Australia right now, it's about to cost you more for the first time in over 10 years.
It'll hurt those new to the market the most, who've been caught up in a housing boom and in many cases have borrowed up to six times their annual income.
Today, ABC TV Insiders host, David Speers, on why there are more rises to come, and the political pain for the prime minister Scott Morrison just over two weeks from voting day.
Featured:
David Speers, host, ABC TV Insiders
COVID-19 has left a huge toll on us all, and taken the lives of more than 7,000 Australians.
But there are some companies that have simply thrived because of it, particularly those charged by the federal government with providing goods and services like masks and other protective equipment.
So was there enough scrutiny over whom the government was awarding multi-million-dollar contracts to?
Today, ABC Four Corners reporter, Linton Besser, on how one Australian company with financial woes but deep political links was awarded contracts worth more than one billion dollars' worth of taxpayer money.
Featured:
Linton Besser, reporter, ABC TV Four Corners
A Chinese security deal with a small Pacific island nation has become a central issue in the federal election campaign.
Last week, it even prompted the defence minister, Peter Dutton, to warn that in order to 'preserve peace', Australia needs to 'prepare for war'.
Today, the host of China Tonight on ABC TV, Stan Grant, on what Beijing's deal with Solomon Islands really means for the region, and why it will affect our security.
Featured:
Stan Grant, host, ABC TV China Tonight
Russia has begun its final onslaught of the vitally important Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which has seen some of the most intense fighting since the war began.
Russian soldiers are closing in on the last remaining fighters in the city, holed up in tunnels beneath the Azovstal steel works.
If they fall, Russia will be a step closer to controlling the east of the country.
Today, Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko on what could be a decisive turning point in the war and how, incredibly, life is returning to normal in the capital, Kyiv.
Featured:
Oleksandr Merezhko, MP, Parliament of Ukraine
We haven't seen anything like it since the 1990s.
As the cost of living soars by 5 percent a year, wages haven't risen for seven years.
So why are our wages stuck?
Today, ABC business and economics reporter Gareth Hutchens on why you're earning less, while almost everything you buy is getting more expensive.
Featured:
Gareth Hutchens, ABC business and economics reporter
We haven't seen anything like it since the 1990s.
As the cost of living soars by 5 percent a year, wages haven't risen for seven years.
So why are our wages stuck?
Today, ABC business and economics reporter Gareth Hutchens on why you're earning less, while almost everything you buy is getting more expensive.
Featured:
Gareth Hutchens, ABC business and economics reporter
The world's richest person, Elon Musk, is buying Twitter.
But why does he want it, and could his free speech stance prove a problem for the social media network?
Today, Mike Isaac, a technology correspondent for The New York Times, on the global influence of the social media giant, and the billionaire's grand plans.
Featured:
Mike Isaac, technology correspondent, The New York Times
The world's richest person, Elon Musk, is buying Twitter.
But why does he want it, and could his free speech stance prove a problem for the social media network?
Today, Mike Isaac, a technology correspondent for The New York Times, on the global influence of the social media giant, and the billionaire's grand plans.
Featured:
Mike Isaac, technology correspondent, The New York Times
In the early weeks of the war in Ukraine, tens of thousands of people in Russia took to the streets to protest against the invasion.
But two months on, with the war in its next phase in Ukraine's east, they've either been silenced by the Kremlin through draconian laws, or influenced by a relentless propaganda campaign.
Today, a human rights activist on why her fellow Russians are no longer speaking out.
Featured:
Maria Kuznetsova, human rights activist, OVD-Info, Tbilisi, Georgia
In the early weeks of the war in Ukraine, tens of thousands of people in Russia took to the streets to protest against the invasion.
But two months on, with the war in its next phase in Ukraine's east, they've either been silenced by the Kremlin through draconian laws, or influenced by a relentless propaganda campaign.
Today, a human rights activist on why her fellow Russians are no longer speaking out.
Featured:
Maria Kuznetsova, human rights activist, OVD-Info, Tbilisi, Georgia
With election day now under a month away, both the Coalition and Labor have been rolling out targeted scare campaigns to try to sway undecided voters.
Drumming up fear about the other side's policy offerings is a familiar tactic in Australian elections, so why has the scare campaign become so common?
Today, an Australia Votes special episode, as the prime minister Scott Morrison continues to crisscross the country, while Anthony Albanese's frontbench holds the fort as the Labor leader begins his fourth day of COVID isolation.
Featured:
David Speers, host, ABC TV Insiders
Annabel Crabb, ABC elections writer
Andrew Probyn, ABC political editor
With election day now under a month away, both the Coalition and Labor have been rolling out targeted scare campaigns to try to sway undecided voters.
Drumming up fear about the other side's policy offerings is a familiar tactic in Australian elections, so why has the scare campaign become so common?
Today, an Australia Votes special episode, as the prime minister Scott Morrison continues to crisscross the country, while Anthony Albanese's frontbench holds the fort as the Labor leader begins his fourth day of COVID isolation.
Featured:
David Speers, host, ABC TV Insiders
Annabel Crabb, ABC elections writer
Andrew Probyn, ABC political editor
It was dubbed 'the case that couldn't be solved', and for more than three decades it wasn't.
In 1988, American PHD student Scott Johnson's body was found at the bottom of a cliff in Sydney's northern beaches.
30 years on, his killer, Scott White, has finally been found and convicted, with his sentence set to be handed down within weeks.
The case sparked a special commission of inquiry into suspected gay-hate deaths in Sydney, stretching back 40 years.
Today, we speak to an American investigator about Scott Johnson's case, the failings of NSW police, and the path ahead as dozens of historic gay and transgender hate crimes are re-examined.
Featured:
Daniel Glick, investigative reporter and private investigator
This week, an ABC crew was caught up in a Russian artillery attack in Ukraine's second biggest city, Kharkiv.
A fresh round of bombing across the country marked the beginning of the next phase of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion, with a World War II-style ground offensive in Ukraine's east now underway.
Today, Sean Rubinsztein Dunlop on his narrow escape, and why what comes next could be even more brutal than what we've already seen.
Featured:
Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop, ABC correspondent, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Climate activist, clean energy investor and son of Australia's first billionaire, Simon Holmes a Court, is on a mission this election to strip the Liberal Party of some of its safest and wealthiest seats.
He's helping to fund the so-called 'teal independents', a group of mainly professional women campaigning on climate change and integrity in government.
Today, the ABC's chief elections analyst Antony Green on their chances of success, and what power they'd have if we end up with a hung parliament.
Featured:
Antony Green, ABC chief elections analyst
The biggest spender this election will be Clive Palmer, the billionaire head of the United Australia Party.
In 2019, the party didn't win a single seat, but is trying again and says it will be running candidates in every electorate this time.
Today, ABC 7.30's Peter McCutcheon on how Clive Palmer became a big political name, and why the major parties will be worried about his unpredictable nature in the weeks ahead.
Featured:
Peter McCutcheon, ABC 7.30 Queensland reporter
There are more than 700,000 Australians of Indian origin and both parties want their vote.
Ahead of the campaign, the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison announced for the first time university degrees of Indian migrants will be recognised in Australia.
Today, the ABC's South Asia Correspondent Avani Dias on what's behind the move.
Featured:
Avani Dias, ABC South Asia correspondent
The Great Barrier Reef could be completely destroyed this century, with the coral suffering through another severe bleaching event as water temperatures continue to rise.
UN inspectors have visited the area, as they contemplate the health of the reef and whether they should strip it of its world heritage status.
Today, national environment reporter Michael Slezak on whether a billion dollar funding boost from the federal government can really save a national treasure.
Featured:
Michael Slezak, national environment reporter
This week, some of Australia's biggest airports have been thrown into chaos amid the Easter holiday rush.
It's partly because of staff shortages due to COVID-19 close contact isolation rules, which have seen hundreds of thousands of asymptomatic Australians stuck at home.
Today, University of Melbourne epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely on whether the rules are really still necessary, as the virus surges through the community for the second time this year.
Featured:
Professor Tony Blakely, epidemiologist, University of Melbourne
While our political leaders fight it out over who can better manage the economy, nothing either side does now will stop the financial pain many homeowners could be enduring by the end of the year.
Official interest rates could rise at least four times this year, and in the worst-case scenario they could go up 12 times by the middle of 2023.
Today, the ABC's business editor Ian Verrender on why there's also a risk the economy could be plunged into recession, which would affect everyone.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
The Australian-led peace-making mission in East Timor, known as INTERFET and overseen by the former Chief of the Defence Force and Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, is regarded as a moment of national pride.
But 4 Corners has now raised serious allegations of a secret interrogation facility and the torture of more than a dozen suspected pro-Indonesian militia-men by some Australian soldiers.
Today, Gold Walkley-winning ABC 4 Corners journalist Mark Willacy on how his reporting on alleged war crimes in Afghanistan led him back in time to uncover allegations of another blight on Australia’s defence record.
Featured:
Mark Willacy, ABC 4 Corners reporter
The election campaign is underway, with the prime minister Scott Morrison yesterday nominating May 21 as the date we all head to the polls.
So will the promises the leaders make in the weeks ahead ultimately change the minds of voters?
The ABC's election analyst doesn't think so.
Today, Antony Green explains to us how he sees the election campaign unfolding, and which groups of voters and which issues really count in determining who can form government.
Featured:
Antony Green, ABC chief elections analyst
As controversy surrounds Brian Houston, the founder of the global megachurch Hillsong, attention has turned to how he built his multi-million-dollar religious empire.
Hillsong is one of the fastest growing churches in the world; even the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has on occasions been a worshipper.
So how did Hillsong get so big, so quickly?
Today, ABC 7.30 investigative reporter Hagar Cohen on Hillsong's property grab, and how some Australian churches ended up handing over everything.
Featured:
Hagar Cohen, ABC 7.30 investigative reporter
Australia prides itself on having among the lowest rates of smoking in the world, but now a new danger is emerging in e-cigarettes.
In some cases a single so-called vape contains the equivalent amount of nicotine as nine packets of cigarettes.
Today, we speak to a Year 12 student about how prevalent vaping has become in the schoolyard, and to epidemiologist Professor Emily Banks on the growing evidence around the dangers it poses. Featured: Ari Katz, Year 12 student
Professor Emily Banks, epidemiologist, Australian National University
Russia wanted a quick victory in Ukraine, but it hasn't succeeded.
Instead, it's withdrawing its troops from key cities, leaving in their wake shocking evidence of torture and war crimes.
It's not the end of the war: It's widely thought the Kremlin will now focus on taking control of other parts of the country.
Today, former US Army Major John Spencer, who was part of the advance group that captured Baghdad from Saddam Hussein in 2003, on why Russia has failed so far, and what comes next for Ukraine's terrified civilians.
Featured:
John Spencer, retired US Army major and former Chair, Urban Warfare Studies, Modern War Institute, US Military Academy, West Point, New York
Devastating fires one year, disastrous floods the next: it feels like Australia is being continually battered by natural disasters.
So what comes next, and is there anything we can do to stop it?
Today, Robert Glasser, a former UN adviser on disaster risk reduction, on how climate change is driving the crisis, and why nowhere in Australia will truly be safe.
Featured:
Dr Robert Glasser, Head, Climate and Security Policy Centre, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Virginia Guyler, Lismore resident
A photo of members of a family killed in a Russian mortar attack near Kyiv, subsequently published unblurred on the front page of the New York Times, became the first defining symbol of the horrors of the war in Ukraine.
Now, amid reports of more atrocities and a Russian retreat from the Ukrainian capital, it could be used to help build a case that the Kremlin has committed war crimes.
Today, we speak to the New York Times photojournalist, Lynsey Addario, about the day she took the image, and we ask whether it's likely Vladimir Putin and his military chiefs will ever be brought to justice for the horrors of their invasion.
Featured:
Lynsey Addario, photojournalist, The New York Times
Professor Todd Buchwald, former head of the US State Department’s Office of Global Criminal Justice and professor of international law, George Washington University Law School, Washington DC
Further reading:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-02/graphic-nyt-photograph-that-could-lead-to-war-crime-charges/100960860
At the moment around the country, 60,000 people are catching COVID every day, and official figures show at least 4.5 million of us have now had the disease.
It means more and more Australians now have the debilitating condition known as 'long COVID'.
But how much do we really know about it?
Today, we speak to a Melbourne nurse who hasn't recovered from a bout of COVID she had in 2020, and we hear from a doctor at the forefront of global research into what remains a mystery illness.
Featured:
Irene Tey, long COVID sufferer
Dr David Putrino, director of rehabilitation innovation, Mt Sinai hospital system, New York
Within days, the Prime Minister will call an election and ask voters to trust him to continue leading the nation.
So can we?
Not according to one of the Coalition's longest serving senators, NSW Liberal Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, who delivered a scathing character assessment of Scott Morrison in the Senate chamber and who claims many others in the party feel the same.
Today, the host of RN Breakfast, Patricia Karvelas, takes us through the extraordinary intervention, and what it means as we prepare to head to the polls.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, Host, ABC RN Breakfast
It's a pre-election, 'no losers' budget from the Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, who says the worst of the pandemic is behind us and the economic outlook is rosy.
Today, in a special budget lockup episode of ABC News Daily, our business editor Ian Verrender explains whether we can trust those forecasts and assumptions, and lays out what it all means for you.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC business editor
Millions of Australians can't afford to buy a house, with prices skyrocketing since the pandemic began.
In its pre-election budget, the federal government is extending a scheme allowing first home buyers to purchase a property with just a 5 percent deposit.
But will it ease the crisis?
Today, ABC business reporter Michael Janda explains why much more needs to be done to help the Australians priced out of the market.
Featured:
Michael Janda, ABC business reporter
As the number of Ukrainians fleeing their homeland continues to grow, a unique billeting scheme in the UK has been so well received officials can barely keep up with demand.
At least 150,000 Brits have offered to open their homes to desperate Ukrainians, and the British government has said it won't set a cap on the number of refugees it will take.
Today, we hear the moment two of these families meet for the first time, and we speak to Ukrainian-born Lesia Miroshnichenko, who lives in the English city of Derby, about how she's helping to unite them.
Featured:
Lesia Miroshnichenko, volunteer, England
Anastasiia Nitskevych, Ukrainian refugee
Daryna Nitskevych, Ukrainian refugee
Olha Rozdaibida, Ukrainian refugee
Valentyna Rozdaibida, Ukrainian refugee
Sally Eady, sponsor, Scotland
Marie Hendy, sponsor, Scotland
With residents in flood-devastated towns across New South Wales and Queensland trying to clean up and get on with their lives, the question is: what comes next?
Should flood-prone towns be rebuilt? Or could they be moved to higher ground?
Today, the ABC's national regional affairs reporter, Lucy Barbour, takes us on a journey to the small town of Grantham, in south-east Queensland, to find a lasting solution.
Featured:
Lucy Barbour, ABC national regional affairs reporter
Gordon Linley, Gundagai resident
Shane Herrington, Wirajuda Warragul man
Rebecca Sparkes, Grantham resident
Tanya Hooper, Grantham resident
As the fighting drags on and the human toll grows in Ukraine, one of Russia's closest allies, China, is being accused of complicity in the invasion, as western leaders warn Beijing that harsh sanctions will be imposed if it supports Moscow militarily or economically.
Today, former White House Policy advisor Professor Evan Medeiros on China's dilemma, and why the decisions it makes now could lead to a change in world order.
Featured:
Dr Evan Medeiros, former Asia-Pacific Advisor to US President Barack Obama and Professor of Practice, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
Since Senator Kimberley Kitching died of a heart attack on the 10th of March, the Labor Party has been embroiled in allegations of factional in-fighting and bullying.
Today, ABC 7.30's chief political correspondent Laura Tingle steps us through the scandal that's unravelled since the Senator's death, and what it means for Labor so close to an election.
Featured:
Laura Tingle, ABC 7.30 chief political correspondent
Right now, more and more people are contracting COVID-19, as another wave of infection sweeps the nation.
Driving the spike is a more infectious sub variant of Omicron, known as BA.2.
Today, epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely on how worried we should be, and the need to prepare for a more dangerous variant that could be on the way.
Featured:
Professor Tony Blakely, epidemiologist, University of Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
As the war in Ukraine drags into its fourth week, Ukrainian life is largely lived underground, and it's from there the wheels of government continue to turn.
In a heavily fortified bunker in the capital Kyiv, the President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is leading the country's military operations and successfully galvanising his people in the face of the fierce Russian assault.
Today, ABC 4 Corners reporter Sarah Ferguson takes us inside that bunker, and to the frontlines above ground as Putin’s forces close in.
Featured:
Sarah Ferguson, reporter, ABC TV 4 Corners
In 1987, scientists gathered in Melbourne for a landmark conference where they discussed, for the first time, the effects climate change might have on Australia.
In the decade after that, two decisions were made by federal governments - one Liberal, and one Labor - which have shaped the climate debate in this country ever since.
Australia, If You’re Listening will look at why Australia’s found it so hard to tackle climate change since then, and what that means for the future.
Guests: Dr Graeme Pearman - Former Chief of Atmospheric Research, CSIRO
Graham Richardson - former Federal Environment Minister
Ros Kelly - former Federal Environment Minister
Robert Hill - former Federal Environment Minister
Kathleen Folbigg has served almost 20 years in jail for killing her four children, but now modern science is raising doubts about her guilt.
Today, Background Briefing’s Rachael Brown on growing calls to reopen her case and whether the legal system needs reforming to keep up with scientific advances.
Featured:
Rachael Brown, reporter, Background Briefing.
If you feel like you're paying more for almost everything, it's because you are: fuel, bread, beer, biscuits and even tinned food prices are all on the rise.
Today, ABC TV's Insiders host David Speers on why we are paying more, and how Scott Morrison could be punished for our hip pocket pain at the ballot box.
Featured:
David Speers, Host, ABC TV Insiders
The sprawling city of Kyiv is now all but lifeless, as Vladimir Putin's brutal war draws ever closer to the centre of the Ukrainian capital.
It's thought about half of the historic city's three million residents have fled, while many of those who remain are there to fight.
Today, Lyse Doucet, the BBC's chief international correspondent in Kyiv, on why Putin's war is an attack against us all, and why she stays to tell the story even while journalists are dying.
Featured:
Lyse Doucet, BBC chief international correspondent, Kyiv
It was a case watched around the world, as singer Britney Spears fought her own father to take back control of her life and money.
But it's happening in Australia too, and an ABC 4 Corners investigation has uncovered stories of Australians who've been virtually abducted by the state, stripped of their money, and silenced.
Today ABC investigative reporter Anne Connolly on the stories of some of Australia's most vulnerable, and why even telling their stories could have landed her in jail.
Featured:
Anne Connolly, ABC investigative reporter
Chris Pearson, Public Trustee client, Queensland
Inge-Marie Piekkala, advocate, Queensland
Siham Benz, former charity founder, Western Australia
As Vladimir Putin continues the relentless and senseless shelling of Ukrainian cities, he's also disregarding the welfare of his own people, who are grappling with the collapse of the Russian economy.
The severity of western sanctions and the decisions of multinational corporations to stop trading in Russia have seen the value of the rouble tumble by a third.
Today, Russia expert Professor Peter Rutland on why the sanctions could lead to an uprising in Moscow, even if they don't stop the war.
Featured: Professor Peter Rutland, Wesleyan University, Connecticut, US
It's only March, but parts of the east coast have had more rain already than they normally get in a year.
It's led to deadly and devastating floods, but why is it happening?
Today, Dr Chiara Holgate, a hydroclimatologist, explains the rare weather event that's brought some of wettest conditions ever recorded, and why there's still more to come.
Featured:
Dr Chiara Holgate, hydroclimatologist, Australian National University, Canberra
It's been declared a national emergency, as towns and cities along the east coast grapple with floods that have cost more than a dozen lives and destroyed thousands of livelihoods.
For residents in the hard-hit shire of Ballina, in New South Wales, shock has turned to frustration over why they were left to rescue each other from their homes as the waters surged.
Today Sharon Cadwallader, the area's mayor, on the community's panic and desperation when communications were cut off at the height of the emergency, and the changes needed so it never happens again.
Featured:
Sharon Cadwallader, mayor, Ballina Shire Council, NSW
The brutality of Vladimir Putin's invasion is playing out in hospitals across Ukraine, where exhausted medical staff do all they can to save as many lives as possible.
As the relentless shelling of towns and cities continues, civilians are presenting with horrific shrapnel and gunshot wounds as the death toll climbs.
Today, Doctor Dmytro Ishchenko speaks to us from inside Kyiv's largest children's hospital about the babies he couldn't save, and the families destroyed.
Featured:
Dr Dmytro Ishchenko, neurosurgeon, Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital, Kyiv
It's a disease that was all but eradicated in white Australia decades ago, but in remote towns like Doomadgee, in Queensland, people are dying from rheumatic heart disease without the care they need.
In some cases, girls and young women in need of life-saving surgery have been offered nothing more than a Panadol passed through a hospital grate, and then sent away.
Today, ABC 4 Corners reporter Louise Milligan on her investigation into a deep failing in public health, and why more young women will die.
Featured:
Louise Milligan, reporter, ABC TV 4 Corners
Dr Bo Remenyi, paediatric cardiologist
Martin Evans, Doomadgee community member
Marilyn Haala, Doomadgee community member
There's no doubt they're managing to slow the Russian enemy on the ground, but in the air Ukraine is losing as Russian airstrikes escalate.
Ukraine's President has been desperately pleading for NATO to enforce a no-fly zone, but that's been rejected amid fears it would risk a direct military conflict with Russia and evolve into a wider war with a nuclear-armed superpower.
Featured:
Fedir Sydoruk, Ukrainian journalist, Kyiv.
More than a million Ukrainians have now fled their homeland, a week since Russia began its brutal invasion.
Most are crossing the border into neighbouring Poland, a nation with a history of turning refugees away but which, for now, is doing all it can to accommodate them.
Today, ABC reporter Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop updates us from the Polish border town of Medyka on the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
Featured:
Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop, ABC correspondent, Medyka, Poland
Sofia Kochmar, Ukrainian journalist and refugee
To the west, Russia's increasingly deadly invasion of Ukraine is a vicious and unjustified attack.
But it's a very different narrative in Russia, where they're being told it's a humanitarian mission to save Russian separatists in the east of the country from a Nazi genocide.
Today, ABC TV Foreign Correspondent's Eric Campbell on how the war looks through the prism of the Kremlin's relentless propaganda.
Featured:
Eric Campbell, ABC TV Foreign Correspondent
It's been described as a once in a thousand year event, as cities and towns across Queensland and New South Wales are left devastated by so-called 'bombs' of heavy rain.
It's mother nature at her worst, but there are also questions over the management of state dams and whether water should have been released well before the storms hit.
Today, ABC reporters Bronwyn Herbert in New South Wales, and Rachel Mealey in Queensland, take us through an extraordinary and deadly few days.
Featured:
Bronwyn Herbert, ABC reporter, Wardell, NSW
Rachel Mealey, ABC reporter, Brisbane
The conflict in Ukraine has escalated again, with Belarus providing extra support for Russia's invasion and Vladimir Putin threatening nuclear war as western countries step up support for Ukraine's military.
Today, former US state department adviser Max Bergmann on what Russia's dangerous nuclear warning means for Ukrainians and the world.
And we speak to international law expert Doctor Lada Roslycky, who's hiding in a safe house in Ukraine, on why citizens are terrified about what could come next.
Featured:
Max Bergmann, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress, Washington DC
Dr Lada Roslycky, Black Trident Defense and Security Consulting Group, Currently sheltering in undisclosed location in Ukraine
It's been a horrifying few days for Ukrainians, as Russia continues its full-scale attack on their homeland.
While tens of thousands of civilians have managed to make it to safety in neighbouring nations like Poland, others have stayed and taken up arms to help the Ukrainian military fight off one of the world's most powerful forces.
Today we speak with journalist Fedir Sydoruk on how Ukrainians in Kyiv are fighting back in a way Russia never expected, and we hear from the ABC's Europe Correspondent, Isabella Higgins, in Lviv.
Featured:
Isabella Higgins, ABC correspondent, Lviv, Ukraine
Fedir Sydoruk, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist, Kyiv, Ukraine
The Russian President Vladimir Putin has pulled the trigger for the invasion of Ukraine, after a televised speech that shocked the world.
As explosions rang out across Ukraine, western nations could do little more than monitor what was unfolding.
Today, Russia expert and former Moscow resident Professor Samuel Greene helps us make sense of a day that will reshape the world, and Kyiv resident Olga Polotska describes the moment Russia’s strikes on her hometown began.
Featured:
Professor Samuel Greene, Director, King’s Russia Institute, King’s College London
Dr Olga Polotska, Executive Director, Ukraine National Research Foundation, Kyiv
As Vladimir Putin moves closer to a full blown war in Ukraine by ordering troops into two separatist regions in the east of the country, western nations are rolling out sanctions in a bid to bring the Russian leader back from the brink.
Bill Browder, the American businessman instrumental in a long-running campaign to sanction the Kremlin, says only the toughest financial consequences will deter Putin, who's desperate to retain his immense wealth and stay in power.
Today, we ask him: What makes the Russian leader tick, and can anything stop a bloody, protracted war?
Featured:
Bill Browder, businessman and political activist
More than a million homeowners in Australia have never experienced a rate rise, but they're about to.
It's now widely tipped that the Reserve Bank of Australia is ready to push rates up within months, bringing pain to many overstretched mortgage holders.
Today, the ABC's Business Editor Ian Verrender on why you should start saving now.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC Business Editor
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, could be about to unleash the biggest invasion in Europe since the Second World War.
Western leaders warn a Ukraine invasion would be a bloody and protracted affair, sparking a migrant crisis and having deep economic implications across the world, including for Australians.
Today, long-time foreign correspondent for the ABC, Eric Campbell, helps make sense of the conflicting accounts of what's really happening on the ground.
Featured:
Eric Campbell, ABC TV Foreign Correspondent
Australia's begun reopening its borders to international travellers and some states are easing COVID restrictions, but it's just a fraction of what Boris Johnson is about to do in England.
The British Prime Minister's set to declare victory in the fight against COVID, and will this week move to scrap all restrictions including self-isolation rules.
It'll be a welcome distraction for a leader under immense pressure over the Downing Street lockdown parties scandal, but scientists say he's moving too fast.
Today, a former director of the World Health Organisation, Dr Anthony Costello, on Boris Johnson's litany of pandemic mistakes, and why nations like Australia shouldn't follow in his footsteps.
Featured:
Professor Anthony Costello, Institute for Global Health, University College London
The head of Australia's peak spy agency, ASIO, says matters of national security shouldn't be politicised.
But it's a bit late for that: All this week, the Federal Government's been on the attack, after it was revealed China had tried but failed to target potential Labor Party candidates in New South Wales ahead of the election.
Today, the host of Insiders on ABC TV, David Speers, on the prime minister's 'reds under the beds' scare campaign.
Featured:
David Speers, Host, ABC TV Insiders
Prince Andrew's fall from grace is complete, after he settled in the rape case brought by Australian-based woman Virginia Giuffre.
It means the Prince avoids having to face a gruelling cross examination in a US court, which would have delved into the allegations as well as his ties to child sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein.
Today, the ABC's Royal Correspondent, Juliet Rieden, on the journey of a disgraced prince and what it means for Epstein's other victims.
Featured:
Juliet Rieden, ABC Royal Correspondent
It was the biggest rally they'd managed so far: On the weekend, up to 10,000 'Convoy to Canberra' protesters gathered outside the parliament.
So who are they, what do they want, and why should you care?
Today we speak to independent researcher into far right extremism and conspiracies, Dr Kaz Ross.
Featured:
Kaz Ross, independent researcher
We all think we know how bad the Omicron wave was, but we're only now starting to get a better sense of just how dire things became at its peak in our hospitals.
More healthcare workers are speaking out about the chaotic scenes in emergency rooms and outside hospitals, where ambulances were kept waiting with critical patients onboard.
Today, ABC Background Briefing reporter Mayeta Clark on why nurses in NSW have voted to strike for the first time in 10 years, and why others across the nation are quitting their jobs.
Featured:
Mayeta Clark, ABC Background Briefing reporter
In Australia, elections are always won or lost in a few dozen marginal electorates based on the views of the so-called undecided.
So as this year's poll draws near, what do they make of Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese?
Today, 4 Corners Reporter Sean Nicolls on the voters who really matter.
Featured:
Sean Nicholls, Reporter, ABC 4 Corners
The people of Afghanistan are starving to death.
Almost six months to the day since the Taliban seized control, it's estimated 95 per cent of people don't have enough money for food, and at least 8 million people are facing starvation.
Today, Australian journalist Yalda Hakim on the return to her birth nation for the ABC's Foreign Correspondent program and the desperation she found on the ground.
Featured:
Yalda Hakim, Reporter, BBC and ABC TV Foreign Correspondent
The people of Afghanistan are starving to death.
Almost six months to the day since the Taliban seized control, it's estimated 95 per cent of people don't have enough money for food, and at least 8 million people are facing starvation.
Today, Australian journalist Yalda Hakim on the return to her birth nation for the ABC's Foreign Correspondent program and the desperation she found on the ground.
Featured:
Yalda Hakim, Reporter, BBC and ABC TV Foreign Correspondent
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame and former staffer Brittany Higgins have delivered an explosive address to the National Press Club that's left the Prime Minister on the backfoot just as he was trying to reset the agenda.
No sooner had Scott Morrison directly apologised to Brittiany Higgins, who was allegedly raped at Parliament House, than he was facing fresh questions about the political culture and treatment of women.
Today, Radio National’s Patricia Karvelas on a reckoning over violence against women, and an explosive start to the parliamentary year.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, Host, ABC Radio National Breakfast
It's always been cut off from the wider nation, but never quite like this.
As the rest of Australia opens up further, including by welcoming back international travellers in 12 days' time, Western Australia's Premier Mark McGowan still won't set a date for when his state's hard border will fall.
Today, two Perth businessmen on life inside Fortress WA, and the deepening toll it's taking.
Featured:
Paul House, CEO, IMDEX
Brad Lowson, Director and Partner, Global Spill Control
While infection levels are beginning to drop in most of the country, Omicron is now ripping through remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory at an alarming rate, with hospitalisations now the highest per capita in the country.
Severe overcrowding is driving the spread, with dozens of people often forced to isolate together in derelict housing, while vaccination rates remain among the lowest in the country.
Today, the ABC's Indigenous Affairs Editor, Bridget Brennan, on a crisis politicians foresaw but failed to prevent.
Featured:
Bridget Brennan, ABC Indigenous Affairs Editor
He rebuilt the Australian cricket team after the international embarrassment of the so-called "sandpapergate" cheating scandal, and last month he took the side to one of its most emphatic Ashes wins.
But now Justin Langer is out, after months of pressure from players unhappy with his style.
Today, sports commentator Glenn Mitchell on Langer's treatment and why he's been cast aside.
Featured:
Glenn Mitchell, sports commentator
With the federal parliament returning next week, there's a lot at stake for Scott Morrison as he prepares to face voters at the next election.
There are only ten sitting days scheduled before he'll have to head to the polls, and while the Prime Minister hoped his first major address of the year would clear the decks, it only worsened his already tenuous position.
Today, ABC 7.30 Chief Political Correspondent Laura Tingle on the sitting days Scott Morrison doesn't need, his reluctance to say sorry, and a tough road ahead.
Featured:
Laura Tingle, 7.30 Chief Political Correspondent
Ukrainians are again living with the threat of invasion, with tens of thousands of Russian troops amassed along their country's eastern border.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his demands that NATO not be expanded are being ignored, and the west is luring him into conflict.
But in Ukraine, many say they've been here before, with memories of when Russia invaded in 2014 and annexed Crimea.
Today, we speak to two Ukrainians, one working with the Red Cross on the Russian border and one a reporter in the capital Kyiv, about life in the shadow of war.
Featured:
Alex Vlasenko, International Committee of the Red Cross, Donbas, Ukraine
Sashko Shevchenko, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kyiv, Ukraine
COVID is ripping through Australian aged care homes at a rate we haven't seen before, with more than 400 residents dying in January alone.
In many cases they died still waiting for promised booster shots and without seeing their loved ones, because facilities were locked down to try to stop the spread.
Today, ABC investigative reporter Anne Connolly on the failure to protect some of Australia's most vulnerable and why the crisis is far from over.
Featured:
Anne Connolly, ABC investigative reporter
After record breaking COVID numbers during the Omicron wave, Australian doctors are hoping hospital admissions have plateaued.
It's a similar story in the US, but on a much larger scale, with 2,500 people still dying every day, and 150,000 COVID patients in hospital at any given time.
Today, we hear from two American emergency room doctors on a system close to collapse, and the lessons for Australia.
Featured:
Dr Morgan Eutermoser, emergency physician, Denver Health, Colorado
Dr Jeremy Faust, emergency physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
With some kids back at school already and others heading back to class today, how vulnerable are we all to another Omicron surge, and who's really making the decisions about whether it's safe to go back?
Today we talk to the ABC's national education and parenting reporter, Conor Duffy, about the power of education unions across the country and the influence they've had in keeping schools closed in some states.
Featured:
Conor Duffy, ABC national education and parenting reporter
ABC News Daily is a new podcast that will help you understand the issues affecting your world.
Every episode, host Sam Hawley will walk you through one story with the help of an ABC colleague or expert.
When you want coverage you can trust, listen to ABC News Daily.
Find it in your podcast feed from Monday, January 31 2022.
It's goodbye from The Signal team — join us to revisit our favourite episodes.
(We've chosen from a pool of 900, so you know they'll be good.)
Keep an eye out for the ABC's new daily news podcast, coming in early 2022!
Featured:
Ange Lavoipierre, Co-host, The Signal
Stephen Smiley, Co-host, The Signal
Chris Dengate, Producer & Sound Engineer, The Signal
Ever since Delta, we've been talking about the inevitability of a new variant.
And yet somehow, Omicron came as a surprise.
Before Omicron, the end of the pandemic seemed close enough to touch.
So was it all a mirage?
Today on The Signal, we're asking Epidemiologist, Professor Tony Blakely from the University of Melbourne, about what to expect from the pandemic in 2022.
Featured:
Tony Blakely, Professor of Epidemiology, University of Melbourne
In 2019, lots of people thought they knew what would happen at the federal election.
And almost all of them were wrong.
This time around, commentators are more circumspect.
But if you're after an educated guess about the 2022 election outcome, what should you take into account?
Today on The Signal, we speak with Patricia Karvelas about the answer to that question.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, Host, RN Drive and ABC Afternoon Briefing
The firehose of Trump-era headlines out of America has dried up, but Joe Biden hasn't been having an easy time during his first year in office.
In fact, the President's popularity has taken such a knock that many Democrats are bracing for the loss of their wafer-thin majority in Congress during next year's midterms.
So can Biden recover to win again in 2024, most likely in a rematch with Donald Trump?
Today on The Signal, we're taking a long view of US Politics and daring to ask: what should we expect from the next Presidential race?
Featured:
Chas Licciardello, Host of the ABC's Planet America
Parliament has risen for 2021 and it certainly looks and smells like an election campaign is underway.
The prime minister Scott Morrison spent Sunday at the Bathurst 1000 V8 supercar event in NSW, while the opposition leader Anthony Albanese held a policy rally in the inner west of Sydney.
So after a bruising final stretch this year, who's in pole position?
Today on The Signal, we catch up with the host of Insiders on ABC TV, David Speers, to dissect the final sitting fortnight of Parliament, and take a look at the road ahead in federal politics.
Featured:
David Speers, Host, ABC TV Insiders
And just a quick note to our loyal subscribers from Ange and Smiley: this will be our final week hosting The Signal. The podcast will undergo a refresh over the summer, and will be back in 2022 with a new host and name. Keep an eye out for it here in your feed!
Contraceptive choices for Australians haven't really budged in the last few decades.
So what's the hold up? And how far off are some of those big breakthroughs, like male contraceptives?
Today on The Signal, it's the future of contraceptives and why that future is taking so long to arrive.
Featured:
Georgia Hitch, ABC Reporter, Canberra Parliament House
Scott Morrison has a plan to end online trolling in Australia.
A draft of the Government bill released yesterday would force social media companies to keep a record of their users' real identity, as well as overturn a recent High Court decision that ruled social platforms are legally publishers, for defamation purposes.
So are those ideas any good?
And how would they work in practice?
Today on The Signal, what we know about the Government's latest plan to get tough on big tech.
Featured:
Cam Wilson, Associate Editor, Crikey.com.au
Sexual harassment and bullying are rife within Australian federal politics.
That's the finding of a landmark report by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, based on anonymous interviews with hundreds of people employed in parliamentary workplaces.
Kate Jenkins' inquiry was initiated back in February, when allegations came to light that former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins had been raped by a colleague in a ministerial office.
So what has Kate Jenkins found?
And will the Government accept her recommendations about what needs to change?
Today on The Signal, what we know about the ugly workplace culture at the heart of our democracy, and whether there is sufficient political will to fix it.
Featured:
Stephanie Dalzell, ABC Political Reporter, Parliament House Canberra
The Omicron variant of COVID-19 was only named on Friday, but it's already notorious.
Even though there are still more questions about it than answers, the new variant is already wreaking havoc worldwide, as governments pre-emptively throw up borders and reintroduce restrictions in a bid to slow its spread.
So what do we know about Omicron for sure?
And among the known unknowns, what is the greatest cause for concern?
Today on The Signal: Omicron, the latest twist in the pandemic.
Featured:
Professor Nancy Baxter, Head of Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
This pandemic is far from over, with scientists scrambling to get a handle on the Omicron variant as governments worldwide throw up hard borders.
Nevertheless, countries from around the world are already starting to prepare for the next one, with a meeting underway today to potentially thrash out a new pandemic treaty.
So what options are on the table?
And can the world's nations really agree on where they failed against COVID-19 in order to do better?
Featured:
Professor Adam Kamradt-Scott, Chair of Global Public Health, School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute, Florence, Italy
Vaccinated, cured, or dead: those are the three likely paths ahead for Germans, according to the country's Health Minister, as it prepares to plunge into pandemic winter.
Many European countries are currently in the grips of a brutal fourth wave of COVID-19.
It's so bad that Austria has just gone back into lockdown in an attempt to spare the country's already overwhelmed ICUs.
Only two thirds of Europeans have been fully vaccinated so far, and many of those people are at a point now where their immunity is starting to fade.
It's a pattern that's making health officials worried about what the next few months have in store.
Today on the Signal, Europe's backsliding COVID situation. Is it a sign of things to come for Australia?
Featured:
Eva Schernhammer, Professor of Epidemiology, Medical University of Vienna
Religious discrimination, voter ID laws, a federal anti-corruption watchdog: Scott Morrison's end-of-year parliamentary to-do list is long.
So why is a group of the government's own parliamentarians trying to derail it with a fight over state vaccine rules?
Today on The Signal, why backbenchers are revolting, and what it might mean for the Morrison government's re-election.
Featured:
David Speers, Host, ABC TV Insiders
The Victorian Government's own logging business, VicForests, is facing new allegations of illegal logging.
In the past it's been found to have been clearing in protected areas -- including the habitat of endangered species.
This time, the allegations are to do with illegally clearing within the Melbourne catchment area in a way that scientists say could threaten the quality of the city's drinking water.
Today on The Signal, a special investigation into allegations of illegal logging by a Government-owned company.
Featured:
Michael Slezak, National Science, Technology and Environment Reporter, ABC
COVID-19 had been largely kept out of the Northern Territory, but in the past few days that changed.
Now, residents in a string of communities are living under some of the harshest lockdowns yet imposed in Australia, as the virus spreads in Katherine and across the outback.
So what went wrong?
Today on The Signal, we're examining how the virus spread in the NT, and asking whether the lockdowns and a reinvigorated vaccination campaign will halt its spread.
Featured:
Jane Bardon, ABC Northern Territory reporter
Deb Aloisi, Binjari Community Aboriginal Corporation
Kevin Rogers, Rockhole resident
Lisa Mumbin, Chairwoman, Wurli Wurlinjang Aboriginal Health Service, Katherine
Jack Green, Garawa elder
Malarndirri McCarthy, NT Labor Senator
Dr Robert Parker, Australian Medical Association NT President
John Paterson, Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance chief executive
The Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been talking up the future of the coal industry in the decades to come.
That's despite a COP26 promise to "phase down" coal, and frequent widespread predictions that market forces are already forcing coal into terminal decline.
So who's right?
Today on The Signal, the surprisingly bright future of mining in Australia.
How much more coal are we really going to dig up and sell?
And what other kinds of mining might take its place?
Featured:
Dr Richard Denniss, Chief Economist, The Australia Institute
Most of the world's nations struck a major deal on Sunday in Glasgow to do more to bring down their emissions.
But for the deal to be worth the paper it's written on, one key assumption has to be true: that we actually know what our emissions are.
So can we really keep track of our climate-altering emissions?
And if we can't, how much trouble are we in?
Featured:
Dr Philippe Ciais, Researcher and Associate Director, Climate and Environmental Science Laboratory, Pierre Simon Laplace Institute, Paris
A new migrant crisis is building on the European Union's eastern frontier.
At the border with Poland, thousands of migrants and asylum seekers are camped out in forests and woodlands in Belarus trying to enter.
So how did they get there?
And how does this impasse resolve?
Today on The Signal, how Belarus engineered a migrant crisis, and why.
Featured:
Sara Cincurova, independent journalist, Bratislava, Slovakia
You don't see gallows at a protest all that often in Australia, but they've appeared more than once lately in Melbourne.
The scenes are just the most visible part of the backlash to the Victorian Government's new pandemic power bill, which has been described as an attack on democracy by the state opposition.
So what is it about this bill that's inspired so much anger?
Featured:
Josh Taylor, reporter, The Guardian Australia
28 million American children between the ages of 5 and 12 are lining up to get vaccinated against COVID-19, after health authorities there gave Pfizer's jab for kids emergency approval.
In Australia, the health minister Greg Hunt says there'll be a little more of a wait, although he is indicating the first jabs could be administered to children by January.
So what do we know about how COVID-19 affects children?
And can the delay in vaccinating them be justified?
Featured:
Professor Fiona Russell, Paediatrician, infectious diseases epidemiologist and vaccinologist, University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children's Research Institute
After walkouts, tears and last-minute deals, the UN climate summit in Glasgow is over, and all 197 countries have signed up to the final agreement.
So what's in it?
Today on The Signal, we're bringing you the successes and failures of COP26.
Where does the world stand after the most crucial climate meeting to date?
Featured:
Lesley Hughes, Professor of Biology at Macquarie University & Climate Councillor, Climate Council of Australia
Australia has undergone a revolution in how we talk about many crimes and disorders.
Despite the new openness, discussing incestuous abuse and the condition it can trigger, dissociative identity disorder, remains largely taboo.
So what, if anything, do we know about its prevalence?
And how do its victims live with the trauma?
Today on The Signal, we're talking with Tracey Shelton from the ABC's Background Briefing about the last unspeakable crime, and how those who've suffered from it find their voice.
Featured:
Tracey Shelton, Reporter, ABC Background Briefing and ABC Asia Pacific newsroom
After declaring in 2019 that electric vehicles would "end the weekend", the Government has had a change of heart.
It announced a 250 million dollar EV strategy this week, with a focus on funding public and household charging infrastructure.
So will it give EVs the push-start they need? Or is it all talk?
Today on The Signal, Australia's slow motion switch to electric vehicles. What will it take to speed things up?
Featured:
Gail Broadbent, postgraduate researcher on EVs, University of New South Wales
Joe Biden has passed a signature bill through Congress, but it's just a warm up for the next one.
The Build Back Better Plan is facing an uphill battle, with members of the President's own party providing some tough opposition.
So will his multi-trillion-dollar plan succeed?
Today on the Signal, can Joe Biden actually change America, and is his plan worth the price tag?
Featured:
Bruce Wolpe, Senior Fellow, United States Studies Centre, Sydney
More than 80% of the eligible Australian population is now fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
It's a major milestone, and it comes as the federal government's population-wide booster program gets underway.
So what does the science tell us about why boosters are necessary?
And will we all need more than one?
Today on The Signal, everything we know and don't know about vaccines, boosters and waning immunity.
Featured:
Professor Tony Blakely, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
A week ago we were wondering what the UN climate summit in Glasgow, COP26, might deliver for humanity.
We'd been told many times that the world is not on track to limit warming to less than 2 degrees, and that Glasgow was our best - if not our last - chance to fix that.
At the halfway mark, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg says the talks have already failed.
So is she right?
Today on The Signal, while world leaders have mostly left, negotiations still have a week to run.
So what's the world agreed to so far? And is there still cause for hope in the final week?
Featured:
Dr Matthew England, Professor of Climate Processes, University of New South Wales, Sydney
A handful of Nationals have pitched nuclear power as a way to lower Australia's emissions.
It's not the first time the idea has come up in Australia — but there's been a ban in place since 1998, and lacklustre public support since nuclear disasters such as Chernobyl.
So is it a good idea now, either environmentally or financially? And would the public support it this time around?
Featured:
Ian Lowe, Emeritus Professor, School of Science and Environment, Griffith University
France's fury with Australia over the decision to scrap a submarine contract isn't cooling.
Less than a week after Scott Morison assured the public the relationship was on the mend, the French President Emmanuel Macron has accused him of lying, while the French Ambassador in Canberra Jean-Pierre Thebault says things are now at an "unprecedented new low".
So is Scott Morrison making things worse?
And as relations with France continue to unravel, what might happen next?
Featured:
David Speers, Host, Insiders, ABC TV
There's a lot of pressure on the leaders of wealthy countries gathering in Glasgow at the moment to be more ambitious on cutting emissions.
When the focus turns to Australia, the prime minister Scott Morrison has a standard reply: Australia's record on cutting emissions shows that we always keep our promises.
What he doesn't talk about, is how.
Today on The Signal, Australia's true record on climate targets.
How much of it is actually smoke and mirrors?
Featured:
Mikey Slezak, ABC National Environment, Science and Technology Reporter
After almost 600 days, Australia's borders have finally reopened to millions of citizens, permanent residents and New Zealanders who've been vaccinated.
In that time, the closed international border has dramatically reshaped Australian society, in particular its workforce, which is undersupplied without migrants.
Today on the Signal, 'Fortress Australia' is finally dropping the drawbridge, but how big is the immigration gap we need to fill? And will people still want in?
Featured:
Dr Liz Allen, Demographer, Australian National University, Canberra
On Friday, the former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian gave long-awaited evidence at a corruption inquiry, and there's more to come.
The former NSW Premier was questioned publicly about a series of tapped calls with her then partner, Daryl Maguire, who resigned from state parliament in disgrace in 2018, as investigators tried to discover how much she really knew about his conduct.
So what's the damage so far?
Today on The Signal, we bring you the key moments in Gladys Berejiklian's ICAC hearing, and find out all the ways that it could end.
Featured:
Paul Farrell, investigative reporter, ABC 7:30
On Friday, the former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian gave long-awaited evidence at a corruption inquiry, and there's more to come.
The former NSW Premier was questioned publicly about a series of tapped calls with her then partner, Daryl Maguire, who resigned from state parliament in disgrace in 2018, as investigators tried to discover how much she really knew about his conduct.
So what's the damage so far?
Today on The Signal, we bring you the key moments in Gladys Berejiklian's ICAC hearing, and find out all the ways that it could end.
Featured:
Paul Farrell, investigative reporter, ABC 7:30
The next two and a bit weeks of the climate summit in Glasgow could decide whether the world is still liveable at the end of the century.
The whole point of COP26 is to get world leaders to agree to cut their emissions to a point that will limit warming to less than 2 degrees.
So are we currently on track for that? And days out from the start of the conference, what should we realistically expect it to achieve?
Today on The Signal, how the next two weeks in Glasgow are likely to play out.
Featured:
Professor Mark Howden, Director, Institute for Climate Energy and Disaster Solutions, ANU & Vice Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Parts of Australia's new net-zero climate policy are finally public.
But many who've read its 129 pages say the much-anticipated 'plan' is light on for detail, leaning heavily on existing policies, untested technologies, hypothetical future breakthroughs, and promises politicians will do as they say.
So will it actually get us to net zero?
And does it really protect the regions, as the Government claims?
Today on The Signal we look at how Australia's two governing parties landed this deal, and ask whether the plan differs at all from the status quo.
Featured:
Professor Geoff Cockfield, Honorary professor of politics and economics, Institute for Resilient Regions and Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland
Most companies described by a royal commission as callous, dishonest and disgraceful would be done for.
But yesterday, after those words and more were used by Royal Commissioner Ray Finkelstein in his final report to describe Crown Casino in Melbourne, the Victorian Government gave the company a lifeline.
So how did that happen?
And now Crown's been given an extra two years to clean up its Melbourne operations, what happens next?
Featured:
Dan Ziffer, Business Reporter, ABC Melbourne
Australia is clipping through its COVID vaccination milestones at breakneck speed.
In Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, lockdowns are over and restrictions are easing.
Meanwhile, from Tasmania to Queensland, governments are finalising reopening plans, with a vision of a "normal" summer with interstate visitors coming into view.
So are we through the worst of the pandemic?
Today on The Signal, we're taking stock of Australia's progress on the path back to normality.
Are there risks ahead?
And if there are, then what's our plan?
Featured:
Professor Catherine Bennett, Chair in Epidemiology, Deakin University, Melbourne
It's been a long time coming, but the Nationals have finally agreed in-principle on terms for a net zero by 2050 target.
Announcing the deal on Sunday evening, Barnaby Joyce wouldn't say what the final conditions were, and who in the party was still against it, but there are plenty of early indications.
Today on The Signal, what do we know so far about Australia's all but finalised net zero deal?
And how does Australia's brand new policy on emissions stack up on the world stage?
Featured:
David Speers, Host, ABC Insiders
Dr Bill Hare, climate scientist & Director, Climate Analytics
More and more billionaires are jumping on rockets to try to reach space.
Richard Branson was the first with Virgin Galactica, Jeff Bezos was next with Blue Origin, and they're both competing against Elon Musk's company SpaceX.
The question is, what's in it for the rest of humanity?
Today on the Signal, the dawn of the new space age and the billionaires funding it.
What's it going to achieve, and is it worth the cost?
Featured:
Dr Bradley Tucker, Astrophysicist and Cosmologist, Australian National University
Dr Eloise Marais, Associate Professor in Physical Geography, University College London
China might just have taken a big step forward in its nuclear capability.
It's reportedly been testing space missiles which could get around US defences, meaning that, theoretically, it's able to launch a nuclear strike on US soil.
So how is the US likely to respond?
Today on The Signal, China's expanding nuclear ambitions. How does a race like this end?
Featured:
Dr Jeffrey Lewis, Professor, Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California & Director, East Asia Nonproliferation Project
Donald Trump's presidency is over for now, but he left a huge mark on the US Supreme Court.
The former president appointed three of the court's six conservatives, and in the next few weeks they'll make one of the most consequential decisions in decades.
So will the Supreme Court really let states ban abortion?
And if it does, what will that mean for women, and for the court's reputation?
Featured:
Dahlia Lithwick, US Supreme Court reporter, Slate.com
After 19 months of being effectively cut off, Australia is less than two weeks away from reopening the border to outbound travellers.
NSW is going even further, by allowing returning travellers back in without quarantine, with other states including Victoria potentially following suit weeks later.
So how will the end of the travel ban work in practice?
Today on The Signal, we're trying to answer all your questions about the gradual return of overseas travel.
Featured:
Dr Leonardo Nogueira de Moraes, Tourism resilience and planning expert, University of Melbourne
The global economy is in weirder shape than it's been in a long time.
Major economies are emerging from lockdown, a complicated set of dynamics in Europe and Asia is causing energy prices to soar, and there's a new focus on driving down emissions.
So do all these things taken together add up to an economic meltdown?
Today on The Signal, we're speaking with the ABC's Business Editor Ian Verrender about whether we could see a repeat of the stagflation crisis of the 1970s, and how long it could last.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC Business Editor
It's been hard to open a news app this week without running headlong into a story about hydrogen.
But for an energy source that seems to be all the rage, it's still pretty hard to come by, which might explain the generalised confusion about what it is, and how it works.
Today on The Signal, we explain why everyone seems to be throwing money at hydrogen and ask: is Australia entering a new boom?
Featured:
Dr Patrick Hartley, Leader, CSIRO Hydrogen Industry Mission
For a private citizen visiting out of a personal interest, Taiwan sure made a lot of fuss over the former Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
That's because his recent visit seems to be part of a larger, very complicated diplomatic dance Australia is engaged in, designed to keep China happy and Taiwan safe.
So is it working?
Today on the Signal, how close is China to invading? And if Beijing did decide to do that, would Australia join a war over it?
Featured:
Natasha Kassam, Director of the Lowy Institute's Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program
The end of Australia's lockdown era is approaching fast.
In Sydney, pubs are open, schools are going back, and lines for haircuts trail around street corners.
In Canberra too, a lockdown is ending on Friday, while in Melbourne 10,000 double-vaccinated spectators will be allowed to watch horse racing at Flemington in November, with more easing to follow.
But is Australia reopening too fast?
Today on The Signal, what the new era means for COVID case numbers, and how much to worry about the risk it could all end in misery.
Featured:
Professor Nancy Baxter, Head of School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
Some health risks are obvious, like smoking, or eating too much sugar. But what about renting?
As many as a million Australians live in housing that harms their health, with renters the worst off.
So what's the health cost of having so much substandard housing?
And how do you even begin to fix a problem like that?
Featured:
Alice, Sydney tenant
Professor Rebecca Bentley, Director of the Centre of Research Excellence in Healthy Housing, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Dr Kim Loo, General Practitioner
Since the Taliban retook the country, millions of Afghans have been trying to get out.
Many go first to Iran or Pakistan, and from there try for resettlement elsewhere.
But it's a difficult, bureaucratic process, and for most it ends in disappointment.
So is Australia doing enough to help?
Today on The Signal, we're hearing about a group of Afghan orphans who've made it Sydney.
How is Australia helping them, and their compatriots back in Afghanistan?
Featured:
Latifa, Afghan refugee
Emily Clark, Reporter, ABC news international desk
Kate Ogg, Associate Professor, Australian National University College of Law, Canberra
It's been a busy time for Australia's state-based anti-corruption bodies.
In New South Wales, an ICAC investigation has prompted yet another premier to resign, while in Victoria the IBAC is reportedly investigating Daniel Andrews and in South Australia observers say a lightning-fast legislative change late last month has rendered the ICAC there all but impotent.
So what makes a state integrity body both effective and fair?
And what does all this state-based controversy mean for the eventual shape of the national body?
Today on The Signal, there's been a push to weaken anti-corruption bodies in Australia, right as the Federal ICAC is being designed.
So is a weak ICAC better than nothing at all, or could it make matters worse?
Featured:
Han Aulby, Executive Director, Centre for Public Integrity
Facebook is hauled over the coals by US congress on a semi regular basis, but this week has been especially damaging.
Former employee Frances Haugen has blown the whistle on the company, leaking internal documents that reveal that it knew it was harming its users.
Today on The Signal, what exactly has Facebook been keeping from the world?
And what does the company have to say for itself?
Featured:
Siva Vaidyanathan, Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia, US
Australia's major political parties are gearing up for the next federal election.
And it's not just political parties in preparation mode: there's also a growing clutch of climate-conscious independents planning on campaigning too.
Their platforms are heavily focussed on more ambitious targets for climate policy, and the battlegrounds they're preparing for are a string of wealthy, Liberal-held seats in Sydney and Melbourne.
So can these aspirational independents really flip some of the Government's most-prized electorates, from Wentworth and Mackellar in Sydney to Goldstein and Flinders in Melbourne?
Could they flip enough of them to change the Government?
Featured:
David Speers, Host, Insiders, ABC TV
Before long, Australians will be able to test themselves for COVID-19 at home.
Rapid antigen tests deliver results within 20 minutes, and they're going to feature more prominently as we move into a post-lockdown world.
Today on The Signal, how does the new, faster generation of tests work, how will they change our lives, and can we rely on them?
Featured:
Deborah Williamson, Professor of Microbiology, Doherty Institute
If you blinked on Friday you might have missed Gladys Berejiklian's resignation.
The NSW Premier made the sudden announcement within an hour of news breaking that she'd be the subject of a corruption investigation.
So what are the tricky questions Gladys Berejiklian still has to answer?
And what do we know so far about her anointed successor, Dominic Perrottet?
Featured:
Kathleen Calderwood, Reporter, ABC News Sydney
Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Investigative Reporter, ABC News
Australia's never been closer to adopting a net zero by 2050 target.
The Prime Minister Scott Morrison's slow shift in rhetoric is now culminating in a very public showdown with his Coalition partners, the Nationals.
Some Nationals cabinet members have spoken out against such a change, and the party's leader, Barnaby Joyce has also chimed in, pointing to the current energy shortage in the UK and Europe to illustrate his concerns about a shift away from fossil fuels.
Today on the Signal, is the UK's energy mess really a window into Australia's net zero future?
And will the Nationals ultimately get on board?
Featured:
Andrew Probyn, ABC Political Editor
Akshat Rathi, Climate and Energy Reporter, Bloomberg News
The big Delta outbreaks in Victoria and NSW are on different trajectories, but this week there was a strange crossover moment.
On Tuesday, NSW recorded 863 new COVID cases, while in Victoria the daily tally that day was higher, at 867.
In NSW the signs are that the Delta outbreak is finally improving, while in Victoria the case curve remains exponential.
So is this what the modelling predicted?
And will things get worse or better from here?
Today on The Signal, we're looking at what the various models being used by governments predicted would happen, and asking whether we can trust them to forecast the months ahead.
Featured:
Professor Greg Dore, Kirby Institute, University of NSW and Infectious diseases physician, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney
Professor Margaret Hellard, Deputy Director, Burnet Institute, Melbourne
China is the world's largest public funder of coal-fired power overseas, and it's a particularly important source of funding for projects in South-East Asia.
Last week at the United Nations, China's President Xi Jinping promised to end the cash-flow.
So what does that mean for the fight against climate change?
Today on The Signal, we're looking at the future of coal power worldwide.
Who's still building coal, and if China's decision spells the end of it, what power sources will those countries turn to instead?
Featured:
Helen Mountford, Vice-President for Climate and Economics, World Resources Institute, Washington DC, US
The seemingly inevitable collapse of the major Chinese property firm Evergrande has economists around the world worried.
The most pessimistic predictions are that its collapse could pull China's economy — and parts of the global financial system — down with it.
Today on The Signal, is Evergrande too big to fail?
And if the Chinese Government doesn't step in, how far could the fallout spread?
Featured:
Emily Feng, Beijing Correspondent, US National Public Radio (NPR)
David Taylor, Business Reporter, ABC
The Taliban is settling back into power in Afghanistan, a month after their victory.
Since then, the militant group has named an interim cabinet and ministry that's entirely male and mostly Pashtun, and in the latest gruesome display of their approach to justice, they hung a dead body from a crane at a busy roundabout in the city of Herat over the weekend.
But despite the brutality and the lack of female representation, talk that the Taliban is different from the 90s persists.
So what is the evidence for that so far?
Today on The Signal we speak with the Chief of the Associated Press bureau in Afghanistan, Kathy Gannon.
We ask her what daily life has been like under the Taliban already, 20 years after they last ruled one of the world's poorest countries, and what may lie ahead.
Featured:
Kathy Gannon, Afghanistan and Pakistan Bureau Chief, Associated Press, Kabul
It's been seven years since Virginia Giuffre first made allegations against the Queen's son, Prince Andrew.
The Prince has always emphatically denied the allegations, which include that he knew Giuffre was being trafficked by the now-deceased American financier Jeffrey Epstein when she was a teenager, and that he allegedly had sex with her anyway on three separate occasions.
After an earlier criminal investigation into the allegations was wound up, Giuffre's lawyers have initiated a civil case against him in a court in New York.
But it could be a drawn out affair, with even just getting the legal papers in front of the Prince proving to be tricky.
Today on The Signal, what is Virginia Giuffre alleging?
And if the case does get to trial in America, what will it mean for Giuffre, for Prince Andrew, and for the royal family itself?
Featured:
Mark Stephen, Media lawyer and Partner, Howard Kennedy, London
Nazi cry babies, fascist morons, drunks, opportunists, or just really frustrated construction workers?
There are a lot of opinions getting around about exactly who's been protesting on the streets of Melbourne this week.
So after several days of clashes with police, what do we know about the real composition of the crowd that stormed the CFMEU headquarters on Monday?
And what's driven people to show up every day since?
Today on The Signal, Australia's ugliest moment so far in the fight against COVID-19 vaccines.
Featured:
Ben Schneiders, investigative reporter, The Age
Michael Byrne, Partner & workplace relations lawyer, Swaab
In many parts of Australia, Aboriginal community leaders want more control over local decision-making.
They say it's a race against time to start reversing decades-old crises of substance abuse, incarceration, crime and joblessness.
Often, community leaders point to existing examples of self-determination.
So what are those models delivering?
Today on The Signal, we travel to the communities on Groote Eylandt, off the east coast of Arnhem Land.
How does self-determination work there?
And could the same strategies be adapted elsewhere too?
Featured:
Jane Bardon, ABC reporter
Tony Wurramarrba, Chairman, Anindilyakwa Land Council
Glen Smith, General Manager, Gebie Civil and Construction
Nesman Bara, Board-member, Aminjarrinja Enterprises
Daniel Ngurruwuthun, Artist
Constantine Mamarika, Traditional owner
Ida Mamarika, Umbakumba Elder
Fabian Lalara, Senior Mentor Supervisor, Gebie Gang
Donovan Wurramara, Gebie Gang participant
Jasmine Hastings, Leadership officer, Milyakburra Strong Women's Group
If you're locked down right now, you're probably spending quite a lot of your time imagining how much better 2022 will be.
NSW and Victoria both have roadmaps out of lockdown that project a significant re-opening once 80% of the population older than 16 is fully vaccinated later this year.
The national COVID plan sets out something similar for other parts of the country too.
The reality though is that next year is far from certain.
The rise and fall of case numbers, the death rate, and time spent in lockdown really depend on what we do next.
Today on The Signal, we're looking at three different models for how 2022 could look in Australia, and what it'll take to pull off the best case scenario.
Featured:
Professor Tony Blakely, Epidemiologist, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
Things were looking shaky for Christian Porter for days before he resigned from the frontbench.
In less than a year, the man formerly described as one of the most promising members of the Coalition's cabinet, has had a dramatic tumble from Attorney General to the backbenches.
He maintains he's done nothing wrong, in spite of sharp criticism over an anonymous donation to help cover the cost of suing the ABC.
Despite that, he's leaving Cabinet in the name of avoiding further distraction from the Government's efforts to govern.
So is that the end of the matter?
Today on The Signal, the reasons behind Christian Porter's resignation from the frontbench, and what happens next to the Member for Pearce.
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, Host, RN Drive and ABC News Afternoon Briefing
It's the most significant defence announcement in Australia in decades.
After months of secret talks, the US and UK will help Australia develop a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.
It allows Australia access to one of the world's most exclusive weaponry clubs, and everyone knows the unspoken motivation is to try to contain a rising China.
So will this make us safer?
Today on The Signal, we explore what Australia's agreed to, and where it might lead.
Featured:
Stephen Dziedzic, ABC Foreign Affairs Reporter
Federal election season is fast approaching, and lately Labor has been trying to get itself into shape.
While much of the party's policy platform remains a work in progress, personnel dilemmas have been the focus in the past few weeks.
And there've been quite a few, with the retirement of the backbencher Joel Fitzgibbon, an unseemly jostle about who would make the cut for Labor's NSW Senate ticket, and the awkward parachuting of the party's Deputy Senate Leader Kristina Keneally into a likely safe Labor seat in Sydney's South West.
So what's behind all the untidiness?
And given the Labor Party seems to believe the election isn't far off, what do we know about when it will be?
Featured:
David Speers, Host, ABC TV Insiders
If you thought Australia's vaccine rollout was on the slow side, then spare a thought for Ethiopia, Nigeria or Kenya, where vaccination rates are still in the low single digit percentage points.
Many argue it's proof the system designed to level the vaccine playing field between rich and poor countries is failing dismally.
So what went wrong with COVAX? And is it too late to turn it around?
Today on The Signal, the yawning gap between countries like Australia and the world's poorest when it comes to vaccination, and what happens if that gap isn't closed.
Featured:
Andrea Taylor, Assistant Director of Programs, Duke Global Health Innovation Centre, Duke University, US
Back in April, the Australian Government welcomed the findings of landmark report into workplace sexual harassment.
The report followed an inquiry conducted by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, and it contained 55 recommendations which the Government said it accepted 'in full, in part or in principle'.
But this month, when the Parliament finally legislated the Government's response, several key recommendations didn't make it.
So what's gone missing?
And what happens now?
Today on The Signal, how Australia's workplace sexual harassment laws are changing, what business leaders are saying about it, and what might happen next.
Featured:
Rhiana Whitson, ABC Business Reporter
Kate Jenkins, Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner
Sam Schreuder, Cafe owner, St Kilda, Melbourne
James Fazzino, Champions of Change Coalition
Despite breaking its daily COVID record again on the weekend, New South Wales is now counting down to reopening in late October.
It's more or less in line with the national plan announced by the Federal Government in August, which sets out that 'Phase B' begins when 70% percent of the population older than 16 has had both doses of a vaccine.
But with every state in territory in a totally different situation, will everyone still want to stick with it?
Today on The Signal, Australia's extremely patchy and halting return to normal.
Do the states and territories have to stick to the national plan? And if not, what do the next few months look like?
Featured:
Dr Anne Twomey, Professor of Constitutional Law, University of Sydney
20 years after 9/11, we look at how the attacks fuelled American xenophobia and blinded the US to grave issues beyond terrorism. A view from a Pulitzer Prize winning foreign policy writer, Fred Kaplan, a witness to the Twin Towers catastrophe. Also why national debate about “opening up” must include wider use of rapid testing.
Being paid the same amount of money to work fewer hours is a strong pitch, so it's easy to see why workers might support a four day week.
Surprisingly though, there's also growing evidence that it'll boost overall productivity.
The four day working week is being trialled from Iceland and Spain to the US and Scotland, with more places contemplating the model.
So if it's a win for businesses and workers, then why isn't it already everywhere?
Featured:
Professor Juliet Schor, Economist and Sociologist, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Boston College, Boston, US
Australia's been positioning itself as America's best friend in the world for a long time now.
It's 20 years since the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, after which Australia followed the US into both Afghanistan and Iraq.
It's also, co-incidentally, 70 years since Australia signed the ANZUS treaty with America, a treaty thought to guarantee mutual protection.
In fact, the US alliance is the centrepiece of Australia's whole foreign policy.
But what if it's not what we think it is?
Today on the Signal, can Australia really count on the US?
And if we can't, then what should we be doing differently?
Featured:
Dr Emma Shortis, Research Fellow, Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University, and author, 'Our Exceptional Friend: Australia's fatal alliance with the United States'
Indigenous communities are calling on governments to find better ways of using mining royalties to close the gap.
Many Aboriginal leaders had hoped that regaining land rights would improve community living conditions, and they're now sad to see cash royalties in some cases exacerbating social damage.
In the Northern Territory, $3.2 billion has been collected in royalties over the last 40 years.
So why hasn't this lifted people out of poverty?
And is there a better way to manage all this money which traditional owners, governments and land councils could agree on?
Featured:
Jane Bardon, ABC reporter
Allyson Croydon, Papulu Apparr-Kari Parent and Community Engagement Program
Joebessgo Mayers, Papulu Apparr-Kari RSAS Truancy Program
Linda Turner, Warumungu traditional owner
Norman Frank, Warumungu traditional owner
Dion Williams, Anyinginyi Health support worker
Bonnie Camphoo, Tennant Creek resident
Elliot McAdam, former NT Labor MP for Barkly
Pat Brahim, Patta native title group
On paper, the Australian economy seems to be going pretty well.
We learned last week that we avoided a recession in the second quarter of this year, and according to the latest calculation of the Bureau of Statistics the unemployment rate is a healthy 4.6%.
But with half the country in lockdown and the other half all but hermetically sealed from everywhere else, is that really the full picture?
Today on The Signal, we catch up with the ABC's Business Editor Ian Verrender.
We hear about what the latest numbers tell us, what they don't, and what may lie ahead.
Featured:
Ian Verrender, ABC Business Editor
The number of COVID patients needing an ICU bed in New South Wales is expected to keep climbing into October.
The problem is that even now, with demand sitting well below the state's technical ICU capacity, hospitals are already feeling the strain.
So what's the surge plan in New South Wales, and will it work the way the State Government is hoping?
Featured:
Dr Greg Fox, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Sydney, and respiratory physician, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney
Australia is borrowing Pfizer jabs, while it waits for purchases to arrive. But when might mRNA vaccines be made onshore? And Indigenous communities are being targeted with anti-vaccination propaganda. We look at what went wrong with the rollout in Indigenous communities.
There's a lot of anger and frustration in the far-west of New South Wales.
And Wilcannia, 11 hours west of Sydney and 8 hours north-east of Adelaide, is ground zero.
The tiny outback town, with a predominantly Indigenous population, is facing what governments had been telling us they'd been working around-the-clock to prevent: a cluster of COVID-19 among some of its most vulnerable inhabitants.
So how did this happen?
Today on The Signal, ABC Radio reporter Carly Williams talks us through what's become Australia's single worst outbreak of the Delta variant so far.
Featured:
Carly Williams, ABC journalist
Sarah Donnelley, teacher and community member, Wilcannia, NSW
Chloe Quayle (Barkaa), performing artist and Barkinji woman
Monica Kerwin, Barkinji woman, Wilcannia, NSW
Brendon Adams, Manager, Wilcannia River Radio
With the US and its allies out of Afghanistan, there's no real contest for power anymore.
But the next challenge facing the Taliban is arguably even greater, albeit in a different way: how to run a country.
Today on The Signal, major aid donors have frozen their support, and many public officials have fled the country or gone into hiding.
So do the Taliban actually have the resources and know-how to run Afghanistan?
And if they don't, where does that leave the Afghan people?
Featured:
Dr Greg Mills, Director, Brenthurst Foundation, Johannesburg, and former advisor to International Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan
It's called the Community Development Program or "work for the dole", and in remote communities in the Top End many say the work and training they have been forced to complete for basic welfare payments is "gammon", or rubbish.
Now, the Federal Government is promising a redesign, along with a pledge from the prime minister Scott Morrison to hand over more control of programs like this to Indigenous leaders as a way of Closing The Gap.
Today on The Signal, ABC reporter Jane Bardon has been speaking to Indigenous people living in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory about what might replace the CDP.
Featured:
Jane Bardon, ABC reporter
Esther Bulumbara, Jawoyn traditional owner
Natalie Blitner, Wardaman ranger
Antonia Burke, Indigenous healer and cultural trainer
Lisa Mumbin, Jawoyn Association chairwoman
John Berto, Jawoyn Association chief executive
Most people who've taken more than a fleeting glance at Australia's Family Court, agree that it's broken, even if not everyone agrees on what exactly is wrong.
The latest attempt at a solution comes into effect this week, when the Family Court and the Federal Circuit Court merge.
So will it help Australia's most troubled court system, or just make matters worse?
Today on The Signal, why the Family Court is broken, and what it'll take to fix it.
Featured:
Catherine Lumby, Professor of Media, University of Sydney & Co-author, 'Broken: Children, Parents and Family Courts'
America's biggest cable news network, Fox, played a decisive role on election night in 2020.
With early states seemingly falling Donald Trump's way, the network put paid to premature claims the former President would win by calling the crucial state of Arizona for his rival, Joe Biden.
Despite pressure from inside the Trump campaign for a backtrack, Fox News stood firm.
So why did some of the biggest commentators at Fox later peddle the lie that the election was stolen?
Today on The Signal, we catch up with ABC 4 Corners reporter Sarah Ferguson.
We discuss Sarah's latest two-part investigation into Donald Trump's big election lie, and ask why so many of the former President's media allies came on board.
Did Donald Trump's lies change Fox?
And if so, what does that mean for America?
Featured:
Sarah Ferguson, Reporter, ABC 4 Corners
As NSW charts a path to schools opening, experts say measuring and filtering classroom air is essential, alongside masks and vaccines, as we "learn to live with COVID". And from a mythically resistant valley, Afghanistan’s Taliban resistance assembles, who are they and what is the plan?
It's been over a year since an explosion tore through the centre of Beirut.
The blast killed hundreds, injured thousands, and left hundreds of thousands without homes.
But in the 12 months since it happened, living conditions in Lebanon have got worse, not better.
Today on The Signal, we're heading back to Beirut.
We're asking why life in Lebanon has deteriorated so rapidly, and what those who are part of an exodus from the country say about the broken homeland they're leaving behind.
Featured:
Luna Safwan, independent journalist, Beirut
Every other day is a new worst day in NSW at the moment.
But despite the almost-daily rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian still wants to gradually reopen once vaccination rates hit a certain percentage.
While the Prime Minister Scott Morrison is in broad agreement, leaders in many other states are no longer so certain.
So why does the national reopening goal everyone agreed to in July seem to be shifting?
And why is the Prime Minister so insistent it must be met?
Featured:
Professor Nancy Baxter, Head, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
David Speers, Host, Insiders, ABC TV
Everyone knows Australian house prices are completely bananas, but understanding why stumps even the experts.
So will the current trends continue? And if so, where does that leave renters?
Today on The Signal, we ask why our housing market is so weird, and explore one counterintuitive idea about how to improve it.
Featured:
Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University; Business and Economy Editor, The Conversation; and Co-Presenter, 'The Economists', ABC Radio National
Australia's off-shore processing policy towards asylum seekers arriving by boat is 20 years old this week.
Over that time, the policy has often been credited with "stopping the boats", so much so that other countries over the years have been inspired to try to copy it.
But did off-shore processing really stop the boats?
Today on The Signal, with a new refugee crisis brewing in Afghanistan, we look at how our off-shore asylum seeker system actually works, and ask why the Government seems to talk about it less and less.
Featured:
Madeline Gleeson, Senior Research Associate, Andrew and Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, University of New South Wales, Sydney
It's not hard to understand why people might gravitate towards a simpler way of life in 2021.
For some women who call themselves "trad wives", that means winding back the clock on gender roles 70 or so years.
It's not all pickling and darning though — within the trad wife movement, there are women who have fused the lifestyle with white supremacy, and are pushing their message to thousands of social media followers.
Today on The Signal, meet the online community with a wholesome aesthetic and a neo-nazi streak.
Featured:
Siobhan Marin, co-host, 'This Much Is True', ABC RN
Dr Kristy Campion, far right researcher, Charles Sturt University
Laura, 'trad wife'
NSW case numbers skyrocketed this week, with the Premier extending the lockdown and admitting the state was no longer chasing "covid zero". What does it mean for NSW and Australia's plans to open up? And the Taliban are back in control in Afghanistan, we look at the history of the group and what it means for the future of the country.
Life has changed at a breathtaking pace for women and girls living in Kabul.
In the days since the Taliban retook the capital, they've been disappearing from education, erased from the workplace, and blotted out from public view.
There's no clue yet if, when or to what extent they'll be allowed to re-emerge.
The Taliban claim they've changed in the last 20 years, and they're promising a more progressive approach to gender this time around.
Today on The Signal, what's the reality of that promise so far? And what's in store for the millions of Afghan women who've fallen abruptly quiet?
Featured:
Nasrin Nawa, Afghan journalist and scholar
We're all used to bad news at this point, but even by 2021 standards, the numbers out of NSW yesterday were a horror show.
The state managed to jump from 452 to 633 new cases in just one day.
Today on The Signal, we find out what it means for Australia's exit strategy from this pandemic.
Do we need to readjust our expectations, yet again, of how and when life returns to normal?
Featured:
Professor Tony Blakely, Epidemiologist, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
One of Sydney's most stubborn cold cases could yet be solved.
In 1975, the newspaper publisher and activist Juanita Nielsen disappeared.
She was a high profile figure whose work campaigning against developments in the Kings Cross neighbourhood of Sydney brought her to the attention of some of Australia's most notorious criminals.
For four-and-a-half decades, the truth about her death has remained a mystery, but a new piece of evidence might change that.
Today on The Signal, documentary-maker Keiran Mcgee has been piecing together the last few days of Juanita Nielsen's life for the ABC podcast, Unravel.
We're sitting down with her to hear about an extraordinary breakthrough she's uncovered.
Featured:
Keiran Mcgee, Host, Unravel: Juanita, ABC Podcasts
John Innes, retired lawyer
No-one knows what exactly comes next for Afghanistan.
The country has fallen to the Taliban, nearly 20 years after the US and its allies first drove them from power.
When fighters arrived in Kabul yesterday, as in almost every other part of the country that the Taliban have retaken, the transition was far swifter than anyone expected.
Today on The Signal, as thousands scramble to flee their homeland by car, plane or on foot, we head to Kabul to hear from those preparing for a return to life under Taliban control.
Featured:
Obaidullah Baheer, Lecturer, American University of Afghanistan, Kabul
A month ago, people across England were celebrating 'Freedom Day'.
Initially, it seemed the British Government's high-stakes gamble was paying off: despite all COVID restrictions in England being lifted, case numbers across the country briefly went down.
But a few weeks in, they're again on the rise, with similar patterns in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
So has Britain's latest COVID experiment failed?
And with governments here aiming to reopen once 80 per cent of Australian adults are vaccinated, what's Britain's lesson for us?
Featured:
Dr Christina Pagel, Professor of Operational Research, Department of Mathematics, University College London
A lot of far-right Trump supporters were kicked off mainstream social media as part of a crackdown on misinformation in the past year.
Now, there's another website trying to lure them in, but it's not what it first seems.
Today on The Signal we're taking a tour of the platform touting itself as the new, free speech home for anyone who's no longer welcome on Twitter.
So who's really running it? And could it actually succeed?
Featured:
Dr Kaz Ross, independent far-right researcher
Australians typically buy a whole lot more clothes than we need.
Most of us eventually send the excess off to charity, but that's not necessarily its final destination.
Plenty of those clothes wind up in Ghana, where they're creating an ecological catastrophe.
Those that aren't resold end up clogging drainways, riverbeds and the seafloor, or even being burned in enormous pyres that emit noxious smoke.
So why do our clothes end up in Ghana?
And is there anything we can do about it?
Featured:
Linton Besser, Reporter, Foreign Correspondent, ABC TV
Asare Asamoah, Used clothes importer, Accra, Ghana
Emmanuel Ajaab, Used clothes importer, Accra, Ghana
Liz Ricketts, Director, OR Foundation
The news on climate change just keeps getting worse.
A new landmark report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says Earth's temperature is likely to sail past its predicted 1.5 degree increase in as little as a decade.
The updated advice is being described as a code red for humanity, as the crucial UN summit in Glasgow this November creeps closer.
Today on The Signal, the alarm is being sounded, louder than ever.
So who's listening, and how will they respond?
Featured:
Emeritus Professor Will Steffen, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra and Councillor, Climate Council
As if getting hold of your first two jabs wasn't hard enough, now there's talk you'll need a third.
Less than a fifth of the Australian population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but the Government has already signed contracts for tens of millions of booster doses, to top up our immunity as soon as next year.
The thing is, there's no concrete evidence yet about when or even whether we'll definitely need them.
Today on The Signal, we're exploring the incomplete science on COVID vaccine boosters.
Featured:
Professor Peter Collignon, Infectious diseases physician, Microbiologist and Professor of Infectious Diseases, Australian National University Medical School, Canberra
Associate Professor Nick Wood, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney and Lead, NSW Immunisation Specialist Service, The Children's Hospital, Westmead, Sydney
Everyone loves an online quiz, but not everyone loves Australia's biggest online quiz — the census.
The chaos of the 2016 poll is still legendary, having suffered the ignominy of being given its own hashtag — censusfail.
So five years on, will census 2021 be a triumph or another disaster?
Featured:
Dr Liz Allen, Demographer, Australian National University
Life could be about to get a lot harder for unvaccinated people.
Not only because of their potential exposure to the virus, but because they might be barred from full participation in society.
Vaccine passports have already been introduced in a number of countries, and Australia could follow suit soon.
So is that fair, is it legal, and what happens if you don't have one?
Featured:
Associate Professor Maria O'Sullivan, Monash University Law School
America's fight over access to abortion is long, bitter and ugly.
And with a conservative majority now sitting on the US Supreme Court, the rules might be about to change dramatically.
Next month, the US Supreme Court is due to start hearing a case that could validate an effective ban on abortions after 15 weeks in Mississippi, in a case that will have far reaching consequences for the entire county.
So what could it mean for women in Mississippi, and everywhere else in America?
Featured:
Kathryn Diss, ABC North America Correspondent
Dr Colleen McNicholas, Obstetrician-Gynecologist in St Louis, Missouri, US
Robin Utz, Missouri mother
Angela Michael, Retired Missouri nurse
Sam Lee, Director, Campaign Life Missouri
COVID 19 seems to be affecting young people like never before.
Queensland's outbreak is still small next to Sydney's, but the virus is concentrated in schools.
For example on Monday, the state recorded 15 new cases — ten of them were children younger than nine years of age.
Today on The Signal, Australia's current outbreak isn't slowing down, and more children are being diagnosed every day.
So how much worse is Delta for young people?
Featured:
Professor Kristine Macartney, University of Sydney, Paediatrics and infectious diseases specialist, Director of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance
Hellena Souisa, Journalist, ABC Asia Pacific Newsroom
Australia's biggest commercial news channel, Sky, is banned from posting on its YouTube account for seven days.
The temporary block, which YouTube says is a "first strike" against misinformation, is one of the first for a major television network worldwide.
So what's behind it?
And could it be a test case for a new, tougher approach by YouTube to COVID-19 conspiracies and misinformation?
Featured:
Josh Taylor, Technology Reporter, Guardian Australia
The far right in Australia has changed.
But the way Australia tries to manage the threat of violent extremism from that movement seems to be more or less the same as it always has been.
So are we keeping up?
Today on The Signal, what are Norway, New Zealand and the US doing that we're not?
And do we need a rethink of how we deal with far right extremism?
Featured:
Jordan McSwinney, far right researcher & PhD candidate, University of Sydney
Professor Tore Bjørgo, Director, University of Oslo Centre for Extremism Research
Winning always feels good, even if being the only one left in the race does spoil the buzz a bit.
So why was Brisbane the only city in contention to host the 2032 Olympics?
And could it be that the rest of the world knows something Australia doesn't?
Today on The Signal, we're often told that hosting the Olympics brings the host city fortune, fame and decades of bragging rights.
But does the data back that up?
And if it doesn't, what does that mean for the future of the Olympic Games?
Featured:
Professor Andrew Zimbalist, Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, US, and Author, 'Circus Maximus'
In Sydney, the reminders keep coming that this outbreak is not like past outbreaks.
The NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian made the unsurprising announcement yesterday that the current lockdown would be extended for at least four more weeks, as daily case numbers of the Delta variant keep on rising.
So has this outbreak gone so far that it's not possible to reach zero again? And if that's true, then what does opening up look like?
Featured:
Tony Blakely, Professor of Epidemiology, University of Melbourne
How do you know if a war was worth it?
As America and its allies complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan next month, marking the end of a 20-year-war, the Taliban is rapidly retaking its old territory.
So after tens of thousands of civilian casualties, the deaths of 41 Australian soldiers in the field, and billions of dollars in public money to fund the campaign itself, how will history record our involvement?
Today on The Signal, we're asking what happens to Afghanistan now the war is over, and what that means for Australia.
Featured:
Tyson Sara, former military strategist in the Afghanistan War and CEO, CMAX Advisory
Anti-lockdown protests were held in at least four capital cities on Saturday, and in the aftermath of the biggest march, in Sydney, police have made at least 60 arrests.
Online, the organisers are defiantly planning further marches, prompting a warning the response next time will be even stronger.
So what do we know about who organised the latest anti-lockdown rallies?
And with so many people apparently buying their message, where does the movement go from here?
Featured: Michael McGowan, Reporter, Guardian Australia, Sydney
Australia's borders have been closed for 18 months.
But for one group of people, the entry ban goes back much further than that.
Lawyers estimate there are more than 1,000 people stuck in Australia's immigration detention system, and today on The Signal we're hearing from one of them.
Arab-Iranian refugee Loghman Sawari's eight years in and out of immigration detention tells the story of Australia's harsh yet inconsistent policies on refugees and asylum seekers.
So what's the point of keeping him and the others in legal limbo?
And will they ever get out?
Featured:
Loghman Sawari, Arab-Iranian refugee
Dr Sara Dehm, Senior Lecturer, University of Technology, Sydney
More than a thousand oil and gas wells off the Australian coastline are nearing the end of their lives.
Once they're decommissioned, it'll fall to the extractive industries to foot the $50 billion clean-up bill.
There is a cheaper alternative though: for half the price, they can leave everything more or less exactly where it is.
Today on The Signal, are these companies just pitching an elaborate version of ocean dumping?
Or could it somehow be a win for the environment too?
Featured:
Mikey Slezak, ABC National Science, Technology and Environment Reporter
It's been a deadly few weeks in South Africa.
Before the police, the army and the security services intervened en masse, there was widespread violence, looting and protests.
Chronologically at least, it was all triggered by the arrest of the former president, Jacob Zuma, although South Africans say there's something much bigger at play.
So what's really fuelling the rage and despair?
Today on The Signal, we ask why South Africa remains one of the world's most unequal societies, and where the anger that's been boiling over goes next.
Featured:
Sakhiseni Nxumalo, Multimedia Journalist, The Mercury newspaper, Durban, South Africa
Associate Professor Geoffrey Hawker, Department of Politics and International Relations, Macquarie University and Editor, Australasian Review of African Studies
Medicare's pricing system is changing, and Labor is resurrecting an old argument that the Coalition is attacking universal healthcare.
But there are plenty of healthcare policy experts who say the changes are not only necessary, but overdue.
So how worried should you be about Medicare?
And could this fight decide the next election?
Featured:
Stephen Duckett, Director, Health Program, The Grattan Institute
Patricia Karvelas, Host, RN Drive & Afternoon Briefing on the ABC News Channel
Very few athletes in recent history have provoked as much outrage as New Zealand's Laurel Hubbard.
In Tokyo, the weightlifter will become the first out transgender athlete to compete in the Olympic Games, although not everyone agrees she should.
Her inclusion in the Games is a big step for the trans community, but trans people's access to sport at all levels is still a long way from being guaranteed.
Today on The Signal, we speak to trans athletes about what's fair and what's not when it comes to elite competition.
Featured:
Tracey Holmes, sports reporter, ABC
Chelsea Wolfe, BMX rider, Team USA 2021 & trans woman
Grace McKenzie, rugby player & trans woman
Australia is entering a frightening new stage of the pandemic this week.
Greater Sydney, Greater Melbourne and all of regional Victoria are in lockdown, and despite the restrictions, the outbreaks are still growing on both sides of the border.
So with 12 million people being told to stay home, how big a hit will there be to the economy?
Today on The Signal, we question the cost of Australia's zero-COVID strategy.
What is the price, and is it something we should still all be willing to pay?
Featured:
Nicki Hutley, Economist, Social Outcomes
gAbout 12 million Australians are in lockdown right now in an effort to reclaim Australia's COVID zero status.
At the same time, the UK has made a call to dispense with masks and restrictions in England altogether, despite a daily case count which has been topping 35,000.
So how's this going to go?
Today on The Signal: freedom day, or another chaotic misstep from the British Government?
We explore the country's rationale for flinging open the doors again next week.
Featured:
Ian Dunt, Editor-at-Large, Politics.co.uk
The Delta variant of COVID-19 was first picked up in India last October, but it still seems to have taken Australia by surprise.
So why weren't we ready?
Today on The Signal, with the Delta variant circulating in Sydney and Melbourne and with contacts in other places too, we ask whether we finally have a plan to fight it.
And if we do, can our leaders set aside their political and state rivalries for long enough to make it work?
Featured:
David Speers, Host, ABC TV Insiders
The Prime Minister Scott Morrison argues Australia is doing more than its share to combat climate change, but it's becoming increasingly clear that parts of the rest of the world see us as one of the bad guys.
In Europe, leaders are finalising plans to punish countries with high emissions, using trade as their weapon, and some of our other allies are expected to follow suit.
So are Australian companies in their sights?
And if that pattern continues, could it force the Government to be more ambitious with its climate change policy?
Featured:
Frank Muller, Former Australian and NSW government climate policy advisor
Kath Sullivan, ABC National Rural Reporter, Parliament House, Canberra
There's an assumption that it's relatively easy to access abortion care in Australia, but that really depends on where in the country you live, particularly if it's outside of a major city.
It's estimated as many as a third of Australian women need to access abortion services at some point during their lives.
So why is it still so hard if you live in the wrong postcode?
Featured:
'Sophie'
Dr Andrew Crossman, former Broken Hill GP
Jamal Hakim, Managing Director, Marie Stopes Australia
Things are pretty dire in NSW.
The extended lockdown in Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains has got progressively tougher, and with hundreds of new cases of COVID-19 still popping up, the end date is unclear.
The outbreak started a month ago when an unvaccinated airport limo driver ferrying US air crew caught COVID at work and spread it to Bondi, in Sydney's east.
Since then, the cases have moved, with a focus at the moment on three council areas in Sydney's South West: Fairfield, Liverpool, and Canterbury-Bankstown.
Today on The Signal, with all the numbers still trending in the wrong direction, is the lockdown a failure? And if so, what needs to change?
Featured:
Dr Julie Leask, Professor of Public Health, University of Sydney
Parliament's gender problem is as old as the institution itself.
Today on The Signal, a story of an alleged workplace assault in the 80s that's never been publicly heard before.
What does it reveal about that world then, and now?
We speak with the host of the new ABC TV and podcast series 'Ms Represented', Annabel Crabb, on the heart and history of the gender problem in Australian politics.
Featured:
Annabel Crabb, Host, Ms Represented, ABC Podcasts, ABC TV and ABC iView
Kate Sullivan, Former Queensland Liberal Senator and MP
Australia's travel ban is one of the most draconian measures against COVID-19 in the world.
Not only that, but it's being applied in what seems to be a pretty opaque and inconsistent way
Today on The Signal, what are the rules?
And is the Government actually allowed to do this to us?
Featured:
"Sasha", dual Australian-Israeli citizen
Karyn Anderson, Partner, Clothier Anderson Immigration Lawyers
Professor Kim Rubenstein, Faculty of Business, Government and Law, and Co-director, 50/50 by 2030 Foundation, University of Canberra
Donald Trump's family business is being accused of operating a tax fraud scheme and its chief financial officer is now also facing criminal charges.
The new indictment doesn't name Mr Trump personally, but the investigation still has a way to go, and it's only one of several ongoing probes into the company.
So how much trouble is the former president in?
Could a successful prosecution land him in prison, or is it likely to amount to little more than a speeding fine?
Featured:
David Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, co-founder and editor of DCReport.org
Just north of here, 145 million people are in lockdown on Java and Bali in Indonesia.
Hundreds a day are dying of COVID, including some who were already fully vaccinated
Today on The Signal, we're going inside the world's latest COVID catastrophe, where authorities are clocking 20,000 new infections each day, and the number of deaths is rising rapidly.
So why have Indonesia's defences failed so badly?
Featured:
Resty Woro Yuniar, Indonesia Correspondent, The South China Morning Post
Professor Michael Toole, Epidemiologist, Burnet Institute
Additional reporting:
Anne Barker, ABC Indonesia Correspondent
As lockdowns in most Australian states and territories lift, more than five million people in NSW are maybe less than halfway through theirs.
So is it working?
Today on The Signal, how hopeful should we be about the NSW outbreak?
And how long until lockdowns in general are a thing of the past?
Featured:
Professor Tony Blakely, Epidemiologist, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
When a transgender woman was strangled in 2019 in regional NSW, her killer received a 22-month sentence with a 12-month non-parole period for manslaughter.
But is there more information the court didn't hear?
Today on The Signal, we sit down with Background Briefing reporter Elise Kinsella, who has uncovered crucial new details about the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Mhelody Bruno.
Featured:
Elise Kineslla, Investigative Reporter, ABC Background Briefing
There was a major story about a Government spending scandal that broke earlier this week — not that you could hear it over the din of COVID coverage, as multiple states and territories introduced lockdowns.
A report from the Australian National Audit Office, released on Monday, shows the Government splashed $660 million on car parks, overwhelmingly located in Liberal seats in the lead up to the last election.
It's sparked comparisons to the 'sports rorts' saga, which maxxed out at $100 million.
So what's the Government's rationale? And will there be any fallout?
Featured:
David Speers, Host, ABC Insiders
Australia isn't even halfway vaccinated, and there are already new variants triggering a cascade of restrictions around the country.
Eight cities across four states and territories are currently in lockdown.
Today on The Signal, how well will the vaccines we currently have work against Delta?
And will they stop this kind of national outbreak from happening again?
Featured:
Professor Fiona Russell, Epidemiologist and Paediatrician, University of Melbourne
If you've ever put something in the recycling and wondered whether there's a point, this episode is for you.
Three years ago, Australia's recycling system broke down and we learned that a lot of the glass, plastic and paper we set aside was ending up as either pollution or landfill.
Eventually though, the story just went away. The question is: did the crisis?
Today on The Signal, what actually happens to our recycling in 2021? And how much of the blame lies with us?
Featured:
Dr Monique Retamal, Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Future, The University of Technology Sydney
Australia is backsliding in the battle to suppress COVID-19, and the weekend brought more bad news.
Greater Sydney and Darwin are both in lockdown, and there are new restrictions in place in Perth, Queensland, the ACT and regional NSW.
All over Australia, everyone is nervously waiting to see where more cases pop up next.
So how did it all unravel so fast?
Today on The Signal, we ask what we're doing to bring the virus back under control, and whether it will work.
Featured:
Professor Nancy Baxter, Epidemiologist and Head, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
A spate of deaths among food delivery riders last year shone a light on how desperately unsafe that job can be.
Companies promised to do better, but the problem may be bigger than we first thought.
Today on The Signal, the death that UberEats disowned.
Why didn't we know about it until now?
Featured:
Patrick Begley, Reporter, ABC Background Briefing
Online scams are working better on us than ever before.
Gone are the days when you could smugly delete the odd typo-ridden email and know that your identity and your cash were safe.
In fact some investment scams are so convincing at this point, they're taking in people with a very high level of financial and digital literacy.
Today on The Signal, the new internet grifts — how they work and what to watch out for.
Featured:
Amy Bainbridge, ABC Consumer Affairs Reporter
Australian farmers are screaming out for workers.
For years, European backpackers have been part of the solution, but now a change to the rules applying to young people coming from the UK has farmers worried.
Last week the Government said its solution was to create a new visa to bring in more workers from South East Asia, with the new permit to be offered to nationals from 10 countries.
So will that work?
Or will it just cause exploitation?
Today on The Signal, why is the Australian agricultural sector so reliant on foreign workers?
And will the Government's proposed changes make things better or worse?
Featured:
Dr Joanna Howe, Associate Dean (Research), Adelaide Law School, University of Adelaide
After three fairly noisy years on the backbench, Barnaby Joyce is back on top.
He retook control of the National Party, the smaller sibling in the Coalition Government, when he beat the Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack in a leadership spill yesterday.
So what does Barnaby's return mean for how Australia is run?
Today on The Signal it's our second dose of Barnaby.
What it means for both climate change policy and the next election?
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, Host, ABC News Afternoon Briefing and ABC RN Drive
NSW authorities hope to crush Sydney's COVID outbreak using masks, social distancing and contact tracing.
It's a plan that's worked well in the past, but is it really a match for the new, highly infectious Delta variant?
And if it isn't, what needs to change?
Today on The Signal, we ask how big a risk Delta might be to Australia's COVID strategy and, if we tried something different, what that would look like.
Featured:
Dr Mary-Louise McLaws, Professor of Epidemiology, Hospital infection and infectious diseases control, University of New South Wales, and Member of World Health Organisation Health Emergencies Program Experts Advisory Panel for Infection Prevention and Control Preparedness, Readiness and Response to COVID-19
The attitudes of young Australian women are changing, and fast, on everything from marriage to kids and home ownership.
That's according to one of the biggest surveys that gets done in this country.
Australia Talks, a survey by Vox Pop labs in conjunction with the ABC, spoke to more than 60,000 Australians about what keeps them up at night.
Today on the Signal, we're putting some voices to that data.
So just how different is the future they have planned for themselves?
Featured:
Nina, 29-year-old from Sydney
Jacinta, 26-year-old from Sydney
Mannie, 28-year-old from Melbourne
There's one Tamil asylum seeker family that's put the Government in a very uncomfortable position lately.
The Muragappans, known more widely as the Biloela family after the small Queensland town they lived in for years, have been trying to win the right to stay in Australia for almost a decade.
The family has been on Christmas Island since 2018, and that seemed unlikely to change.
But then on Monday of last week, their four-year-old daughter Tharnicaa became so sick that she was rushed to a Perth hospital with her mother Priya.
After immense public pressure, the rest of the family was allowed to follow.
Today on The Signal, we ask why the Biloela family is proving to be such an exception.
Is their case a one-off, or a weather vane for a much bigger shift?
Featured:
David Speers, Host, ABC Insiders
One of Australia's most decorated soldiers, Ben Roberts-Smith, is suing Channel Nine over allegations of murders committed during his service in Afghanistan, and allegations of bullying and domestic violence.
Ben Roberts-Smith strenuously denies the allegations.
The defamation trial is already in its second week, and with a possible eight more weeks to go it's being billed as one of the biggest in Australian legal history.
So what's come out in court so far?
And what does it all mean for Channel Nine, for Ben Roberts-Smith, and for the Australian Defence Force?
Featured:
Matt Collins QC, Barrister specialising in defamation law
Nick Grimm, Senior Reporter, ABC Audio News and Current Affairs
Australia's trade war with China is an instructive tale, and at the G7 meeting in Cornwall this week it was again front of mind.
So what are the key lessons that the world is taking from the dispute?
And why, after months of trade fights with China, has one key commodity been so far quarantined?
Today on The Signal, we're teaming up with Matt Bevan, host of the ABC's new podcast China If You're Listening, to find out.
We hear about this year's G7, and about how, despite the trade war, steel still welds China and Australia together.
Subscribe to China If You're Listening here: www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/china-if-youre-listening/
Featured:
Matt Bevan, Host, ABC China If You're Listening
Mass vaccination is our only way out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So far though, the take-up of vaccines in Australia has been slow, with those eligible delaying booking appointments, and up to 16% of Australians telling pollsters they don't want the jab at all.
So is the media to blame?
Today on The Signal, we're looking at how Australian journalists have done covering COVID-19.
We ask whether coverage of side-effects and deaths linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine has gone too far, and turn the spotlight on ourselves here at The Signal as well.
Featured:
Dr Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne
Women behave a bit differently online to men.
That's according to one of the biggest social surveys that happens in this country, Australia Talks, run by Vox Pop labs in conjunction with the ABC.
So why is that?
Today on The Signal, from organising boycotts and campaigns to withdrawing their support for public figures and products, we take a look at why Australian women are taking action online more often than men
Featured:
Olivia Williams, Indigenous campaigner
Hannah Diviney, writer and disability rights advocate
Sianna Catullo, Indigenous campaigner
After three years of uninterrupted eavesdropping on the world's crime networks, a global police operation showed its hand this week.
The Australian Federal Police, along with the FBI and the EU's Europol, finally pulled back the veil on Operation Ironside.
They say it's led to hundreds of arrests and netted literally tonnes of drugs, cash, and guns.
Their methodology has been hailed as ingenious: police accessed an encrypted app called AN0M from the outset, then distributed it to criminals.
But how much damage does a sting like this do?
And do Australian police really need the extra powers they're pitching for?
Featured:
Dr Teagan Westendorf, Strategic Policing and Law Enforcement Analyst, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Australia loves to see itself as an international COVID success story, and there's a lot of truth to that.
But we used to have more company — Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, just to name a few.
In almost every case, that success has given way to a surge in recent months, as new, highly contagious versions of the virus, like the Delta variant, have spread around the world.
And the parallels with Australia's situation are hard to ignore.
Today on The Signal, it's the cautionary tale for Australia in Asia's latest COVID-19 surge.
Featured:
Mazoe Ford, South East Asia Correspondent, ABC
Professor Nancy Baxter, Epidemiologist, Head of School of Population & Global Health, University of Melbourne
Mice are still multiplying in their millions across eastern Australia.
Since September last year, the rodents have been devastating crops, drowning in swimming pools, and now their carcasses are even being coughed up by cod in inland rivers.
So what's driving the outbreak?
And with some drastic measures being considered, will anything bring the plague to an end?
Featured:
Phil Cleal, Forbes resident
Dr Peter Brown, senior research scientist, CSIRO
Anne Cullen, Coonamble farmer
Mick Harris, Narromine agronomist and fisherman
Stu Crawford, Narromine farmer
Additional reporting by Lucy Thackray, ABC Dubbo
What began as a circuit-breaker lockdown for Melbourne is now in its second week, as contact tracers try to find the source for two new cases that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
All the while, the theoretical end to lockdown on Friday is approaching, with no-one the wiser as to whether or not it'll be delayed.
Today on The Signal, we're asking what it will take for Melbourne's lockdown to lift.
Featured:
Raf Epstein, ABC Radio Melbourne Drive Host
One of the country's biggest surveys shows that most Australians think it's harder for young people to get ahead than it used to be.
So why do people feel that way?
Today on The Signal, we're digging into the trove of information that is the ABC's Australia Talks study.
We hear from young people all over the country, and ask why so many think things are getting worse.
Featured:
Georgia, 23-year-old from Victoria
Mark, 31-year-old from South Australia
Boris, 25-year-old from South Australia
Australia has a long history of calling out China for human rights abuses.
This week, during a visit to Queenstown, the prime minister Scott Morrison and his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern issued a joint statement expressing concerns about abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, prompting a swift and angry response from Beijing.
But there've been other times when Australia hasn't got the facts about China right.
In 1989, after tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square in Beijing and brutally ended weeks of protests, the then prime minister Bob Hawke gave a horrifying description of what Australia thought happened.
But where did the account come from?
And why was it wrong?
Today on The Signal, we sit down with Matt Bevan from the ABC's new podcast China If You're Listening to discuss new information about the massacre, 32 years on.
Featured:
Matt Bevan, Host, China If You're Listening
Blanche d'Alpuget, Biographer and wife of late former prime minister Bob Hawke
Richard Rigby, Emeritus Professor of the College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra
Australian wages have been stuck for a long time. In fact they've hardly twitched for about a decade now.
The conventional wisdom as to why, is that we had an oversupply of workers, and not enough work for them to do.
So with borders closed to foreign workers, and a number of industries desperate for local ones, what's keeping wages low? And could it be about to change?
Featured:
Sarah Hunter, Chief Economist, BIS Oxford Economics
At the start of the pandemic, conspiracy theorists pounced on the idea that COVID-19 came from a lab.
At the time the theory was widely panned by scientists, but now it has a new lease on life.
So what is the new information that’s revived the Wuhan lab leak theory?
Today on The Signal, we speak to two of the reporters in the US who have been at the forefront of the global coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are the gaps in our knowledge of the origins of the virus?
And will we ever get conclusive answers?
Featured:
Donald G McNeil Jr, former science and public health reporter at The New York Times
Warren Strobel, National Security Reporter at The Wall Street Journal
Victorians know life in lockdown better than anybody else in Australia.
On the three previous occasions the state has gone into a lockdown, the measure eventually achieved its aims.
But this time it's a little different, with a new, more infectious variant spreading in the community, and at least one case that’s still a mystery.
So is the lockdown working so far?
And could it drag on past Friday?
Today on The Signal we hear about the successes and pitfalls of the latest iteration of Victoria's COVID strategy, and ask what lessons the state has learned on the way.
Featured:
Professor Tony Blakely, Professorial Fellow in Epidemiology, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne
The ceasefire in Gaza and Israel is a week old today, and tensions in the region are running hot.
In Gaza, Palestinians mourning those killed by Israeli rockets say daily life is unbearable, and restrictions put in place by Israel make rebuilding impossible.
Across the border, Israelis say they live in fear of more rocket attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, as anger and hatred between Arabs and Jews in the country leads to death and violence.
So can the ceasefire hold?
Today on The Signal, we head to Gaza and Tel Aviv.
We ask whether the causes of the recent fighting that claimed more than 200 lives in Gaza and 13 in Israel have been addressed, and whether peace and justice are now further off in the region than ever.
Featured:
Mosab Abu Toha, Poet and writer, Gaza
Dina Kraft, Journalist and podcast host, Tel Aviv
We still don't have a handle on how big Victoria's COVID outbreak is going to be.
But already the blame-game has started.
From low vaccine take-up rates to contact tracing errors, delays in COVID testing and failures in hotel quarantine, the list of possible culprits is long.
So is one factor more responsible than the others?
And will the outbreak at least jolt people wary of getting vaccinated to roll up their sleeves?
Featured:
David Speers, Host, ABC TV Insiders
It's been 11 months since a big COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne threw the city into lockdown.
Now, the virus is again spreading in the city's suburbs, with new cases in the west and north.
So have we got better at treating patients with COVID?
Today on The Signal, we take stock of how COVID-19 treatments have evolved over time.
We ask what hurdles remain, and what new options might be on the way.
Featured:
Tegan Taylor, ABC Health and Science Reporter and Co-host, ABC Coronacast
The Tokyo Olympic Games have already been delayed once.
Now, eight weeks from the opening ceremony, opinion polls show most people in Japan want them scrapped altogether.
But the International Olympic Committee is barrelling forward, insisting the Games must go on.
So how can officials, athletes and their supporters have confidence they won't be a disaster?
Today on The Signal, we speak to Tokyo-bound ABC sports reporter Tracey Holmes about how Japan is preparing for the least popular Games in history.
Featured:
Tracey Holmes, Host, ABC The Ticket
So far Australia's COVID-19 vaccine program has not been a success.
Our early vaccine bets didn't pay off, the rollout strategy has been overhauled once already, we've missed all the deadlines we set for ourselves at the start, and with less than 7 percent of the community having received two shots, herd immunity remains a mirage.
So how did this happen?
Today on The Signal, we sit down with the ABC's 4 Corners team to investigate all the ways Australia's vaccination program has fallen short
What are the main factors that led us here?
And how do the architects of the scheme account for its failures?
Featured:
Adam Harvey, Reporter, ABC TV 4 Corners
Professor Brendan Murphy, Department of Health Secretary and former Chief Medical Officer 2016-2020
Greg Hunt, Health Minister
Dr Norman Swan, Host, ABC RN The Health Report and Co-host, ABC Coronacast
Jane Halton, Former Department of Health Secretary 2002-2014
Dr Nathan Pinskier, Melbourne GP
Senator Rex Patrick, Independent Senator for South Australia
Dr John Gerard, Head of Infectious Diseases, Gold Coast University Hospital
When getting your first housing deposit together feels impossible, raiding $50,000 from your super fund is tempting.
But is it a good idea?
Since 2017, it's been possible to dip into your super to get you over the line, and in the budget last week, the rules changed again.
Now you can draw up to $50,000 from your retirement fund to help you buy your very own patch of land.
Today on The Signal, what's the best way to use your super?
And what could this scheme do to Australia's already hypercharged housing market?
Featured:
Jane Norman, Political Reporter, ABC
James Kirby, Wealth Editor, The Australian
It started with an ultimatum, and it's ending in a new gas-fired power plant.
The Government is making the case for the new project at Kurri Kurri, in the NSW Hunter region.
In fact, they're so sold on the idea, they're stumping up $600 million to build it.
It was supposed to replace the Liddell coal-fired power station when it closes in two years, but many voices in the energy industry claim other kinds of power will easily fill that need.
The Government on the other hand is promising a new gas plant will ensure a more reliable and cheap source of power.
So does Australia really need a new gas fired power station, and is it a good deal for taxpayers?
Featured:
David Speers, Host, ABC Insiders
If you're a victim of domestic violence, and you go to police, that can yield a whole range of responses — from urgent to unconcerned.
A lot of the time, how you're treated comes down to the individual judgement of whichever officer you end up speaking to.
But in Victoria, they're trying something different. And it's working.
Today on The Signal, we look at the data-driven algorithmic approach that's taking the guesswork and bias out of how police respond to domestic violence in one state.
So could it work elsewhere?
Featured:
Hayley Gleeson, Domestic & Family Violence Reporter, ABC
The fighting between Israel and Palestinians is more intense than it has been for years.
Israeli troops have amassed at Gaza's border, with fears of an all out war.
An escalation in anger over Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, and a spate of evictions, has led to rocket fire from Hamas militants in Gaza and waves of airstrikes being launched by Israeli forces.
And it's not just conflict at the border. Inside the country, Israel's political leaders are warning that violent street clashes between Jews and Arabs could mutate into a larger civil conflict.
So is there a path back from the brink of war?
Featured:
Stephen Farrell, Reuters Bureau Chief for Israel and the Palestinian Territories
Lowering the drawbridge on 'Fortress Australia' is shaping up to be a logistical nightmare.
According to an estimate in last week's federal budget, the process could begin by the middle of next year.
But there's a lot of work to do before then.
So will we be ready in time? And what's still standing in our way?
Featured:
Professor Catherine Bennett, Chair in Epidemiology, Deakin University
The satellite business is booming.
From state-sponsored spy tech, through to machines the size of a postage stamp, companies and nations are launching them all at an unprecedented rate.
In fact without them, the world as we know it would grind to a halt.
Today on The Signal, the wild west of the new space race, and what's at stake.
Featured:
Dr Brad Tucker, Astrophysicist, ANU
Steve Winnall, VP Engineering, Myriota
The government desperately wanted to impress women with this federal budget, and shore up votes before the next election.
The Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced new spending on aged care, child care and disability support, not to mention $1 billion in support for women's safety.
So was it really a "women's budget"?
And if it was, what do women actually get?
Featured:
Annabel Crabb, ABC political writer and author, 'The Wife Drought'
The Federal Government has just handed down what is most likely its last budget before the next election.
It's a pretty odd one, because the budget is in much better shape than even the Government was expecting just a few months ago.
But instead of pocketing all the cash for budget repair, the Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is spreading it around on everything from aged care to micro-breweries.
Today on The Signal, has the Coalition had a fundamental economic conversion? Or is this budget all about the upcoming election?
Featured: Ian Verrender, ABC Business Editor
As rich countries return to normal, COVID-19 is still spreading in developing countries worldwide.
In places including India and Brazil, thousands are dying each day while vaccination programs stall.
So can the world manufacture doses faster?
Today on The Signal, there's a mounting case for the world to scrap patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines to allow more countries to manufacture their own.
It would involve temporarily waiving something called the TRIPS agreement, and the US and Australia are both now onboard.
So is it going to happen?
And will it solve the global vaccine crisis?
Featured:
Professor Ronald Labonte, Canada Research Chair in Contemporary Globalisation and Health Equity, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Canada
There's a fight going on in New South Wales right now about whether transgender people can be acknowledged in schools.
The bill would ban the mention or teaching of what it terms "gender fluidity".
And if you zoom out, globally, the argument bears a very close resemblance to a swathe of bills being tabled and sometimes passed in states across America.
Today on the Signal, the new battles facing trans people here and the US laws inspiring them.
Featuring:
Ashleigh Raper, New South Wales State Political Reporter, ABC
Teddy Cook, Vice President, Australian Professional Association for Trans Health
Australia's aged care system is deeply broken.
Over two and a half years, a royal commission into its failures heard harrowing stories of abuse and neglect, both often linked to chronic understaffing.
Two months ago, after the royal commission handed down its final report, the federal government acknowledged there were "fundamental issues" that needed to be addressed.
So is it going to address them in next week's budget?
Today on The Signal, we hear what the royal commission said needed to change, and ask whether there's the political will to follow that through.
Featured:
Jude, aged care worker
Anne Connolly, Reporter, ABC Investigations
Remember when Barnaby Joyce threatened to have Johnny Depp's dogs put down?
Australia's Biosecurity Act gives ministers sweeping powers, from euthanising celebrity pets to slamming shut the nation's borders and forcing all arrivals into mandatory quarantine.
This week, the government's interpretation of its powers under the Act went even further, when it issued a sweeping ban on Australians in India from trying to come home.
So is it a step too far?
Today on The Signal, with the ban on re-entry from India currently being challenged in court, we dig into the law under which the order was made, and ask whether this decision reflects a permanent change of heart on how to keep Australians safe.
Featured:
David Speers, Host, Insiders, ABC TV
In the space of a month or so, war with China has gone from being the stuff of paranoid science fiction plots to a serious political topic.
But how seriously should the rest of us take it?
Today on The Signal, we ask why we're suddenly discussing a war with the world's biggest military.
And if it ever did happen, how would our own military strength and the strength of our allies measure up?
Featured:
Dr Bates Gill, Professor of Asia Pacific Security Studies at Macquarie University
India is facing the world's worst COVID crisis yet.
Hospitals are running out of oxygen and bodies are being burnt in the street.
The country is now recording 400,000 new infections per day, and Australia has slammed shut the border for at least the next two weeks.
So why does India's Government seem to be aggressively playing the crisis down?
Featured:
James Oaten, ABC South Asia Correspondent, Delhi
Dr Arun N. Madhavan, medical consultant, Quality Clinic, Palakkad, Kerala
Katie Bhagat, Australian traveller in India
Dr Farah Husain, critical care specialist, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Delhi
About two thirds of Australians are gamers of some kind, although not everyone realises it.
It's one of the industries that did incredibly well out of COVID-19.
It also happens to be one of the most manipulative and under regulated.
So what are the tricks of the multi-billion-dollar trade that get you playing longer and spending more, possibly without you even noticing?
Featured:
Lucy Carter, Reporter, ABC Four Corners
Ron Curry, Interactive Games & Entertainment Association
Dr Daniel King, Gaming Researcher, Flinders University
Dr James Sauer, Gaming Researcher, University of Tasmania
Tasmania's bizarre election campaign has had a bit of everything.
From unsolicited explicit images to candidates dumping on their own parties' policies and a premier known to TikTok as Papi G, it's been a chaotic few weeks.
And it could be about to get weirder: there's a very real chance the winner will resign.
Today on The Signal we dig into the crazy, and ask what voters will make of it all tomorrow.
Featured:
Emily Baker, ABC Tasmanian State Political Reporter
Two years isn't really that much time.
But in politics, it may as well be two decades, and when you throw in a pandemic, it's basically eternity.
In 2019, the Treasurer Josh Frydenerg used to talk up a budget surplus often and loudly, before COVID-19 forced him to spend up big to stave off economic disaster.
So with an election on the horizon, will Josh Frydenberg return to the surplus goal?
Or will politics get in the way?
Featured:
David Speers, Host, Insiders, ABC TV
Burnt out, anxious and feeling like you're on a rollercoaster you can't get off: welcome to life with ADHD.
And if you're a female with the condition, you may not find out until you're a fully grown adult, or ever.
Today on The Signal, why are women with ADHD flying under the radar?
Featured:
Noelle Faulkner, writer and woman with ADHD
Madeleine O'Reilly, clinical psychologist specialising in ADHD
There's an uncomfortable reality about reaching net zero that's not often discussed.
It's that getting there might mean a whole lot more environmentally challenging mining.
At a virtual summit of leaders last week, everyone agreed the days of coal, oil and gas were numbered, and wind, solar and batteries were the key to the future.
So where are we going to get the raw materials to build them?
Today on The Signal, we look at the mining boom we're going to need for the energy transition, and ask whether we're ready for the new environmental and human challenges it could create.
Featured: Dr Eleonore Lebre, Research Fellow, Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland
India is facing the world's worst coronavirus wave to date, with more than 330,000 new cases daily.
Hospitals are swamped, morgues and crematoriums overwhelmed, and a shortage of oxygen has left COVID patients dying in ICUs.
More than 15,000 Indians died from COVID last week, and experts concede the real toll is much higher.
So in a place that had so many early successes, how did it all unravel?
Today on The Signal, how India got here, and what comes next.
Featured:
James Oaten, ABC South Asia correspondent
Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti, Manipal Hospital Dwarka, Delhi
Dr Deepak Baid, Association of Medical Consultants, Mumbai
Barkha Dutt, Independent Indian journalist
The government-funded 'milkshake' consent videos have arguably launched more memes than meaningful realisations.
Commentators, experts, and social media users tore them to shreds almost as soon as they were released, and they've since been pulled.
But what do teenagers make of them?
Today on The Signal, we ask the target audience for this campaign what they think, what they would prefer, and what their lived reality is when it comes to consent.
Featured: James, 19-year-old Alexa, 17-year-old
It took the jury just 10 hours to deliver the verdict the world has been waiting for.
After a three-week trial, 12 Minneapolis jurors found ex-police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of the murder of George Floyd.
It was a murder that inspired a protest movement that spread from Minneapolis across America, and within weeks its rallying cries were heard worldwide.
So now the verdict is in, what comes next?
Today on The Signal, we talk about what happened to George Floyd last year, what next for his killer, and what the case means for the future of policing in America.
Featured:
Nina Moini, Reporter, Minnesota Public Radio, Minneapolis
The Government has had more than usual to say about the Australian military lately, and if you've been listening, you might have noticed a distinct shift in rhetoric.
Back in November, after the release of a war crimes report which found Australian soldiers had murdered 39 Afghan civilians, the ADF underwent a very public 'dark night of the soul'.
Recently though, we've heard reminders that the core business of the military is to kill, albeit in a legitimate combat setting.
Along with that, there's been a suggestion that the organisation has become too "woke".
Today on the Signal, we examine the reality of ADF culture. Does it need to change, and if so, how?
Featured: David Kilcullen, military strategist & counterinsurgency expert, Professor, Arizona State University & University of New South Wales, Canberra
Australia is the land which COVID forgot, but there's no chance it can stay that way.
As of this week, we're in a travel bubble with New Zealand, and more countries will follow.
But the price of admission in the long term is giving up our run of zeros
Today on the Signal, what comes after New Zealand? And are we ready for the consequences?
Featured:
Professor Tony Blakely, Epidemiologist, University of Melbourne
The Church of Scientology has always been controversial and it may be about to come under fresh scrutiny.
Australian law still considers Scientology a religion and as a result, it enjoys tax free status here.
Now, some Australian politicians say it's time for an inquiry into whether or not that's fair.
Featured: Steve Cannane, ABC reporter and author of Fair Game: The Incredible Untold Story of Scientology in Australia
Andrew Leigh, Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury and Charities
America's luck when it comes to COVID-19 seems to have changed, and then changed back again.
US President Joe Biden made it very clear from the outset that handling the pandemic was number one on his to do list.
But after some early wins against the virus, COVID transmission is on the rise again.
So what's gone wrong? And can Biden turn it around before it becomes a fourth wave?
Featured:
Dan Diamond, National Health Reporter, The Washington Post
30 years ago to the day, a royal commission into Indigenous deaths in custody handed its findings down.
Since then, at least 450 more First Nations people have died while on the inside, and with at least five of those deaths recorded just last month, it's clear many of the problems of three decades ago remain.
So what, if anything, has changed?
Today on The Signal, we hear from those whose anguish provided the impetus for the original inquiry.
Do they think anything has improved, or was the three-year-long inquiry all that time ago in vain?
Featured:
Isabella Higgins, ABC Indigenous Affairs reporter
Glen Boney, brother of Lloyd Boney
Belinda Boney, sister of Lloyd Boney
Meena Singh, Legal Director, Human Rights Law Centre
Chris McHughes, Brewarrina resident
It started with a public row about Cartier watches.
Late last year, the former CEO of Australia Post Christine Holgate stood aside after her decision to give four Cartier watches as gifts to senior executives was loudly criticised by dozens of politicians from the prime minister Scott Morrison down.
Now, Ms Holgate is hitting back, claiming she was bullied and humiliated out of a job that she loved, and arguing that a man in her position would never have faced the same treatment.
So what exactly did Christine Holgate say?
And what does it mean for the Government's new focus on improving workplaces for women?
Today on The Signal we review the fireworks show from Parliament yesterday, find out what it was that lit the fuse, and ask what happens now.
Featured:
Stephanie Borys, ABC Parliament House Political Reporter
There's a loud question echoing in Australians' minds, as the country has its belated #MeToo moment.
The big question is 'why?'. What drives that behaviour?
Today on The Signal, we speak to a criminologist who's followed the breadcrumbs back, in an attempt to find out: what fuels male sexual aggression?
And can the answer, no matter how uncomfortable, help us find solutions?
Featured:
Dr Xanthe Mallet, Criminologist, University of Newcastle
Australia's vaccine strategy was already in trouble, but in the past few days things got worse.
The AstraZeneca vaccine at the centre of our rollout is now no longer recommended for anyone under 50, while the only alternative currently in production, Pfizer, can only be made overseas.
So how much trouble are we in?
Today on The Signal, we give you the A to Z on AstraZeneca.
How big is the blood clot risk?
Has Australia made the right call?
And how big a hole does this blow in the roadmap back to normal?
Featured:
Dr Kylie Quinn, Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow, School of Health and Biomedical Science, RMIT University, Melbourne
One in three working Australians report being sexually harassed at work, and this week the Government came up with some solutions.
It's been a long road — they've been sitting on a major report they commissioned on the topic for more than a year, and released their formal response this week.
The Attorney-General Michaelia Cash says they'll agree to all 55 recommendations either in full or in part, with legislation to follow.
So what's the fine print? And will it make a real difference in the workplace?
Featured:
Karen O'Connell, Associate Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney, specialising in sex discrimination
Australia's coal fired power plants are on borrowed time.
The Northern power plant at Port Augusta in South Australia was reduced to rubble in 2017, and Hazelwood in Victoria's LaTrobe Valley went the same way last year.
Next in line is Liddell in New South Wales, slated for decommissioning in 2023.
This month marks the deadline the Federal Government gave the energy industry to make a plan for a world without Liddell and create 1000MW of new power, or it would fund a new gas-fired power station.
So has the industry filled the gap yet?
And what happens the next time a coal-fired power station shuts?
Featured:
Tristan Edis, Director, Green Energy Markets
The people of Timor Leste woke up on Sunday morning to an extraordinary situation: large parts of their capital, Dili, were underwater.
On Saturday morning, the skies opened, and the rain didn't stop until Sunday afternoon.
It was so heavy and unrelenting that much of the city's downtown region, including the presidential palace, the national hospital, and thousands of homes, was inundated.
The floods came at the exact moment that the country was scrambling to control a major COVID outbreak.
Today on The Signal, Timor Leste's worst floods since the 1970s, and what it means for their knife edge moment in the pandemic. Featured:
Raimundos Oki, journalist, Timor Leste
Dr Jeremy Beckett, GP and Director of health NGO Maluk Timor
Australians work some of the longest hours in the developed world, and for plenty of people the job doesn't finish when they leave the office.
Now at one workplace in Australia, employees and their union are saying enough is enough.
They've incorporated a 'right to disconnect' into their contracts.
So what does that mean in practice?
And could it work for you?
Featured:
Daniel Ziffer, Reporter, ABC TV The Business
Sergeant Rachel Dunkinson, Victoria Police
Wayne Gatt, Secretary, Police Association of Victoria
Danni Hunter, Victorian Executive Director, Property Council of Australia
Professor Emmanuel Josserand, Centre for Business and Social Innovation, University of Technology Sydney
No home, no flight, dwindling medical supplies and a depleted bank account.
We're following two of the many thousands of Australians currently stranded overseas.
Affordable flights home are still vanishingly rare, with a strict cap on international arrivals, so the quarantine system isn’t overwhelmed.
So what do you do when you’re stuck on the wrong side of the world during a pandemic?
Featured: Liz & Matt, Australians in London
If you're seeing family this weekend, you could well be girding your loins for some sort of argument around the dinner table.
It's hard to find a family without political or ideological divides, and they're often along a generational lines.
Today on the Signal, we're looking at one family's approach to navigating those disagreements and giving you some practical advice on how to handle your own.
Featured:
Georgie, daughter
Peter, father
Dr Charlotte Keating, clinical psychologist specialising in families
Papua New Guinea's COVID-19 crisis is spiralling out of control.
In just three weeks, the country has recorded 3,000 new cases, and clinics and field hospitals are struggling to keep up with demand.
It has the potential to become a full-blown humanitarian crisis.
Today on The Signal, we hear how the situation in PNG became so bad, so fast, and ask whether Australia is doing enough to help.
Featured:
Natalie Whiting, ABC Papua New Guinea Correspondent
Dr Gary Nou, Emergency Physician, Rita Flynn temporary field hospital and Gerehu General Hospital, Port Moresby
Dr Osborne Liko, Health Secretary, Papua New Guinea Ministry of Health
Dr Paki Malumi, Chief Executive, Port Moresby General Hospital
In 1979 at Luna Park in Sydney, the ghost train caught fire.
It killed seven people, and police at the time were quick to blame an electrical fault.
But there were always whispers of something else at play: could it have been arson? If so, who would do such a thing? And did the police investigation at the time and the other subsequent inquiries go deep enough?
Today on The Signal, we sit down with ABC investigative reporter Caro Meldrum-Hanna to hear some of the answers.
What have Caro and her colleagues unearthed?
And who was it that made sure this stayed buried for so long?
Featured:
Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Reporter, ABC TV + iView, 'Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire'
Six million Australians are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, but as of Monday, fewer than 600,000 have had it.
For many countries, the hold up has been the international supply chain, but that's not the case here.
Today on The Signal, we investigate the slow start to Australia's COVID-19 vaccine program.
Is it time to admit there's a problem? And either way, how do we speed it up?
Featured:
Dr Stephen Duckett, Health Economist & Director, Health Program, The Grattan Institute
Dr Karen Price, President, Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners
Editor's Note: A statement from a spokesperson for Health Minister Greg Hunt was received after this podcast was recorded, a link to a related story has been included within the episode description.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-30/covid-rollout-logistical-effort-to-ramp-up-vaccination/100026116
Nearly half a million Australians living with a disability have been put on notice.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme, which they rely on for support, is going to change.
The Federal Government says it's about making the scheme fairer for everyone.
But is that really the full picture?
Today on The Signal, what the Government is planning to do to the NDIS, and what it means for people living with a disability.
Featured:
Nas Campanella, ABC Disability Affairs Reporter
Aaron Carpenter, disability services provider and NDIS participant
Nearly half a million Australians living with a disability have been put on notice.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme, which they rely on for support, is going to change.
The Federal Government says it's about making the scheme fairer for everyone.
But is that really the full picture?
Today on The Signal, what the Government is planning to do to the NDIS, and what it means for people living with a disability.
Featured:
Nas Campanella, ABC Disability Affairs Reporter
Aaron Carpenter, disability services provider and NDIS participant
Hours of secret recordings obtained by the ABC show that a global neo-Nazi group is recruiting in Australia.
'The Base' has been grooming young men who espouse racist views to join them, and in Perth, it seems to have had some success.
Today on The Signal, we hear the audio of the prospective recruits.
What inspires the extremism of the group?
And should it and others like it be declared terrorist organisations in Australia?
Featured:
Alex Mann, Reporter, ABC Background Briefing
Jason Wilson, US-based Australian journalist
Dr Anne Aly, Labor MP and professor specialising in extremism and counter-terrorism
Dean Smith, former political candidate, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party
The floods in NSW and QLD are both déjà vu and a taste of worse to come, if climate change forecasts are accurate.
The question is, how much of the damage suffered by the worst affected communities is avoidable?
Today on the Signal, we're asking how our town and cities could change to cope with the next round of record breaking floods, when they inevitably arrive.
Featured:
Graham Creed, ABC weather specialist and meteorologist
Barbara Norman, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Canberra
There was palpable tension in the Blue Room of Parliament House when Scott Morrison stood up to speak yesterday.
At the outset of the press conference, it was clear his tone on the topic has shifted dramatically, but within minutes, he'd hit back at journalists' question with a warning: be careful.
Editor's note: The Prime Minister issued a late night apology on his Facebook page after claiming during a press conference that News Corporation was dealing with its own harassment complaint, a claim rejected by the company. In his post, Mr Morrison said: "I accept their account. I was wrong to raise it, the emotion of the moment is no excuse."
Featured: Olivia Caisley, Federal Politics Reporter, The Australian
COVID-19 lockdowns and border closures have meant a lot more of us than usual have recent experiences of feeling lonely
And now, with a new group being set up in the Parliament, loneliness finally, officially, has some friends
Today on The Signal, how big a problem has loneliness become?
And what are its new companions planning to do about it?
Featured:
Dr Michelle Lim, Chair, 'Ending Loneliness Together' and Head, Social Health and Wellbeing Laboratory, Swinburne University, Melbourne
Andrew Giles, Labor MP
Dr Fiona Martin, Liberal MP
From today, 6 million more Australians are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
But with Italy already blocking the export of 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia, and the European Union threatening to block more, will Australia's rollout be delayed?
Today on The Signal, how worried should Australia be about possible kinks in the vaccine supply chain?
And with literally billions of people worldwide also in the vaccine queue, is there a way to get the vaccine made more quickly, and fairly?
Featured:
Dr Deborah Gleeson, Associate Professor, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne
From today, 6 million more Australians are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
But with Italy already blocking the export of 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia, and the European Union threatening to block more, will Australia's rollout be delayed?
Today on The Signal, how worried should Australia be about possible kinks in the vaccine supply chain?
And with literally billions of people worldwide also in the vaccine queue, is there a way to get the vaccine made more quickly, and fairly?
Featured:
Dr Deborah Gleeson, Associate Professor, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne
Funerals in Australia are changing.
The death rituals of past generations aren't necessarily the right fit for people dying today, or for those of us whose deaths are hopefully further away.
Today on The Signal, we hear about the trends, and about the funerals of the future.
From body-composting to bushland burials, water-based cremations and funerals without a ceremony at all, what are the options?
And if you're relatively fit and healthy today, how much forward planning can you do?
Featured:
Dr Margaret Gibson, Senior Lecturer, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Brisbane
Amy Sagar, General Manager, Tender Funerals
Philip Shelley, CEO, Canberra Cemeteries
Michelle Dariol, Canberra Cemeteries
More than a dozen countries have paused their rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, mostly in Europe.
Australia isn't among them, and as of Monday the jab will be offered to a pool of more than 6 million people here.
But Australians themselves are, in some cases, feeling rattled by the news about the pause overseas.
So what's got half of Europe spooked about this one vaccine?
And what's the knock-on effect for us?
Featured:
Professor Julie Leask, Sydney Nursing School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health, Visiting Fellow, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance
Editor's note: Since recording this podcast the European Medicines Agency (EMA) says it has found a possible link between AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine and rare blood clotting issues in adults.
The verdict is unanimous: JobKeeper kept Australia afloat during the COVID-19 recession.
But all good things must come to an end. Specifically, two weeks from today.
So what's on the other side?
Today on The Signal, the world beyond the JobKeeper cliff.
Which businesses will survive, and which ones will become casualties of COVID-19?
Featured:
Stephanie Chalmers, ABC news business reporter
Sonia Ortega, Chief executive, Global Experience
Leanne Harwood, Managing director for Australasia and Japan, InterContinental Hotels Group
Gus Fernandez, Bookings manager, Gilligan's Hotel and Resort, Cairns
Vanessa Schap, Tourism consultant, Gilligan's Hotel and Resort, Cairns
We've been here before.
Thousands of women took to the streets on Monday to demand a safer world, free from gendered violence.
This time though, their voices were louder and more determined than they have been in a long while.
So will the result this time be different?
Featured:
Jess Hill, journalist and author, 'Look What You Made Me Do'
Over the past decade, the lives of millions of people in Syria have been turned upside down.
From bombings to beheadings, Syria has been utterly destroyed by hatred and violence.
Since March 2011, 600,000 people have died, 2 million have been injured and 13.7 million have lost their homes.
So how has the conflict gone on for so long?
And as it drags into its eleventh year, what are the reflections of those whose lives it has destroyed?
Featured:
Tracey Shelton, Reporter, ABC Asia Pacific newsroom
Amina Srio, Syrian-Australian
Jessie Adam, Syrian-Australian
Jezeel Adam, Syrian-Australian
The people of Arnhem Land are having a conversation that could radically re-shape Australia.
In the Top End of the Northern Territory, they're discussing the ugliest parts of colonisation, what's happened since, and the way forward from here.
Today on The Signal, we go on the road with the Northern Territory's Treaty Commissioner Mick Dodson.
What are communities telling him?
And how far off is self-determination for Australia's first peoples?
Featured:
Jane Bardon, ABC reporter, Darwin newsroom
Mick Dodson, Northern Territory Treaty Commissioner
COVID-19 was expected to mutate slowly, but a year into the pandemic, we've lost track of how many new variants there are.
Scientists are still working out whether the vaccines that we're only just rolling out now will be an effective shield against them.
Today on The Signal, we're taking stock of how COVID-19 is changing, and what weapons we have against the newest versions of it.
So is the virus outpacing vaccine technology, and if it is, then how will Australia ever open up its borders?
Featured:
Dr Norman Swan, ABC Health Report & Coronavirus podcast
COVID-19 has done something strange to Australian politics.
The WA Premier Mark McGowan is facing this weekend's election with a 90% approval rating, and the opposition has conceded defeat before polls have opened.
Campaigning to win an election from the top job has always been a big advantage, but this is new territory.
So does the same rule apply to Scott Morrison, and will he test it out before the end of the year?
Featured:
Jacob Kagi, ABC State Political Reporter, WA
Phil Coorey, Political Editor, Australian Financial Review
Most people can't wait to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but new research found that more than a quarter of Australians feel the opposite way.
The Government's answer so far has been to set up a COVID-19 Myth Busting unit.
So what will it take to talk millions of vaccine-hesitant Australians over the line?
Or will our scepticism stand in the way of herd immunity? Featured:
Associate Professor Holly Seale, University of New South Wales, behavioural scientist specialising in infectious disease and vaccines
Professor Richard Osborne. He's director of Global Health and Equity at Swinburne University
JobKeeper was supposed to go to the hardest hit corners of the economy.
It’s the program widely credited with keeping us from economic disaster but it’s also had some unintended consequences.
Some companies that accessed the subsidy went on to turn substantial profits and are being called out for using government money to pay out big dividends to shareholders.
It’s not against the rules, but is it right?
Featured:
Gareth Hutchens, ABC business reporter
A year ago, as COVID-19 spread worldwide, the smart money was on property prices taking a hit.
But 12 months on, prices are rising faster than ever, with no sign of a slowdown in sight.
In February, the market recorded the biggest monthly price gain in 17 years.
So if the biggest disruption in a generation doesn't cause house prices to drop, could anything?
And what does all the heat mean for renters trying to buy their first home?
Featured:
Adelaide Timbrell, Economist, ANZ Research
As far as denials go, this one was emphatic, strenuous and categorical.
The Attorney-General Christian Porter told a press conference in Perth yesterday that he never had sexual relations with a 16-year-old girl he met at a debating event in Sydney 33 years ago, when he was 17.
She has accused him of rape.
The woman who made the allegation took her own life last year, and police in NSW have wrapped up their inquiry.
So is that the end of the matter?
Today on The Signal, as calls grow louder for further investigations, what will happen next?
Featured:
Patricia Karvelas, Host, ABC RN Drive and Afternoon Briefing, ABC News Channel
The relationship between China and Australia is still in the pits, and there's deep suspicion here about Chinese influence campaigns.
So where does that leave Chinese Australians?
Today on The Signal, the scrutiny, and sometimes violence faced by members of the Chinese diaspora in Australia.
How they're treated and how they see not only themselves, but the actions of each country.
Featured:
Dr Jennifer Hsu, Research Fellow, Lowy Institute
Natasha Kassam, Director, Foreign Policy and Public Opinion Program, Lowy Institute
Aged care in Australia needs to be rebuilt.
That's the recommendation contained in the final report of a royal commission that's spent years looking into the system's failings.
Released yesterday, the commissioners found a system "besieged by neglect" that leaves older Australians stuck on wait lists for years or abandoned them in care facilities set up to maximise profits.
All told, they make 148 recommendations for change.
But is anything going to improve?
Today on The Signal, we ask whether our aged care system can be fixed so it provides the care most of us will eventually need.
Featured: Norman Hermant, ABC Social Affairs Correspondent
There's a bipartisan meltdown underway when it comes to sexual assault.
On Friday it was the Coalition, with an anonymous letter accusing a cabinet Minister of raping a 16-year-old girl, back in 1988 before he entered Parliament.
Then late on Sunday, a Liberal Senator forwarded an allegation about a Labor MP to the Federal Police.
The Coalition is choosing carefully how to respond to this new allegation, and for the first time this year, Labor is in the same position.
So will the Government out the Minister in question, or hope the storm passes it by?
Featured:
Andrew Probyn, ABC Political Editor
Australia has been transfixed by the story of Brittany Higgins for almost a fortnight.
The former political staffer alleges she was raped in a minister's office inside Parliament House in 2019, and has now filed a formal complaint with police.
More allegations from other women against the man she named have followed, along with ongoing rounds of recriminations about how badly the case was handled, all giving rise to the clear impression that something is very wrong in Parliament House.
So is anything going to change?
Today on The Signal, we look into the case that might just trigger some desperately needed reform for women in Australian politics.
Featured:
Clare Armstrong, National Political Reporter, The Daily Telegraph, Parliament House, Canberra
India is a nation of farmers, and right now many are worried new laws will drive them out of business.
For months now, tens of thousands have been camping out on the outskirts of Delhi protesting against new laws which the Indian Government says will increase profits and create growth.
So what are the farmers worried about?
And is there more driving the laws than first meets the eye?
Today on The Signal, we hear about what it's like to be a farmer in India, and ask why so many fear the new laws could leave them destitute.
Featured:
Kavitha Kuruganti, Founder-Convenor, Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture, Delhi
James Oaten, ABC South Asia Correspondent, Delhi
The COVID-19 vaccination program is finally here, with the first Australians receiving a jab on Sunday.
It's a staged rollout, with the most vulnerable at the front of the queue.
But despite clear evidence supporting the vaccines, some are still worried about them and say they'll refuse.
So how does the law deal with people who refuse vaccinations?
And if refusing to get a jab puts others at risk in your workplace, can you be fired?
Featured:
Cecilia Anthony Das, Lecturer and Course Coordinator, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Perth
It's been ten years since the Fukushima nuclear disaster, but the clean-up is still in its infancy.
Today on the Signal, we're going inside what's left of the Fukushima nuclear power plant to find out how much work there is left to do, and what the plan is for more than a million tonnes of contaminated seawater.
Featured:
Jake Sturmer, ABC North Asia Correspondent, Tokyo
It hasn't been an easy time for QAnon supporters.
A key prediction that Joe Biden would be hauled away in handcuffs instead of inaugurated on January 20, never came to pass.
Nevertheless, the conspiracy still has followers and now they have their sights set on a new date.
Today on The Signal, we look at how QAnon is mutating to survive.
And how its followers, including one Australian woman, are finding ways to keep believing.
Featured:
Megan, friend of a long time QAnon supporter
Travis View, QAnon Anonymous podcast
Facebook has adopted a drastic bargaining position in its fight with Australia, blocking news from its platform rather than agreeing to a plan to pay for local journalism.
Community groups, state health departments and even the Bureau of Meteorology have been caught out by the ban too, which came in overnight yesterday without warning.
So is this just a negotiating tactic from Facebook?
Or could it be forever?
Today on The Signal, we ask who will blink first in the showdown over the Government's media bargaining code.
Featured:
Professor Axel Bruns, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane
The modern Liberal Party is very attached to its tough asylum seeker policies, because it's always been a vote winner for them.
But are there exceptions to that rule?
The case of Australia's most prominent asylum seeker family returned to court this week, and the Government lost its high profile appeal against them.
And their case has support from some unexpected parts of Australia's ideological spectrum.
The Tamil family rose to prominence after the Central Queensland town of Biloela campaigned strongly on their behalf, after their temporary settlement there was brought to an abrupt end.
Despite this week's ruling, there's no end in sight for their detention on Christmas Island.
So what’s next for the family? And what's in it for the Government to keep up this fight? Featured:
Helen Davidson, reporter, Guardian Australia
Josh Taylor, reporter, Guardian Australia
Even though Donald Trump was acquitted at his Senate impeachment trial, he isn't out of the woods yet.
The former US president is still facing allegations of rape, sexual assault, tax fraud, hush money payments and inciting a rebellion against the United States, and that's not even a full list.
So is Donald Trump going to go down?
And if he does, could he still run for president again anyway?
Featured:
Barbara McQuade, Professor, University of Michigan Law School and former US Attorney, Eastern District of Michigan
And if you've been following the story of Brittany Higgins, there's a past episode of The Signal we want to share with you.
This week, the former Liberal staffer has come forward with allegations that she was raped by a colleague in a Canberra parliamentary office in 2019.
It's just the latest in a series of awful stories about the way women in Australia's political institutions are treated.
To demonstrate the lack of progress on the issue of women's safety in these workplaces, here's an episode about another horrific story in 2018, this time in NSW Parliament.
Back then, we spoke to senior press gallery journalist Karen Middleton about her own experiences of abusive politicians, and the roots of parliament's toxic culture.
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/the-signal/sexual-harassment-in-politics/10486494
Australia's hotel quarantine system seems to be leaking, and the leaks are happening more often. So is the barrier between us and COVID-19 still fit for purpose?
And if it’s not, then can it be fixed?
Featured:
Professor Catherine Bennett, Chair of Epidemiology, Deakin University Professor Tony Blakely, Epidemiologist, University of Melbourne
We're used to the idea that China wants to exert its influence in Australia, but Russia's campaign to advance its own interests attracts less attention.
So what does the Kremlin want with us? And how is it trying to achieve those goals?
Featured:
Sean Nicholls, Reporter, ABC’s Four Corners program
What a difference a single word can make.
Scott Morrison appears to be crab walking his way to a net-zero emissions target, something he now describes as "preferable" for Australia by 2050.
The comment has drawn howls of protest from the National Party backbench, where some members claim a net-zero target will kill jobs in regional Australia.
So what is the Prime Minister's grand plan?
And can he pull it off?
Featured:
David Lipson, ABC Political Reporter, Canberra
The technology keeps getting better, but Australia's electric vehicle uptake has been incredibly slow.
For most people, it's still way too expensive.
So should the Government be helping bring the cost down?
Today on The Signal, the arguments for and against electric vehicle subsidies.
And with or without them, does it add up, financially speaking, to own one yet?
Featured:
Dr Jake Whitehead, electric vehicle researcher, University of Queensland
Thomas, proud electric van owner
We all remember the food pyramid, but is it right for everyone?
Australia’s dietary guidelines were designed with the best of intentions, to advise us how much of what to eat.
The problem is we’re not all the same, and some doctors are arguing it’s time to make some big changes.
So should we rewrite the rules?
Featured:
Dr James Muecke, Ophthalmologist and 2020 Australian of the Year
Dr Alexandra Jones, Research fellow in food policy and law at the George Institute for Global Health
In 1957, the Russians won the space race when they launched their satellite, Sputnik.
In 2020, they claimed they'd won a different race, launching the first mass vaccination program against COVID-19, which they named Sputnik V.
Initially, scientists were sceptical, not least because the Russians hadn't published any data about the jab, and because their rollout looked suspiciously fast.
But now that the data is in, it turns out Sputnik V looks pretty good.
So how does it measure up to Australia's options, as more and more vaccine-resistant COVID-19 strains emerge?
Featured:
Felix Light, Journalist, The Moscow Times
Hassan Vally, Associate Professor in Epidemiology, La Trobe University, Melbourne
Donald Trump is widely expected to be acquitted in his second impeachment trial beginning this week, but Democratic strategists have a backup plan.
There are growing expectations that the former President might be pursued using a little known section of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution to ban him from holding office again.
Today on The Signal, what to expect from this week's trial in the US Senate, and the next chapter in his opponents' playbook.
Featured:
Bruce Ackerman, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science, Yale University
Collingwood is one of Australia's biggest, oldest and richest sporting clubs, and now it's become known for something else: a history of "distinct and egregious" racism. Last weekend, an independent report prompted by former player Héritier Lumumba's experiences of racism at Collingwood was finally released, prompting an official apology.
But the club's President Eddie McGuire also bungled the response, saying the release of the report made him "proud".
So how did Collingwood get to this point?
And what does its racism scandal say about the AFL and Australia more broadly?
Featured:
Jack Latimore, Acting Digital Editor, NITV & Birpai-Thungutti man
Myanmar is having a recurring nightmare.
The country has endured more years of military dictatorship than democratic rule, but this week's coup still came as a surprise.
Its leader Aung San Suu Kyi is believed to be under house arrest, and other political leaders were also detained by the military in raids on Monday.
So is this the end of Myanmar's democracy project, or will the Burmese people fight back?
Featured:
Aye Min Thant, Burmese-American journalist, Yangon
Dr Justine Chambers, Associate Director, Myanmar Research Centre, Australian National University
Three weeks ago, pretty much nobody knew about the share price of the US gaming retailer GameStop.
Now, it's making global headlines.
Thanks to a ragtag army of investors from a Reddit forum called r/WallStreetBets, GameStop's share price has risen 1,400% since the start of last month, stunning hedge funds and leaving them billions of dollars worse off.
So if a group of amateurs can bring some of the world's richest people to the brink of bankruptcy, what else could they do?
Featured:
Robert Smith, Co-Host, Planet Money podcast, US National Public Radio
Would Facebook and Google really bail on us?
If it's a bluff, it's a big one.
The tech giants are threatening to dramatically scale back services if the Government forces them to pay for news.
As yet, the Government's showing no sign of backing down.
So who's in the right, and will they go through it?
Featured:
Stephen Scheeler, Former Facebook Australia CEO
As it was unfolding, the storming of the US Capitol building looked like the very definition of chaos.
But now that the dust has settled, we're learning just how organised it was.
So who was pulling the strings, and how?
Today on The Signal, the planning behind the moment when the seat of American democracy was overrun.
What will it mean for Donald Trump's impeachment trial?
Featured:
Sarah Ferguson, ABC TV investigative journalist, Washington DC
Wars, boycotts, pandemics - the modern Olympics has withstood them all.
But can it overcome COVID-19?
There've been three Olympic cancellations since 1896, and officials in Tokyo are adamant theirs won't be the fourth.
So what are the details of the plan to COVID-proof the games?
And just how weird will these Olympics be?
Featured:
Tracey Holmes, Host, ABC The Ticket podcast
Russians have been rallying in subzero temperatures, and it's all down to one man - Alexei Navalny.
After surviving an assassination attempt in August, he returned to Moscow in January, only to be arrested at the airport.
So how big a threat is he to Vladimir Putin?
Featured:
Leonid Ragozin, freelance Russian journalist
We've always talked about avoiding climate change, but now the Australian Government is talking about adapting to it.
With fires, floods and heatwaves getting worse all the time, the modelling suggests Australia's weather will become increasingly volatile in coming decades.
So what's Australia's new plan for weather-proofing the nation, as global warming sets in? And could the Government's shift lead to other kinds of action on climate change too?
Featured:
Amy Remeikis, Political Correspondent, Guardian Australia
Dr Liz Hanna, Honorary Senior Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University and Chair of the Environmental Health Working Group, World Federation of Public Health Associations
Australia's first COVID-19 vaccine has been approved, but it's not here yet.
It's definitely good news, but regulatory approval wasn't the last barrier standing between us and the seamless delivery of a vaccine to every last Australian.
So where are the remaining roadblocks? And if you're not at the front of the queue, then when can you expect a jab?
Featured:
Professor Kristine Macartney, Director, National Centre for Immunisation, Research and Surveillance
America has changed its tune on a number of fronts since Joe Biden took over last week.
From climate change to COVID-19 and dealing with the rest of the world, Joe Biden and the Democrats are in the process of aggressively de-Trumping the US Government.
So what is America’s brand new Government already doing differently?
And how will it all affect Australia?
Featured:
Dr Jennifer Hunt, National Security College, Australian National University
Dr Jeffrey Wilson, Research Director, Perth US Asia Centre
It's nearly over, and the end can't come soon enough.
As 2020 draws to a close, The Signal team looks back at the winners and losers from the strangest year of their lives.
Featured:
Ange Lavoipierre
Stephen Smiley
The dream of free movement is starting to seem more real, with COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out around the world.
Margaret Keenan was the first person to receive an officially approved Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, when she got the jab in a hospital in the middle of England two weeks ago.
Since then, thousands more have followed in the UK and US, while millions more have had other COVID-19 vaccines in China and Russia.
But not all COVID-19 jabs are the same, so how will a vaccinated world work?
And what happens to you if you haven't had the jab, or can’t get access to it?
Featured:
Dr Alexandra Phelan, Assistant Professor, Georgetown University Center for Global Health Science and Security, and Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Law Center
2020 has provided fertile ground for both conspiracy theories and Australia's far right groups.
Today on the Signal, how has that kind of extremism grown this year?
And what's being done to stop it?
Featured:
Dr Kaz Ross, University of Tasmania
Across the Pacific, the climate change outlook is bleak.
The models suggest that higher average temperatures in the region will exacerbate the cyclone season, cause increasingly devastating king tides, and lead to sea level rises that will make some nations uninhabitable.
So what's being done about it?
Today on The Signal, we explore the fury some in the Pacific feel towards Australia over climate change.
What's in store for the region if the worst forecasts come to pass, and what does Australia owe its neighbours?
Featured:
Jonathan Pryke, Director, Pacific Islands Program, Lowy Institute
While most of Australia was distracted by a pandemic, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been edging towards the long held ambition of a voice to Australian Parliament.
But there's a bigger picture.
Today on The Signal, the quiet progress for First Nations peoples towards the ultimate goal of a treaty.
Featured:
Megan Davis, Professor of Law, UNSW, Pro Vice-Chancellor UNSW Indigenous
When the Whitlam Government set up the Family Court of Australia, plenty of experts said it was the global gold standard.
But 35 years on, the Federal Government says the Court is beset by red tape and delay.
A bill to merge it with the Federal Circuit Court to try to fix those problems is slowly working its way through Parliament.
So will a merger really address the Family Court’s problems, or are there deeper issues at play?
Featured:
Miranda Kaye, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney
At the height of the pandemic, many lost jobs and plenty of businesses were forced to shut their doors.
Today on The Signal, the Federal Government says it wants to reform industrial relations laws to help employers and employees to get through the COVID crisis.
So how will the government's IR changes affect your job?
And will it make a difference to your pay and conditions?
Featured:
Stephanie Borys, ABC Political Reporter, Parliament House, Canberra
In the 1950s owning your own place was the 'Australian dream', but for millions of young people in 2020 it's more like the Australian mirage.
Today on The Signal, we're looking at retirement for the younger generation.
A recent Government review has found the systems that allow us to retire, like pensions and super, are broadly sustainable, but housing affordability is the big threat.
So how important is owning your home going to be for retirement, if you're coming of age in the 21st century?
And is it worth digging into your super to achieve that goal?
Featured:
Brendan Coates, Household Finances Director, Grattan Institute, Melbourne
Donald Trump, like all US presidents, has an unfettered ability to pardon people for federal crimes.
So far in his presidency, it's a power the President has used only sparingly.
But is that about that change?
Today on The Signal, what do the individuals who've received pardons from Donald Trump have in common?
And could they be joined by more members of the Trump campaign team, some of Donald Trump's own children, and even by the President himself?
Featured:
Professor Brian Kalt, Professor of Law and Harold Norris Faculty Scholar, Michigan State University
An overwhelming majority of women murdered by their partners in Australia are subject beforehand to a pattern of behaviour called coercive control.
New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and Victoria are all currently looking at ways to criminalise it.
But while advocates say it could prevent physical abuse, others argue it will be hard to get convictions, and could even misfire.
So how do coercive control laws work?
And do they make a difference for victims and survivors of domestic violence?
Featured:
Nicole Lee, abuse victim-survivor and anti-family violence activist
Jess Hill, journalist and author, 'See What You Made Me Do: Power, Control and Domestic Abuse'
Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is on one last official trip to the Middle East.
On paper, it's a peace mission, but nothing in the Middle East is ever that simple.
Today on The Signal, what exactly has the Trump Administration been trying to achieve there?
And with less than two months left on the clock, did they pull it off?
Featured:
Negar Mortazavi, Iranian-American Journalist, political analyst, host of 'The Iran Podcast'
Australia is coming to terms with a revised history of the war in Afghanistan, since an inquiry by NSW Court of Appeal judge Major General Paul Brereton found special forces unlawfully killed 39 people there.
It's brand new information that's still generating shockwaves.
But what else might be missing from the official record?
Today on The Signal, the tricky business of correcting Australia's war history.
Is there room to acknowledge both heroes and war criminals?
Featured:
Brendon Kelson, former director, Australian War Memorial 1990-1994
Australia has never had a treaty with any of its Indigenous nations, but the Noongar people from WA may have just changed that.
They now have the largest native title settlement on record, covering 200,000 km and worth $1.3 billion.
Legal scholars believe it could constitute Australia's first treaty, because of the power it puts in the Noongar people's hands.
So if it is a treaty, could more follow?
And where does that leave the national campaign for a treaty for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?
Featured:
Vanessa Kickett, Chair of the South West Aboriginal Land and Seas Council
Dr Harry Hobbs, Native Title expert, University of Technology Sydney
Scott Morrison doesn't often lay into China the way he did this week.
Lately, we've been trying to mend the fence with our biggest trading partner to end a growing trade war, driven by Beijing.
But yesterday, the Prime Minister's rare display of outrage was brought on by a tweet taunting Australian soldiers over war crimes allegations.
So was it an emotional slip up, or a strategic long play?
Featured:
Bill Birtles, ABC China Correspondent
Ethiopia's prime minister Abiy Ahmed was 2019's Nobel Peace Prize winner, but some fear he's on the way to becoming a dictator.
Over the weekend, the Ethiopian government claims it quelled an uprising in the country's northern Tigray region, scattering fighters from the Tigray People's Liberation Front to the hills.
But independently verifying what has been happening in Tigray is difficult, because the Ethiopian Government has switched off the internet and disabled phone lines there, and journalists say they've been intimidated and have had to leave the country.
So what is happening on the ground in the world's 12 most populous country?
And is Abiy Ahmed's government becoming just as brutal as its predecessors?
Featured:
Zecharias Zelalem, freelance journalist covering Ethiopia
After 804 days in jail in Iran, Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert is finally free.
The Iranian government says it's the result of a prisoner swap, but the Australian government isn't confirming anything.
So what do we know about the secretive world of prisoner exchanges?
And if Iran got what it wanted, will it lead to more hostage diplomacy?
Featured:
Dr Rodger Shanahan, Research Fellow, Lowy Institute
Joe Biden will inherit a public health crisis beyond any US President's experience when he takes office on January 20th.
At the moment, there are up to 180,000 new COVID-19 infections recorded every day, and many ICUs and morgues are overwhelmed.
Holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving, is about to pour fuel on that fire, with very few restrictions on movement being enforced.
So in the dying days of the Trump presidency, how bad could the pandemic get?
And what can Joe Biden realistically do to turn it around?
Featured:
Yasmeen Abutaleb, National reporter focussing on health policy, Washington Post
Since September, five delivery riders have died on the job in Australia, and none of their families has been entitled to compensation.
These apps have been around for years now. So why has nothing changed?
Today on The Signal, the underclass of foreign workers responding to Australia's dinner whims.
Why doesn't our legal system offer them better protections?
Featured:
Lydia Feng, Local Communities reporter, ABC News Sydney
Joellen Riley Munton, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney
More and more COVID-19 vaccines are returning their clinical results, and it's good news.
The latest development came from the Oxford University trial with pharmaceutical company Astrazeneca, which was found to be 70% effective in participants, although that figure rose to 90% when the vaccine was administered in a different dose.
It comes hot on the heels of two other vaccine candidates returning preliminary results of 95% efficacy earlier in November.
In fact the recent results have been so promising the US, the UK and Germany are weeks away from starting to roll out vaccines to the public.
So what's the hold up in Australia?
Today on The Signal, Australia's place in the vaccine queue.
And how will the rollout go when it does happen?
Featured:
Professor Terry Nolan, Head of the Vaccine and Immunisation Research Group, Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne
More and more countries are signing up to a net zero emissions target.
China, Japan and South Korea have all committed in just the past few months, while US President-elect Joe Biden will follow suit next year.
But Australia is still holding out, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying he won't promise a neutral emissions target by 2050 until the economic cost is clear.
So does that matter?
Or will the states, territories and private sector get Australia there anyway?
Featured:
Tim Buckley, Director of Energy Finance Studies for Australasia, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis
The horrific revelation that Australian soldiers in Afghanistan murdered 39 people in cold blood is a moment of national reckoning.
But really, it's just the beginning.
Today on The Signal, as Australia begins the difficult task of staring down war crimes committed in its name, the wheels are starting to turn for the accused.
So what will justice look like when it arrives?
Featured:
Gideon Boas, Barrister, former war crimes lawyer and Professor, La Trobe Law School, Melbourne
We've seen coronavirus lockdowns before, but this one is different.
For six days, the entire state of South Australia is under tight restrictions to buy authorities time to trace and contain a COVID-19 cluster that's spreading across Adelaide's suburbs.
They're the toughest statewide measures we've ever had in Australia, and if the lockdown all goes to plan it could be the shortest too.
So can the state pull this off?
Or will the virus spread out of control and kill Christmas?
Featured:
Adrian Esterman, Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of South Australia
Most of us don't have a clear picture of what Australia's special forces do when they're on a deployment.
In some ways, that's the whole idea, because secrecy comes with the territory.
But some of those secrets are about to get a very public airing.
Today on The Signal, the war crimes report Australia is bracing for.
How did we get here, and what comes next?
Featured:
Mark Willacy, Reporter, ABC Investigations Unit