The World Today: Recent Episodes
ABC Radio
The World Today is a comprehensive current affairs program which backgrounds, analyses, interprets and encourages debate on events and issues of interest and importance to all Australians.
Eligible adults are being urged to get an extra COVID vaccine booster, after changes announced by the Federal Government.
A huge humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Turkiye and Syria, after a series of powerful earthquakes killed thousands of people.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is urging all Australians to back this year's referendum on a Indigenous Voice to Parliament, as parliamentarians return to Canberra for the first sitting of the year.
Can our leaders thrash out a way to reform Medicare and make healthcare affordable for all Australians?
More than 150-million-dollars worth of assets have been frozen and nine people charged in one of the biggest money laundering investigations in Australian history.
Families struggling with the cost of living set to face even higher gas bills - can anything be done to ease the burden?
A city divided by violence and racism - Alice Springs locals say they're being ignored as the city struggles to find a solution to a drug and alcohol fuelled crime wave;.
More money, more Australian content and a greater emphasis on cultural diversity - how the Government wants to 'revive' the country's creative sector.
As the west steps up its support for Ukraine, Russia again sends out a deadly volley of missiles which has rained down on civilian targets
The Prime Minister says 'welcome home' to new citizens during his Australia Day address but behind the ceremony there's a genuine resolve to change the date and stop celebrating what many refer to as 'Invasion Day'
Will a curb on alcohol sales help to quell a surge in violent crime that's sweeping the central Australian city of Alice Springs?
The Prime Minister is visiting Alice Springs this afternoon, as the town deals with what police say are unprecedented levels of crime
Police have identified the suspect in a mass shooting at a dance hall during Lunar New Year celebrations in a suburb of Los Angeles; Germany agrees to a backdoor route for its Leopard tanks to be sent to Ukraine; and the dangers of online dating - is it time for a legal crackdown?
Andy Murray and Thanasi Kokkinakis clock up the overtime in a record breaking match at the Australian Open;
Soldier turned politician. Senator and former Major General Jim Molan dies of cancer aged 72.
Alarming rates of abuse and neglect of people with disabilities living in group homes, advocates say urgent reform is needed.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has apologised to the Jewish community for wearing a Nazi uniform to his own dress-up 21st birthday party.
Anthony Albanese is the first Australian Prime Minister to visit PNG in more than four years and it's his first bi-lateral visit in the Pacific
Thousands of people rally in support of democracy in Brazil, a day after the country was rocked by far-right protests
World leaders condemn attacks on democracy, as Brazil's Congress is over-run in scenes similar to the US Capitol riots
Remote communities in WA's Kimberley region isolated in the worst flooding on record;Ukraine rejects a 36 hour truce ordered by Russia, calling it a "propaganda gesture";And an abandoned Sydney to Hobart yacht washes up on remote Indigenous land - how will it be salvaged?
Remote towns in Western Australia's Kimberley region have been cut off, as flood waters rise.
After flooding and significant rainfall in some parts of the country, experts predict we're now heading into El Nino.
Investigators try to piece together what happened after a fatal double helicopter crash on the Gold Coast.
Residents of the outback NSW town of Menindee express their frustrations over a lack of accurate flood predictions.
The remote NSW town of Menindee under evacuation orders, as flooding worsens; Football fans pay tribute to Brazillian great, Pele, who has died at the age of 82.
A senior Ukrainian MP pays tribute to a young Australian who died fighting for Ukraine and says the sacrifice won't be forgotten;
Renmark in South Australia's Riverland braces for the flood peak, with some hope water levels will be lower than expected
Local officials in Renmark are hopeful that levees will hold, as flood waters threaten South Australia's Riverland
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed the United States Congress, thanking the US for its assistance in the fight against Russia's invasion.
The two Queensland police constables murdered in an ambush on the Western Downs last week have been farewelled in an emotional public memorial.
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been appointed Australia's next ambassador to the United States.
In one of the most dramatic games in recent history, Argentina has beaten France on penalties to claim the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Albanese Government is ending the year celebrating the passage of its energy market intervention bill through parliament yesterday
Federal Parliament is debating the Government's energy market intervention today. Proposal is likely to pass by the end of the day.
Investigations into the deadly siege on a remote Queensland property have turned to the attackers' online presence, in a bid to shed some light on any motive.
Queensland Police have started piecing together how six people died in a horrific seige on Queensland's Western Downs. Two young police officers and a neighbour were killed by three shooters.
As Parliament gets ready to debate the Federal Government's $3 Billion plan to reduce energy prices this week, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he's confident it will get through.
As many Australian households struggle with the rising cost of power, many major industrials are also having trouble keeping the lights on.
The federal government is planning the biggest overhaul of the nation's environment laws in decades, setting up a new environment protection agency.
Australia and the US invite more cooperation with Japan, in a bid to stand up to a rising China.
An eighth consecutive interest rate rise has been handed down, as the Reserve Bank continues its battle with high inflation.
The prime minister is determined to convince state and territory leaders to get on board with a plan to cap coal and gas prices.
The ACT DPP drops charges against the man accused of raping former Liberal Party ministerial staffer Brittany Higgins at Parliament House in 2019.
The cyber hacking crisis at Medibank enters an uncertain phase, with the hackers claiming they've dumped all remaining customer data on the dark web.
The former Prime Minister has been formally censured in a 86-50 vote in the House of Representatives for secretly accruing portfolios without telling his colleagues, let alone the public.
The Federal Government vows to fight a recommendation to place the Great Barrier Reef on UNESCO's "in danger" list.
Victorian election: Labor retains power, what does it mean for the Liberal and National parties?
An inquiry into former prime minister Scott Morrison's secret move to appoint himself joint control over several ministries is released.
There's good news for some on rivers in inland New South Wales, but in SA communities on the Murray are bracing for floods in coming days.
The Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO are warning of longer droughts and bigger floods, as Australia's climate continues to warm.
Emergency crews and desperate locals keep up the search for survivors after a Monday afternoon earthquake rocked West Java.
The Federal Government schedules extra sitting days to push through its workplace changes by Christmas;
We bring the latest from the flood zone in central west New South Wales, where emergency services remain on alert;
The pub with no publicaan outback town evacuated as the Darling River continues to rise;
And, new life for Neighours. Months after farewelling millions of viewers around the world, Ramsay Street is back on the map.
The World Today examines the events and issues of interest and importance to all Australians.
Poland calls an urgent security meeting after reports of Russian missiles striking its territory; We head to flood-devastated Eugowra where homes have been swept off their foundations and down streets - what's the future for this town?
The worsening flood emergency in New South Wales - authorities say they're dealing with the biggest flood operation in the state's history, as reinforcements from overseas begin arriving.
Thousands forced to evacuate as flash flooding sweeps western New South Wales, while communities in South Australia begin the clean-up after a destructive storm.
The environment minister has put businesses and manufacturers on notice over their recycling practices and those who haven't heeded warnings will now face greater regulations.
Suspected hackers behind the Medibank data theft reveal their rejected ransom was one-dollar-per customer, as concerns grow about sensitive data being leaked.
The World Today examines the events and issues of interest and importance to all Australians.
The Government is facing a savage battle over its plan to reshape the pay and working conditions of many Australians, as it insists on a vote before the summer break.
Australia's biggest private health insurer has declared it won't pay a ransom to the hackers responsible for accessing the information of almost 10 million current and former customers.
New figures reveal recent high-profile cyber hacks at companies like Optus and Medibank are just the tip of the iceberg.
The Federal Government steps up its attacks on the gas industry, blaming 'greed' for spiralling prices.
Rising inflation continues to bite across the country, with building concerns it will leave a lasting scar with a generation of Australian children.
With a Cup Day rate rise and falling house prices, what's the outlook for borrowers feeling the strain?
Voters in Brazil have turned on the populist incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, ousting him after just one term
The jury in the rape trial of Bruce Lehrmann has been discharged after fears of misconduct by a juror.
Labor's first budget to include an 'ambitious target' for the construction of new homes - will it help ease Australia's housing affordability crisis?
Floods ravage eastern Australia - Echuca residents steel themselves for the River Murray peak and grain crops in northern New South Wales are under threat
Communities continuing last minute sandbagging efforts as the River Murray rises. Have they done enough?
A review of Australia's pandemic response finds while governments got some of the 'big calls' right there were a lot of failures that put some of our most vulnerable residents at risk.
Locals desperately build levees to protect their town from rising floodwaters in northern Victoria.
Victoria's flood crisis - whole areas cut off with more rain on the way. Waterways could be flooded for the next month.
Heavy rains to hit parts of Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales with warnings of serious flooding
.20 years on from the Bali bombings family and friends remember the 88 Australians who lost their lives - but amid the commemoration, a chilling warning that Islamic extremism remains an ongoing and deadly threat in Indonesia
Soaring rents and rising interest rates - how housing affordability has overtaken COVID as the main cause of stress for Australians;
Are decades-long delays and cost-blowouts putting Australia's military capabilities at risk?;
and heavily-populated areas of Ukraine targeted after the partial destruction of the bridge linking Russia and the Crimean peninsula.
Debate swirls within federal Labor ranks about whether it's financially responsible to deliver the tax cuts promised in this month's budget.
The Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme says the NDIS risks becoming the only available help for people with disability.
The Australian government's decision to repatriate dozens of women and children from detention camps in Syria has been met with a mixed response.
One of Australia's largest coal-fired power stations to shut down ten years ahead of schedule ... have we reached a tipping point in the move towards renewable energy?
A corporate spin expert delivers a scathing assessment of Optus's crisis management skills as those swept up in the massive security leak scramble to get new drivers licences and passports
Frustration growing as Optus struggles to deal with the fallout from a massive data breach.
Up to 10 million of us may have had our personal data breached in the Optus cyber-attack....but what does this mean and what can individuals do about it?
Australia lashes Russia's nuclear threat and its move to conscript its citizens into the war with Ukraine;
The United Nations Secretary-General has given a grim assessment of world affairs in addresssing dozens of world leaders at the UN general assembly in New York.
Britain's longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II has been laid to rest at Windsor Castle after an elaborate funeral.
Origin Energy - the gas company with the biggest investment in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin - is selling up, despite the Federal and NT governments lauding the gasfield development as Australia's next big energy source
The Reserve Bank governor faces his first grilling in Canberra since embarking on aggressive rate rises, saying he can't see interest rates going back down again any time soon
Mourners in London have joined a four kilometre queue to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Hall.
National Cabinet has agreed to extend pandemic leave payments while compulsory isolation periods remain in place.
An inquiry into Sydney's star casino has found the company unsuitable to hold a licence in New South Wales. The report says there's been widespread misconduct at the casino.
Tears, silence and applause as the coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth II begins the solemn journey from her beloved Balmoral back to England.
Should Australia increase the permanent intake of skilled migrants to deal with labour shortages, and what will it mean for local workers?
The Federal Government's Jobs and Skills summit has opened in Canberra this morning. More than 140 delegates are at two-day event at Parliament House.
A day out from the Jobs and Skills Summit, the Refugee Council is pushing the government to increase its humanitarian intake to help solve the country's labour shortage.
In a potential shake-up of the gig economy, a handful of rideshare and food delivery companies are backing the creation of a transport industry regulator and a minimum wage.
The Federal government's Jobs and Skills Summit is just three days away.... and experts say progress is needed for workers in female-dominated industries.
Qantas has posted a $1.86 billion dollar loss, before tax. It leaves the company's chief executive Alan Joyce under growing pressure.
It's six months today since Russia invaded Ukraine. Cities across Ukraine have been devastated and there's grave concern fighting around Europe's largest nuclear power plant could lead to a disaster.
The prime minister has released a report from the Solicitor-General on former Prime Minister Scott Morrison's secret ministries.
As Australia's skills crisis deepens, the Federal Government has released a list of the most in-demand professions it wants to target with training and migration.
Australians closely affected by the 2002 Bali Bombings have reacted with shock and anger at the likelihood that one of the key planners is set for an early release from prison; Australia is set to introduce some form of fuel efficiency standard, following a commitment from the Energy Minister; Wild storms have lashed parts of Europe, wreaking havoc across multiple countries and killing at least 13 people.
Heroes among us: After ordinary people performed valiant rescues during this year's east coast floods, an inquiry says they should be properly trained for next time. Will that work?
The government is trying to design a system which will help businesses bring down their emissions, without damaging economic growth.
And single parents are calling for an overhaul of the tax system to force recalcitrant former partners to pay the child support they owe.
The scandal around Scott Morrison multiple portfolios continues. Labor says his former colleagues should stop downplaying the gravity of his secret self-appointments.
The former Prime Minister Scott Morrison defends his decision to be secretly sworn in to ministerial portfolios, saying the COVID-19 pandemic called for extraordinary measures. The current prime minister says it's the secrecy that troubles him.
Pressure is mounting on governments around Australia to prevent young children being put in jail, arrested or even strip-searched. A group of legal groups and child advocates are pushing for the minimum age of criminal responsibility to be raised from 10 to 14 in every state and territory.
For decades Tasmanian Aboriginal people have fought for a statue of divisive former state premier William Crowther to be removed from a public square. Now they've had a win.
The prime minister Anthony Albanese is seeking legal advice after reports the previous prime minister Scott Morrison swore himself in to additional ministerial portfolios without telling his cabinet colleagues or the public; one year since the taliban seized control of Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans are waiting for a response on their applications for humanitarian resettlement in Australia; and GPs sound another warning that Australia's bulk billing system will crash without a major overhaul of Medicare funding.
Bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault: a new report paints a devastating picture of what it's like to work inside the NSW Parliament
The release of a scathing interim by the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicides prompts a vow for change, and a ministerial apology
Australia's acting prime minister Richard Marles says Australia will be 'more respectful' towards China, but adds it won't be cowed by demands to butt out of the dispute with Taiwan
A chorus of tributes rings out for Olivia Newton John, a quietly spoken icon of country and pop music who took her Australian charm to the world stage
The former NSW Nationals Leader has told an inquiry in Sydney this morning he was interested in a lucrative trade job in New York, but didn't create the role for himself
"On the brink of collapse" - That's how GPs are describing the state of Australia's health system, with a bulk billing crisis and a lack of medical students coming through.
The Government's climate bill makes it to the floor of parliament. The prime minister says it's the end of the climate wars
Yet another senior Australian politician has lost their job in the wake of an integrity scandal. The New South Wales Trade Minister Stuart Ayres has been forced to resign after damaging draft findings
We begin with news that one of the masterminds of the 9-11 terrorist attacks in 2001, has been killed by a US drone strike.
The Federal Government says it intends to trigger the Australian domestic gas security mechanism to ensure Australia's gas supply.
The National Audit Office has released a scathing report on the former Morrison Government's handling of a billion-dollar fund for the regions.
The Treasurer Jim Chalmers says we're in for some heavy weather. He's downgrading economic growth forecasts, and predicting inflation will exceed the Reserve Bank's 7 per cent forecast.
Inflation figures are out today, showing the cost of living is still soaring. Charities say they're struggling to deliver help to the growing number of Australians who need it.
Politicians return to Canberra for the first day of parliament, but can the new government win support for its climate legislation?
With the new parliament opening this week, the government's first order of business is its climate change bill, but who'll support it in the senate?
Around 65 per cent of Australians over 65 have had their fourth COVID jab. Experts are frustrated the number isn't higher.
Livestock producers are calling for greater precautions, as fragments of foot and mouth disease are found in meat products brought into the country illegally.
The Chief Medical Officer says the current COVID wave will result in the highest number of hospitalisations since the pandemic began.
The Government has released the latest State of the Environment report. It paints a picture of too little, too late in environmental management. What can be done?
We hear from health workers on the frontline of the latest Omicron wave, which is pushing parts of the health system to its limits.
Pacific leaders to sign a communique at the end of their gathering in Fiji. Has Australia successfully reset its relationship with the region?
The unemployment rate has fallen to 3.5 per cent. What do the numbers tell us about the state of the economy?
Is it time for more pre-cautions, as COVID cases rise, or are Governments reluctant to take action?
Why are some Australians yet to get their COVID boosters? Has complacency set in as fourth doses become available for the wider community.
COVID-19 and flu have pushed sick leave to record highs, while businesses struggle to fill their rosters. When will it ease?
Who will succeed Boris Johnson? The British Prime Minister resigns after weeks of intense political pressure.
The Federal Treasury instructed to model how climate change will affect the national economy, by putting a dollar figure on the impact of bushfires, floods, heatwaves and storms
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces new emergency assistance payments, as he visits flood-affected communities in New South Wales
There's no respite in sight for flooded communities north-west and South-west of Sydney as severe weather warnings remain in place today and more heavy rainfalls are expected during the week.
Yet again, tens of thousands of New South Wales residents have either been forced to flee their homes or are on high alert, as devastating floods hit parts of the state.
The US Supreme Court limits President Biden's powers to take action on climate change. Can the United States meet its targets?
The Australian government has accused Russia of attempting to divide the West while fuelling rising living costs following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Former President Trump tried to grab the wheel and one of his secret service agents while demanding to meet his supporters in Washington.
The rise of the millennials. The latest census data shows Baby boomers are about to be outnumbered. What do the statistics tell us about today's Australia?
The gender pay gap. The latest numbers are in and they show women earning less than men across the age brackets