Episodes
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The Liberal Party knows it needs to change. But the battle over how is already tearing the party apart. Sussan Ley has declared herself a “zealot” for getting more women into parliament.
But she faces stiff resistance from the conservative wing of the party, including from some of its older statesmen which see quotas as undemocratic and an attack on the idea of ‘merit’,
But gender imbalance is not the only problem they’re facing. Liberal insiders say unless the party finds a way to broaden its appeal it will continue to suffer “a spiral of disaster that feeds on itself” which will render itself incapable of ever returning to government.
Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on why the Liberal party can’t agree on how to save itself.
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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike SeccombeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Spotify has transformed how the world listens to music. But as it’s grown, the company behind it, and its founder Daniel Ek, have been reshaping more than just the music industry.
Ek has become a key figure in the global defence industry, investing more than a billion dollars into military technology based on artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Spotify itself has embraced AI in ways that many artists say undermine their work.
Today, author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist Liz Pelly, on how Spotify’s pursuit for power and profit is changing music, and what listeners can do to take back control.
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Guest: Author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist Liz PellySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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When journalist Antoinette Lattouf picked up a casual contract with ABC Radio Sydney, she didn’t expect it to end in court. But after she reshared a Human Rights Watch post about Gaza, the ABC pulled her off-air on day three and ended her employment.
Last month the Federal Court ruled that decision unlawful, finding senior executives acted after “an orchestrated campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to have Ms Lattouf taken off air”, and ordered the ABC to pay her $70,000 in compensation.
The verdict is already forcing change: the ABC has pledged to overhaul its social-media rules, and questions have been raised about how journalists can report on Gaza without lobbying pressure.
Today, co-founder of Ette Media and plaintiff in the case, Antoinette Lattouf, on why she fought and what her win means for the future of journalism in Australia.If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.
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Guest: Journalist and co-founder of Ette Media, Antoinette Lattouf
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In the Central Australian community of Yuendumu, Kumanjayi Walker’s family gathered this week to hear coroner Elizabeth Armitage share her findings into his death.
Walker was a 19 year old Warlpiri-Luritja teenager who was shot and killed by former constable Zachary Rolfe in 2019.
Today, investigative journalist Kate Wild on what the inquest revealed about the racist culture of the Northern Territory police, how it enabled Zachary Rolfe to act with impunity – and whether institutional change is possible.
Kate Wild’s book about the life and death of Kumanjayi Walker is called The Red House. It will be published in August.
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Guest: Investigative journalist Kate WildSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Erin Patterson has been found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, after serving her estranged ex-husband’s family beef wellington, which contained death cap mushrooms.
Erin Patterson said the addition of death cap mushrooms to the dish was a tragic accident, and maintained her innocence throughout the trial. But after deliberating for a week, the 12 person jury reached a unanimous verdict yesterday.
Sarah Krasnostein is an award-winning writer and legal scholar. She has spent the last ten weeks traveling to Morwell to be in the courtroom as the case was heard and she was there as the verdict was read out to a packed courtroom.
Today, she shares how it unfolded inside the courtroom.
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Guest: Award-winning writer and lawyer Dr Sarah Krasnostein
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A child care worker in Victoria has been charged with more than 70 offences relating to the sexual abuse of children. Following the arrest, the state health authorities recommended 1200 children, some as young as five months old, get tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
The government is scrambling to figure out how this happened, and how to stop it happening again. But for ABC investigative journalist Adele Ferguson, this is the unsurprising outcome of a long brewing crisis in childcare centres across the country.
Today, Four Corners reporter Adele Ferguson on the dangers of an industry driven by profit, and National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds on what needs to be done to better protect children in care.
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Guest: Investigative journalist Adele Ferguson and National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Australia is positioning itself as a critical supplier of the minerals the world needs to build clean technology. But for now, China dominates the market, and its grip on supply chains gives it enormous leverage.
At the same time, the Albanese government is racing China to shore up its influence in the Pacific; a region already feeling the sharpest impacts of climate change.
Today, contributing editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis, on the high-stakes contest for influence in our region, and how Australia’s broken climate promises are holding us back.
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Guest: Contributing editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis
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AI chatbots have crept into our lives – and some abusers are weaponising them.
By feeding intimate details about their partners into tools like ChatGPT, they’re producing “performance reviews” that shame, degrade and control.
Today, writer Madison Griffiths on this new form of tech-enabled coercive control – and why ChatGPT always sides with the abuser.
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Guest: Writer, artist and producer Madison Griffiths.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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For generations, First Nations people have called for a truth telling process so their stories can be heard.
In Victoria, for the first time in Australia’s history, that has finally happened.
For the past four years, the Yoorrook Justice Commission has been gathering the testimony of thousands of Victorians to put on record the truth about the state’s history.
The culmination of that work has now been handed to the Victorian government.
Today, we hear the story of the Yoorrook Justice Commission – and find out how knowing the truth about Australia’s history sets us up for a better future.
This is part one of a two part series.
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Guest: Daniel James, host of 7am and author of the Yoorrook report Truth Be Told
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This is the second installment of a two part series about the history and impact of the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
In this episode, we hear the stories of First Nations elders whose loved ones were stolen, and who lived through the racist policies whose legacies are still felt in society today. We also hear what happened when the Victorian Premier became the first sitting leader to testify.
And now that the truth has been told, Daniel discusses the recommendations of the report and what happens next.
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Last week, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published testimony from Israeli soldiers who admitted to deliberately shooting unarmed Palestinian civilians while they waited for humanitarian aid – claims the Israeli government denies.
According to authorities in Gaza, at least 583 people have been killed in the past month at aid distribution centres in Gaza, and many more people have been injured.
The United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres has called the Israeli and US-backed aid centers “inherently unsafe” – saying “the search for food must never be a death sentence”.
On today’s episode, we speak with doctors working at the last functioning hospitals in Gaza, about the reality of treating people who have been attacked while trying to get food.
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Guests: Intensive care specialist, Dr. Aziz Rahman and spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Olga Cherevko.
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Two years ago, some of our colleagues had the idea to start a show about books. The result was Read This – a weekly podcast about the books we love and the stories behind them. In each episode, host Michael Williams speaks to an author about their work and their life.
It’s a favourite show of everyone on the 7am team and as it finishes up as a Schwartz Media podcast, we wanted to pay tribute to our colleagues who make this show so special.
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A sleek Chinese-made ute is suddenly one of the most popular vehicles on Australian roads. It’s cheap, fast and packed with tech. But behind its rise are questions security agencies are struggling to grapple with.
Because the cars we drive today are no longer just cars; they’re also data collection tools. And in a tense geopolitical climate – the lines between convenience and surveillance are blurring.
Today, senior fellow at the Lowy Institute and contributor to Australian Foreign Affairs, Richard McGregor on the BYD Shark, China’s quietly tightening technological grip on Australian infrastructure and what it means for national security.
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Guest: Senior fellow at the Lowy Institute and contributor to Australian Foreign Affairs, Richard McGregor
Photo: Annegret Hilse
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In this inaugural episode of Read This, host Michael Williams and founding editor Sarah McVeigh head to Helen Garner’s house for cake and conversation. Helen shares what she’s writing about, how she problem solves, and the inspiration she gets from watching her grandson’s footy training.
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When US President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the world watched for a response. But in Australia, there was silence. It took a day before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong addressed the media.
When they did, they backed the US, tentatively, while calling for calm. For Albanese, a leader who once opposed the Iraq war, it’s a moment that reveals how far Labor has travelled on foreign policy and how little resistance that shift is meeting inside his own party.
But while Labor falls in line, the Coalition are thrashing their way to a new identity. This week, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley made her first major pitch to the public – signalling where she wants to take her divided party.
Today, columnist for The Monthly and Inside Story, Karen Middleton, on war, politics and the calculations driving both major parties.
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Guest: Columnist for The Monthly and Inside Story, Karen Middleton.
Photo: Lukas Coch / AAP
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Cyclone Alfred should not have tracked as far south as it did. But in March it tore through Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Northern Rivers, affecting about four million people.
One of them was climate scientist and IPCC lead author, Joëlle Gergis. She says the storm’s freak southward drift, driven by record-warm ocean temperatures, shows the climate crisis is outrunning politics.
Today, Joëlle Gergis on how far governments have fallen behind their climate promises – and the bold action Australia must take before the next disaster strikes.
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Guest: Climate scientist and lead author for the IPCC, Joëlle Gergis.
Photo: David Gray / AFP
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A mistake at an IVF clinic has led to a woman giving birth to a stranger’s baby.
It’s a catastrophic error and not the first one that’s recently come to light. Such risks are not covered in the marketing material of Australia’s major fertility clinics.
But this mistake – at one of the oldest and most reputable clinics in the country – has had devastating consequences that reach far beyond the affected families, and damaged the confidence of anyone relying on fertility treatment in Australia.
Today, writer and public health campaigner Hannah Bambra on how Monash IVF has handled its monumental mistake, and why the IVF industry is so vulnerable to human error.
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Guest: Writer and public health campaigner Hannah Bambra
Photo: Supplied by University of Queensland/AAP Image
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America’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites over the weekend mark a terrifying turning point.
Donald Trump has taken the US into direct conflict with Iran – and risked what the UN secretary-general is calling a “rathole of retaliation”.
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth claims that Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been obliterated, but questions remain about the extent of the damage, and whether the attack will only strengthen Iran’s resolve to rebuild. Moreover, Trump’s calls for regime change suggest that peace may take much longer.
Today, author of The Permanent Crisis: Iran’s Nuclear Trajectory and defence editor at The Economist Shashank Joshi, on what Iran will do next.
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Guest: Author of The Permanent Crisis: Iran’s Nuclear Trajectory and defence editor at The Economist, Shashank Joshi
Photo: Hindustan Times/Sipa USA
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Having fought his way to the top of the South Australian Liberal ticket, Alex Antic is working to reshape the party as a radical outfit more interested in ideology than governing.
The Liberal senator calls himself an irrelevant backbencher, but he’s installed allies, toppled moderates and is pushing the party’s politics to the edge.
His playbook mirrors Donald Trump’s: dominate the narrative, fight the culture wars and never aim for the centre – and moderates fear he will keep the Liberal party unelectable.
Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis, on the rise of Alex Antic and the fight for the soul of the Liberal Party.
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Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis.
Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
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Ian Rankin introduced Detective John Rebus in his 1987 novel Knots and Crosses. Since then, Rankin has published another two dozen books in the series and has sold almost 40 million books to date. Unsurprisingly, he’s now Sir Ian Rankin. This week, Michael sits down with Ian at Sydney Writers’ Festival for discussion about his latest Rebus book, Midnight and Blue.
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