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An independent daily news show that features the country's best reporters, covering the news as it affects Australia. This is news with narrative, every weekday.
Episodes
Is Trump trying to rig the midterm elections?
In the East Room of the White House, Donald Trump made an extraordinary accusation of election interference: Beijing had illegally obtained the voter files of 220 million Americans. He also accused US intelligence agencies of hiding the extent of China’s activity. Later, Trump claimed a Homeland Security review had found around 278,000 non-citizens registered to vote. Trump’s mot
Who is Lily Jay? The Australian influencer accused of using AI in aid videos
A blonde woman stands among smiling children holding lollipops. A foundation banner hangs behind them. She announces that a new orphanage has opened in Africa. But evidence collected during an ABC investigation suggests that the woman in the video isn’t real. Neither are the children or the banner behind them. The scene appears to have been generated using artificial intelligence. Millions o
Is this the most dangerous era of the Iran war?
For more than a week, Donald Trump has unleashed strikes against Iran, in a worsening cycle of attacks, including on civilian infrastructure. Trump has defended the strikes as honouring the deaths of up to three American service members in an Iranian attack. But the real goal is to get the Strait of Hormuz open again – something that looks increasingly unlikely. So, with the region onc
The racism inquiry ignored by mainstream media
It’s the other racism inquiry running at the same time as the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion – the inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. But while the royal commission has attracted rolling media coverage and government attention, the Aboriginal racism inquiry has been largely ignored. The inquiry was tr
The '24-carat f*ckwit' who became Nine's golden boy
After more than two decades at Nine, Karl Stefanovic has left the building. For years, he was the face of the Today show – surviving ratings slumps, public scandals, internal criticism and a revolving door of female co-hosts. But after launching his own podcast, and then interviewing far-right British figure Tommy Robinson, Nine finally cut him loose. Now, people who worked with Stefanovic a
The truth about men who kill women
Earlier this month, in the space of just three days, four women and girls in Australia were allegedly killed by men and boys known to them. Two months ago, the Prime Minister resisted calls for a royal commission into domestic violence. But women and girls continue to be killed – sometimes within hours of one another. Today, we’re bringing you an episode from 2024, where Ruby Jones spe
The Liberals face old problems with no new answers
The Liberal Party has begun asking what it needs to do to modernise. Its answer, so far, appears to be Tony Abbott. As Angus Taylor tries to put some distance between the Coalition and One Nation, Pauline Hanson’s party has had a week that looks less like a political revolution and more like a holiday gone wrong. Away from the political theatre, do the Coalition’s proposed migration cu
Adam Bandt on the first big test for Labor’s nature laws
The Great Barrier Reef has avoided being placed on UNESCO’s “in danger” list – for now. But the warning hasn’t gone away. UNESCO says Australia still needs to do more to protect it, including on water quality. And one of those problems starts far inland: when bushland is cleared, soil can wash into rivers that flow out to the coral. The Australian Conservation Foundat
Albo’s plan to harness the AI boom
The Prime Minister has announced a plan for how Australia approaches AI, with a new office to be created, and new standards expected to be legislated early next year. As part of the plan new data centres can be fast tracked, but will have to supply their own power. And while Anthony Albanese said that artists should be able to control the use of their work, there are still fears about what w
The evolution of Pauline Hanson
When Pauline Hanson was at the previous peak of her political popularity, in the late 90s, one journalist was there chronicling it. Margo Kingston followed Hanson on the 98 campaign trail, and has followed her career ever since – pulled back in, even when she wanted to walk away. So what do Pauline Hanson’s beginnings tell us about her future? And what are the parallels bet
Do Jillian Segal's claims of ABC-fuelled antisemitism stack up?
Is the media’s reporting on Israel’s attacks on Gaza fuelling antisemitism? That’s the question facing the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion – which has been examining the role of the public broadcasters – the ABC and SBS. Appearing before the commission was Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal – who came out
Inside the Trump ‘Regime Change’ with Jonathan Swan
New York Times journalist Jonathan Swan is famous for his trainwreck interview with Donald Trump at the height of covid. Now, he’s exposing the US president again with a forensic look at what he says was the most consequential year of an American presidency in our lifetime. Donald Trump’s first presidency was defined by chaos – but also by the people around him trying to contain
Labor’s guilt in the Triple Zero failures
Another major telco outage has raised the question: what happens when you call triple-zero and can’t get through? This week, Telstra blamed a software defect for a national outage that disrupted phones, payments and transport – and left more than 300 triple-zero calls failing to connect. The communications watchdog is now investigating. It comes after last year’s catastrophic Opt
Relatable or risky? The PM’s podcast problem
Anthony Albanese has, with growing confidence, spent years trying to convince voters he's relatable But this week that confidence carried him somewhere the office of Prime Minister probably shouldn’t go – a game of “shag, marry, date” on a comedy podcast. The apology came quickly. Then, as the Prime minister turned to rugby league diplomacy in the Pacific, China tested a mi
“Get the b*tch”: The political dirt units targeting journalists
A call came through with a warning: political operatives were digging for dirt. For Amy Remeikis, it wasn’t the first time. But this time, she was told, it was more vicious than usual. In Canberra, that kind of warning is part of the machinery: a whisper campaign, a rumour, a file passed around – backgrounding against opponents or perceived threats to vested interests. Enou
Sold for $1: The Christian Brothers tactic denying victims justice
Survivors say it’s like being stabbed in the back; some were just days away from finally having their day in court against the Christian Brothers when their cases were suddenly put on hold. The Catholic religious order is crying poor, saying it doesn’t have enough money to pay child sexual abuse victims the compensation they’re owed. But it’s been revealed that assets worth
Life after Gaza’s “ceasefire”
Since the ceasefire was announced late last year, Gaza has faded from the headlines. But the horror of life there has not stopped. More than 1,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire was announced in October, and thousands more have been wounded, as people continue to face a daily struggle for survival. Independent journalist Antony Loewenstein, author of The
The dating app conman who stole millions and the victim pushing for change
Last year, Tracy Hall was sent a dating profile that sent chills down her spine. The name on the profile was different, but the image was that of notorious conman Hamish McLaren. He had been jailed for scamming 15 Australians out of $7.6 million – including Tracy, his girlfriend and final victim, whose life savings he stole after meeting her under a fake identity. Now, as McLaren prepares fo
“It’s f***ing bad manners” Bernard Fanning on AI robbing Australian music
For generations of Australians, Powderfinger songs are tied to first loves, long drives, share houses, break-ups and summers that still feel close enough to touch. They were written by people, played by a band, and carried by listeners into their own lives. Now, that music has been found inside the machinery of artificial intelligence, harvested into vast datasets without permission an
How Kumanjayi Walker’s death should change the NT Police
It’s been one year since Kumanjayi Walker’s family gathered in the Central Australian community of Yuendumu, to hear the findings of a coronial inquest into his death. Kumanjayi Walker, a 19 year old Warlpiri-Luritja man, when he was shot and killed by former constable Zachary Rolfe in 2019. In 2022, Zachary Rolfe was found not guilty of Kumanjayi Walker’s murder, but his family
Senator Stefanovic? Hannah Ferguson’s wild One Nation prediction
Pauline Hanson went to the National Press Club with a party polling like a threat to the old order. Then she had to explain what that party was actually for. Since her appearance, One Nation’s federal support has slipped. The speech, with its talk of monoculture and its familiar targets – migration, the ABC and renewables – gave voters a clearer look at the movement behind the mo
Trump’s billion-dollar crypto empire
Donald Trump returned to the White House promising to make America the crypto capital of the world, despite having once dismissed Bitcoin as “not money” and warned it was “based on thin air” in a 2019 tweet. In his first year back in office, Trump has set that scepticism aside as it has become clear crypto presents an extraordinary business opportunity. A new financial disc
Sarah Wilson from the eye of Europe’s road-melting heatwave
The temperatures were so high that roads melted and tram tracks buckled. Some locals even resorted to sleeping in parks and caves to escape the heat. And at the epicentre of the European heatwave? Paris – which recorded its hottest day in history. It’s where Australian author and climate activist Sarah Wilson has called home for the past few years. Today, Sarah speaks with 7am fr
“The arts is dying in this country”: The crisis threatening live shows
They were some of the biggest stage productions in the country, starring some of the biggest names in the biz. But in the space of just two weeks, Beetlejuice and Waitress: The Musical have had their tours cut short, leaving the cast and crew devastated. Now, stars like Nat Bass are sounding the alarm as the industry struggles to stay afloat amid rising costs and slumping ticket sales. Today
The new Dollarmites: how fossil fuel giants are targeting kids
For decades, the Dollarmites program turned schoolchildren into customers. The controversial scheme, now axed, gave Australia’s biggest bank access to kids, classrooms and their cash under the guise of teaching financial literacy. Now it’s happening again. A new report has found the country’s biggest fossil fuel companies are using the same strategy – with multi
Big money, client secrets, and a silenced whistleblower: Inside the KPMG scandal
KPMG is one of the biggest, wealthiest and most powerful consulting firms in the country – auditing and advising everything from major companies to governments. It is trusted with some of the most sensitive information in Australia. Now that trust is at the centre of a major scandal. A whistleblower raised concerns that confidential client information was being used to chase new work.
Zali Steggall on the teal party gamble
When the teal independents swept through Liberal heartland, their pitch was simple: they were not like the major parties. They were community-backed, locally accountable, and free to vote how they wanted. Now, two of the best-known teals – Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender – are forming a political party. They say Community Strong Australia is a home for the politically homeless: peopl
Conspiracy Nation part 1: The COVID conspiracy pipeline
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia – like many countries – saw protesters take the streets. They weren’t just protesting lockdowns, they were rallying around a tangle of fears and conspiracies. Those threads fused into a broader worldview that pulled people down a pipeline and built a small industry of influencers. Today, Conspiracy Nation authors Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson
Conspiracy Nation part 2: From fringe to Parliament
It’s easy to dismiss conspiracy theories as fringe or imported. But conspiratorial ideas are gaining traction with everyday Australians – about one in three endorse at least one conspiracy belief. They’re also being echoed by people in power, and have spilled into real-world violence. Today, Conspiracy Nation authors Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle on how conspiracies leap from the fr
One Nation’s “monoculture” splits the Liberal Party
Pauline Hanson’s call for Australia to become a monoculture was meant to draw a line around national identity. Instead, it opened up a new split inside the Liberal Party. This week, the idea left Opposition Leader Angus Taylor looking bewildered, unable to say clearly where he stood on multiculturalism. Andrew Hastie took the opposite approach in navigating the challenge presented by One Nat
Is this the demise or rise of Karl Stefanovic?
Karl Stefanovic has spent decades as one of the most recognisable faces on Australian television. A household name from the largely inoffensive world of breakfast television. Now, that multi-million dollar career at Nine is officially over, after Stefanovic published an interview with Tommy Robinson, a British far-right activist with a long criminal history, who has built a large follo
The race to stop bird flu becoming a “wildlife massacre”
Bird flu has reached mainland Australia – with cases first confirmed in WA and now South Australia. The strain, detected in three seabirds, is H5N1 – a deadly form of the virus that has swept through wild birds overseas, forced farmers to slaughter millions of chickens, spread to mammals, and, in the United States, infected dairy cows and farm workers. Authorities in Australia say the
What the hell happened to the Greens? Max Chandler-Mather explains
Amid the seismic political shift currently underway in this country, there’s been one party missing from the conversation: the Greens. And it’s curious, because the conditions that have seen One Nation rise – frustration with the major parties, a slip in living standards, appetite for change – should suit the Greens and their anti-establishment politics. So why are they los
Emily Maitlis on the fall of Keir Starmer and the UK’s next PM
The Prime Minister of the UK Keir Starmer has announced his resignation – meaning Britain is preparing for its seventh leader in just ten years. Starmer, who won in a landslide victory for the Labor party only two years ago, has been haemorrhaging support from the public and the party for months. The man likely to replace him: Andy Burnham. Today - host of the News Agents E
Police trial live face-scanning technology: what could possibly go wrong?
In Western Australia, police have just started trialling technology that can identify people as they walk past. A marked police van will scan faces outside major events, cross-checking them against a watchlist of people wanted by authorities. Police say it’s targeted and that innocent people have nothing to fear. But once this kind of surveillance is switched on, the question becomes h
“Too many abortions”: The growing push to wind back reproductive rights
Anti-abortion activists say it was the most successful pro-life campaign in Australia - last week a bill to overturn abortion access after 25 weeks was voted through the upper house of South Australia’s parliament. It didn’t make it through the lower house, but women's advocates are still sounding the alarm amid a growing push against reproductive rights - led, in part, by One Nation.
Paul Barry on the billionaire who failed Whyalla
In 2017, billionaire businessman Sanjeev Gupta rescued the Whyalla steelworks from administration, becoming known as the “saviour of steel”. There was hope in this small South Australian town that steelmaking – and the thousands of jobs tied to it – would survive. But since then, Gupta has lost control, the South Australian government has forced the steelworks into administ
Pauline Hanson and the end of political consequence
This week, Pauline Hanson took to the National Press Club stage with a greatest hits collection of the grievances that have fueled her political career. Immigration. Multiculturalism. Trans rights. Indigenous Australians. The “political elite”. The changing face of the country. The backlash from the government, sections of the community and commentariat was immediate. But t
Are the Socceroos the antidote to Pauline Hanson?
This week, Pauline Hanson called for multiculturalism to be replaced with monoculturalism. At the same time, the Soccerros were capturing the hearts and minds of Australians everywhere on the biggest stage of all, the World Cup. It’s a team filled with players from multiple cultural backgrounds and one, that if Hanson’s vision of the nation came to bear, simply wouldn
Farmers fear this weedkiller made them sick. Why hasn't Australia banned it?
Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world. And in some Australian farming communities, doctors are questioning why so many seem to be getting it. For years, some farmers and doctors have drawn a link to paraquat – a powerful weedkiller still used widely on Australian farms, despite being banned in more than 60 countries, including the UK, China and Brazil. T
Protests, clashes and grievance politics: Pauline at the Press Club
For three decades, Pauline Hanson has built a career on grievance. In all that time she hasn’t fronted to the bastion of political journalism, the national press club. That was until yesterday where she appeared for the first time. In a long address she laid out how she aims to turn her politics of grievance into policy; targeting immigration, the ABC, multiculturalism, renewable energ
Elon the trillionaire: What Musk’s milestone means for the world
Over the weekend, Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire. It came after his company, SpaceX, was publicly listed, reaching a valuation of more than two trillion dollars. Elon’s wealth is now the equivalent of the bottom one-third of the entire globe’s population. It’s more than the entire annual GDP of Belgium, Sweden or Ireland. But while some are celebrating Musk
Deal or no deal? What Trump’s peace plan really means
Donald Trump said what he wanted for his 80th birthday was world peace And now, alongside the UFC spectacle on the White House lawn, he appears to have given himself the headline he wanted: a so-called peace deal with Iran. Or more accurately - a sixty day “pause” – while negotiations continue. Today Director of the Australia Institute's International & Security Affairs
Peter Garrett on Aukus, politics and the fight for “the soul of the country”
Aukus is the most expensive defence project in Australia’s history; a project, that at its heart has the plan to acquire nuclear-powered submarines through the United States and the United Kingdom. But the doubts around it are growing: over the cost, over whether Australia will get the submarines it’s been promised, and over what the deal means for our sovereignty. Now, a public
The ‘playbook’ lobbyists use to delay climate action
When Professor Christian Downie appeared before a Senate inquiry into climate and energy misinformation, he warned that Australia is facing coordinated campaigns designed not to debate climate solutions, but to stall them. Professor Downie has spent years inside boardrooms and the lobbying world studying how these campaigns are built – tracing the billions spent on messaging by lobby groups,
Policy advisor Rinehart and One Nation’s three million dollar payday
Pauline Hanson has spent decades casting herself as the outsider, the voice of people who feel ignored by the political class. Now, One Nation is surging in the polls and in donations. On Friday their fundraising site crashed under the weight of more than three million dollars in new money, forcing Labor to treat Hanson less like a fringe dweller and more like a direct threat. But as Hanson&
Emily Maitlis on the Belfast riots, Elon Musk, and the anti-migrant frenzy
The scenes in Belfast this week have been horrifying to watch - ugly clashes, masked men rioting in the streets, immigrant families begging neighbours to hide their children - fearing for their safety. Politicians, far-right agitators, and billionaire Elon Musk have been accused of sparking the riots - weaponising a brutal stabbing attack, to ramp up anti-migrant rhetoric and whip protestors into
“Hit them hard”: Trump unleashes on Iran amid claims he’s lost control
Donald Trump is right now following through on his threats to “hit Iran hard again” unleashing another round of strikes. Trump says he wants a peace deal, but in the past 24 hours, the war has escalated again. Iran and the US have traded strikes, and one of the most important oil routes in the world remains severely restricted. The ceasefire is still supposed to exist, as is the promis
Ditch the Witch 2.0 and the personal toll of sexist abuse in politics
When Julia Gillard delivered her now-famous misogyny speech in 2012, it was against a backdrop of some horrendous sexist attacks. One of the most prominent was “Ditch the Witch” – a slogan on a placard then-opposition leader Tony Abbott was photographed standing in front of at an anti-carbon tax rally. Now, the ugly slogan is back. This time, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan is th
Inside the Neo-Nazi compound funded by millionaires
Last month, the federal government announced that the biggest neo-Nazi organisation in the country would be listed as a hate group. A few days ago, The Age revealed the group’s former leader, Thomas Sewell, has been living in a $2.5 million estate in Melbourne’s suburbs. So what are Sewell’s plans for the compound, and who are the wealthy backers making it possible? Today,
Meet Jeni and her 2681 alter personalities: together they made legal history
The conversation you’re about to listen to is almost certainly unlike any interview you’ve heard before. It’s unlike any 7am has ever done.Dr Jeni Haynes has dissociative identity disorder, otherwise known as multiple personality disorder. In 2019 she set a world first legal precedent when her alters were allowed to testify in court against her abusive father, who was later sente
Mega data centres in bed with big gas: how fossil fuels are powering the AI boom
Right now, AI data-centre mega-hubs as large as 350 hectares are being planned across Australia – that’s the equivalent of 175 MCG playing fields. And the energy they need to fuel them is just as huge: more than the total output of an entire coal plant. The solution? So-called “shadow grids” built in partnership between the data centres and big gas, where gas-fired power pl
Trapped in a Cambodian scam factory
Earlier this year, authorities found something extraordinary inside a Cambodian scam compound: a fake Australian Federal Police office. There were Australian flags, AFP-style logos, and desks staged to look official – all part of a six-storey compound used by scammers impersonating police forces from around the world. It was a reminder that the scam messages Australians receive are often con
Can Tony Abbott save the Liberal party?
Tony Abbott is back at the centre of Liberal Party politics. The former prime minister has been elected unopposed as federal Liberal Party president – a role that sounds administrative, but carries real political weight at a moment of deep trouble for the Coalition. The Liberals are watching voters drift to One Nation, while Abbott argues the answer is to take the fight directly to Lab
Nick McKenzie on Mick Gatto, the underworld, and construction corruption
In Melbourne, few names carry the weight of Mick Gatto. For decades, he’s been known as a survivor of the gangland wars, a man whose influence has stretched from the city’s underworld into the heart of the construction industry. This week, police raided his home. Gatto and his wife were arrested, then released without charge. He says it was all over a driving infringement. Police
Do we need a royal commission into violence against women?
29 women have been killed in Australia so far this year - most allegedly by their intimate partner. Their names sometimes hit the headlines, but often not. And even then, the outrage seldom lasts. We’ve known for a long time that Australia has a problem with violence against women. Little seems to work to change the statistics. For some advocates - a Royal Commission is the only chance
Could Pauline Hanson actually become Prime Minister?
For decades Pauline Hanson has been on the fringe of politics. Sometimes mocked, often ignored, occasionally courted. Even from that position she’s been influential: her presence can be felt in our immigration policies, dating back to Howard. But her power and her popularity have never been greater than they are today. A recent poll has one Nation as the most popular party in the
The next pandemic: Why the world’s more at risk than ever
Five years on from COVID, a new report has found the world is even more vulnerable to new pandemics than it was before. The report, by a body linked to the World Health Organisation, has been released as the world grapples with Ebola and hantavirus outbreaks, as well as one of Australia's worst diphtheria outbreaks on record. The report found that, despite advances in vaccines and diagnostic
Why Sarah Wilson says civilisation is collapsing
The world is facing a series of large-scale crises – war, declining democracy, climate catastrophe. So, is it all a sign that our civilisation is reaching its limits – and that our economic and political systems are nearing collapse? That’s the question Australian author Sarah Wilson has been interrogating for the last three years for her new book, ‘I Eat The Stars&rs
‘We do not feel safe’: Kumanjayi White’s grandfather on the danger of the NT police
One year ago this week, a 24-year-old Warlpiri man, Kumanjayi White, died after being restrained by police inside a supermarket in Alice Springs. This week, his family was told the officers involved will not face charges. The coronial investigation is still underway, with another directions hearing expected next month. Kumanjayi White’s grandfather – Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves – ha
Teal party power and Albo’s political booby trap: the week in politics
Well, the budget blowback is showing no signs of easing but this week the government doubled down, introducing the legislation for its tax changes to parliament. Albeit with the detail around CGT still TBC and with an inbuilt political booby trap for the Coalition. At the same time, Pauline Hanson is floating her own negative gearing model - as One Nation surges in the polls. And while Labor and t
‘A serious mess’: The crisis inside the corruption watchdog
Paul Brereton – the outgoing head of Australia’s National Anti-Corruption Commission – was grilled at Senate estimates this week. Brereton’s time leading the body charged with investigating serious corruption in the Commonwealth public sector has ended in a crisis of confidence – over Robodebt, his ongoing Defence links, and whether the watchdog properly managed confl
The fantasy of Trump’s Iran deal
Guest host Waleed Aly joins the 7am team as the US launches fresh strikes inside Iran, in the middle of a ceasefire. Days earlier, Donald Trump had said an agreement to end the war was close. Now Iran is threatening to retaliate, amid fears the conflict could escalate again. And while Trump insists peace talks are still “proceeding nicely”, he has raised the stakes for negotiators &nda
Kids forced to represent themselves in court: The NT’s legal aid crisis
For most of us, facing court with no lawyer and no legal advice in a case that could change the course of your life would be unthinkable. But that’s the situation currently facing dozens of defendants in the Northern Territory – many of them disadvantaged or with English as their second or third language, some just children – all being forced to go it alone in a legal system most
Part 1: On board the flotilla captured by Israel
This week, seven Australians returned home after being detained by Israel. They had been part of the Global Sumud Flotilla – more than 400 activists from 56 countries trying to reach Gaza by sea, carrying food and medicine. Four days after they set sail from Turkiye, Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla in international waters and took the passengers to Israel. Then Israel’s nationa
Part 2: The legal fight to hold Israel to account
Lawyers for the Australians detained after Israel intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla are now building a record of what happened. They’re reviewing footage, collecting medical evidence, and taking witness statements alleging beatings, humiliation, denial of food and water, and detention in harsh conditions. The legal team says the evidence points to serious abuse of Australian
Tanya Plibersek on the PM’s viral DV comments and calls for a royal commission
Australia is again being forced to reckon with the violence being inflicted on women and children. The PM is adamant a royal commission isn’t the answer, dismissing the idea in an interview that’s gone viral. But his sudden disdain for royal commissions is out of step with what thousands of Australians want to see in response to the scourge of domestic violence. After anoth
The man who took the fight to Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest
The Federal Court has ordered Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue to pay the Yindjibarndi people $150.1 million. It is the biggest native title compensation payout in Australian history. But for Yindjibarndi leaders, the judgment is complicated. The payout is historic, but it is far below the $1.8 billion they were seeking. The case goes back more than two decades – to Fortescue’s Solomon
Is the budget backlash hurting Labor?
The federal budget has been hit by a fierce campaign from large sections of the media and a handful of high-profile millennial entrepreneurs. But so far, Labor’s polling has remained relatively unscathed. But that doesn’t mean voters are happy. People might not be shifting their votes over this budget, but many still feel there’s nothing in it for them right now. For the Co
Nightclub firebombings and ‘The Ghost’: Melbourne’s latest crime war
It started with a single nightclub attack and escalated into what’s been dubbed Melbourne’s hospitality crime war. More than 30 clubs, pubs and restaurants have now been targeted in drive-by shootings, break-ins and firebombings. And while dozens of arrests have now been made, the people behind the attacks remain a mystery. One theory? That an international crime syndicate led by a man
Jim Chalmers defends his budget
For two decades, we’ve had a tax policy that pushed up house prices, gave landlords huge advantages, and ultimately created an intergenerational wealth divide. A week ago, the government said it wanted to do something about that and announced changes to negative gearing and capital gains tax. But the budget hasn’t gone down well – for some, it doesn’t go far eno
Keli Holiday and the new risk of touring Trump's America
You may know him as Keli Holiday, one-half of Peking Duck, or even as Abbie Chatfield’s boyfriend… Now, Australian musician Adam Hyde has become the latest high-profile victim of Trump’s tough border rules – after he was denied re-entry to the States in the middle of his North American tour. The explanation? National security concerns. That’s it – nothing more.
Doped-up athletes and million dollar prizes: The Enhanced Games is here
This weekend in Vegas, athletes including Australian swimmer James Magnussen will take part in the Enhanced Games – a competition that freely allows doping. It's the creation of controversial Australian entrepreneur Aron D’Souza, and it's bankrolled by Peter Thiel and one of Donald Trump’s sons. The competition has enticed athletes with huge cash prizes – and is
Eurovision, Israel and the politics of pop music
Over the weekend, Eurovision got a feel-good ending. Bulgaria won the contest for the very first time with their infectious song Bangaranga. And Australia came close - with Delta Goodrem placing 4th. But the controversy over Israel didn’t go away. Israeli singer Noam Bettan finished second, after getting a huge huge public vote – despite protests outside the contest, boycotts from five
AUKUS: This could only end in a very bad place
This week’s budget shows AUKUS is getting bigger. The government is putting more money into the agencies, workforce and infrastructure needed for nuclear-powered submarines. But the deal still relies on the US agreeing to sell them to Australia, and on a Trump administration that has already reviewed AUKUS through an “America First” lens. And as the program grows, the public stil
Why Labor's 'breadcrumb' budget feels like a meal
After Labor handed down its fifth budget, Anthony Albanese spent the week answering one question: had he broken his promise? The government wanted the budget framed as a fairness agenda built around changes to negative gearing, capital gains tax and trusts, and a pitch to younger Australians locked out of housing. Instead, the immediate political fight became whether voters could trust the prime m
David Pocock on the “cowardly” announcement hidden on budget day
Senator David Pocock has been one of the fiercest advocates for the You win some, you lose more report, known as the Murphy Review, and its recommendations to reduce the harms of online gambling. It took the Albanese government 1,049 days to formally respond to the landmark inquiry that called for urgent action to reduce gambling harm, including a phased ban on gambling advertising. When the gover
Why is Rebel Wilson being sued by her co-star?
It's a case where the art has been overshadowed by the drama. The star of Australian film The Deb, singer Charlotte McInnes, is suing Australian actor and director Rebel Wilson for defamation. Over two weeks of hearings, the court was told about smear campaigns, hacked Snapchats, and the central claim: that Rebel Wilson lied about her star actress. Rebel is accused of being a fant
Will the PM’s tax reform fix the housing crisis?
The housing market – and young people without rich parents being locked out of it – has dominated dinner table conversations for years. This budget the Albanese government decided to try and do something about it: limiting negative gearing and replacing the capital gains tax. So what difference will that make and how long will it take for anything to change? One perso
Labor’s budget promises fairness – does it deliver?
It was a budget framed around fairness for workers and for young people locked out of the housing market. Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ fifth budget restricts negative gearing – though not for anyone who was already doing it – while also promising to increase housing supply and deliver a $250 tax cut for workers. Chalmers wants the budget to be seen as ambitious – but
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