Josh Frydenberg is back, with a new book, some pointed criticism of his party, and perhaps an eye on a return to Canberra. Meanwhile, Angus Taylor is steering the Liberals firmly to the right, although even that hasn’t spared him a heckling from the conservative faithful.

For Anthony Albanese, it’s a welcome distraction from what has been a torrid couple of weeks for the government. His own MPs are getting restless, and the prime minister's own confidence isn’t proving contagious.

Today, columnist Paul Bongiorno on the Liberals’ competing visions, Labor’s midterm blues, and a prime minister waiting for the wind to change. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno

Photo: AAP Image/Sarah Wilson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Instead, the Iranian-backed armed movement from Yemen, one of the Middle East’s poorest countries, is breaching Saudi defences with cheap drones and missiles, striking airports and oil infrastructure. 

This week, an attack on the passenger terminal at Riyads’s international airport killed 13 people and injured at least 320.

With the US already fighting a war with Iran, Saudi Arabia is now pressing Donald Trump to intervene against the Houthis. But is Trump prepared to open another front in the Middle East in order to help a country in which his family has business interests?

Today, Journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed on the continued rise of the Houthis, and the pressure on Trump to intervene. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Diplomatic Correspondent at The Washington Sun, Akbar Shahid Ahmed

Photo: EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But over recent years, that bargain has started to break down. 

Productivity growth has barely moved for a decade. We’re working more hours, without producing much more for each hour we work, and that stagnation is showing up in incomes, living standards and rising interest rates. 

Now with economic growth under pressure, the government is betting that new technology, particularly artificial intelligence, can help turn things around.

Today, Productivity Commission Chair Danielle Wood, on why Australia has stopped becoming more productive, whether AI can change that, and what happens if it can’t.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Productivity Commission Chair Danielle Wood

Photo: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now the Trump administration has scheduled his execution by firing squad for December 3. And Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says he wants the public to watch via livestream.

It’s the latest example of an administration willing to put its use of deadly force on display – from sharing videos of boats being blown up in the Caribbean, to turning military strikes on Iran into social media content.

So why is the US so determined to show off its military muscle?

Today, journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin, on the growing spectacle of American state violence – and what happens when killing becomes something to watch and celebrate.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin

Photo: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s part of its campaign against Labor’s proposed Digital Duty of Care – which the opposition has branded the “Albo-rithm”, arguing it would give the government the power to decide what Australians can see and say online.

So what’s actually in the government’s bill? And how far does it go towards addressing the harms created by social media and its algorithms?

Today, Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea on whether Labor can force Big Tech to change what we’re served – and why Donald Trump’s White House has now weighed in.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Chair of Digital Rights Watch, Lizzie O’Shea

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kath has been fighting ever since.

The royal commission report dedicated more than a page to her story. But now, Kath says she’s experiencing injustice of another kind. Booted out of the $475 million robodebt class action – her compensation claim over Jarrad’s death has been denied by the Commonwealth.

Today Kath Madgwick, on how – even as one of the worst affected victims of the robodebt saga – she’s somehow missed out.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Robodebt victim’s mother, Kath Madgwick

Photo: Supplied

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alongside sweeping changes to the way it fights and trains, Hegseth announced a new Office of Religious Affairs – reporting directly to him – aimed at putting what he calls “spiritual health” on the same level as physical health.

It’s the clearest sign yet of how Hegseth’s evangelical Christianity is shaping the Pentagon and religious policy across the armed forces.

Earlier this year, we looked at the beliefs driving Hegseth’s push to remake the military – and why Donald Trump chose him to wage a cultural and ideological battle inside it, bringing so-called “warrior culture” back to an institution they believed had gone “woke”.

Today, former Voice of America Chief National Correspondent Steve Herman on Pete Hegseth, Christian nationalism and the religious worldview reshaping the US military.

This episode first aired in March, 2026.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Former chief national correspondent for Voice of America, Steve Herman

Photo: Alex Wong/Pool Photo via AP

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the same time, One Nation is escalating its own rhetoric as it tries to capitalise on the anger and discontent spreading across the electorate. It’s part of a broader fracturing in Australian politics, as the major parties try to confront a more volatile electorate – and as the government faces renewed pressure over interest rates, inflation and the cost of living. 

Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton, on a political system being pulled towards its edges, and whether Anthony Albanese can still make the centre hold. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Press gallery journalist Karen Middleton

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To make that a reality would cost more than $25 billion, and involve the forced sale of 200 Coles and Woolworths supermarkets. 

But the Institute, which took its inspiration from New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, says it would cut grocery bills by 22 per cent. 

Today, former MP and now Green Institute Executive Director Max Chandler-Mather on his proposal for a publicly owned supermarket chain. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Green Institute Executive Director Max Chandler-Mather

Photo: AAP Image/Dan Peled

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

And it doesn’t get much bigger than a foiled attempt to bring down a plane mid-flight.

One week on from the Flydubai incident, details are continuing to filter out about the co-pilot accused of stabbing his colleague in an effort to crash the Tel Aviv-bound plane. 

And as investigations continue, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been front and centre – with the country’s election just weeks away.

Today, Middle East correspondent for The Economist, Gregg Carlstrom on what we know about what happened on Flydubai flight 1073 and whether Netanyahu could use it to help him get re-elected.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Middle East correspondent for The Economist, Gregg Carlstrom

Photo: @IsraeliPM via x.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Temporary graduate visas would be scrapped and new international students capped at 240 thousand. Australia’s humanitarian intake to be halved at ten thousand a year.

In a press conference which saw classic Coalition slogan “stop the boats” make a comeback, a new catch cry made an appearance as Angus Taylor tried to out muscle Labor and One Nation – promising to “raise the standards and reduce the numbers”.

Today, Director of the Migration Hub at ANU, Professor Alan Gamlen on what the Coalition’s drastic cuts would actually mean for Australia, why this debate is happening now, and the dangers when migration rhetoric reaches fever pitch

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Director of the ANU Migration Hub, Professor Alan Gamlen

Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New travel and economic restrictions are adding to a brutal oil blockade that has already pushed the country deeper into crisis, leaving Cuba increasingly isolated both politically and economically. 

But behind the decades of hostility between Washington and Havana, there’s a human cost that can be easy to lose sight of. 

Power cuts stretch through the night. Food and medicine are scarce and millions of people are struggling with water shortages. 

Today, SBS reporter for Dateline, Colin Cosier takes us inside Cuba, where he travelled undercover to document what life has become for the people caught up in an age old power struggle. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: SBS reporter Colin Cosier

Photo: SBS / Colin Cosier

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an emotional speech, he took aim at privatisation, austerity and Brexit, arguing that Britain’s departure from the European Union had done more harm than good. 

Alastair Campbell was in the room and he sees Burnham’s speech as part of a much bigger political moment, as populist parties gain ground, America redraws its alliances and China is asserting more power abroad. 

For countries like Britain and Australia, that means old assumptions about political leadership, alliances and global power are being tested all at once.   

Today, former Tony Blair adviser and the co-host of The Rest Is Politics, Alastair Campbell, on how centre-left leaders can respond to the rise of populism, and what a shifting global order means for countries like Australia.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Co-host of The Rest is Politics Alastair Campbell

Photo: Supplied

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s an app offering flexible, affordable therapy whenever you need it. Kind of an “Uber for therapy”.

Since we first brought you this story two years ago, app-based therapy has continued to grow – and now AI chatbots are increasingly being used for mental health support too.

So are we actually better off with BetterHelp and apps like it?

Today, we’re returning to our conversation with clinical and forensic psychologist Dr Ahona Guha, on the Uberfication of mental health care – and why a gig economy for psychologists isn’t the answer to our struggling mental health system.

This episode first aired in August, 2024

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Clinical and forensic psychologist Dr Ahona Guha

Photo: betterhelp.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He’s doing it at a time when Australians are becoming less attached to the major parties, and less trusting of the people who run them.

But so far, it’s Pauline Hanson’s One Nation that has made the most of that anger, while the Greens, after losing seats at the last election, have stagnated in the polls. Their challenge now is to convince disillusioned voters that the Greens can be more than a bit player in the halls of parliament. 

Today, Greens leader David Shoebridge on his plan to turn the Greens into an anti-establishment force, and whether that requires changing the party itself.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Greens leader David Shoebridge

Photo: AAP Image/George Chan

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For many people, the case – and the way the men and the institutions involved responded at the time – echoes high profile incidents here in Australia. 

So what responsibilities are our institutions failing to live up to? And what should they be doing differently? 

Today, advocate Tarang Chawla on the so-called Cornell 7, and what the case tells us about misogyny at home.

And a warning – while we try not to get too graphic, this episode does cover sexual assault.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Anti-violence advocate Tarang Chawla

Photo: AP Photo/Seth Wenig

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He’s now out on bail and maintains his innocence – and One Nation has swung its support behind him. 

Now, the minor party says it’s also seeking to make a change to the criminal code — a change that could make a big difference to Roberts-Smith’s upcoming trial. 

Today, journalist Ben McKelvey on the law One Nation wants changed — and what that could mean for Australia’s international standing. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Journalist Ben McKelvey

Photo: AAP Image/Russell Freeman

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But now, as the Reserve Bank delivers its fourth hike this year, analysis shows the pain being inflicted on homeowners is comparatively worse.

So, as the official cash rate hits a 15 year high of 4.6 percent – how bad could it get?

Today, KPMG senior economist Terry Rawnsley on the chance of more interest rate hikes, the flow on effects of this latest hit, and whether we should be looking at alternatives like tax hikes, to get inflation under control.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: KPMG senior economist Terry Rawnsley

Photo: AAP Image/Sarah Wilson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No personal Medicare information was accessed, and the breach itself was relatively minor. But the behaviour is more concerning: the agent hit a barrier – and instead of stopping, found a way around it.

And it wasn’t the first time.

Sydney Von Arx runs the Nightingale Collective, which monitors these AI systems. Her team uncovered a group of OpenAI agents behaving in remarkably similar ways around the same time as the Medicare breach – even sharing tips with each other about how to get around restrictions.

Today, what happens when AI agents stop taking no for an answer – and can the companies building them actually control what they do?

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: AI researcher and CEO of Nightingale Collective, Sydney Von Arx

Photo: AAP Image/Susie Dodds / Pictures: Tracey Nearmy and Dan Himbrechts

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Books are being bought, cut apart and scanned to train artificial intelligence.

Nobody knows how many books have been destroyed this way, but second-hand booksellers around the world have reported anonymous orders ranging from thousands to as many as a million books at a time.

And internal documents from AI giant Anthropic revealed plans to “destructively scan all the books in the world”.

Today, author Sarah Wilson on the destruction of knowledge to build artificial intelligence.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Author Sarah Wilson

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But for some young Australians, that formative time has led them down the path of a secretive and extreme religious group accused of using deceptive tactics to draw in young people: Shincheonji. 

According to one former member, the group took over his life – leaving him sleep deprived and isolated, and teaching him that using his own judgement was dangerous. He described what happened to him as “mind control”.

Since then, similar accounts have been heard by a major Victorian parliamentary inquiry – which has now recommended new laws targeting coercive control by high-control groups.

And Shincheonji itself is now under investigation by Australia’s charities regulator.

Today, journalist Aleisha Orr on one young Australian who spent years inside the doomsday church – and what it took for him to get out.

This episode was originally published in March, 2024.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Journalist Aleisha Orr

Photo: shincheonji.org

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But after years of economic shocks, war and political upheaval, more and more people seem to have stopped believing that promise.

And in its place, we’re seeing political movements emerge that don’t just want different policies – they’re questioning some of the fundamental ideas our democracies were built on.

In his new Quarterly Essay, Time of Monsters, writer and broadcaster Waleed Aly argues this is part of something bigger – a crisis in liberalism itself.

Today, Waleed Aly on whether we’re entering a post-liberal age – and what might replace the old order.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Writer and broadcaster, Waleed Aly 

Photo: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here in Australia, we’re seeing Pauline Hanson follow the same playbook – with One Nation repeatedly deciding which news organisations can attend its press conferences. But unlike America, press freedom in Australia has remarkably few legal protections backing it.

So what happens when politicians stop respecting the rules we’ve simply assumed they would follow?

Today, journalist and press freedom advocate Peter Greste, on how fragile press freedom is in Australia and why we’ve relied for so long on convention rather than law.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Journalist and press freedom advocate, Peter Greste

Photo: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the ways we’re doing that is by helping to prop up Nauru Airlines – a company riven with financial, governance and safety issues.

Today, independent journalist Nick Feik on how our relationship with a foreign commercial airline is compromising the Australian government’s own regulators, departments and procurement processes in the name of immigration detention.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Independent journalist, Nick Feik

Photo: Nauru Airlines

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, he banned journalists from three media outlets from the White House, saying he’s had enough of the negative stories about him. This week, those outlets sued him over the ban.

And just last year he proved no one’s off limits,  taking media mogul Rupert Murdoch to court in a ten-billion-dollar lawsuit that’s still playing out – all over another story he didn’t much like.

Today, journalist and author Gabriel Sherman on the battle of the titans between Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch – and who really holds the power in this twisted transactional relationship.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Journalist and author Gabriel Sherman

Photo: EPA/Samuel Corum and Kevin Lamarque via AP

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest intergenerational report says, despite an aging population, our real incomes will be 55 percent higher by 2066. And Jim Chalmers says AI will get us there.

But the same report says younger Australians aren’t seeing the same gains in income, wealth and home ownership as the generations before it. So what does this report really say about our future – and how much of it is political wishful thinking.

Today, Vice Chancellor’s professor and Chief Societal Economist at the University of New South Wales, Richard Holden on what Australia could look like in 40 years – and where the economics end and the politics begin.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: UNSW Chief Societal Economist Richard Holden

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United States has declared it has weapons in space, and it’s ready to use them.

So, are we entering a new era where the opening moves of a war could happen hundreds of kilometres above us?

Today, Senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Dr Malcolm Davis on the space weapons now at the ready, and the likelihood of an orbital offensive.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Senior analyst at ASPI, Dr Malcolm Davis

Photo: National Air and Space Intelligence Center

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The question at the time was whether its replacement – American private prison operator MTC – would be any better.

Eighteen months later, we have an answer. Recorded incidents across the detention network have more than doubled – from almost 800 to over 1,600 – since MTC took over.

At the same time, Australia’s offshore detention system on Nauru is expanding – hundreds more people are being transferred to the island, and the Albanese government has announced plans to expand immigration detention as part of its crackdown on visa overstayers.

Today, journalist Denham Sadler on the private companies paid billions to run Australia’s immigration detention system – and the warnings that were there before MTC took over.

This episode was originally published in January, 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Journalist Denham Sadler

Photo: AP Photo/Rick Rycroft

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But does this week’s long-awaited plan leave the government stronger or weaker politically?

And could going harder on Pauline Hanson hold the key to tackling One Nation? This week, the major parties gave it a try as some of Hanson’s nasty comments came back to bite her.

Today, Contributing Editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis on immigration politics and whether some things are off limits, even for Pauline Hanson.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Contributing Editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis

Photo: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Backpackers, students and visa overstayers will all be targeted by the measures – designed to bring net overseas migration down from around 300 thousand, to 225 thousand by 2028.

So what impact will the overhaul have on our economy, our communities, and on Labor’s re-election prospects? 

Today, journalist Peter Mares – who writes extensively on immigration for Inside Story magazine – on what’s in store, and whether the issue Labor’s addressing is a political problem, or a real one.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Inside Story Magazine journalist Peter Mares

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the past, Australia has joined its overseas allies in actions on Israel. This time it’s different – with Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong, saying Australia isn’t considering joining the ban. 

So – why not? 

Today, Commissioner on the UN’s Commission of Inquiry into the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel, Chris Sidoti, on Australia’s responsibilities, and its failures. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Commissioner on the UN’s Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Chris Sidoti

Photo: AP Photo/Leo Correa

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Dex Hunter-Torricke, that realisation came a little sooner. The big-tech insider walked away last year, disillusioned, after spending 15 years inside the belly of the beast.

He wrote speeches for Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook, worked with Elon Musk at SpaceX, and most recently helped Google DeepMind explain the rise of artificial intelligence to the world.

Now, he says society is making the same mistakes with AI as it did in the social media era – sleepwalking into what comes next.

Today, founder and president of The Center for Tomorrow, Dex Hunter-Torricke gives us a glimpse inside the big tech firms shaping our future.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Founder of The Center for Tomorrow Dex Hunter-Torricke

Photo: @dexhuntertorricke via Instagram

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

And that’s before Donald Trump’s trillion dollar promise to hand every adult in America a cheque for five thousand bucks!

Now, as global debt levels rise to record highs, and the cost of paying that debt rises too – experts are sounding the alarm – warning the economic storm that’s brewing is starting to look an awful lot like the 2007 global financial crisis.

Today, Senior Economics Correspondent at the Age and SMH, Shane Wright on the chance of another GFC and what it means for Australia.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Senior Economics Correspondent at the Age & SMH Shane Wright

Photo: AP Photo/Richard Drew

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children’s Commissioner has resigned. An Indigenous MP has left parliament after more than a decade. And now almost the entire Aboriginal side of the Territory’s Justice Policy Partnership has suspended its involvement.

They’re all making a remarkably similar complaint – that the government isn’t listening, and that the structures supposedly designed to give Aboriginal people a say have become meaningless.

Today, National Indigenous Times journalist Dechlan Brennan, on how relations got this bad – and whether a government can tackle the Territory’s enormous problems if the people most affected no longer believe there’s any point in sitting at the table.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: National Indigenous Times journalist, Dechlan Brennan

Photo: AAP Image/Supplied by (A)manda Parkinson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In cities and towns across Australia, we read about a “crisis” about “rampages”. One newspaper described the children of Alice Springs as “tiny menaces stuck on a turnstile of trouble”.

In this first episode of our three part series This is Alice Springs, Daniel James visits the town at the heart of our nation, to find out how all the interventions, big and small, by governments of all persuasions have led to this chaos. What he finds is that almost all of it leads back to one thing.

This series was originally published in October 2024.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Hosted and reported by Daniel James

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But now that similar pork barrelling claims have been levelled at the Prime Minister, he’s come out swinging – refusing to admit any wrong-doing over his failure to declare membership at a golf club which received a six million dollar grant.

Also coming out swinging this week was Andrew Hastie. The Liberal MP delivered a masterclass in how to take on One Nation as he labelled Pauline Hanson and Barnaby Joyce lying cowards over a party-backed cartoon calling him a traitor.

Today, press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno on a fiery week in parliament, and who came off second best.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg – a display of just how close silicon valley had aligned itself to the administration.

But within that world, journalist Gil Durán says, is a smaller, more radical group with a much bigger ambition: get rid of democracy, and use technology to build a new order in its place, controlled by a wealthy elite. And in his new book, The Nerd Reich, Gil traces how these once-fringe ideas have moved closer to the White House than ever before.

Today, Silicon Valley journalist and author Gil Durán, on the group he’s dubbed the “Nerd Reich’, the ideas driving them, and how they became part of Trump’s political project.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Author of The Nerd Reich Gil Durán

Photo: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tasmanian senator called out gaps in health care services for female veterans, and raged against the government’s plans to introduce a $5,000 cap on allied health services for veterans.

This week fellow veterans joined her calls, laying down their war medals outside parliament house in protest, as Lambie promised to continue the fight.

Today, Senator Jacqui Lambie on why veterans are getting a raw deal.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Independent Senator for Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For up to three years, renters and mortgage holders could choose to take home a quarter of the money that would normally be put into their retirement – worth about $44 a week for someone on the average full-time wage.

At the same time, the Coalition has been looking at its own ways to give people greater access to their super now – and some of its MPs want to go further.

So why is superannuation suddenly being pitched as an answer to Australia’s cost-of-living and housing problems? And is it a good idea?

Today, economist Greg Jericho, on the growing political fight over what our super should actually be for.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Chief economist at the Australia Institute, Greg Jericho

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Around the same time, political party AfD was making history in Germany – becoming the first far-right party to win in the country since World War two.

And on the other side of the world, Australia’s high court will today hear from our most high profile Neo-Nazi group in a challenge, legal experts say could see the federal government’s ban on White Australia (formerly known as the National Socialist Network) overturned.

Today, Associate professor of politics at Deakin University Josh Roose on Germany, the UK, and Australia’s high court challenge – as the far-right continues its march across the world.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Associate professor of politics at Deakin University, Josh Roose

Photo: AP Photo/Matthias Schrader

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But there’s a catch.

The New South Wales government wants carbon credits to help pay for it. By ending planned logging, it could generate credits that are then sold to companies to offset their emissions.

For the Greens, that creates a dilemma at a moment when both major parties are bleeding voters – voters who are walking straight past the Greens as an alternative.

They want the forests protected, but have long opposed carbon offsets that allow big polluters to keep polluting. Now those two positions are about to collide.

Today, co-chief executive officer of the Australia Institute Richard Denniss on koalas, carbon offsets and whether the Greens are still willing to pick the big fights.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Co-chief executive officer of the Australia Institute, Richard Denniss

Photo: AAP Image/David Wigley

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's promised to slash the tobacco excise by 80 per cent, arguing that soaring cigarette prices have fuelled a violent black market. It also wants to legalise and regulate vapes and nicotine pouches.

Labor says there’s no evidence the tax cuts would draw smokers away from the black market, while public health authorities warn it could undo decades of progress in reducing smoking.

So, who’s right?

Today, Martin McKenzie-Murray on how Australia’s public health success helped create the conditions for a deadly tobacco war – and whether making cigarettes cheaper could actually help end it.

This episode was first published in May, 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Martin McKenzie-Murray

Photo: AAP Image/Diego Fedele

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Keating wanted Australia to find its security in Asia, not from it, and to stop defining itself through bigger powers in the Anglosphere.

That vision now sits uneasily alongside AUKUS, a more powerful China, and an Australia tied ever more closely to the United States.

Today, historian and author of Grand Ambition James Curran, on Keating’s argument for a more independent Australia – and why it continues to challenge the modern Labor Party.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Historian and author of Grand Ambition, James Curran

Photo: AAP Image/Darren England

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, she wants the government to compel social media companies to give people the option to restrict their algorithm. 

So can, and should, the algorithm be contained? And would social media companies even comply? 

Today, CEO of Teach Us Consent, Chanel Contos on the damage the algorithm is doing – and the next tech frontier. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Teach Us Consent CEO Chanel Contos

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But this week, the federal government ruled out an import ban on smart glasses – as concerns about the technology rise and examples of their misuse flood the internet.

Today, Associate Dean of Interaction Technology & Information at RMIT Dana McKay,
on the rising popularity of smartglasses, how to regulate their use, and the dangers if wearable surveillance tech becomes widespread.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Associate Dean of Interaction Technology & Information at RMIT, Dana McKay

Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Until now, it had been the Coalition feeling the effects of the orange wave, but now Labor officially has a Pauline problem of its own.

So what does this mean for the government, and the country?

Today, WA political reporter for Business News, Gary Adshead on how One Nation won over WA voters and whether it can replicate that victory elsewhere.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Political reporter for Business News, Gary Adshead

Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People look on in shock, disbelief and fear as buildings are swallowed. Cars are swept away and people run as the flood surges down below. 

In its aftermath, more than 800 people are dead and thousands are missing, including 43 Australians.

In the search for answers, scientists now believe the disaster began high in the mountains, when an enormous mass of ice and rock, weighing around 500 million tonnes, collapsed and unleashed a torrent of water down the valley. 

Today, glaciologist at University of Sunshine Coast Adrian McCallum, on how this disaster unfolded, and why the Himalayas and some of the world’s other great mountain ranges are becoming more vulnerable to events like it. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Glaciologist Adrian McCallum

Photo: EPA/NARENDRA SHRESTHA

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He would serve in that role for just another ten days, a span of time that has become known as a “mooch”.

Since leaving the White House, Scaramucci has become one of the president’s most vocal and scathing critics. Now, he says Trump’s return to power is the product of deeper failures in American politics, and a warning about what happens when economic anger goes unanswered.

Today, The Rest is Politics US host Anthony Scaramucci on why Trump came back, the limits of his power, and how Australia should deal with the U.S. president.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: The Rest is Politics US host Anthony Scaramucci

Photo: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the same time, Australia is settling a decades-long fight over how children should be taught to read.

For years, many schools relied on outdated methods that encouraged children to work out words using context, pictures and other cues. Now, some classrooms are increasingly moving towards phonics and explicit instruction.

But the evidence for that approach has been around for decades. So why is it taking so long for classrooms to catch up?

Today, journalist Martin McKenzie-Murray on why the old methods lasted for so long, and how children should actually be taught to read.

This episode was first published in August 2024.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Associate editor of The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray

Photo: AAP Image/Dan Peled

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are now a majority migrant nation. Professional women have overtaken blue-collar men as the largest group in the workforce. And the two countries Australia has relied on most, China and the United States, have become less predictable. 

Labor has adapted to parts of this new reality. The Coalition, so far, has struggled to do the same. 

Today, author of Three Shocks, George Megalogenis on the tectonic plates reshaping Australian politics. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Author of Three Shocks George Megalogenis

Photo: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But behind those cases is an even more troubling shift. New research suggests some young men are becoming more hostile towards women, while misogyny and sexual violence is being normalised online. 

And with pressure building on leaders and governments across the country to confront it, the question is whether the response is keeping pace with the problem.

Today, Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek, on the institutions failing women, the forces shaping a generation of boys, and whether governments are doing enough to stop it.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

That puts China, the country’s most important trading partner, directly in Washington’s sights.

But how much of this is just bluster? And has Trump lost the ability to turn this conflict in his favour?

Today, The National Interest’s editor-at-large, Steve Clemons, on the dwindling options available to the US – and what that means for its increasingly unpopular president.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Editor-at-large of The National Interest, Steve Clemons

Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It marks a new phase of the outbreak, and has sparked fears for many endangered wildlife species, which face the possibility of extinction. 

So how does the way we farm, eat, and live make us vulnerable to viruses like this? And could humans be at risk with the next mutation? 

Today, journalist and author of Sentinel: when diseases spread between animals and humans, Michael Dulaney on the root cause of the virus - and the future of animal pandemics in our times. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Journalist and author Michael Dulaney

Photo: AAP Image/Darren England

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The incident was one of about a dozen stunts targeting Labor, the Greens and some Independents. 

It turns out, this wasn’t just about influencers trying to generate content. It was actually a co-ordinated campaign allegedly paid for by a wealthy Christian sect. 

Today, investigative journalist at The Age Sherryn Groch on the Exclusive Brethren, its bags of cash, and connections to the Liberal Party. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Investigative journalist at The Age & SMH Sherryn Groch

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, Trump is being sued over the arrangement, amid claims it gives paying customers preferential access to official presidential communications.

At the same time, Trump Media is also moving into prediction markets – a fast-growing corner of finance that can turn political events into betting opportunities. 

Today, Reuters journalist Anirban Sen, on the extraordinary collision of presidential power, private profit and a booming industry where almost anything can become a wager.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Reuters journalist, Anirban Sen

Photo: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justice Christopher Beale imposed life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 33 years for murdering three in-laws – and attempting to murder a fourth – by lacing their beef Wellingtons with poisonous death cap mushrooms in 2023.

Now, Patterson has been back in court appealing her convictions, while prosecutors argue her sentence is too lenient and that she should never be released.

Today, we revisit our conversation with investigative journalist and author Lucie Morris-Marr on the sentencing of Erin Patterson, the suffering her crimes caused, and how the judge decided her punishment.

This episode was first published in September 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Investigative journalist and author, Lucie Morris-Marr

Photo: AAP Image/Anita Lester

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His advocacy means he’s become a lightning rod for people to share their stories.

Now, as the government this week passed legislation aimed at reducing gambling harms, Wilkie is among an angry group of dissenters who say the bill is a “national shame”.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Independent MP Andrew Wilkie

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She had spent years being arrested, imprisoned and watched by the state for her work with punk rock protest group Pussy Riot and for speaking out against Vladimir Putin.

But Alyokhina says the Russia she fled wasn’t transformed by one dramatic moment. Repression came piece by piece, until fear, censorship and eventually silence became part of everyday life. 

Now, she says the same pattern is taking hold elsewhere, as people become overwhelmed, disengaged from politics, and complacent that the freedoms they inherited will simply endure. 

Today, Pussy Riot’s Masha Alyokhina on what Putin’s Russia can teach us about authoritarianism, and why democracy can never be taken for granted. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Pussy Riot’s Maria (Masha) Alyokhina

Photo: AAP Image/Kelly Barnes

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everything from the players involved, to the language used by the club, and the way the media reported the allegations, came under the microscope. 

So how much has changed when it comes to footy players doing the wrong thing. And what would a good response from the AFL look like? 

Today, journalist and author of Night Games, Anna Krien, on the way forward for the AFL. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Journalist and author of Night Games Anna Krien

Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite more than 4,000 submissions and calls for reforms to be paused, the government’s overhaul of the scheme passed the senate yesterday, with support from the Coalition.

By tightening access and reducing some supports, the changes are forecast to save $37.8 billion over the next 4 years. But advocates warn the cuts will leave people worse off, and shift the costs onto families, hospitals and the states.

Today, CEO of Women with Disabilities Australia Sophie Cusworth, on what these reforms mean for people who rely on the NDIS, and if the scheme can be made sustainable without leaving people behind.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: CEO of Women with Disabilities Australia Sophie Cusworth

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During Trump’s second term, the misinformation from the president and his health secretary, RFK Jr, has been relentless – undermining public trust in vaccines, as outbreaks of previously eliminated diseases flare up again.

Today, Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney’s Infectious Diseases Institute Julie Leask on the politicisation of antivax sentiment, and the implications for Australia

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Professor of Public Health Julie Leask

Photo: Bonnie Cash/EPA

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, the government is turning its attention on the rest of us. 

A new parliamentary inquiry will examine Australia's civilian preparedness and whether we could keep fuel flowing, supply chains moving and essential services running through a major conflict. 

It comes as the government warns Australia is facing the most threatening strategic circumstances since the Second World War. 

Today, Sam Roggeveen, Director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program, on what major conflict would actually mean for Australians, and whether we’re preparing for the right threats.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Director of Lowy Institute’s International Security Program, Sam Roggeveen

Photo: PR HANDOUT

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Those documents helped expose allegations of war crimes by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

Years on, he’s still the only person to have been sent to prison over the Afghan Files.

Today, as McBride is released, we’re returning to an interview Ashlynne McGhee recorded with him just before he was jailed – on why he leaked those documents, whether he had any regrets, and how Australia keeps its secrets.

This episode was first published in May 2024.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Whistleblower and former military lawyer, David McBride

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meanwhile, immigration is becoming one of the defining battles in federal politics, as One Nation’s growing support and hardline approach force both major parties to confront how they respond to its agenda. 

And amidst it all, Barnaby Joyce declared One Nation “one of the gayest parties in Australia”, after a former One Nation candidate called homosexuality a mental illness. 

Today, SBS Chief Political Correspondent, Anna Henderson, on a hectic week in parliament; the fight over immigration, gambling reform and a warm conversation between the PM and President Trump.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: SBS Chief Political Correspondent Anna Henderson

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Journalists Matthew Ricketson and Andrew Dodd have a name for what happens when that attention becomes a campaign, they call it ‘getting Murdoched’.

Today, co-author of their new book Getting Murdoched, Matthew Ricketson on the people who’ve found themselves on the receiving end, and the media culture that could outlast Rupert Murdoch himself. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Co-author of Getting Murdoched Matthew Ricketson

Photo: AP Photo/Jason Reed, Pool, File

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The contest has turned into a circus, but the five-million-pound donation scandal which prompted it, is deadly serious.

Today, European correspondent for the Australian Financial Review, Andrew Tillett, on the contest, the scandal behind it, and the parallels between Farage and Australia’s far-right offering, One Nation.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: European correspondent for the Australian Financial Review, Andrew Tillett

Photo: PA/Alamy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But as the bank weighs up future interest rate hikes to try and combat inflation, some economists say there’s a fairer way to keep spending under wraps and spread the pain around. 

And the alternative could leave us all with bigger retirement nest eggs.

Today, independent economist Saul Eslake on whether superannuation could be used to manage inflation, and what it all means for the future of housing. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Independent economist Saul Eslake

Photo: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now an investigation by the Brisbane Times and SMH has detailed some of the places One Nation’s cash is coming from: from exclusive parties hosted at Gina Rinehart’s mansion, to movies, to merch.

But perhaps even more pertinent are the contributions hidden from public view.

Today, SMH Investigative Reporter Patrick Begley on the sources of One Nation’s wealth. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: SMH Investigative Reporter Patrick Begley

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three cars were set alight. The building was vandalised, and later, a video message appeared online with a masked man claiming responsibility; warning workers involved in the weapons supply chain that they were being watched. 

Waleed Aly has a PhD in global terrorism and says the message left behind is crucial to understanding what happened and what might happen next. 

Today, Waleed Aly on what makes political violence terrorism, and whether this attack is a sign of something much bigger taking hold. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Monash University terrorism expert Waleed Aly

Photo: Supplied: AFP

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The once-powerful broadcaster is now facing 22 charges of indecent assault and sexual touching involving six complainants. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies any wrongdoing.

When we recorded this episode, Jones had just been charged with 24 offences involving eight complainants. Since then the case has narrowed, with a number of charges withdrawn or replaced before the trial began.

Today, we revisit our conversation with investigative reporter and author of Jonestown: The Power and Myth of Alan Jones, Chris Masters, on the fall of one of Australia’s most powerful men, and what it tells us about the nature of power itself in this country.

This episode was first published in November 2024.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Investigative reporter Chris Masters

Photo: AAP Image/Damian Shaw

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

None of it is especially new, and maybe that’s the problem.

Meanwhile, people are becoming more disconnected from the institutions that shape their lives, and less convinced that those institutions are working in their interests.

Today, columnist for The Age and SMH Sean Kelly, on the money, secrecy and private power shaping our politics, and what happens when voters stop trusting the system itself.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Columnist for The Age and SMH Sean Kelly

Photo: AAP Image/Jane Dempster

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since then, repeated inquiries have found the system is failing the people who need it, while the companies paid to run it rake in huge profits.

Now, the Albanese government has admitted the system isn’t working and promised its biggest overhaul in decades. But Labor says these private providers will still remain part of the system, even as a new report has followed the billions of dollars flowing through the industry

Today, ABC business and economics reporter Gareth Hutchens, on how helping unemployed Australians became a massive money spinner, and whether Labor can fix the system while leaving private companies at its centre.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: ABC business and economics reporter Gareth Hutchens

Photo: AAP Image/Dan Peled

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At 85, the once-powerful shock jock who for decades acted as judge, jury and executioner in the court of public opinion, is now the one on trial.

Jones is accused of historical offences involving the indecent assault and sexual touching of teenagers and young men – claims he’s always denied.

Now, a judge will decide, with the trial slated to run over the next four months.

Today, National Affairs Editor at Ten News, Hugh Riminton on how the first few days of the Alan Jones trial played out in court, and what comes next.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: National Affairs Editor at Ten News Hugh Riminton

Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Already the public inquiry, codenamed Operation Rosny, has heard of shit sheets, sham payments, phone taps, and dodgy deals with fugitive developers – with the reformers' connections reaching all the way to the top of the Liberal party.

Today, The Sydney Morning Herald’s chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont unpacks the tangled web of players at the centre of what she’s calling ICAC’s Game of Thrones.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: SMH chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont

Photo: PR Handout/Supplied by NSW Police

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Usually not much. But they're part of an unlikely group of politicians backing former senator Rex Patrick in a legal fight with the Albanese government over information the government does not want released.

At the centre of that fight are documents about potential sites for nuclear waste storage from AUKUS submarines, a bill that could see Patrick forced to pay $150,000, and a warning about what happens when ordinary Australians push too hard for answers. 

Today, transparency campaigner Rex Patrick on the case that has united some of parliament's most unlikely allies. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Transparency campaigner Rex Patrick

Photo: AAP Image/Jono Searle

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now a new documentary ‘Earth’s greatest enemy’ is exposing the impact of the US military empire on the planet: the waste, the billion dollar budgets, and the political maneuvering that’s kept it all out of the public eye.

Today, Journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin, on what the world’s biggest war machine is doing to our Earth.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin

Photo: US Central Command

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joyce said the company was fighting for survival during the pandemic and that, while mistakes were made, the difficult decisions taken under his leadership were necessary to keep Qantas from going under.

Today, we revisit our conversation with journalist and author Joe Aston, recorded after Qantas was handed a record $90 million penalty for illegally outsourcing 1,800 workers.

It asks what those decisions cost, whether they really were necessary, and whether the airline has actually changed since Joyce’s departure.

The episode originally aired in August 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Rampart founder and author of The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out, Joe Aston

Photo: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Australia, that same anger is increasingly being captured by Pauline Hanson and the populist right, while Labor retreats towards the centre. 

So attention is turning to who in Australia could make a Mamdani-style case for economic change, and to whether the Australian left has the organisation, discipline and ambition to build a movement around them.

Today, freelance writer, political commentator and host of RRR's Spin Cycle Rachel Withers, on the political figure the left is searching for, and whether the conditions exist to produce an Australian Mamdani.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Writer and political commentator Rachel Withers

Photo: AP Photo/Heather Khalifa

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It follows years of reporting exposing alleged corruption, organised crime links and misconduct within the sector, and years of resistance from the government and former premier Jacinta Allan.

The commission now has the potential to examine what happened and who knew about it, forcing powerful figures in politics, unions and the underworld to answer questions under oath and in public.

Today, The Age investigative reporter Nick McKenzie, on what the royal commission must uncover and the big names who could be called to testify.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: The Age investigative reporter Nick McKenzie

Photo: AAP Image/James Ross

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we speak with Hannah Ferguson, and political journalist Karen Middleton, about what it takes to actually oust a PM, and what else could be in store. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Candidate for Grayndler Hannah Ferguson and press gallery journalist Karen Middleton

Photo: AAP Image/ Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jacinta Allan’s replacement, and former deputy leader Ben Carroll, now has just four months to turn Labor’s fortunes around in what’s shaping up to be the most unpredictable election the state has ever seen.

Polls show an unprecedented three-party contest – with voters split, almost equally, between the unpopular Labor government, an Opposition ridden by scandal, and a rising One Nation.

Today, ABC Melbourne Mornings host Raf Epstein on what Labor’s change of leader means for an already chaotic election race and whether Australia’s most progressive state could turn orange.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: ABC Radio Melbourne host Raf Epstein

Photo: AAP Image/James Ross

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now he’s warning that what we’ve been led to believe is the inevitable march of AI towards world domination isn’t that inevitable after all, and actually what we’re marching towards could be the end of the AI bubble.

Because every time you ask ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini a question, companies like OpenAI are losing money. The more we use, the more they lose.

And while those AI giants burn through billions of dollars a year, gambling that eventually they’ll figure out how to turn it into a profitable business, the world’s economy is hanging in the balance.

Today, Cory Doctorow, on why the AI boom is being pushed into every part of our lives and what happens when the bubble bursts.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Cory Doctorow is in Australia this August for appearances at Sydney’s Festival of Dangerous Ideas, and in Melbourne at The Capitol, presented by The Wheeler Centre and Now or Never. His new book, The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI, is out via Verso 

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Author Cory Doctorow

Photo: AAP Image/James Ross

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By the time he left Qantas, he had become one of the country’s most hated men.

His final years at the airline were marked by unlawful sackings, cancelled flights, withheld refunds and a collapse in public trust. But in a new memoir, Riding the Jet Stream, Joyce defends many of the decisions that made him a symbol of corporate arrogance and public distrust.

Today, former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, on what he believes Australians got wrong about him – and whether he accepts responsibility for the damage done to the Qantas brand on his watch.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce

Photo: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But now, Reuters reports he considered scrapping the entire childhood immunisation schedule, removing polio and MMR vaccines, and spending five billion dollars investigating the disproven link between vaccines and autism.

Kennedy has spent two decades campaigning against vaccines, using his famous name to become one of the movement’s most prominent figures.

Today, we return to our conversation with investigative journalist Brian Deer, on Kennedy’s anti-vaccine campaign – and the deadly consequences of vaccine misinformation in Samoa.

This episode was originally published in February 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Investigative journalist Brian Deer

Photo: AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the past 25 years, the value of those exports has increased more than twentyfold. Yet revenue from the tax designed to capture the extraordinary profits made from petroleum resources has gone backwards.

This week, at its national conference, the Labor Party formally acknowledged that Australians deserve a "fairer return" from the resources beneath their land and seas.

But the party stopped short of backing the policy that forced the issue onto the agenda: a 25 per cent tax on gas exports that supporters say could raise up to $17 billion a year.

Today, Australia Institute co-chief executive Richard Denniss, on the unlikely alliance pushing Labor to take on the gas industry – and whether the party’s carefully chosen words will ever become an actual tax.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Co-Chief Executive Officer at The Australia Institute, Dr Richard Denniss

Photo: AAP Image/Joe Castro

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 motivation, critics say, is to sow doubt ahead of the upcoming midterm elections – which he’s already made several attempts to reshape: from redrawing maps, to restricting voting, to firing the entire electoral commission.

Today, staff writer at The Atlantic David A. Graham, on Trump’s campaign to tilt the midterms and what he could still do before, during and after election day.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Staff writer at The Atlantic David A. Graham

Photo: Saul LOEB / POOL / AFP

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 of people have watched an Australian influencer promise food, shelter and hope to children in some of the world's most critical crisis zones. 

Now, her foundation is facing questions about its humanitarian claims, the money it solicited, and the damage AI-generated appeals could do to public trust in charities.

Today, ABC News Verify journalist, Matt Martino on the Lily Jay Foundation, and the tangled web behind its humanitarian work. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: ABC News Verify senior journalist Matt Martino

Photo: @lilyjayofficial via X

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 once again on a knife’s edge, the US appears locked back into an escalating war, unless the interim ceasefire deal can be salvaged. 

Today, diplomatic correspondent at NOTUS Akbar Shahid Ahmed on the threat of all-out war, and who is really in charge of what happens next. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Diplomatic correspondent at NOTUS and author of Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel’s War in Gaza, Akbar Shahid Ahmed

Photo: US Central Command/Reuters

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

But while the royal commission has attracted rolling media coverage and government attention, the Aboriginal racism inquiry has been largely ignored.

The inquiry was triggered by the alleged bombing of an Invasion Day rally – witnesses shining a light on the repeated inaction before, during and after the event as they testified about the fear still hanging over the Indigenous community.

Today, National Indigenous Affairs Editor for NITV & SBS John Paul Janke, on how Australia treats different kinds of racism differently. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: National Indigenous Affairs Editor for NITV & SBS John Paul Janke

Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 are speaking out.

Crikey contributor and Fourth Estate host Tina Quinn has spoken to current and former Nine insiders about what he was really like behind the scenes and why the network backed him for so long.

Today, Tina Quinn, on Karl Stefanovic’s rise, his fall from Nine, and whether he can survive without the network that built him.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest:  Host of Fourth Estate on 2SER and Crikey contributor, Tina Quinn

Photo: AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 speaks to Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Anna Cody, about why our domestic violence crisis is getting worse – and why years of plans, campaigns and promises have failed to stop it.

This episode was originally published in July 2024.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Anna Cody

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 cuts stack up economically – at a time when one of the country’s most important systems is still failing the people it is meant to care for?

Today, federal political correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald Natassia Chrysanthos, on the Liberal Party’s identity crisis, One Nation’s fortunes and an aged-care system still not fit for purpose.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Federal political correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Natassia Chrysanthos

Photo: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Foundation says bulldozing for beef production is a major driver of that runoff. And now, Australia’s new national environment watchdog – the National Environmental Protection Agency – has opened its doors with more than 100 potentially unlawful land-clearing cases already on its books.

Labor says its new nature laws will protect the environment and speed up approvals for housing, renewables and infrastructure. But will they actually stop the clearing – or just speed up a broken system?

Today, CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation Adam Bandt, on the first test of Labor’s new nature laws – and whether they can make an impact before it’s too late.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation, Adam Bandt

Photo: WWF Australia

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 will happen when potential investment meets copyright law. 

Today, Chair of Digital Rights Watch Lizzie O’Shea on whether the government can walk the tightrope of the AI boom, while protecting and benefiting all Australians. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Chair of Digital Rights Watch Lizzie O’Shea

Photo: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 between 1996 and 2026? 

Today, Margo Kingston, on what Pauline Hanson has come to represent, and how she’s using her past to fashion her present. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Journalist and author of Off the Rails: The Pauline Hanson trip, Margo Kingston

Photo: AAP Image/Tony Phillips

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Appearing before the commission was Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal – who came out swinging at the broadcasters’ Middle East coverage, reccomending it be overseen by an independent committee.

But do Segal’s claims stack up?

Today, former Media Watch host and ABC Alumni board member Jonathan Holmes, on the submission ABC Alumni put to the commission, and the role of the public broadcaster in reporting on war. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Former media watch host Jonathan Holmes

Photo: AAP Image/Dominic Giannini

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 it.

Swan says the second term is different. Trump has returned to the White House with a tighter circle of loyalists, and far fewer people willing to say no.

In a new book Regime Change co-authored with Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan goes inside the first 14 months of Trump’s return to power, documenting a presidency using the machinery of government to punish enemies, pressure institutions and test what one president can get away with.

Today, Jonathan Swan, on Trump’s second term – and how he’s changed America forever.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Co-author of Regime Change Jonathan Swan

Photo: AP Photo/Francisco Seco

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Optus failure, when a 13-hour outage blocked hundreds of emergency calls across South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and was linked to deaths.

ACMA opened an investigation into Optus, but still hasn’t published final findings.

Today, journalist and Crikey contributor Michael Sainsbury – on what went wrong at Optus and how the government’s choices led us here.

This episode was originally published in September 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Journalist and Crikey contributor, Michael Sainsbury

Photo: AAP Image/George Chan

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. 

It was a week that moved swiftly from political embarrassment to regional unease, and left Labor managing the Prime Minister’s image at home and Australia’s influence abroad.

Today, press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno on a turbulent week for Anthony Albaense, marked with missteps, a communication breakdown and a focus on Pacific diplomacy in tumultuous geo-political waters.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno

Photo: @nikkiosborneofficial via Youtube

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Enough to make a journalist think twice about who they speak to, where they go and what stories they pursue. 

Too often for women in public life, the tactics are familiar and designed to cut deep. 

Today, contributing editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis, on the forces trying to intimidate journalists and why she decided to call it out. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Contributing editor for The New Daily Amy Remeikis

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 billions of dollars – that could have been used in the payouts – were instead transferred just out of reach of survivors.

Today, Managing partner at Marque Lawyers, Michael Bradley, on the multimillion-dollar properties sold off for just a dollar, and the crushing court decision that’s left victims in the cold.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Managing partner at Marque Lawyers, Michael Bradley

Photo: AAP Image/Eoin Blackwell

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Palestine Laboratory, has recently travelled through the Middle East, including the West Bank, and has been speaking to people in Gaza.

Today, Antony Loewenstein tells us what he saw in the West Bank, what he’s hearing from Gaza, and what it means for the future of Palestine 1,000 days on from the start of Israel’s war.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Independent journalist and author of The Palestine Laboratory, Antony Loewenstein

Photo: Ramez Habboub/ABACAPRESS.COM

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 for release on parole this week, Tracy says the systems that allowed him into her life still haven’t been fixed.

Today, Tracy Hall on the conman who stole her life savings, the growing romance scam industry costing Australians tens of millions of dollars a year, and whether dating apps are doing enough to protect the people using them.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Romance scam advocate and survivor Tracy Hall

Photo: Supplied

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 and without payment. 

At the same time, the federal government is fending off whistleblower claims of a “dirty deal” with tech giants that would give AI access to Australian music and art in exchange for billion dollar investments

Today, Bernard Fanning on what happens when machines are trained on our songs, and who gets to tell Australian stories, us or AI. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Bernard Fanning

Photo: bernardfanning.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 has always maintained that Rolfe’s racism played a role in Walker’s death – something the coroner said couldn’t be ruled out.

Today, we’re bringing you an episode recorded just after the inquest, with investigative journalist Kate Wild – whose book, The Red House, examines Kumanjayi Walker’s death and how the racist culture of the Northern Territory Police enabled Zachary Rolfe to act with impunity.

This episode was originally published in July 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Investigative journalist and author of The Red House, Kate Wild

Photo: AAP Image/Aaron Bunch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 momentum. 

But the story doesn’t end there. 

In Victoria, where the state election is now months away, One Nation is polling better than the Labor government. And now, Hanson’s message is being carried by a loud cast of celebrity sympathisers. 

Today, founder and CEO of Cheek Media Hannah Ferguson on what happens when One Nation is no longer just a protest vote, and how the Liberals and the Greens have struggled to take advantage of an electorate clearly in the mood for change. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Cheek Media founder Hannah Ferguson

Photo: Instagram @karlstefanovic_

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 disclosure hints at just how lucrative those ventures have become, with Trump disclosing more than $1.4 billion USD in income from family crypto ventures last year, raising questions about how far a president can go in turning public office into a money-making machine.

Today, journalist and research director for Public Citizen’s Trump Accountability Project, Zach Everson, on Donald Trump’s crypto empire and the new frontier of political corruption in America.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest:  Journalist and research director for Public Citizen’s Trump Accountability Project, Zach Everson

Photo: AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 from Paris, on the heatwave that’s ravaged Europe and what it tells us about how humanity will need to adapt to the extreme conditions to come.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Author and journalist Sarah Wilson

Photo: EPA/ANTONIO BAT

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, stars like Nat Bass are sounding the alarm as the industry struggles to stay afloat amid rising costs and slumping ticket sales.

Today, arts executive John Glenn on the crisis threatening the future of theatre and live shows, and what can be done to save the industry.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: CEO of AANT Centre, John Glenn

Photo: waitressthemusical.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 multimillion-dollar programs and sponsorships targeting millions of Australian children.

Today, Comms Declare founder Belinda Noble on how the tentacles of big coal, oil, and gas are reaching into Australian classrooms and manipulating students.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Comms Declare founder, Belinda Noble

Photo: Comms Declare

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. What followed has forced out senior leaders, exposed the treatment of the person who spoke up, and raised bigger questions about the firms governments have come to rely on to do the work once done inside the public service.

Today, ABC business reporter Daniel Ziffer on KPMG, the scandal inside one of the Big Four consulting firms, and why the fallout reaches far beyond one company.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: ABC business reporter Daniel Ziffer

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: people who want climate action, integrity, sensible economic management and a pro-business agenda.

But can you build a party out of independents without sacrificing what voters liked about them in the first place?

Today, independent MP Zali Steggall, on why the teals are becoming a party – and whether they can hold the centre as Australian politics becomes more divided.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Community Strong Australia MP Zali Steggall

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 on the conspiracy pipeline: how it works, who benefits, and where it’s heading now.

This is part one of a two-part series that was originally published in August 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Authors of Conspiracy Nation, Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 fringe to the mainstream – including all the way to Parliament house.

This is part two of a two-part series that was originally published in August 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Authors of Conspiracy Nation, Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Nation, launching a full frontal assault on One Nation from inside the Coalition party room. 

And as the right fights over Hanson’s rise, a new party from two teal independents is trying to offer voters another way out.

Today, news.com.au political editor Samantha Maiden, on a week of conservative confusion, One Nation pressure, and the teal independents trying to turn disillusionment into votes.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: news.com.au political editor Samantha Maiden

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 following based on hate-driven rhetoric towards Muslims, immigrants, the changing face of Britain; and on the claim that he’s being silenced by the establishment.

But the fall out from the podcast, including his split with Nine, may have worked in Stefanovic’s favour as he tries to forge a new career in outrage podcasting. 

Today, Crikey’s media reporter Daanyal Saeed on Karl Stefanovic, the interview that ended his time at nine, and the audience he may have been chasing all along. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Crikey media reporter Daanyal Saeed

Photo: The Karl Stefanovic Show

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 risk to the public is low – but for wildlife, an outbreak could be devastating.

Experts fear it could become the tipping point for species already endangered or close to extinction.

Today, CEO of the Invasive Species Council Jack Gough, on the race to stop bird flu becoming a wildlife disaster in Australia.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: CEO of the Invasive Species Council, Jack Gough

Photo: PR Handout/Lori-Ann Shibish, Esperance Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 lost in the political wilderness?

Today, former Greens MP and Green Institute Executive Director Max Chandler-Mather on whether the Greens can mount a comeback and tap into the progressive version of Pauline’s populist politics.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Former Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Emily Maitlis on Starmer’s downfall, who Burnham is, and how he’s poised to take power. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Host of The News Agents Emily Maitlis

Photo: AP Photo/Thomas Krych

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 how far it spreads, and who decides when it stops. 

Today, UNSW cyber security expert Professor Richard Buckland, on the scope creep of live facial recognition technology, and the danger of normalising police powers before the public understands them.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: UNSW cyber security expert Professor Richard Buckland

Photo: WA Police

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Pauline Hanson, once a supporter of a woman’s right to choose, has changed her tune, as her colleague Malcolm Roberts pushes for the party to adopt a blanket abortion ban.

Today, writer, peer-support worker, and reproductive health advocate Hannah Bambra
on the local and international forces looking wind back abortion access in Australia

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Writer & reproductive health advocate Hannah Bambra

Photo: AAP Image/Dean Lewins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 administration, and taxpayers are now underwriting the rescue to the tune of $2.4 billion.

Now, the sale of the steelworks is in its final stages, but the question of whether Whyalla becomes the green steel town politicians promised, or whether public money is being used to keep an ageing steelworks alive, remains.

Today, investigative journalist and former host of the ABC’s Media Watch Paul Barry, on the billionaire who brought Whyalla to the brink – and what it would really take to save the town.

This episode was originally published in January, 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Investigative journalist and former host of the ABC’s Media Watch Paul Barry

Photo: AAP Image/David Mariuz

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 that may no longer be enough. For years, Hanson has survived controversies that would have ended most political careers. And as One Nation support grows, one thing is becoming more evident: we are now entering a political era where outrage carries no penalty. Where the shock of what politicians say matters less than the anger they channel. 

Today, columnist Sean Kelly on Hanson’s resurgence, the opportunities it creates for politicians of every persuasion, and what becomes possible when voters decide the old political order is broken. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Former Labor advisor and The Age & SMH columnist, Sean Kelly

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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’t exist. 

Today, former Soccerroo and refugee advocate, Craig Foster. On the team that’s quietly challenging one of the most divisive debates in the country, simply by taking the field. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Former Socceroo and refugee advocate, Craig Foster

Photo: Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

This month, Australia’s chemical regulator is expected to decide whether paraquat can keep being used here – after a review that’s been going on since 1997.

Professor Wesley Thevathasan is one of about 50 neurologists who made submissions to that review, calling for paraquat to be banned. But he says the regulator has ignored them – as well as some of the strongest evidence linking exposure to the chemical to Parkinson’s.

Today, Associate Professor Wesley Thevathasan, on the farmers who fear paraquat made them sick, and whether Australia’s regulator is listening.

Farmer audio courtesy of ABC rural.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Parkinson’s disease specialist, Associate Professor Wesley Thevathasan

Photo: ABC / Jake Hamilton

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 energy, transgender rights and journalists. 

It was a performance that will play to her base and one that helps explain her rise in the polls. But she also gave her opponents a clearer picture of what they’re running against and what to target in the two years until the next election.

Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton, on Pauline Hanson’s big moment, and the fight now coming for One Nation. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Press gallery journalist Karen Middleton

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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’s milestone, for others it’s jarring to see in the hands of someone who uses their power for political purposes – and at a time where so many are living with so little.

Today, author of Stinking Rich: The Four Myths of the Good Billionaire, Carl Rhodes, on what the world’s first trillionaire means for the distribution of power and wealth.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Author of Stinking Rich: The Four Myths of the Good Billionaire, Carl Rhodes

Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Program Dr Emma Shortis on the latest end of the war announcement - and what could derail it. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Director of the Australia Institute’s International & Security Affairs Program, Dr Emma Shortis

Photo: Bonnie Cash/Pool/ABACAPRESS.COM

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 inquiry, in lieu of parliamentary debate, led by former Labor minister Peter Garrett is putting Aukus under scrutiny. 

Today, Peter Garrett on why he believes Australians deserve answers, and whether it’s too late to walk away. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Lead commissioner of the Aukus Inquiry, Peter Garrett

Photo: AAP Image/Con Chronis

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, PR firms and think tanks – and outlining what he calls “the climate obstruction playbook”. It’s a strategy refined in Washington and increasingly echoed in Australia.

Today, Professor at ANU’s School of Regulation and Global Governance, Christian Downie, on how the obstruction playbook has been so successful in stopping action on climate change.

This episode was originally published in October, 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Professor at ANU’s School of Regulation and Global Governance and Director of the Governing Energy Transition Lab, Christian Downie

Photo: REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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’s popularity grows, so does the scrutiny of what sits behind it. This week, she admitted she’s taking policy advice from Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart, the billionaire mining magnate she describes as a friend and supporter. 

Today, contributing editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis, on Pauline Hanson’s growing momentum and the billionaire and corporate backing of her outsider politics. 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Contributing editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis

Photo: AAP Image/Paul Miller

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.