The Morning Edition

The politics of war, and why Peter Dutton was so upset over leaked Liberal Party review

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Israel and the United States are at war with Iran in a rapidly escalating conflict that Australia seems to be trying to avoid as much as possible. Today, we'll talk about how viable it is to be neutral these days, and whether Australia is doing its duty as a middle power.

We'll also discuss the Liberal Party review that Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and others tried to keep it secret, only to have it leaked by none other than the prime minister himself this week.

Joining Jacqueline Maley today is foreign affairs correspondent Matthew Knott and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

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Trump 'doesn't have a plan' for his war on Iran. And the MAGA base is splintering

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Only six days since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, the destruction is mounting. More than 800 people have been killed, including Iranian schoolchildren and American service members.

What will it take to stop this war? And what might compel Donald Trump to end it, if he can?

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on Trump's tactics, and how his MAGA base is responding.

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Regrets? There are none. David Littleproud on Coalition split and what Nats do next

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 05:00:00 +0000

In this bonus episode of Inside Politics, we’re joined by the Nationals leader David Littleproud.He’s a man under pressure – commentators, Liberal MPs and some of his own colleagues blamed January’s split on the 49-year-old from Chinchilla in regional Queensland.Today, chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and Littleproud discuss the Coalition rupture and what’s next under the leadership of Angus Taylor.

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Abuse claims against Trump in the missing Epstein files: will it bring him down?

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Only days before US President Donald Trump declared war on Iran, another Epstein files bombshell dropped — this one, relating to allegations against the American president.

An investigation revealed that the Department of Justice withheld more than 50 pages of FBI interviews and notes from conversations with a woman who accused Donald Trump of sexual abuse, decades ago, when she was between 13 and 15 years old.

Today Foreign Policy magazine deputy editor Amelia Lester on what some Democrats are calling “the largest government cover-up in modern history”, and if it could hurt Donald Trump.

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US-Iran war: Iran’s government has been ‘decapitated’. What now?

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 04:47:34 +0000

US President Donald Trump's act of war on Iran at the weekend seemed inevitable but nevertheless shocking.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and civilians died when joint American and Israeli strikes rained down on the country, beginning on Saturday. Trump says it’s time for the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow their government.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses who is likely to rule Iran and if this will lead to a wider war.

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The energy vampires next door: Life next to an AI mega-factory

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

If leading figures of the AI boom, like OpenAI chief Sam Altman, have their way, much of the world (or better yet, space) will be covered in data centres. But what about the havoc their construction is wreaking on our neighbourhoods?

Today, investigative reporter Clay Lucas, on the Australians living next door to these loud, energy-sucking centres that some say are a threat to our environment. And whether our state governments are letting a rapidly evolving, resource-intensive industry expand largely unchecked.

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Tim Wilson accused the treasurer of pouring fuel on the inflation flames – is he right?

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

This week we had some not-so-great inflation figures and also reports that there'll be another interest rate rise right before the government hands down its federal budget in May.

Newly-minted shadow treasurer Tim Wilson, aka the "energiser bunny", accused Treasurer Jim Chalmers of pouring fuel on the economic flames, but what is the government saying about the situation?

Also in this episode, we discuss the extraordinary situation where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had to be evacuated from The Lodge in Canberra.

Joining host Jacqueline Maley is chief economics correspondent Shane Wright and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

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What Ukraine’s four-year resistance against Russia teaches us about survival

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The Pentagon once said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could succeed in three days. So, as the war rages on, more than four years later, what else have world leaders got wrong?

For one thing, what a nation’s most important source of power is.

Today international and political editor Peter Hartcher on the underestimated power that Ukraine holds, and what it would take for us to acquire it.

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Inside Dr Jamal Rifi's mission to bring 'ISIS brides' and children home

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 06:17:29 +0000

Jamal Rifi is the Sydney doctor at the centre of a controversial mission to repatriate the so-called ISIS brides – 34 Australian women and children who are living in a camp in Syria.

He also wants to bring back a young man who was taken to Syria as a boy who is now in an adult men’s prison.

The women travelled to Syria and were married to jihadists, who are now dead or in jail. When Islamic State's so-called caliphate fell, they were put in detention camps. For seven years they have lived in no man’s land, trying to return home to Australia.

Dr Rifi, a medical doctor and friend of Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, speaks to senior writer Michael Bachelard for this special episode of The Morning Edition.

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Kidnapped, body found: The case of Sydney grandfather Chris Baghsarian

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:00:00 +0000

A scream in the night, glass smashing, and dogs barking - these were the first signs that something terrible had happened in a suburban Sydney street.
Since then, police have revealed this was a highly unusual case of mistaken identity that resulted in the kidnapping of an innocent 85-year-old grandfather.

And on Tuesday morning, the worst fears of his Sydney family were realised: police announced they believed they had found the body of the widower, almost two weeks after he was taken.

Today, crime reporter Riley Walter on a case that has gripped Sydney.

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What it will take for police to charge Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

When Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was taken into police custody on his 66th birthday last week, it was the first time in nearly 400 years a British royal had been arrested.
So what will the former Prince Andrew’s fate be?
Today, Europe correspondent David Crowe on what it means for the monarchy that Mountbatten-Windsor was finally arrested, and why he has not been charged.

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Designer babies: Healthier, better DNA? Or a gateway to eugenics?

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Every parent has the same fiercely held wish for their unborn child: that they're born healthy, and continue to thrive. But how far would you go to achieve your goal?There is a growing movement overseas - and a controversial genetic test - that offers prospective parents the chance to choose embryos that have a probability for all kinds of traits, such as being tall, or intelligent.Today, science reporter Angus Dalton on the Australians wanting to access this technology and the ethical implications of creating designer babies.

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Return of 'ISIS brides' raises many questions about what it means to be Australian

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia's ISIS brides - the women trying to return home with their children from Syria - are not getting help from the government, but it seems there is more to the story.

Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss is senior writer Michael Bachelard, who has followed the story for years, and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

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The Sketch: Tony Wright on 'Nation's worst government? Jane Hume's hyperbolic historical claim'

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Tony Wright, the associate editor of The Age, has been writing for 50 years. He is the master of what we call the political sketch. Sketches are akin to a verbal cartoon, and when done well, capture a moment in politics.Today, we bring you Wright's latest sketch, titled: 'Nation’s worst government? Jane Hume’s hyperbolic historical claim'.

Read Wright's columns, and sketches, by clicking here.

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Trump won’t shelter us. But does Australia really need nuclear weapons?

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

We are in a dangerous new nuclear age, according to a growing number of world leaders. The signs are not just in Russia’s threats to use its nuclear arsenal, or China’s steady build-up of its nuclear capabilities.

The signs are also plain to see in a single sentence, buried in an otherwise dull strategic document, released last month by the Trump administration.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on Donald Trump’s nuclear ambitions. And why Australia must begin thinking about acquiring its own nuclear weapons.

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A Sydney mother, the big bank and the court stoush over $44.11

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

It should have been a time of celebration for a Sydney woman, who had bought a new home for herself and her daughter.

But as settlement loomed, her application for a mortgage unravelled in shocking fashion. And it was all over $44.11.

Kishor Napier-Raman appraises what led a judge to demand that the head of one of the big four banks be hauled before a court this week.

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How far will Angus Taylor go to crack down on immigration?

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

“Our character is essentially Anglo-Celtic and Judaeo-Christian. That's what has made our country attractive to migrants, and we should keep it that way.’’

That was former prime minister Tony Abbott on the position he would like the newly minted Coalition leader Angus Taylor to adopt, saying that for the Coalition to win voters back from One Nation, it needed to take a harder line on immigration and move away from diversity.

Today, political analyst Sean Kelly, on how far Angus Taylor will go, in cracking down on immigration. And his connection to Tony Abbott.

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The CFMEU ‘crime gang’: A honeypot of money, and a government that looked the other way

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Investigative reporter Nick McKenzie’s 2024 exposé of the criminal infiltration of the construction sector prompted a slew of investigations among governments and law enforcement agencies around the country.

The conclusions of those investigations reveal the extent of that corruption, and its findings are damning - including that the CFMEU's conduct could have cost taxpayers $15 billion, and the Victorian government knew of the problems but did not fix the problem.

Drug trafficking and shocking sexual exploitation of women on major infrastructure sites - are some of the other claims.

Today Nick McKenzie on the serious questions the government has to answer.

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Anthony Albanese interview: Police prayer disruption at Herzog protest needs ‘full explanation’

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

We're bringing you an extra episode of Inside Politics today because Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had an opening in his diary, and he's granted us an audience.

His interview comes off the back of a difficult week, with a state visit from Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Herzog's visit was welcomed by the victims of the Bondi terror attack and their families, but his presence in Australia also sparked protests with shocking clashes between police and protesters in Sydney.

Host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal ask Albanese whether the police response was heavy-handed, and whether his invitation to Herzog caused further division.

The conversation also traverses other issues bubbling along in the background, including the Coalition leadership tussle, as well as what policies the prime minister plans to implement this year ahead of May's budget.

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Is government spending really driving inflation?

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

There’s a bit going on with the Liberal Party this week, but while that unfolds we are going to look at some bigger issues.

Interest rates went up recently, for the first time in two years, and there’s a question as to whether government spending contributed to inflation.

So we're testing that today, with host Jacqueline Maley, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos.

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Japan’s new PM is the 'Trump whisperer'. Will she compel Albanese to follow suit?

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is so pro-Donald Trump she’s become known as the “Trump whisperer”. She also just gained an enormous amount of power in a historic landslide election win.

What will this do to Australia, if she encourages Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to strengthen our ties with the United States?

Today, Peter Hartcher on how Australia manages this new relationship with the Japanese prime minister, while heeding calls to decouple from the United States.

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Who is Isaac Herzog and why there are protests everywhere he goes

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The violence that unfolded outside Sydney Town Hall on Monday night was ugly. Protesters were punched, kicked and trampled as they tried to breach a police line.

Thousands of demonstrators were crushed together as capsicum spray was deployed indiscriminately at close range. Dozens were arrested, and several police officers were allegedly assaulted.

People were there to protest a visit to Australia by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is in the country following the Bondi terror attack. More protests are expected in Canberra and Melbourne.

Today, chief reporter Chip Le Grand on whether Isaac Herzog’s visit will further divide the country.

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The politics of Bad Bunny and the Super Bowl’s half-time show

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 07:40:37 +0000

If you’ve taken a passing glimpse at news over the past week, you would have come across the name Bad Bunny.

The Puerto Rican musician recently won three Grammy awards and just performed on the biggest stage in the world as headline act for the NFL Super Bowl’s half-time show, which usually attracts more than 100 million viewers every year.

The 29-year-old’s selection and performance have not been without controversy.

Today, culture editor-at-large Michael Idato examines why Bad Bunny has become a focal point for the Trump administration and the anti-ICE immigration movement, and how he might impact US politics.

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Gina Rinehart, the disability pensioner and a fight over 12km of fencing

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

We all know how a neighbour with irksome habits can drive us to distraction. Maybe their leafblower is their best friend. Or they blast their music at all hours.

But what if your neighbour is Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person? And you’re on a disability pension?

Today, investigative reporter Lucy Macken on why the NSW Supreme Court is hearing a case involving feral goats, a 12-kilometre fence and why both women won’t call off the fight.

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Bill Shorten on his random, oblique reference in the Epstein files

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Today on Inside Politics, we welcome back former opposition leader Bill Shorten, who is now the Vice Chancellor of the University of Canberra.It's a timely moment to have Shorten on the podcast as he obliquely (very obliquely, we stress) came up in the Epstein files this week.Strangely, in the massive dump of new documents from the files, there is a text message exchange between Steve Bannon, the former strategist for Donald Trump, and paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.In the messages, Bannon boasts that he spoke to Australian billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer on his disruptive $80 million advertising campaign during the 2019 federal election.This was the election contested by Shorten, and we asked him what he thought.Joining host Jacqueline Maley for this discussion is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

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The Epstein files troubling Trump and who he’ll threaten next

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Another tranche - amounting more than 3 million pages - of the Epstein files has been published.
The US Department of Justice says this is the final drop, but there are reportedly millions of more pages being kept from view.
So is there anything in them that hurts President Donald Trump?
Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on how the Epstein files are driving Trump's "war pageant".

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Why our obsession with interest rates and cost of living is a problem

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The Reserve Bank lifted the cash rate for the first time in two years yesterday, to 3.85 per cent. Exactly as mortgage holders have been fearing.
But what if many of us are not actually in the cost-of-living crisis that we keep being told that we’re in? And that this new interest rate is comparatively good?
Today, senior economics reporter Matt Wade on how obsessing over the cost of living hides the real challenges of our age.

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'A crazy week' ahead: Leadership spills and more Liberal defections

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Can the Coalition reunite, after two weeks of political infighting? And will the Liberal and National parties’ leaders, Sussan Ley and David Littleproud, even keep their jobs, given the threats to their leadership that continue to play out, as this episode goes to air?

These are only two of the political tripwires that are at high risk of being stepped on, this week; a period that veteran political analyst Sean Kelly calls “absolutely insane”.

Today columnist Sean Kelly on this week’s expected chaos and whether it might lead the government to finally enact bold changes, in housing and tax reform.

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Forged via Facebook. The anti-vax parents faking child health records

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

"No jab no play” policy means unvaccinated children can’t be enrolled in childcare or preschool in most Australian jurisdictions. But some parents have found ways to evade those laws.

According to an investigation by reporter Kayla Olaya, these parents are using Facebook groups to share the contacts of doctors who will falsify their children’s immunisation records. This, as vaccine uptake in Australia has stalled below national targets.

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A funeral, secret plots, and 'wayward children' — another messy week for the Coalition

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The drama between the Liberals and the Nationals continued this week with what seems to be a total breakdown in the relationship between Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud.

Meanwhile, Ley's leadership remains in mortal peril, and in a plot twist, Littleproud faces his own leadership challenge next week.

Chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal joins Jacqueline Maley in today's episode.

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‘Numbers, numbers everywhere’: Interest rate rise likely, but what does it all mean?

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Inflation has risen again, and the markets are already tipping interest rates are likely to increase next week in response.

Today, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright explains what is driving the spike in inflation and what it says about where Australia’s economy is headed.

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Beyond the Alex Pretti video: On the ground in Minneapolis

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Two Americans have now been killed by federal agents on the streets of Minneapolis in less than three weeks.

Their families say they were sweet, passionate people who could not sit back and watch while masked men snatched members of their community off the streets.

The US government, meanwhile, calls them “domestic terrorists” who should not have intervened while agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement - known as ICE - tried to do their work.

Former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have described the situation as “a watershed moment in US history”.

Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol is on the ground in Minneapolis.

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The Sketch: Tony Wright on the Coalition’s 'ship of fools'

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Tony Wright, the associate editor of The Age, has been writing for 50 years. He is the master of what we call the political sketch.Sketches are akin to a verbal cartoon and, when done well, capture a moment in politics.Today, in a bonus episode of Inside Politics, we bring you Wright's sketch on the disintegration of the Coalition, titled: It’s a mess of Titanic proportions on the Coalition’s ship of fools.

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Barnaby Joyce opens up on his defection to Pauline Hanson's One Nation

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 01:00:00 +0000

One Nation is having a bit of a moment.

Pauline Hanson’s outfit, accused by both major parties of exploiting racial anxiety over her career, has faded into irrelevance at points since she burst onto the scene in the late 1990s.

But two new polls have recorded record-high primary votes for One Nation. One of them saw One Nation’s vote rise above the Coalition, which split in spectacular fashion this week, over new hate crime legislation in the wake of the Bondi massacre.

The break-up of the Coalition, and the rise of One Nation, may point to a tectonic change in conservative politics.

At same time, the attack at Bondi has further sapped trust in our political system as politicians have brawled in the wake of a tragedy.

I’m Paul Sakkal, and you’re listening to Inside Politics, from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.From Parliament House this week, we recorded an interview before the Coalition split, with One Nation’s newest recruit, Nationals defector and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.

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Littleproud fired the gun, but Ley set up the circumstances: The spectacular Coalition break-up

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 05:32:16 +0000

We are back with a special episode of Inside Politics as a few things have happened this week - namely the break-up of the Coalition, a century-old political alliance.

Nationals leader David Littleproud announced the split on Thursday morning, blaming Liberal leader Sussan Ley in the process.

Federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos joins chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal in today's episode.

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Coalition splits – again – over hate speech laws

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 07:03:47 +0000

Since recording this episode, Nationals Leader David Littleproud formally announced that the Coalition has split, blaming Opposition leader Sussan Ley for forcing the Nationals into an untenable position.

It comes after Littleproud's frontbenchers sensationally quit the Coalition shadow cabinet on Wednesday night in solidarity with three rebel MPs who voted against Labor's hate-crime laws.

Now, the spotlight is back on whether Ley can continue leading the Opposition.

That is no doubt much to the relief of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has faced a backlash for rushing the bills through parliament without enough time for proper scrutiny.

Today, federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos speaks on the rocky first few parliamentary days of the year.

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'So much change, so much chaos': One year of Trump 2.0

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Ronald Reagan’s presidency of the 1980s is known as the ‘Reagan Revolution’, while Franklin D Roosevelt - the only president who has served for more than two terms - is known for his reformist agenda.

So, now that it’s officially a year on from Donald Trump’s inauguration, for a second time, how does the scale of what he has upended and changed compare?

Today North American correspondent Michael Koziol on the deliberate chaos of the Trump presidency, and whether he is likely to toss aside legalities and run for a third term.

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The rise and fall of one of Australia’s most powerful criminals

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Kazem Hamad rose rapidly to become one of the nation’s most powerful organised crime players. The syndicate he is accused of heading waged a relentless turf war for control of Australia’s multibillion-dollar illicit tobacco trade, which has seen firebombings around the country. But Hamad’s arrest last week was unexpected, because it happened not in Australia, but thousands of kilometres away in Iraq. Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago on the capture of one of Australia’s most wanted accused criminals.

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Aus Open prize money is at an all-time high. But are players being paid enough?

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

When Australian Open stars, such as Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, hit the courts this week, they’ll do so with the support of screaming fans, massive sponsorship deals, and a shot at a record-breaking prize haul. But what of those who aren’t even close to being world No.1?

For them, the journey to the Open is often a juggle to make ends meet – one of scrimping and saving – sometimes without a paid coach, let alone a sponsor.

Today, sports reporter Marc McGowan on whether Australian Open competitors get paid enough. And the gruelling journey to the Australian Open for the tennis players you've probably never heard of.

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Why Kevin Rudd resigned, and what it means for our relationship with Trump

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

When Kevin Rudd announced on Monday that he would leave his post as ambassador to the United States a year early, it was a penny-drop moment for many.

Wasn’t this inevitable since his incredibly awkward meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House in October?

Today, foreign affairs and national security correspondent Matthew Knott on where this leaves our relationship with the most mercurial US president in recent memory.

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Is the Iranian regime about to collapse?

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

The protests that have been spreading across Iran for weeks have been growing more violent. Video footage showed and eye witnesses described security forces opening fire on protesters, while reports from human rights agencies say the death toll is in the thousands .
But could these protests tip over into a counter-revolution? Might Iran’s brutal Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his regime be overthrown?
Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an Australian Middle Eastern scholar, spent 804 days in an Iranian prison before being released in 2020. Today, she discusses how this uprising differs from previous ones in Iran. And what it will take for the Iranian regime to fall.

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Floods at one end, bushfires at the other. What's behind Australia's climate 'whiplash'

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

While firefighters in Victoria battle devastating bush fires that have destroyed homes and livestock, at the other end of the country, Queenslanders were bracing for floods from ex-tropical cyclone Koji.

Today, David Bowman, a professor of pyrogeography and fire science at the University of Tasmania, on what causes this climate whiplash and how our changing climate is worsening our extreme weather.

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First Trump invaded Venezuela. But it may not be Greenland that's next

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

On the first day of the new year, Donald Trump wrote on his social platform Truth Social, what he wanted for 2026. And I quote, “Peace, peace on earth”.

Two days later, Trump invaded Venezuela. And now, the American president is threatening to invade at least four other countries.

Today, Bruce Wolpe, senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre, and a former congressional staffer, on whether Trump’s imperialist aggression, and a recent mutiny of more than a dozen top-ranking MAGA members, might break his hold on power.

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Ken Dyers' Kenja: The cult still operating in Australia

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

She was given the pseudonym XC, by a court, to protect her identity. And she’s never spoken publicly about her experience. But the court documents from her case against Ken Dyers reveal a harrowing set of allegations.

At the age of 14, she says that Dyers, the leader of the performing arts and social organisation, Kenja, sexually abused her. And she alleges that nine other members of his organisation – all but one of them, women – helped him do it. Dyers was in his early 80s at the time.

Today, investigations reporter Harriet Alexander, on why Kenja – which police have called a cult – is still operating in cities across Australia.

And a warning this episode may be distressing to some listeners.

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Best of 2025: Bill Shorten on Albanese's Trump triumph, and the opposition's next move

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Inside Politics is still on a break, but we’re set to return in two weeks.

Today, we return to an episode released just after Anthony Albanese’s successful meeting with Donald Trump, and one in which we had a special guest - former Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten.

Bill also has some advice for the opposition, and its leader Sussan Ley, before a slight diversion to discussing the dress sense of our chief political correspondent, Paul Sakkal.

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Best of 2025: Albanese meets with Trump next week. Anything could happen

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

We’re on a break over summer, our dear chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal is probably off to a yoga retreat somewhere in Bali, and we return at the end of January for another fun-filled year of Inside Politics.

Well, we can’t ignore the impact that Donald Trump had on domestic politics last year and for this episode, we return to a point in time when most of the press pack was obsessed with whether Anthony Albanese will meet with the US president. It finally happened, and we recorded this episode about a week before the meeting would take place.

Paul is joined by our special guest star, and economics correspondent Shane Wright, to forecast the details of the meeting, before they argue about Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ abandonment of superannuation reforms.

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Best of 2025: The rallies, the neo-Nazis, the flag-draping: How politics on immigration have led to this point

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year.

We’re on a break over summer - lucky us - before we return at the end of January for another year of Inside Politics.

Today, we’re returning to an episode recorded in the wake of the divisive ‘March for Australia’ protests, which became the vehicle for a hodgepodge of causes, including immigration, an issue that would lead to Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s sacking from the frontbench.

The episode features chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos.

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Best of 2025: A Labor 'landslide' and disaster for Dutton

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Hi and Merry Christmas!

Your Inside Politics team is on a little hiatus over summer before we return at the end of January.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy some of our favourite episodes of the year, starting with a trip down memory lane to election night with our former chief political correspondent David Crowe before he passed the baton to BFF of the podcast Paul Sakkal.

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Best of 2025: Is Dezi Freeman being glorified like the other 'daring, desperate or deranged' fugitives who came before him?

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Hi, it’s Samantha Selinger-Morris here, and I’m the host of The Morning Edition. We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2025 before your Morning Edition team returns on Monday.

In August, two police officers were shot and killed at a property in Victoria’s high country and suspected murderer, Dezi Freeman, went on the run. Now, more than four months later, he is still missing.

In this episode, associate editor and special writer Tony Wright takes us to the whispering forests and deep valleys of the high country, which have long hidden those on the run.

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Best of 2025: Women were once ‘essential’ to the Liberal Party. What happened?

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2025 before your Morning Edition team returns next week.

Last May, the incumbent Labor government swept to power while the Liberal Party suffered an election wipeout, with women voters, in particular, shunning the party.

In this episode, recorded just after the election result, political and international editor Peter Hartcher traces the Liberals’ surprising history of embracing the female vote and how that crucial vote was lost in 2025.

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Best of 2025: What is freebirthing?

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Hi, it’s Samantha Selinger-Morris here, and I’m the host of The Morning Edition. We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2025 before your Morning Edition team returns next week.

With the tragic death of a wellness influencer after the birth of her child at home in Melbourne, the practice of freebirthing was thrust into the spotlight last year.

In this episode, senior writer Wendy Tuohy takes us through the nuances of homebirthing, a woman’s right to choose where she has her baby, and why ‘freebirthing’ is seen as so radical.

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Best of 2025: Why gangland figure Tony Mokbel could walk free

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Today we’re heading back to a court in Melbourne with crime writer Chris Vedelago. It was the day when one of the last remaining figures from the city’s gangland war, Tony Mokbel, was released on bail thanks to a legal scandal like no other.

Mokbel had convictions quashed over the so-called ‘Lawyer X’ saga and since this episode was aired, he was freed from prison.

We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2025 before your Morning Edition team returns next week.

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Best of 2025: Chifley, Hawke, Rudd. Albanese beat them all. But what’s next?

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Remember how there was a federal election?

In this episode, we return to Anthony Albanese's astonishing landslide victory in May with former chief political correspondent David Crowe and senior economics correspondent Shane Wright.

Crowe and Wright reflect on how history-making the win was, and what Albanese will do with his mandate.

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Best of 2025: How a dancing Robert Irwin became America’s antidote

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Today, we return to a good news story as we kick off a new year. The fame of Robert Irwin, the son of ‘crocodile hunter’ Steve Irwin, was supercharged recently when he won one of America's top reality television shows, Dancing with the Stars.

Our culture editor-at-large Michael Idato delves into the Irwin family empire and how Robert Irwin’s brand of “nice” won over America.

And we hope you have a safe and happy new year.

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Best of 2025: The lawyer (and author) who represented Palestine in international court

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

As we say goodbye to 2025, we can only hope we also see an end to the swirling chaos of multiple wars that raged across the world, and in the case of the Israel-Gaza conflict, fractured so much of our society.

Today we return to a special episode with British barrister and human rights lawyer Phillipe Sands, who defended Palestine at the International Court of Justice, on how to retain compassion and integrity in our fragmented world.

We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2025 before your Morning Edition team returns mid-January.

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Best of 2025: The tobacco tax causing carnage in our streets

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

A tax on tobacco seemed like a great idea to deter smokers and raise revenue.

But, as the price of cigarettes soared, major criminal organisations saw an opening, and began to pump cheap, illegal cigarettes into Australia.

And violence came along with it as warring gangs fought for control of the trade in our major cities.

Today, with your Morning Edition team on a summer break, we return to an episode with senior economics correspondent Shane Wright on the tobacco tax problem.

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Best of 2025: Is this the beginning of the end of the American empire?

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2025 before your Morning Edition team returns mid-January.

It was another big year for the human headline that was U.S President Donald Trump, and political and international editor Peter Hartcher was an essential listen each week on our podcast as we tried to make sense of it all.

This episode was recorded in May, just as Trump was poised to introduce what he called his ‘big beautiful bill’, which was predicted to tip government debt over the one trillion mark.

What did it matter? Because, Hartcher argues, these figures point to an empire in decline.

Hartcher explores what it would mean if the United States ceased to be a great power, and what it would take to bring America back from the brink.

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Anger in the aftermath: Albanese and the Bondi attack

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

This week it feels wrong to talk about politics in the wake of the horrific antisemitic massacre at Bondi Beach on Sunday. Australians and Sydneysiders in particular are still trying to make sense of the senseless.

But the fact is that the response to the massacre has been deeply political, and things got divisive very quickly.

So this week on Inside Politics we are going to discuss the political response to the incident and how it might affect our national life in the months and years to come.

Jacqueline Maley is joined by political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos.

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Best of 2025: The sentencing of mushroom cook Erin Patterson

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2025 before your Morning Edition team returns mid-January.

Well, the mushroom murders was the criminal case of the year and in this episode, we take you inside the court on the day Erin Patterson was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Patterson received a triple-murder conviction for the now infamous lunch of beef wellington that a jury trial found she laced with death cap mushrooms and served to her in-laws.

Since we recorded this episode with court reporter Erin Pearson, Patterson has applied for leave to appeal her convictions, which is yet to be decided. But this episode addresses the big question after the sentencing, which was why she was granted the opportunity of parole.

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Best of 2025: Is Prince Andrew an existential crisis for the monarchy?

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2025 before your Morning Edition team returns mid-January.

Today, we return to an episode recorded in October with senior columnist Jacqueline Maley, when more torrid tales emerged of the former prince, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, and his connection to sex offender and disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein.

When this was recorded, the royal had just been stripped of his Duke of York and Prince title. British MPs have since announced a parliamentary inquiry into the Crown Estate, after revelations the former prince had not paid rent on his mansion for more than 20 years.

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Best of 2025: Belle Gibson's cancer con

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Hi, it’s Samantha Selinger-Morris here, the host of The Morning Edition. We’re bringing you the best episodes of 2025 before your Morning Edition team returns mid-January.

This one is about Belle Gibson.

One of the original wellness influencers, Gibson claimed to have healed herself from terminal cancer through healthy eating. The problem was, she never had cancer.

This episode was recorded shortly before the release of the worldwide hit television series Apple Cider Vinegar, which was based on the work of two of our journalists, Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, in exposing Gibson’s cancer con.

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Courage and kindness in the face of the Bondi attack

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 06:27:27 +0000

On the evening of the shooting at Bondi, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian” – that was indeed proven when the entire community sprung into action, those who ran towards the disaster, not away from it.

There are tales of heroism, like the couple who first tried to stop the gunmen and paid with their lives, the man who single-handedly wrestled the rifle out of the shooter’s hands and those who shielded their loved ones and strangers from bullets.

Today, chief reporter Jordan Baker, on the acts of bravery and kindness at Bondi.

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Holocaust survivors chose Sydney after the war. Then came the Bondi attack

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

When Michael Visontay heard of the shootings at Bondi Beach on Sunday, his first instinct was to call his son, who often swam there. Then came the sickening feeling of dread, when his son didn’t answer his phone.

Something that thickened this dread even further, was a family history that taught him to always be alert to possible threats. His father and grandfather survived the Holocaust after living in concentration camps. His maternal grandmother was killed in Auschwitz.

Visontay is far from alone. Australia has a higher proportion of Holocaust survivors than any country in the world, besides Israel.

Today, Michael Visontay, author of the book Noble Fragments, and a former senior editor at The Sydney Morning Herald, on how this unique makeup of Australian Jewry impacts their response to the Bondi terror attack.

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A voice note from our reporter who was caught up in the Bondi shooting

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 01:00:00 +0000

We’re releasing an additional episode today featuring one of our reporters, Elias Visontay, who was at Bondi Beach with a friend on the day of the terror attack. Elias recounts his first-hand experience as the gunmen fired bullets at the unexpecting crowd.

You can read his story on our websites here.

And if you’re struggling with the bad news at the moment, support is available on Lifeline 13 11 14 or NSW Health mental health line, available 24/7 on 1800 011 511.

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Bondi terror attack: On the ground after mass shooting

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 09:07:08 +0000

Sunday’s Bondi Beach terrorist attack, which targeted a Hanukkah celebration, was the worst mass shooting in Australia since Port Arthur. Some in the Jewish community have been fearing a deadly attack for years.

This episode features the stories of witnesses, such as reporter Elias Visontay, and mother-of-three Jacqui Cohen, who took cover with her 12-year-old daughter.

Crime and justice reporter Amber Schultz, who spoke to the mother and wife of the suspected gunmen, also details what is known about the shooters, their motive and how they had access to weapons in a country lauded for its gun control.

For crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or NSW Health Mental Health Line, available 24/7 on 1800 011 511.

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How horror Bondi Beach terror attack unfolded

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 12:00:19 +0000

As we record this on Sunday night, 12 people, including the shooter, have been confirmed dead in a mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, with the New South Wales Police Commissioner declaring it a terrorist incident. The number of dead has since increased to 16, including a child.

Dozens of people had been gathered to mark the first night of Hanukkah, the most joyous holiday on the Jewish calendar, before two gunmen opened fire on them.

Among the injured is a survivor of the October 7 attack in Israel, who said he moved to Australia only two weeks ago to work with the Jewish community to fight antisemitism.

Today, chief reporter Jordan Baker from the scene of the Bondi Beach massacre.

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Tony Abbott on running for Senate, AUKUS and cultural ‘self-loathing’

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

In this bonus episode of Inside Politics, former primer minister Tony Abbott joins host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

Abbott has penned a new book, Australia: A History, describing a more positive view of our past. He also discusses the current political and cultural challenges facing the Liberal Party, as well as reflecting on his own political career, including his relationship with Julia Gillard and the accusations of misogyny.

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The remarkable story of how Timor-Leste is tackling cervical cancer

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 18:00:00 +0000

More than 25 years ago, photojournalist Kate Geraghty travelled to Timor-Leste to document the struggles of the Timorese people as they wrestled back their independence from a decades-long, and often brutal, Indonesian occupation.

Last year, Geraghty returned to Timor-Leste, with health editor Kate Aubusson, where they witnessed a devastating legacy of this struggle: a deep, cultural tradition of withstanding pain.

Coupled with a shame about cancer, and a lack of resources, a diagnosis of cervical cancer often equals a death sentence in Timor-Leste. And this in a place only 85 minutes away by plane from Australia, which is on track to become the first country in the world to eliminate the cancer by 2035.

Today, Kate Geraghty and Kate Aubusson, on the Australian and Timorese medicos, who are helping the women of Timor-Leste fight this entirely preventable cancer.

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Inside Politics: The ‘dirty business’ of MP expenses

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Today, we're delving into the expenses scandal, if indeed we are calling it a scandal, that has engulfed the Communications Minister Anika Wells. A $100,000 taxpayer funded flight to New York snow-balled into a drip-feed of information about flights to the Formula 1 grand prix, the Boxing Day tests and even a family reunion at Thredbo. All of this dropping at precisely the moment the minister wanted to be talking about the social media ban that was instituted this week.

So, what are the rules around taxpayer-funded travel for MPs? And do the pass the 'pub test'?

Joining host Jacqueline Maley is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal, and chief political commentator James Massola.

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Trump and the Caribbean boat strikes: Did a war crime occur?

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

The video is, according to those who have seen it, horrific to watch. Two sailors cling to the debris of a blown-up boat in the Caribbean, when they’re killed by a US military strike.

This occurred after the first strike on their boat failed to kill everybody on board.

It has sparked outrage, and led to accusations – by Democrat and Republican lawmakers alike – that the US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has presided over a military mission that may have been marked by war crimes.

Today, Andrew Bell, an expert on law and ethics in military operations, and a senior research scholar at the Center for International Security and Conflict at Stanford University, on why Donald Trump has ordered multiple boat strikes in the Caribbean, which have killed at least 80 people. And whether this could splinter the MAGA movement.

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The sex offenders being protected under secretive orders

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Our mastheads have discovered that a number of sex offenders have committed crimes - in our communities - after serving their time in prison.

And here’s the thing. They committed these crimes while under a “supervision order”. This little known order, issued by a court, is meant to keep a “ring fence” around these known offenders, to keep tabs on them and monitor their movement. But it has also served to keep crimes by these violent predators largely hidden, due to a veil of secrecy created by legislation that protects them.

Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago, on the failure of these secrecy laws. And the vexed issue of whether the anonymity protection of known sex offenders should be removed.

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What happens when social media goes ‘dark’ for Australian teens

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Parents across the country have been wringing their hands for months about how the social media ban will work – and more so, if it will work. So, what exactly does the ban cover? And how will it be enforced? Today, reporter Bronte Gossling on the main methods children plan on using, to circumvent what the federal government has called a “world-leading” ban. And why most Australian parents say they won’t enforce it.

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Blood on the ground: What’s happening in Sudan

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

When American author Anne Applebaum travelled to the frontlines of the Sudanese civil war this year, she gave herself a stern remit. Bear witness to, and report on, a lawless world that - since the United States has pulled most of its aid - is now run by warring militias, clans and families. Crucially, she would keep emotion out of it.

But then she met with people who were so thankful for the meagre aid the United States was still providing, that she felt “ashamed”.

Today, Anne Applebaum, a staff writer at The Atlantic, on how Sudan’s civil war shows what the end of the liberal order looks like.

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$100k flights, uncomfortable truth about PM's wedding, and the fight over social media

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

This week the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was on his honeymoon after his low-key Lodge wedding last weekend, while Senate estimates rolled on in Canberra, uncovering some interesting secrets.

Notable was the head-scratching amount that Communications Minister Anika Wells spent on flights to New York, made public ahead of the mammoth social media ban coming into effect.

Chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos join host Jacqueline Maley for this week's Inside Politics.

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Kate McClymont on the fake accountant, the solicitor, and the stolen millions

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

When Mark Leishman and his wife Kathy first sought out the help of George Dimitriou, they were suffering with cash-flow problems at Mark’s business.

By the time their working relationship with Dimitriou finished - and after they discovered he was only pretending to be an accountant - their Newcastle home was repossessed, and they lost, they say, $4 million.

Today, chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont on George Dimitriou, a serial conman and high-school drop-out who conned vulnerable people out of millions of dollars with the help of, allegedly, a bank loans manager, and a series of lawyers.

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Will ‘gentle density’ help fix our housing stupidity?

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

New figures out on Monday show that the median house values in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane have become, well, kind of insane. They’re the kind of figures that make people who’ve been desperately saving to break into the housing market tear at their hair by the roots.

But new research shows that allowing Australians to subdivide their properties could mean a million new homes being delivered in the nation’s five largest capital cities.

Today, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright, on whether this solution, which has eased price pressures in New Zealand, could be accepted here.

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Why shark attacks in Australia are increasing

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

It really was the stuff of nightmares. A Swiss tourist, who was swimming with dolphins off the NSW coast, was suddenly mauled by a three-metre bull shark.

The 25-year-old died from her injuries, despite her heroic boyfriend, an exchange student also from Switzerland, fighting off the shark and carrying her to shore.

Today, environment and climate reporter Caitlin Fitzsimmons, on why the number of people killed by sharks in Australia is rising.

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How real is the rise of One Nation?

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

When Pauline Hanson marched into the Senate last week wearing a burqa, it felt, for a moment, like we were back in the 1990s.

Those were the sorts of stunts – and anti-immigration rhetoric – that the former fish and chip shop owner from Ipswich used to pull when she first swept into power.

But, with a high-profile member of parliament on the verge of defecting to her party, and polling placing support for One Nation at its highest level since 1998, it appears that we are witnessing the second coming of One Nation.

Today, columnist and former associate editor of The Age, Shaun Carney, on what a rise in support for One Nation says about Australia.

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Barnaby defects, Hanson offends and Sussan Ley comes on the podcast

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Well, Barnaby Joyce finally announced his resignation from the Nationals this week, paving his way to join One Nation, in a week where Pauline Hanson recycled a burqa stunt from 2017.And it’s amid this turmoil that we have a special guest with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and Jacqueline Maley - Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.

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'Nice is nice': How a dancing Robert Irwin became America's antidote

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 06:29:49 +0000

We feel like we’ve known him since he was in nappies. But now, at 21, the fame enjoyed by Robert Irwin - the son of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin - has been supercharged after winning one of America’s top reality television shows, Dancing with the Stars.

Today, culture editor-at-large Michael Idato on the Irwin family empire and how Robert Irwin’s brand of "nice" has won over America.

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‘They view it as a contagion’: Why Trump wants our migrant data

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Donald Trump has long tried to stamp American institutions - and the daily life of his country’s citizens - with his ultra-conservative ideology, openly waging war on diversity, transgender rights and women, among other targets.

But now he wants American diplomats in Canberra to report back to him about the way we live.

Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol on why Trump wants detailed information about the crime that takes place on our shores.

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Why the BOM spent $96 million on its website

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

The Bureau of Meteorology has been plagued with public stuff-ups, including, just a few years ago, a false tsunami alert sent to half of the country.
This is a problem because farmers use the site to plan harvests, fisherman use it navigate the seas, and the rest of us rely on it to decide if we need to bring an umbrella, or can safely travel from one suburb to the next.
Today, climate and energy correspondent Mike Foley on the bureau’s latest disaster: a problematic website revamp that went tens of millions of dollars over budget, proved difficult to use, and, in one case, made severe storms over Brisbane seem less threatening than they actually were.

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'Blood oil': How Australia is funding Russia's war

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Australia banned the importation of Russian crude oil. Even so, Russian oil is still making its way to our shores, and into our petrol.
Kateryna Argyrou calls this blood oil - money from which goes to fund the Kremlin’s war machine.
Today, Argryou, who chairs the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations and is also honorary consul of Ukraine in Sydney, joins Europe correspondent David Crowe.

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Albanese wants to protect Australia ‘as it is’. But is it good enough?

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Recently on this podcast we have been highly fixated on the problems within the Liberal opposition and we have neglected the government somewhat. So this week we are going to focus on Labor, and to that end we have a real treat for listeners. Sean Kelly, a columnist for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, was previously a Labor staffer with Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. He is the author of a book called The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison, and he has just published the latest quarterly essay – which is called The Good Fight, What Does Labor Stand For?

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The 'helpers' of Singapore – raising expat children, while never seeing their own

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

It’s a Sunday at a park in Singapore, and, as journalist Zach Hope observed, it’s the servants day off.

They lounge on picnic rugs, shaking off the week of cooking, cleaning – and raising other people’s kids. Singapore has more than 300,000 migrant domestic workers, or “helpers”, as they’re called and many care for the children of expats, including Australians.

Today, South-East Asia correspondent Zach Hope on this extraordinary workforce and the system, he says, is premised on profound sadness.

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The political 'killing season' has begun, so who are the new leaders?

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 05:03:38 +0000

There can be no mistaking it – it is that time of year known as the killing season. Because, as of this morning, there are two state political leaders who’ve lost their jobs. One whose job is rumoured to be on the chopping block. And all this, as rumours swirl that federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, might not last through to the new year. Today, state political editors Chip Le Grand and Alexandra Smith, on why all this turmoil, now. And what it means for you.

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Trump and Epstein: How significant are the new emails?

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Donald Trump has long sworn that his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was no big deal, that he didn’t know about his abuse of girls and women, and there was nothing of consequence in the so-called Epstein files.

Then came last week, when a group of Democrats, and later Republicans, released thousands and thousands of pages of emails and correspondence from Epstein, which could suggest that Trump knows more about Epstein’s conduct than he’s been letting on.

Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol, on whether Republicans will vote for the full release of the files this week – and whether this could bring down the president.

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Wasting billions: The government system hurting your hip pocket

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Four years ago, when our senior economics correspondent, Shane Wright, pointed out the failings of our central bank, government leaders, including the federal treasurer, sat up and took notice.
Well now, he’s at it again. And this time, he’s got his sights on what he calls an unspoken economic problem that is driving down our quality of life.
Today, Wright on how our convoluted system of government is hurting all of us, wasting billions of dollars each year. And what it might take, to fix it.

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Inside Politics: The Coalition’s net zero word salad, and Ley’s leadership ‘not safe’

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

This week in federal politics there was really only one show in town, and that was the compelling and 'can't look away' car crash that is the Liberal party's continued ructions on its net zero policy.

They culminated, or maybe even concluded, on Thursday afternoon, when the Liberal Party met and finally came up with a policy.

Today, host Jacqueline Maley is joined by chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and chief political commentator James Massola.

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The NYT asked if women ruined the workplace. Women had some thoughts

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

“Did women ruin the workplace?”

This was the question that was put forward in a New York Times podcast that - no surprises here - quickly went viral.

The main thrust of the argument was that women are gossipy and overly emotional, and so, as we take over more and more businesses, we are a threat to the pursuit of truth and innovation.

To say that women from the across the globe shot back is an understatement.

Today, senior writer Jacqueline Maley on so-called “conservative feminism” and the political and cultural forces that have led us to this moment. And the hilarity - and danger - wrapped up in this conversation.

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Blood and honour: why couldn’t the NSW Government stop a neo-Nazi rally?

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

How could dozens of white supremacists be allowed to rally outside of the NSW parliament building, on Saturday morning? And why didn’t the police who watched them congregate make them disperse, once they heard them use antisemitic tropes about power and influence, and chant a Hitler Youth slogan?

These are just two of the questions facing our government and police force, in the wake of an incident that has not only created fear, but led to two MPs facing threats of death, and rape.

Today, state political editor Alexandra Smith, on what this incident tells us about whether our laws - and the institutions meant to keep us safe - are fit for purpose. And whether NSW is weaker than other states and territories, at warding off the attempts of the Neo-Nazi group to establish a political party.

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John Laws: The power of one Sydney shockjock

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Tributes have flown in – from the likes of actor Russell Crowe and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – for John Laws, the polarising broadcaster who died over the weekend at 90.

But, it has to be asked: why are we still talking about him, decades after his peak, when he played a key role in helping prime ministers either nab, or keep their hold on power?

Today, Dr Denis Muller, a former journalist and media ethicist from the University of Melbourne, on the mixed legacy of the so-called “voice of the people”.

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REDs is the hot topic among athletes and amateurs, but is it real?

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Have you ever taken on a 10km run, or a half marathon - maybe pushed yourself just a little too much, without properly researching what you should be eating, to fuel your efforts?

Many have. And it’s no wonder endurance activities are an increasingly popular coping mechanism for those of us struggling to deal with the mental load of everyday life.

But experts across the globe say they have been seeing athletes - and regular people - who have been under-eating and suffering from a little-known syndrome called REDs, or relative energy deficiency in sport.

Today, Good Weekend senior writer Katrina Strickland, on this contentious syndrome, which some experts say can be allied to eating disorders, and has led some sufferers to have “bones like dust” and - in one case - a woman in her late 20s to have, as her gynaecologist put it, the “uterus of a 60 year old”.

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Jane Hume on rebranding net zero, and Hastie's abortion comments

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 07:00:00 +0000

It’s been a rather torrid week for the Coalition, with yet more messy fighting over whether it will dump its commitment to Australia achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

This was followed by controversial comments by former frontbencher Andrew Hastie on late-term abortions.

Today’s guest is Senator Jane Hume, a Liberal moderate, joining chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and host Jacqueline Maley.

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Our hospitals and GPs are struggling. Are Albanese’s fixes working?

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese swept back into power in part on the back of an $8.5 billion investment in Medicare, what he described as the “single largest investment in Medicare since its creation” more than 40 years ago. Who could forget him waving his Medicare card at every opportunity on the campaign trail?

Today, health reporter Angus Thomson on whether Albanese is delivering on two of his biggest initiatives: free GP visits and urgent care clinics designed to care for you when your GP and the hospital aren’t an option.

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A birthing trend is leading to deaths. Why is 'freebirthing' growing in popularity?

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

A series of tragic deaths of Australian mothers and babies, as a result of so-called “freebirthing” has put this practice into the spotlight.

What is “freebirthing”, you ask? Call it birth without a safety net, that is: without any doctor, trained clinician or registered midwife present. Some women are alone. Some are just with their partner.

Today, senior writer Wendy Tuohy on why women are arguably risking their lives - and that of their baby - to engage in this increasingly popular practice, and the “birth influencers” encouraging them, some of whom have reportedly claimed to have more clinical skills than they do.

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An impending 'Spermageddon': New study on the everyday chemicals lowering sperm count

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Is "Spermagedon" coming? Well, the results of a new study on men's fertility and testosterone levels has left experts concerned as male sperm counts plunge.

Many experts suspect the drop is driven by a cocktail of air pollution, microplastics and other hormone-disrupting toxins, including PFAS or “forever chemicals” in the environment.

Today, science writer Angus Dalton on this new study and whether male fertility is at serious risk.

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'The most intense attack of my career': Alex Greenwich on what happened with Mark Latham

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

High-profile politician Alex Greenwich is used to the robust world of public office, but he says he had never experienced such an intense attack on his sexuality after his public stoush with Mark Latham.

Latham, the former Labor leader turned political pariah, was ordered to pay Greenwich $140,000 for a vile social media post the Federal Court found defamed the gay Sydney independent MP.

It’s a judgment Latham, who is also an independent MP in the NSW parliament, is appealing.

All of this is not new, but Greenwich is now speaking out about the extent the saga has affected him in the latest episode of The Morning Edition with Samantha Selinger-Morris

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Inflation figures were bad, so why focus on Albanese’s T-shirt?

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 18:00:00 +0000

This week we're going to talk about the government's weaknesses, which might seem a little bit counter-intuitive, because Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been flying so high on the international stage, where he dined with US President Donald Trump at a dinner at ASEAN.

But back on the domestic front, there are a few weaknesses, particularly in the economy.

Chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal, joins host and senior columnist Jacqueline Maley for this week's Inside Politics.

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Is Prince Andrew an existential crisis for the monarchy?

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 18:00:00 +0000

This week, King Charles was doing something the British royal family are accustomed to - shaking the hands of royal fans who had lined up for a chance to greet him outside a Cathedral in the UK.

But then there was a shout from the crowd - loud and clear over the hum of voices and clicking of cameras: “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?”

Today, senior columnist Jacqueline Maley on the problem of Prince Andrew and why the scandal is being called the “stuff of which revolutions are made”.

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