The Morning Edition

An increasing number of commentators and American politicians - including Republicans - are becoming vocal in their opposition to Donald Trump’s assistance of Russia, and the country’s dictator, Vladimir Putin.

They say, variously, that Ronald Reagan would be rolling in his grave, and that Trump is “just plain evil”.

Today, political and international editor Peter Hartcher, on how Donald Trump is not only coddling Vladimir Putin. He is becomingVladimir Putin.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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It was only last week that independent MP Helen Haines spoke about why Australians were so angry – citing the cost of living, insurance premiums, the price of groceries, and fuel.

And, for people living in regional areas like hers, access to healthcare was a massive issue.
Now many are wondering how such a popular, uncontentious MP could have become the target of what appears to be an act of political violence.

Today, national correspondent Rob Harris, reporting from Wangaratta in Victoria, on the attack on Haines.

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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Riots broke out across France on the weekend, said to be the worst in decades.

The violence began on Saturday after more than half a million people attended rallies to protest about the cost of living and school standards, with masked rioters setting fire to cars and buildings.

Today, Europe correspondent David Crowe reports from Paris on what makes these protests and riots so different than the revolutionary 1968 student protests. 

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On Friday, Exclusive Brethren world leader Bruce Halesgave evidence before a federal parliamentary inquiry.This was a significant moment in a story with many twists and turns about power and influence in Australian politics.
Today, senior writer Michael Bachelard on the Exclusive Brethren, now called the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, and its "Man of God", Bruce Hales.

Further reading

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This week – again – is all about the economy, which includes a visit from a ghost of the past in the form of former treasurer Josh Frydenberg.

But the big topic for today is current treasurerJim Chalmers and a speech he gave this week, in which he warned progressives not to mock One Nation voters.

The far-right strategy to divide people was working, he said, and although facts could push back on sensationalism and misinformation, “facts don’t beat feelings”.

Chalmers also acknowledged that voters’ dissatisfaction with the government wasprimarily linked to the economy and cost-of-living pressures. He asked people to give him more time and, in a year, things would get better. But are voters done? Will people give him another 12 months without further damaging support for Labor?

Senior columnist Jacqueline Maley is back in the hosting chair and today’s guest is senior economics correspondent Shane Wright.

Further reading

Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, every Friday.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your pods. 

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The Pentagon’s plans to livestream the execution of a former US army psychiatrist who murdered 13 soldiers at an army base has been met with disbelief in many quarters.

Even so, the plan, which would mark the first US military execution by firing squad since the end of WWII, was overshadowed by even more destabilising announcements by President Donald Trump over the last week.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher talks about what Trump is doing to distract voters from the bashing Republicans are likely to get in the midterm elections in less than three weeks.

Further reading: 

Update: On Friday, Australian time, Donald Trump said the Pentagon will no longer livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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A senior Australian partner at global consultancy firm McKinsey made global headlines this week when he was stripped of a key leadership position after deriding the so-called “glass cliff” for women at work.

Chris Bradley, who remains a senior partner at the firm, was dumped from a leadership role after he said on LinkedIn that the glass cliff was a “very convenient way to always be a victim in the rain”.
Gender equality expert Dr Michelle Ryan coined the term more than 20 years ago to describe a trend of women being more likely to be appointed to leadership roles in times of crisis.

Ryan, now the director of the Australian National University’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, is today's guest on The Morning Edition.

Further reading

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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Dementia is the No.1 cause of death here. And it’s a uniquely terrifying one, given it can often lead to an eroded sense of self, and lost memory of loved ones.

The number of cases are set to double by 2061, when it’s expected 1 million Australians will suffer from dementia.

But now, some Australians are accessing new therapies, which can, in the case of Alzheimer’s disease - the most common form of dementia - slow its progress.

Today, senior writer Clair Weaver, on how close we are to a cure for dementia. And why only some Australians are no longer hostages to neurodegeneration, as we age.

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,

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Lucia Chicaiza lives in northern Ecuador, in a sleepy farming town of just over 2000 people, at the foot of the Andes.
She also happens to live near alucrative gold and copper depositthat has caught the eye of Australia’s richest person: Gina Rinehart.
Investigative reporter Marta Pascual Juanola spent a month in Ecuador investigating a mining industry that operates in shades of grey, where she found alleged worker exploitation, intimidation tactics and violence.

Further reading

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

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It’s been a year since Liberal MP Andrew Hastie quit Sussan Ley’s frontbench to speak his mind on migration.

His decision fractured the Coalition and Ley’s ambition to woo back multicultural communities with a more moderate stance. How things change in a year.

But through it all, migration has become a more heated political issue. On Tuesday, Angus Taylor announced the Coalition’s long-awaited policy, promising the biggest cut to immigration in Australia’s history.

So what are the merits and the pitfalls of the Coalition's plan?

Former deputy secretary of immigration Abul Rizvi – who is today's special guest – and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal pull apart the policy and the politics before Rivzi answers a number of listener and reader questions on migration.

Today's host is federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos before regular host Jacqueline Maley returns to the chair next week.

Further reading:

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While the rest of us have been dreaming of the promise of AI to cure diseases, and fretting about the threat of robots overtaking humanity, a growing number of people have started literally worshippingAI.
At online churches, and in front of an AI deity, people around the world are asking this technology for advice, seeking guidance to life’s most difficult problems.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses what could happen if such worshipping becomes mainstream, and why the leaders of one of the world’s most powerful AI companies tried to enlist the Pope to take AI consciousness seriously.

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,

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Australians woke up on a Sunday morning in 2018 to extraordinary vision plastered across their television screens and mobile phones: Cameron Bancroft, the opening batsman on the Australian men’s cricket team, caught on camera using a piece of sandpaper to tamper with the ball during a Test match in Cape Town. It was one of the most brazen acts of cheating ever broadcast.

This week, the Australian team returns to South Africa for their first Test series in the country since that scandal, which remains one of Australian sport's darkest moments.

Today, senior sports reporter Chris Barrett and chief cricket writer Daniel Brettig, recording from South Africa, on the so-called “arms race” of ball tampering that proceeded the 2018 Test, and how South Africans might respond when the captain from the 2018 team walks out onto the ground on Friday.

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,

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There’s been big news from the UK overnight, with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, launching legal action against police over his arrest in relation to the Epstein files.

Not since the 1649 trial of King Charles I has a British royal mounted a legal challenge of this magnitude, according to the UK Telegraph, which broke the bombshell story.

Today’s guest is culture editor-at-large and our local royal expert, Michael Idato. 

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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According to new analysis, screen time could damage children more than being born into poverty. The findings from the University of Calgary say higher doses of screen exposure are associated with lower overall academic achievement, poorer language development and emotional and peer problems.

So what’s it actually like to be a 17-year-old on social media? What material are you fed – and how quickly?

Crime and justice reporter Amber Schultz found out after she created new accounts posing first as a teenage boy, and then as a girl.

Today, Schultztalks about her descent into the algorithm and what surprised her.

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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Anthony Albanese is back from the United Nations in New York to a slump in his approval rating and more economic pain.

On Tuesday, the Reserve Bank raised interest rates to a 15-year-high due to continued inflation pressure. So what's driving inflation? How much is government spending contributing to this issue?

Also this week, the Greens elected a new leader. NSW senator David Shoebridge is far more confrontational than former leader Larissa Waters and comes from the party's hard-left faction.

His election may signal a shift in strategy from the party,which wants to replicate the success of left-wing figures such as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal hosts today's conversation with senior economics correspondent Matt Wade and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos.

Further reading

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When the competing leaders of the world's two biggest economies gather for a summit, there's usually a lot to tussle over – military build-up, trade, critical minerals or AI. But that's not what happened when Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met last week.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses the moments that could signal a startling break with decades of American policy.

Background reading: 

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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If you live in a certain part of Australia, you have probably noticed them – big moths flying around, clinging to glass doors and gathering around lights in massive numbers.

But for all the freak-outs across the east coast, naturalists are rejoicing.

Today, national environment and climate editor Nick O’Malley talks about the return of the bogong moth after a near-total population collapse, and why they’re so important for our landscape.

Background reading: 

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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Interest rate hikes are stressing Australian mortgage holders across the country.

But are higher rates the only way to get inflation down? Or are there alternatives to the Reserve Bank’s go-to, blunt-force measure?

Today, senior economics writer Matt Wade, on the potential – and challenges – of four alternatives to help keep inflation in check, newly floated by an Australian think tank.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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The past five decades have witnessed immigration on a scale the globe has never seen before, and countries around the world are convulsing with anti-immigration sentiment. Australia might be an island, but it's no different.

This is a dangerous moment, investigative journalist Eryk Bagshaw argues. Immigration has become a scapegoat because successive governments have lost control of policy levers, and infrastructure has failed to keep up. At the same time, whole swaths of the economy are dependent on temporary migrants.

Bagshaw visited migrant communities both old and new to work out what has gone wrong and what Australia must get right.

Further reading

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Today we’re going international to talk about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s trip to New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

It’s been an eventful few days for the PM who has, among other things, spoken about Australia’s attempts to crack down on social media, met with US President Donald Trump and given a speech in which he declared the world order in place since World War II "no longer fit for purpose”.

But all of that was nearly forgotten when Albanese stood up in what was very early on Thursday morning our time to announce an OpenAI agent infiltrated a Medicare website in June, accessing public and private files.

Joining guest host Stephanie Peatling in Canberra today is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and, live from New York where he is travelling with the prime minister, national correspondent Rob Harris.

Further reading

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has launched a taskforce to investigate how AI apparently went rogue hacked into a portal belongingto one of Australia’s major healthcare systems.

Albanese revealed on Thursdaythat an OpenAI agent infiltrated Medicare.

It is believed to be the first known case of AI hacking into a government system.

Today, technology editor David Swan explains how this breach occurred and how worried we should be.

Further reading

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You might remember this case from Sydney in the summer of 2024 – the alleged double murder of TV presenter Jesse Baird and his boyfriend Luke Davies. Baird was a television presenter, appearing on shows such as Totally Wild and Studio 10, while Davies was a Qantas flight attendant.

A jury trial in the NSW Supreme Court began this week and we're finding out a lot more about the allegations against former NSW police officer Beau Lamarre-Condon, who has pleaded not guilty to the murders.

Today's guest is Sydney Morning Herald legal affairs reporter, Michaela Whitbourn.

Further reading

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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The Republican Party is under enormous pressure, six weeks out from the midterm elections, with a new poll finding that most voters believe US President Donald Trump has hurt the economy.

It comes as Trump faces another test of his power this week: a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in a bid to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia.

International and political editor Peter Hartcher joins host Samantha Selinger-Morris for today’s episode.

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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What will our future look like 40 years from now? How, in a world growing in complexity, will we be faring economically and otherwise?
Ahead of the release of the government's latest intergenerational report, Treasurer Jim Chalmers had warned of some "confronting" findings, but there were also some surprisingly positive predictions.
Today, senior economics writer Matt Wade discusses the unique challenges faced by Australia.

Further reading

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For many Ukrainians, daily life continues four years and six months since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
But something has shifted in the war recently, as Europe correspondent David Crowe reports from Kyiv.

Today, Crowe discusses the new and dangerous phase of this war and what the rest of the world can do to help.

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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Today we're sharing the first episode of Virginia– The Ageand The Sydney Morning Herald's latest investigative podcast on Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent victim.
Walkley-award winning journalist Melissa Fyfe and WA Today reporter Carla Hildebrandt spent more than six months investigating Virginia Giuffre's life in Australia and the months before her death.
Despite Virginia's heroic battle in the most notorious sex-trafficking case of the 21st century, few knew about one of her toughest fights. It was one she fought privately at home in Australia.
Follow The Age and SMH Investigates to listen to all four episodes of Virginia.
Read the Good Weekend feature or our visual story which chronicles the harrowing final months of Virginia's life as her marriage unravelled. Visit our websites at smh.com.au, theage.com.au and watoday.com.au, and send questions, information and feedback to virginiapodcast@nine.com.au

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Today we’re hot off the press, to use an old newsroom cliche, to talk about the federal government’s new plan for migration. Immigration Minister Tony Burke gave a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday where he announced significant changes.

These changes included curtailing visa hopping, targeting international students, implementing a ballot system for backpackers, and ramping up the deportation of unlawful non-citizens.

If these aims are achieved, what will the consequences be? Will demand for housing drop? Will there be labour shortages in agriculture, or aged care? What about deportations – does that signal ICE-esque raids? And what about the broader questions around Australian culture?

Joining national deputy editor Stephanie Peatling today is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, every Friday.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your pods. 

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When Donald Trump announced his so-called Liberation Day tariffs in April last year, one question seemed to dominate: which country would suffer the most economic pain?

But since then, one country after the next seems to have awoken to a starkly hopeful realisation: the United States accounts for only 15 per cent of total global imports and trade. So, could these countries join a newly powerful trading bloc?

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on recent moves by Canada to possibly join the European Union, and if Australia could follow suit.

Background reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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For nearly 35 years, hundreds of thousands of readers around the world have turned to Caitlin Moran for laughter and her signature nouse about how to cope with life's worst bits.

Having grown up in poverty in a down-at-heels English town and helping to support her siblings from the age of 15, Moran was resilience personified.

And then Trump, the universe and everything nearly stole her sanity.

Today, in a break from the doom and gloom of news, the British author on how we can rediscover how life really is a "quiet loving thing".

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Pauline Hanson has finally announced her party’s migration policy, after weeks in which various One Nation MPs publicly contradicted one another on the plan.

Today, hear federal political reporter Brittany Busch on which visa holders Pauline Hanson has in her sights – and whether her plan could risk our prosperity.

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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Finals in Australia’s major sporting codes are in full swing.

And six weeks after the AFL grand final is played, the other biggest show of the year - the men’s, and women’s, draft - begins.

But the work to find the next big thing starts years earlier,when scouts hunt for teenagers who possess unusual qualities.

I’m Samantha Selinger-Morris, and you’re listening to The Morning Edition, from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.

Today, explainer reporter Madeleine Heffernan and sports reporter Peter Ryan, on the making of a sports star.

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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This week we’re joining the dots between two different stories: the fight over superannuation, and the colourful past of One Nation’s leader in Victoria, Warren Pickering.

On Monday, Pauline Hanson told voters her party would allow renters and prospective home buyers to withdraw their superannuation early. The policy was scant on details, but it had the desired effect of controlling the national debate.

The same thing happened with the Pickering press conference.

Normally, a leader of a right-wing political party admitting to taking drugs would not be good for electoral prospects. But, as Victorian political editor Chip Le Grand argues, the mea culpa had the opposite effect.

Le Grand joins senior economics correspondent Shane Wright for Inside Politics. Today’s host is deputy national editor Stephanie Peatling, filling in for Jacqueline Maley.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, every Friday.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your pods.

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This week marks twenty-five years since the United States suffered a terrorist attack that was predicted to change the world forever.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher talks about the lessons that the US learned – and failed to learn – and examines the costs and rewards of Australia's full-throated support of its ally following the attack.

Hartcher also discusses what Australia's alliance looks like today in the face of Donald Trump's presidency.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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A far-right party in Germany has just trounced its rivals in a state election – the closest such a party has come to holding power in a German state since World War II.

The result sent shockwaves through a country that has, since the destruction of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime, created a political system that prevents extremist parties from returning to power.

Today's guest, Europe correspondent David Crowe, discusses what the rise of the Alternative for Germany party, otherwise known as the AfD, means for Europe and the rest of the world.

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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It’s the Australian government versus big tech yet again in parliament this week, with Labor planning to introduce a bill that would tackle online harm and hand back control of social media algorithms to users.

It comes as toxic online content is increasingly linked to violent sexualised behaviour in young men.
But is what we see on social media a matter for a government? Or has the algorithm become so out of hand that guardrails need to be put in place?

Today's guest is federal bureau chief Michelle Griffin.

Background reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your podcasts.

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It was a dramatic fall from grace for a brand that had taken the world by storm by making sunscreen sexy, with influencers around the globe extolling how flawlessly the products wore under make-up and felt virtually undetectable on the skin.

Today, lifestyle reporter Lauren Ironmonger and business reporter Jessica Yun talk about the fallout a year on from the Choice findings, and whether the safety of sunscreens in Australia has been improved.

Further reading:

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe onApple,Spotify,YouTubeor whichever platform you find your pods.

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In this week’s episode, we dissect Labor’s brutal loss to One Nation in a supposedly safe seat in Western Australia.

Does this byelection really signify, as victor Luke Herdegen put it, that no MP is safe from the “orange tsunami”?

One Liberal MP who is worried is Andrew Hastie. Liberal strategists have been telling us his stance against accused war criminal Ben Roberts-Smith may cause voters in his electorate to defect to One Nation.

Also, this week One Nation leader Pauline Hanson claimed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s rhetoric was fuelling violence towards her.

Is this a bit rich coming from someone who is so divisive? Or should we be looking at threats to politicians more seriously?

Today’s episode is hosted, as usual, by Jacqueline Maley with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal. Today's guest is WAtodaystate political reporter Hamish Hastie.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal on Inside Politics, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, every Friday.

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In terms of criminal jury trials, what unfolded in the infamous death cap mushroom case was unique.
Because when the jury was locked away from the outside world to consider a verdict, they were staying in the same hotel, in the same country town, as the police who investigated the case, the lawyers who prosecuted, and the media reporting on it.

This strange arrangement has opened the case to suggestions that the jury was tainted – a central tenet of Erin Patterson’s appeal against her conviction.

Patterson was sentenced to life imprisonment last year, with a non-parole period of 33 years, for serving a poisoned beef Wellington lunch to her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her Baptist pastor husband Ian Wilkinson.

Today, crime and justice reporter Erin Pearson and senior reporter Chris Vedelago on the curious case of the mushroom murder jury.

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Fashion designer John Galliano announced yesterday that he would step away from being honoured with a retrospective at next year’s illustrious Met Gala, the so-called Oscars of the fashion world.
Many had hailed Galliano as one of modern history's most important fashion designers, but he was also, as fashion insider Amy Odell puts it, "the industry's most famous antisemite”.

Today Odell, author of Anna, a biography of former Vogueeditor-in-chief Anna Wintour, and the host of The Back Rowpodcast, talks about whether Galliano’s cancellation was fair and if it was a wider rebuke to an industry known for tolerating bad behaviour.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

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Six days ago, a massive flash flood descended like an avalanche through villages and towns on the Nepal-Tibet border, sweeping away homes, roads and bridges.
Hundreds of people are dead and thousands are missing, including 43 Australians.
Joining us today is South-East Asia correspondent Zach Hope, who is reporting from the disaster zone in Nepal.

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If you’ve applied for a job in the past few years, you may have been humiliated by an AI program. Maybe while it interviewed you. Or threw out your CV.

But lately, as AI recruitment programs have become way more sophisticated, so, too, have job hunters, enlisting AI agents of their own.

Today, freelance writer Stephanie Wood on new ways that AI can discriminate against workers. And the best way to nab a job.

Read Stephanie's feature here.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms ofThe Sydney Morning HeraldandThe Age, weekdays from 5am.

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Egg freezing has become a popular choice for more and more young women, many of whom are looking for something of an insurance policy against missing out on becoming a mother.

It’s become big business, which means fertility companies are beholden not just to their patients, but also to their shareholders.

Today, reporter Bronte Gossling and deputy lifestyle editor Courtney Thompson discuss the latest data on egg freezing, as well as what it’s actually like for the women who undergo it.

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This week we reported on some interesting polling that grappled with what makes One Nation voters tick, and one issue stood out.

There’s also been an argy-bargy in the party this week over immigration numbers, the net result of which being, perhaps, that One Nation is not totally against migration. 

Meanwhile, the Labor government is yet to announce its migration plan and which visa classes it may cut, but the early talk of deportation of migrants sent shockwaves through some communities.

Finally, we also talk about the AI data centres cropping up in Australian communities. Are they worth the investment and the energy drain?

Today’s conversation is hosted by Jacqueline Maley, with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

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When news broke last week that America’s national debt had surged to a record high of $US40 trillion, it was notable enough. If the US economy shakes, the rest of the globe feels it.

And then came the kicker: Donald Trump suggested he could use the military to stage an “intervention” on bond markets.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses the declining global confidence in the American dollar and the US Treasury – and what Trump will have to do to avoid a global financial crisis.

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It’s been a year since a murderous ambush in rural Victoria led to Australia’s biggest manhunt, and the consequences are being felt beyond the dense bush that Dezi Freeman fled into after he shot and killed two police officers.

Today crime journalist Sherryn Groch on the underground network and doomsday preppers in the High Country. And why Freeman, a monster to some, has become an outlaw hero to an entrenched part of Australian society. It’s Wednesday, August 26.

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Our domestic spy agency copped a lot of criticism in December after the Bondi Beach massacre for failing to prevent the attack.

But is the answer expanded powers?

A bill passed in parliament last week is proposing just that – laws that force suspects to answer questions, or face a jail sentence.

Today national security correspondent Matthew Knott talks about the new expanded powers of ASIO and the politicians arguing they amount to a breach of our rights.

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The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.
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Chanel Contos is a young Sydney woman who, five years ago, made headlines after she collated and published the testimonies of thousands of women and girls about instances of sexual assault they’d experienced.

Many had made allegations they’d been assaulted by teenage boys who went to some of Sydney’s most elite private schools.

So have things changed, since then? Judging by the last week or so with allegations of sexual assault made against boys from two separate schools, and then the Sydney Swans, perhaps not.

Today, sexual consent activist and author Chanel Contos on elite schools, sports, and boys.

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Today we have something special and a little bit different because Tony Wright, one of the stalwarts of Australian political writing, is stepping back from daily newsroom duties after 50 years in journalism.
For about 30 of these years, Tony reported on federal politics. Bob Hawke was the first prime minister he covered, while Paul Keating often rang Tony at home in the mornings to, at first, berate, and then debate, the stories he had written.

He witnessed great moments - such as the apology to the stolen generations - and the fracturing of Australian politics from the Rudd-Gillard era.

Today, Tony talks to Inside Politics host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

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We know that Donald Trump has made a habit out of rewarding dictators and throwing off the shackles of long-standing relationships with allies.

Today international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses Donald Trump’s latest appeasement of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, and the threats he’s issued to Oman.

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The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods.

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Another scandal involving an alleged sexual assault has erupted in the AFL.
One player from the Sydney Swans football team was spoken to by police after an alleged sexual assault said to have taken place in the early hours of Monday.
Today, The Age’s chief AFL writer, Jake Niall, discusses what's known, and not known, about what's unfolded.

And, just a note, we're not suggesting the players are under investigation by police, just that they are assisting with their inquiries.

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Our four biggest banks say that fewer people are taking out mortgage loans. One has even forecast a significant fall in house prices in two cities.

Meanwhile, Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock has issued a stern warning ...

Today, senior economics correspondent Shane Wrightdiscusses whether the housing bubble is indeed starting to burst.

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The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.
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Which dog owners among us haven’t wondered about their pets: What are they thinking? Do they like me? Are they – oh no! – judging me?

Well, a new study has revealed that dogs are even better at reading our emotions than chimpanzees, our closest evolutionary relative.

Today, science reporter Angus Dalton on how researchers reached this conclusion, and how to help our dogs lead their best lives.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods.

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We’re back to talking about melons and the podcast interview that continues to cause dramas for the prime minister.

Six weeks ago, Anthony Albanese appeared on a podcast called ‘Bush Deep’ and was asked about the worst gift he received. Melons, he replied, gifted to him by Japanese prime minister.

What was said, and not said, has become the focus of attacks from the media, the Coalition and One Nation this week.

So why has the issue reared its head again? And is it affecting Albanese’s reputation or are the Coalition and co over-egging it?

While all this was going on, the main game for the government was economic management.
Rates were placed on hold, but the Reserve Bank boss Michelle Bullock reminded everyone that she’d raise them if she had to. It comes as all the big banks forecast further drop-offs in house values – aren’t more affordable homes what we want? Or are the government's tax changes wreaking havoc on our struggling economy?

Today’s episode is hosted by Jacqueline Maley, with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

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Donald Trump has suffered a cascade of humiliations at the hands of Iran and Iranian allies in the last two weeks.
But, according to international and political editor Peter Hartcher, humiliation is the least of Trump's problems now.
In today's episode, Hartcher discusses the strikes from Houthi rebels over the weekend, which confirm a new front to this war. And the significance of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan creating a new pact, dubbed the 'Islamic NATO'.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods.

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Car insurance in Australia has leapt by nearly 50 per cent in the last six years and this week, the financial regulator blasted insurersfor failing to adequately explain to customers why they have jacked up prices by so much.
So what's behind the spike in premiums?
Insurers talk about the cost of repairing cars these days and global volatility, but there's plenty of evidence that companies will reduce the cost if you threaten to walk.
Today's guest, national consumer affairs reporter Elias Visontay, talks about the real reason premiums have risen so steeply, and what you can do about it.


The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods.

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Kyle Sandilands commanded massive audiences on commercial radio before his now infamous sacking. And on Monday, his new subscriber-only live show was launched.

It was the old Sandilands but even more uncensored, and with a political bent, featuring guests such as NSW Premier Chris Minns and One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

So why do we care, and what does this new era of media – free of the rules of commercial radio – signify? And why would politicians appear on his show anyway?

Today's guests are culture reporter Kayla Olaya and senior columnist Jacqueline Maley.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

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In a win that has sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party, an unabashedly left-wing epidemiologist has been chosen as the Democrat nominee to fight for a senate seat in Michigan in November.

Some see it as a desperate move at a time when the Republican Party is moving full steam ahead to prosecute opponents such as Dr Anthony Fauci, Joe Biden's former COVID tsar, who was browbeaten just over a week ago in a heated Senate hearing.

Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol discusses why Democrats are gambling their ability to regain power in November on an insurgent who has argued for the US to cut military aid to Israel. And why Republicans are grilling Fauci on his decisions during the COVID pandemic.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods.

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This week on Inside Politics, we take a look at some of the major policy challenges facing the Albanese government – from migration numbers, to gambling-advertising reform and the news media bargaining code between Australian media and big tech companies.

Joining host Jacqueline Maley are chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, please rate, review & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods.

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There’s a battle brewing over which country will lead the world in Artificial Intelligence, and the US has bet the house, economically, that it will be the winner.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on what previous infrastructure booms – such as the craze for building railways in the 1840s or the dotcom boom of the 1990s – tell us about where all this will lead, and which countries might be hit hardest in an AI bust.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, please rate, review & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods.

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It’s the new battleground for China v the US. But Beijing has one big advantage 

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Is Alan Jones guilty of multiple counts of indecent assault? Or are the allegations against him - by six men - the result of treachery, desperation and opportunism, as Jones’ barrister has argued?

Today crime reporter Clare Sibthorpe on the allegations aired in court, so far, in the trial of Alan Jones, which began this week.

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It’s the latest health buzzword, proposed as a magic cure for everything from dementia to low libido. But is it safe, or even advisable, to take supplementary testosterone? 

Today, we talk to Madeleine Heffernan on what the experts want us to know, and what this latest cultural obsession says about us right now.

If you like this podcast and want to hear more, please rate, review & subscribe on Apple, Spotify or whichever platform you find your pods.

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Virginia Giuffre was fearless in taking down some of the world's most powerful people. As Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent victim, she helped expose his crimes and hold his friends to account, including the man formerly known as Prince Andrew.

But despite her heroic battle in the most notorious sex trafficking case of the 21st century, few knew about one of her toughest fights. It was one she fought privately, at home in Australia.

Today,Good Weekend magazine senior writer, Melissa Fyfe, and WA Today reporter, Carla Hildebrandt, on their four-part investigative podcast, Virginia.

And just a warning, this episode contains mentions of suicide, domestic violence and other content that may be distressing to listeners. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.

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It’s been another roller coaster this week for mortgage holders. Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock issued a stern warning about inflation, before the clouds parted a little when there was a welcome dip in the numbers.

We check in with the state of the economy with senior economics correspondent Shane Wright, before crossing to state political editor Chip Le Grand after quite a momentous week in Victoria.

This week, Jacinta Allan was ousted as premier, with Ben Carroll taking the reins ahead of what is shaping up to be a genuine three-way contest in the November election between the Labor government, the Coalition and One Nation.

Today’s episode is hosted, as usual, by Jacqueline Maley.

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They are wars on different fronts, but both are showcasing what international and political editor Peter Hartcher says are the deep misjudgements of leaders.

Reporting this week revealed US armaments are running low as war continues in the Middle East. And the ramifications of the “unbelievable” nuclear deal that US President Donald Trump signed with Saudi Arabia are beginning to surface.

Meanwhile, in the Russia-Ukraine war, Hartcher says the decisions being made by Vladimir Putin aren’t much better, with the Russian president poised to begin a widespread and desperate recruitment drive for more soldiers.

Today, Peter Hartcher on what he calls the inglorious, disgraceful and counterproductive decisions of Trump and Putin.

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Victorian politics is in turmoil. On Tuesday morning, Jacinta Allan stood down as the state's49th premier after more than 25 years in parliament.

In a bonus episode of The Morning Edition, state political reporter Kieran Rooney discusses what brought Allan down, who has replaced her and what it means for the state election in just four months’ time.

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The Victorian government made headlines, for all the wrong reasons, in 2023, when it pulled out of hosting the Commonwealth Games on the grounds that it was too expensive.

Now, the Games are on in Glasgow, with many locals barely registering that it’s even taking place in their city, according to our reporter on the ground.

Today, senior sports writer Michael Gleeson on whether the competition, which started in 1930 as a means of uniting the colonies and honouring the monarchy, is on its last legs. 

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There are not that many company CEOs who the general public knows by name. But Alan Joyce is one of them.

In part, it's because of how customers and employees were treated by Qantas, the company he led, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, senior reporter Chris Zappone discusses why Alan Joyce is now telling his side of the story.

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The Labor party is facing fresh scrutiny over where it gets its money.

Five days ago, it was the result of revelations that the party collected more than $4 million in gambling donations in five years – a chunk of that while it dithered on gambling reform.

And now, another donation has raised eyebrows.

Today investigative reporter Lucy Macken on the billionaire’s son who allegedly offered to donate money to the Labor Party at an exclusive dinner aattended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – and why it has raised questions.

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It has been quite the week in federal politics, and our attention has been sucked by two One Nation clangers.

First, Barnaby Joyce yelled at his dog on national television, then Pauline Hanson made some incredibly controversial remarks about domestic violence.

Meanwhile, our guests for today, chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos, are tuning in under the fluorescent lights of the Labor Party National Conference in Adelaide.

Today’s episode is hosted, as usual, by Jacqueline Maley.

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Why, six years on, is Donald Trump peddling the falsehood that the 2020 election was stolen? And how many Americans now believe it?

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher discusses what the timing of Trump’s renewed fixation may tells us about his ulterior motives.

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Christopher Nolan’s $250 million film The Odysseywas always going to inspire – and enrage – fans. That’s what you get when you take on one of the oldest surviving stories in history and refashion the hero at its centre.

The New York Review of Books editor-at-large Daniel Mendelsohn is today's guest. The classics scholar discusses what Nolan is trying to tell us with his version and why it's provoked people such as Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr.

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If you’ve ever felt that you are being rushed through a healthcare appointment, you’re not alone.

Now a number of optometrists have told our mastheads that they are being pressured to rush appointments, and even skip providing clinical tests, in order to sell, sell, sell.

Today, health reporter Rachel Rasker on the optometry chains allegedly prioritising money over patient health.

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There are nearly one and a half million registered medical devices on the market in Australia.

Now, you would think that life-saving treatments such as pacemakers, defibrillators and pain pumps would be subject to the same sorts of clinical trials as prescription drugs. Right?

Today, investigative reporter Liam Mannix on which devices have attracted the most complaints, and the medical device under investigation by a coroner after a tragic case in a regional town in Victoria.

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We switch to sunnier climes this week, to a posh hotel in Sicily. It’s where the TV series White Lotuswas filmed, and it’s also where our colleagues at The Australian Financial Reviewspotted One Nation leader Pauline Hanson poolside with billionaire Gina Rinehart.

So what’s Hanson doing in Europe?

In today’s episode, host Jacqueline Maley and chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal talk about who Hanson met overseas and how that plays for voters back home in Australia.

Also, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gave a landmark speech this week aboutthe government’s approach to AI.

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The madness of Donald Trump surfaced again in the past day or so, according to many seasoned onlookers.

First, the president of the United States announced that he would impose a shipping toll on the Strait of Hormuz, something that would jack up petrol prices and spike inflation. Then he backed down, before he then threatened to take out Iranian bridges and power plants – a move that could be considered a war crime.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher reports from Washington DC on what might be the American president’s most consequential flip-flop to date.

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For nearly a century, the FIFA World Cup has carried fans throughout the world to great heights of unity and joy. This year's tournament, which is coming to a close, revealed some of the best of America. Scottish fans were welcomed by the city of Boston, and supposedly drank the city dry, while Japanese fans in Dallas marvelled in the delights of Texas barbecue.

Then there was the game itself and its stars, such as Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham.

But a maelstrom of complications threatened the sense of inclusion this year, particularly due to host country United States being at war with Iran.

Deputy editor Nick Ralston today discusses the joy and tension he witnessed at matches in the United States and Canada - as well as that viral Aussie chant about Donald Trump.

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A growing majority of Australians want housing prices to fall, in some cases by more than 20 per cent, according to new polling exclusive to our mastheads.
Could it be that our decades-long obsession with growing house prices is finally coming to a halt?
Today senior economics correspondent Shane Wright talks about why conventional wisdom about what voters want from housing seems to be wrong.

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Melbourne property developers, entrepreneurs and small business owners are promising huge sums to Pauline Hanson’s partybefore November's state election.

They say it’s in return for advocacy on key policy areas.It is advocacy these donors think will be stronger coming from One Nation, rather than the party they once supported – the Coalition.
But the identities of these donors are, so far, shrouded in secrecy.

Senior reporter Sarah Danckert says one reason is because they’re feeling some shame about their promise to One Nation.

In today’s episode, Danckert explains why Hanson is attracting more donations from business circles beyond her most wealthiest backer, mining magnate Gina Rinehart.

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This week, we’re talking about a visit from Narendra Modi to Australia and why Anthony Albanese wants to bask in the Indian prime minister’s limelight, despite questions around Modi’s human rights record.

And in an environment where One Nation and the Coalition want to go hard on migration, Albanese’s friendship with Modi looks like it stands in stark contrast.

But that’s not what piqued everyone’s interest in Canberra this week. We’re still talking about Albanese’s perplexing podcast interview in which he said he’d "shag" popstar Kylie Minogue and joked about melons and the Japanese PM.

And, we cover the new data that shows how bad Australia’s inflation is compared to other nations.
This week’s episode is hosted by Jacqueline Maley and features chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal.

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China launched a rare ballistic missile from a nuclear-powered submarine into the Pacific on Monday.
It wasn’t just putting nearby countries, like Australia, on notice.

It was making a statement that has changed the world, says international and political editor Peter Hartcher.

He joins Samantha Selinger-Morris to discuss why this missile launch differs greatly from the one China launched two years ago, and why we have yet to hear a response from US President Donald Trump.

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Allegations of cheating and sporting corruption have followed the revelation that Donald Trump intervened in the FIFA World Cup to overturn the suspension of an American player. But the ramifications of this unprecedented event might far outlast the tournament.

Today, Sydney Morning Herald deputy editor Nick Ralston and North America correspondent Michael Koziol on the politics of Trump's intervention before the United States' knockout loss to Belgium.

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Over the weekend, a particularly deadly strain of bird flu was confirmed in NSW for the first time.

This takes the total of confirmed cases nationwide to six.

Today, science reporter Angus Dalton on how much of a risk we’re dealing with.

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The death of 17-year-old Thai girl, Thanchanok Donhomla, has shocked Australia, and sparked fear among sex workers in Pattaya. Thanchanok's body was found in a suitcase and dumped in long grass by a railway.

The man accused of murdering her is 45-year-old Australian, Simon Peter Carman. He is being held in the Pattaya Remand Prison.

Today, guest host Benjamin Preiss talks to Southeast Asia correspondent Zach Hope who says, in the world’s sex capital, a rampant industry funded by anonymous male tourists has come into sharp focus.

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The government's capital gains tax and negative gearing changes are now legislated, and this week there has been some early data on how these changes are hitting the property market.

Plus, Labor's compromise on gambling advertising reforms and Angus Taylor's leadership of the Liberal Party.

Senior economics correspondent Shane Wright and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos join Jacqueline Maley to discuss. 

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In December last year, Australia was confronted with its worst-ever incident of antisemitic violence when gunmen killed 15 people on Bondi Beach at a Hanukkah gathering. That came after the firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne and an arson attack on the Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Sydney.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, or ASIO, has now warned that hatred of Jews is one factor virtually all violent extremist cohorts have in common. How did we reach a point where so many Jews now say they feel unsafe in Australia?

Today’s discussion, guest-hosted by Benjamin Preiss, is with international and political editor Peter Hartcher.

Background reading

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The Victorian government has staked its reputation, to a large extent, on an ambitious infrastructure program – termed the Big Build by state Labor, the program includes major road and rail projects totalling billions of dollars. 

Victoria Police however, say there is no doubt gangland-linked corruption has infiltrated the Big Build. 

Today, investigative reporter Nick McKenzie joins Benjamin Preiss on the revelations of wrongdoing within Victoria's Big Build.

Background reading

‘Organised, strategic and out of our remit’: Police issue reality check on Big Build corruption

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Karl Stefanovic was the face of Australian morning television for 25 years. Lauded for wearing the same suit for a year to highlight sexism, laughed at for showing up drunk on air following the Logies.

Now he’s agreed to part ways with Nine, the owner of our mastheads, after he featured far-right, anti-Islam British activist Tommy Robinson on his podcast.

Today, columnist and senior journalist Jacqueline Maley on whether the Stefanovic saga is the new rite of passage for the middle-aged man, or, if it signifies a fundamental shift in mainstream media.

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For decades, neuroscientists have offered opposing theories for how our brains process the risks and rewards of daily life. Some thought our brains dedicate the most energy into managing everyday realities. Others have thought our brains fire up when we’re thrown something unexpected.

Now we have an answer. And it might make you re-think how you live.

Today, science reporter Angus Dalton on findings by researchers from the University of Sydney, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, that might help explain how our brains are functioning, in this age of information overload.

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This week independent MPs Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender announced they would form a new political party, Community Strong Australia.

Steggall was successful as the first teal candidate, winning the prize seat of Warringah on Sydney’s north shore from former prime minister Tony Abbott in 2019.

Spender took Sydney’s blue-ribbon electorate of Wentworth from Liberal David Sharma in 2022.
But the leaderless Community Strong is a high-risk strategy, as all other teal MPs have declined to join.

Today, Steggall is a special guest on Inside Politicswith Jacqueline Maley to talk about, amid the fracturing of the Coalition and the rise of One Nation, why now is the right time for Community Strong Australia.

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More Australians feel unsafe in the world than ever before, according to new research from the Lowy Institute.

And it is this environment of fear – fear of a bad economy, of terrorism, of immigration – that makes for an environment ripe for a political party like One Nation to prosper.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on how Australia is experiencing a moment he has never witnessed before, and where the solutions lie.

Background reading

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After months of criticism, and two significant scandals, Sir Keir Starmer has resigned as British prime minister.

So, why is the country on the cusp of having is seventh prime minister in only 10 years?

Today, Europe correspondent David Crowe on Starmer’s drastic fall, and on Andy Burnham, the unconventional politician who’s expected to take his place.

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With heritage-listed sandstone turrets and iron gates, the Redeemer Baptist School promises Sydney parents the private school dream: a prestigious, disciplined education for a fraction of the cost. 

But its academic awards, state-of-the-art facilities and charitable works conceal a darker reality.

Today education reporter Emily Kowal talks to The Morning Edition host Samantha Selinger-Morris on allegations from former students who say the school ordered them to share bedrooms with teachers, and subjected them to authoritarian control. Or, as the school’s student diary put it, “Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.”

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For decades now, if someone died, there were two choices: burial, or cremation.

But soon, Australians may get a third choice for how they choose to farewell their loved ones, thanks to a growing trend overseas.

Today, senior writer Bevan Shields on human composting: a method of burial that may give youthe ick, but that is giving many others profound peace of mind.

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The hottest ticket in Australian politics this week was Pauline Hanson's first address to the National Press Club, which happened on Wednesday.

The Press Club, set up in the early 1960s, has become a rite of passage for any aspiring political leader. But Hanson has been an outsider, and the Press Club represents the type of institution she rejects, so until now the One Nation leader has never made an appearance there.

Her speech, as Inside Politics host Jacqueline Maley and chief political commentator James Massola discuss, was extraordinary for her position on Australian culture, late-term abortions, Muslim migration and her attack on female journalists.

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A big first-game upset over Turkey sets the scene perfectly for a grudge match in Australia’s crucial game against the World Cup hosts at 5am on Saturday morning (AEST).

Behind the scenes, a fiery cocktail of history, spiteful friendlies, and straight-up disrespect from American soccer pundits has turned this Group D clash into a highly personal grudge match.

In this bonus episode, host Samantha Selinger-Morris talks to sports reporter Vince Rugari, who will be on the ground in Seattle, to break down the trash talk, the tactical madness of Tony Popovic, and why this insanely talented, multicultural Australian squad might just have the youth and stoicism to silence a hostile American crowd.

Background reading: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/yank-hypocrisy-why-mike-grella-s-socceroos-slander-rings-so-hollow-20260615-p606xk.html

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What have Iran and the United States actually agreedto in the memorandum of understanding that the two countries announced over the weekend?

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher breaks it down for us, to work out if it’s a peace deal, a ceasefire, or something else entirely.

Background reading

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This weekend thousands of teenagers will sit the entry exam for one of four select-entry government schools for high-achieving students in Victoria.

It’s a nerve-recking experience and the stakes are high. Many students will miss out on a place.
In NSW, competition is also fierce for a spot at select-entry schools. Students in both states spend countless hours preparing for the exams.

Today,Age education reporter Jackson Graham andSydney Morning Heraldeducation editor Christopher Harris explain how select-entry schooling became such a big deal and such big business.

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They are one of the big four accounting firms. Government agencies and major corporations trust them to audit their books and ensure everything is above board.

So what happens when one of these auditors is accused of a catastrophic failure of integrity?

KPMG will face this question and many others when it fronts a Senate inquiry this week. The explosive claims emerged after a whistleblower brought allegations the firm misused confidential client data to potentially win business with other companies.

Today, senior business reporter Colin Kruger explains why this scandal extends well beyond the big end of town and might affect anyone with an investment or super fund.

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Last week there were a couple of shocking crimes in Sydney. In one, a father and his 15-year-old daughter were forced to flee when a gunman approached them at school pick-up time. In another, assailants in a car filmed themselves as they sprayed bullets from a high-powered firearm into a funeral home.

Today, crime reporter Perry Duffin discusses the gang war in Sydney, and how the underworld is still accessing military-style guns after Port Arthur, and in the wake of the Bondi massacre.

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