Although Australians voted resoundingly against an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, Thomas Mayo – one of the Voice’s key campaigners – has not given up hope.

He says while the “Yes” campaign lost the referendum, what they gained was resilience and a new generation of Indigenous leaders ready to take up the fight.

He’s also written a new book, Always Was Always Will Be: The Campaign for Justice and Recognition Continues – outlining a vision for what comes next. 

Today, Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander activist Thomas Mayo.

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Guest: Today, Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander activist, Thomas Mayo.

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The census is meant to reflect the country back to us – to give vital data on who makes up Australia. 

But this week it’s become a political landmine for the federal government, who first cancelled questions on sexual orientation and gender identity, only to partially reverse that decision amid tense backlash. 

But the question of data isn’t just academic. This debate is coming at a time when the Victorian coroner has specifically asked for more data on the transgender community following a number of young trans women taking their own lives.

Today, writer and co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia Sam Elkin, on the government’s decision to exclude trans people from the census and why counting them could save lives.

And just a warning, today’s episode discusses suicide. Please take care while listening.

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Guest: Writer and co-editor of Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia Sam Elkin.

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The ABC’s Managing Director David Anderson announced his shock resignation yesterday afternoon, after being reappointed for his second term in the role late last year. Anderson said stepping down was “the right time for me and the right time for the ABC”. 

The decision comes just months after Kim Williams took up his new role as chair with big plans for renewal inside the ABC. Today, ABC veteran Jon Faine on what this means for the future of the national broadcaster and who might be next in the Managing Director’s seat. 

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Guest: ABC veteran Jon Faine

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Today, writer Angela Savage with her piece from a recent edition of The Monthly. 

Parents often face the dilemma of helping their children become independent, while not wanting to let them go.

Angela’s story, ‘Fledglings’, tells the story of what changes when that moment finally comes.

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Across Australia more than one hundred asylum seekers are being detained in hotel rooms. They have no access to fresh air and limited space to exercise. This is the story of two friends - one who the government released, and the other who is still arbitrarily detained.

Guest: Features and field reporter Elle Marsh.

Background reading: Fight to free refugees in hotel detention in The Saturday Paper

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Following a series of fatal car accidents, Queensland has announced a major crackdown on youth crime. According to youth advocate Siyavash Doostkhah, policy is being dictated by the police union, emboldened by the tabloid media and both sides of politics. 

Guest: Youth Affairs Network of Queensland director Siyavash Doostkhah.

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This week, Craig Kelly quit the Liberal Party to sit on the crossbench. But the Morrison government is so mired in scandal, it went largely unnoticed. It’s a huge risk for the Coalition - and any action on climate change. 

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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Description: For some people living with disabilities, the pandemic triggered feelings of being different and even dispensable. Micheline Lee on living through coronavirus, and what it revealed about Australia’s priorities.

Guest: Writer for The Monthly Micheline Lee.

Background reading: Nightclubs, pandemics and our real selves in The Monthly.

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Australian property prices have just hit a record high – despite predictions the market would crash during the pandemic. So what happened? What will it take for prices to go down?

Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.

Background reading:

Inequality and the housing bubble in The Saturday Paper.

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Eighteen months ago, Dhanya Mani spoke to the press about being assaulted while working as a Liberal Party staffer. This week, she reflected on how little has changed - and how culpable the prime minister is for that.

Guest: Lawyer and founder of Changing Our Headline Dhanya Mani.

Background reading: ‘I was a staffer, and so was my perpetrator’ in The Saturday Paper

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Two long-forgotten High Court cases warned the government that robo-debt might be illegal. But they persisted with the welfare scheme anyway. Rick Morton on what they knew - and when they knew it.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

Background reading: Robo-debt shonky from the start in The Saturday Paper

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The Brittany Higgins case has dominated the week in Canberra. This is the story of how the prime minister has responded to her alleged assault, and how he has tried to manage the coverage that followed.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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As Labor prepares for a possible early election, Tanya Plibersek says the party is ready to confront the government over shortcomings in its handling of the pandemic. But some in the party believe it may be too late to turn around the polls.

Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton.

Background reading: Tanya Plibersek on post-Covid politics in The Saturday Paper.

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A damning report has found Crown Resorts unfit to hold a casino licence in NSW. But what does that mean for James Packer’s operations in other states? Rick Morton on Packer’s winning streak - and how it ended.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

Background reading: Crown’s casinos and the Bergin report in The Saturday Paper

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As Australia demanded answers to the domestic violence crisis, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese became a focal point in all the wrong ways when he got into a confrontation with a rally organiser on Sunday.

But this week’s national cabinet meeting with state and territory leaders offered a chance to respond to the community’s concern and produce real solutions.

So what solutions came out of that meeting? And will they genuinely help women who face domestic violence?

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on the crucial moment for Australia and whether governments are delivering on their mission to end violence against women.

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

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The early era of space exploration was dominated by romantic ideas of universal connectedness. But the increasingly privatised nature of the space industry has obscured that vision. Today, Ceridwen Dovey on the new space industry entrepreneurs, and why we should be worried about what they’re planning.  

Guest: Writer for The Monthly Ceridwen Dovey.

Background reading: Pale blue dot in The Monthly

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Victoria has been plunged back into lockdown after a new strain of Covid-19 escaped from hotel quarantine into the community. In recent weeks leaks have occurred across the country, leading to lockdowns in Brisbane and Perth. Today, Rachel Withers on whether our key defence against the virus is working as well as it should.

Guest: Contributing editor for The Monthly Rachel Withers.

Background reading: Covid-19 leaks from hotel quarantine in The Saturday Paper

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The Prime Minister is trying to calibrate his climate policy to better fit into a post-Trump world, but he faces a conservative revolt on his own backbench. On the other side, Australia faces trade sanctions if it doesn’t implement serious emissions reduction targets. Today, Paul Bongiorno on the Coalition’s climate standoff. 

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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Eddie McGuire’s resignation as the President of Collingwood is the culmination of a decades-long story of racism at the club. But the story isn’t just about Collingwood, the AFL or even sport. Today, Daniel James on how racism in sport can’t be divorced from racism across our society.

Guest: Yorta Yorta writer and contributor to The Saturday Paper Daniel James.

Background reading: Collingwood and racism in the AFL in The Saturday Paper

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The Coalition’s surprise win at the last federal election is largely attributed to a relentless campaign targeting Labor’s key economic policies, led by Liberal MP Tim Wilson. Now Wilson has launched a new campaign to reshape the four trillion dollar superannuation industry. Today, Rick Morton on the Liberal vision for our retirement savings, and how it would impact all of us.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

Background reading: Inside Tim Wilson’s campaign against super in The Saturday Paper

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While Australians grapple with shocking allegations of war crimes levelled against our armed forces, the federal government is moving ahead with a $500 million redevelopment of the Australian War Memorial. Today, Mark McKenna, on what our preoccupation with war tells us about who we are. 

Further listening: Brendan Nelson’s gravy sandwich

Guest: Historian and writer for The Monthly Mark McKenna.

Background reading: Australia’s haunted house in The Monthly

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Myanmar’s democratically elected leader, Aung Sun Suu Kyi, was arrested last week as part of a military coup. The country is now back under complete army control. Today, Jonathan Pearlman on what led to the coup, and what happens next in Myanmar.

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Scott Morrison’s attempt to restart the political year was blown off course after one of his backbenchers was criticised for promoting misinformation about Covid-19. Today, Paul Bongiorno on the problems rogue Liberal MPs are making for the Prime Minister, and why it took him so long to reign them in.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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Diplomatic and trade tensions between Australia and China are at an all time high, and China’s president has even warned against the risk of a new cold war. Today, Rick Morton on where Scott Morrison is getting his advice from when it comes to our relationship with China, and whether his strategy will work. 

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

Background reading: Exclusive: Scott Morrison misrepresents China advice in The Saturday Paper

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Financial analysts and investors are scrambling to understand what is actually going on with GameStop, Reddit and the sharemarket. But in this battle between the internet and Wall Street, who are the good guys? Today, Ariel Bogle on what happened to GameStop, and what it could tell us about the future of our economy.

Guest: Journalist and analyst, Ariel Bogle.

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As Donald Trump zeroed in on his successful 2016 run to the presidency, he began to engage in what is called “catch and kill” journalism.

Trump and his lawyers developed relationships with journalists, who were allegedly prepared to track down damaging stories aboutTrump, and then take money to ensure they would never be printed.

Today, managing editor of The Saturday Paper Emily Barrett on the Australian who built a reputation as one of the best at “capture and kill” in America – and how he’s ended up being central to Donald Trump’s trial in New York.

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Guest: Managing editor of The Saturday Paper, Emily Barrett.

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All over the world governments are abandoning fossil fuels like coal and gas, and embracing renewable energy, leaving Australia isolated and economically vulnerable. Today, Mike Seccombe on the new climate policies sweeping the globe and how Australia is already being left behind.

Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.

Background reading: 2050 net zero: Australia left behind as Asia goes green in The Saturday Paper

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Right now hundreds of ships carrying Australian coal are stranded in Chinese ports. More than 1,000 sailors have been trapped on board for months now because of one reason: Australia’s escalating trade war with China. Today, Anna Krien on the men trapped at sea and the question of who is responsible for them.

Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Anna Krien.

Background reading: Sailors caught in Australia–China trade war in The Saturday Paper

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Labor’s Anthony Albanese has been facing growing criticism over his political strategy and there’s renewed speculation over his leadership. With 2021 shaping up as an election year, what is Albanese’s plan? Today, Rachel Withers on how Labor is placed to take on Scott Morrison.

Guest: Contributing editor for The Monthly Rachel Withers.

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While thousands of Australians are still stranded overseas, 1,200 tennis players, officials and support staff have flown into Melbourne to take part in the Australian Open. Today, Ben Rothenberg on the debate over the decision to go ahead with the tournament, and what it could mean for the future of global sports.

Guest: Journalist and writer for The Saturday Paper Ben Rothenberg.

Background reading: The inequalities of grand slam tennis in The Saturday Paper

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Last year Scott Morrison announced Australians would be first in line for the Covid-19 vaccine. But with 50 million people now vaccinated around the world, the rollout here is yet to begin. Today, Rick Morton on when Australians can expect to be vaccinated, and if it’s happening fast enough.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

Background reading: Did Australia put its money on the wrong vaccines? in The Saturday Paper

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On Invasion Day, Wirlomin Noongar author Claire G. Coleman discusses how tokenistic gestures from our federal government have replaced the real change demanded by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and the inability of Australians to acknowledge the legacy of colonialism.

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Claire G. Coleman.

Background reading: How political fear erodes Indigenous rights in The Saturday Paper

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As Joe Biden takes the reins in the US, the legacy of Donald Trump continues to cast a shadow across the world. Today, Richard Cooke on how the ideas and policies that came to define Trump found a welcome home in Australia.

Guest: Writer for The Monthly and The Saturday Paper Richard Cooke.

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After five years on Manus Island, Imran Mohammad was resettled in Chicago. He says arriving in America was one of the happiest days in his life. But the coronavirus shutdown has brought back memories of detention and isolation.

Guest: Writer and Rohingya refugee Imran Mohammad.

Background reading: Resettled refugees in Covid-19 lockdown in The Saturday Paper

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From thunderstorm asthma to the increasing prevalence of infectious disease, a warming planet is already making us more sick. In the final part of this series, we investigate how climate change puts us more at risk of disease. Today, Climate change will kill you, part three: sickness. 

Guest: Contributing editor to The Monthly, Paddy Manning.

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Australian author Heather Morris has made millions selling books about the Holocaust. But the people she writes about are in many ways unrecognisable, to their families and the historical record. Investigative journalist Christine Kenneally on the dangers of falsifying history.

Guest: Author and investigative journalist Christine Kenneally.

Background reading: The fabulist of Auschwitz in The Monthly

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It feels like hardly a week goes by where we don’t hear about a woman in Australia being killed by a man she knows.

Intimate partner deaths increased by almost a third during the last reporting year and early counts by advocacy groups suggest this year is set to be even worse.

The spike in killings has led to protests, a national outcry and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declaring that violence against women is a national crisis.

Today, author of See What You Made Me Do and journalist Jess Hill, on what can be done to stop the violence – and why “awareness” is no longer good enough.

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Guest: Author of See What You Made Me Do and journalist Jess Hill

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In 2011 the Queensland town of Grantham was inundated with rain, causing flash flooding. It had a devastating impact on the town’s residents. But events like this are predicted to become more common, as the planet warms leading to more extreme weather events. Today, Climate change will kill you part two: flood.

Guest: Contributing editor to The Monthly, Paddy Manning.

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For decades, students in Footscray in Melbourne’s West, have been taught in Vietnamese alongside English, in line with the suburb’s long-standing heritage. But now, the program is under threat. Today, André Dao on why we value some languages more than others, and what it says about where Australia sees its place in the world.

The audio of Professor Alan Crookshank in this story is from the Earshot series “Tongue Tied and Fluent.”

Guest: Contributor to The Monthly Andre Dao.

Background reading: A minor language in The Monthly

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From bushfires and heat, to floods, and the increasing severity of disease, Australians are already feeling the impacts of a warming planet. In this new series, journalist Paddy Manning investigates the link between climate change and human health, and tells the stories of those who have become some of the first casualties of the climate crisis. Today’s episode is part one: heat. 

Guest: Contributing editor to The Monthly, Paddy Manning.

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Four times as many questions plus two times as many guests equals more laughs than it’s possible to quantify. In this final episode of The Saturday Quiz, two teams of returning guests - Zoë Coombs Marr and Kate Jinx, and Sarah Snook and Dave Lawson - go up against each other in the ultimate battle of general knowledge. How does Dave’s expert category of “colours” fare against Zoë’s encyclopedic mastery of Xena: Warrior Princess? And what is better quiz preparation: Staying up late on a Sunday night in a different time zone, like Sarah? Or singing Christmas carols in the car on a long drive, like Kate?

Guests: Zoë Coombs Marr, Kate Jinx, Sarah Snook and Dave Lawson

In the paper:

Zoë Coombs Marr and her stand-in stand-up Dave in The Saturday Paper

Sarah Snook talks Noël Coward and HBO in The Saturday Paper

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Twelve months ago the eastern half of the country was blanketed in smoke and our Prime Minister was nowhere to be seen. Since then the pandemic has seen a big bounce in Scott Morrison’s approval ratings. But with an election predicted for next year, will it be enough? Today, Paul Bongiorno on how federal politics played out in 2020, and what’s coming next.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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The federal government has proposed new laws that would give federal police the power to spy on Australian citizens. But the decision contradicts the government’s own review into national intelligence. Today, Karen Middleton on the controversial expansion of national security laws.

Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton.

Background reading: AFP’s new power to spy on Australians in The Saturday Paper

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The Royal Commission report into the Christchurch terrorist attacks led to an apology from the New Zealand government. But in Australia, there’s been an unwillingness to grapple with how the shooter was steeped in a culture of far-right extremism. Today, Shakira Hussein on Australia’s responsibility for the Christchurch massacre.

Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Shakira Hussein.

Background reading: Christchurch massacre: an Australian crime in The Saturday Paper

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 The Liberal party has historically been handbrake on serious climate action, but in NSW one minister is pushing through ambitious environmental policy. Today, Mike Seccombe talks to Matt Kean, the Liberal minister forcing action on climate change and uniting the Nationals and the Greens.

Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.

Background reading: The Liberal minister forcing action on climate change in The Saturday Paper

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Scandal after scandal has battered the authority of the government and diminished the trust the public has in our democratic institutions. Today, former leader of the federal Liberal Party John Hewson on how rorts, mates and marketing took over politics, and how we can take it back.

Guest: Former Liberal Party leader and contributor to The Saturday Paper John Hewson.

Background reading: How rorts, mates and marketing took over politics in The Saturday Paper

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The two guests joining John on this season’s penultimate episode are show business royalty. Mitchell Butel is an actor, singer and the artistic director of the State Theatre Company of South Australia, and Nancye Hayes AM is currently starring in Mitchell’s production of the play Ripcord to socially-distanced packed houses. Nancye was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2014 for significant service to the performing arts, particularly musical theatre - and the Hayes theatre in Sydney is named in her honour. Together they go a long way towards answering every single question, including: Which American jazz singer was nicknamed ‘Lady Day’, what a katana is, and whether or not Dunedin is North or South of Hobart.

Guests: Nancye Hayes AM and Mitchell Butel

In the paper: Stage doyenne Nancye Hayes in The Saturday Paper

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There are strict rules around how drug company representatives can interact with doctors to ensure they aren’t influencing how medications are prescribed.

But when it comes to expensive medical devices inserted in our bodies during surgery – all sorts of screws, pacemakers and implants – those same rules don’t apply.

Medical device sales reps are scrubbed up and working in the operating theatre, even advising surgeons on which products to use.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on whether the pursuit of profit risks driving clinical decisions.

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe

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Just as parliament was wrapping up for the year, the government introduced radical and controversial proposed changes to worker’s rights. The new legislation looks set to dominate the political agenda in the new year. Today, Paul Bongiorno on how the political battlelines are being drawn.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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The passage of the medevac legislation last year allowed sick refugees in offshore detention to travel to Australia. The legislation was bitterly opposed by the federal government. Now those refugees say they’re being punished as a result. Today, Karen Middleton on what happens when a government is forced to implement a law it opposed.

Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton.

Background reading: Medevac refugees: we face special punishment in The Saturday Paper

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