From afar, Alice Springs/Mparntwe is a whirlpool of myth and truth. It’s a town with competing interests and few solutions, marked by chaos and decades of government overreach. 

Today, Yorta Yorta man and host of 7am Daniel James traces the origins of the so-called crime crisis in Alice Springs and reflects on all the interventions, big and small, that have led to this point. 

Please enjoy “Children of the Intervention” by Daniel James, a companion piece to 7am’s three-part podcast series This is Alice Springs. 

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Guest: Yorta Yorta man, award winning writer and broadcast, host of 7am Daniel James

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Tucked away in a Sydney suburb is one of Australia’s largest landfill sites. Here lies a stark reminder of the millions of tonnes of waste that form the collateral of our modern lives. 

Author and critic James Bradley visited the landfill to reflect on our relationship with private consumption and investigate why there is so little accountability for the damage caused by our waste. 

Please enjoy “The Tipping Point”, read by James Bradley and first published in the September edition of The Monthly.

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Guest: Author and critic James Bradley

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Every day this week, critics from The Saturday Paper and beyond are bringing you their top picks of the year. 

From the partying Russian oligarchs to grave robbing in an Italian fishing village, writer/curator Kate Jinx’s best film picks of 2024 will take you on a cinematic journey.

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Guest: Kate Jinx is a writer and film curator, director of Golden Age Cinema in Sydney and co-host of the Culture Podcast.

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When former inmate Daniel Vansetten heard about the idea of a national newspaper, produced for prisoners and by prisoners, he jumped at the opportunity to be involved.

He says the incarceration system in Australia can be an information black hole and About Time intends to rectify that.

The free paper is available to approximately 21,000 prisoners in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT.

It’s tailored to prison life, and with the ambition to shift information in and out of prisons, hopes to create a community among incarcerated peoples.

Today, contributor to About Time Daniel Vansetten and the paper’s managing director Rosie Heselev on giving prisoners a voice and the empathy they hope it will inspire.

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Guest: Contributor to About Time Daniel Vansetten and managing director of About Time Rosie Heselev.

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This week Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a new COVID-19 financial support package for Sydneysiders currently in lockdown. 

The new measures were welcomed as a necessary response to help those impacted by a loss of work and business.

But the announcement was met with frustration from other states, particularly Victoria, who had been asking for help during their own lockdowns.

Today, contributing editor of The Monthly Rachel Withers on why it took an outbreak in his own backyard for Scott Morrison to act.

Guest: Contributing editor to The Monthly Rachel Withers.

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Chris Cheers is a psychologist who spent the long lockdown in Melbourne last year supporting people struggling with their mental health. 

A few days ago he began sharing advice on social media about getting through lockdowns, as a way to support those in Sydney. His posts went viral, encouraging other Melbournians to share their own tips.

Today, Chris Cheers on how those of us not in lockdown can support our friends and family who are, and why listening is one of the most helpful things we can do right now.

Guest: Psychologist Chris Cheers.

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It's been over 50 years since equal pay for equal work became law in Australia, but right now women are still significantly underpaid.

In recent years, efforts to better value women's work and increase wages have stalled but now, a new case being brought to the Fair Work Commission by a group of aged care workers could change that.

Today, writer for The Saturday Paper Kristine Ziwica on the case that could help close the gender pay gap.

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Kristine Ziwica.

Background reading: The case that might close the wage gap in The Saturday Paper

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According to most scientists, the world has until 2030 to transition away from coal-fired power in order to prevent runaway climate change.

Six years ago one Australian energy company tried to do just that. But now, new details have emerged showing the role played by the federal government in trying to stop that from happening.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on how ideology keeps trumping economics when it comes to Australia’s climate policies.

Guest: National Correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.

Background reading: Exclusive: Frydenberg pushed AGL to sack boss in The Saturday Paper

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Over the past few years the federal government has passed more and more laws granting police and security agencies greater access to our private communications.  

Law enforcement agencies claim the powers protect Australians from criminals, but there are growing concerns that they actually weaken our online security.

Today, writer for The Saturday Paper and chair of Digital Rights Watch Lizzie O’Shea on Australia’s ever expanding surveillance powers, and if they could actually make us more vulnerable.

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper and chair of Digital Rights Watch Lizzie O’Shea.

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In basements and bars across the country crowds gather to cheer on people wearing tight, spandex outfits as they toss and pummel each other all over a ring.

In today’s episode we visit Deathmatch Downunder: one of the most spectacular, violent and progressive professional wrestling events in the country.

It’s popular, it’s growing and it’s the perfect combination of sports and entertainment. But where did it come from and what makes it so compelling?

Guest: Contributor to The Monthly and author of ‘Everything Harder Than Everyone Else’, Jenny Valentish

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For most of the past year the Coalition government has faced sustained criticism over its treatment of women.

Now a former Liberal MP has added fuel to the fire, lashing a culture of sexism and bullying in the Liberal party, and accusing a cabinet minister of sexual harassment. 

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the latest allegations levelled against the Morrison government and why there seems to be no consequences.

And a warning, this episode contains descriptions of sexual harassment.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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For most of the past 18 months, Australia has been hailed as a world leader in terms of its handling of the pandemic.

But now, some of our biggest cities have been plunged back into lockdowns, restrictions and border closures, while Europe and the United States reopen.

Last week the federal government outlined a plan to get us back to some kind of normality but it’s been criticised for being pretty light on the details.

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on whether Australia wasted its good luck, and when we might finally reopen.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

Background reading: Exclusive: Morrison ignored chief health officers’ advice in The Saturday Paper

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A scathing new report has found that in the lead-up to the last election the federal government spent more than half a billion dollars on infrastructure projects heavily targeted to seats held by the Coalition, or seats they were trying to win.

The funding was specifically for car parks, but it raised serious questions about how government funding decisions are made, and the politicisation of the public sector.

Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton on what happens when hundreds of millions of dollars and 47 car parks meet a federal election.

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

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Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, but now it’s on the cusp of being declared “in danger” by UNESCO.

But scientists have been warning for decades that rising sea temperatures could kill off the Reef, though their concerns were largely ignored by the government.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on the scientist who predicted the end of the reef, and why the Australian government doesn’t want to listen to him.

Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.

Professor of Marine Studies at the University of Queensland, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg.

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The United States presidential campaign so far has largely been based on fashioning public perceptions: with the Democrats painting Donald Trump as a threat to democracy, and Republicans calling Kamala Harris a radical Marxist who will destroy America.

And with the election just around the corner, their first and possibly only debate was a chance to tell Americans about their visions for the country.

So with most polls showing both candidates at a dead heat, did we learn anything about what they’re actually offering voters? 

Today, senior researcher at The Australia Institute Dr Emma Shortis, on who came out on top of the US presidential debate, and whether it was enough to make a difference.

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Guest: Senior researcher at The Australia Institute, Dr Emma Shortis

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In a recent landmark judgement, the federal court has found that the government owes children a duty of care in preventing harm from the impacts of climate change.

The case, which centred around the proposed expansion of a NSW coal mine, could have far reaching legal implications in Australia.

Today, writer for The Monthly Kieran Pender on the case that saw a group of teenagers take on the Minister for the Environment. 

Guest: Writer for The Monthly Kieran Pender.

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Today, Richard Flanagan, Booker prize winner and author of The Living Sea of Waking Dreams, reads his essay from the latest issue of The Monthly. It’s called ‘To be free’ and it explores why he writes, and, in his words “the need to write against the dogmas of conformity”.

Guest: Writer for The Monthly Richard Flanagan.

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Less than eight percent of Australians are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

This week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the Astra-Zeneca vaccine, previously only available for people over 60, could now be accessed by anyone, regardless of their age. 

The announcement led to significant pushback, particularly from the Queensland government, who are still advising younger Australians to avoid AstraZeneca.

Today, contributing editor to The Monthly Rachel Withers on what's behind the government decision making on vaccine eligibility. 

Guest: Contributing editor to The Monthly Rachel Withers.

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Australia’s meat processing industry is one of many that relies heavily on migrant workers, to do jobs that Australian residents often aren’t willing to do. 

Many of those migrant workers come from China, with the promise that hard work will lead to permanent residency in Australia. But for some that promise is never delivered on.

Today, writer for The Monthly André Dao on how Australia’s immigration system exploits the hopes and hard labour of migrant workers. 

Guest: Writers for The Monthly André Dao, Michael Green and Sherry Huang.

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In the past few days over 10 million Australians have been plunged back into lockdowns, as fresh outbreaks of Covid-19 spread across major cities.

The emergence of these new clusters has highlighted how vulnerable Australia still is during this phase of the pandemic, largely as a result of our low vaccination numbers.

The current crisis forced the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, to announce a radical overhaul to the vaccine rollout on Monday night.

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on how Australia ended up on the verge of a national lockdown and whether the federal government’s new plan goes far enough.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

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A case currently before the High Court, involving one academic’s controversial views on climate, could have significant ramifications for freedom of speech in Australia.

Physicist Peter Ridd was fired after he publicly criticised his colleague’s research on the Great Barrier Reef, but what started as an employment dispute has become a test case on climate denial and cancel culture.

Today, writer for The Saturday Paper Kieran Pender on Peter Ridd’s day in court and what the outcome could mean for academic freedom.

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Kieran Pender.

Background reading: Peter Ridd’s High Court case in The Saturday Paper

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As Australia grapples with new outbreaks of Covid-19, questions about the origins of the virus have been re-emerging.

US President Joe Biden recently urged intelligence agencies to investigate where the virus came from, and who was responsible.

And at the G7 summit, world leaders formally discussed the controversial Wuhan lab-leak theory: the idea that the virus didn’t emerge naturally, but came out of a laboratory. 

So why is a previously discredited theory gaining traction right now? And should we take that theory seriously? 

Today, former China correspondent and contributor to The Saturday Paper Linda Jaivin on what we know about the origins of Covid-19 and why conspiracies are flourishing.

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Linda Jaivin.

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After two years on the backbench, Barnaby Joyce is back as leader of the Nationals and as Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister.

His return to power caught Scott Morrison off guard, and has put the spotlight on the tense relationship between the two Coalition parties.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on what triggered Barnaby Joyce’s return and what it means for the future of Australian politics.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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Behrouz Boochani spent six years detained on Manus Island, a victim of Australia’s Pacific Solution.

Last year he was granted refugee status in New Zealand, and since then has used his freedom to advocate on behalf of the hundreds of other asylum seekers detained by Australia.

One group of detainees, the Murugappan family from Biloela, were recently moved from Christmas Island into community detention in Perth. 

But has their case shifted attention from those still trapped by Australia’s immigration system?

Today writer and former detainee, Behrouz Boochani on the refugees we aren’t speaking about, and the reasons why. 

Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Behrouz Boochani.

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Tens of thousands of athletes and officials are about to descend on Tokyo as the city prepares to host the 32nd Olympic games. 

But with Covid-19 cases surging in Japan, health experts and the majority of the Japanese public are opposed to the event being held at all. 

So, why are the Olympic Games going ahead? 

Today, sports writer Kieran Pender on the institution, and the vested interests, behind this pandemic Olympics. 

Guest: Sports writer Kieran Pender.

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Peter Dutton’s first major promise when he became opposition leader was to build nuclear power plants.

It was a curious idea with no cost attached and and without much community support, according to polling. 

Now, the Labor government has signalled it wants the next election to be fought on the viability of these plants, with the release of a new attack ad focusing on how expensive nuclear power would be.

Beyond the cost, questions remain about the legality and safety of nuclear power in Australia.

Today, emeritus professor and former head of the School of Science at Griffith University Ian Lowe fact checks Peter Dutton’s nuclear promise.

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Guest: Emeritus professor and former head of the School of Science at Griffith University Ian Lowe 

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YouTuber Friendlyjordies has built up a significant audience in recent years through his pointed and acerbic political videos. 

But he’s also attracted controversy, with the deputy Premier of NSW suing him for defamation. 

Now, one of the comedian’s producers has been arrested by a controversial police unit established to explicitly focus on ideological extremists. 

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on the friendlyjordies saga, and why a state government seems intent on turning him into a martyr.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

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Recent breakthroughs in science and medicine have demonstrated that we may be much closer to being able to artificially grow and replace human organs than ever before. 

But, those developments are also challenging long established ethical guidelines around the use of embryos, or embryo-like cells.

Today, science writer and contributor to The Monthly Elizabeth Finkel on the latest scientific breakthroughs, and the argument that our ethics need to evolve alongside our knowledge of the world.

Guest: Science writer and contributor to The Monthly Elizabeth Finke.

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The Underground Railroad, a new series on Amazon Prime, is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead. 

It's directed by Barry Jenkins, who also directed the 2016 Best Picture winner Moonlight and the follow up, If Beale Street Could Talk. 

The show is one of the most gripping, powerful and visceral series out this year, and it’s an opportunity to explore what prestige television looks like in 2021, and how it can help us confront our history and grapple with the present.

Guest: Award-winning writer, filmmaker and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Santilla Chingaipe

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As the leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies gathered to discuss climate change, and pledged further action, the Australian government chose to reiterate its commitment to fossil fuels.

With Prime Minister Scott Morrison out of the country the Nationals leader Michael McCormack used the spotlight to take a swipe at renewable energy advocates and talk up coal.

Today, contributing editor to The Monthly Rachel Withers on how the Coalition is increasingly out of step with both the international community and voters at home.

Guest: Contributing editor to The Monthly Rachel Withers.

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The QAnon conspiracy theory, focused on a belief in the existence of a Satanic child sexual abuse ring, has been collecting followers worldwide. 

Here in Australia one of its adherents is a man called Tim Stewart, who also happens to be a long-time friend of Prime Minister Scott Morrison. 

Now, questions are being asked about Tim Stewart’s influence on the Prime Minister. 

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Richard Cooke on what drives people to Q-Anon, and the threat it poses in Australia. 

Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Richard Cooke.

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Australia’s health care system is facing unprecedented amounts of pressure.

Our public health systems have been cut back for decades, and now the private system is facing a death spiral… with younger Australians opting out of increasingly pricey insurance options.

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on why some health experts are worried that Australia’s health care system is becoming more and more like the expensive, privatised model in the US.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

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Speaking from a hospital in Perth, Priya Murugappan details her daughter’s sickness and her family’s struggle in detention. More than three years after they were taken from their home in Biloela, the Tamil family just want to be settled. Medical records show their children are deficient in Vitamin D and have psychological issues related to being locked up.

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Rebekah Holt.

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Hip-hop is the biggest musical genre in the world right now, and one of the fastest growing locally, but in Australia it still feels like it hasn’t quite broken through and dominated the mainstream yet, in the way it has overseas - especially in the US and UK. 

Acts like the Hilltop Hoods and Bliss n Eso helped popularise Australian hip-hop in the mid-2000s, but while they were achieving commercial success, a much grittier and raw kind of hip-hop was coming out of housing commission estates in Sydney and Melbourne.

Known as gutter rap, or lad rap, this underground subgenre never saw much airplay and didn’t sell heaps of records, but it influenced a generation of artists redefining hip-hop in Australia today.

Writer, journalist and contributor to The Saturday Paper and The Monthly, Mahmood Fazal, joins The Culture to discuss the history of Australia’s underground hip-hop scene and how it feeds into the music being made today.

Guest: Writer, journalist and contributor The Saturday Paper and The Monthly, Mahmood Fazal

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This week, Scott Morrison announced Australia’s involvement in a massive organised crime sting coordinated by the FBI. He pushed for greater security powers, but some observers believe what he really wants is a distraction from bad news and poor polling.

Guest: Contributing editor for The Monthly Rachel Withers.

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After 20 years of war, Australia gave three days’ notice before closing its embassy in Kabul. The dramatic end expresses how unsafe Afghanistan still is and how little the conflict achieved. But the decision also leaves hundreds of local staff vulnerable to retaliation by the Taliban. 

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

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Politics was changed at the last election in a way the major parties are still grappling with.

Now, the record crossbench it delivered looks set to grow even more, with a hung parliament looking ever more likely.

In the lead up to the next election, Labor is courting the teals, knowing the relationship could be crucial to forming government and keeping Coalition MPs out of inner-city seats.

Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Barlow, on Labor’s plan and the fight that could derail it. 

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Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Barlow

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A further outbreak of Covid-19 in Victorian aged-care homes was not just a possibility: it was almost a given. Even before a vaccine was available, the federal government ended the support payment intended to stop casual staff working across multiple sites. That is exactly how the virus spread.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

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Christian Porter’s decision to settle his defamation suit against the ABC is the end of one battle. But the former attorney-general, accused of a historic rape he strenuously denies, is still fighting on at least two other fronts. Mike Seccombe on how the so-called ‘Defamation trial of the century’ ended - and what happens next.

Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.

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Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been detained by the Chinese government since 2019.

He’s been charged with espionage offences, but the exact nature of what he’s accused of has never been revealed. He’s now awaiting the verdict of a secret trial held a few weeks ago, with the death penalty one possibility. 

Linda Jaivin is a former China correspondent and the author of ‘The Shortest History of China’. Today, she unpacks the mysterious case of Yang Hengjun and what his treatment says about the Chinese government's approach to human rights.

Guest: Writer Linda Jaivin.

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Olivia Rodrigo’s hit single ‘driver’s license’ is undeniably the biggest song of 2021 so far. Now the actor turned singer-songwriter has released her debut album ‘Sour’, which has broken streaming and chart records.

But who is Olivia Rodrigo and why has a teenage girl’s break-up album resonated with so many people of all ages? This week on The Culture we explore what her enormous success says about the way pop stars are manufactured in this current era, with music writer and critic for The Saturday Paper Shaad D’Souza.

Guest: Music critic for The Saturday Paper, Shaad D’Souza.

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Today, Sarah Krasnostein, the best-selling author of ‘The Trauma Cleaner’, reads her essay from the latest issue of The Monthly. 

It’s called ‘The most hated man’ and it explores the sentencing of Richard Pusey, who was convicted of outraging public decency after he filmed the horrific aftermath of a car crash that killed four police officers.

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Sarah Krasnostein.

Background reading: The most hated man in The Monthly

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For the past week the federal government has been locked in a tussle with Victoria over who is responsible for financially supporting those suffering the economic consequences of another lockdown.

Scott Morrison and his ministers have tried to shift the responsibility onto their state counterparts, but grudgingly gave ground on Thursday, acknowledging they did have a role to play.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the fresh political challenges facing the federal government.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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Yesterday, Victorians were told the state’s seven day ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown would be extended for another week, as health authorities race to contain the latest Covid-19 outbreak. 

It’s the fourth lockdown in the state since the start of the pandemic, and now questions are being asked about why Victoria in particular seems so susceptible to the spread of the virus. 

Today, health columnist at The Saturday Paper Dr Melanie Cheng on what went wrong this time and what it will take to control this outbreak.

Guest: Health columnist for The Saturday Paper Dr Melanie Cheng.

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Last month, under the cover of the federal budget, the Coalition government rushed through new laws legalising the indefinite detention of refugees.

Australia’s embrace of indefinite detention puts us at odds with international law, and it’s led to condemnation from human rights groups.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on how Australia got to this point, and what it means for those seeking safety in our country.

Guest: National Correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.

Background reading: Australian government legalises ‘a crime against humanity’ in The Saturday Paper

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As Covid-19 case numbers in Victoria continue to rise, attention has turned to the slow pace of the vaccine rollout, and the question of whether or not more vaccinations could have stopped this outbreak.

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on where the rollout went wrong and what the consequences have been.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

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For years, advocates against sexual assault have been pushing for law reform, particularly on the issue of consent. 

Now - they’ve had a win, with the NSW Attorney General announcing sweeping changes, which go even further than what was recommended by an independent inquiry.

Today, writer for The Saturday Paper Bri Lee on what the changes mean, and the politician leading the charge. 

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Bri Lee.

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The Albanese government’s long-promised National Anti-Corruption Commission was met with high hopes that it would weed out corruption within our institutions and restore faith in politics.

But when it came to its first big test – investigating the robodebt scandal – it took the commission a year to decide it would do nothing.

Now, there are concerns that the NACC is failing to live up to its obligations and has been marred by silence and secrecy.

Today, special correspondent in Canberra for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis, on what the National Anti-Corruption Commission has achieved one year on and whether it’s enough.

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Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

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Whether it’s podcasts like ‘Serial’ or ‘The Teacher’s Pet’, Netflix documentaries like ‘Making a Murderer’ or ‘Tiger King’, true crime is absolutely dominant. 

But what does our obsession with these stories say about us, and our perception of the world we live in? And with institutions like the police and the media under increasing scrutiny from the public, is it time for a genre like true crime to reinvent itself?

This week on The Culture we discuss all of that and more with Sarah Krasnostein, the best-selling author of ‘The Trauma Cleaner’, criminal law expert, and The Saturday Paper’s TV critic.

Guest: Sarah Krasnostein. TV critic for The Saturday Paper.

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Victoria has been plunged back into lockdown, the state’s fourth since the start of the pandemic.

But this time there’s one big difference: vaccines that were supposed to help keep us safe and avoid outbreaks like this are now available, but in Australia take up has been slow.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on how Victoria entered lockdown and who shoulders the blame.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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