7am
Episodes
How one DNA test kept this family apart for a decade
25 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In Australia, DNA testing has been routinely used for decades in deciding who can and can’t enter the country.The tests can be used to unify familie...
The Culture: The Ballad of Britney Spears
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Britney Spears is one of the biggest music stories in the world right now, but it’s not because of her music.It's to do with the saga of her controv...
Front row seats to the world’s biggest experiment
22 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After being postponed last year, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games officially begin tonight in the middle of Japan’s third wave of Covid-19 and amidst a ...
The debate over vaccinating children
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout this pandemic one group in particular have been at the forefront of key policy debates: young people.From whether schools should close, to ...
How an unlikely trio stopped China funding Australia’s biggest coal mine
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Four years ago the mining giant Adani was struggling to fund its massive coal project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.Public pressure and a political ...
Australia has vaccines. Why aren’t people taking them?
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The rapidly spreading Delta variant has forced nearly half of Australia’s population back into lockdown, and it’s not clear when the restrictions ...
Bob Brown on the fight to save Tasmania’s wilderness from a toxic waste dump
18 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Tarkine rainforest, in Tasmania's north west, is Australia's largest temperate rainforest and home to some of the country’s most endangered spec...
The Culture: How a four-year-old Australian song became the biggest hit in Europe
16 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 2017 Melbourne musicians Ed Service and Jack Madin recorded a song in their Brunswick studio. It was recorded with, and for, their friends.The trac...
I get locked down, and I'm locked down again... something, something, something whiskey drink
15 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a new COVID-19 financial support package for Sydneysiders currently in lockdown. The new measures w...
A psychologist's guide to surviving lockdown
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Cheers is a psychologist who spent the long lockdown in Melbourne last year supporting people struggling with their mental health. A few days a...
The case that could help close the gender pay gap
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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,...
Why Frydenberg lobbied to sack Australia’s biggest energy boss
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
The growing Australian surveillance state
11 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past few years the federal government has passed more and more laws granting police and security agencies greater access to our private commu...
The Culture: Welcome to Deathmatch Downunder
09 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The “menacing” and “controlling” Scott Morrison
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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...
As the world opens, Australia seals itself off
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 citi...
The $660 million election slush fund
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 infrastructu...
The scientist who predicted the death of the reef
05 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 UNE...
The judgement that changed climate law in Australia
04 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 cl...
Weekend Read: Richard Flanagan on why he writes
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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’...
How a slip of the tongue changed the vaccine rollout
01 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Less than eight percent of Australians are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.This week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the Astra-Zeneca ...
The exploitation of Australia’s forgotten workers
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s meat processing industry is one of many that relies heavily on migrant workers, to do jobs that Australian residents often aren’t will...
10 million Australians back in lockdown
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Cancel culture hits the High Court
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A case currently before the High Court, involving one academic’s controversial views on climate, could have significant ramifications for freedom of...
The story behind the Wuhan lab-leak theory
27 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 u...
Barnaby Joyce sinks to the top… again
24 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 caug...
Behrouz Boochani on the detainees we forgot
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 Z...
The world’s first pandemic games
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 case...
The government vs Friendlyjordies
21 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
YouTuber Friendlyjordies has built up a significant audience in recent years through his pointed and acerbic political videos. But he’s also attrac...
Science is evolving, but are our ethics keeping up?
20 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Recent breakthroughs in science and medicine have demonstrated that we may be much closer to being able to artificially grow and replace human organs ...
The Culture: Barry Jenkins' new masterpiece, The Underground Railroad
18 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 direc...
Australia backs coal as the G7 pledge climate action
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies gathered to discuss climate change, and pledged further action, the Australian government chose...
You and Q’s army?
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The QAnon conspiracy theory, focused on a belief in the existence of a Satanic child sexual abuse ring, has been collecting followers worldwide. Here...
The Americanisation of Australia’s health system
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s health care system is facing unprecedented amounts of pressure.Our public health systems have been cut back for decades, and now the pri...
The Biloela family speaks out
14 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Speaking from a hospital in Perth, Priya Murugappan details her daughter’s sickness and her family’s struggle in detention. More than three years ...
The Culture: How Western Sydney is redefining hip-hop
11 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Australia’s biggest ever crime sting
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Scott Morrison announced Australia’s involvement in a massive organised crime sting coordinated by the FBI. He pushed for greater securit...
It’s textbook ‘how not to run a war’
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After 20 years of war, Australia gave three days’ notice before closing its embassy in Kabul. The dramatic end expresses how unsafe Afghanistan stil...
You had one job, Greg Hunt
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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, th...
What’s next for Christian Porter
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 hi...
The Australian spy novelist charged with espionage in China
06 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been detained by the Chinese government since 2019.He’s been charged with espionage offences, but the exact natur...
The Culture: Olivia Rodrigo takes over
05 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Olivia Rodrigo’s hit single ‘driver’s license’ is undeniably the biggest song of 2021 so far. Now the actor turned singer-songwriter has relea...
Weekend Read: Sarah Krasnostein on the most hated man
04 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, Sarah Krasnostein, the best-selling author of ‘The Trauma Cleaner’, reads her essay from the latest issue of The Monthly. It’s called ‘...
Scott Morrison dodges responsibility
03 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For the past week the federal government has been locked in a tussle with Victoria over who is responsible for financially supporting those suffering ...
Why it keeps happening to Victoria
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday, Victorians were told the state’s seven day ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown would be extended for another week, as health authorities race ...
Australia breaches international law, again
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last month, under the cover of the federal budget, the Coalition government rushed through new laws legalising the indefinite detention of refugees.Au...
The vaccine race Australia is losing
31 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 no...
How to make a law for consent
30 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
The Culture: The problem with our true crime obsession
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Whether it’s podcasts like ‘Serial’ or ‘The Teacher’s Pet’, Netflix documentaries like ‘Making a Murderer’ or ‘Tiger King’, true c...
Who's to blame for Victoria's lockdown?
27 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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: vaccine...
The frontline women’s services at risk of collapse
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The federal budget promised $3.2 billion dollars to be spent on policies that improve the lives of Australian women. But, despite that pledge, a crit...
Why isn’t Labor cutting through?
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been two years since former Opposition Leader Bill Shorten lost the federal election, and then the Labor leadership.Now, as the major parties g...
The government's war on charities
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Morrison government is contemplating new laws which could see charities held responsible for minor legal breaches by their members and supporters....
Are Australians too complacent about Covid-19?
23 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine has been stymied by a combination of different factors including supply, distribution and vaccine hesita...
Introducing 'The Culture': a new weekly show
21 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Culture is a brand new weekly show from the team behind 7am. Every week join host Osman Faruqi and special guests as they go deep on film, music, ...
Morrison doubles down on Fortress Australia
20 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For over a year now Australia’s international borders have been closed to the rest of the world.Travel restrictions have played a crucial role in ke...
Facing prison for cultural fishing
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sixty years ago commercial licenses were handed out to Australian fishers working in the lucrative shellfish industry. Since then, the families that o...
The politician behind a new anti-abortion push
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In an attempt to fend off allegations of sexism within the Coalition, Prime Minister Scott Morrison reshuffled his cabinet earlier this year. But his...
Gaza’s deadliest day
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For the past week the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip has been under an intense aerial bombardment.Last Sunday was the deadliest day in the co...
Kate Manne on why we don't believe women
16 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Five years on from when MeToo went global, high profile allegations of assault and harassment still make headlines but justice rarely seems to be serv...
Fighting racism in Australian sport
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When Rana Hussain’s family migrated to Australia from India they brought with them a passion for cricket, though it wasn’t long before Rana fell i...
The website the government doesn’t want you to see
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the middle of a growing national conversation about sexual harassment and consent, the federal government launched a campaign on respectful relatio...
Josh Frydenberg's big-spending budget
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has handed down what is expected to be the government’s last budget before the next federal election. Today, chief...
The terror arrests you missed
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Last month police arrested two people accused of possessing extremist material.The arrests came at the same time as Australia’s security agencies we...
Does Dutton really want war with China?
09 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The relationship between Australia and China has already reached an all time low, but now senior political figures are starting to talk publicly about...
Who foots the bill?
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Next Tuesday, the federal government will drop its highly anticipated budget, laying out its priorities for the next 12 months.The stakes couldn’t b...
Australia abandons its own
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Right now thousands of Australian citizens are trapped in India unable to get home, as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to devastate the country. They...
When Hollywood came to town
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From Crocodile Dundee to Marvel blockbusters… Australia’s film industry is being rejuvenated by an influx of international productions.The pandemi...
The end of Chinatown?
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s restaurant industry has been devastated by lockdowns and the loss of international tourism. Some of the hardest hit businesses are thos...
The government vs. Grace Tame
02 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The 2021 Australian of the Year, Grace Tame, was recognised for her advocacy against sexual abuse. Since her appointment she’s been outspoken in her...
Weekend Read: Bri Lee on consent and sex education
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and activist Bri Lee regularly runs workshops on consent and sex in schools.In the upcoming issue of The Monthly Bri writes about those worksho...
A sermon from the Church of Morrison
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Prime Minister Scott Morrison has made no secret of his deep, evangelical Christian faith. At a recent appearance at the Australian Christian Chur...
The Murdoch plan to save Fox
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rupert Murdoch’s media empire is one of the most powerful corporate influences right around the world, but in recent years it’s been through radic...
What Peter Dutton did next
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Peter Dutton has long been one of the most controversial ministers in the federal government. As Immigration minister he became the face of the Coali...
What’s behind the violence engulfing Northern Ireland?
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For much of the 20th century Northern Ireland was marred by violence, as Irish republicans and forces aligned to the United Kingdom fought over the fu...
Richard Flanagan on Tasmania's toxic secret
25 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The billion dollar Tasmanian salmon industry promotes itself as environmentally friendly, healthy, and good for the state. But when you look a little...
Will this verdict change the US?
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly a year ago George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. His death sparked a resurgence in the Black Lives Matter movement.Over t...
How Australia is blocking global climate action
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
World leaders are preparing to meet for a historic global climate change summit, to try and limit the catastrophic impacts of global warming. After d...
The scientist investigating Covid's impact on the brain
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists researching Covid-19 have discovered that the physical impacts of the virus on the body go far beyond what we might have originally thought...
The fight to overhaul Australia’s vaccine rollout
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Federal and state governments are locked in a high stakes battle over the future of Australia’s vaccine rollout, while hundreds of millions of peopl...
Closing the loophole in Australia’s sex discrimination laws
18 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The recent wave of allegations in federal parliament have highlighted that the law that’s supposed to protect women from harassment doesn’t actual...
The real story behind Christine Holgate’s exit
15 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Six months after the chief executive of Australia Post, Christine Holgate, was forced out of her job, she’s now broken her silence. Holgate claims t...
The fight to end Indigenous deaths in custody
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Thirty years ago Australia held a Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, but most of its recommendations still haven’t been implemented...
Big government is back, but not in Australia
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Both the United States and the UK have recently announced policies to increase their tax rates, and spend the revenue on new social policies, as part ...
A doctor explains the risks of the AstraZeneca vaccine
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Australia no longer has an official vaccination target, and one reason for the delay is our reliance on the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been associ...
The crisis we should have seen coming
11 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There are growing fears that homelessness could soon rise in Australia. One of the most at risk groups in the country is older women, who face both ag...
Scott Morrison’s vaccine shambles
08 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The federal government promised that by the end of March four million Australians would be vaccinated against Covid-19 but as of this week we’ve bar...
The new 'God power' that will upend the NDIS
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The National Disability Insurance Scheme was established to provide people living with a disability high quality and tailored support, but leaked docu...
The plan to lock up more Indigenous children
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 2015 the Northern Territory government announced a Royal Commission into Youth Detention, but six years on almost every single young person in pris...
Alan Finkel on the electric planet
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Australia’s former Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel has been on the front line of Australia’s climate wars. This year he was appointed special ad...
Highlight: Bruce Pascoe on how to build a sustainable Australia
04 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For the past three years author and farmer Bruce Pascoe has been trying to establish a sustainable practice on his land. Informed by the Indigenous fa...
Climate change will kill you, part three: sickness
03 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From thunderstorm asthma to the increasing prevalence of infectious disease, a warming planet is already making us more sick. In the final part of thi...
Climate change will kill you, part two: flood
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ev...
Climate change will kill you, part one: heat
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From bushfires and heat, to floods, and the increasing severity of disease, Australians are already feeling the impacts of a warming planet. In this n...
The story behind Australia's mouse plague
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After suffering through record-breaking bushfires, a pandemic, and floods, big parts of Australia now have a new problem: a plague of mice. Farming ...
How these billionaires doubled their wealth during a pandemic
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For many Australians the pandemic has led to some kind of economic hardship, but while workers have suffered some of Australia’s billionaires double...
One month, four more Aboriginal deaths in custody
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past month there have been four Indigenous deaths in custody across Australia. Now, a new organisation has been created to help their familie...
The plight of the platypus
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The platypus is one of Australia’s most iconic and intriguing animals, but like so much of our natural wildlife it’s under threat. Today, James Br...
Scott Morrison says he’s listening. Should we believe him?
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Morrison told the women of Australia this week he was listening to their concerns. But since then the Liberal Party has been rocked by more and ...
The backlash engulfing an Australian arts festival
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of Australia’s biggest arts festivals is facing an intense backlash after announcing a work that called for the blood of First Nations people. T...