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Episodes
Should we bail out the airlines?
31 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s airlines have been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, and they’re asking the government for billions of dollars in financial suppor...
Hoaxes, lies and coronavirus
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As we try and contain the coronavirus outbreak, health authorities, governments and social media platforms are also battling the spread of misinformat...
How to survive the shutdown
29 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As more of Australia goes into coronavirus isolation, advice is being offered on how to manage mental health during a viral pandemic that forces us to...
Coronavirus, part five: One month in
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s now been one month since Scott Morrison’s first announcement on the coronavirus pandemic. Since then his response has been criticised as conf...
Coronavirus, part four: the Australian scientists who could beat it
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Teams of researchers are working around the clock to try and develop a vaccine against coronavirus. In Australia, a group of scientists at the Univers...
Coronavirus, part three: the economics of a shutdown
24 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With hundreds of thousands of Australians losing their jobs, the economic cost of coronavirus is becoming clear. On Monday the government passed its s...
Coronavirus, part two: How the government failed
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Medical experts say that the government’s slow response to the coronavirus outbreak has left Australia exposed, and a lack of resources could make t...
Coronavirus, part one: The frontline
22 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases grows in Australia, hospitals are gearing up for a spike in admissions. Today, Dr Nenad Macesic on how do...
The day coronavirus swallowed Scott Morrison
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Morrison has finally begun to acknowledge the serious economic cost of coronavirus, and speculation is growing about his next big stimulus packa...
Ten questions about coronavirus
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the coronavirus outbreak continues to grow, many in the community are still unclear about the virus’s symptoms, how they can keep themselves safe...
George Pell’s last stand
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A year ago, George Pell was sentenced to six years’ jail for the sexual abuse of two Melbourne choirboys. Last week, he appealed against that decisi...
Trust in the time of coronavirus
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Containing the coronavirus outbreak requires clear, decisive action from the government. But public trust in our leaders is at an all time low and it’...
The future of dairy
15 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Animal-free dairy could be the norm within the next decade, promising affordable, sustainable and cruelty-free milk. But what will the success of alte...
Can Team Australia beat the coronavirus?
12 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The economic and social effects of the coronavirus outbreak are accelerating, with new trade and travel bans announced. In Australia the government ha...
White terror, part three: The itch at your back
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A year on from the Christchurch terrorist attack, Muslims in Australia are still wrestling with a new level of fear. Some have been drawn back to fait...
White terror, part two: The dossier
10 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A secret document prepared by ASIO warns of the threat of far-right terrorism in Australia. In detail never before published, it outlines the risk Aus...
White terror, part one: 35 widows
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A year on from the Christchurch massacre, survivors face isolation and economic hardship. We speak to the men and women living through the aftermath o...
My name’s Scott Morrison, and I have a truth problem
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week Scott Morrison finally told the truth about his attempt to invite Hillsong founder Brian Houston to a White House dinner. At the same time m...
A fear at the end of the earth
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
James Button spoke to scores of people about climate change and what it means to them. He found deep anxiety – but also a contradiction between how ...
Labor’s climate smokescreen
03 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Labor Party has committed to zero emissions by 2050, but hasn’t said how it will get there. And, its coal commitments contradict that target. Mi...
Could we end domestic violence?
02 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The murder of Hannah Clarke and her three children has once again put Australia’s failure to grapple with domestic violence on the national agenda. ...
The town without abortion
01 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Description: A consortium of powerful religious doctors has made it impossible to choose a surgical abortion in one of NSW’s largest regional towns ...
Scott Morrison’s fortunate disaster
27 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Coronavirus has provided Scott Morrison with an opportunity to re-establish his leadership credentials, but will it work? Today, Paul Bongiorno on how...
How coronavirus feeds Australian racism
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The panic generated by coronavirus has reignited an older, deeper panic about Chinese migrants. Ruby Schwartz on how a medical emergency has unearthed...
We need to talk about St Kevin’s
25 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today’s episode we speak to Luke Macaronas, a former St Kevin’s student. He wrote for The Saturday Paper about the way toxic masculinity define...
The prison riot sparked by climate change
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A riot caused by the intense summer heat in Alice Springs shows how vulnerable our justice system is to the impacts of extreme weather. Prison reform ...
How billions in government spending could be unlawful
23 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the past year, the government has directed nearly $5 billion to various schemes using a process lawyers say is likely unconstitutional. Karen Middl...
Does Scott Morrison finally have a climate policy?
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sandwiched between the climate deniers in his government and growing public pressure for real action on climate change, Scott Morrison has edged close...
The minister for nuclear power
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Keith Pitt is a climate sceptic and coal evangelist. He is also the minister for Water and Resources. Mike Seccombe on how the parliament’s most str...
Suing over Howard’s camps
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
More than 60 former asylum seekers are seeking compensation for the psychological trauma they endured in Australia’s notorious Baxter detention cent...
Plants, mental health and an unrecognised humanitarian crisis
17 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A humanitarian crisis is unfolding among thousands of asylum seekers living in Australia without work rights and in some cases without housing. The im...
Zali Steggall’s climate breaker
16 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There is a successful model to de-politicise climate change. It works in Britain, and a private member’s bill says it could work here. Paddy Manning...
Llew ‘Who’ O’Brien and the National Party turducken
13 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The upcoming Queensland state election is shaping Canberra politics and tearing the Nationals apart. Paul Bongiorno on what the elevation of Llew O’...
The tiny town where Scott Morrison is building a nuclear dump
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Morrison government has bought part of a farm in Kimba, South Australia, where it intends to build a nuclear waste dump. Millions have been spent ...
The love story behind Australia’s biggest political donation
11 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Description: Scott Morrison’s re-election campaign received a huge boost from one of Sydney’s most reclusive families. So what prompted a 92-year-...
Did Clive Palmer buy an election for $84 million?
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Clive Palmer spent $84 million of his own money on the last federal election – and didn’t win a single seat. But his campaign still played a key r...
Profiting from Auschwitz: How 4 million books were sold on fabrications
09 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Australian author Heather Morris has made millions selling books about the Holocaust. But the people she writes about are in many ways unrecognisable,...
Barnaby Joyce’s failed coup
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Barnaby Joyce lost his leadership tilt but has reopened a schism in the Coalition on climate policy. Paul Bongiorno on what Joyce promised - and the c...
Australia’s secret emissions target
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The federal government is refusing to adopt stronger climate-change policies, but it turns out that might not matter. In this episode, Mike Seccombe r...
What happens if we don’t stop coronavirus?
04 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As coronavirus shuts borders and creates global panic, there is a risk it will reach a point where it cannot be contained. Rick Morton explains where ...
Honouring Bettina Arndt, men’s rights activist
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Bettina Arndt has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, in recognition of her work for “gender equity”. Feminist academic Eva Cox con...
The prime minister and the dung beetle
02 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Don Watson on why Scott Morrison is not really a politician, and how the collapse in difference between the major parties has created a vacuum of mean...
Scott Morrison’s eternal present
30 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As Scott Morrison pivots to the coronavirus evacuation and deploys the military to the fire zone, questions are being asked about the management of ...
Exclusive: Red Cross staff speak out
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Red Cross has collected more than $115 million since Australia’s bushfire crisis began. But where is that money going? The organisation has been...
Sports grants are the tip of the iceberg
28 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the government deals with the Bridget McKenzie scandal, questions are being asked about other larger grant programs. In this episode, Karen Middlet...
Brendan Nelson’s gravy sandwich
27 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As minister for defence, Brendan Nelson controversially spent $6.6 billion on Boeing fighter jets. Now he is running the company’s Australian divisi...
Fighting fire with... what?
26 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In a terrible summer, the bushfire season still has months to run. The volunteers fighting the fires are exhausted and under-resourced. Rick Morton on...
A very Morrison Christmas
19 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As fires continue on both sides of the continent, and the government succeeds in putting off commitments at the UN climate talks, Scott Morrison has g...
What is Labor doing on coal?
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Anthony Albanese says ending Australian coal exports won’t halt climate change. He says we need to cut emissions, but Adani should get on with it an...
Helen Garner’s diary
17 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Garner has been keeping a diary for as long as she has been a writer. She published extracts from last year’s in the latest issue of The Month...
Brian Houston, we have a problem
16 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the Hillsong Church booms internationally, its local arm is still dealing with the fallout from the royal commission into child sexual abuse. Rick ...
Return to Stasiland
15 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, former members of the Stasi are still working to control the conversation about the regime they once s...
Where there’s smoke, there’s climate change
12 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As fires burn across the east coast and Sydney suffers catastrophic air pollution, the Coalition government is arguing to do less on climate change. S...
What happened to David Savage
11 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Seven years ago, David Savage was injured while working for the Australian government in Afghanistan. He has fought since to have his compensation set...
The big wedge (Or: How Murdoch lobbies government)
10 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Following an inquiry into digital platforms, the government finds itself wedged between News Corp and the tech giants. Both sides are lobbying heavily...
The man who didn’t kill Colin Winchester (part two)
09 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Description: Following his wrongful conviction for the murder of Canberra’s top police officer, David Eastman sought compensation. But there are big...
The man who didn’t kill Colin Winchester (part one)
08 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In Canberra in the 1970s and ’80s, David Eastman was thought of as a serial pest. That was until he was convicted of murdering the assistant commiss...
Jacqui Lambie’s secret deal
05 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the parliamentary year ends, and politicians go home for summer, Scott Morrison is celebrating the repeal of medevac. The key vote came from Jacqui...
Angus Taylor’s hydrogen scandal
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Hydrogen will be a major renewable energy source, and can be produced by splitting water atoms. But the government is ignoring this low-carbon option ...
George Megalogenis on Australia’s next decade
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the first two decades of the 21st century come to an end, Australia is going to be forced to confront its place as a middle power and embrace an el...
Andrew Bolt vs Dark Emu
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Bolt has led a campaign against Bruce Pascoe and his book Dark Emu. But after reading the explorer journals on which the book is based, Rick Mo...
Inside the Westpac scandal
01 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the fallout from the Westpac scandal continues, attempts are already underway to limit corporate responsibility. Michael West on why the story brok...
Defending Angus Taylor (the lone wolf and the albatross)
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Morrison has put himself in a difficult position, calling the NSW police commissioner to check on an investigation into his own minister. Paul B...
Fascism and troll culture
27 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
According to author Jeff Sparrow, a new fascism is emerging from the internet – one that is rooted in meme culture, but that harnesses mass shooting...
The politicians fighting to bring Assange home
26 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As Julian Assange fights against extradition to the United States, an unlikely group of politicians is working to have him returned to Australia. Rick...
Peter Ridd’s European adventure
25 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A speaking tour of Europe has revealed the strategy behind Peter Ridd’s rejection of reef science: he believes that if people doubt the reef is dyin...
The red princeling
24 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Xi Jinping’s ambitions for China are paranoid and expansionist. His mindset mirrors that of the guerrilla fighters in the Chinese Civil War. Peter H...
Robo-debt and China (a week in two acts)
21 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Morrison government has halted its robo-debt program, finally confronting issues with the troubled scheme. Separately, the government has affirmed...
The next fight on Uluru
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As Scott Morrison’s co-design process gets underway, ruling out the key aspirations of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, there are signs that a ne...
The cabinet maker
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Since becoming prime minister, Scott Morrison has stamped himself on the cabinet process. There will be more PowerPoints, and less debate about issues...
Changing consent law
18 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A review of consent laws in New South Wales is recommending changes to how juries interpret sexual assaults and the onus that is placed on defendants....
Thoughts and prayers are not enough
17 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, a million hectares of eastern Australia was burnt in catastrophic bushfires. In the main, politicians refused to acknowledge the science th...
The burning truth
14 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As fires burn through NSW and Queensland, a fundamental shift can be detected in Canberra: the politics of climate change have altered. It is no longe...
ASIO officers broke law on warrant
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We don’t know what exactly happened or what ASIO was investigating; those details are secret. What we do know is that early last year the spy agency...
Sums in a notepad: mental health and work
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
New work from the Productivity Commission shows the federal government spends twice as much on income support for people affected by mental illness as...
Morrison’s darkest speech yet
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, Scott Morrison described his plans for a ban on environmental groups lobbying businesses. The speech he gave has been called a defining mome...
What’s happening in Queensland?
10 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Lech Blaine grew up in country Queensland. After the 2019 federal election, he spent several weeks driving around the state, trying to understand what...
The sniff, the scent of victory
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As Labor responds to an internal review of its election defeat, some in the party feel they have already lost the next election. While the party strug...
The death toll of inequality
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There is a widening gap in Australia between the life expectancy of the rich and the poor. On some figures it is as much as 10 years. Mike Seccombe on...
Green-energy superpower
05 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ross Garnaut wrote the blueprint for Australia’s response to climate change. As the politics fell apart, he became interested in the economic opport...
Looking for Albanese
03 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Anthony Albanese was shaped by the circumstances of his childhood: a single mother, a council house, a love of the Labor Party. The question now is if...
The surplus disease
31 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Morrison government is committed to a budget surplus above all else. But as Paul Keating points out, this commitment can be a kind of sickness. Pa...
Rosie Batty’s next fight
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After the Morrison government announced another inquiry into the family courts, to be co-chaired by Pauline Hanson, advocates in the sector expressed ...
Strip-searched in Newtown
29 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the number of police strip-searches rises in New South Wales, a law enforcement commission considers whether many of them are actually legal. Fiona...
Swallowed by the sea (part two)
28 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How the American anti-climate-science lobby hijacked local councils in Australia, changing sea-level benchmarks as it went.Guest: Writer for The Month...
Swallowed by the sea (part one)
27 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A decision to hand planning about sea-level rise to local council has opened up a war around science, property values and influence. Bronwyn Adcock on...
To Howard with love
24 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the Liberal Party celebrates its 75th anniversary, the Nationals are brawling with each other about drought. At the same time, concern grows over p...
Lock ’em up
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Australia is almost alone in the world in its willingness to lock up primary-school-age children for criminal offences. But the “tough on crime” r...
Out of office
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As Labor waits for a review of its election loss, and another into the operations of its NSW branch, Anthony Albanese is wrestling with divisions insi...
Restarting robo-debt
21 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
An error at the Department of Human Services caused the original robo-debt algorithm to restart, issuing thousands of unchecked debt notices. Royce Ku...
A classroom full of dollars
20 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The boom in international education has seen students become commodities. It has also changed the way universities operate - chasing rankings and casu...
That won’t feed one cow
17 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As Scott Morrison attempts to control the message on how his government is handling the drought, there is bad news for his claims to strong economic m...
Cash and the black economy
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
New legislation will restrict the way Australians use cash. But there are concerns the laws could jail people for using legal tender. Karen Middleton ...
Peter Dutton’s war on dissent
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
From anti-protest legislation to funding cuts, this government has waged war on dissent. In recent weeks, its rhetoric has intensified. Mike Seccombe ...
Exclusive: Forfeited to state care
14 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The NDIS was meant to provide better care to people living with disabilities. But a stalemate over funding responsibilities has forced 500 families to...
Spies and Chinese money
13 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Australia’s relationship with international investment, especially from China, has been remade in the past six years. What was once a question of bu...
The luck and the chutzpah
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Liberal Party is sliding further on climate change, claiming it will meet targets but without policy to do so. At the same time, the Labor Party i...
The Monthly Awards 2019
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Each year, The Monthly assembles a panel of critics and artists to nominate 10 standout pieces of Australian culture from the past 12 months. These wo...
Carbon, beef and the underground economy
08 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The latest IPCC report says current farming practices are unsustainable. But there are solutions, if farmers want to change. Matthew Evans on how the ...
Growing old in a pyramid scheme
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The aged-care sector is on the brink of collapse. The major providers have been propped up by a government bailout, but without reform they cannot kee...