For Read This’s last episode of 2024, host Michael Williams heads to Fitzroy Pool to find out what people are reading as the weather warms up. Plus, a handful of previous Read This guests offer book recommendations for the summer holidays.

Anthony Albanese has finished the year with his lowest approval rating yet.

The prime minister’s popularity has been crumbling ever since his party was elected to government in 2022, with some polling suggesting that he is now as unpopular as Scott Morrison was heading into that election.

His image has been damaged by the purchase of a $4.3 million mansion during a housing crisis, as well as receiving flight upgrades courtesy of Qantas.

Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis on Anthony Albanese’s image problem and whether he can turn it around.

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Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

Like coming up for air after 50 years. That’s how one man described the current moment in Syria.

Since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, thousands of Syrians have been celebrating in the streets and wandering through Assad’s abandoned palace.

But many more are searching through the massive network of prisons that underpinned Assad’s repressive regime, hoping to find out the fate of lost loved ones.

Meanwhile, Syria’s new rulers, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, are grappling with how to seize control of the infrastructure that underpinned Assad’s massive state-run drug trade.

Today, journalist Heidi Pett, on the ground in Damascus, as the Syrian people reckon with what the future holds for their country.

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Guest: Journalist Heidi Pett.

Alice Springs is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Violent crimes committed by young people, including a recent attack on a woman and her two-month-old baby, have left the town shaken. 

The baby has suffered a brain bleed and a fractured skull, and there are now big questions about how to keep the community safe, what justice should look like and why crimes like this happen at all.

Today, Arrernte woman Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, the national body representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, on the underlying issues wreaking havoc on the streets of Alice Springs and what can be done to address the youth crime crisis.

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Guest: Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC

It’s been nearly four months since all branches of the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union were forced into administration and hundreds of union officers were kicked out.

The government wanted a clean slate after allegations of bullying, intimidation and infiltration from outlaw bikie gangs.

Now, those underworld figures are seeking payback.

And the man tasked with cleaning up the union is facing death threats. 

Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on the challenge of cleaning up the CFMEU and the enduring influence of John Setka and his loyalists.

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Guest: Associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray

The Liberal Party says it wants the next election to be a referendum on energy.

After months of waiting, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton finally released the costings for his $331 billion nuclear power plan.

The modelling suggests the nuclear plan would be $264 billion cheaper than Labor’s renewables rollout, and deliver lower energy prices for consumers.

But Dutton’s plan contradicts the CSIRO's new GenCost report, which found a nuclear power plant would likely cost twice as much as renewable energy, with the agency also warning a fully operational fleet of nuclear reactors could not be expected before 2050.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on how the Coalition’s modelling stacks up – and whether it matters to voters hungry for lower power bills.

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe.

John Safran has been a fixture in Australian media since his breakthrough in 1997 with ABC TV's Race Around the World. After several TV series of his own that explored ideas about faith, race and culture, John made the shift to book-length journalism. On this episode of Read This, Michael sits down for a conversation with John about his latest book, Squat, and John reveals the deeper story behind his week living in Kanye West’s Malibu mansion.

After a scathing ruling from a Nevada probate commissioner, Rupert Murdoch and his eldest son Lachlan’s attempt to amend a family trust may have backfired spectacularly, with the commissioner concluding the two acted in “bad faith”.

Rupert was attempting to give permanent control of his conservative media empire, comprising Fox and News Corp, to his designated successor Lachlan after Rupert dies.

The initial attempt to amend the trust was also kept secret from Lachlan’s three eldest siblings – Prudence, Elisabeth and James – the other beneficiaries with equal voting rights on the trust.

The ruling has deepened the divide within the family, and thrown the future of the Murdoch empire into question.

Today, director of the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne, Andrew Dodd on the ruling, the fallout and the next chapter in the Murdoch succession saga.

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Guest: Director of the Centre for Advancing Journalism at the University of Melbourne, Andrew Dodd.

This week, on the streets of Damascus, there were signs of an army in retreat – tanks abandoned and Syrian army uniforms scattered on the roads where soldiers had torn them off.

It reflected the speed at which rebel forces had taken over Syria, with Bashar al-Assad’s brutal reign finally coming to an end after 13 years of civil war.

As celebrations spread across the nation, the Syrian people face the task of rebuilding a country now in the hands of rebel groups.

Today, Middle East correspondent for The Economist Gregg Carlstrom on Syria’s path forward and the implications for an increasingly unstable region. 

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Guest: Middle East correspondent for The Economist Gregg Carlstrom.

Last week, News Corp tabloids ran front page stories in papers around the country, all saying a similar thing: Australia needs to “step on the gas” or face blackouts and soaring electricity prices.

But you had to turn the page to find out the coverage – labelled an “exclusive” special report – was sponsored by major gas companies.

Now, the Greens are planning to call Murdoch media executives before a Senate inquiry into greenwashing, saying the reporting was no more than propaganda masquerading as news.

Today, Greens spokesperson for communications and chair of the Senate inquiry into greenwashing Sarah Hanson-Young on Murdoch’s gas warfare and the power of the fossil fuel lobby.

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Guest: Greens Senator, Sarah Hanson-Young.