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Australia is already off-track with its emissions targets, just one year after setting them.

It’s alarming news, and it’s partly because emissions on our roads are going up.

So, why is that happening? And just how harmful are our cars for the environment compared to those elsewhere? 

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on Australia’s love affair with big, dirty cars.

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe

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Deep inside Australia’s foreign policy and defence establishment, there are whispers that we should be considering an unsettling thought – we could soon be dealing with a second Donald Trump presidency.

He’s facing dozens of indictments and the charges carry the potential for hundreds of years in jail, but none of it is denting his popularity with Republican voters.

Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray, on Trump, Australia’s dependence on America and the future of our alliance.

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

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Qantas’s luck has gone from bad to worse. 

The airline has had to ditch expiry dates for Covid credits, and faced questions over its prices and tickets allegedly sold for flights that had already been cancelled. 

Meanwhile, the government is accused of unfairly propping up Qantas and putting its profits ahead of consumers’ interests. 

So will Qantas be pressured into paying back their government support – and can outgoing chief executive Alan Joyce keep dodging the company’s disasters?

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton, on chaos at Qantas and whether the government is too cosy with our national carrier. 

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Guest: Senior report for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton.

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Australian workplaces are set to change again – with the Albanese government introducing its second round of industrial relations reform since it was elected.

It could change conditions for casuals and gig economy workers like food delivery riders – but not everyone is happy.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on what the government has unveiled – and why it’s pushing ahead with the reform in the middle of a historic referendum campaign.

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

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Yesterday in front of cheering “Yes” campaigners in Adelaide, Anthony Albanese announced the date when Australians will vote on the Voice to Parliament. 

This is the first referendum to happen in the age of social media and misinformation – making truth in reporting more important than ever. 

How information reaches voters will be the responsibility of the media. So will it rise to the challenge? And what does fair reporting look like in a debate that is already so charged?

Today, co-chair of the “Yes” campaign and Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman, Rachel Perkins, on the media’s failings and why it has to do better before polling day.

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Guest: Co-chair of the “Yes” campaign and Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman, Rachel Perkins.

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China’s economy is in deep trouble and continues to get worse.

As the world’s second biggest economy and our largest trading partner, the looming crisis could have massive consequences for Australia. 

So how did a country known for lifting millions of people out of poverty go so wrong?

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on China’s financial woes – and the impact it will have on our own economy.

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe

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“Like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, a Beef Wellington is a tenderloin or fillet wrapped in a layer of mushrooms, inside puff pastry.”

That’s how writer Chloe Hooper begins to describe the events that have put a 48-year-old woman at the centre of international attention.

The mysterious case of the suspected death cap mushroom poisoning has left three people in regional Victoria dead – and an international audience wondering how it happened. 

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Chloe Hooper on what’s known about the case and why stories like this are so hard to resist.

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Chloe Hooper

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A Voice to Parliament would be a first for Australia, but it’s not the first of its kind in the world.

Norway has had an indigenous-led Parliament for more than three decades, with local representatives advising on issues that impact their people.

Closer to home, New Zealand has a Maori Voice in Parliament, with specially established seats for indigenous MPs.

So, what impact have these bodies had? And could they offer a glimpse of life in Australia if we vote “Yes”? 

Today, author and contributor to The Saturday Paper Andrew Wear on what we can learn from other countries that have given indigenous people a Voice. 

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Andrew Wear.

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A clinic inside Melbourne’s Royal Women’s Hospital is quietly changing lives through the power of tattoos. 

The Combined Breast Service offers breast reconstruction, including making nipples anew with tattoo ink. It’s an offering that empowers post-mastectomy patients and breast cancer survivors, who often grapple with accepting their new chests. 

Today, author Katherine Wilson will be reading her piece from the May issue of The Monthly.

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Guest: Author Katherine Wilson

Background Reading: Making a point

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Australia is ageing rapidly, and our country will look very different by the turn of this century.

That’s the prediction laid out in the government’s latest intergenerational report, which forecasts the state of the nation. 

So, what vision does Labor have in guiding Australia into the future? And how urgently are they addressing these issues? 

Today, contributing editor for The Monthly Rachel Withers on what she learned at Labor’s conference about their plans for the future. 

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Guest: Contributing editor to The Monthly, Rachel Withers.

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