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Everyone knows we have a housing crisis – rents are spiralling, homelessness is growing and more and more of our income is going towards keeping a roof over our heads.

But did you know that on any given night more than a million homes in Australia sit empty? That’s more than 10 per cent of Australia’s housing stock.

The shortage is not in homes, but in affordable homes.

Today, National correspondent at The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on how Australia lost its way on housing – and why the current plan only addresses one part of the problem.

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Guest: National correspondent at The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe

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This week, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton stood to address parliament on the bill that will allow a referendum on the Voice to parliament.

What he said in that speech has alarmed many, and at least one spokesperson for the Voice said Dutton’s words have been echoed in the abuse he’s received from racist opponents online.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on what Dutton’s rhetoric will do to the debate on the Voice. 

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

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The very people who were meant to be closing loopholes in the Australian tax system have been using that information to advise their big corporate clients.

The scandal engulfing PwC is one of the biggest to ever hit the cosy relationship between the government and private consultancy firms.

And it goes beyond a few bad actors – pointing to a broken system, and a demoralised public service. 

Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray, on what happened when the Australian government trusted PwC to fix our tax system.

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

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There’s been a delay in the release of what could be the most explosive findings from a royal commission in decades.

The commissioner of the robo-debt investigation quietly wrote to the attorney general to request a delay in the publication of its final report.

But this is no mere bureaucratic hold-up, there are other reasons behind it. And one of them has to do with when Australia’s new National Anti-Corruption Commission will be ready to receive referrals.

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton, on how robo-debt could become one of the first topics for the brand new integrity watchdog.

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

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After more than half of voters at the 2022 federal election said climate change was a top concern, helping Labor take power, it became known as the ‘climate election’.

But a year on, how much has really changed?

A 43 per cent carbon emission reduction target has been legislated, and the government promises we’ll reach net zero – but fossil fuel projects are still being approved.

Today, director of the Australia Institute’s climate and energy program Polly Hemming on what a year of Labor government has delivered for the climate.

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Guest: Director of the Australia Institute’s climate and energy program, Polly Hemming

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The global cocaine business is controlled by cartels worth tens of billions of dollars – and in that world, Australia is drawing more and more attention as a particularly lucrative market.

That’s because a gram of cocaine sells in Australia for as much as $400.

But the public rarely gets an insight into this enormous sector of criminal enterprise. How cocaine gets into the country, where the money goes and the violence involved is often veiled in secrecy. Until now.

Today, Four Corners reporter Mahmood Fazal on his investigation into the cocaine trade and how he came face-to-face with the people responsible for it.

You can watch Mahmood Fazal’s investigation on the ABC’s Four Corners on iView, youtube, or ABC TV from 8:30 tonight.

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Guest: Four Corners reporter Mahmood Fazal.

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Today on the show, Sasha Gattermayr, with her piece on the fascination with carnivorous plants from The Monthly magazine. 

Sasha takes us inside a band of collectors whose obsession with plants such as the venus fly trap turned into a lifelong devotion to plants that devour their prey.

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Guest: Writer Sasha Gattermayr

Background reading: Little club of horrors

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It’s almost a year since Anthony Albanese did what no Labor leader had done in 15 years: win an election from opposition.

It was a momentous time for him personally, and one that shifted the political landscape after a decade of conservative government.

Just how much has he accomplished? Is Albanese living up to the promises he made on election night? And is he willing to go beyond them?

Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno spoke to the prime minister about his year on the job, and what’s next.

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

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What happens when a state begins to rely on a private company to fight wars?

We’ve seen it before, but not like this – the power that Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted private military company the Wagner group is unprecedented. 

And Putin may be discovering its drawbacks the hard way – as the public face of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin feuds with his generals and embarrassing stories have emerged in the Western press.

Today, expert in Russian foreign policy and fellow at the ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Matthew Sussex on how the Wagner group – and its leader – are changing the face of modern war. 

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Guest: fellow at the ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Matthew Sussex

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Australia can claim a significant world first: a special government adviser on Women’s Affairs.

Fifty years ago, Elizabeth Reid stepped into the newly created role in Gough Whitlam’s government.

Abortion access, workplace rights, contraception and education – it was a time of huge change in gender parity and access. But the reaction to Reid and the new position was vicious in some circles. She resigned just two and a half years into the job.

What motivated her? How did the job change her? And why did she leave Australia once it was over?

Today, Elizabeth Reid, on being first – and a lifetime of lessons.

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Guest: Women’s affairs adviser to Gough Whitlam, Elizabeth Reid.

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