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The prices of Australian houses are dropping faster than ever before – but is this a blip on the way to higher prices, or an actual value crash?

And if it is a real crash… could that be a good thing? 

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe, on the rollercoaster of the Australian property market.

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

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After 45 days of economic chaos under Liz Truss threatened the welfare of ordinary Britons, the UK now has a new prime minister: Rishi Sunak.

Sunak’s family wealth of over a billion dollars makes him an unlikely figure for the task – he is the richest MP in the British parliament. But he has made history as the country’s first British Asian prime minister.

Today, world editor of The Saturday Paper Jonathan Pearlman, on the ascent of Rishi Sunak and the challenges ahead of him.

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Guest: World editor of The Saturday Paper, Jonathan Pearlman

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Some of the world’s most treasured art works have been under attack in the last few weeks.

Paintings by Van Gogh, Picasso and Monet have been doused in food by climate activists trying to draw attention to the urgent climate crisis.

So is this plea for action working? And why are activists turning to this kind of protest? 

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe, on the divide within the environmentalist movement, and what is driving protesters towards desperate action.

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

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A Labor government has handed down a budget for the first time in nine years.

It isn’t the budget that many might have imagined in May when the party won the election. It lands just as a global economic storm appears to be gathering momentum.

Last night, we got the pitch that tells us how this Labor government thinks it can contend with the challenge and what it plans to deliver for Australians.

So what’s in it? Who’s getting money? Who is missing out? And how does it set up this term for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

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Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Middleton

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Last Tuesday, while torrential rains brought floods that cut off whole towns in Victoria, Australia’s weather forecasting agency made a strange announcement.

The Bureau of Meteorology called on all media to change the name they had used to refer to it: the BoM. Instead it wanted to be called The Bureau.

What seemed like an odd branding announcement at first, has led to a series of revelations about working conditions for Australia’s official weather forecasters.

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on the culture at the Bureau of Meteorology and how science got sidelined.

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Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton

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An idea that Australia discarded a decade ago will return on Tuesday night.

That idea is a so-called “wellbeing budget”. It is being talked up by the Treasurer Jim Chalmers. 

Chalmers has promised that Australia will follow countries like Scotland and New Zealand in judging the success of government spending not just against GDP and income per person, but based on whether it improves the wellbeing of the Australian people.

Today, social researcher and director of research at 89 Degrees East, Rebecca Huntley on whether a budget can actually make us happier.

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Guest: Social researcher and director of research at 89 Degrees East, Rebecca Huntley.

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The Labor party has been making promises.

The latest is that it hopes to end domestic and family violence within a generation.

But ahead of the budget, the leadership of the party are in a tricky position by promising no tax hikes, no excessive borrowing, but fixing funding to services.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the storm clouds gathering as we go into budget week.

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

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It's been two weeks since millions of Australians learned their data might have been compromised in the Optus hack. 

Since then other data breaches have been revealed, and the precarious nature of the way our personal information is often stored is becoming clear. 

So what actually happens when someone tries to steal your identity? 

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper, Emma Phillips, on how it feels to lose control of your identity, and her fight to get it back. 

In a statement in response to issues raised in this episode, the Victorian Department of Transport said:

“We’re protecting Victorian licence holders from identity theft with strong security measures in place to protect the data we hold.”

“This includes ensuring that only genuine victims of identity theft can change their licence number and taking steps to ensure a person who calls up, or goes into one of our customer service centres is who they say they are.”

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Emma Phillips.

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What happens when an organisation founded on radical activism decides to work with, instead of against, authorities? 

For Captain Paul Watson that conundrum has led to an acrimonious split from the organisation that he started, Sea Shepherd.

Watson has been hailed by some as a hero for his exploits against whaling ships on the high seas — but others say he’s an ‘eco-terrorist’ who has given environmentalism a bad name.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on whether this is the end for Paul Watson’s brand of high-stakes environmentalism.

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

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The notorious Evin prison in Iran, which holds the Islamic Republic’s political prisoners, was on fire over the weekend.

Around the country, protests that began over the death of a woman in police custody have now morphed into a broad anti-government movement – the most significant in years.

This time, protesters are being more daring than ever before. Some are calling for the death of Iran’s supreme leader and flaunting Iran’s strict morality laws in the streets.

Today, scholar of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and one-time detainee at Evin Prison Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert on how far the Iranian protesters are willing to go.

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Guest: Scholar of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. She spent 804 days in prison in Iran, Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert

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