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Time is running out for the Liberal Party to select candidates in a number of key seats, ahead of the federal election.

The process should have finished months ago, but internal battles within the party have caused significant delays.

And there are allegations that one senior minister - close to the Prime Minister - may be holding up the process to deliberately engineer a crisis. 

Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Middleton on the power struggle within the Liberal Party that is threatening their re-election chances.

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

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Every year millions of dollars flows into the bank accounts of Australia's political parties - from individuals, businesses and unions.

But loopholes and weak federal election laws mean that the source of more than half of the money political parties receive remains a mystery. 

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Hannah Ryan on how political parties are hiding the real source of their donations – and what that means for the way our democracy works. 

Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Hannah Ryan.

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Right now, if you contract Covid-19, the federal government’s advice is to contact the national coronavirus helpline. 

The hotline is supposed to direct you to the latest medical information, inform you of how long you should isolate and whether you should get tested. 

But in practice, it's staffed by workers who don’t have access to the information they need and administered by a company that previously chased welfare recipients caught up in the infamous Robo-debt program.

Today, senior reporter at The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on the outsourcing of a key frontline health service and the impact of privatisation during the pandemic. 

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

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Right now, in Western Australia, plans are underway to build Australia’s largest new fossil fuel project.

If built, Woodside’s Scarborough gas plant would contribute significantly to global carbon dioxide emissions. But, it also threatens the existence of some of the oldest - and most significant - rock art in the world. 

It’s not the first time a mining company has threatened an Indigenous heritage site in WA, just two years ago, Rio Tinto blew up rock shelters at Juukan Gorge. 

Today, contributor to The Monthly Jesse Noakes on why the Scarborough project is being called Juukan Gorge in slow motion. 

Guest: Contributor to The Monthly, Jesse Noakes.

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Today, Gina Rushton’s latest story for The Monthly magazine, ‘The first victim’ is voiced by Lucy Moir. 

The piece explores how victims of sexual assault are treated in courts of law - and asks whether the legal system in Australia puts people through unnecessary trauma.

Warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault.

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Indie music icon Mitski had already released five albums and received critical acclaim before her 2018 song ‘Nobody’ blew up on TikTok. 

On her new album, ‘Laurel Hell’, Mitski explores her relationship to the music industry and making art under capitalism, at a moment when she’s more famous than ever.

Today Shaad D’Souza joins The Culture to talk about Mitski, TikTok, and the grind of being a musician.

Guest: Shaad D’Souza, music critic for The Saturday Paper.

Background reading: Mitski's Laurel Hell in The Saturday Paper.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed the National Press Club in Canberra this week, hoping to reset his relationship with the public ahead of the federal election.

Instead, it raised a series of questions – questions about just how out of touch Scott Morrison is with the Australian people and with his own party.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno on what the price of bread and a series of leaked text messages have to do with Scott Morrison’s leadership.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

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Fifteen hundred kilometres north of Perth, inmates at the Roebourne Regional Prison are exposed to some of the hottest temperatures in the country. 

Recently, the prison marked its hottest day on record - reaching 50.5 degrees. 

Former prisoners and advocates have warned that it’s not a matter of if someone at Roebourne will die from heat - it’s a matter of when. 

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Dechlan Brennan on what it’s like in Australia’s hottest prison, and why the government is refusing to act. 

Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Dechlan Brennan.

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As Russia amasses troops on the border of Ukraine, speculation is mounting over whether the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, plans to invade the country. 

Today, world editor at The Saturday Paper Jonathan Pearlman on the escalating tension in Europe, and the likelihood of war.

Guest: World editor at The Saturday Paper, Jonathan Pearlman.

Background reading: Russian troop numbers build on Ukraine’s border in The Saturday Paper.

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This week children across NSW and Victoria are finally going back to school.

Lockdowns and school closures have meant that many children have spent the better part of two years learning remotely.

But the decision to reopen schools right now, in the middle of the Omicron wave, has been fraught, with governments caught between trying to reduce case numbers, to wanting to live with the virus.

Today, journalist Hannah Ryan on the debate over when, and how, to return to in-class learning, and what going back to school actually looks like. 

Guest: Journalist, Hannah Ryan.

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