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Today, Sarah Krasnostein, the best-selling author of ‘The Trauma Cleaner’, reads her essay from the latest issue of The Monthly. 

It’s called ‘The most hated man’ and it explores the sentencing of Richard Pusey, who was convicted of outraging public decency after he filmed the horrific aftermath of a car crash that killed four police officers.

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Sarah Krasnostein.

Background reading: The most hated man in The Monthly

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For the past week the federal government has been locked in a tussle with Victoria over who is responsible for financially supporting those suffering the economic consequences of another lockdown.

Scott Morrison and his ministers have tried to shift the responsibility onto their state counterparts, but grudgingly gave ground on Thursday, acknowledging they did have a role to play.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the fresh political challenges facing the federal government.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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Yesterday, Victorians were told the state’s seven day ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown would be extended for another week, as health authorities race to contain the latest Covid-19 outbreak. 

It’s the fourth lockdown in the state since the start of the pandemic, and now questions are being asked about why Victoria in particular seems so susceptible to the spread of the virus. 

Today, health columnist at The Saturday Paper Dr Melanie Cheng on what went wrong this time and what it will take to control this outbreak.

Guest: Health columnist for The Saturday Paper Dr Melanie Cheng.

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Last month, under the cover of the federal budget, the Coalition government rushed through new laws legalising the indefinite detention of refugees.

Australia’s embrace of indefinite detention puts us at odds with international law, and it’s led to condemnation from human rights groups.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on how Australia got to this point, and what it means for those seeking safety in our country.

Guest: National Correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.

Background reading: Australian government legalises ‘a crime against humanity’ in The Saturday Paper

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As Covid-19 case numbers in Victoria continue to rise, attention has turned to the slow pace of the vaccine rollout, and the question of whether or not more vaccinations could have stopped this outbreak.

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on where the rollout went wrong and what the consequences have been.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

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For years, advocates against sexual assault have been pushing for law reform, particularly on the issue of consent. 

Now - they’ve had a win, with the NSW Attorney General announcing sweeping changes, which go even further than what was recommended by an independent inquiry.

Today, writer for The Saturday Paper Bri Lee on what the changes mean, and the politician leading the charge. 

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Bri Lee.

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Whether it’s podcasts like ‘Serial’ or ‘The Teacher’s Pet’, Netflix documentaries like ‘Making a Murderer’ or ‘Tiger King’, true crime is absolutely dominant. 

But what does our obsession with these stories say about us, and our perception of the world we live in? And with institutions like the police and the media under increasing scrutiny from the public, is it time for a genre like true crime to reinvent itself?

This week on The Culture we discuss all of that and more with Sarah Krasnostein, the best-selling author of ‘The Trauma Cleaner’, criminal law expert, and The Saturday Paper’s TV critic.

Guest: Sarah Krasnostein. TV critic for The Saturday Paper.

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Victoria has been plunged back into lockdown, the state’s fourth since the start of the pandemic.

But this time there’s one big difference: vaccines that were supposed to help keep us safe and avoid outbreaks like this are now available, but in Australia take up has been slow.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on how Victoria entered lockdown and who shoulders the blame.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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The federal budget promised $3.2 billion dollars to be spent on policies that improve the lives of Australian women. 

But, despite that pledge, a critical front line service that supports women being discriminated against at work has lost much of its funding, and now faces closure. 

Today, Royce Kurmelovs on the future of the Working Women’s Centres. 

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Royce Kurmelovs.

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It’s been two years since former Opposition Leader Bill Shorten lost the federal election, and then the Labor leadership.

Now, as the major parties gear up for an impending federal election, which could be held this year, questions are being asked about whether Shorten’s replacement Anthony Albanese is capable of securing Labor victory.

Today, writer for The Saturday Paper Chris Wallace on Labor’s election chances, and what they’ve learnt from the last two years.

Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Chris Wallace.

Background reading: Labor’s election chances in The Saturday Paper

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