7am

Late yesterday, four women and nine children arrived in Australia from Syria. 

The women, who originally left the country to be part of the Islamic State caliphate, have spent the years since its collapse in Syrian refugee camps. 

Many of their children, who are Australian citizens too, have never been here before. 

But they aren’t the first to come back – since 2019, women and children like them have been returning. 

What they’re returning to has become more and more hostile, with politicians maintaining they aren’t welcome, and police threatening arrest.  

Today, Professor Michele Grossman, expert on violent extremism from Deakin University, on our responsibility to these citizens and the danger of politicising their position. 

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

And special credit for the audio of Australian children inside al-Roj refugee camp goes to William Christou and the Guardian.

 

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Guest: Expert on violent extremism from Deakin University, Professor Michele Grossman

Photo: AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad

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A flotilla of boats carrying aid towards Gaza was still hundreds of kilometres from the coast when the Israeli navy moved in.

Australian activist Zack Schofield was on one of the 50 boats. He says the first sign something was coming was the sound of drones overhead; then radio warnings, military vessels, and soldiers boarding the ship.

What happened next is now the subject of serious allegations and competing accounts. 

Today, Zack Schofield on the interception at sea, what he says happened in Israeli custody, and why the flotilla may still try to reach Gaza. 

 

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Guest: Australian activist, Zach Schofield

Photo: Supplied

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The Reserve Bank has raised interest rates again. The cash rate is now 4.35%, after the third rate hike in a row. 

For Australians already stretched by the cost of living, it means another hit to mortgage repayments, rents and household budgets. 

And while the decision was widely expected, the reason behind it is more complicated. Some economists are calling it the “Hormuz hike”, a response to global oil prices, the war in Iran and fears inflation could skyrocket.

Today, economist and co-CEO of the Australia Institute, Dr Richard Denniss, on why the Reserve Bank is making Australians pay more to contain inflation, and the risk that it goes too far. 

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

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Guest: Economist and Co-CEO of the Australia Institute, Dr Richard Denniss

Photo: AAP Image/Dean Lewin

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On April 25, Kumanjayi Little Baby was reported missing from her bed at the Old Timers town camp, just south of Alice Springs. Five days later, after a community-unifying effort, her body was found. She was five years old.

Soon after, community members found the man accused of killing her. They called police and now a 47-year-old man has been charged with murder, and other charges we can’t mention for legal reasons.  

For the past week, as her family and community have mourned, Alice Springs/Mparntwe has once again been placed under the intensity of the national gaze; its grief, anger and calls for justice broadcast across the country.

Today, the Chief Executive of SNAICC, the national peak body advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, Catherine Liddle, on Kumanjayi Little Baby, the grief in Mparntwe, and the questions that need to be asked without turning her death into another political fight. 

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

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Guest: SNAICC CEO, Catherine Liddle

Photo: Matt Garrick ABC News

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In 2023, Antionette Lattouf was sacked by the ABC after sharing a Human Rights Watch post about Gaza. 

What followed became one of the most closely watched employment cases in the country, raising questions about political pressure, media independence and whose voices are allowed to be heard. 

Now, after winning her case, Lattouf has written a book about her fight, and the women who’ve taken on powerful institutions and won. She’s also become part of a new independent media movement, as audiences look beyond legacy institutions for voices they feel they can trust. 

Today, Antoinette Lattouf, on the cost of challenging the system, and what comes after winning. 

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

And you can check out Antoinette’s book ‘Women Who Win’ here 

 

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Guest: Journalist and co-founder of Ette Media, Antoinette Lattouf

Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi

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In December last year, in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, Anthony Albanese promised the biggest national gun buyback since Port Arthur.

He wanted states and territories to agree to new gun laws by March and legislate them by July. But that first deadline has passed – and the national response is fracturing.

Queensland and the Northern Territory are refusing the buyback, Tasmania is rejecting a cap on the number of firearms a person can own, and a national register is not expected to be running until 2028.

The Royal Commission into Antisemitism has also weighed in, saying Australia should waste no time in implementing the buyback.

So today, 30 years after Port Arthur, we’re returning to our January episode – where Nicole Johnston speaks with Ebony Bennett from the Australia Institute on why Australia has more guns than ever, and why reform is still so difficult.

This episode was originally published in January, 2026.

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

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Guest: Deputy director at The Australia Institute, Ebony Bennett 

Photo: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

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The Albanese government has moved quickly on the royal commission into antisemitism, accepting all the recommendations from its first report, before public hearings begin. 

It comes at a volatile moment in national politics, after the issue was seized on by the opposition in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, and as the issue of the conflicts in Iran, Gaza and Lebanon continue to expose deep division across the country.

Meanwhile, One Nation is trying to turn its momentum in the polls into something more lasting, backed by a private plane from Gina Rinehart and millions in donations from her allies. 

Today, ABC Radio Melbourne’s Raf Epstein, on the royal commission, the politics of One Nation, and whether the divisions running through the country are likely to deepen. 

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

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Guest: ABC Radio Melbourne, Raf Epstein

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The first report from the Royal Commission into Antisemitism has landed at a volatile moment. 

Australia’s terrorism threat level is already listed as probable, and the war in Iran is adding new pressure to an already fragile security environment that risks fuelling grievances, inflaming extremism, and increasing the risk facing Jewish communities in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. 

But the interim report leaves some of the hardest questions for later, including whether warnings before the attack were properly acted on and whether security agencies were on the same page when it came to identifying the threat. 

Today, counter-terrorism expert Greg Barton on what the report reveals, and why the threat facing Australia may be growing faster than the systems built to stop it. 

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

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Guest: Counter-terrorism expert at Deakin University, Professor Greg Barton

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

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Iran’s war time propaganda videos featuring AI rap music and Lego characters are getting millions of views online. 

They praise the Islamic Republic, and mock Trump. But their message is also dark, anti-semitic and leaning into conspiracy theories.

So how has a regime that’s shut down the internet, and isn’t known for its sense of humor captured the zeitgeist so well?

Today, Holly Dagres, an Iranian-American analyst from the Washington Institute on Iran’s viral meme war and what it tells us about the regime. 

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

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Guest: Senior fellow at the Washington Institute, Holly Dagres

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It was a relationship that saw both Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson rise to power.

Now, the Tucker-Trump bromance is officially over.

Conservative media powerhouse Tucker Carlson has offered an apology to voters for backing the president, as their relationship turned sour.

Today, Jason Zengerle, staff writer for the New Yorker, on the end of Tucker and Trump – and what it means for the MAGA movement.

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

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Guest: Staff writer for the New Yorker, Jason Zengerle

Photo: EPA/JUSTIN LANE

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