7am

The growing diplomatic dispute between China and Australia took an ugly turn this week, after a Chinese government official posted an incendiary tweet. Today, Paul Bongiorno on the harsh realities of an increasingly dominant China, and whether Scott Morrison can navigate Australia through a period of growing tension.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese are caught between a global shift towards more serious climate action and pro-coal members of their respective parties. Today, Karen Middleton on how Australia’s political leaders are grappling with climate policy.

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

Background reading: How Australia’s leaders are preparing for climate change in The Saturday Paper

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In 2018 Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert was arrested and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in an Iranian jail. Last week, she was released in a diplomatically fraught prisoner swap involving four different countries. Today, Jonathan Pearlman on what her freedom means for the other foreign citizens still jailed in Iran.

Guest: World editor for The Saturday Paper Jonathan Pearlman.

Background reading: The jailing of Kylie Moore-Gilbert in Iran in The Saturday Paper

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The pandemic has exposed big cracks in the way Australia’s economy and social services operate, particularly when it comes to insecure work and aged care. Today, Rick Morton on how the Victorian state government is trying to lead the national conversation on what needs to change.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

Background reading: Andrews budget wedges Morrison on aged care in The Saturday Paper

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From boycotting celebrities to calling out poor behaviour, cancel culture has become a controversial phenomenon in the age of social media. But the ideas behind it have been around for a long time. Today, Waleed Aly on the origins of cancel culture and what’s really driving it.

Guest: Contributor to The Monthly Waleed Aly.

Background reading: Woke politics and power in The Monthly

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Try as they might, old friends Agatha Gothe-Snape and Alison Bell just can’t seem to find the answers to the questions in this week’s quiz. But there’s plenty of laughter along the way as the artist and actor struggle to name Australia’s deputy opposition leader, the solar system’s hottest planet, and the No.1-ranked golfer in the world.

Guests: Artist Agatha Gothe-Snape and actor Alison Bell

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Australia’s relationship with China is at its lowest point in decades. Trade boycotts are impacting local businesses, and now the Chinese government has issued a fourteen point list of grievances it has with Australia. Today, Paul Bongiorno on the challenges Scott Morrison faces trying to navigate a tense moment in global politics.

Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.

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Rio Tinto’s destruction of the Juukan Gorge caves sparked a global backlash, and now a parliamentary inquiry is exploring what needs to change. Today, Mike Seccombe on how the system locks out traditional owners, and the cross-party alliance of federal politicians pushing for reform.

Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.

Background reading: The failures behind the destruction of the Juukan Gorge caves in The Saturday Paper

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A landmark report has quantified the economic and social cost of Australia’s mental health crisis. It’s also pointed to poverty and unemployment as key factors behind why so many people are struggling with mental health. Today, Rick Morton how the government’s social policies are causing harm to our most vulnerable communities.

Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.

Background reading: Big picture: Robo-debt, politics and poverty in The Saturday Paper

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West Papuan separatists have been fighting for independence from Indonesia for decades. Now independence activists have been targeted by the Indonesian government for posting on social media. Today on 7am, Zach Szumer on the woman who fought back, and became an enemy of the state. 

Guest: Writer for The Monthly Zach Szumer.

Background reading: Enemy of the state in The Monthly

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