7am

Anthony Albanese’s meeting with Xi Jinping this week is a crucial opportunity to strengthen relations with our biggest trading partner.

But it comes at a time when Australia is trying to break China’s grip on the supply chain of critical minerals.

China’s global domination has been in the works for decades – a grand plan that gives China ready access to materials essential for everything from fighter jets to wind turbines. It also gives Beijing extraordinary leverage over Western economies and defence forces.

Today, columnist for Australian Foreign Affairs Ian Verrender, on China’s long game on critical minerals domination – and the old pile of mining waste in Western Australia which could upend it.

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Guest: Columnist for Australian Foreign Affairs Ian Verrender

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The Liberal Party knows it needs to change. But the battle over how is already tearing the party apart. Sussan Ley has declared herself a “zealot” for getting more women into parliament. 

But she faces stiff resistance from the conservative wing of the party, including from some of its older statesmen which see quotas as undemocratic and an attack on the idea of ‘merit’, 

But gender imbalance is not the only problem they’re facing. Liberal insiders say unless the party finds a way to broaden its appeal it will continue to suffer “a spiral of disaster that feeds on itself” which will render itself incapable of ever returning to government.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on why the Liberal party can’t agree on how to save itself. 

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe

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Spotify has transformed how the world listens to music. But as it’s grown, the company behind it, and its founder Daniel Ek, have been reshaping more than just the music industry.

Ek has become a key figure in the global defence industry, investing more than a billion dollars into military technology based on artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Spotify itself has embraced AI in ways that many artists say undermine their work.

Today, author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist Liz Pelly, on how Spotify’s pursuit for power and profit is changing music, and what listeners can do to take back control.

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Guest: Author of Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist Liz Pelly

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When journalist Antoinette Lattouf picked up a casual contract with ABC Radio Sydney, she didn’t expect it to end in court. But after she reshared a Human Rights Watch post about Gaza, the ABC pulled her off-air on day three and ended her employment.

Last month the Federal Court ruled that decision unlawful, finding senior executives acted after “an orchestrated campaign by pro-Israel lobbyists to have Ms Lattouf taken off air”, and ordered the ABC to pay her $70,000 in compensation.

The verdict is already forcing change: the ABC has pledged to overhaul its social-media rules, and questions have been raised about how journalists can report on Gaza without lobbying pressure.

Today, co-founder of Ette Media and plaintiff in the case, Antoinette Lattouf, on why she fought and what her win means for the future of journalism in Australia.

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

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In the Central Australian community of Yuendumu, Kumanjayi Walker’s family gathered this week to hear coroner Elizabeth Armitage share her findings into his death.

Walker was a 19 year old Warlpiri-Luritja teenager who was shot and killed by former constable Zachary Rolfe in 2019.

Today, investigative journalist Kate Wild on what the inquest revealed about the racist culture of the Northern Territory police, how it enabled Zachary Rolfe to act with impunity – and whether institutional change is possible.

Kate Wild’s book about the life and death of Kumanjayi Walker is called The Red House. It will be published in August.

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Guest: Investigative journalist Kate Wild

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Erin Patterson has been found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, after serving her estranged ex-husband’s family beef wellington, which contained death cap mushrooms.

Erin Patterson said the addition of death cap mushrooms to the dish was a tragic accident, and maintained her innocence throughout the trial. But after deliberating for a week, the 12 person jury reached a unanimous verdict yesterday.

Sarah Krasnostein is an award-winning writer and legal scholar. She has spent the last ten weeks traveling to Morwell to be in the courtroom as the case was heard and she was there as the verdict was read out to a packed courtroom.

Today, she shares how it unfolded inside the courtroom.

 

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Guest: Award-winning writer and lawyer Dr Sarah Krasnostein

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A child care worker in Victoria has been charged with more than 70 offences relating to the sexual abuse of children. Following the arrest, the state health authorities recommended 1200 children, some as young as five months old, get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. 

The government is scrambling to figure out how this happened, and how to stop it happening again. But for ABC investigative journalist Adele Ferguson, this is the unsurprising outcome of a long brewing crisis in childcare centres across the country. 

Today, Four Corners reporter Adele Ferguson on the dangers of an industry driven by profit, and National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds on what needs to be done to better protect children in care.

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Guest: Investigative journalist Adele Ferguson and National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds.

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Australia is positioning itself as a critical supplier of the minerals the world needs to build clean technology. But for now, China dominates the market, and its grip on supply chains gives it enormous leverage. 

At the same time, the Albanese government is racing China to shore up its influence in the Pacific; a region already feeling the sharpest impacts of climate change.

Today, contributing editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis, on the high-stakes contest for influence in our region, and how Australia’s broken climate promises are holding us back. 

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Guest: Contributing editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis

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AI chatbots have crept into our lives – and some abusers are weaponising them.

By feeding intimate details about their partners into tools like ChatGPT, they’re producing “performance reviews” that shame, degrade and control.

Today, writer Madison Griffiths on this new form of tech-enabled coercive control – and why ChatGPT always sides with the abuser.

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Guest: Writer, artist and producer Madison Griffiths.

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This is the second installment of a two part series about the history and impact of the Yoorrook Justice Commission.

In this episode, we hear the stories of First Nations elders whose loved ones were stolen, and who lived through the racist policies whose legacies are still felt in society today. We also hear what happened when the Victorian Premier became the first sitting leader to testify. 

And now that the truth has been told, Daniel discusses the recommendations of the report and what happens next. 

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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