7am

For generations, First Nations people have called for a truth telling process so their stories can be heard.

In Victoria, for the first time in Australia’s history, that has finally happened.

For the past four years, the Yoorrook Justice Commission has been gathering the testimony of thousands of Victorians to put on record the truth about the state’s history.

The culmination of that work has now been handed to the Victorian government. 

Today, we hear the story of the Yoorrook Justice Commission – and find out how knowing the truth about Australia’s history sets us up for a better future.

This is part one of a two part series.

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Guest: Daniel James, host of 7am and author of the Yoorrook report Truth Be Told

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Last week, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published testimony from Israeli soldiers who admitted to deliberately shooting unarmed Palestinian civilians while they waited for humanitarian aid – claims the Israeli government denies. 

According to authorities in Gaza, at least 583 people have been killed in the past month at aid distribution centres in Gaza, and many more people have been injured.

The United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres has called the Israeli and US-backed aid centers “inherently unsafe” – saying “the search for food must never be a death sentence”.

On today’s episode, we speak with doctors working at the last functioning hospitals in Gaza, about the reality of treating people who have been attacked while trying to get food.

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Guests: Intensive care specialist, Dr. Aziz Rahman and spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Olga Cherevko. 

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Two years ago, some of our colleagues had the idea to start a show about books. The result was Read This – a weekly podcast about the books we love and the stories behind them. In each episode, host Michael Williams speaks to an author about their work and their life. 

It’s a favourite show of everyone on the 7am team and as it finishes up as a Schwartz Media podcast, we wanted to pay tribute to our colleagues who make this show so special. 

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A sleek Chinese-made ute is suddenly one of the most popular vehicles on Australian roads. It’s cheap, fast and packed with tech. But behind its rise are questions security agencies are struggling to grapple with. 

Because the cars we drive today are no longer just cars; they’re also data collection tools. And in a tense geopolitical climate – the lines between convenience and surveillance are blurring.  

Today, senior fellow at the Lowy Institute and contributor to Australian Foreign Affairs, Richard McGregor on the BYD Shark, China’s quietly tightening technological grip on Australian infrastructure and what it means for national security. 

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Guest: Senior fellow at the Lowy Institute and contributor to Australian Foreign Affairs, Richard McGregor

Photo: Annegret Hilse

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In this inaugural episode of Read This, host Michael Williams and founding editor Sarah McVeigh head to Helen Garner’s house for cake and conversation. Helen shares what she’s writing about, how she problem solves, and the inspiration she gets from watching her grandson’s footy training.

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When US President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the world watched for a response. But in Australia, there was silence. It took a day before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong addressed the media.

When they did, they backed the US, tentatively, while calling for calm. For Albanese, a leader who once opposed the Iraq war, it’s a moment that reveals how far Labor has travelled on foreign policy and how little resistance that shift is meeting inside his own party.

But while Labor falls in line, the Coalition are thrashing their way to a new identity. This week, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley made her first major pitch to the public – signalling where she wants to take her divided party.

Today, columnist for The Monthly and Inside Story, Karen Middleton, on war, politics and the calculations driving both major parties.

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Guest: Columnist for The Monthly and Inside Story, Karen Middleton.

Photo: Lukas Coch / AAP

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Cyclone Alfred should not have tracked as far south as it did. But in March it tore through Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Northern Rivers, affecting about four million people.

One of them was climate scientist and IPCC lead author, Joëlle Gergis. She says the storm’s freak southward drift, driven by record-warm ocean temperatures, shows the climate crisis is outrunning politics.

Today, Joëlle Gergis on how far governments have fallen behind their climate promises – and the bold action Australia must take before the next disaster strikes.

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: Climate scientist and lead author for the IPCC, Joëlle Gergis.

Photo: David Gray / AFP

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A mistake at an IVF clinic has led to a woman giving birth to a stranger’s baby.

It’s a catastrophic error and not the first one that’s recently come to light. Such risks are not covered in the marketing material of Australia’s major fertility clinics.

But this mistake – at one of the oldest and most reputable clinics in the country – has had devastating consequences that reach far beyond the affected families, and damaged the confidence of anyone relying on fertility treatment in Australia. 

Today, writer and public health campaigner Hannah Bambra on how Monash IVF has handled its monumental mistake, and why the IVF industry is so vulnerable to human error.

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: Writer and public health campaigner Hannah Bambra

Photo: Supplied by University of Queensland/AAP Image

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America’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites over the weekend mark a terrifying turning point.

Donald Trump has taken the US into direct conflict with Iran – and risked what the UN secretary-general is calling a “rathole of retaliation”.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth claims that Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been obliterated, but questions remain about the extent of the damage, and whether the attack will only strengthen Iran’s resolve to rebuild. Moreover, Trump’s calls for regime change suggest that peace may take much longer.

Today, author of The Permanent Crisis: Iran’s Nuclear Trajectory and defence editor at The Economist Shashank Joshi, on what Iran will do 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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Guest: Author of The Permanent Crisis: Iran’s Nuclear Trajectory and defence editor at The Economist, Shashank Joshi

Photo: Hindustan Times/Sipa USA

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Having fought his way to the top of the South Australian Liberal ticket, Alex Antic is working to reshape the party as a radical outfit more interested in ideology than governing.

The Liberal senator calls himself an irrelevant backbencher, but he’s installed allies, toppled moderates and is pushing the party’s politics to the edge.

His playbook mirrors Donald Trump’s: dominate the narrative, fight the culture wars and never aim for the centre – and moderates fear he will keep the Liberal party unelectable.

Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis, on the rise of Alex Antic and the fight for the soul of the Liberal Party.

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: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis.

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

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