7am

In January, Katie Tangey was killed in a Melbourne house fire believed to be part of the ongoing “tobacco wars”. Police say she was an innocent victim and the arsonists got the wrong address.

The tobacco wars are driven by rival gangs fighting over a black market worth billions, and have been marked by firebombings, extortion and murder.

While headlines focus on the violence, skyrocketing government taxes on tobacco have long been fuelling the fire behind the scenes.

Today, associate editor for The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray, on how a public health initiative created the conditions for a deadly turf war.

 

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Guest: Associate editor for The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray.

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As Peter Dutton conceded his 24-year hold on the Brisbane seat of Dickson, he said the Liberal Party will “rebuild”.

The party’s soul-searching has begun, as it looks to select a new leader and consider its future direction.

But a return to the Liberal Party’s traditional values is complicated by Peter Dutton having led the party further to the right and the election having diminished much of its moderate wing.

Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Barlow, on what’s next for the Liberal Party.

 

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Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Barlow.

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Karen Middleton has known Anthony Albanese for more than 30 years – since before he entered parliament.

She’s watched his rise, and documented the moments that have shaped the leader he is today.

And Karen says this election is going to change Anthony Albanese, in ways that will change the country too.

Today author of Albanese: Telling it Straight Karen Middleton, on why Anthony Albanese won – and what the next three years of Labor government will look like. 

 

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Guest: Journalist and author of Albanese - Telling It Straight Karen Middleton

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The mood inside Labor HQ was jubilant as it became clear that against all expectations, Anthony Albanese had led the Labor party to victory, with a significantly increased majority.

For the coalition the outcome is devastating, and Peter Dutton is out of a job.

On top of that, the next generation of Liberal leadership has been wiped off the electoral map, setting the party back for years to come.

Today, we take you inside Anthony Albanese’s election night party with special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis. 

We find out how Labor defied the odds and what it means for the country.

 

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Guest: special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

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It’s election day!

While Anthony Albanese’s campaign has been modest and predictable, Peter Dutton’s has been marked by missteps and backflips.

It seems the traits that powered Dutton’s rise are now holding him back.

Today, columnist and former adviser to two prime ministers, Sean Kelly, on the decisions that shaped both leaders – and what killed Peter Dutton’s campaign.

 

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Guest: Columnist and former adviser to two prime ministers, Sean Kelly.

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Since the election was announced, just five weeks ago, at least five women have been killed by their partners in Australia. Yet this crisis has barely received a mention in either of the two major parties’ campaigns. 

Dr Tracy Westerman, a Nyamal woman from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, has worked as a psychologist in remote communities for 25 years. She says where she works, the silence from politicians has been especially deafening.

Aboriginal women face a significantly higher risk of domestic violence, but the assumptions our political leaders draw about the causes are deeply misguided. 

Today, Dr Tracy Westerman on what’s really fuelling intimate partner violence in Aboriginal communities – and how to stop women from being killed.

 

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Guest: Dr Tracy Westerman.

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There’s one question Grace Tame is asked all the time: when is she going into politics?

And her answer is always the same – never.

Like many younger Australians, Tame is disillusioned with the two-party system, which she says serves a dwindling minority of morbidly wealthy players rather than the general public.

But as Australia heads into an election where Gen Z and Millennials outnumber Baby Boomers for the first time, she thinks it’s a chance to move beyond the two-party games.

Today, 2021 Australian of the Year and director of the Grace Tame Foundation, Grace Tame, on advocating for change outside of politics, and why this election is a chance to fix democracy.

 

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Guest: 2021 Australian of the Year and director of the Grace Tame Foundation, Grace Tame.

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Under Peter Dutton’s leadership, the Coalition has placed One Nation candidates second on scores of how-to-vote cards across the country.

In return, Pauline Hanson has switched One Nation's how-to-vote cards to preference the Liberals second in seats where the Coalition is under threat.

The decision goes against decades of principled condemnation of Hanson and One Nation inside the Liberal Party, and normalises what has for almost 30 years been a shunned fringe voice in Australian politics.

It signals a change not just in campaign tactics, but in what the Liberals stand for.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on the preference deal between One Nation and the Liberal Party and whether it could backfire.

 

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe.

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If things go the Greens’ way this weekend, the party could hold the balance of power in a minority Labor government.

But given the prime minister’s famed antipathy towards the Greens – and the Labor Party’s continual approvals of new coal and gas projects – questions remain about whether they’ll really have any power at all.

Today, Greens leader Adam Bandt, on working with Albanese and what the Greens have to show for their record win last time around.

 

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Guest: Greens leader Adam Bandt.

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As we head to the polls this weekend, election analyst Ben Raue has been calculating the path to victory for the major parties. 

The Coalition needs to pick up 18 seats to win, while if Labor loses four seats, they lose their majority.

But as the electorate shifts in all kinds of surprising ways, the path to victory is becoming increasingly complicated for the major parties.

Today, analyst at The Tally Room Ben Raue, on the seats that will decide the election – and why Victoria matters more than ever.

 

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Guest: Analyst at The Tally Room, Ben Raue.

Photo: AAP / Lukas Coch

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