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It was 2020 when the government first discovered that a glitch in its system was wrongfully cutting  welfare recipients off from their payments.

Rather than fixing the error, the department did nothing for three years.

In that time, ten people died. Whether their deaths were the result of suicide or destitution after losing support, Services Australia won’t say.

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton with his exclusive story about the ministers who failed to act on behalf of the vulnerable – and instead protected the interests of private companies.

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Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton

Photo: Credit: AAP Image / Darren England

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The results in the latest Closing the Gap report are grim.

Only five of the 19 targets are on track, and Indigenous incarceration rates are rising. But is the policy itself part of the problem?

Critics like independent senator Lidia Thorpe argue that Closing the Gap hasn’t delivered change and should be scrapped.

Meanwhile, the government has announced hundreds of millions in new spending, including major investments in remote communities and initiatives to reduce grocery prices in the Northern Territory.

Today, Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy on whether Closing the Gap is still working.

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Guest: Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy.

Photo: AAP Image/Amanda Parkinson

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Last year, one of the world’s most powerful families converged in a Nevada court room to fight over the future of their empire.

Rupert Murdoch was attempting to change a decades-old family trust in order to install his chosen son, Lachlan, as heir apparent when he dies.

Exactly what happened in that court room was a tightly guarded secret. But then, in a rare interview with The Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins, James Murdoch gave his account of the case and how it tore his family apart.

Today, Coppins tells us why James spoke out to reveal the bitter details of the battle over the Murdoch empire.

This is part one in a two part interview. 

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Guest: Staff writer at The Atlantic, McKay Coppins 

Photo: Ron Galella / Getty

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One of the cardinal Murdoch family rules is never speak about the family outside the family.

So, when journalist McKay Coppins got in touch with James Murdoch last year, he really wasn’t expecting a reply.

But Coppins was curious – what would happen to the Murdoch empire when Rupert died? And what it would mean for his youngest son, James, who was seemingly an outcast from the family?

What he didn’t yet know was there was a secret high stakes legal battle going on – and James was ready to talk.

This is part two in a two part interview. 

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Guest: Staff writer at The Atlantic, McKay Coppins

Photo: Ron Galella / Getty

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Two time Miles Franklin Award-winning author Alex Miller is 88, but with 17 books under his belt and more writing on the way, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. On this episode of Read This, host Michael Williams sits down with Alex to discuss his latest book The Deal, which revisits the life of Lang Tzu, a character in his critically acclaimed novel The Ancestor Game.

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In news rooms, board rooms and electoral offices around the country, there's one question driving everyone insane: when is Anthony Albanese going to call the election?

Nervous backbenchers are willing him to strike while the Reserve Bank’s decision to cut interest rates is fresh in voters’ minds, but the prime minister is being coy about his preferred date.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on when Labor insiders are expecting an election and how Peter Dutton is coping with the government’s week of good news.

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

Photo: AAP Images

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Australia faces its most “difficult threat environment” in 50 years, with larger and more varied plots than ever before. That was the message from the director-general of ASIO, Mike Burgess, when he gave his annual threat assessment on Wednesday night, taking the extraordinary step of declassifying some of the intelligence behind the warning.

According to Burgess, foreign interference and espionage are at extreme levels, with ASIO foiling five major terror attacks against Australians last year.

Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis on how foreign governments are trying to interfere in Australia – from AUKUS to our elections.

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Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Jason Koutsoukis

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s confirmation as US health secretary made official one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial appointments.

Kennedy’s confirmation came off the back of fiery questions from both Democrats and Republicans on his record on vaccines.

Under oath, Kennedy denied he was against vaccinations, but watching closely was investigative journalist Brian Deer, who says Kennedy is beyond a vaccine sceptic – he’s “the most prominent anti-vaccine campaigner in the whole world”.

Today, journalist Brian Deer on Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s real beliefs, and the impact his campaigning had on a deadly measles outbreak in the Pacific.

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Guest: Investigative journalist Brian Deer.

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On Tuesday afternoon, the Reserve Bank cut the official cash rate to 4.1 per cent.

It’s the first interest rate cut since 2020, after 13 consecutive hikes between May 2022 and November 2023.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers welcomed the cut, saying it's a relief “Australians need and deserve”.

But RBA governor Michelle Bullock has warned not to expect further cuts and given the impact on mortgage repayments will be modest, how much political mileage the government can get out of this remains to be seen. 

Today, managing editor of The Saturday Paper Emily Barrett on what the Reserve Bank’s decision tells us about the state of the economy and how it will shape the looming election campaign. 

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Guest: Managing editor of The Saturday Paper, Emily Barrett

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Meals on Wheels is an essential service for many elderly people across the country. 

It’s the sort of service that you can’t really put a price on – providing community connection and support to people who might be falling through the cracks. That’s what makes this failed plot to take over Meals on Wheels so shocking. 

It’s a story that’s got it all: dubious alliances, shocking lies, boozy nights – and millions of dollars.

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Guest: Senior reporter at The Saturday Paper Rick Morton

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