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Tens of millions of dollars in “dark” donations to political parties have renewed calls for election funding reform.

The Australian Electoral Commission’s annual release of political contributions data for 2023-24 revealed the major parties received over $140 million in donations, with close to half of that undisclosed.

Even the disclosed donations are only now just being reported – in some cases 18 months after they were made.

The Albanese government is proposing to reform the system, but independents wonder if a lack of open consultation means the government is stitching up a deal with the Coalition that would benefit the major parties at their expense.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on Australia’s biggest political donors and the roadblocks to reform.

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

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The arrival of DeepSeek wiped more than $1 trillion off the value of America’s tech firms, topping the country from its unquestioned position at the forefront of the global AI race.

The Chinese AI company also upstaged President Donald Trump’s announcement of the Stargate Project – a $500 billion AI initiative.

The fact that a relatively small disruptor like DeepSeek could cause such damage raises serious questions about everything Silicon Valley wants us to believe about artificial intelligence.

Today, managing editor of The Saturday Paper Emily Barrett on the DeepSeek crash, and what it means for the present day tech titans.

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Guest: Managing editor of The Saturday Paper, Emily Barrett.

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Lech Blaine’s debut book Car Crash, told the gripping story of his life in the aftermath of a horrendous road accident that killed several of his friends. Since then he’s written political essays and thoughtful journalism for The Monthly, the Quarterly Essay and beyond. On this week’s episode of Read This we’re bringing you Michael’s conversation with Lech at Canberra Writers’ Festival, where they discussed his latest book Australian Gospel: A Family Saga. The book details the outrageous true story of the tangled fates of two couples and the children trapped between them.

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Donald Trump returned to the White House with a campaign that routinely attacked trans gender people. On the night he was elected, trans people in the United States were panicking.

Online, they shared concerns about access to hormone treatment and surgery, while swapping notes about moving to countries where they might feel safer.

In Australia, writer and lawyer Sam Elkin began preparing for what the Trump era will mean for trans people in our country.

Now, senior federal politicians have begun voicing their support for Trump’s anti-trans tactics. But will his playbook work in Australia?

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Guest: Sam Elkin

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The company that’s run Australia’s immigration detention network for over a decade, British conglomerate Serco, has lost its contract, but not before helping build what’s been called one of the world’s ‘most extreme and secretive’ detention regimes.

Across the life of the contract, there have been scandals, incidents of self-harm and allegations of mistreatment and disproportionate use of force.

The federal government’s decision to dump Serco has been welcomed by advocates and former detainees, but with a new private prison operator taking over, there’s little optimism that conditions will improve.

Today, journalist and contributor to The Saturday Paper Denham Sadler on Serco’s ugly legacy and the future of immigration detention in Australia.

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Denham Sadler.

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As a child, Grace Tame often felt isolated and misunderstood, a feeling later explained by her autism diagnosis.

It’s a common experience for autistic people, who have long been misrepresented, misdiagnosed and mistreated.

The government aims to address this with Australia’s first National Autism Strategy, which it says will prioritise the voices and experiences of autistic people.

While there's optimism, questions remain about whether the six-year plan will lead to real change.

Today, former Australian of the Year Grace Tame on what the success of the strategy depends on, and what she hopes to see as an autistic person in a neurotypical world.

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Guest: Former Australian of the Year, Grace Tame.

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In 2017, the billionaire businessman Sanjeev Gupta rescued the Whyalla steelworks from administration, becoming known as the “saviour of steel”. 

There was hope in this small town, 400 kilometres north of Adelaide, that steelmaking would continue and the thousands of people who rely on the steelworks for their livelihoods would get a reprieve. But now, the 60-year-old steelworks has been losing $1 million a day, and if it is forced to close – which looks increasingly likely – the town will be hit for six.

Recently, investigative journalist and former host of the ABC’s Media Watch Paul Barry visited Whyalla, to find out how the town can be saved and what a transition to green steel might look like.

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Guest: Investigative journalist and former host of the ABC’s Media Watch Paul Barry

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Peter Dutton’s announcement last month that he won’t stand in front of the Aboriginal flag got the exact reaction he was likely after – talkback minutes, headlines, private agreement from some quarters and outrage from others.

Professor Marcia Langton saw something else. She knows the tactic: a toxic political circus in the lead up to Australia Day, centred on lies about Aboriginal people. And she knows Dutton’s record on Indigenous affairs.

She doesn’t want him anywhere near the flag.

Today, Professor Marcia Langton AO on what it would mean for Aboriginal people if Peter Dutton becomes the prime minister.

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Guest: Professor Marcia Langton AO

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Best known for his thought-provoking explorations of sexuality and identity across generations, British author Alan Hollinghurst rose to international stardom after his 2004 novel The Line of Beauty was awarded the Booker Prize. In his seventh novel, Our Evenings, Alan adopts the memoir format, offering a delicate meditation on memory, loss, and the passage of time. On this episode of Read This, Alan discusses his life and career and reveals why this book is as close as he will get to writing a memoir.

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As wildfires tore through some of LA’s most affluent neighbourhoods, burning down mansions owned by celebrities, some wondered if it might be a turning point in how seriously we take the climate crisis. 

But climate scientist Joëlle Gergis wasn’t sharing that hope. 

Instead, Gergis was angered by our heartache for wealthy communities while the impact of climate change disproportionately affects the poor. 

And to make matters even worse, a climate denier has entered the White House.

Now, Gergis is turning her attention to the upcoming election here in Australia, where she says we have a choice to make about how comfortable we are being complicit on climate. 

Today, climate scientist and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Joëlle Gergis, on why the next election is a fork in the road for our climate.

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Guest: Climate scientist and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Joëlle Gergis

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