The teacher shortage across Australia has left public school educators feeling burnt out and undervalued – that’s if they haven’t already quit. 

In NSW, a plan to make the state’s teachers among the highest paid in the country helped Labor win the election this year. 

But months after entering into pay negotiations, and on the verge of announcing a historic deal, the union is accusing the NSW government of reneging, breaking a core election promise to teachers and severely wounding a relationship that helped the premier to power. 

So, what went wrong?

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper and public schools advocate Jane Caro on how teachers keep being let down in Australia.

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Jane Caro

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What if solving the climate crisis was as easy as dumping and burying our carbon emissions in the ocean? 

Capturing carbon and storing it under the seabed is an idea that the Labor government is trying to legislate in parliament — and they’ll likely have enough support to get it up.

If it seems like it’s too good to be true, climate experts say, that’s because it is. 

Why is Labor supporting the contentious science behind carbon capture and storage, and does it amount to anything more than greenwashing?

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Ben Abbatangelo on why Australia is betting our climate future on a plan that’s unlikely to work.

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Ben Abbatangelo

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Today on the show, author Christos Tsiolkas with a recent piece from The Monthly.

“The Past is a foreign country: they do things differently there” – is the memorable opening line of L.P. Hartley’s 1953 novel, The Go-Between.

It’s a line that has stuck with Christos Tsiolkas since he read it in high school - and a sentiment that has made him reflect on his life, his migrant parents’ lives, and the value of creating foreign worlds through fiction. 

Christos Tsiolkas will read his story, ‘The Past is a Foreign Country’, after a short conversation with 7am host Ange McCormack. 

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Guest: Author, Christos Tsiolkas

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When Anthony Albanese became prime minister he imagined an optimistic future for his government.

Sensible reform in the first year that the public would warmly welcome, followed by boldly winning the first referendum since 1977.

But the reality is far from that. A win in the referendum is looking less assured than ever, while the cost of living crisis has almost everyone feeling miserable. 

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Chris Wallace on how economic pain is hurting the Voice campaign and what Labor will do if the referendum is lost.

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Chris Wallace

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As rent prices continue to spiral and many tenants finding themselves at breaking point, the rental crisis shows no sign of slowing.

The Greens are calling for a national freeze on rents, which they say would save households thousands of dollars per year.

But in a country where renters have been overlooked, is there political will to address rising rents? And would capping rents even work?

Today, former Labor campaign strategist turned pollster, and director of the Redbridge Group, Kos Samaras, on why the major parties could face a rebellion from voters if they ignore renters any longer.

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Guest: Director of the Redbridge Group, Kos Samaras

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It was an inquiry meant to get to the bottom of why the trial of Bruce Lehrmann had to be abandoned. Its goal was to improve the justice system and how it handles sexual assault cases.

Instead, the inquiry itself has ended in a complete shambles.

The man who brought on the report, Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold, has resigned. 

The head of the inquiry, Walter Sofronoff, KC, was talking to journalists throughout the whole process, and they received a copy of the final report before the ACT chief minister.

Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton, on how an inquiry meant to restore faith ended up doing so much damage.

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Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Middleton

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The iconic words of Martin Luther King Jr are now being used to promote the exact causes that the civil rights activist would have opposed. 

In the United States, conservatives quoted him to celebrate the supreme court’s ban on affirmative action based on race in university admissions.

Here, people like Peter Dutton are invoking MLK to rally opponents of the Voice to Parliament.

Today, writer, lawyer and contributor to The Saturday Paper Nyadol Nyuon, on why the right is stealing language and history and how it threatens to divide us.

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Guest: Director of the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre at Victoria University, Nyadol Nyuon

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David Pocock admits that sometimes he's had to vote for policy he doesn’t fully agree with.

The first-term senator came into parliament with the best intentions to avert the climate crisis, but has sometimes found himself having to work to make legislation he thinks is bad, a little bit better.

Now, he’s trying to put forward a solution he does actually believe in: a private senator’s bill that would force politicians to consider the impact on the health and wellbeing of future generations when they make decisions on climate.

Today, independent senator David Pocock on his new bill and whether he’s always lived up to his own duty of care for future generations.

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Guest: Independent senator for the ACT, David Pocock

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Parliament is back – and it ain’t pretty!

The government is pushing ahead with its contentious housing bill and finds itself, once again, sparring with the Greens.

Meanwhile, the Coalition has a new strategy for encouraging a ‘No’ vote in the Voice referendum.

So will the combative nature of this parliament stop Labor from being productive in government and could they lose key bills in the senate? 

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on what lies ahead for the second half of the year in Canberra. 

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

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The royal commission into robo-debt found Scott Morrison to have allowed cabinet to be misled. 

Commissioner Cathrine Holmes also found he provided untrue evidence to the commission and that he pressured departmental officials over the scheme.

It took a few weeks, but the former prime minister this week addressed those findings head-on: denying it all.

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper and host of 7am’s special Inside Robo-debt series, Rick Morton on Scott Morrison’s return to Parliament and how much longer he’s likely to have a seat there.

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Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton

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