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The historic teal wave at the last election delivered the two major parties their worst electoral results ever.

So, perhaps it’s no surprise that the government looks set to introduce new laws that could make it harder for newcomers to compete.

The minister responsible says he wants to address the “growing threat of big money in politics.” The rules could include a requirement that all donations over $1000 be disclosed and made public in real time, with caps on the amount that can be donated. 

A cap on spending is also on the table – somewhere around a million dollars per candidate, per seat, which is significantly less than many of the teals spent to win.

Today, independent member for Goldstein Zoe Daniel on how much it costs to beat an incumbent and the double standards of the major parties.

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Guest: Independent member for Goldstein Zoe Daniel

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In this episode of our sister podcast, host Michael Williams speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks. She shares her life sentence and reflects on how her upbringing provided the essential building blocks for a career as a writer.

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Climate activist Katta O’Donnell sued the Australian government for failing to disclose how much climate change would impact the value of government bonds. 

It was a world-first case, she was a law student at the time and she won. But the experience left her feeling more disillusioned than ever and determined to find another way to make change.

Today, Katta O’Donnell on why she believes direct action is the way forward on climate.

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Guest: Katta O’Donnell

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Recently, Mike Seccombe has been looking into the divide between Australia’s richest and poorest schools – to find out why this gap keeps widening.

And what he found was a broken system. Rich parents are able to get huge tax breaks by donating to opulent building projects at their kids’ private schools. 

It’s a practice that goes way back – and many argue – is outdated.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper and a proud state school boy, Mike Seccombe, on why we need an overhaul of the charitable giving system that delivers some kids castles.

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe

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On a remote island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, there are two towns.

One is home to a thriving economy. It has a golf course, cinema and tennis courts. It’s the richest postcode in the Northern Territory. Most of the people who live there are white.

The other is home to the Anindilyakwa people - the Traditional Owners. The locals live just a few hundred metres from the world’s largest manganese mine. Here, life outcomes are worse than anywhere else in the country. 

This jarring contrast raises questions about where the royalties of this mine are flowing – and why the Traditional Owners are seeing so little return to their community.

Now, the National Indigenous Australians Agency has referred the white chief executive of the Anindilyakwa Land Council to the National Anti-Corruption Commission over his plan to take a personal 10 per cent stake in a mining project on the island.

Today, Gunaikurnai and Wotjobaluk writer Ben Abbatangelo on the plan and the man who stood in its way.

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Guest: Gunaikurnai and Wotjobaluk writer Ben Abbatangelo

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With just over a hundred days to go until the US election, Joe Biden has announced he’s dropping out of the presidential race.

In a letter posted to X, he said “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term”.

His decision comes after weeks of pressure from donors and colleagues to drop out.

The question now is whether the Democrats will unite behind Vice President Kamala Harris, who President Biden has endorsed to succeed him. 

Today, senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre Bruce Wolpe on the key players who pushed Biden out and whether Kamala Harris can defeat Donald Trump.

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Guest: Senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre Bruce Wolpe

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News stories about violence against women have been coming hard and fast these past few weeks. 

These stories of the women — and sometimes children — killed, usually by a man they knew and often in a terribly violent way, are hard to read. 

Yet years of education campaigns and talk of respect for women seem to have made no difference, and every few days, another woman dies.

Today, Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr Anna Cody on why men kill women, and why Australia’s domestic violence problem is still getting worse. 

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Guest: Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Anna Cody

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For many Australians, facing the reality of this country is a task that has proved enduringly difficult, both at a public and a political level. For investigative journalist David Marr, finding the right way to tell the stories that allow us to see the truth of our history is a personal quest and one that has led to his latest book. In this episode of our sister podcast, Read This, Michael talks with David about shame – both personal and national – and why his family agreed that he had to write Killing for Country.

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This week, allegations of corruption, criminal infiltration, standover tactics and other nefarious activities within the ranks of the CFMEU have been all over the media. 

The reports have shocked, but not surprised, many in the community.

Stories of underworld figures trading their leather for high viz, motorcycle helmets for hardhats – all in order, it is alleged, to get a slice of taxpayer-funded projects.

Now there are questions over who knew what, when, and what it means for some of Australia’s largest infrastructure projects.

Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on the fallout from the CFMEU upheaval.

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Guest: Associate editor of The Saturday Paper, Martin Mckenzie-Murray.

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In the Pitjantjatjara communities of Anangu Country on the edge of the Nullarbor Plain, cancer rates are higher than elsewhere in Australia.

This is the legacy of nuclear testing by the British government, which staged seven atomic explosions between 1956 and 1963, contaminating the land. 

Thanks to nuclear engineer and whistleblower Alan Parkinson, we know that the cleanup, in his words, was more of a “cover up”, with cost-cutting measures putting communities at further risk.  

As Australia stares down the barrel of a climate crisis, and with the climate wars back in the news – blowing the whistle on environmental harms is more important than ever. 

Today, senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Center and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Regina Featherstone, on how whistleblowers are an untapped resource in the pursuit of a safer climate.

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Guest: Senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Center and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Regina Featherstone.

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