For the last 30 years, Australian retirements have been tied to superannuation. It’s the nest egg that most of us spend decades building up.

While it might not be a perfect system, any changes to it have usually become stuck in controversy; whether that’s increasing compulsory contributions, or allowing people to raid their super to buy property.

This week, the treasurer said he wants to start a national conversation about super – but will it lead to reform, or will this conversation end up in the political graveyard?

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the future of super.

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

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Once the United States military started looking for them, they couldn’t stop finding them. Unidentified balloons were everywhere.

The military and President Joe Biden decided the best course of action was simple: to shoot these unknown objects out of the sky.

But weeks later, we’re finally learning that only the first of these balloons to be shot down has anything to do with China – the others, likely belong to scientists and hobby clubs. 

Today, former director of war studies at the Australian Army Research Centre and adjunct professor at UNSW Canberra Albert Palazzo, on how balloons became a threat.

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Guest: Former director of war studies at the Australian Army Research Centre and adjunct professor at UNSW Canberra, Albert Palazzo.

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In recent years, Labor governments have swept into power in most states across the country… with the exceptions of NSW and Tasmania.

But that might be about to change.

Chris Minns, the leader of the opposition in NSW, looks likely to lead the Labor party to its first victory in the state since 2007 – but many voters still don’t know much about him.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on who Chris Minns really is…and why he ditched brashness for caution.

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

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Violence and vandalism in Alice Springs became a national fascination this year.

First Peter Dutton, then Anthony Albanese flew into town, after rates of alcohol-related assault rose by 68 per cent in 2022.

One community meeting, held by a group calling itself ‘Save Alice Springs’, became a focal point of the media’s coverage.

But another meeting took place as well. On the edge of town, hundreds of Indigenous leaders and community members came together to discuss the crisis.

Today, Gunaikurnai/Wotjobaluk writer and contributor to The Saturday Paper Ben Abbatangelo on the real issues facing Alice Springs. 

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Ben Abbatangelo.

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Philip Lowe, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, has already had to apologise for his forecast that interest rates were unlikely to rise until 2024.

He now acknowledges that people may have taken his prediction as an assurance, and as a result they might have bought homes and saddled themselves with debt that’s more expensive than they thought.

So, the pressure was on Lowe as he made his way to Canberra last week to answer questions about his decision making.

Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton on what Philip Lowe said in Canberra, and whether his job is on the line.

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

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The announcement that former Liberal minister Alan Tudge will resign from the parliament marks the end of a controversial political career, but it's also throwing open new challenges for the party, and opposition leader Peter Dutton.

Speculation is swirling about who will be selected to run for Tudge’s seat in Melbourne at the upcoming by-election, and while the pressure is on for the Liberal party to pick a woman, factional infighting means nothing is guaranteed.

So, can the Liberals retain the seat of Aston, which it barely clung on to at the last election? Or is the seat within Labor’s grasp?

Today, Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on the political test looming in Aston. 

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

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Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation is cutting 5% of its jobs around the world, with over a thousand employees in the newspaper business about to be let go.

But it’s not the only upheaval within the Murdoch media empire. Plans to merge Fox Corporation with the newspaper side of the business have recently been shelved.

So what does that mean for Rupert’s successor, eldest son Lachlan?

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper and author of the biography of Lachlan Murdoch The Successor – Paddy Manning, on the merger that could define Rupert Murdoch’s legacy and whether he’s really abandoned it for good.

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper and author of the biography of Lachlan Murdoch The Successor, Paddy Manning

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He was one of the most senior members of the Anglican Church, then became the governor-general of Australia.

But last week, Peter Hollingworth sat in secret hearings which could decide his legacy.

Those hearings are investigating his handling of child sexual abuse claims – with several complaints being heard about his decisions while he ran the Brisbane diocese.

As a result, he could be stripped of his status as an Anglican minister. Plus, there are questions about his generous public pension, which over the years has added up to 12 million dollars. 

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on the future of Peter Hollingworth. 

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

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Youth crime has become a national issue once again – front page stories from Queensland, to the Northern Territory, to Western Australia are all raising the alarm that young people in regional towns are making the streets unsafe.

The WA Premier Mark McGowan said last week: “parents and families need to parent”... and people shouldn’t point the finger at governments.

But his government’s only youth detention facility, Banksia Hill, has unlawfully locked down children for 23 hours a day, thousands of kilometres from family and friends.

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Jesse Noakes on the children who get caught up in the criminal justice system and what happens when they’re locked away.

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Jesse Noakes.

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He’s reportedly the world’s third richest man. But perhaps not for much longer.

Indian businessman Gautam Adani is best known here for the controversial Carmichael coal mine – but his empire also spans airlines, media networks and, crucially, what he is best known for in Australia: coal.

But now, Adani’s fortune is tumbling, questions about whether he has been protected by powerful political allies in India are being raised – all because of a single report.

Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on Gautam Adani’s rise and how it’s built on silencing his critics.

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Guest: Associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray

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