Papua New Guinea's COVID-19 crisis is spiralling out of control.

In just three weeks, the country has recorded 3,000 new cases, and clinics and field hospitals are struggling to keep up with demand.

It has the potential to become a full-blown humanitarian crisis.

Today on The Signal, we hear how the situation in PNG became so bad, so fast, and ask whether Australia is doing enough to help.

Featured:

Natalie Whiting, ABC Papua New Guinea Correspondent

Dr Gary Nou, Emergency Physician, Rita Flynn temporary field hospital and Gerehu General Hospital, Port Moresby

Dr Osborne Liko, Health Secretary, Papua New Guinea Ministry of Health

Dr Paki Malumi, Chief Executive, Port Moresby General Hospital

In 1979 at Luna Park in Sydney, the ghost train caught fire.

It killed seven people, and police at the time were quick to blame an electrical fault.

But there were always whispers of something else at play: could it have been arson? If so, who would do such a thing? And did the police investigation at the time and the other subsequent inquiries go deep enough?

Today on The Signal, we sit down with ABC investigative reporter Caro Meldrum-Hanna to hear some of the answers.

What have Caro and her colleagues unearthed?

And who was it that made sure this stayed buried for so long?

Featured:

Caro Meldrum-Hanna, Reporter, ABC TV + iView, 'Exposed: The Ghost Train Fire'

Six million Australians are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, but as of Monday, fewer than 600,000 have had it.

For many countries, the hold up has been the international supply chain, but that's not the case here.

Today on The Signal, we investigate the slow start to Australia's COVID-19 vaccine program.

Is it time to admit there's a problem? And either way, how do we speed it up?

Featured:

Dr Stephen Duckett, Health Economist & Director, Health Program, The Grattan Institute

Dr Karen Price, President, Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners

Editor's Note: A statement from a spokesperson for Health Minister Greg Hunt was received after this podcast was recorded, a link to a related story has been included within the episode description.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-30/covid-rollout-logistical-effort-to-ramp-up-vaccination/100026116

Nearly half a million Australians living with a disability have been put on notice.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme, which they rely on for support, is going to change.

The Federal Government says it's about making the scheme fairer for everyone.

But is that really the full picture?

Today on The Signal, what the Government is planning to do to the NDIS, and what it means for people living with a disability.

Featured:

Nas Campanella, ABC Disability Affairs Reporter

Aaron Carpenter, disability services provider and NDIS participant

Hours of secret recordings obtained by the ABC show that a global neo-Nazi group is recruiting in Australia.

'The Base' has been grooming young men who espouse racist views to join them, and in Perth, it seems to have had some success.

Today on The Signal, we hear the audio of the prospective recruits.

What inspires the extremism of the group?

And should it and others like it be declared terrorist organisations in Australia?

Featured:

Alex Mann, Reporter, ABC Background Briefing

Jason Wilson, US-based Australian journalist

Dr Anne Aly, Labor MP and professor specialising in extremism and counter-terrorism

Dean Smith, former political candidate, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation Party

The floods in NSW and QLD are both déjà vu and a taste of worse to come, if climate change forecasts are accurate.

The question is, how much of the damage suffered by the worst affected communities is avoidable?

Today on the Signal, we're asking how our town and cities could change to cope with the next round of record breaking floods, when they inevitably arrive.

Featured:

Graham Creed, ABC weather specialist and meteorologist

Barbara Norman, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Canberra

There was palpable tension in the Blue Room of Parliament House when Scott Morrison stood up to speak yesterday.

At the outset of the press conference, it was clear his tone on the topic has shifted dramatically, but within minutes, he'd hit back at journalists' question with a warning: be careful.

Editor's note: The Prime Minister issued a late night apology on his Facebook page after claiming during a press conference that News Corporation was dealing with its own harassment complaint, a claim rejected by the company. In his post, Mr Morrison said: "I accept their account. I was wrong to raise it, the emotion of the moment is no excuse."

Featured:

Olivia Caisley, Federal Politics Reporter, The Australian

COVID-19 lockdowns and border closures have meant a lot more of us than usual have recent experiences of feeling lonely

And now, with a new group being set up in the Parliament, loneliness finally, officially, has some friends

Today on The Signal, how big a problem has loneliness become?

And what are its new companions planning to do about it?

Featured:

Dr Michelle Lim, Chair, 'Ending Loneliness Together' and Head, Social Health and Wellbeing Laboratory, Swinburne University, Melbourne

Andrew Giles, Labor MP

Dr Fiona Martin, Liberal MP

From today, 6 million more Australians are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

But with Italy already blocking the export of 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia, and the European Union threatening to block more, will Australia's rollout be delayed?

Today on The Signal, how worried should Australia be about possible kinks in the vaccine supply chain?

And with literally billions of people worldwide also in the vaccine queue, is there a way to get the vaccine made more quickly, and fairly?

Featured:

Dr Deborah Gleeson, Associate Professor, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne

Funerals in Australia are changing.

The death rituals of past generations aren't necessarily the right fit for people dying today, or for those of us whose deaths are hopefully further away.

Today on The Signal, we hear about the trends, and about the funerals of the future.

From body-composting to bushland burials, water-based cremations and funerals without a ceremony at all, what are the options?

And if you're relatively fit and healthy today, how much forward planning can you do?

Featured:

Dr Margaret Gibson, Senior Lecturer, Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Brisbane

Amy Sagar, General Manager, Tender Funerals

Philip Shelley, CEO, Canberra Cemeteries

Michelle Dariol, Canberra Cemeteries