After the Victorian government announced restrictions on the construction industry to curb the spread of Covid-19, a series of protests have taken place in Melbourne resulting in violent clashes and dozens of arrests. However, some politicians and union leaders claim that many protesters are not construction workers, but rather far-right extremists. Guardian reporter Josh Taylor speaks to Laura Murphy-Oates about the role that anti-lockdown and anti-vaccination groups on social media have played and whether the far right has infiltrated these protests

Australian wheelchair racer Madison de Rozario’s Paralympic career started when she competed at the Beijing Paralympics at the age of 14. Now, the 27-year-old has cemented her place in the history books – breaking multiple records and winning three medals, including two gold, at the Tokyo Paralympics. De Rozario speaks to reporter Kieran Pender about her sometimes bumpy rise to wheelchair-racing fame and the power of the Paralympics as a vehicle for change

Australian industry minister Christian Porter has resigned from cabinet after he declared that anonymous donors helped pay his legal fees in his defamation case against the ABC. Prime minister Scott Morrison says the matter is now resolved, but questions are still being asked about the extent of Porter’s knowledge of these donations, and whether he has broken any rules. Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to political reporter Paul Karp about how the donations scandal unfolded and what the future holds for Christian Porter

When the ‘subscription social network’ OnlyFans announced it would be banning the sexually explicit content that made it a billion-dollar business, sex workers were up in arms – and many observers wondered how the move could make financial sense. Then it had second thoughts. So what does this tech saga tell us about where pornography fits into the future of the internet – and is it just another example of the sex industry treating women as disposable?

Laura Murphy-Oates introduces a bonus episode of our new podcast Guardian Australia Reads. Lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, recommends this piece by Brigid Delaney on an ancient way to pursue happiness

Rural communities are at the coalface of the biggest issues facing the nation, including the immediate and lasting impacts of global heating, and the ongoing effects of the pandemic. But across Australia, regional newspapers have closed, leaving a gap in reporting and information. Lenore Taylor and Gabrielle Chan speak to Gabrielle Jackson about the need to stay in touch with regional Australia

Many parents have struggled to help their children get through the school year at home, in and out of lockdowns. Research from the Grattan Institute shows remote learning widens the gap between disadvantaged and advantaged students. Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to one family doing it tougher than most

Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to reporter Anne Davies about whether the gamble to open up the NSW economy will pay off, as the infectious Delta variant continues to spread

Authorities are battling multiple Covid outbreaks in NSW prisons, with the bulk of cases emerging at Parklea correctional centre in Sydney’s north-west. Families with relatives inside have raised concerns about the way the outbreak has been managed and the fact that many inmates were not vaccinated before it began.Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to reporter Michael McGowan about the efforts to contain the outbreak and the reasons behind varying vaccination rates in prisons nationwide

There were 3,051 children who lost a parent on September 11, 2001. In the first of three episodes examining the reverberations of the attacks 20 years on, three of that group reflect on the weight of that private grief – and what it meant to grow up with it in the media spotlight