Hack

It's hard enough already being a young person in Australia and trying to buy your first home.

Saving for a deposit can take years, finding a place you're happy to live in can take months, and then after all of that, your dream might disappear in minutes when you rock up at an auction and get out-bid by a cashed up older buyer.

But are real estate agents conspiring to make the experience worse?

And is it driving up prices?

The government in one state thinks so, and it's trying to do something about it.

This year, Victoria's government says it is cracking down on "underquoting", the practice where real estate agents give a price guide for a property that's dramatically lower than what the seller will actually accept.

So will it work?

And will it make it easier to buy your first place?

After an interest rate rise this week, we're taking a deeper look at how often underquoting is happening, and asking how much it's contributing to the stress of buying a first home. 

Guests: 

• Matthew Bowes, housing expert, Grattan Institute

Get the whole story from hack:

• Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
• Subscribe to the hack podcast
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

Three million documents from the Epstein files including the names of some of the world's most powerful people were dumped on the internet this week. We take stock of the fallout.

And 13-year-old Austin Appelbee's wild story of survival made international headlines this week. He swam 4 kilometres across the sea to save his family. Can anyone top this hero story?

Plus, are Winter Olympics ski jumpers artificially enhancing their penis size to help performance on the slopes?

Also: are we worried about AIs hanging out on their own social media platform?

Host Dave Marchese is joined by editor-in-chief of The Daily Aus, Billi FitzSimons, and Sydney Morning Herald crime reporter Perry Duffin. 

Get the whole story from Hack:

• Follow us on Instagram
• Subscribe to the hack podcast
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

An attempted terrorism attack, motivated by "pro white ideology": that's what WA authorities allege happened in Perth 10 days ago, when they say a man threw a homemade bomb into an Invasion Day crowd. 

And Iranians say they're being harassed and silenced right here in Australia, as they speak up for friends and family who are facing a vicious crackdown back home.

Plus: why do young Nats see some benefits in the Coalition's latest relationship break? We chat to federal president of the Young Nationals as the first sitting week of Parliament wraps up.

Listen now: 

01:00 - Dave's interview with the President of the Young Nats

09:53 - What WA police say about the alleged Perth terrorism plan

14:25 - What Iranians want Australians to hear

Guests:

• Charlie Plant, president, Young Nationals
• Tina Kordrostami, Iranian Australian advocate and councillor, Ryde City Council

Get the whole story from Hack:

• Follow us on Instagram
• Subscribe to the hack podcast
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

Every week, protesters have been taking to the streets of Aussie cities begging for other Australians to listen.

They're standing in solidarity with Iranians facing a violent crackdown by their own government, as the country's religious rulers try to crush protests and stifle debate by cutting off internet access.

International observers think tens of thousands of Iranians have been killed by the regime since early January.

Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump is this week threatening military action against Iran, after previously posting online that help was on the way for Iran's protesters.

So could Australians do more to help Iranians?

And why are some of the Iranian Australians standing up for their friends and family being harassed and threatened here?

Today on the hack pod, Dave speaks with an Iranian Australian who's been copping it for her advocacy.

In this extended chat, Tina Kordrostami talks with Dave about being stalked by Iranian government agents in Australia, about fearing for her family back home, and about why she's decided to quit the Australian Greens.Guests: 

• Tina Kordrostami, Iranian Australian advocate and councillor, Ryde City Council

Get the whole story from Hack:

• Follow us on Instagram
• Subscribe to the hack podcast
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

After the deaths of 2 teenage brothers in a suspected double murder-suicide in Perth last week, disability advocates say some of the talk online is becoming dangerous.

Plus years of rising antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the Bondi Beach terror attack have many Jewish Australians living with fear, grief and social ostracism. 

And with Israeli president Isaac Herzog's visit to Australia further dividing the Jewish community, we hear how life is changing after Bondi. 

Also, AI bots have created their own social media platform, Moltbook, and their own religion. 

Listen now: 

01:19 - Autistic Australians and the reaction to the Mosman Park murder-suicides

11:44 - The protests being planned against Isaac Herzog

16:49 - What Jewish Australians want you to know

21:28  - Now AI has invented religion?

Guests: 

• Isabella Choate, disability advocate
• Tahlia Bowen, member, Jewish Council of Australia
• Audrey Courty, journalist, ABC

Get the whole story from hack:

• Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
• Subscribe to the hack podcast
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

Should courts hear about the "good character" of people who get convicted of crimes? One state has decided no, and is changing rules around sentencing. So with other states looking into it too: what's really in a reference?

And while some young victim-survivors who've been campaigning for an end to good character references are celebrating, not all legal experts are convinced it's the right move.

Plus, everyone knows Aussies are good at sport: think cricket, tennis, footy... but what about bobsleigh? We speak to an Aussie athlete who's in Italy and about to compete in the Winter Olympics.

Listen now:

01:04 - Why NSW is banning "good character" references

05:03 - How it feels to hear your abuser is a "good bloke" 

19:26 - Monobob at the Winter Olympics 

Guests:

• Harrison James, victim-survivor advocate
• Felicity Graham, barrister
• Bree Walker, Australian bobsleigh competitor 

Get the whole story from hack:

• Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
• Subscribe to the hack podcast
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

The US Department of Justice has released millions of files related to the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. So what's new? 

And the leaders of both the National and Liberal parties are fighting to hold their positions after the Coalition's break-up. David Littleproud held on today — can Sussan Ley do the same?

Plus: one state is cracking down on underquoting to stop real estate agents tricking first home buyers into attending auctions they don't stand a chance at. 

Listen now:

01: 18 - The latest Epstein dump

07:00 - The Nationals spill that wasn't

16:00 - Is this real estate trick costing first home buyers money?

Guests:

• Evelyn Manfield, political reporter, triple j hack
• Matthew Bowes, housing expert, Grattan Institute

Get the whole story from hack:

• Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
• Subscribe to the hack podcast
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

Often when you hear people talk about screen time, the focus is on young people. 

The Australian government has even banned kids from being on social media before they turn 16.

But is Gen Z really the problem? Or are older generations spending more time staring at their phones (and tablets and TVs)?

On the deep dive today, we ask young Aussies about screen time, disconnecting and talking to their parents about tech.

Also, you'll hear from an expert who outlines which generation spends the most time on their phones, and what it's doing to their brains.

Guest:

• Dr Michoel Moshel, clinical neuropsychologist

Get the whole story from hack:

• Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
• Subscribe to the hack podcast
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

Pauline Hanson is launching a music and film career, all while her One Nation party keeps surging in opinion polls. What's going on?

And a private moment, or fair game for the cameras? Coco Gauff wasn't happy when her racquet smash backstage at the Australian Open this week went viral. 

Plus, a new twist in the Beckham family drama. Now brothers Cruz and Romeo have entered the feud. How long can it go on? 

Host Dave Marchese is joined by The Daily Aus's Em Gillespie and creator Lachy McIntyre for the first Shakeup of 2026.

Get the whole story from hack:

• Follow us on Instagram and TikTok
• Subscribe to the hack podcast
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

Police in Perth say they're investigating a "potential terrorist act" at an Invasion Day rally on Monday, as Indigenous communities say they've felt ignored and scared all week.

So could the media, politicians and police have done better?

And ever dreamed of being the ruler of your own domain?

We speak to the young Aussie who has claimed a piece of land in eastern Europe and declared it his own country. 

Listen now: 

01:17 - First Nations leaders welcome terrorism investigation

11:05 - Running the Free Republic of Verdis

Guests: 

• Professor Braden Hill, Edith Cowan University
• Daniel Jackson, President of Verdis
• Dr Harry Hobbs, Associate Professor in Law, University of New South Wales

Get the whole story from Hack:

• Follow us on Instagram
• Subscribe to the hack podcast
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm