Hack

Do you really need travel insurance? 

Short answer: Yes. 

Long answer: Yes, but you should be reading the fine print. 

From small things like the airline losing your baggage to big things like a spinal injury while skiing overseas, travel insurance claims to cover you... but does it really? 

In this deep dive, hack speaks to travellers who've had to make insurance claims and an insurance expert about what you need to look out for if you're planning a big holiday. 

Guest: 

• Tim Bennett, insurance expert

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

Australia's birth rate is down. Could the return of the baby bonus convince you to start a family? 

Plus, Tourism Australia's new campaign is here, full of iconic landscapes, celebrity appearances and some cliches (yes, shrimp on the BBQ). Is it the best way to sell Australia? 

And we're asking if AI should be used to reanimate dead people, after Rod Stewart's tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.

Host Dave Marchese is joined by writer and presenter Elfy Scott and journalist Marty Smiley. 

Get the whole story from Hack:

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

A new report found a bunch of phone companies have been denying customer requests when they're experiencing financial hardship. So, what can you do when you're struggling to pay your phone bill? 

And Tassie had an election, a hung Parliament, a no-confidence motion, an election, a hung Parliament, and now... a no-confidence motion. What? 

Plus, Dave's chat with Jacinda Ardern: on being optimistic, leaving the Mormon church, taking mat leave as PM, and what she regrets. 

Listen: 

01:10 - What to do if you can't pay your phone bill

06:05  - Explaining the mess that was the Tasmanian election

10:10 - Jacinda Ardern on knowing when to quit

Guest: 

• Carol Bennett, CEO, Australian Communications Consumer Action Network
• Jacinda Ardern, former NZ prime minister

Get the whole story from Hack:

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• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

Jacinda Ardern has become an iconic figure. And at 45, her political career is already behind her. 

She became the leader of her party just weeks before she was elected Prime Minister of New Zealand, and a few months after that she gave birth.

In office, she got noticed way beyond New Zealand, from her response to the terrorist attack in Christchurch to her decision to lock down and seal the country off from the world during COVID. 

After stepping down as PM, she's turned her focus from New Zealand to the world. 

In this interview, Jacinda speaks to Dave Marchese about burnout, growing up Mormon, the state of politics right now, and knowing when to call time.

Guest: 

• Jacinda Ardern, former NZ prime minister

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

Nearly 1,000 jobseekers had their payments cancelled over a 2 year period, even with laws in place to stop it happening. Here's what went wrong, and why the federal watchdog is calling it a "catastrophe".  

And is Donald Trump's war on DEI coming here? We ask Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner. 

Plus: lost luggage, ski injuries, scooter accidents. Ever thought you were covered by your travel insurance... when you really weren't? We're breaking down what's actually in the fine print.

Listen now:

01:20 - Why jobseekers were cut off out of the blue

05:55  - How the government should tackle racism in Australia 

15:15 - The nightmare of not being covered properly by travel insurance

22:00 - What you need to know about the fine print

Guests: 

• Giridharan Sivaraman, Race Discrimination Commissioner
• Tim Bennett, insurance expert

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

"Not just a bad headache": new research has revealed Australia has a big migraine problem, and women have it way worse than men. 

And what should Parliament do about an MP convicted of rape? We explain the court fight in NSW to expel a former government minister who's refusing to go.

Plus, an activist group's campaign has ended in thousands of adult games being taken offline. So why are payment companies like Visa and Mastercard involved? And where's the line with free speech in gaming?

Listen now: 

01:15 - How migraines disproportionately affect women 

14:10 - Explaining the push to expel a rapist from NSW parliament 

19:30 - Censorship v free speech in gaming

Guests:

• Dr Katherine Spira, neurologist and headache specialist
• Nick Dole, NSW political reporter, ABC
• Gianfranco Di Giovanni, gaming journalist, ABC 

Get the whole story from Hack:

• Follow us on Instagram
• Listen to our deep dive wherever you get your podcasts 
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live at 5:30pm

Dr Mohammed Mustafa has gone from being a junior doctor in Perth to saving lives and meeting world leaders, urging them to do more to end the war in Gaza. 

As tens of thousands of people rally in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, Dr Mo joins us in the studio to talk about what he's witnessed, and what the world needs to do.

Also, is a TikTok campaign the reason why sign-ups to the Australian Defence Force are at a 15-year high?

Listen now: 

01:15 - The Sydney Harbour Bridge protest fallout

05:35 - What Dr Mo wants the world to know about Gaza

19:05 - The huge boost to ADF sign-ups

Guests:

• Dr Mohammed Mustafa, emergency physician 
• Peter Dean, strategic studies professor, ANU

Get the whole story from Hack:

• Follow us on Instagram
• Listen to our deep dive wherever you get your podcasts 
• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live at 5:30pm

Most of the world recognises Palestine as a state, but Australia and some of its closest allies have refused to.

Until this week.

A growing list of Western countries — including Canada and the UK — have announced plans to recognise Palestinian statehood. 

And pressure is mounting for Australia to do the same.

But what does statehood recognition mean? And will it lead to peace in Gaza? 

In this extended episode, leading international law expert Ben Saul shares his time with us for the third time since the war began. 

We ask him all about Palestinian statehood, the allegations of genocide against Israel, and how much power countries like Australia have in helping to end the war.

Guest: 

• Ben Saul, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-terrorism

Get the whole story from Hack:

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• Listen on the triple j app or on your radio live every weeknight at 5:30pm

There are calls to ban strip searches after new data revealed almost 9 out of 10 searches by NSW police didn't find anything illegal at all. 

And woman-only 'dating safety' app Tea seems to have been hacked, exposing personal details and messages from thousands of users. 

Plus, the first Australian-made rocket to launch on home soil has crashed shortly after take off. But the company says that's a success. 

Also: what really makes life admin so hard? 

Host Dave Marchese is joined by editor-in-chief of The Daily Aus, Billi FitzSimons, and comedian Luke Kidgell.

Get the whole story from Hack:

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

Increased rates of incarceration, suicide, and children in out-of-home: with only 4 targets on track, here's what you need to know about the latest Closing the Gap report. 

And is the ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia holding? 

Plus, 43% of young people feel lonely. So what can we do about it? 

Listen now: 

01.30 - Update on Closing the Gap

09.47 - What's going on with Cambodia and Thailand?

14.41 - The loneliness epidemic affecting young people

Guests: 

• Tahnee Jash, ABC Indigenous affairs reporter
• Ben Smith, professor of Public Health, University of Sydney 

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 at 5:30pm