The case of a childcare worker charged with 70 child sex crime offences in Melbourne this week has brought regulation of the early childhood sector back into the national conversation.

The Victorian government has announced a snap review into the sector. Meanwhile the federal government says it will introduce legislation to cut funding to childcare centres that don't meet safety regulations when parliament sits later this month.

But as governments look for solutions, what can parents do right now to ensure their children are safe?

• Guests: Samantha Page, CEO of Early Childhood Australia, and Alison Geale, CEO Bravehearts
• Producer: David Cook

State funding arrangements in NSW have taken a dramatic turn, leaving regional arts organisations and galleries worried about their future and the prospect of closures.

A decision by the NSW Government will leave many regional galleries with shortfalls ranging from 70 to 200,000 dollars a year.  

• Guest: Dr Lee-Anne Hall, Director of the Wagga Wagga Art gallery and the National Art Glass Gallery
• Producer: Rob Kelly

Statement from a Create NSW spokesperson:

"The NSW Government recognise the significant contributions made by regional art galleries to the arts and culture ecology across regional NSW.

"The ACFP Multi-year program is highly competitive with 158 eligible applications to the recent 4-year program. Investment in successful organisations was higher than in previous years. 33% of the successful 4-year visual arts applicants were regional galleries.

"The multi-year funding program is delivered across the 8-year, 4-year and 2-year Multi-year programs. The 2-year multi-year funding program is currently at assessment stage and the recommendation process is yet to be completed. The full funding profile of support for regional galleries will be available following the assessment of the 2-year funding program."

Is Elon Musk's foray in the White House responsible for keeping buyers away from Tesla?

Some market analysts believe the tech billionaire's political views and subsequent boycotts contributed to Tesla's global sales falling 13 per cent in the second quarter, compared to the same period last year.

But closer to home, sales appear to have rebounded — with Tesla posting its best Australian numbers in 12 months.

• Guest: Peter Anderson, motoring journalist and editor of theredline.com.au
• Producer: Oscar Coleman

Iran's president has ordered the country to suspend its co-operation with the UN's nuclear watch-dog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — after American and Israeli air strikes hit Iranian nuclear sites.

The decision will limit the ability of nuclear inspectors to track Tehran's nuclear program.

Despite this, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has signalled Tehran would still be willing to continue negotiations with the US.

• Guest: Laura Rockwood, former legal counsel for the IAEA, and now a senior fellow at the Vienna Centre for Disarmament and non proliferation
• Producer: Anne Barker

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given his backing to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who was seen crying in the UK parliament — after a series of government backflips dented her budget plans and sparked speculation about her political future.

The incident came a day after an embarrassing reversal for the government over its plans to cut welfare spending — and after the Prime Minister initially refused to say whether Rachel Reeves would still be Chancellor at the next election.

• Guest: Claire Ainsley, former policy director to Keir Starmer, now Director of the Project on Center-Left Renewal at the Progressive Policy Institute
• Producers: Anne Barker and Teodora Agarici

There have been many questions in Australia lately about how we deal with youth crime. Queensland's approach is to double down with tougher laws.

When an alleged crime involves African-Australian youth, Beny Bol is one of the first people the community, media and even police might call. And he will always take that call, no matter the time or the day.

Beny's work — with disengaged and at-risk youth — has helped strengthen community cohesion, with many young people changing the course of their lives.

Guest: Beny Bol, founder of the African Youth Support Council, now Village Support Limited, and former President of the Queensland African Communities Council

Artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino will now represent Australia at the Venice Biennale, after initially being dropped by Creative Australia earlier this year.

Guest: Wesley Enoch, Acting Chair, Creative Australia

Australia's pavilion at the next Venice Biennale won't be empty following Creative Australia's decision to reinstate the artistic team it initially selected but then axed back in February.

Artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino were reinstated following an external report into Creative Australia's selection process for the biggest and most prestigious art show in the world.

The decision to drop Mr Sabsabi came after two of his historic works were questioned in parliament, including a 2007 work showing the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah

• Guest: Julian Leeser, Shadow Minister for the Arts and Shadow Attorney-General
• Producer: Lexie Jeuniewic

One of the world's biggest artificial intelligence companies Open AI has Australia firmly in its sights.

This week the company will unveil an economic blue-print it claims will unlock 115 billion dollars annually in the Australian economy by the end of the decade.

At the core of Open AI's plan is a push for the government to provide tax breaks to businesses who adopt AI and allow companies to access government data.

• Guest: Tim Ayres, Minister for Industry, Innnovation, and Science
• Producer: Lexie Jeuniewic

In Tasmania, health care is shaping up to be a key issue ahead of the state election on July the 19th.

A raft of pledges have already been made by the major parties to increase the number of hospital beds, improve specialist services and upgrade buildings and equipment. But staffing remains an acute issue.

This week two GP clinics in rural northern Tasmania have had to temporarily close because of staffing shortages.

• Guest: Molly Rumbold, Area Manager Rural Tasmania at Ochre Health
• Producer: David Cook