Radio National Breakfast

As South Australian beaches prepare for their first summer with the devastating algal bloom, scientists believe they may have identified a little-known algal species behind the event.

The breakthrough research, which is undergoing academic peer review, has found that Karenia Cristata is the dominant species in this major bloom event.

• Guest: Professor Shauna Murray, marine biologist at the University of Technology Sydney
• Producer: Grace Stranger

Australia's world-first social media ban for children under-16 is fast approaching, with the list of platforms which must comply from December 10 growing.

But how much do you know about the platforms already on the ban list, which now includes Reddit and Kick? 

• Guest: Dr Erica Mealy, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at University of the Sunshine Coast and former board member of Electronic Frontiers Australia
• Producer: Oscar Coleman 

Canada's liberal government has tabled its first budget since the former Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, came to power.  

The country's Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne says the budget will help Canada loosen its reliance on its long-time trade ally and neighbour the United States, in the wake of the ongoing trade war. 

The minority government still needs to win a vote of confidence to pass the budget.

• Guest: Don Drummond, economist and former federal Department of Finance Canada civil servant
• Producer: Joe Sullivan

Coverage and analysis of national and international events.

Should you be allowed to buy an invasive weed at a nursery and plant it in your backyard?

There are increasing calls for some plants to be pulled from nursery shelves and one in particular is drawing a lot of attention.

The gazania you've probably seen it on roadsides and in parks with its bright daisy-like flowers.

Well recent research shows the species pose a greater threat to the environment and agriculture sector than previously thought and advocates want them to stop being sold. 

• Guest: Millie Ross, ABC Gardening Australia
• Producer: Eddy Diamond 

WA Premier Roger Cook has met with the Prime Minister at Parliament House as the fight to secure his state's GST deal ramps up.

Currently WA keeps at least 75 cents for every dollar of GST revenue and Mr Cook wants to keep it that way.

• Guest: Roger Cook, Premier of Western Australia
• Producers: Grace Stranger, Lexie Jeuniewic

Amongst the fastest growing cohort of people finding themselves homeless or in housing stress in Australia are older women.

It's an issue being looked at by a number of groups and organisations in Australia.

In south-east Queensland, a program is helping older single women to find safe and secure accommodation through house sharing.

Guest: Maggie Cairns, Better Together Housing program manager at Coast2Bay Housing Group

This week the federal government will introduce long-awaited legislation to force popular streaming services to help produce more Australian content.

The proposed rules will apply to streamers with more than a million Australian subscribers such as Netflix, Disney-Plus and Amazon Prime -- and see them spend a share of their local revenue on making Australian programs.

Guest: Matthew Deaner, CEO of Screen Producers Australia

Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner says Australia needs a new national inquiry into racism in the workplace.

Giridharan Sivaraman is in Canberra for a roundtable with trade union and community leaders to consider the barriers to employment faced by First Peoples and other racialised communities.

• Guest: Giridharan Sivaraman, Race Discrimination Commissioner
• Producer: Jason Whittaker