Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

Can you guess this week's tweeter?

Our guest for The Year That Made Me is a young army veteran who, since leaving the military, has devoted his time to helping others transition to the private sector.  Tom Larter is CEO  of an organisation called WithYouWithMe. It was set up to help Australian veterans find work after leaving the army, but it’s grown to have global reach and now helps other groups in the community become job ready.  It’s all based on the idea that your past experience shouldn’t be a barrier to finding work.

Guest: Tom Larter, CEO, WithYouWithMe

Pressure is starting to mount on the Murdoch empire following the 787.5 million dollar settlement and one more pending in the state of New York.

Judge Mirman Dil'Aram Abid was one of the few female judges in Afghanistan’s judicial system, starting on the bench in 1978. She jailed men for horrific crimes against women, and when the Taliban regained power in 2021 those men were released, putting her in great danger. Judge Dil'Aram had to flee Afghanistan with the help of the International Association of Women Judges.

It's the perennial question when it comes to considering the universe – could there be life on other planets?

The Lowy Institute’s latest Being Chinese in Australia survey shows an increased sense of belonging among Chinese-Australians, and lower incidences of racism. Chinese-Australians also consider Australia the most trusted country to deal responsibly in the world. But there is a markedly different perception of China as a threat:  Chinese-Australians are much less likely to see China as the military threat that the broader population does.

To unpack the research we talk to the lead author, Dr Jennifer Hsu, Project Director of the Multiculturalism, Identity and Influence Project at the Lowy Institute.

It’s been called the birth strike. South Korean women are having fewer and fewer children and the country has the lowest fertility rate in the world. But in a country where women’s safety concerns range from violent crime to digital exploitation via a wave of spy cameras in public bathrooms… even the term ‘gender equality’ is now taboo.

The Reserve Bank board will be stripped of its power to set interest rates and replaced by a board of monetary policy experts as part of a major shake-up, with the review released on Thursday making over 50 recommendations, to improve decision making, transparency and accountability.

The Year That Made Me: Toner Stevenson & Nick Lomb – Toner and Nick are ‘eclipse chasers’ and co-authors of a new book on the subject. Both talk about the time they realised astronomy was their love, and the excitement of witnessing a total solar eclipse. The next total solar eclipse can be seen on Thurs, April 20, near Exmouth in Western Australia.

They're the unwanted hiking companion that is trying to suck your blood. 

Today, Charlotte tells us about why ticks want to follow us home.