Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

After accidentally blowing up the family hills hoist as a kid, Professor Peter Klinken AC realised he loved science. He's went on to become a leading medical scientist, highly regarded for advancing the understanding of genes involved in leukaemia, cancer and anaemia.  

He's been Western Australia's Chief Scientist for more than a decade but it was outside the labs, in the WA surf, that he had a 'vision of death'. 

Who decides which people and stories get preserved in our history books? 

It's a question historian Emily Hauser has been grappling with after spending most of her life learning about Ancient Greece. 

Her latest book – Mythica – looks at the historical and archaeological evidence for the women in Ancient Greece’s mythos who have often been the background characters in stories that were written ostensibly by men.

Just how far could a Chinese-American teenager go to become prom queen? Writer, director and producer Amy Wang tries to answer this question in her new film Slanted that has its Australian debut at the Sydney Film Festival. 

Guest: Amy Wang, writer, director and producer of Slanted

How much should intolerance be tolerated?

And how should we decide what sort of intolerances are tolerable?

They’re just some of the questions that one of the leading philosophers of the 20th century, Sir Karl Popper turned his hugely influential mind to. 

The 2025 Sir Karl Popper Memorial Lecture is being given on Monday 2 June, and an Australian philosopher is presenting it. 

GUEST:

Peter Godfrey-Smith Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney 

In this Reconciliation Week the government of Western Australia announced a redress scheme for survivors of the Stolen Generations. 

More children were taking in Western Australia than any other jurisdiction and advocates have been calling for reparations for decades. The families of deceased members say the scheme should be available posthumously. 

After a turbulent six months in South Korea which has seen martial law declared and a President impeached and put on trial for insurrection, the country is now holding a snap election to choose their new President. How has their democracy held up under the stress?

Guest: Kyung Moon Hwang, Korea Foundation Professor at the Australian National University

Can you guess this week's tweeter?

The 2025 federal election will go down in history as a second term Labor landslide?

But has the result also shown up some flaws in our system of voting, specifically the role of preferences in determining who wins each seat?

GUEST:

Ben Raue election analyst and publisher of the Tally Room website and podcast.

https://www.tallyroom.com.au/

When Suzanne Chick sent a request for her birth certificate to find out who her birth mother was, she was just hoping for a name. When her birth mother turned out to be the famous writer Charmian Clift, she not only found new family and friends, but a whole new complex sense of identity. Suzanne's oldest daughter Gina found comfort in finding out that like her, Charmian had a personality that was larger than life and a compulsion for adventure. Gina Chick was the first winner of the Australian version of the survival show, Alone.

In an era where media is moving rapidly online, some print publications are managing to not only survive but thrive.

The Monthly magazine is celebrating its 20th year.

We look back at some of the highlights and look forward to what's still come, in a time where traditional media continues to fracture.

GUEST: Michael Williams Editor The Monthly