Thursday Breakfast

Acknowledgement of Country// Headlines:Attempted bombing at Boorloo Day of Mourning rally Gaza and West Bank updatesUN Human Rights Council review urges extensive action by Albanese government Telstra service issues affecting regular and emergency calls by older iPhones We played a speech by veteran Gumbaynggirr activist and historian Professor Gary Foley at this Monday's Invasion Day rally in Naarm. Speaking on the steps of Parliament House on Spring Street, Professor Foley reminded the crowd about the artificial history of so-called Australia's national day, and connected present-day Invasion Day rallies to a legacy that began with the 1938 Day of Mourning. Check out Professor Foley’s website and incredible archive (access to physical materials by appointment) at Victoria University to learn more about the history of the Aboriginal land rights movement.// We listened to a speech and segments of commentary by Torres Strait Islander woman Julie Saylor Briggs delivered at the Djilang Invasion Day rally on Monday. During the rally, Julie read out the text of the original motion moved by Aboriginal community members at the 1938 Day of Mourning gathering, and spoke about the history of colonial violence on Wadawarrung Country, the colonial child removal industry, and the relationships between genocide, dispossession and ecocide. Our thanks to Amy from 3CR’s Kill Your Lawn and Kick Your Fence for sharing this recording.// Leila interviewed Dr James Martin, Tobacco Harm Reduction Advisor for Harm Reduction Australia and Director of the Bachelor of Criminology at Deakin University, about the social impacts of Australia’s law enforcement approach to substance use with a focus on Victoria’s tobacco licensing laws. From February first, the Victorian Labor government will be enforcing new tobacco licensing laws, which restrict the sale of tobacco products to licensed retailers only. Individuals or businesses who sell tobacco without a licence may face fines of over $100,000, and fines for the sale of illicit tobacco products are even higher. You can listen back to Dr Martin’s interview with Inez on the 20th of March 2025 about vaping regulations here.// Lucinda Thorpe, Privacy Campaigner at Digital Rights Watch joined us to discuss the use of AI by police in Australia for report writing, suspect identification, and to guide investigations. Victoria Police use generative AI in 20% of crime reports. When a contact centre employee files an online crime report, they use generative AI on the form to generate a summary for police officers. However, these systems are trained on biased data and can reproduce racism, sexism, and other inequalities. If you have been affected by police use of generative AI, contact Digital Rights Watch at [email protected]// We replay a conversation between Xan and Koshin of Uprise Radio from early this month about Israel's controversial recognition of Somaliland’s independence last year. The recognition of Somaliland by Israel, a state whose own recognition is contested, occurred late last year, and is a significant geopolitical development in the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region. Tune in to Uprise Radio every Wednesday at 5:30PM on 3CR.// Invasion Day Donation Initiatives:Dhadjowa FoundationGrandmothers Against Removals Victoria

Acknowledgement of Country//Headlines//Labor’s hate speech lawsReport released on Designated Area declarationsSenator Thorpe moves amendment to federal government’s new gun control lawsHealthcare Workers Union members demand fair pay deal// Tarneen Onus Browne, Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta, Bindal and Meriam person and community organiser, joined us to discuss the ongoing federal court challenge against Victoria Police's designated areas powers in the context of First Nations resistance movements. The case, brought by Human Rights Law Centre on behalf of Tarneen, Benny Zable and with new applicant David Hack, questions the validity of Victoria Police's extraordinary powers within designated areas, including stop and search powers and the ability to direct people to leave areas if they refuse to remove a face covering. While the 6-month declaration of Naarm's CBD as a designated area was ended early, organisers are concerned about the impact that ever-expanding police powers will have on fundamental protest rights, particularly those of First Nations people in the lead up to Invasion Day 2026. Register via Humanitix for the 2026 Naarm Invasion Day rally to receive updates with health and legal advice, and head to Dhadjowa Foundation if you can volunteer your time on Monday to assist organisers to collect donations to Pay the Rent.// Ilo Diaz from the Centre Against Racial Profiling joined us to continue the conversation about designated area declarations in Victoria. Following on from our chat on 18 December 2025, where Ilo spoke about some of the work he has been doing to document designated areas, today's interview focuses on the report 'A Tale of Two Cities: The Hidden Geography of Police Powers in Victoria', released this week by the Centre, which identifies the racialised impact of designated area policing via an analysis of declarations between 2019-2024. You can read 'A Tale of Two Cities' here.// Earlier this week, Alice caught up with writer, independent journalist and anti-fascist activist Tom Tanuki to discuss the Albanese Labor government's 'Combatting Antisemitism' laws, much of which have passed both Houses of Parliament early this week. Civil society organisations and legal advocates have raised alarm about the speed at which these laws have been rushed through Parliament, with consultation on the exposure draft of the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026 announced on the 13th of January this year in the wake of the Bondi attack. You can watch Tom's video unpacking the hate speech laws here.// We played a speech by Dunghutti activist Paul Silva, nephew of David Dungay Jr., at a rally held last Sunday the 18th of January to commemorate 10 years since David Dungay Jr. passed away in the custody of New South Wales Corrective Services. This rally was met with a significant police presence, with attendees prevented from taking to the streets by NSW Police due to new powers to restrict public protests granted after the Bondi attack in December 2025. The upcoming Invasion Day rally in Sydney is anticipated to proceed without heightened policing due to a last-minute carve-out of the rally route from New South Wales' increasingly draconian protest laws. Paul Silva’s speech was recorded by Iyngaranathan Selvaratnam.// Songs//We Have Survived - Bart Willoughby ft. Deline Briscoe and Friends

Welcome to Thursday Breakfast's Summer Programming on 3CR Community Radio.Today's show features a selection of interviews covering topics related to solidarity and resistance campaigns locally and across the globe. From migrant sex worker justice, keeping incarcerated people connected through phone calls, the secret F-35 fighter jet parts being flown on commercial Aus planes, and the interconnected fight for justice in Palestine, Kashmir, and Sudan.Stay tuned to 3CR 855AM, 3CR Digital and streaming at 3cr.org.au or via the Community Radio App. Acknowledgent of Country//Bee - Rising Red Lantern (30 Oct 25)//

Bee Charika (they/them), project lead for the Asian migrant sex worker campaign Rising Red Lantern at Vixen, joined us in Oct to speak about the ongoing terror of workplace raids by Border Force under Operation Inglenook, and about Friday's solidarity gathering to honour the life of Yuko, a beloved Asian migrant sex worker who was killed in November 2024. The gathering was held from 8-9AM outside Melbourne's Magistrates' Court to coincide with a committal hearing for the man charged over Yuko's death. Support the work of Rising Red Lantern by donating to their fundraiser.// Maia Onyenachi - Yung Prodigy (17 Jul 25)//

Maia Onyenachi, founding director of Yung Prodigy, a youth-led, grassroots organisation supporting young people impacted by parental incarceration, joined us in July to discuss their Freedom on the Line campaign. They are calling on the NSW government to provided adjustments to phonecalls to improve availability, accessibility, and connection. In this segment we discuss how important connection is for people who are incarcerated and their communities, how precious and expensive a 10 minute phone call can be, and why we need to act now. Please share the campaign, follow the Yung Prodigy instagram, and make sure to sign the petition.// 

Peter Cronau - Declassified Australia: A 3CR Thursday Breakfash Exclusive (23 Oct 25)//

3CR Exclusive! Peter Cronau, editor of Declassified Australia joined Inez in Oct to discuss the shocking discovery that at least 68 shipments of F-35 fighter jet parts, likely many more, have been flown on commercial passenger planes to Israel from Australia as recently as last week, leaked documents reveal. Lockheed Martin's F-35 Fighter Jets have been described as their most lethal, stealth supersonic fighter jet, playing a critical role in the genocide in Gaza, Palestine as well as other global atrocities. This comes after years of denial by the department of defence, parliament members and the Prime Minister that ''Australia does not supply weapons or parts of weapons to Israel – and hasn’t done so for more than 5 years.'' Peter Cronau is an investigative journalist, and producer for ABC TV's investigative documentary program Four Corners, and has won numerous journalism awards.// Jamal Nabulsi - Nakba Day, Palestinian Hip-Hop, Media Manfacturing Consent (15 May 25)//

Dr Jamal Nabulsi is a Palestinian writer, researcher, rapper, organiser, educator on unceded Jagera and Turrbal land ''brisbane.'' He is a founding collective member of the Institute of Collaborative Race Research, and his PHD thesis ‘Affective Resistance: Feeling through everyday Palestinian struggle’, which explores Palestinian hip-hop music and graffiti—was awarded the prize for best doctoral thesis on emotions in politics and international relations by the British International Studies Association. In this interview, Jamal and I discuss Palestinian & First Nations solidarity, resisting fragmentation, the important of self-determined Indigenous spaces, and shared music, art, and solidarity practices.// Jalees Hyder - Kashmir Poet, Writer, Teacher, Fighter (15 May 25)//Jalees Hyder is a fiery Kashmiri living as a guest on Chinook Land in so-called ''portland, usa.'' He is a writer, teacher, poet, freedom fighter, and survivor. In this special 3 part series, Jalees & I unpack Kashmir's history, interconnected resistance and solidarity with Palestine, centering Kashmiri voices, tourism as a tool of normalising the occupation and much more - from personal stories of solidarity, to what life is like under occupation - Jalees paints a picture on why Kashmiri's have had enough and what actionable solidarity looks like. In part 1/3 of the interview, we talk about community solidarity, history of Kashmir, and what often gets left out of these narratives.// Bakri Mahmoud - Mutual Aid & Narratives about Sudan (06 Nov 25)//

Filmmaker, photographer and organiser Bakri Mahmoud speaks with us about ongoing mutual aid efforts for Sudan. Bakri will also discuss the importance of disrupting narratives of 'civil war' being used to brand the catastrophic conflict between the RSF and SAF, the responsibilities and failures of so-called Australia in taking action on this crisis, and the importance of continued efforts to support Sudanese liberation. Mutual aid donation details are available in Bakri's Instagram bio.//Ongoing Mutual Aid for SudanUse chuffed link here: https://chuffed.org/project/164157-ongoing-mutual-aid-for-sudan or Donate to BSB: 067872Account: 1561 8838 Song:yayayaya (Prod. Atari) - Haykal

You're listening to Thursday Breakfast's Summer Programming Series on 3CR Community Radio. Happy New Year!Today's show features a selection of interviews covering topics related to housing justice. We hear about voters understanding of the housing crisis, the fight for public housing, crisis accommodation and youth homelessness, and how climate hazard don't affect everyone's housing equally. Stay tuned to 3CR 855AM, 3CR Digital and streaming at 3cr.org.au or via the Community Radio App // Acknowledgement of Country//Dr Alistair Sisson - Housing & the 2025 Federal Election (30 Oct 25)//

Housing researcher and urban geographer Dr Alistair Sisson spoke with us about a recently published report analysing Australian voters' understandings of housing crisis, and how these relate to voter preferences. The report, 'Housing and the 2025 Australian Federal Election: Between Crisis and Inertia', which Alistair co-authored, details how people across age, tenure, and political lines understand the crisis: renters and younger voters see it as an affordability emergency, while older homeowners focus more on immigration and supply.// Ayan Shirwa (prod) - Our Stories Our Flats 4/4 (02 Oct 25)//We heard the end of the ‘Our Stories Our Flats’ series, produced by 3CR's Ayan Shirwa. In this episode, we hear from Rcoo from 44 Flats United about their campaign to defend public housing, and community advocate Barry Berih shares what motivated him to take Homes Victoria to court. Thanks again for listening and sharing the podcast with your friends. If you missed an episode or want to listen again, you can do so by visiting 3cr.org.au/ourstoriesourflats // 

Tyler & Dani - Crisis Housing Reform 2/2 (25 Sep 25)//

The second part of an interview with Tyler and Dani from Crisis Housing Reform, a grassroots advocacy campaign focusing on change within Victorian crisis accomodation. We discuss two special reports released in late August this year from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, concerning youth experiencing homelessness. Follow their work on via instagram.com/crisishousingreform/ // Tony Birch - Fight for Public Housing (23 Oct 25)//Acclaimed author Tony Birch was back in the studio to give us the long view on urban renewal and the fight for public housing in Naarm/Melbourne. Some of Birch's most memorable short fiction features the impacts of slum reclamation in inner city Melbourne in the mid-20th century, part of the process of establishing the city's now iconic high rise public housing estates. With the flats under threat by a state government plan for their total demolition and redevelopment, organisers and community groups called a public meeting on 23 Oct at the Capitol Theatre in Melbourne's CBD to sound the alarm. Tony Birch is an activist, historian and essayist, and is currently the Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne. 

Emma Bacon - Sweltering Cities (03 July 25)//

Emma Bacon is the Founder and Executive Director of Sweltering Cities, the national community voice for heat safety. Sweltering Cities has recently supported the 'Home safe: National leadership in adapting to a changing climate report' from the Climate Change Authority published on 19 June 25. It is a timely and sobering reminder of the urgent need to prepare our communities for the worsening impacts of climate change. We discuss how climate hazards don't affect everyone equally, practical and long overdue reforms, the limits of adaptation, but what we can do about it today.// Song:Mars - RONA

You're listening to Thursday Breakfast's Summer Programming Series on 3CR Community Radio. Happy New Year!Today's show features a selection of interviews we've done with artists, writers, video game designers, and filmakers. We hear about the importance of disabled oracles, 'Blaktasia' the First ever Aboriginal mobile game, the Famili music collective's EP 'Bloodfire', Tony Birch's 'Pictures of You' collection, and the short film 'Sister Mine' & fighting against casteism. Acknowledgement of Country//

Pauline Vetuna - 3CR Disability Day (20 Nov 25) //Writer, artist, and 3CR's Disability Day coordinator Pauline Vetuna shares some reflections on the work of disabled oracles in transforming the world in the wake of the recent passing of revolutionary disability activist Alice Wong. Pauline also reflects on the importance of critically attending to how we practice solidarity and community with disability justice at the core, disabled ancestorhood, and this year's upcoming Disability Day special broadcast on the 3rd of December.// Blaktasia (14 Aug 25) //Elijah McDonald (Noongar, Pitta Pitta, Yamatji) Tech Artist, Junior Programmer and Rosie Kalina (Wemba Wemba, Gundjitmara) Art and Culture Producer from Blaktasia, this continent's first ever Aboriginal mobile game, joined us in the studio to discuss the making of the game, art, inspiration, and the everyday work it takes make a game by Mob for Mob, where you restore the bush & defeat the corrupting force of The Murk. Set in a Blak world inspired by Country, you don't want to miss this! // Poro - FAMILI (27 Nov 25) //

Poro, a member of FAMILI, a collective born at the intersection of Pasifika, Blak, queer, and trans experiences joins us to discuss their EP BLOODFIRE released yesterday, as well as their Short Film. Their work connects past, present, and future into a space that refuses easy categorisation, a space where ancestral traditions met futuristic sounds. We spoke about their show on Thursday 27th Nov 7pm at the Northcote Theatre featuring an hour-long set of new, unreleased music – years in development. Support their work on Bandcamp and follow them on Instagram. // Tony Birch - Pictures of You (23 Sep 25) //

Multi-award winning author Tony Birch joined us in the studio to discuss the upcoming launch of Pictures of You, a selection of the best of his short fiction works over the past two decades. The collection brings together some of Birch's most poignant stories, taking readers through the humour, heartbreak, and rich complexity of everyday human experience. Pictures of You is published by the University of Queensland Press and hits bookstores on the 30th of September - pre-order your copy here. Tony Birch is an activist, historian and essayist, and is currently the Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne.// Akshay Gouri - Sister Mine (09 Oct 25) //

CW: Gendered violence, femicide, casteismAkshay Gouri, maker of the short film 'Sister Mine' - When Amarjeet is sent to Melbourne with a tragic mission — to protect family "honor" by taking his sister’s life, who has had an inter-caste marriage — he instead finds love, warmth, and conflict in the home of the woman he was meant to destroy. Sister Mine is a powerful story of cultural pressure, sibling love, and humanity winning over hate. Akshay Gouri is a Screenwriter and Director who has made 8 short films, both fiction and non-fiction, pertaining to Political issues, Socio-economic realities and their consequences on people. Watch their incredible short films collection via Youtube.

You're listening to Thursday Breakfast's Summer Programming Series on 3CR Community Radio!Today's show features a selection of interviews covering public health topics such as young people's experiences of chronic pain, First Nations medical trailblazers, the campaign to Save Cohealth, a Palestinian physician in Gaza practicing medicine during genocide, and the importance of drug checking.// Acknowledgement of Country//Joshua Pate - Young People & Chronic Pain (04 Dec 25)//

Physiotherapy researcher and health science communicator Dr Joshua Pate joined us to unpack the impacts of chronic pain on young peoples' lives, and the consequences of failing to believe young people and and adequately resource paediatric pain care in Australia. Joshua co-authored the 2025 National Kids in Pain Report commissioned by Chronic Pain Australia, released in September 2025, which details the scale and impact of chronic pain for young people in Australia. The report documents how these experiences shape young peoples' worlds and have flow-on effects in all parts of their lives, and you can read it here.// Kimberley Benajamin - Our Medicine (10 Jul 25)//

Kimberely Benjamin is a Yawuru, Bardi and Kija woman from Rubibi/Broome, and proudly living and working on Country. Kimba discussed the directing and making of SBS & NITV show Our Medicine, a 6-part series behind-the-scenes look showcasing First Nations medical trailblazers and traditional healers, who, through their work, care and knowledge are making change and having positive impacts on community. Watch it on SBS on Demand now.// Shaday - Save Cohealth Campaign (06 Nov 25)//Shaday, a GP trainee at a community health clinic joined us to discuss organising for the Save Cohealth Rally and rally at Sarah Witty’s office. The rally is calling on federal or state emergency funding to save the clinics that service over 12,500 people and prevent a statewide health catastrophe. Some symbolic motions in parliament have been moved but it’s mass mobilisations like the Town Hall in Fitzroy and the rally that will win this campaign.//  Dr Ezzideen Shehab - Palestinian Physician in Gaza & Author (06 Nov 25)//

Dr Ezzideen Shehab, a Palestinian physician in northern Gaza, shared his reflections on practicing medicine during Israel's ongoing genocide. Dr Shehab has collaborated with Readers and Writers Against the Genocide to publish Diary of a Young Doctor a remarkable collection of diary entries that he has kept to document eyewitness accounts of the genocide. Order your copy of Diary of a Young Doctor by heading to linktr.ee/readerswritersagainstgenocide, and follow Dr Shehab on Instagram at @ezzideenshehab.// Cameron Francis - The Loop Drug Checking (27 Nov 25)//

Cameron Francis is the CEO of The Loop Australia - a national harm reduction charity delivering drug checking services in Victoria and New South Wales, and until recently in Queensland. He joined us to discuss the importance of drug checking and harm reduction, particularly at mobile sites ahead of festival season. You can access free drug checking in Victoria at 95 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Follow them on instagram for drug alerts or contact them for more information.// Songs//Our Blood & Firekeeper by FAMILIBuy their latest EP 'BLOODFIRE' on bandcamp//

Acknowledgement of Country//Headlines//We replay a conversation between from Danielle & Shev about late diagnosis, privilege, getting services from an inadequate system, stigma and disability inclusion in activist spaces, originally broadcast for as part of 3CR's Disability Day special broadcast on the 3rd of December, 2025. This year's theme, "Right Relations & Innovations" was about disabled people's visions of a safe future for everyone, and the relationships and innovations that can get us there.//The end of year holiday period can be hard for queer people for so many different reasons. Whether or not you celebrate Christmas, it's a time that can be really isolating due to friends and community going away on holiday, with less access to healthcare over public holidays. There are increased financial pressures and constant reminders of idealised family relationships. To learn more about supporting yourself and others during this time, today we are joined by Bec Smith from QLife - a peer support service run by community for community. Bec has spent the better part of the past decade working and volunteering in the digital mental health sector, and currently serves at LGBTIQ+ Health Australia as the Associate Director for QLife, which runs in partnership with Twenty10 (NSW), Switchboard (Vic), Living Proud (WA), and Diverse Voices (Qld). Qlife December opening hours: 3pm-9pm local time. Register for Queerspace's Free Christmas Morning Breakfast here. Resources for LGBTQI+SB people under 16: Reachout, Drummond Street Youth Services, Rainbow Door, Kids Helpline PH: 1800 55 1800.//Nina Tory-Henderson and Carey Landwehr from Building Action Now, or BAN, speak with us about a recently launched open letter campaign urging Minister for Housing and Building Harriet Shing to halt plans to demolish Melbourne’s 44 high-rise public housing towers. BAN, a group of professionals from the built environment industry, argue that in addition to a lack of appropriate consideration of the plans’ impact on residents, the government is still failing to provide a reasonable justification for wholesale demolition and redevelopment of the towers despite the significant social, environmental and economic costs. You can read and sign BAN's open letter here.//Ilo Diaz from the Centre Against Racial Profiling joins us to unpack the function, declaration and impact of ‘designated areas’ in Victoria. Ilo has been tracking the announcement of designated areas around Victoria over the past few years, looking at the frequency and duration of these zones where police are additionally empowered to do things like search people without a warrant, move them along, and remove face coverings. Last week, Human Rights Law Centre filed a challenge in federal court against the Victorian Assistant Police Commissioner’s recent declaration of the entire Melbourne CBD and surrounds as a designated area for 6 months, starting from 30 November 2025. Head to the Federation of Community Legal Centre's website to find your local community legal centre for support if you have had contact with the police.//Lana Laham, disability support worker & community organiser, joins us to discuss Fun Run 4 Mutual Aid, a community-powered event bringing people together to move, connect, and raise funds for life saving mutual aid to Gazan, Sudanese & First Nations people. The main Fun Run event will take place on Sunday, February 1st 2026, 9 AM, at Footscray Park along the fully paved Maribyrnong River Trail. But you can run or walk, on the day or at a time that suits you! There are so many ways to get involved. Sign up and pledge to raise $1000 for these important initiatives by asking your friends and family to sponsor you. Walk with your pram, dog, mobility scooter, or sprint away, this is your chance to make every step count. Details at bit.ly/funrun4mutualaid to find out more and follow them on Instagram instagram.com/funrun4mutualaid///

Acknowledgement of Country// Headlines:Youth social media ban comes into effectNT government blocks UN human rights inspectors from prison accessVictorian Government apology to First Nations people criticised as performativeNew fossil fuel exploration permits not welcome in Victoria Care in Unit 18 found 'inhumane' in Cleveland Dodd coronial inquestCity of Port Phillip councillors vote to punish rough sleepers Bridget Dunne, senior lawyer at Youthlaw, joined us to discuss the Adult Time for Violent Crime Bill recently passed by the Victorian Parliament. Bridget works in the early intervention space aimed at helping young people involved in the justice system. She is an experienced criminal lawyer and human rights advocate who has worked around Australia and internationally.//  Content warning: this segment discusses family and domestic violence and femicide. For support, contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline on 13 11 14, or the Suicide Callback Service on 1300 659 467.Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon and Matt Tyler spoke with us about Lilie James’ coronial inquest and the urgency of government action on femicide and domestic violence. Kate is a Professor at Monash University and leading international expert on domestic, family and sexual violence. She was an expert advisor in Lilie James coronial inquest and gave evidence during the public hearings. Matt Tyler is one of Australia’s leading advocates focussed on improving the lives of children and young people. As Executive Director of The Men’s Project at Jesuit Social Services, he has led groundbreaking work to reduce violence, prevent child sexual abuse and promote flourishing amongst men and boys.// We spoke with Vasaila Govender, one of this year's Eureka Medal recipients, who was awarded last week in recognition of her long term advocacy work as the founder of the Injured Workers Support Team (IWST). IWST is a grassroots community network providing human-centred support to people navigating Victoria’s complicated workplace injury compensation system. Today, Vasalia shared more about IWST's most recent campaign. You can sign IWSTs petition here. Listen back to 3CR's Eureka Day 2025 Special Programming here.// Maurice/Moonstarzzie from Resident Frequency Studio joined us live in-studio to discuss Rave 4 the Towers, a day of music and food by the community for the community, in solidarity with public housing residents in the 44 flats. Rave 4 the Towers is from 4-8pm on Friday 19th December, at Harmsworth Park in Collingwood.// Kristin O'Connell, spokesperson for the Antipoverty Centre, joined us to break down the second report by the Commonwealth Ombudsman in its investigation into the Targeted Compliance Framework, otherwise known as "mutual obligations", where welfare recipients are subjected to a regime of compulsory activities in order to access social security payments. The report, published on Tuesday this week, covers the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations' approach to remediation for unlawfully suspended payments, which the Ombudsman has described as neither fair nor reasonable. Read the full report here. If you need support navigating payment suspensions, you can contact [email protected].//

Acknowledgement of Country// Headlines:Mass arrests at Rising Tide protest in NewcastleUN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visit AustraliaWest Papuan National Flag DayCalls for federal government to wipe household energy debt Victorian healthcare workers strike today Physiotherapy researcher and health science communicator Dr Joshua Pate joined us to unpack the impacts of chronic pain on young peoples' lives, and the consequences of failing to believe young people and adequately resource paediatric pain care in Australia. Joshua co-authored the 2025 National Kids in Pain Report commissioned by Chronic Pain Australia, released in September 2025, which details the scale and impact of chronic pain for young people in Australia. The report documents how these experiences shape young peoples' worlds and have flow-on effects in all parts of their lives, and you can read it here.// Artist, creative director and producer Grace Dlabik spoke with us about a fundraising campaign to purchase an accessible vehicle for her 22-year-old son Elijah so that he can expand his independence and freedom. Grace discussed the challenges of navigating the administrative burden of the NDIS to secure transport and mobility devices and modifications, and the relationship between mobility, transport and the agency and independence of people with disability. Donate to the fundraiser here.// We hear an excerpt of an address by author and historian Professor Jenny Hocking on the history of Gough Whitlam’s Prime Ministership and his dismissal in 1975, as well as revelations from her successful High Court bid to release palace correspondence.// Jake McGuinnes from the Health Workers Union joined us to discuss the Union's first protected industrial action in 25 years.Thousands of Victorian healthcare workers will walk off the job today, furious about a threatened pay cut amid heavy workloads and staff shortages. Join them from 12PM as they rally at the Victorian Parliament steps, Spring Street.//Lucinda Thorpe, Privacy Campaigner for Digital Rights Watch, spoke with us about the federal government's National AI Plan released on Tuesday the 2nd of December, which is backed by a $30 million commitment to set up the AI Safety Institute in early 2026. The thin plan is managed under the former industry minister's "mandatory guardrails" to protect against Al's worst harms. While experts have called for greater and targeted regulations for Big Tech, the government is opting to use existing frameworks instead. Read Digital Rights Watch’s media release on the plan here, and head to their website for further information to equip you to write to your local MP about it.//

Acknowledgement of Country// Headlines:Torrential flooding across southeast AsiaSudan and Palestine updatesRampant racial profiling in Victoria Police searches and use of force6-month expansion of Victoria Police search powers in Melbourne’s CBDHigh Court challenge against Australia's social media age ban Fundraisers this Saturday the 29th of November:RAHU x AUWU Solidarity BBQ, 12-4PM, Edinburgh Gardens Rotunda, Fitzroy VIC. Husk Fundraver, 3PM-late, location TBC - follow @husk_housingsupport on Instagram for updates.44FU Turns One Birthday Fundraiser, 5PM-late, ON3 Studio, 325 Victoria St, Brunswick VIC. We played some excerpts of 3CR's 2025 Beyond the Bars prison radio broadcasts, which aired live during NAIDOC week this year, sharing the mic with First Nations inmates in Victorian prisons from 7-11 July. Today, we heard the voices of women at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre speaking about the violence of lockdowns in prison and the way that these measures compound multiple forms of punishment that the women are forced to endure. Listen back to the full Beyond the Bars 2025 broadcasts here, and swing by the station at 21 Smith St, Fitzroy, to pick up a free CD!// Independent researcher Dr Tamar Hopkins joined us to discuss the latest data release by the Racial Profiling Data Monitoring Project, an analysis of Victoria Police's use of force data and updated search data. Tamar's analysis demonstrates the alarming rates at which Victoria Police conduct searches of and use force against people they perceive to be Aboriginal, African, Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern. Join Tamar and a stellar panel of anti-racist community organisers to unpack the findings at the IPCS (Institute for Postcolonial Studies) in North Melbourne next Monday the 1st of December from 5:30-7:30PM - register here to get your ticket. The Racial Profiling Data Monitoring Project is a project of the Centre Against Racial Profiling.// Poro, a member of FAMILI, a collective born at the intersection of Pasifika, Blak, queer, and trans experiences, joined us to discuss their EP BLOODFIRE released yesterday, as well as their new Short Film. FAMILI’s work connects past, present, and future into a space that refuses easy categorisation, a space where ancestral traditions met futuristic sounds. Catch FAMILI’s show tonight, Thursday the 27th of November, from 7PM at the Northcote Social Club, featuring an hour-long set of new, unreleased music that has been years in development (get your tickets here). FAMILI are joined by DJs Nicholas Currie + TIAKI + a Special Guest to be announced. Support FAMILI’s work on Bandcamp and follow them on Instagram.//We caught up with Cameron Francis, CEO of The Loop Australia, to discuss the importance of drug checking and harm reduction, particularly at mobile sites, ahead of festival season. The Loop is a national harm reduction charity delivering drug checking services in Victoria and New South Wales, and, until recently, in Queensland. Check out the latest findings and reports from running the drug checking services.//The Loop VIC (95 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy) will have extended opening hours over the holidays. The Loop drug checking will also available at the following festivals:Spilt Milk, Ballarat – Saturday 6 December 2025Dangerous Goods 6XXL, Melbourne – Saturday 24 January 2026Pitch Music and Arts Festival, Mafeking – 6-10 March 2026.//