Pork-barrelling isn’t illegal, but it's one of the dark arts of politics: governments spending money in seats they want to win.
So, when does the practice cross the line from politicians faithfully serving the public into pork-barrelling and using taxpayer dollars to essentially bribe voters?
Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton on the two Labor grants that are beginning to raise questions in Canberra, and the MP who is trying to make public spending more transparent.

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Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Middleton

Why Labor is being accused of pork-barrelling

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As Donald Trump zeroed in on his successful 2016 run to the presidency, he began to engage in what is called “catch and kill” journalism.
Trump and his lawyers developed relationships with journalists, who were allegedly prepared to track down damaging stories aboutTrump, and then take money to ensure they would never be printed.
Today, managing editor of The Saturday Paper Emily Barrett on the Australian who built a reputation as one of the best at “capture and kill” in America – and how he’s ended up being central to Donald Trump’s trial in New York.

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Guest: Managing editor of The Saturday Paper, Emily Barrett.

The Australian journo on 'catch and kill' for Trump

It feels like hardly a week goes by where we don’t hear about a woman in Australia being killed by a man she knows.
Intimate partner deaths increased by almost a third during the last reporting year and early counts by advocacy groups suggest this year is set to be even worse.
The spike in killings has led to protests, a national outcry and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declaring that violence against women is a national crisis.
Today, author of See What You Made Me Do and journalist Jess Hill, on what can be done to stop the violence – and why “awareness” is no longer good enough.

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Guest: Author of See What You Made Me Do and journalist Jess Hill

Jess Hill on why we need more than ‘awareness’ to end the killing of women

There are strict rules around how drug company representatives can interact with doctors to ensure they aren’t influencing how medications are prescribed.
But when it comes to expensive medical devices inserted in our bodies during surgery – all sorts of screws, pacemakers and implants – those same rules don’t apply.
Medical device sales reps are scrubbed up and working in the operating theatre, even advising surgeons on which products to use.
Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on whether the pursuit of profit risks driving clinical decisions.

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Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe

How sales reps infiltrated operating theatres

There’s an old adage in Canberra: every first-term government gets a second chance.
But when voters head to the polls next year, could the current Labor government be an exception?
With so many Australians feeling the cost-of-living crisis, and the government facing a slump in the polls, evidence is mounting that Labor will struggle to retain majority government.
So what’s its strategy to change course?
Today, special correspondent in Canberra for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis, on why Labor appears so calm in turbulent times.

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﻿Guest: Special correspondent in Canberra for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis

‘A race towards minority’: Inside Labor’s re-election strategy

When Australia’s eSafety commissioner issued takedown orders to some of the world’s biggest tech companies at the beginning of this week, the commissioner probably didn’t realise it would put us on the frontline of a global battle over the internet.
The orders were aimed at removing the kind of footage social media companies have agreed to remove in the past – but today things are very different, in large part because of Elon Musk.
Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on why Elon Musk and his fans turned on Australia and how one Senator in particular, ended up in the firing line.

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Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.

Why Labor is being accused of pork-barrelling

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