Late Night Live – Separate stories podcast

The average farmer in America is no longer someone in gumboots mending fences and riding tractors. Barons is the story of seven corporate titans who now dominate the American food system. Many of them are still family-run companies worth billions. Austin Frerick says there are similar approaches to the industrialised food system that include political[...]

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has weighed in to the use of slogans at pro-Palestinian university campus rallies as a Rafah ground invasion grows closer. The Treasurer targets students in the latest cost of living measures announced ahead of next week's budget, but no sign of increases to Job Seeker, and the Opposition maintains pressure on[...]

What can two of Australia's literary greats teach us about letter writing? Brigitta Olubas and Susan Wyndham joined Phillip Adams in the studio to discuss an extraordinary new book of letters penned over forty years by novelists Shirley Hazzard and Elizabeth Harrower. Hazzard and Harrower: The Letters is published by NewSouth Books. 

Lorraine Peeters, herself a stolen child and survivor of Cootamundra Home for Girls, has spent her life healing herself and others, creating the organisation Marumali which provides culturally powerful training to service providers. Her daughter, Shaan Peeters, is now taking over the reins as director.

Water rights were promised to Indigenous communities in the Murray Darling Basin a year ago. What has happened to those commitments from the Federal Government?Guest: Uncle Brendan Kennedy is a Wadi Wadi and Tati Tati traditional owner from Robinvale in Victoria

Johann Hari discusses the health risks and rewards of the new weight loss drugs. What does the huge demand for these drugs say about our troubled relationship with food?Guest: Johann Hari, author of Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight Loss Drugs (Bloomsbury)

Bruce Shapiro has been watching the protests taking place at Columbia University over the last ten days from his office window. 100 students were arrested at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment which has triggered similar protests at campuses across America.Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with the Nation Magazine and Executive Director of the Dart Centre for[...]

Over the last thirty years, watching wildlife in nature became Satyajit Das' gravitational centre. His new book Wild Quests is a literal and metaphorical record of these travels. 

Could the ocean offer us a way to make ethical and emotional sense of the past, and help us re-imagine our relationship to the world? Australian writer James Bradley thinks so.James joined Phillip Adams to talk about his new book Deep Water: The World in the Ocean, which explores the deepest recesses of the natural[...]

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's attendance at a rally against gendered violence has backfired as one of the rally organisers claimed he lied about not being asked to speak at the event. Sarah Williams, founder of the 'What Were You Wearing’ organisation has called for an apology from the Prime Minister and a women's strike on[...]

The tradition of the ANZAC is almost always gendered male (and white). But what about women? They served and died for their country. Historian Melanie Oppenheimer believes they are yet to receive the commemorations they are due.Author of: The Power of Humanity: 100 Years of Australian Red Cross100 words plus Guests name & book 

In his latest book, Life so Full of Promise: further biographies of Australia lost generation , Historian Ross McMullin documents and remembers the lives of three outstanding young Australians who served and lost their lives in World War 1.

A new documentary reveals the little-known role of the Greek Island of Lemnos in the Anzac story, and the multicultural mateship that developed between the Indian, Sikh and Gurkha forces who fought alongside Australia and New Zealand's diggers.Guest: Elizabeth Kaydos, Producer/Researcher of 'Anzac. Lemnos. 1915' - a new documentary screening here on SBS On Demand.

Palestinian lawyer Hiba Husseini and Israeli politician Yossi Beilin have spent decades working towards a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They share why they remain hopeful that peace can be achieved and what it might realistically take to get there. GUESTS: Dr Hiba Husseini, the head of Husseini & Husseini, a law firm in Ramallah[...]

Natalie Haynes has been called a ‘very modern classicist’ for her work bringing the Greek myths to a wide audience through fiction, non-fiction and even comedy. In her new book Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth, Natalie reclaims and re-imagines the stories of deities who have been reduced to stereotypes and bit parts.  Guest: Natalie Haynes author[...]

PM Rishi Sunak's looks like he has finally got his Rwanda bill through, but will it remain in place if there is a change of government?

How did Germany transform itself from a fascist dictatorship and European pariah post World War 2 to a democratic and economic powerhouse? Author Frank Trentmann joins LNL for a look at this gripping history and the role of contemporary Germany in Europe.Out of the Darkness is published by Penguin Australia

In the tradition of Prime Ministers past, Anthony Albanese heads off to walk the Kokoda trail and shore up relations with PNG. The Treasurer hints at hits to our economic growth forecasts ahead of the budget, and the Opposition changes its tune over the proposed new misinformation bill and aligns itself with government's demand that[...]

Two of the most impressive Scottish writers and thinkers are also great friends. Andrew O'Hagan and Professor Karl Miller discuss the power of landscape and history in shaping Scottish imagination and writing, and why Scotland's consistently punched above its weight in these terms.This interview was originally broadcast on 6th September 2012.Guests: Karl Miller died in[...]

Long before the satirical film American Fiction made it to our screens, writers and publishers have grappled with the idea of the ‘race novel’. And just as the Black American characters in the film confronted race and class expectations, First Nation writers in Australia find themselves at the mercy of similar prejudices. Writer Tony Birch joins Phillip[...]

The world’s most expensive spice appears in the written record as early as 2300 BCE, and is revered by cultures around the globe. It takes between 70,000 and 200,000 flowers to produce just one kilogram of dried saffron threads. But the precious and sacred plant is under serious threat from climate change.Guest: Nina Elkadi, Plant Humanities[...]

South Africa goes to the polls on May 29 and the ANC - the party of Nelson Mandela - which has ruled South Africa unchallenged for thirty years, is in trouble electorally. Guest: John Matisonn, journalist and author of God, Spies And Lies: finding South Africa's future through its past, published by Ideas for Africa.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ian Johnson introduces us to the brave people inside China that are challenging the Chinese Communist Party on its most sensitive ground: its control of history. 

Donald Trump spent his first day in the dock as a criminal defendant. Bruce Shapiro talks us through the day, including the reported snooze from the former President.Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine; Executive Director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University. 

Our lives are full of choices, but what if they aren't really an exercise in free will? Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky argues that we are slaves to our biology and wrestles with what this might mean for how we govern ourselves and others.

Laura Tingle on how the media found itself in hot water over its reporting on the Bondi Junction killings and its involvement in the Bruce Lehrmann defamation trial. Plus why Labor is fast losing support in key seats over its handling of Israel's attacks on Gaza. Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

Have you ever paused to think how and when books and text became divided into chapters? Nicholas Dames has.Nicholas Dames: Professor of Humanities at Columbia University. Author of The Chapter; a segmented history from antiquity to the 21st century ( Princeton University press)

In 2014 and 2016, two shipwrecks were found which answered a lengthy mystery – what happened to Sir John Franklin’s North-West Passage expedition, which had been missing since 1845? The wrecks were found thanks to Inuit testimony, and now people are wondering why it took so long for that local knowledge to be trusted. Guest: Annaliese[...]

The Anglican Church systematically buried complaints about sex abusers in Newcastle during the 1970’s onwards.  Author and social philosopher Anne Mann's new book looks at this infamous era in the Anglican Church.  Author of: Crimes of the Cross: The Anglican Paedophile Network of Newcastle, Its Protectors and the Man Who Fought for Justice

Tim Faulkner dreams of a day when national parks across mainland Australia are free of feral predators, and where now-extinct mammals like the eastern quoll or Tassie devil roam freely. That dream may soon come one step closer to reality when a small number of eastern quolls are released in New South Wales, more than half[...]

The Spanish Civil War (1936-39) is remembered as a dress rehearsal for World War 2, a class struggle, a religious struggle, a battle between left and right, between fascism and communism. While the conflict left deep scars on Spanish society, the impact of the war went far beyond its borders. To document and discuss the[...]

The NSW Labor government promised to establish a huge koala sanctuary on the mid North Coast to be known as the Great Koala National Park. A desperately needed habitat to shore up rapidly dwindling koala numbers. Now a year into office, the park is still not established and the reasons are to do with carbon credits.Guest:[...]

The debate over British arms sales to Israel, Tory MP William Wragg resigns after a honey trap blackmail scandal. Rishi Sunak's inappropriate laugh. Keir Starmer marks 4th year as opposition leader.Ian Dunt: Regular LNL commentator and iNews columnist.

Playwright David Williamson has come out of retirement to write a new play about the housing crisis and the increasing divide between the haves and have-nots in Australia. He says neoliberal ideology, which has been embraced by both major parties, has made the wealthy ever richer and seen many Australians lose hope of ever affording their[...]

The Prime Minister has responded to the Israeli Defence Force inquiry into the death of aid worker Zomi Frankcom and her colleagues, saying their explanations are unsatisfactory. Meanwhile former Labor Minister Craig Emerson recommends multi-million dollar fines for the supermarket duopoly if they step out of line. Guest: Bernard Keane, political editor, Crikey

Eco-feminist and food sovereignty activist Dr Vandana Shiva welcomes the news that the International Criminal Court will this year consider whether it can add ecocide as a prosecutable crime under international law. She says ecocide is a form of genocide and ecological apartheid has been occurring in many places around the world, including Gaza, to[...]

Finding a car park can sometimes seem a challenge, particularly in big cities, but could there actually be too many car parks in the world? Henry Grabar argues that there are many unintended costs and impacts of parking your car including making housing more expensive and having a negative impact on the environment.Henry Grabar: a[...]

It sets our species apart and has enabled us to create great civilisations but if our most defining characteristic is our intelligence and capacity to learn - should we keep it for ourselves or should we develop, program and teach it to  machines and computers?Guest: Leslie Valiant: Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Harvard[...]

We last spoke with Professor Viet Thanh Nguyen nine years ago about his debut novel The Sympathizer, which went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.His new memoir covers his family's journey from Vietnam in the 1970's fleeing war, to life as a refugee in America.The memoir is called A Man of Two Faces,[...]

Anna Funder's interventions in history have seen her notch up numerous literary accolades - a Miles Franklin, the Samuel Johnson Prize, and now a long-listing for the inaugural Women's Prize for Non-fiction. Anna Funder is the author of Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life. Funder spent six years meticulously untangling the threads of history to uncover the[...]

Bruce Shapiro explains the significance of the Comstock Act from 1871 and how it is being used in arguments about contraception and abortion in 2024. And Robert F Kennedy chooses a running mate.Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine; Executive Director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University. 

Jack Thompson, actor, activist, poetry aficionado, Bob Dylan fan, sits down with Phillip to talk about family and films and living with dialysis.This program was originally broadcast on 1 October 2018.

The man who helped launch Extinction Rebellion, Rupert Read, says for too long the choices on climate action have been limited to either consumer choices or radical protests. He says there needs to be a space for action between these two alternatives. So Read has started The Climate Majority Project – a new approach to[...]

Ice, ice baby... Max Leonard explores how we have interacted with ice through the ages. 

Surrealism, the movement that gave us disembodied eyeballs, melting clocks and lobster phones, turns 100 this year. Mark Polizzotti, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, argues that Surrealism was much more than an artistic or literary phenomenon. The Surrealists also delved into Marx and Freud and remain relevant today. Guest: Mark Polizzotti, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief at[...]

With more and more migrants and asylum seekers showing up at the US-Mexico border everyday and no solution to America's broken immigration system in sight, this could be the single most important issue in the US presidential race. Guest: Dara Lind - Senior Fellow at the American Immigration Council.

Dick Tamimi was an Indonesian pilot who was caught for smuggling gold into Thailand to buy the fledgling Indonesian government’s first plane in the 1950s. He went on to become a legendary record producer in Jakarta in the 1960s, producing Indonesia’s first all-girl rock band ‘Dara Puspita’. They were likened to Indonesia’s Beatles, and now[...]

After a string of losses there's yet another by- election for PM Rishi Sunak. Labour's Keir Starmer is poised for victory in the next UK election. What is he offering voters and who is he hoping will be his new MPs? Ian Dunt: columnist iNews and regular LNL commentator on UK politics

Dr Kirsty Sword Gusmao’s life has been marked by the most astonishing, cinematic twists and turns. From a quiet childhood in regional Victoria to clandestine work smuggling East Timorese men to safety, from falling in love with an imprisoned resistance fighter to First Lady of Timor-Leste. Now settled back in Australia, Kirsty joins Phillip Adams to[...]

Laura Tingle analyses state election results in Tasmania and South Australia, and what they might mean for the major parties.Plus Labor conflict over gas project permissions legislation. Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

Vesuvius has attracted many visitors over the years, from Goethe, Mozart and Lord Byron to a host of lesser-known lava-chasers who trooped to the summit, scorching their shoes and quaffing the local wine. Guest: John Brewer, Emeritus Professor at the California Institute of TechnologyHis new book is ‘Volcanic: Vesuvius in the Age of Revolutions’ (Yale University[...]

In his new Quarterly Essay, journalist Lech Blaine delves into Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's family history, his work as a Queensland police officer, his life as a property developer and politician, and how these experiences have shaped him as a political leader. 

The female investigator has been a staple of popular culture for over 150 years, from Victorian lady detectives to plucky Miss Marple and tattooed hacker Lisbeth Salander. But what about the real-life women behind these fictional tales? Caitlin Davies traces the history of female private eyes who investigated everything from fraud and shoplifting to international[...]

Investigative journalist Joey Watson has spent the last three years trying to work out who the KGB mole in ASIO was - only to find out that there was likely a nest of traitors operating in ASIO during the cold war. Guest: Joey Watson, producer of the podcast series Secrets we Keep: Nest of Traitors

One of ‘the most intriguing and least known footnotes in Australia-Indonesia relations’ is the relationship between President Soeharto and a man whose name has been kept secret from the public for more than fifty years. But a new reveals the story of the Aussie bloke from Geelong who became Soeharto’s closest adviser and confidante, and[...]

There are divisions on both sides of politics in America with the young voters critical of Biden's response to the war in Gaza. And on the right, questions of censorship, the 1st Amendment and social media have been dividing conservative voices both on and off the Supreme Court.Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine;[...]

In the late 19th century, Joseph Conrad made a number of visits to Australia whilst working as a merchant seafarer. In his book Marlow’s Dream, Martin Edmond recounts these voyages and explores the origins of Conrad’s stories.  

Surprisingly little is known about how Australian troops were sent to fight in the Iraq War. Thanks to Dr David Lee, ‘missing papers’ have now been released that help reveal what really happened in 2003.  

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong will meet her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Canberra this week,  the Liberals push their message on border control while confusion reigns over Palestinian visas and Tasmania heads to the polls. Guest: Rachel Withers, Editor-in Chief, The Politics

Back in 1977, the double murder of two young women in their homes in Easey Street in suburban Collingwood shocked the people of Melbourne. No-one has ever been charged over their deaths. Journalist Helen Thomas has been investigating the murders and believes there is enough new evidence for a new coronial inquest.Guest: Helen Thomas, producer[...]

Historians Tony Moore and Hamish Maxwell-Stewart guide us through Unshackled: a multi media touring exhibition that tells a new and different story about convicts, transportation and colonial Australia.A/Prof Tony Moore: Head of Communications and Media studies, Monash University. Lead Chief Investigator, ARC Linkage Project 'Conviction Politics: the convict routes of Australian democracy'Hamish Maxwell-Stewart: Professor of Heritage[...]

What is micro history and what can an unremarkable cargo ship from the 19th century tell us about the foundations of our modern age.Boyd Cothran: Associate professor of History, York University, Toronto.Co- author of The Edwin Fox: How an Ordinary Sailing Ship Connected the World in the Age of Globalization, 1850-1914

Liam Pieper took up ghost writing after he became unemployable following the release of his first book in 2014. The book was a memoir about growing up with bohemian dope smoking parents and his early life as a drug user and petty criminal. 10 years on he has ghost written several global best sellers as[...]

Prominent Israeli journalist Gideon Levy has received death threats and been shunned by some of his best friends for his coverage of Israel’s operations in Gaza. Yet he continues to strive to report fearlessly on the war and the toll it’s taking on both Gaza and Israel.  

An underwhelming budget, Ex Senior Tory Lee Anderson joins Reform party and former PM Theresa May to leave parliament.

Former Finance Minister of Greece, Yanis Varoufakis discusses his long relationship with Australia, the latest from Greece and Europe as well as the ongoing influence of America on our foreign policy, on Europe and on the Middle East.Guest: Yanis Varoufakis, economist, author and founder of Diem25

Amy Remeikis brings the latest issues from Canberra which in an effort to be green, are recycled. Nuclear energy, the demise of the ute and the Liberal Party's ongoing women problem. Guest: Amy Remeikis, Political Reporter, The Guardian

This International Women's Day while debate rages about the latest gender pay gap figures, LNL looks back at the women of Australia's history who led the fight for better wages and conditions, writing letters, leading protests and strikes, taking on male-dominated jobs and challenging our governments and our biggest employers to do better. Guests: Sally McManus, Secretary of[...]

Do doctors really make the worst patients? Beloved Australian writer Peter Goldworthy was forced to reflect on this, and a lot else besides, when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma - a cancer of the bone marrow - in 2018.

The march to the 2024 Presidential elections continues apace with the Super Tuesday primaries and Supreme Court deliberations. Bruce Shapiro unwraps all the latest from the USA.Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine; Executive Director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University. 

As Bob Brown heads into his 80th year, he talks to Phillip about a life of activism on forests, fish farms and the role independents might have in the upcoming Tasmanian election. He also talks about his work in East Timor and Tibet, and why he wants a statue of forgotten Tasmanian opera singer, Amy[...]

Youth crime is once again on the political agenda in several Australian states and territories in the lead up to elections. Matt Noffs - grandson of the trailblazing Reverend Ted Noffs and CEO of the Ted Noffs Foundation challenges prevailing narratives on youth crime, punishment and drug use and considers how to break these cycles[...]

Maritime security and responding to the climate and energy challenge shape up as the key issues of the ASEAN leaders summit, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong warning of the most confronting set of circumstances in decades. Plus why the Dunkley by-election got so nasty, and what it says about campaign tactics.Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political[...]

Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee has often been described as an outspoken darling of the Left. She describes herself and her famous family as posh left-wingers. Her latest book, part memoir, part social history traces her family's high profile links to social justice and other left-wing causes while exploring the guilt of coming from privilege. Guest: Polly Toynbee, journalist, author.Polly[...]

Oxford historian Peter Frankopan sits down in the studio with Phillip Adams to discuss his life, why we need to shift our Western-centric way of thinking and how history informs the moment of global chaos we find ourselves in.

Marwan Barghouti is the most popular Palestinian leader alive and has been hailed as their version of Nelson Mandela. Barghouti is seen as the only person who could bring the two factions of Fatah and Hamas together, to create a sustainable governing structure. But Barghouti has been in prison in Israel for murder for the[...]

In 2012, a school bus crashed on a neglected road in the West Bank killing six children and one teacher. One of the children was five year old Milad Salama. Journalist and author Nathan Thrall spoke to his father Abed, and through his story he reveals the difficulties and dangers of daily life for Palestinians[...]

Opium had long been used sparingly in India and China as a valuable and useful medicine. When Britain's dependency on Chinese tea created a balance of trade problem, the East India company turbo-charged the opium industry and found an infinitely expanding market for opium in China.Guest: Amitav Ghosh, author of Smoke and Ashes: Opiums Hidden[...]

More headaches for Rishi Sunak after by-election loses and Tory MP Lee Anderson suspended. Also, chaos and the Gaza motion in the House of Commons last week. Naomi Smith: CEO, Best for Britain

Belly or oriental dancing can be traced back to the Ottoman empire, when it was performed by both women and men.Even now, it’s not uncommon to see men wiggling their hips in private, at weddings or other family functions. However, public performances have really been the domain of women until recently. Now male belly dancing is enjoying a[...]

Journalist and former LNL correspondent Margo Kingston returns to reflect on how the rise of Pauline Hanson's One Nation in the late 1990's ultimately led to the split in the Coalition which has now manifested as the number of Teals and other independents in the Australian parliament. She also looks at the poltical influence of[...]

Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest has challenged political parties to step up their action on renewables, telling them to stop "bickering", but what's in it for him? How much will it cost to bring in the necessary reforms to higher education? And why cost-of-living is the only issue that counts in the Dunkley by-election, despite Advances attempts[...]

In the Middle Ages, the rich were expected to use their fortunes as ‘private barns of money’, helping local communities through plague, famine or war. Economic historian Guido Alfani asks whether 21st-century billionaires have a moral duty to contribute to the common good. 

The Moon, our closest celestial neighbour, is almost 400,000 kilometres away and only twelve people have walked on its surface to date. Yet, Rebecca Boyle believes the Moon is responsible for every giant leap humankind has ever made.

The new film Damage is the story of an Iraqi taxi driver Ali, and his elderly passenger Esther. Initially suspicious of each other they eventually form a bond. Filmmaker Madeleine Blackwell cast Ali Al Jenabi as the taxi driver after seeing him at a writers festival.Guests: Damage director Madeleine Blackwell and actor Ali Al Jenabi 

The populist Law and Justice party (PiS) was voted out in October 2023. What is the legacy of their 8 years in office and what lies ahead for Poland?Radoslaw Markowski: Professor of Political Science, Center for the Study of Democracy (Director), University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw.

Anand Patwardhan is an Indian documentary filmmaker whose films have explored the rise of religious fundamentalism, sectarianism and casteism in India. Others have been banned for investigating nuclear nationalism and unsustainable development. His most recent film reflects on his family’s role in fighting for freedom from Britain, and how Modi’s India is not the country[...]

Bruce Shapiro unravels the possible consequences of the $355 million fine imposed on Donald Trump for fraud and looks at what the Democrats can learn from winning back the seat in Long Islands from Republican fraudster George Santos.Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine; Executive Director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma[...]

Someone who epitomises fearless reporting, is the Sydney Morning Herald’s chief investigative journalist Kate McClymont. Kate has been a journalist for nearly 40 years.  She’s exposed corruption at the highest levels of politics, she’s also lead investigations into financial conwoman Melissa Caddick, high profile neurosurgeon Charlie Teo, High Court Judge Dyson Heydon, and media personalities Don Burke[...]

The Opposition is claiming the government has lost control of its borders after the arrival of an asylum seeker boat in WA. Meanwhile a review of our naval ship capabilities is expected to recommend we increase the number of warships in our fleet. Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

John Clarke, was one of New Zealand and Australia’s comedic geniuses. He died of a fatal heart attack while bushwalking with his wife  in 2017.   John’s eldest daughter Lorin recently  wrote a memoir about her family’s life, titled,  Would that be funny? Growing Up with John Clarke Guest: Lorin Clarke, writer

We tend to think of books and war as being at opposite ends of the spectrum. Books rank among humanity’s greatest inventions; war amongst its most terrible. Yet literary historian Andrew Pettegree argues that throughout history books and conflict have been deeply intertwined. 

Human Rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson has been representing Julian Assange for many years. Next week he is requesting leave to appeal against the decision to extradite him to the USA which was made over a year ago. If leave to appeal is denied he could face imminent extradition to a high security prison in the[...]

These days, hitchhiking is discouraged by authorities and concerned parents alike, but in the 1930s it was seen as an opportunity for good manners, generosity and youthful adventure. 

The appointment of Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neil as First Minister in Northern Ireland is an historical moment for the party which was once called a terrorist organisation unfit to lead. So what does this augur a new step for the reunification movement?Guest: Fintan O’Toole, author and columnist for the Irish Times

The politics of the U-turn as Labour ditches a by-election candidate and walks back from a 28 billion pound green fund pledge. Meanwhile it's a week from hell for PM Rishi Sunak's Tories. 

At a time when thousands of languages are vanishing linguistics professor Caleb Everett explores how language shapes the way we think and feel about the world, as well as our perceptions of fundamental life experiences — and what linguistic diversity can tell us about human culture.Guest: Caleb Everett, Professor of Anthropology and Psychology at the University[...]

Shocking revelations about Home Affairs awarding contracts to companies with suspected links to drugs, firearms and bribery. Do we have double standards when it comes to white men's drinking habits? And will the government make an announcement about closing the gap on the anniversary of the apology?Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

Sugandha Srivastav recounts the story of the fantastic sun ray machine and how its creator George Cove was allegedly kidnapped, setting back the development of solar panels for decades.

As the world transitions to green energy and electric vehicles, demand for metals like lithium, copper and nickel is on the rise. Mining for these metals in the past has resulted in environmental degradation and in many cases human rights abuses. Can we do better in the future?Guest: Christopher Pollon, Award winning journalist and author[...]

A name synonymous with social welfare particularly when it comes to asylum seekers and refugees is Sr Brigid Arthur.Sr Brigid is the co-founder of the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project which was set up in 2001 and has helped thousands of refugees since then.She’s been in court protecting the interests of indigenous children and teenage climate[...]

The International Court of Justice found that there was a plausible risk that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. What should the global response be to the finding, and in particular what should Australia's response be? Could the defunding of UNRWA be seen as collective punishment?Guests: Regina Weiss, barrister and former prosecution trial lawyer at the[...]

Bruce Shapiro examines the arguments in the case brought by Colorado to the Supreme Court to have Donald Trump removed from the presidential primary ballot. Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine; Executive Director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University. 

It's an incredibly dangerous time to be a journalist, whether you are reporting from one of the world's many conflict zones or from seemingly democratic countries. Three of the world's great press freedom advocates join Phillip Adams to discuss why this moment is so particularly challenging for journalists and how freedom of the press can[...]

Professor Marcia Langton pays tribute to Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG and talks openly to Phillip Adams about why she feels the Voice referendum failed and where the conversation needs to move now. Guest: Marcia Langton - Professor of Australian Indigenous studies at the University of Melbourne. She was a Co-chair of the Voice Co-Design Senior[...]

Laura Tingle looks at Nemesis - the Turnbull years, what Yang Hengjun's death sentence could mean for our relationship with China, and whether the Liberals will be snookered into supporting the stage three tax cuts legislation as parliament resumes.  Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

Social historian Ebony Nilsson tells the remarkable life story of Vladimir Mishchenko who became Bill Marshall - an ASIO spy.

As prominent Australians call for a détente with China, former banker Satyajit Das looks at the history of de-globalisation and whether the so-called BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) could de-couple from the American dollar and create their own trade network. Guest: Satyajit Das, former banker and author of A Banquet of Consequences Reloaded[...]

 Digital natives are discovering the different reading experience that magazines provide.

More than a million people marched in Germany after an investigation revealed the far right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) had secret meetings to discuss a “master plan” to “re-migrate” migrants to North Africa. Further revelations have shown how deep the Neo-Nazi networks are not just in the far right but also the mainstream parties[...]

James Ward has been fascinated by the mundane for many years, and has written a book entirely about stationery, examining the stories behind the stuff we have littered across our desks and inside our pencil cases - from paperclips to post it notes and everything in between.Guest: James Ward, author of Adventures in Stationery – A[...]

For the first time in 50 years, two Australian psychiatrists have been given permission to treat two of their patients with psychedelic drugs.This follows the TGA approving the use in a clinical setting of MDMA and psilocybin.Guests:Dr Eli Kolter, Psychiatrist, Medical Director, Malvern Private HospitalClaire, Client 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's battle with Tory rebels.The latest on his Rwanda Bill and his electoral prospects for 2024.Guest: Ian Dunt, Commentator and columnist for iNews  

A  trip to the Wessel Islands in north-east Arnhem land has uncovered the location where ancient African coins from the island of Kilwa in Tanzania were found in the 1940's. Since the story went viral in 2014, many people have tried to solve the mystery of how they got there.Guests:Mike Owen, Historian and Co-founder, PastMasters.Michael[...]

Crikey's political editor Bernard Keane talks about the ABC's explosive new political docuseries 'Nemesis', what Scott Morrison's political legacy might be and whether the Stage 3 tax cut reforms represent a breach of voters' trust. 

In an engaging address given at this year's Byron Writers Festival, pioneering historian Henry Reynolds covered living in Townsville in the 1960s, the importance of local history, the extraordinary racial gaps in Australia's early history telling, discovering the truths of frontier violence, his friendship with Eddie Mabo, and why the outcome of the Voice referendum will affect Australia's international[...]

Early in 1907 the French newspaper ‘Le Matin’ announced plans for the most audacious motor race yet. It was to be an epic test, not only of human endurance but also the technological capacity of the newly-invented car.

From elaborate gastro-diplomacy to famines orchestrated by the state, this is the history of modern Russia as you’ve never heard it before – told through the lens of food.Guest: Witold Szabłowski - Polish journalist and author of What's Cooking in the Kremlin: From Rasputin to Putin, How Russia Built an Empire with a Knife and Fork published[...]

The war in Ukraine is about to head into it's third year. With military supplies in Ukraine dwindling and the future flow of Western aid far from guaranteed, is now the time to start thinking about a negotiated agreement? Guests:Anatol Lieven - Director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible StatecraftMichael Kimmage -[...]

The Republican presidential primaries have begun, but as the list of candidates shrinks are they a waste of time? Is it inevitable that the race for the Presidency will be between Donald Trump and Joe Biden? How have both parties ended up with these candidates to offer to the US public?Guests: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with[...]

The relationship between politics and pubs started very early in Australia's colonial history as the pub provided a rare and welcoming place for workers to meet. This continued over the years as people continued to meet in pubs to discuss ideas and strategies to move Australia forward, including during the years of the Sydney Push.Guests:[...]

The Prime Minister has called his MPs back to Canberra early to discuss a likely change to the promised stage three tax cuts as the government feels the pressure to address the cost of living crisis. But that's not the only crisis on its hands - there's a severe shortage of affordable housing, mortgage stress,[...]

In the year 68AD, the death of Emperor Nero precipitated a year of coups and civil war that saw four Caesars in succession rule the Roman Empire. But from the chaos emerged a 70-year era of unrivalled peace, power and prosperity known as the Pax Romana - when the Empire reached the heights of its predatory glory. Guest: Tom Holland,[...]

Wendy Harmer has lived a life full of 'firsts' - she was the first female news cadet in an all-male newsroom in Geelong, the first Australian female stand-up comedian and the first female co-host on a commercial radio breakfast program. But did Wendy herself ever feel like a trailblazer? Or was she always the little[...]

Is there something innately human about a thirst for knowledge? Could the rise of 'smart' technology undermine our own ability to think? These are just some of the questions that award-winning writer Simon Winchester and Phillip Adams tackle in this conversation about Simon's new book Knowing What We Know: The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern[...]

Perhaps the most provocative of punctuation marks, ! has long elicited the love and hate of writers. It's now under threat from the more expressive emoji and teachers who strive to stamp out social media speak in the classroom. Can ! be resuscitated and redeemed? Guest:Dr Florence Hazrat, researcher, wordsmith, podcaster. Author of An Admirable Point:[...]

When the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary decided to crowdsource for the words to be included in the dictionary they probably did not expect murderers, lunatics and pornographers to respond or such a significant number of women. Over 3000 people contributed words and now their identities have been revealed.Guest: Sarah Ogilvie, author of The Dictionary[...]

Historian Lee Jackson explores the history of Dickens’s tourism, looking at the first visitors who made the literary pilgrimage to London and whether the sites they visited were authentic.Originally broadcast on 7 September 2023

Whether it's the JFK assassination or 9/11, Americans have a strange tendency to believe dark forces are at work in their country. According to Colin Dickey, the United States was a land born in paranoia, and the fear of secret societies and conspiracies has been a defining feature of American life ever since. Originally broadcast on 7 September 2023

As well earning him multiple Walkley and Logie awards, the work done by investigative journalist Chris Masters PSM has arguably changed Australia, for the better. He speaks to Phillip Adams about his distinguished career, which culminated in his latest book Flawed Hero: Truth, lies and war crimes. First broadcast 13 July 2023

What are the origins of the handshake? When did smiling become fashionable? And are we hard-wired to laugh? Guests: Ella Al-Shamahi, author of The Handshake: a gripping history (2021)Colin Jones, author of The Smile Revolution In Eighteenth Century Paris (2014)Jonathan Silvertown, author of The Comedy of Error (2020)

When did humanity start drawing borders? Why have nomadic cultures been so maligned? And how do states wield "soft power" through diplomatic gifts? Guests: James Crawford, author, The Edge of the PlainAnthony Sattin, author, Nomads: The wanderers who shaped our worldPaul Brummell, author, Diplomatic gifts: a history in 50 presents

The ability to swim, or not, has always been a social divider and often an indicator of cultural power. But there have been periods and places where those who considered themselves superior chose not to swim. And, why it wasn't until the mid-20th century that body hair came to be viewed as unhealthy, even filthy.Guests: Karen[...]

Did you know that every time you perform a Google search, you're using technology invented by a medieval polymath in Oxford? That's just one of the many interesting insights in Phillip Adams' conversations about how the index, the crossword and the encyclopedia were invented - and why they stuck. 

How did the trench coat morph from its practical military origins to fashion item and spy-wear? Delve into the humble pocket - and its contents - and you'll discover a wealth of social, cultural and political history. Fabrics are woven throughout human history, through Silk Road trading and the European lace wars to the hi-tech[...]

The human urge to document and quantify has been long and varied. Multiple systems of measurement have been devised over thousands of years. But it’s a way to make sense of our world. So, too, is the desire to encapsulate what life is like at a given time, and store it safely somewhere for future[...]

Peter Wohlleben opened our eyes to the hidden social lives of trees. Now he makes the case that trees could be our climate saviours, if we let them.  First broadcast 25 May 2023

Phosphorus supports all life on Earth, yet we're exhausting our reserves of this finite resource at an unsustainable rate, while we allow it to overflow and pollute our waterways. As we inch towards 'peak phosphorus', it turns out the key to our future food security could reside in our own bladders and bowels. Guest: First broadcast 18[...]

In May 1853, thousands of visitors flocked to London Zoo to enter the world's first aquarium or "Fish House". The aquarium was a complete novelty - an opportunity to observe the lives of fish up close. The development of the aquarium would forever change our relationship with the marine world. Guest: John Simons, historian and academic, author of "Goldfish[...]

While the national dish often associated with Australia is the humble meat pie, other countries have national fare dating back centuries, which has the symbolic power of an anthem or flag. But are the national dishes that we travel the world to taste as iconic as we're told? Guest: Anya von Bremzen, award-winning food writer and author[...]

Oxford historian and bestselling author of The Silk Roads Peter Frankopan joins Phillip Adams for a revelatory chat about how climate has contributed to the rise and fall of empires - and what this means for our future on a rapidly warming planet. First broadcast 9 March 2023

In no other Western country has ownership and control of the media been concentrated in the hands of as few people as it has in Australia. Sally Young tells the remarkable story of the media monsters that conglomerated their power and strengthened their influence in the mid-twentieth century.  First broadcast 13 June 2023

We tend to think that the exploration of psychoactive drugs began in the 1960s. But over a century before the explosion of the hippie counterculture, pioneering scientists and thinkers were using substances such as cocaine, hashish and nitrous oxide to unlock the hidden recesses of the mind. Guest: Mike Jay, author and cultural historianHis new book[...]

For over 40 years author Andrey Kurkov has kept a personal journal. His entries from the period leading up to Russia’s invasion and over the first five months of the war provide a glimpse into a country and a culture fighting for survival, against the odds.    Guest: Andrey Kurkov – Author and president of PEN Ukraine. His[...]

In a radical new book, award-winning journalist Angela Saini explores the roots of gendered oppression and finds that male supremacy is a construct - and a far more recent one than we might imagine. Guest: Angela Saini - British science journalist, broadcaster and author. Her latest book is The Patriarchs: How men came to rule published by Harper[...]

Once dubbed the most powerful woman in the world, questions are being asked about whether former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s pragmatic approach left Germany unprepared for dealing with energy transition and climate change.  But as a new documentary shows, her career was also marked by a politics of truth and integrity. ‘Merkel’ reveals how her[...]

Stephen Coates reveals how a secret underground subculture of music lovers defied the censors in Cold War-era USSR, recording forbidden music onto old x-rays.Guest:Stephen Coates - composer, writer and music producer. Author of Bone Music (published by Strange Attractor / MIT Press) Check out the X-ray Audio Project hereMusic credits:St Louis Blues - Unknown (courtesy of Atila[...]

The illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages are among the greatest works of European art and literature, fetching phenomenal sums at auction.  So who were the people who spent their lives among illuminated manuscripts over the last thousand years? Guest: Christopher de Hamel, Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and former Fellow Librarian of the Parker Library. 'The[...]

The Whitlam era saw a great leap forward for women's rights in Australia, driven by Women’s Adviser Elizabeth Reid and a host of female activists, backed by a grass roots movement across the country. Their work is being recognised in a book released to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Reid’s appointment.Guests:- Dr Elizabeth Reid, former[...]

Former Middle East diplomat Bob Bowker reflects on Australia’s role in the Arab world ahead of the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq war. He looks at how the impact of that war has played out in Middle East relations, the intractable problems between Israel and Palestine and how China is seeking to play a larger[...]

The 19th of March 2003 marked the beginning of the invasion of Iraq by the United States and the 'Coalition of the Willing'. 20 years on, award-winning Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad reflects on how the invasion transformed his country, and it's people. Guest: Ghaith Abdul-Ahad – award-winning journalist for the Guardian and author of A Stranger in Your Own[...]

Author Walter Marsh on the era that shaped young Rupert Murdoch - the radical who espoused socialism, kept a bust of Lenin in his uni accommodation and then went on to build his empire from 1950s Adelaide.  Guest: Walter Marsh, journalist and author of Young Rupert - the making of the Murdoch empire,  published by Scribe.This episode was originally[...]

New York has long had a problem with rat infestations, but rat numbers have recently reached historic highs. Can New York rid itself or rats, or is this an unwinnable war?Originally broadcast on 22nd March 2023Guest: Xochitl Gonzalez, staff writer for The Atlantic

James Fallows was the chief White House speechwriter for former president Jimmy Carter. He reflects on the life and legacy of this ‘disciplined, funny, enormously intelligent and deeply spiritual man’. Originally broadcast on the 1st of March, 2023.Guest: James Fallows - contributing writer at The Atlantic and author of the newsletter Breaking the News. You can read his piece[...]

In 2011 political historian and journalist Chris Wallace walked away from a biography she was writing on then Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Wallace felt that amidst the toxic atmosphere of attacks on Gillard releasing the biography risked it being unfairly used against her and she didn't want any part of it. In her new book Political[...]

In a year when wars and the referendum on the voice all worked towards dividing us, there were moments of joy and unity. Our end of year panel digs deep to find them.AJ Lamarque, comedian, writer, producer and host of the Kweens of ComedyAlice Fraser, writer and podcast host of Tea with Alice and The[...]

When award-winning writer and broadcaster Selina Mills started to lose her sight, she noticed that people started to treat her differently. It caused her to explore where the stigma around blindness originates and how it persists in Western culture to this day.

Writer Andrew Leland is gradually losing his sight as a result of a progressive eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa. He discusses what it's like to join - but not feel entirely a part of - the blind community and what it actually means to be blind.

‘It takes a man or woman of great moral courage…to dare the risk of being himself or herself all the time’ – so said Bee Miles, the Sydney woman who claimed she was not anti-social, but anti the social order of 1920’s Australia. Her refusal to conform saw the intellectual radical arrested more than 300[...]

Bruce Shapiro reflects on the year that was in American politics, and looks ahead to a fateful election year in 2024. Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine; Executive Director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University.  

As we celebrate 100 years of radio in Australia, radio historians Dr Virginia Madsen and Professor Jock Given look back at the early days of wireless, how Radio National was born, and at the golden moments in the history of our favourite medium. 

Laura Tingle and author and columnist Niki Sava look back on the key political events of 2023, including the Voice referendum loss, the cost of living crisis and scandals like Robodebt and PWC. Guests: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30Niki Savva, author and columnist.

Jerrie Cobb was the first woman selected to join Mercury 13, an elite  group of women pilots being trained as astronauts in 1960. When film maker Mary Haverstick decided to make a feature film about Jerrie, she soon discovered that Jerrie Cobb seemed to have another identity - June Cobb who was a CIA spy[...]

Discussions of climate change tend to focus on the threats to human societies and economies. But in wild nature, countless species are already in rapid decline, ill-equipped to deal with their rapidly changing realities. Guest: Adam Welz, journalist and author, The End of Eden: Wild Nature in the Age of Climate Breakdown. 

Marcus Aurelius the philosopher, the mad Caligula, the monster Nero. After a couple of thousand years, we still remember the names of many Roman emperors. But why have some been forgotten? And how accurate are the stories that survive?Guest: Mary Beard, author of ‘Emperors of Rome: ruling the ancient roman world’, published by Allen & Unwin.

The Gunditjmara people of Western Victoria have just been recognised with a UNESCO award for their work safeguarding and maintaining their country at Budj Bim cultural heritage site. It's the culmination of years of work campaigning for the right of Indigenous people to care for their own country and for funding the work of Indigenous Rangers.[...]

There is so much more to eyeliner, or 'kohl', than meets the eye. As journalist Zahra Hankir explains, for centuries its been a symbol of power and resistance, as well as female and male beauty. 

COP28 kicks off in Dubai later this week, after a year of record-breaking extreme temperatures. Our Pacific neighbours are already bearing the brunt of the effects, and Australia is hoping to co-host COP31 with Pacific nations in 2036. So what are Pacific Islanders hoping to see the Australian government, and others, commit to at the[...]

Ian Dunt recaps an eventful year in UK politics. Meanwhile, the Sunak government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda has been ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court. Plus, the latest economic figures show that Britons are enduring the worst cost of living crisis in decades.Guest: Ian Dunt, columnist with the "i" newspaper

Unlike the painting collections of art galleries, the State Library of NSW collection is based on the stories the pictures tell, rather than their aesthetic value. Guests: Richard Neville and Rachel Franks, both from the State Library, co-editors of 'Reading the Rooms: behind the paintings of the State Library of NSW’  (NewSouth)

Laura Tingle on whether sacked Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo might get his contract paid out, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek's Murray-Darling deal and the government's gas industry code gets the go-ahead.Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

Moral philosopher Raimond Gaita believes that when we have love for the world there is still hope. He still believes we can find a shared sense of humanity, but we need to listen hard to each other and have conversations which we accept will have an unknown outcome.Guest: Philosopher and author of "Justice and Hope: Essays,[...]

In the United States segregating class rooms is being offered once again, but now it's called 'progressive separatism' - an ideology driven by notions of intersectionality and post-colonialism. But author Yascha Mounk argues that identity politics has become a zero-sum-game, making it harder to achieve a fairer society. Guest: Yascha Mounk, author of “The Identity Trap: a[...]

At the height of his career, Charlie Chaplin was the most famous man in the world, but he was not impervious to the Red Scare. Biographer Scott Eyman revisits the life of Charlie Chaplin and how he became a victim of a particular brand of American paranoia. 

The real life stories of a cast of characters all linked together by the experience of transportation to the penal colony of NSW.Jim Haynes:  author of Heroes, Rebels and Radicals of Convict Australia  (Allen&Unwin)

The Hamas terror attack on the 7th of October seemed to spell the simultaneous downfall of Israel’s right-wing president Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the possibility of a two-state solution. Tel Aviv-based political scientist Dr Dahlia Scheindlin reflects on what’s currently happening in Israeli politics and the possibility now of a comprehensive peaceful resolution to[...]

In this US update with Bruce Shapiro, we remember the 'Steel magnolia', former first lady Rosalynn Carter and her dedication to making life better for others. Plus, we look at why a spate of recent state and local elections bodes well for Biden, while the Israel-Gaza war does not.

It was the murder that shocked the world and, for decades, what happened to Congolese independence leader and prime minister Patrice Lumumba remained shrouded in mystery. Now, Stuart Reid has discovered that the CIA - and the United Nations - played a bigger role in events in the Congo than we've previously believed. 

China has been talking up its intention to broker peace between Israel and Gaza in it role as President of the UN Security Council, but how much clout does it really have in the Middle-East? Guests: Einar Tangen, Senior Fellow of Taihe Institute.Julien Barnes-Dacey, MENA programme director at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

A sonar incident in the South China Sea strains relations with China. Plus, the rush to push through laws after the High Court's ruling on indefinite detention.Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

Richard Flanagan sits down with Phillip to talk about his new book Question Seven which explores the connections between HG Wells, Hiroshima, his father's experience as a prisoner of war and his own existence. He also reflects on the questions that both authors and readers should be asking.Guest: Richard Flanagan, author of Question Seven (Penguin[...]

In the year 313 BC, on a stretch of arid Egyptian coast, Alexander the Great founded the city that still bears his name: Alexandria.  In the centuries that followed, the city emerged as a thriving multicultural centre of world trade, culture, literature and science.Guest: Professor Islam Issa, author, Alexandria: the city that changed the world.

Start with a photo of an unknown face, then run it through an algorithm linked to a massive data base with millions of facial images scraped from the internet and social media and you’d be concerned and surprised at just how much personal information the system can dig up.Kashmir Hill: Technology Reporter, the New York Times and author of[...]

Yepoka Yeebo tells the jaw-dropping true story of John Ackah Blay-Miezah, an audacious Ghanaian con-man that pulled off one of the 20th century's longest-running and most spectacular frauds.

In her role as the Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese investigates human rights violations by both Israeli and Palestinian authorities in the Palestinian Occupied Territories. She questions whether Israel has the right defend itself against Hamas in the way that it has according to international law and argues passionately for the humanisation[...]

In a surprise turn of events, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak decided to clean house, announcing a big cabinet reshuffle in which Suella Braverman was replaced as home secretary and former prime minister David Cameron was welcomed back, as foreign secretary. Guest: Ian Dunt - Columnist with the “i” newspaper.

Sean Turnell was an academic whose expertise in the economy of Myanmar gained the attention of the pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi while she was still in detention. When she was released she called on Sean to join her team to reform the economy of Myanmar. Six years later he was arrested and thrown in jail for[...]

Foreign Minister Penny Wong is being criticised by both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel lobbyists for her comment that there should be 'steps towards' a ceasefire. With Laura Tingle

On September 29 1923, the British Empire reached its geographical zenith, covering a quarter of the world and nearly 500 million people. But in spite of Britain’s triumphalism, Matthew Parker discovers a ruling power be-set by debt and doubt, and on the ground, the sounds of shackles being shrugged off.Guest:  Matthew Parker, author of ‘One Fine Day[...]

Despite decrying jazz and swing as 'degenerate music', Reich Minister for Propaganda Joseph Goebbels knew the power of music and radio to capture hearts and minds. He put together his own swing band, which re-wrote the lyrics of popular tunes as Nazi propaganda. Journalist Scott Simon tells the story. 

The Pacific Islands Forum is meeting in Rarotonga this year, and there are more non-Pacific guests than ever before. The Pacific Leaders are trying to focus on Pacific issues like climate change and seabed mining rather than getting sidetracked by external issues like the war between Israel and Gaza.Guest: Tess Newton-Cain, Project Leader at the Pacific Hub[...]

In 1943 John F. Kennedy and crew are left for dead after their boat is rammed by a Japanese destroyer. Fortunately for them, Australian coast watcher Reg Evans was there to help.Brett Mason:  Author of  Saving Lieutenant Kennedy The heroic story of the Australian who helped rescue JFK

From 2010 to 2020, more people took part in protests than at any other point in human history. From the Arab Spring, to Hong Kong's student demonstrations - many of these movements failed to achieve their ends. Why has success been so elusive?Guest: Vincent Bevins, journalist and author, "If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and[...]

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes a desperate diplomatic mission to the Middle East. Meanwhile, Joe Biden is losing ground to Donald Trump in a new poll of swing states, one year out from the general election. Guest: Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine; Executive Director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma[...]

A vegan environmental scientist journeys to Antarctica, and finds herself surprisingly moved by the stories of the young Scottish whalers of the 20th century, even though they contributed to  the decimation of the whale population in the region. Guest: Sandy Winterbottom, former environmental science academic. Author of 'The Two-Headed Whale: Life, Loss and the Tangled Legacy[...]

The Pacific region was a nuclear testing ground for more than 50 years until the last test by the French in 1996. But now thirty years on people are still suffering high rates of cancer and seeking reparations. And there are concerns that the region will again become a nuclear dumping ground.Guest: Nic Maclellan, correspondent[...]

Anthony Albanese meets with China President Xi Jinping, Scott Morrison heads to Israel and Treasurer Jim Chalmers says we're unlikely to reach our net-zero emissions target with a review of our industry policy. Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

Edward Brooke-Hitching, LNL’s special correspondent in oddities, ponders how love has been depicted through the ages.His new book is ‘Love: A Curious History in 50 Objects’ (published by Simon & Schuster)  

In a speculative biography, Kiera Lindsey brings to life the story of Adelaide Ironside - an outstanding yet largely forgotten colonial artist.Kiera Lindsey: Author of Wild Love: the ambitions of Adelaide Ironside the first Australian artist to astonish the worldAdvocate, the History Trust of South Australia

Wendy Harmer has lived a life full of 'firsts' - she was the first female news cadet in an all-male newsroom in Geelong, the first Australian female stand-up comedian and the first female co-host on a commercial radio breakfast program. But did Wendy herself ever feel like a trailblazer? Or was she always the little[...]

There is evidence that people have been using steam baths for thousands of years and across many countries. They are now having a renaissance along with cold water swimming. What is it about saunas that has made them so enduring and so addictive.Guest: Emma O'Kelly, journalist and author of Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat photographed[...]

A severe marine heatwave is expected to peak this December-February, and could affect southern Australian fisheries, tourism and biodiversity. Most at risk is the Great Southern Reef,  which wraps around the southern half of Australia. It is more economically valuable than the Great Barrier Reef, and yet receives less than 1% of the funding. With Scott Bennett,  marine ecologist 

Both the Conservatives and the Labour Party are facing internal turmoil as an increasing number of MPs call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Plus Rishi's report card - how the Sunak government has performed in its first year. Guest: Naomi Smith, CEO, Best for Britain. 

Behind the booming global demand for avocados is an increasingly violent competition to control this fruit and the resources needed to produce it. Journalist Alex Sammon travelled to the frontlines of this conflict in the Mexican state of Michoacán to report on the true cost of our avocado toast. 

There are a huge number of think tanks across the globe and across the political spectrum. But less well known is an organisation committed to free market policies that has been supporting think tanks with similar ideologies. It is called the Atlas Network and it has a long and fascinating history and an equally interesting[...]

Why Paul Keating wouldn't sign the ex-prime ministers' letter on Israel, Anthony Albanese takes the Assange case and sureties of Australian friendship to the US while treading carefully not to offend China.Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30

Artist and naturalist Maria Sybilla Merian was one of the first Europeans to identify metamorphosis and directly link the lives of insects and plants. She lived with a doomsday cult and went to South America on a self-funded expedition. Peter the Great, the Tsar of Russia, was a big fan of her work. Historical novelist Melissa Ashley[...]

American essayist and novelist Phil Klay, a former Marine, wrestles with the Israel and Gaza conflict, and other wars the US has been involved in the past two decades. He considers the decision-making, and the legacies. 

The newspapers of 19th Century Melbourne paint a colourful and at times bizarre picture of the city: from collapsing Gold Rush era buildings, to exploding sewers, to runaway horses, roaming "larrikins", and a moral panic over discarded orange-peels. Guest: Robyn Annear, author, "Corners of Melbourne: The great orange-peel panic and other stories from the streets", Text

Ever since humans first encountered dust, they have tried to contain it with varying degrees of success. Jay Owens tells the stories of the coal dust that covered the cities of the 18th century, the dust created by emptying lakes across the globe and even the mysterious dust found under the couch. She also asks the important question - is[...]

More than just well-meaning and helpful, these volunteers are credited with over half of all species records in Australia’s national biodiversity database. What do they do and what difference do they make to our understanding and management of at risk and threatened species?

Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum discusses the surprising results of Poland's recent parliamentary elections, in which the populist Law and Justice Party failed to secure a new mandate. 

US President Joe Biden is caught in a difficult balancing act, attempting to show support for Israel while also trying to urge restraint. Meanwhile, the chaos in Congress continues, with no clear prospect of a new speaker to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

Often misjudged as a second-class English dialect, Jamaican is cementing itself as the Caribbean nation's foremost tongue - though you won't hear it in the nation's courts. 

Kenyan authorities were shocked to discover the bodies of some 400 people, many emaciated with some showing signs of abuse. 

The Prime Minister has a busy few weeks of international travel ahead, first visiting the United States to discuss AUKUS and energy, before a historic trip to Beijing to meet with President Xi. Guest: Laura Tingle, chief political correspondent, 7.30

Silk has long been coveted for its beauty, but it also one of the strongest biological materials ever known. Silk was used to make the first bulletproof vest more than a century ago—but Dr Aarathi Prasad says scientists have barely begun to tap its potential.

1848 was a unique moment in history when a revolutionary wave unfurled across Europe. The renowned Australian historian Christopher Clark discusses why parallel political tumults spread like brush fire, leading to momentous changes that continue to shape our world today.

Melbourne's Yarra River is often derided as "the river that flows upside-down" due to its strong muddy colour. But once upon a time, this ancient river ran clear. Today, the Yarra remains a viable and important habitat for dozens of native species, as humans work to undo centuries of damage. Guest: Harry Saddler, author, Clear Flowing Yarra

When Rory Stewart became a Conservative MP in 2010, he  found Westminster full of people who were not serious about policy, but rather obsessed with “personalities, promotion and power”. Despite that he managed to achieve some meaningful policy changes before being ejected from the party by Boris Johnson over Brexit.Guest: Rory Stewart, author of Politics on the Edge:[...]

How does Australia fare when it comes to promoting its soft power?

The tropical city-state of Singapore already deals with hot and humid conditions all year round, but rapid urbanisation over the past half-century has made the city even hotter. Now, government and researchers are pursuing novel ways to cool down its citizens, as the planet warms. Guests:Dr. Winston Chow, Associate Professor in Urban Climate, Singapore Management University.  Dr.[...]

Since before the days of the druids, humans have been connected to oak trees, for their acorns, their wood, their shelter and their magic.Over a period of two years James Canton spent a lot of time in the company of oak trees, and one in particular known as the Honywood Oak.The Honywood Oak is estimated[...]

The nation has rejected constitutional recognition of First Nations people via an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in Australia's first referendum of this century. What does the result mean for the future of reconciliation? Guests: Laura Tingle, chief political correspondent, 7.30John Paul Janke, co-host of The Point, NITV & SBS

Witch trials sound as antiquated as the three Weird Sisters in ‘Macbeth.’ But witches, most of them women, are still being persecuted and killed today.

Pulitzer-winning science journalist Ed Yong talks about why he chose career as a science communicator and why we should care about how animals experience the world and how we are interfering with it. 

The relationship between Wangal leader Bennelong and Captain Arthur Phillip was significant for the early years of the colony of NSW. A new twin biography of the two men looks at what they achieved together and significantly why they did not sign a treaty on their fateful trip to England.Guest: Kate Fullagar, author of Bennelong[...]

Australia's proud history with the eight hour day looms large in the collective imagination, but the campaign and the methods that won it have not been fully understood. Meanwhile, the pressures of work impinging on 'life' are just as present now. With political historian Sean Scalmer

Born in Adelaide in 1910, Lorraine Murray lived a life of constant reinvention — a rebel teenage student in Armidale, a young mistress to a Japanese diplomat, a sex worker in Shanghai, a counter-intelligence informant in Australia, and later in life, a London society matron. A new book uncovers the hidden life of this extraordinary[...]

While those seeking asylum increasingly meet harsh border policies, if you can afford to pay, there are a growing number of states willing to sell their citizenship and the privileges it brings. Kristin Surak has conducted the first on-the-ground investigation of the lucrative trade in “golden passports” and what it reveals about the dark side of capitalist globalisation.

The US response to Hamas attacks on Israel, the acting House Speaker, Trump's fraud case and RFK Jnr's Presidential bid as an independent.Brendon O’Connor: Professor of US Politics and US Foreign Relations, United States Studies Centre, University  of Sydney.

France began sending convicts to New Caledonia just as Australia was winding up its convict transportation, in the 1850s and 60s. An unusual friendship developed between a French speaking Australian woman and a French convict poet. With historian Briony Neilson

Falling consumer prices, a property sector on the edge of collapse, ageing workers and unemployed youth, plus the after-effects of COVID have hampered China's economy. What does it all mean for Australia and the rest of the world?GUEST: Simon Cox, China economics editor at the Economist, based in Hong Kong

Laura Tingle reflects on the tone of the Voice to Parliament debate, less than a week out from referendum day. Guest: Laura Tingle, Chief political correspondent, 7.30

Michael Palin has long been a diarist - as well as a comedian, writer, traveller and actor - and so when he found the war diaries of his Great Uncle Harry, he wanted to find out more about the man that his family never discussed. The result is a moving book about a restless young[...]

Incels. Anti-vaxxers. Neo-Nazis… Once, these radical groups existed on the far-flung fringes of society. Now their ideas are moving out of the shadows and seeping into mainstream culture.

In 2019, writer Elizabeth Rush joined an expedition to Thwaites Glacier, one of the world's most important, and most vulnerable, glaciers. In taking this journey she also grappled with whether or not she should bring a child into this rapidly changing world. 

California's iconic redwood forests attract millions of visitors each year, but just four per cent of the ancient forests remain standing today. From the 1850s, the forest was logged to near oblivion, concealed by one of the most egregious "greenwashing" campaigns in US history. Guest: Greg King, author, "The Ghost Forest: Racists, Radicals and Real Estate in the California[...]

It's official. Republican Kevin McCarthy has become the first house speaker in US history to be ousted. How did it come to this? And what does it mean that the second most important job in the US government is currently vacant, with no one putting their hand up to fill it? Bruce Shapiro is here to[...]

Over 200 years ago, in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, textile workers in England formed the original "Luddite" rebellion, raiding factories at night to destroy the machines threatening their livelihoods. Centuries later, is another Luddite uprising brewing against artificial intelligence? Guest: Brian Merchant, author 'Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion against Big Tech'

When the US government tested the first nuclear bomb in New Mexico in July 1945, none of the nearby residents were warned or evacuated before or after the test. Now new research shows that the fallout from what became known as the Trinity test reached 46 states as well as Canada and Mexico. Families of[...]

Ian Dunt breaks down another eventful fortnight in Old Blighty.

In an engaging address given at this year's Byron Writers Festival, pioneering historian Henry Reynolds covered living in Townsville in the 1960s, the importance of local history, the extraordinary racial gaps in Australia's early history telling, discovering the truths of frontier violence, his friendship with Eddie Mabo, and why the outcome of the Voice referendum will affect Australia's international[...]

Fake Heroes: Ten False Icons and How They Altered the Course of History.” Published by Welbeck.

In South Africa,  the lion-breeding industry continues to produce lions for tourists to shoot, and for bones to send to Asia as 'tiger' bones. Guest: Adam Welz, South African writer, photographer, and filmmaker based in Cape Town 

In 1926 a ship set sail from New York on a world cruise, with hundreds of college students on board. It was a grand educational experiment, called ‘The Floating University'. Guest: Historian and author Tamson Pietsch

Starting with the Bolshevik Revolution, world-leading intelligence historian Calder Walton takes us through one hundred years of espionage, subversion and sabotage between East and West, with some important lessons for our future interactions with China. 

The Yirrkala Bark Petitions have helped pave the way for 60 years of civil rights and native title struggles up to and including the Voice referendum. But how well is their legacy understood?Guest: Professor Clare Wright, Professor of History, La Trobe University.

In late August, authorities in Hong Kong raided the home of Andrew Chan - the founder of a Cantonese language advocacy group, demanding he remove materials from his website. Chan has since dissolved the group entirely. This latest incident has raised concerns about the efforts of the Chinese government to suppress minority languages and assert the[...]