The Wire - Individual Stories

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, Minister for Immigration Tony Burke released the government's immigration overhaul aimed at reducing the Net Overseas Migration. The changes will affect mostly international students and visa hoppers, with 2015's protection visa policy returning to the table. The government says it supports migration but defends the new regime intending to target migrants supposedly "rorting the immigration system". But there has been mixed reaction across the political spectrum, with concern Labor has avoided proper parliamentary debate. Meanwhile other advocates have expressed concern including a leading education advocate says reforms "send the wrong message". See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

September 21 marks 100 years since the birth of Don Dunstan – one of the most transformative political figures in South Australia’s history. As Premier, Dunstan helped reshape this state. His government is remembered for social reform, Aboriginal rights, multiculturalism, the arts and equality. He influenced perceptions of the state including how south Australia saw itself. But behind the public figure was a man known closely by only a small group of advisers and colleagues. One of them was Mike Rann. Before he became Premier, Mike Rann worked with Don Dunstan as his press secretary, speech writer and adviser. He saw Dunstan not just as a politician but also behind the scenes, dealing with the pressures, possibilities and personal cost of political life. To commemorate Don's birth 100 years ago Radio Adelaide's Penny Gale spoke with Mike Rann about working with Dunstan and he saw in him that the public didn't get to.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dementia is a brain condition that affects memory, thinking, mood and behaviour. Around half a million Australians live with dementia, while about 1.7 million people care for someone with the disease. Its impact extends beyond the person diagnosed, affecting families, friends and carers. Ahead of Dementia Action Week, The Wire’s Georgia Perry spoke with Michelle Bishop about dementia’s far-reaching impact along with her experiencing supporting her late-mother.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two First Nations-owned literary organisations have recently launched the First Stories Collective, a national network for storytelling and publishing. Delivered in partnership by Blak & Bright and Magabala Books, the Collective will deliver professional development opportunities, reduce financial barriers, and provide culturally grounded pathways for First Nations Australians. The Collective aims to promote visibility in an industry where fewer than 1% of staff identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, according to the 2022 Australian Publishing Industry Workforce Survey. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new national report backed by Monash University research is examining the abuse of older people living in regional, rural and remote Australia. The study found that abuse is overwhelmingly committed by a child or partner, with financial abuse the most common form of harm identified by researchers. It also highlights the difficulties older people face when trying to access support outside major cities. The Wire spoke to lead researcher Associate Professor Bridget Harris and co-author Dr Naomi Pfitzner about the findings and the challenges older people face when trying to access support.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crossbench MPS in the parliament are pushing for stronger legal powers focused on greater oversight when it comes Australian defense equipment, technology or services being used where they could breach Australia’s international human rights obligations. The Redline legislation is a private-members bill introduced into both the Senate and House of Representations that aims to prohibit defense exports when there is a risk of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity. I asked Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie and Teal Independent for McKellar Sophie Scamps why such laws needs to be put in place?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leaders from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales recently issued a joint statement, indicating a desire to work towards independence from the United Kingdom. The parties spoke of their commitment to their connections through shared goals of building a stronger economy, energy resources and rebuilding a relationship with the EU. The path to get there will be complex and look different for each country. The Wire’s Shaun Dourado spoke with Dr. Rob Manwaring, associate professor of political science and public policy at Flinders University. Dr. Rob gives an overview of the situation and starts by discussing the significance of this moment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week marks 70 years of Aussie TV. It was on this day in 1956 that Channel Ninelaunched its first broadcast to the country, beginning a new era of television inAustralian homes. From the early days of black-and-white television to the huge range of programs and streaming services available today, television has become a major part of Australianlife.To mark the anniversary, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia has beenrevisiting some of the programs and moments that became part of Australiantelevision history.The Wire’s Thomas Koutis gets Simon Smith, curator of the National Film and SoundArchive of Australia to look back at how television became part of everydayAustralian life and the shared experiences it created for generations of viewers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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This week the McGrath Foundation marks its 21st anniversary of providing care nurses for patients living with cancer. It's been more than 18 months since the McGrath Foundation broadened their program of cancer care nurses to cover all types of cancer. With ONE in TWO Australians expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, the challenge is to reach as many patients as possible, especially in regional areas.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In October last year, TWO activists were arrested in the outskirts of US military facility Pine Gap, 28kms south west of Alice Springs, for blocking the main access point. Yesterday, the Courts decided not to record a criminal conviction against activists Jorgen Doyle and Yul Scarf.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week marks five years since Australia, the US and UK announced the AUKUS deal. The agreement includes plans for Australia to get nuclear-powered submarines, but the first Australian-built submarines are still at least 15 years away. Billions of dollars have already been committed to the program, while questions remain about its cost, nuclear waste and Australia's security.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Today 25 years ago, the world witnessed the news where the US was under attack when TWO planes crashed into the World Trade Centre. While much attention has been placed on the failure of intelligence agencies to prevent the attacks, there were also major impacts in the aftermath such as the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq in 2003 and a much wider global response to terrorism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, a community in Brisbane gathered to unveil a new bright yellow bench to commemorate local mother Allison Baden-Clay and all women who have lost their lives to domestic violence.While coercive control is becoming a criminal offence through Australia, family and domestic violence offender rates across the country continue to rise according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A local health district in the Riverina region of New South Wales is consistently growing to serve their community. The Murrumbidgee Local Health District covers community health services across southern New South Wales, from the Snowy Mountains to the Victorian border, covering around 125,000 square kilometres. With more than 5000 employees and an extensive area to cover, what are the challenges for the district?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research in the Pilbara has found evidence of Tasmanian devils living in the area. Researchers from UNSW and Traditional Owners identified two ancient devil bones at Juukan Gorge, showing how adaptable Tasmanian devils were at the time. One is part of a jaw dating to around 7000 years ago and the other one is a part of the tooth dated around 43000 years old. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A petition to mandate teacher-librarian positions in Australian schools has garnered over 14,000 signatures. It follows redundancy and redeployment of 58 teacher-librarians in NSW, with library advocacy bodies saying this reflects a growing issue across Australia. Currently national and international studies show a multi-decade downward turn in in student reading performance in developed nations, including here in Australia. Latest NAPLAN results also show a decline in writing and reading scores across almost every age group, with one in three students failing to meet benchmarks. Author, Dr Kate Temple launched the campaign on change.org and says teacher-librarians are a vital part of cultivating reading culture particularly important in a reading crisis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day, and also R U OK Day, both raising important awareness about mental health and how to look after our loved ones. But, for Australians with chronic conditions and visible physical differences, it may be a challenge to feel OK every day. The Wire's contributor from The Source News Luke Smith has the story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Victorian government has passed the Corrections amendment bill 2026, also termed the “No Air in Prison Bill." The legislation seeks to strip away one of the few protections for prisoners, which would allow them one daily hour of outdoors. The reform has seen Gellung Warl, Victoria's new First Nation's advisory body launch its first intervention under the state treaty act to call for the Carroll government to scrap the bill. Maggie Munn First Nations Justice Director at the Human Rights Law Centre says access to open air in prison is a minimum protection amid other strict, degrading prison regimes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A BirdLife Australia project is advocating for increased awareness of the Hooded Plover, following the passing of Harvey, a well-known iconic bird.. Hooded Plover birds are an endangered species found along the south-eastern and southern coastline of Australia, laying their eggs in shallow scrapes in the sand. Since beginning in 2006, the project sees volunteers regularly monitoring, installing enclosures, and educating beachgoers. The Hooded Plover is already threatened by invasive predators and habitat destruction, and conservationists are raising safety concerns amid the spread of H5 Bird Flu. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta is set to shell out 17 billion dollars after a landmark court battle in the United States around underage social media addiction. The tech giants denied allegations that their platforms have harmed young users but reached a settlement with 52 state attorneys last week. They will pay the fine over a period of ten years and make changes to their main apps in the country. Some of these include fixed time limits, hidden like counts but changes to exposing users to the algorithm aren't as firm. These only include the ability to choose a chronological feed and disabling auto play.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two months ago, Anthony Albanese spoke at Sydney University laying out the federal government's policy approach to artificial intelligence. One headline commitment was that all new datacentres would be required to secure renewable power supplies - but two weeks ago, that promise fell over after a national cabinet meeting where Queensland and the Northern Territory refused to sign on. Albanese's compromise with the states confirms another theme of his speech - the government's determination to attract AI investment to benefit Australia's economy. But as fears of an AI bubble grow, one thing they aren't doing is giving themselves more time to assess the situation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once consigned to the fringes of German politics over the last decade the far-right of German politics has continued to grow in support, with state elections in Germany showing the far-right populist party Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) experiencing a rapid increase in political support. This has resulted in the AfD being the party with the largest percentage of the vote at this week's state election, Stephen Hill asked Andrew Bonnell of the University of Queensland what are the implications of the AfD doubling its vote at the Saxony-Anhalt state election?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a long time successive NSW governments have been resistant to pill-testing at festivals, with former premier Gladys Berejiklian saying the practice sent a wrong message to the public and encouraged people to use drugs. However, we have witnessed a sharp change in policy after the 2024 Drug Summit recommended the introduction of pill testing as a harm minimisation technique. This has seen the Minns government this week introduce drug testing outside of festivals as way to mitigate the harms arising from drug-taking at festivals. Manon Lovuet explores this new move, and considers whether drug testing can save lives and prevent unnecessary drug overdoses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Australia, People living with disabilities are more likely to experience any sort of violence than someone that doesn’t have a disability. A new program developed by Uniting called a “Persona Pack”. The program is designed to help frontline workers to better understand the violent experiences people living with disabilities face. The Wire’s Thomas Koutis asked Juliana Hoy LAC Project Officer at Uniting to explain a little bit about this program? Image supplied by Uniting LAC sounds great.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year, the Multicultural Queensland Awards opened a new category to acknowledge businesses supporting communities. The inaugural award was given to Tautua Group, a social enterprise creating practical pathways into work for Queenslanders from multicultural backgrounds. They have opened a café and a barber shop, and include NDIS participants in their business models to deliver community outcomes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Coalition has proposed cutting Australia’s tobacco excise by 80%, arguing cheaper legal cigarettes could help reduce the illegal tobacco trade. But a new analysis argues cutting the tax won’t solve the problem, there should instead be a stronger tracking and enforcement.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Friday, The UN General Assembly passed the “Correct the Map” resolution. This resolution called to replace the commonly used Mercator projection map with one called the Equal Earth map that depicts the size of nations more accurately. While any 2D depiction of a 3D globe will require visual distortions, critics argue the traditional map exaggerates Western nations and shrinks Africa, Latin America and southeast Asia in the process.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research has found Australia’s community broadcasting sector creates almost half a billion dollars in social value every year. The report found that for every dollar invested in community broadcasting, at least seven dollars and 59 cents in social value is created. With more than 450 community broadcasters reaching millions of Australians each week, the sector says it plays an important role in keeping communities connected.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An aerial survey reveals the Dugong population in the Gulf of Carpentaria has dropped by 50 percent since 2007. The decline is mostly in the southeast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, between Queensland and the Northern Territory. Senior Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University Dr Rachel Groom says there are several reasons for the decline, calling on the Federal and state governments to fund research to support the struggling population.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Janeth Deen received the Lifetime Achiever award for her practical contribution for vulnerable community members founding the Queensland Muslim Welfare Association. She also co-founded the Queensland Muslim Mini Museum to preserve cultural heritage and celebrate Muslim contributions to the state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australians could soon have more control over what they see on social media, with Labor’s plan to crack down on social media Algorithms. Proposed laws would create a digital duty of care for social media users in Australia, let users opt out of algorithm-driven feeds, which critics say can amplify harmful content. The changes are aimed at giving people greater choice over how social media platforms shape what they see, with the draft legislation set to be released by Communication Minister Anika Wells, later this week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The search of an indigenous teenager who was removed from a bus at gunpoint, may have been illegal. The Commonwealth Ombudsman has found that racial bias may have been involved in the arrest of a 17-year-old boy in Canberra last year. Australian federal police officers had their guns drawn when they arrested him in November. The officers quickly learned they had the wrong person, but continued to search him anyway.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, a 55-year-old man was charged with the murder of his 85-year-old mother in Tasmania.However, the case will not be considered a family violence incident under the state’s law because of its narrow definition of ‘family violence’It raises questions about the legal definition of ‘family violence’ and how it limits the services and support victims can access.If this story brings any concern, call 1 800 RESPECT. That’s 1800 737 732See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's now over 450 confirmed H5 bird flu events amongst wildlife across our states.The virus has since moved beyond sea birds to Australian wildlife, leading to mass deaths and sparking major concern nation-wide... Country Needs People is an independent NGO working with Indigenous Rangers, Indigenous Protected Areas and Traditional Owners across Australia…They say Indigenous Rangers and IPAs are vital in responding against the H5 bird fluSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A regional Victorian community is placing local woodland birds in the spotlight.Connecting Country, Birdlife Castlemaine, and Castlemaine Field Naturalist Club have organised the week-long Feathery Festival.It gets underway tomorrow and is planned to centre around National Threatened Species Day, marked on 7 September.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A multicultural community leader in Queensland has received an award for her work in the community. Founder of Te Korowai Aroha Mary Ngarongo Bartlett - Johnston, known as Mama Mary, won the Minister’s Award at the Multicultural Queensland Awards. The organisation is a home away from home for Maori and Pasifika families while staying connected to culture.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia and Japan have struck a major 10-year defence agreement, allowing Japan’s defence force to test hypersonic, long-range missiles on Australian soil, including the Woomera Prohibited Area in remote SA. While the pack has been termed as a ‘ground-breaking milestone,' a Traditional Owner says the deal sparks renewed concerns around access and care for Country and cultural heritage sites... It follows a four-year inquiry by Australian National Contact Point (AusNCP) finding an international weapons manufacturer was directly linked to an adverse human rights impact after Traditional Owners Andrew and Robert Starkey discovered an unexploded missile left on an Indigenous heritage site in Woomera.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Belong in Hockey – it's a program coordinated by the Toowoomba Hockey Association, to support the city’s local refugee and migrant population. The initiative began to help Middle Eastern Yezidi refugees integrate into the local community through sport. Since, Belong in Hockey has evolved to include people from all cultural backgrounds and ages, strengthening Toowoomba’s social hockey scene. The program received the Social Cohesion and Community Impact Project of the Year by an Organisation at this year's Multicultural Queensland Awards.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 months since its first reading, the Australian senate passed the ASIO amendment bill (no. 2) 2025 with reforms set to significantly expand ASIO’s questioning powers. The controversial bill has seen politicians from across the political spectrum including Greens, One Nations and Independents uniting in opposition. NSW Council for Civil Liberties President Timothy Roberts says expanded powers undermine civil liberties and has specific concern around the potential of broad terminology to justify certain powers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global heating is set to overshoot 1.5C, according to a new United Nations Environment Programme report . Exceeding the limit pledged in the Paris Agreement is now “unavoidable”, with modelling under the most optimistic scenario placing the expected peak temperature rise at 1.8C. This comes as the world suffers through record breaking heatwaves, and increased climate-induced disasters. However, authors of the report said the temperature could be returned to 1.5C by accelerating greenhouse gas emission cuts alongside removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new documentary explores the legal struggles female survivors of violence experience when legal action is used as a weapon to silence an individual’s right to speak. The documentary “Silenced” profiles the work of human-rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson as she represents female clients experiencing the trauma involved in participating in rigorous court cases and enduring relentless public scrutiny. While over the last decade there seems to be a lot more done to promote awareness about gendered violence in the community this film explores when it comes to the legal system many women are still being let down. Stephen Hill asked the film’s producer Blayke Hoffman what drove her to cover this difficult topic matter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new documentary explores the legal struggles female survivors of violence experience when legal action is used as a weapon to silence an individual’s right to speak. The documentary “Silenced” profiles the work of human-rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson as she represents female clients experiencing the trauma involved in participating in rigorous court cases and enduring relentless public scrutiny. While over the last decade there seems to be a lot more done to promote awareness about gendered violence in the community this film explores when it comes to the legal system many women are being let down. Stephen Hill asked the film’s producer Blayke Hoffman what drove her to cover this difficult topic matter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.