Podcasts about australia news

Today in Focus talks to three teenagers, and technology reporter Josh Taylor, about Australia's world-first legislation: a social media ban for under-16s. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Gus Lamont went missing in the Australian outback on 27 September. Despite one of the largest and most intensive searches for a missing person in South Australia, no trace has been found of the four-year-old. Senior reporter Tory Shepherd speaks to Reged Ahmad about how the child has seemingly vanished and left only questions about what could have happened

This week Labor committed additional military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia as part of a Nato-led initiative. The government also announced new sanctions on Russia's so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers, which are a source of revenue for Moscow. Amid these announcements and in the last week of Senate estimates, foreign affairs minister Penny Wong speaks to political editor Tom McIlroy about a tumultuous year in international affairs. The senator reflects on attending the second inauguration of Donald Trump and her continued close engagement with Australia's Pacific neighbours – in an increasingly unpredictable world order

Barrie Cassidy and Tony Barry are back and there's a lot that's happened since they last sat down together. In this week's episode they examine the Liberals' abandonment of net zero emissions, whether Barnaby Joyce could help or hinder support for One Nation and why the Liberal party needs to start courting young people if it is to survive

Larissa Waters has been at the helm of the Greens since the federal election saw former leader Adam Bandt unexpectedly lose his seat. Last week, her party secured a deal with Labor to pass new environment laws – a deal her predecessor didn't deliver. The senator talks to Reged Ahmad about what it was like taking over after the dramatic election loss earlier this year and why she compromised to get the reforms over the line.

More than 250 languages were spoken across Australia before British colonisation. Now only half are still in use as a result of policies that suppressed and prevented First Nations people from speaking their mother tongues. Indigenous affairs reporter Ella Archibald-Binge travels to two communities including her country to hear from elders, teachers and students about efforts to revive native languages and close the education gap

Ever since she was elected opposition leader, Sussan Ley has faced strong criticism from within her party and across the parliament. Some commentators even predicted she'd be out of the job already. But she has made it to the last sitting week of parliament for the year. On the other side of the aisle, the Albanese government managed to meet their own deadline to legislate changes to outdated nature laws – by settling on a deal with the Greens. Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to Ley about her disappointment over the long-awaited reforms, Barnaby Joyce resigning from the Nationals and why she thinks ‘it's never been about me'

Max Rushden is joined by Geoff Lemon, Ali Martin and Jim Wallace to discuss Australia's humbling defeat of England in the first Test in Perth that ended three days early

New figures released over the weekend show the cost of the Bureau of Meteorology's website redesign has ballooned to $96.5m. Technology reporter Josh Taylor tells Nour Haydar how this happened, how it compares with other website redesigns and why the environment minister is asking for an explanation

A Queensland coroner has found that the three members of the Train family behind the 2022 Wieambilla shootings were not terrorists, but instead killed two police officers and a neighbour due to their shared ‘persecutory' delusions. Queensland state reporter Andrew Messenger speaks to Reged Ahmad about the coroner's findings into what happened that day and whether anything could have been done to prevent it

Author and columnist Sean Kelly says despite Labor's overwhelming majority and an opposition largely consumed by its own infighting, there are signs that Anthony Albanese's government will waste the opportunity handed to them by the Australian people. Kelly talks to Guardian Australia political editor Tom McIlroy about his new Quarterly essay, which examines the Labor party's move away from idealism towards pragmatism. And the former Rudd and Gillard staffer argues that while Albanese's caution has won him two elections, it could also become the prime minister's greatest weakness

In conversation with political editor Tom McIlroy, deputy leader of the Greens Mehreen Faruqi says a neo-Nazi rally in front of NSW parliament this month caused fear for many Australians – and the federal government is yet to respond to recommendations for a national framework for anti-racism. And with both houses of parliament returning for their last sitting week for the year, Faruqi says a possible decision by Labor to team up with the Coalition – rather than the Greens – to pass nature law reforms next week would lack credibility, especially when the opposition has now decided to ditch a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050

Author and columnist Sean Kelly says despite Labor's overwhelming majority and an opposition largely consumed by its own infighting, there are signs that Anthony Albanese's government will waste the opportunity handed to them by the Australian people. Kelly talks to Guardian Australia political editor Tom McIlroy about his new Quarterly essay, which examines the Labor party's move away from idealism towards pragmatism. And the former Rudd and Gillard staffer argues that while Albanese's caution has won him two elections, it could also become the prime minister's greatest weakness

Australia exports more arms and ammunition to the United Arab Emirates than it does to any other country in the world. And just this week Team Defence Australia holds a prime slice of real estate at a weapons fair in Dubai. But human rights advocates are calling on the government to suspend defence exports to the country over reports it's arming a militia responsible for mass killings in Sudan. Senior reporters Ben Doherty and Henry Belot tell Nour Haydar about Australia's growing role in the global weapons trade.

Ben Smee, Guardian Australia's Queensland correspondent, has been reporting on the national crisis of domestic and family violence, as well as the culture and attitudes inside the Queensland police, for years. In the final episode of this special Full Story investigation, Broken trust looks at how police are failing to learn from their own mistakes. Guardian Australia can reveal allegations from a former senior Queensland detective who has accused police of covering up their own failures in cases in which vulnerable women died after seeking police protection, and alleges she was ordered to ‘protect the organisation's reputation at all costs'

It took nearly five hours, but Liberal MPs emerged from today's party meeting with a decision on whether to drop net zero. And while leader Sussan Ley is holding off until tomorrow to announce the final outcome, senior Liberal sources say 28 speakers wanted to jettison the 2050 target entirely, 17 expressed a desire to retain it in some form, while four were on the fence. Chief political reporter Dan Jervis Bardy tells Nour Haydar what happened inside the meeting, what tomorrow's outcome means for the future of the Coalition, and whether Sussan Ley's leadership is on the line

Over the weekend, a neo-Nazi rally overtly targeting Jewish people took place in front of New South Wales parliament. Reporter Jordyn Beazley speaks to Reged Ahmad about why NSW police allowed the protest to take place and if it can be stopped from happening again

In a month's time, the Albanese government's under-16s social media ban will come into effect. But popular gaming platform Roblox, where children are exposed to inappropriate or violent content and grooming, is not covered under the ban. Senior correspondent Sarah Martin joins Nour Haydar to talk about her chilling experience posing as an eight-year-old girl on the popular online platform.

The Queensland health minister has issued a new order banning the prescription of puberty blockers for transgender patients, just hours after the state's supreme court ruled the government's first attempt was unlawful. It is now the only state to have banned gender-affirming care for transgender children. But parents say they are not backing away from the fight. Reged Ahmad speaks with Queensland correspondent Ben Smee and state reporter Andrew Messenger about whether Queensland's ban on puberty blockers is ideologically driven You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupport

Speaking at Cop30 in Brazil, the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said the ‘consensus is gone' on tackling the climate crisis. It's an apt assessment because this week Australia's two major political parties have had very different commitments when it comes to climate action. The minister for climate change and energy, Chris Bowen, speaks to Guardian Australia's political editor, Tom McIlroy, about Labor's a free solar power scheme for some homes and the Coalition's continued infighting on emissions targets

There's been no shortage of big businesses making headlines for the wrong reasons. But how much does a company crisis really cost those at the top? Senior reporter Henry Belot speaks to Nour Haydar about the enduring culture of paying big bonuses to company executives, despite community outrage over company conduct

Protests on an outback road in the Northern Territory have refocused attention on Pine Gap, the secretive US satellite base near Alice Springs. The protesters have tried to block workers from accessing the facility, which they claim is aiding Israel's genocide in Gaza.Nour Haydar speaks with senior reporter Ben Doherty about the rising resistance to Pine Gap, and the questions the spy base raises about Australia's complicity in alleged crimes abroad

A report by the Centre for Public Integrity has accused the Albanese government of ‘leaning into a culture of secrecy'. Labor's record on transparency also featured in parliament this week after independent ACT senator David Pocock led a revolt against the government for failing to produce a key report into ‘jobs for mates'.Bridie Jabour talks to the editor, Lenore Taylor, and the head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, about whether the Albanese government is failing to live up to its own expectations on transparency

Guardian Australia's daily news podcast examines why more people are falling prey to cults and whether the current laws are strong enough to help vulnerable people who might be lured in. Victoria correspondent Benita Kolovos speaks to Reged Ahmad about why more ‘modern' cults are using new methods to recruit and promising ‘simple answers to complex problems'

Parliament is back and the political fight over long-awaited legislation updating the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act is expected to dominate debate. Political reporter Dan Jervis-Bardy tells Nour Haydar why the government is racing to negotiate a deal with either the Coalition or the Greens to fix Australia's broken nature laws

Australia's welfare system is often described as a safety net for the most vulnerable, so what happens when that safety net is yanked away? Analysis released earlier this year suggests that hundreds of thousands of Centrelink payments have been illegally cancelled since 2020, with many more suspended. Inequality reporter Cait Kelly speaks to Nour Haydar about the automated system linked to the cancellations, and the human toll of a broken system

In the previous episode, we covered historical claims made over the years that Lang Hancock, Gina's father, had two unacknowledged daughters with separate Indigenous women. Now, the daughter of Sella Robinson, one of the Indigenous women who claimed to be Hancock's daughter, speaks publicly for the first time

It's the portrait of Gina Rinehart that launched 1,000 memes, went viral globally and became Australia's Mona Lisa. But it's also a symbol of how wealth intersects with other areas of life, including art and sport. How does Rinehart use her money to control her image – and what would she rather you don't see? This episode is about power and control, and the colonial history of Australia. It contains references to outdated offensive language and events that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may find distressing. It also contains the names of Indigenous Australians who have died

At 13, Gina Rinehart read a book that would help shape her worldview – Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. The novel's capitalist underpinnings promote the idea that people should strive to be their best industrial selves. In this episode, we explore how these values are playing out in Rinehart's life today, including her proposal to build a coalmine in Canada's Rocky Mountains. And we hear how author and environmental campaigner Tim Winton views her efforts to prevent an overhaul of Australia's environmental laws

Gina Rinehart's father, Lang Hancock, is well known as a pioneer of Australia's iron ore industry but few realise Hancock started his mining career on a smaller scale and digging for a different substance – blue asbestos. Hancock and his partner started the mining operation at Wittenoom in the 1940s before selling it to CSR, which mined the area for 20 more years. Wittenoom has become synonymous with the tragedy that unfolded for the thousands who lived and worked there after exposure to asbestos fibres. In this episode of Gina, we interrogate some of the stories her family chooses to celebrate – and others they don't

Gina Rinehart tops Australia's rich list, worth almost $40bn. She's also a climate sceptic, a Trumpette and a litigant – even against her own kids. Her life reads like a script from the TV series Succession. Senior correspondent Sarah Martin has spoken to her critics and her defenders to try and understand who Gina Rinehart really is. In this episode, Martin starts with her childhood, and the enormous influence of her father, Lang Hancock

How does Gina Rinehart, like her father before her, use wealth and power to influence Australian politics? Rinehart's first major foray into the political spotlight was successfully lobbying against Labor's mining super-profit tax in the early 2010s. But what did she learn from her father, Lang Hancock, who campaigned to overturn the iron ore export embargo in the 1950s, setting the foundation for their family fortune?

We unpack the bitter rivalries, court battles and family conflicts behind the Hancock fortune, and consider a fundamental question: is Rinehart a mining heiress or is she a self-made mining magnate? We look at her crowning achievement to date in her time at the helm of Hancock Prospecting – owning and operating her own iron mine at Roy Hill, something her father was never able to do

Twenty years ago, John Hancock had dinner with his mother, Gina Rinehart. He says it's the last positive interaction he had with her. In an in-depth interview, he explains how his relationship with her fell apart and discusses a high-stakes legal case that could threaten the foundations of her empire

After finally meeting with Donald Trump, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese passed another political test and returned home with a win. Domestically, the Coalition continued to battle over net zero and generate its own headlines for all the wrong reasons. Bridie Jabour talks to editor Lenore Taylor, national news editor Josephine Tovey and head of newsroom Mike Ticher about what Albanese's and Sussan Ley's two very different weeks tells us about the state of Australian politics

The long-awaited meeting between Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump has taken place at the White House. It's being hailed as a success for the prime minister, who left with an endorsement for Aukus and his leadership – but what else did we learn? Political reporter Josh Butler speaks to Reged Ahmad from Washington about what it was like in the room as the two leaders met face-to-face, what it means for Australia's relationship with the US and THAT comment about Kevin Rudd

The former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has confirmed his intention to quit the Nationals, further fuelling suspicions he could join Pauline Hanson at the far right of the parliament. It's not the first time the member for New England has made headlines, but the move raises questions about the direction of the Coalition – particularly when it comes to climate policy. Guardian Australia political reporter Dan Jervis-Bardy speaks to Nour Haydar about why the well-known backbencher says he wants to quit the Nationals and what this says about the Coalition's looming crisis over net zero

Earlier this month Australian Surya McEwen was among hundreds of humanitarians and activists onboard an aid flotilla bound for Gaza when the fleet was intercepted by the Israeli military. McEwen joins Nour Haydar to talk about what it was like being inside Israel's Ketziot prison, the conditions detainees face and why he continues to fight for Palestine

Live from the South by Southwest festival in Sydney, Bridie Jabour talks to the editor, Lenore Taylor, the head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, and senior audio producer Miles Herbert about how Anthony Albanese will navigate meeting Donald Trump as Australians watch America's authoritarian turn

The Australian blueberry industry has experienced rapid and unprecedented expansion in recent years. And while the increase in production means cheaper prices and more choice at the checkout, there is a dark side to the industry unseen to shoppers. Investigative journalist and Guardian Australia NSW state correspondent Anne Davies speaks to Nour Haydar about growing concerns over treatment of workers, and the use of pesticides in the intensive farming of the fruit

Last week, independent senator and former elite athlete David Pocock was banned from the parliament's social sports club after raising concerns about its association with gambling lobbyists. Senior reporter Henry Belot speaks to Reged Ahmad about how he broke the story and what the saga says about how lobbyists access politicians

As Labor's new aged care system gets set to begin on 1 November, Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne speaks about her father's recent move into residential aged care and the personal stories she has heard as chair of a Greens-led inquiry into the sector. She speaks with Guardian Australia's political editor, Tom McIlroy, about how she has seen lives put at risk by a for-profit system, and why she thinks the government is not doing enough for those waiting for a home care package

Recent opinion polls indicate support for the populist right party One Nation has doubled since the last election. Around the globe, far-right politicians pushing nationalist anti-immigration policies are also on the rise – including Nigel Farage's Reform UK and Donald Trump in the US. So could Pauline Hanson's One Nation grow to pose a similar threat to Australian politics? Nour Haydar speaks with Guardian Australia deputy editor, Patrick Keneally, and head of newsroom, Mike Ticher, about the rise of the populist right and the lessons for Australia

This week, Labor expanded Australia's first home guarantee to allow more buyers access to a mortgage with a reduced deposit of 5%. But the plan has many critics. Guardian Australia political editor, Tom McIlroy, speaks to the federal minister for housing and homelessness, Clare O'Neil, about why she thinks the government is pulling on the correct levers to address the housing crisis

Political reporter Dan Jervis-Bardy speaks to executive director of Essential Media Peter Lewis about Australian voters' views on the government's climate action ambition and the immigration debate. Lewis also explains why he thinks The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a perfect analogue of the prime minister's approach to politics in the midst of global instability

Liberal MP Andrew Hastie's hardline rhetoric on migration and manufacturing have led many to question whether the opposition frontbencher plans to pull his party to the right and go for the leadership. Guardian Australia political reporter Dan Jervis-Bardy speaks to Nour Haydar about the rise of the SAS soldier turned politician and if he could be successful in importing US-style politics to Australian shores

Political reporter Josh Butler speaks to Amanda Rishworth, the minister for employment and workplace relations, about the Albanese government's upcoming reform agenda for workers. They also discuss the latest figures on enterprise agreements and why she thinks AI is more likely to ‘augment' rather than displace workers in the near future

The race discrimination commissioner, Giri Sivaraman, speaks to Nour Haydar about the recent spate of anti-immigration rallies, how he is ‘attacked all the time' for calling out racism, and why some politicians don't want to talk about the issue

On Thursday, Optus users across four states attempted to call for help – but they couldn't get through. The 13-hour outage has been linked to three deaths and met with outrage. RMIT telecommunications expert Mark Gregory speaks to Reged Ahmad about what went so terribly wrong that day, and why it's time for urgent reform to ensure it never happens again

In a defining week for climate action, the Albanese government has unveiled a commitment to cut emissions between 62% and 70% on 2005 levels by 2035. But vocal climate advocate Senator David Pocock says a minimum of 75% is needed to ‘do our bit'. Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to the ACT independent about his pessimism about political leadership on climate ambition – despite the government's own warnings against a lack of action. He also discusses his criticism of ANU leadership, Labor's declining political will on gambling reform and why he thinks Canberra is one of Australia's best-kept secrets