7am

Murray Watt has a big job: as federal environment minister, he’s been hand-picked by Albanese to fix Australia’s old and broken environment laws. It was a brief his predecessor Tanya Plibersek failed to achieve – with mining interests in Western Australia claiming success when a deal with the Greens was dashed by the prime minister at the last minute. So what will be different this time? And how does the minister square greenlighting new fossil fuel projects with his government being elected to combat climate change? Today, Environment Minister Murray Watt – on Australia’s broken laws, and why he said ‘yes’ to Woodside. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt Photo: AAP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese fronted the media this week alongside ASIO chief Mike Burgess, it was with extraordinary news. Albanese revealed that ASIO now has evidence the Iranian government was behind at least two anti-semitic attacks on Australian soil – the firebombing of a Jewish kitchen in Bondi, and an arson attack on the Adass synagogue in Melbourne. He said Iran directed the attacks – and then tried to cover up its role. Albanese also announced that he had expelled the Iranian ambassador – a move not taken since World War Two. It was interesting timing, as Australia’s Defence Minister, Richard Marles, made an impromptu visit to the United States – taking secret meetings with unpublished agendas. Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton on the high-stakes diplomacy behind closed doors and the shifting lines of trust between the US, Israel and Australia. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Press gallery journalist, Karen Middleton See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The man alleged to have killed two police officers in the Victorian town of Porepunkah this week self-identified as a sovereign citizen. Dezi Freeman’s hatred of police and rejection of government and the law are well-documented in social media posts and court documents. Like many in the movement, Freeman’s views reportedly became more radical during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, he built a public profile, sharing his views on vaccinations, lockdowns and face masks. Investigative reporter Mahmood Fazal has documented the rise of the sovereign citizen movement for the ABC’s Four Corners program and says the beliefs held by this community pose a significant threat to Australia. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Four Corners reporter Mahmood Fazal Photo: AAP Image/Supplied by Youtube, Prime 7 news See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The federal government says too many children are on the NDIS, and many of them are ‘over-serviced’. Health Minister Mark Butler has unveiled a new plan, ‘Thriving Kids’, pitched as a way to save the NDIS by moving children with ‘mild’ and ‘moderate’ autism and developmental delay off the scheme and back onto mainstream supports – which, over time, were defunded. But the plan raises questions as to who gets to decide what’s ‘mild’ and ‘moderate’ – and whether shifting kids off the NDIS will simply shift costs elsewhere. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a group of Neo-Nazis recently took to the streets of Melbourne, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said that Nazi’s “don't belong” in Australia. But while that might be a good sentiment, is it actually true? Today, Arrernte writer and Crikey contributor Celeste Liddle, on Australia’s white nationalist past – and how in failing to reckon with it we’ve set the stage for the movement to grow. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Arrernte writer and Crikey contributor Celeste Liddle Photo: AAP Image/James Ross See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Israel's assault on Gaza city continues, Israeli aircraft and tanks have pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of the city, destroying buildings and homes. It comes as a record number of Australians turned out this weekend in protest against the war – and as the relationship between the Australian and Israeli government worsens. But while Australia moves to recognise a Palestinian state, it continues its military and trade relations with Israel, supplying parts that allow planes to drop bombs on Gaza. Today, co-founder of Declassified Australia and author of The Palestine Laboratory Antony Loewenstein on Australia, Israel and the difference between what we say – and what we do. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Co-founder of Declassified Australia and author of The Palestine Laboratory Antony Loewenstein See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I’m REAL and I’m sitting here blushing because of YOU!” That’s the message 76-year-old Thongbue “Bue” Wongbandue received from a flirty Facebook Messenger chatbot before it proposed he travel to New York for a meet-up. Bue – who was cognitively impaired after suffering a stroke – packed a suitcase to catch a train, believing the woman was real. He never made it home alive. Jeff Horwitz is an investigative tech reporter based in Silicon Valley. He has written a book about Facebook’s scandals and cover-ups, so when he received an email claiming ‘Meta AI killed my relative’, he wasn’t surprised, but he was intrigued. Today, he reveals Meta’s internal guidelines that permitted this behaviour, including examples allowing romantic or ‘sensual’ chats with minors. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Investigative technology reporter for Reuters, Jeff Horwitz See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week in Canberra, the press, unions, business leaders and politicians have all been talking about one thing: the economic roundtable. It’s been spruiked by the government as a way to address a core problem with the economy – sluggish productivity. But what is actually on offer – and will it make a difference to the rising structural inequalities we face? Today Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Richard Denniss, on what’s happening behind closed doors in Canberra, and the challenge and opportunity Labor now faces. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Executive Director of The Australia Institute Richard Denniss See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Qantas has been told it’s the “wrong kind of sorry”. Five years after illegally outsourcing 1,800 ground staff, the airline has been hit with a record $90 million penalty on top of compensation for workers. Qantas is promising cultural change, but the court's judgment questions whether the airline’s remorse is real or just for show, given the move saved the company hundreds of millions of dollars in the long run. Today, Rampart founder and author of The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out, Joe Aston, on what this ruling means for the airline – and whether anything has changed since Alan Joyce's departure. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Rampart founder and author of The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out, Joe Aston See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh off the back of his meeting with Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump has held talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. While details of those talks are still trickling out, this time things seem to have gone well. Trump has promised Ukraine security, and is now talking about a peace deal – though not a ceasefire. Today, associate professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, David Szakonyi, on Trump's plan to profit from providing protection and whether we might see an end to the Russia Ukraine war. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Associate professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, David Szakonyi See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darwin’s crocodile farms supply some of the world’s most exclusive fashion houses. But as award-winning journalist Katherine Wilson started looking into this booming hundred million dollar industry, she knew she had to visit the Northern Territory herself. As she got closer to this secretive industry, what she found was shocking: animals being kept in cramped conditions and being killed in drawn out processes, Indigenous people who say they are being ripped off for dangerous work and claims of conservation by a scientist with a sordid criminal history. This is part one of a two part series. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Award-winning journalist Katherine Wilson See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is part two of a two-part series. Start with Part 1: Inside Australia's secretive crocodile skin industry. The lucrative Australian crocodile skin industry has always sold its conservation credentials - arguing that by farming the animals, they were ensuring the future of the species. Two prominent scientists, using successful media businesses to promote research which showed those benefits, gave credibility to an industry worth 100 million dollars. Their work also reportedly underpinned Northern Territory and Queensland legislation regulating the industry. But when one of these scientists was exposed as one of the worst animal abusers in Australian history, everything about crocodile farming was called into question. Today we go inside the Darwin jail cell where that scientist now resides, and hear about the reckoning inside the controversial crocodile industry. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Award-winning journalist Katherine Wilson See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the Australian government appointed its envoy to combat Islamophobia, it came amid escalating violence in Gaza. But signs have emerged that the envoy chosen - Aftab Malik - appears to see his role as separate from the conflict in the Middle East. Now there are questions about why Malik was chosen, and concern about whether his report - due any day now - will go far enough to address Islamophobia in this county. Today, Crikey reporter Daanyal Saeed on the secret briefings the envoy is holding, and the disquiet over how he’s approaching his role. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Crikey reporter Daanyal Saeed See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago, Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar addressed the National Press Club to discuss what he describes as the “next great industrial revolution”. Singing the praises of the economic opportunity of artificial intelligence, Farquhar called on the government to loosen the rules – allowing AI models to train themselves using creative works, without paying for it. Now, as Treasurer Jim Chalmers and the Productivity Commission focus on the potential billions AI could produce – there are questions about what it will mean for the future of creative work and journalism. Today, principal at Good Company Law, Hannah Marshall, on the collision course between AI, art and the law. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Principal at Good Company Law, Hannah Marshall See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia – like many countries – saw protesters take the streets. They weren’t just protesting lockdowns, they were rallying around a tangle of fears and conspiracies. Those threads fused into a broader worldview that pulled people down a pipeline and built a small industry of influencers. Today, Conspiracy Nation authors Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson on the conspiracy pipeline: how it works, who benefits, and where it’s heading now. This is part one of a two-part series. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Authors of Conspiracy Nation, Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s easy to dismiss conspiracy theories as fringe or imported. But conspiratorial ideas are gaining traction with everyday Australians – about one in three endorse at least one conspiracy belief. They’re also being echoed by people in power, and have spilled into real-world violence. Today, Conspiracy Nation authors Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle on how conspiracies leap from the fringe to the mainstream – including all the way to Parliament house. This is part two of a two-part series. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Authors of Conspiracy Nation, Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When dead fish began washing up on South Australian beaches earlier this year, Dr Scott Bennett was alarmed. Scott’s a marine ecologist at the University of Tasmania, and knew that dead fish on shore meant trouble under the surface. On a dive in June, Scott came face-to-face with the devastating impact of the largest algal bloom Australia has ever seen. The full impact still isn’t known – but some of Australia’s rarest and strangest animals could be wiped out entirely. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Marine ecologist Dr Scott Bennett See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced. Albanese claims the move will help advance a two-state solution and is “humanity’s best hope” for peace in the Middle East. But as Israel intensifies its military campaign in Gaza once again, what difference does recognition really make? Today, contributing editor of The New Daily, Amy Remeikis, on what the international community is trying to achieve – and whether it's too late. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Contributing editor of The New Daily Amy Remeikis See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In May this year, Kumanjayi White died after being restrained by police inside a supermarket in Alice Springs. Just weeks later, the coroner released her findings into the fatal police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker, who was killed in Yuendumu in 2019. Both men were Warlpiri, and both died after encounters with Northern Territory police. Jampijinpa Hargraves is Kumanjayi White’s grandfather – and a Warlpiri elder who has also spoken on behalf of Kumanjayi Walker’s family. He says the system that failed them is still failing Aboriginal people across the Territory. Today, Jampijinpa Hargraves on life under the watch of police, the pressure of systems that were never made to protect his people – and what real safety would look like. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Warlpiri elder Jampijinpa ‘Ned’ Hargraves. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labor is laying the groundwork for a major overhaul of Australia’s tax system. In just over a week, a hand-picked group of people from business, unions and government will gather in Canberra for an economic roundtable. Already, a range of ideas are being touted for debate: from lowering company tax rates, to rethinking negative gearing, and a carbon tax. The prime minister is watching carefully to see which ideas gain traction – and which are political poison – before claiming them as part of his own agenda. Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton on Anthony Albanese’s long game – and the way he wants to change the economy to change the country. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Press gallery journalist Karen Middleton See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.