The Morning Edition

This week the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was on his honeymoon after his low-key Lodge wedding last weekend, while Senate estimates rolled on in Canberra, uncovering some interesting secrets. Notable was the head-scratching amount that Communications Minister Anika Wells spent on flights to New York, made public ahead of the mammoth social media ban coming into effect. Chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos join host Jacqueline Maley for this week's Inside Politics. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Mark Leishman and his wife Kathy first sought out the help of George Dimitriou, they were suffering with cash-flow problems at Mark’s business. By the time their working relationship with Dimitriou finished - and after they discovered he was only pretending to be an accountant - their Newcastle home was repossessed, and they lost, they say, $4 million. Today, chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont on George Dimitriou, a serial conman and high-school drop-out who conned vulnerable people out of millions of dollars with the help of, allegedly, a bank loans manager, and a series of lawyers. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New figures out on Monday show that the median house values in Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane have become, well, kind of insane. They’re the kind of figures that make people who’ve been desperately saving to break into the housing market tear at their hair by the roots. But new research shows that allowing Australians to subdivide their properties could mean a million new homes being delivered in the nation’s five largest capital cities. Today, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright, on whether this solution, which has eased price pressures in New Zealand, could be accepted here. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It really was the stuff of nightmares. A Swiss tourist, who was swimming with dolphins off the NSW coast, was suddenly mauled by a three-metre bull shark. The 25-year-old died from her injuries, despite her heroic boyfriend, an exchange student also from Switzerland, fighting off the shark and carrying her to shore. Today, environment and climate reporter Caitlin Fitzsimmons, on why the number of people killed by sharks in Australia is rising. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Pauline Hanson marched into the Senate last week wearing a burqa, it felt, for a moment, like we were back in the 1990s. Those were the sorts of stunts – and anti-immigration rhetoric – that the former fish and chip shop owner from Ipswich used to pull when she first swept into power. But, with a high-profile member of parliament on the verge of defecting to her party, and polling placing support for One Nation at its highest level since 1998, it appears that we are witnessing the second coming of One Nation. Today, columnist and former associate editor of The Age, Shaun Carney, on what a rise in support for One Nation says about Australia. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, Barnaby Joyce finally announced his resignation from the Nationals this week, paving his way to join One Nation, in a week where Pauline Hanson recycled a burqa stunt from 2017. And it’s amid this turmoil that we have a special guest with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and Jacqueline Maley - Opposition leader Sussan Ley. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We feel like we’ve known him since he was in nappies. But now, at 21, the fame enjoyed by Robert Irwin - the son of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin - has been supercharged after winning one of America’s top reality television shows, Dancing with the Stars. Today, culture editor-at-large Michael Idato on the Irwin family empire and how Robert Irwin’s brand of "nice" has won over America. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has long tried to stamp American institutions - and the daily life of his country’s citizens - with his ultra-conservative ideology, openly waging war on diversity, transgender rights and women, among other targets. But now he wants American diplomats in Canberra to report back to him about the way we live. Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol on why Trump wants detailed information about the crime that takes place on our shores. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bureau of Meteorology has been plagued with public stuff-ups, including, just a few years ago, a false tsunami alert sent to half of the country. This is a problem because farmers use the site to plan harvests, fisherman use it navigate the seas, and the rest of us rely on it to decide if we need to bring an umbrella, or can safely travel from one suburb to the next. Today, climate and energy correspondent Mike Foley on the bureau’s latest disaster: a problematic website revamp that went tens of millions of dollars over budget, proved difficult to use, and, in one case, made severe storms over Brisbane seem less threatening than they actually were. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Australia banned the importation of Russian crude oil. Even so, Russian oil is still making its way to our shores, and into our petrol. Kateryna Argyrou calls this blood oil - money from which goes to fund the Kremlin’s war machine. Today, Argryou, who chairs the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations and is also honorary consul of Ukraine in Sydney, joins Europe correspondent David Crowe. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently on this podcast we have been highly fixated on the problems within the Liberal opposition and we have neglected the government somewhat. So this week we are going to focus on Labor, and to that end we have a real treat for listeners. Sean Kelly, a columnist for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, was previously a Labor staffer with Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. He is the author of a book called The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison, and he has just published the latest quarterly essay – which is called The Good Fight, What Does Labor Stand For? Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a Sunday at a park in Singapore, and, as journalist Zach Hope observed, it’s the servants day off. They lounge on picnic rugs, shaking off the week of cooking, cleaning – and raising other people’s kids.Singapore has more than 300,000 migrant domestic workers, or “helpers”, as they’re called and many care for the children of expats, including Australians. Today, South-East Asia correspondent Zach Hope on this extraordinary workforce and the system, he says, is premised on profound sadness. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There can be no mistaking it – it is that time of year known as the killing season. Because, as of this morning, there are two state political leaders who’ve lost their jobs. One whose job is rumoured to be on the chopping block. And all this, as rumours swirl that federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, might not last through to the new year. Today, state political editors Chip Le Grand and Alexandra Smith, on why all this turmoil, now. And what it means for you. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has long sworn that his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was no big deal. That he didn’t know about his abuse of girls and women. And there was nothing of consequence in the so-called “Epstein files”. Then came last week, when a group of Democrats, and later Republicans, released - cumulatively - thousands and thousands of pages of emails and correspondence from Epstein, which could suggest that Trump knows more about Epstein’s conduct than he’s been letting on. Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol, on whether Republicans will vote for the full release of the files this week. And whether this could bring down the president. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four years ago, when our senior economics correspondent, Shane Wright, pointed out the failings of our central bank, government leaders, including the federal treasurer, sat up and took notice. Well now, he’s at it again. And this time, he’s got his sights on what he calls an unspoken economic problem that is driving down our quality of life. Today, Wright on how our convoluted system of government is hurting all of us, wasting billions of dollars each year. And what it might take, to fix it. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week in federal politics there was really only one show in town, and that was the compelling and 'can't look away' car crash that is the Liberal party's continued ructions on its net zero policy. They culminated, or maybe even concluded, on Thursday afternoon, when the Liberal Party met and finally came up with a policy. Today, host Jacqueline Maley is joined by chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and chief political commentator James Massola. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Did women ruin the workplace?” This was the question that was put forward in a New York Times podcast that - no surprises here - quickly went viral. The main thrust of the argument was that women are gossipy and overly emotional, and so, as we take over more and more businesses, we are a threat to the pursuit of truth and innovation. To say that women from the across the globe shot back is an understatement. Today, senior writer Jacqueline Maley on so-called “conservative feminism” and the political and cultural forces that have led us to this moment. And the hilarity - and danger - wrapped up in this conversation. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How could dozens of white supremacists be allowed to rally outside of the NSW parliament building, on Saturday morning? And why didn’t the police who watched them congregate make them disperse, once they heard them use antisemitic tropes about power and influence, and chant a Hitler Youth slogan? These are just two of the questions facing our government and police force, in the wake of an incident that has not only created fear, but led to two MPs facing threats of death, and rape. Today, state political editor Alexandra Smith, on what this incident tells us about whether our laws - and the institutions meant to keep us safe - are fit for purpose. And whether NSW is weaker than other states and territories, at warding off the attempts of the Neo-Nazi group to establish a political party. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tributes have flown in – from the likes of actor Russell Crowe and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – for John Laws, the polarising broadcaster who died over the weekend at 90. But, it has to be asked: why are we still talking about him, decades after his peak, when he played a key role in helping prime ministers either nab, or keep their hold on power? Today, Dr Denis Muller, a former journalist and media ethicist from the University of Melbourne, on the mixed legacy of the so-called “voice of the people”. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever taken on a 10km run, or a half marathon - maybe pushed yourself just a little too much, without properly researching what you should be eating, to fuel your efforts? Many have. And it’s no wonder endurance activities are an increasingly popular coping mechanism for those of us struggling to deal with the mental load of everyday life. But experts across the globe say they have been seeing athletes - and regular people - who have been under-eating and suffering from a little-known syndrome called REDs, or relative energy deficiency in sport. Today, Good Weekend senior writer Katrina Strickland, on this contentious syndrome, which some experts say can be allied to eating disorders, and has led some sufferers to have “bones like dust” and - in one case - a woman in her late 20s to have, as her gynaecologist put it, the “uterus of a 60 year old”. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.