7am

For years, survivors of some of the worst crimes imaginable have been put through hell. Their perpetrators allowed to use glowing character references in court, in an effort to have their sentences reduced. But today, that’s set to change as New South Wales introduces new laws scrapping character references for all criminal sentencing - in response to years of campaigning from sexual abuse survivors. Today, ‘Your Reference Ain’t Relevant’ Cofounder Harrison James on what these changes mean and how the rest of the country is lagging behind on character reference reform.   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: Cofounder of ‘Your Reference Ain’t Relevant’, Harrison James Photo: AAP Image/Sarah WilsonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the US military seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, people in Colombia were left wondering if they were next. Almost immediately, Donald Trump was accusing Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, of being tied to cocaine trafficking – without providing evidence – and publicly entertaining a US “operation” in the country. Monica Villamizar, a Colombian-American journalist, says the mood on the streets has been a mix of shock and fear. Now, following a phone call that temporarily cooled the crisis, Petro is due to meet Trump in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday – a meeting Monica calls a wild card. Today, Monica Villamizar on the feud between Trump and Petro – and what’s riding on their meeting for Colombia, and the broader Latin American region.   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: Colombian-American journalist, Monica Villamizar Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia likes to present itself as a defender of human rights. But right now, on the world stage, that reputation is being seriously questioned.  Dozens of countries have called on Australia to stop locking up children, some as young as ten, and to confront the fact that Indigenous kids make up the overwhelming majority of those behind bars.  For a nation that claims moral leadership on human rights, the scrutiny now facing Australia is deeply shameful and impossible to ignore. The tough-on-crime agendas of several state and territory governments risk undermining Australia’s reputation when it comes to the way we treat our own children. Today, CEO of Change the Record, Jade Lane, and CEO of the Human Rights Law Centre, Caitlin Reiger, on Australia’s standing on the world stage, and why so many Australian children call prison home.    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: CEO of Change the Record, Jade Lane and CEO of the Human Rights Law Centre, Caitlin Reiger Photo: ABC IndigenousSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Anthony Albanese’s political universe, personal relationships are everything. High on the list for Albanese is his bond with Peter V'landys, the Chair of the Australian Rugby League Commission and Chief Executive of Racing NSW. That relationship has been central to the government’s decision to again delay reforms of gambling advertising, which V’Landys strongly opposes. Today, special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis with the inside story of why the government still hasn’t acted on gambling reform. This episode was originally published in December 2024. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram Guest: Special correspondent for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis Photo: AAP Image/Dean LewinsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Liberal Party is locked in a very public power struggle. The Coalition has broken apart. One Nation is on the rise.  What’s emerging isn’t just a shift in support, it’s something deeper – a realignment of the conservative side of politics, with broader ramifications that we’re only beginning to understand. Today, political columnist and former Labor adviser Sean Kelly – on what’s breaking inside conservative politics, what it means for the government, and what comes next.   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: Political columnist and former Labor adviser Sean Kelly Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At Forrest Place in Boorloo (Perth), on what this country officially calls Australia Day, around 2,500 people gathered to mark Invasion Day. They listened to speakers, held banners and, for a few hours, took up civic space in the way protest is meant to: visibly, peacefully, together. Then, from a balcony above, an object arced through the air and landed near the stage. Police allege it was a homemade improvised explosive device containing nails, ball bearings and chemicals, later described as a fragmentation‑style device with the potential to cause serious harm or death. It did not detonate; it landed. The crowd was evacuated. Within hours, a 31‑year‑old man was arrested and charged with offences including intent to harm and possession of explosives. What happened next stayed with our host Daniel James – and he decided to write about it. So in this special episode, we’re bringing you his essay on the Perth pipe bomb – and the silence that followed.   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 writer and 7am host Daniel James See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colin Boyce is a Nationals MP from Central Queensland. He represents a huge swathe of land stretching from Bundaberg to Rockhampton – and as he’s travelled around his electorate, he’s been confronted by the looming threat of One Nation. Colin is so dismayed about the split of the Coalition, he’s challenging David Littleproud for the leadership of the Nationals on Monday. He says it’s a last-ditch effort to “save the National Party from its own self-destruction”. Today, Colin Boyce, on why he’s challenging his own leader, the inside story of the Nationals’ split from the Coalition, and how One Nation is reshaping the party’s future.    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: Nationals MP Colin Boyce Photo: AAP Image/Dominic GianniniSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Xi Jinping has just sacked his top military general – putting him under investigation and accusing him of “grave violations of discipline and the law”. It’s the latest, and most stunning sacking in a massive purge of the country’s military and political elite. With China’s People's Liberation Army in crisis – there are now questions about what it will mean for China’s plans to take over Taiwan. Today, expert in US-Asia Relations at Harvard Kennedy School and author of several books on China, Rana Mitter on what the sackings say about Xi’s grip on power.   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: Expert in US-Asia Relations at Harvard Kennedy School, Rana Mitter Photo: AP Photo/Andy WongSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minneapolis has become the focal point of Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, as he tries to round up and deport 10 million people from the country.  As the city’s residents have fought back against ICE’s often violent arrests, protests have intensified. In just three weeks, two American citizens have been killed in Minneapolis by ICE agents, with many more injured.  So why is Trump targeting Minneapolis? And what comes next for this small city under siege? Today, journalist and radio host Jason DeRusha on the real reason for Trump’s retribution.   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: Journalist and WCCO radio host, Jason DeRusha Photo: Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2019, a new venture in the Australian outback looked set to export our solar power to the world – upending our neighbours’ reliance on fossil fuels. Backed by the billionaires Mike Cannon-Brookes and Andrew Forrest – Sun Cable was supposed to be Australia’s largest ever renewable energy project, transporting electricity to Singapore via 4,300 kilometres of sea cable. It was meant to show what a different future could look like – one where Australia could export massive amounts of renewable power. But now, that future is being overtaken by something else entirely. As big tech converges on Australia to build data centres for AI, there’s a fight over how to use our renewable energy – and big tech is winning. Today, writer and senior research associate with the Australia Institute, Ketan Joshi, on how Australia’s AI push is colliding with the energy transition — and what it means for our emissions, our power grid, and the dream of becoming a clean energy exporter.   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 Research Associate with the Australia Institute, Ketan Joshi Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Family violence in Aboriginal communities is a national crisis – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are 33 times more likely to be victims of domestic violence, and eight times more likely to be killed by their partner. The trauma First Nations women experience is often made worse by the systems they seek help from and people within those systems that often misidentify the victim as the perpetrator.  But alongside these fraught systems are people doing relentless and unheralded work, to make things better for women and families fleeing domestic violence. Kalina Morgan-Whyman is one of those people – and she follows in the footsteps of her nan, Aunty Elizabeth Morgan, who founded a refuge for Indigenous women fleeing violence.  Today, CEO of Elizabeth Morgan House, Kalina Morgan-Whyman on the issues confronting our most vulnerable, the tenuous funding environment for services like hers, and whether governments of all persuasions are serious about addressing the family violence epidemic.   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: CEO of Elizabeth Morgan House, Kalina Morgan-Whyman Photo: SuppliedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1970s, eight children in Perth were sent to a psychiatric hospital to be ‘treated’ for being transgender. Their experiences became the basis of a medical study that claimed kids could be cured of their identity. Now, nearly forty years after it was released, that same study is being cited in arguments against trans healthcare and being used to shape policy and law. Today, Walkley Award-winning journalist and founding editor of ABC Queer, Mon Schafter, on how a forgotten experiment from another era is still influencing the culture war over trans healthcare. This episode was originally published in October 2025.   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: Walkley Award-winning journalist and founding editor of ABC Queer, Mon Schafter Photo: Supplied: Jayne McFadyenSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the on-again, off-again political drama that has turned Australian politics into something resembling a soap opera.  For the second time in a year, the Liberal and National parties have split, rendering the coalition dead – again.  The break-up has once again thrown Sussan Ley’s leadership under the bus, shattered the opposition’s ability to challenge the government – and underscored deeper pressures from an ascendant One Nation.  Today, contributing editor of The New Daily Amy Remeikis, on the break-up, the fallout, and the ex sitting on the sidelines who can’t get enough of the spectacle.    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 Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has invited Australia to join his new “Board of Peace” – a Trump-led body he says will help bring peace to Gaza. But the invitation comes with a warning. Some leaders say the board could undermine the United Nations – and Trump himself has suggested it might even replace it. Trump has spent years attacking the United Nations as ineffective – and this term, his administration has moved to pull the US out of dozens of UN agencies. So is this a peace plan, or a power play? Today, UN analyst at the International Crisis Group, Maya Ungar, on the real agenda behind Trump’s Board of Peace and whether Australia should join.   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: UN analyst at the International Crisis Group, Maya Ungar Photo: EPA/LAURENT GILLIERONSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Labor’s watered-down hate speech laws passed the Senate. The following day, the bigger story wasn’t the bill. Three senior Nationals – Bridget McKenzie, Susan McDonald and Ross Cadell – were forced off the opposition frontbench after defying shadow cabinet and voting against the legislation. Then, after a late night emergency meeting, the rest of the Nationals frontbench followed suit, quitting their roles in a show of solidarity.  Now, the Liberal National partnership is hanging in the balance and Sussan Ley’s leadership is again under threat.  Today, Press Gallery journalist Karen Middleton, on how hate speech blew up the Coalition.   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 Photo: AAP Image/Mick TsikasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Elon Musk first launched his AI tool Grok, he called it “rebellious” and anti-woke. But over the summer, what that meant took a disturbing turn. The chatbot, which is embedded in Musk's social media platform X, started creating sexualised images of women and children without their consent. Anthony Albanese has staked his legacy on keeping children safe online, so what is he doing to protect them from Grok? Today, associate editor at Crikey, Cam Wilson, on whether it’s time for the government to get off X.   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 editor at Crikey, Cam Wilson Photo: AP Photo/Julia Demaree NikhinsonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the aftermath of the 1996 massacre at Port Arthur, Prime Minister John Howard donned a bullet proof vest and argued the case for gun control, to crowds of angry protestors.  His reforms, including a ban on automatic and semi-automatic weapons, and a national buyback scheme, changed the country by getting rid of more than half a million guns. But in the years since, the number of guns in Australia has skyrocketed, and as Anthony Albanese tries to change that, the Coalition is fighting back, while the Greens have signalled early support.  Today, deputy director at The Australia Institute Ebony Bennett on why Australia has more guns than ever – and whether Labor’s proposed plan will make us safer.   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: Deputy director at The Australia Institute Ebony Bennett  Photo: AAP Image/Joel CarrettSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rex Patrick is a former senator from South Australia. Before that, he was a submariner in the Navy. Last year, he noticed a reference to a new arm of the Australian Federal Police called the AUKUS Command. He wanted to know more, so he lodged Freedom of Information requests with the Australian Submarine Agency and the Australian Federal Police.  The documents he got back were heavily redacted – but he was able to form a picture of a secretive new command set up to protect AUKUS submarines.  But hidden in the fine print were plans to surveil protest, manage dissent, and deploy force against it.  Today, Rex Patrick on the Australian Federal Police, their new powers to protect America’s interests in Australia, and what it means for the future of protest.   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: Former submariner and former senator for South Australia, Rex Patrick Photo: AAP Image/Pool, Colin MurtySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fallout from this year’s Adelaide Writers’ Week debacle has reignited fierce debate about political interference in the arts and about who gets to speak in Australia’s cultural spaces. After the invitation to Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah was withdrawn, 180 writers pulled out in protest.  The festival was eventually cancelled and Adelaide Festival has since apologised for excluding the author from Writers’ Week, admitting it had failed to uphold artistic freedom. The whole saga raises urgent questions about how decisions are being made – by governments, by boards, and by those in charge of our institutions.  Today, we’re bringing you a story from last year that exposed one of the initial fault lines in cultural administration. It’s about artist Khaled Sabsabi, who was dropped from representing Australia at the Venice Biennale after political pressure. Then, as the backlash intensified, Sabsabi was reinstated.  It’s an episode that feels more relevant than ever.  It features chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow, speaking with Ruby Jones. This episode originally aired in February last year.   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: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow Photo: Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino in Granville. Photo: Anna KuceraSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday, parliament will return early to debate new laws to deal with hate speech and gun ownership. The legislation has been drafted in a hurry – under mounting pressure in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack. But support for the bill has already fractured. The Coalition says it goes too far. The Greens say it doesn’t go far enough. Both want more time to consider the changes. The debate over what is and isn’t hate is unfolding at a time of deep political division with consequences not just for parliament, but for Australia’s cultural institutions. Today, CEO of Cheek Media and host of the Big Small Talk podcast, Hannah Ferguson, on the politics of hate speech and how a fight over free expression spilled into the arts.   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: CEO of Cheek Media and host of the Big Small Talk podcast, Hannah Ferguson Photo: SuppliedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.