Backchat

Last weekend, India hosted the 20th iteration of the BRICS summit with the theme being 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'. Producer Ella Hosty-Snelgrove gives us the rundown for what this summit entails, particularly with rising global tensions. Following our endangered swift parrots from last week, we talk to MP for Drummoyne Stephanie Di Pasqua to see what local MPs are doing to preserve our local wildlife and what the future rezoning might look like. Ever saw a world record and thought "I could do that"? Well, we hear it directly from local band Fathom as they attempt the world record for most gigs played in 12 hours - and for a good cause. Finally, AI. Yeah, it's everywhere and now UNSW and USYD have revealed major partnerships with AI groups. Producer Euan Kelly exactly why this is making headlines and the impact is has had on university staff. This episode of Backchat was hosted by Pongyada Sootthipong and James de Fraine-Murphy. Produced by Ella Hosty-Snelgrove, Birdie Rinaldi, Euan Kielly and Maya Sathi. Aired 19 September 2026 on Gadigal land.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New South Wales Department of Education has announced restrictions on take-home assessment tasks for Year 11 and 12 students starting later this year in response to the rise of generative AI use to complete assessment tasks. But is this change going to help, and what does the presence of AI mean for education at large? We hear from producer James de Fraine-Murphy, who spoke with Dr Matthew Hill to gain further insight on the topic. It’s music festival season, and we’re looking into the New South Wales government’s plans to make drug checking a permanent scheme in music festivals across the state. CEO of Unharm, Dr Will Tregoning, joins us to talk about the scheme, and why community-based drug testing could be the next step. New South Wales hospitals have been pushed to their limits this winter surge, with a record breaking number of patients admitted this year. We’re joined by Dr Fred Betros, the Australian Medical Association’s NSW branch president, to talk about where our hospital systems are failing to address the yearly surge. The Sydney Fringe Festival started this week, and while the festival has historically played an important role for up-and-coming artists working outside the mainstream and in queer-focused spaces, cost-of-living struggles have transformed it into a space where young Sydneysiders can access entertainment for a reasonable price. Producer Birdie Rinaldi is joined by Georgia Gray-Spencer and Scott Whitmont to talk about the festival and its growing viewerbase. This episode of Backchat was hosted by Holly Payne and Ella Hosty-Snelgrove. Produced by James de Fraine-Murphy, Holly Payne, Maya Sathi, Euan Keilly, and Birdie Rinaldi. Aired 5 September 2026 on Gadigal Land.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the most distressing aspects of the alleged sexual assault incident involving Sydney Swans players earlier this month is that we’ve heard it all before. What does that tell us about the culture of elite mens sport in Australia? Producer Ella Hosty-Snelgrove spoke to Professor Catharine Lumby about the overlap between patriotism, sport and misogyny. In the last few weeks, incidences of the H5 bird flu strain have more than tripled across the country. Ecologist and author Darryl Jones joins to talk about about bird flu, bird feeding and preventing the spread of the virus from our own backyards. Last month, a small pole dancing business in the Gold Coast went viral for denying a transgender woman from entering a woman-only space. Anti-trans rhetoric circulating our algorithms is just the start of the severe online hate and violence against trans people, with the Queensland government now calling for legislation reform on biological and gender definitions. Drag queen and pop sensation, BEKS, discusses her latest track hitting back at the anti-trans talk, TERF WERK. If you’ve hopped off at Central Station and spotted an odd bit of graffiti reading “CASTLE LAW, FOR BABY ALEX” with a QR code leading you to Elaine Tan’s petition, you wouldn't be the only one. Castle Law is garnering support again after years of conservative campaigning. Why now? Varsha Yajman, journalist at Cheek Media and lawyer, joins to discuss Castle Law's comeback. Producer Maya Sathi breaks down the AI music ban on the ARIA charts - how will it affect Aussie music and streaming platforms? This episode of Backchat was hosted by Pongyada Sootthipong and Euan Kielly. Produced by Ella Hosty-Snelgrove, Tarni Cruickshank, Shaya Hayworth, Jasper Brady, and Maya Sathi. Aired 29 August 2026 on Gadigal land.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve got a story about the expanding surveillance state and where our government is spending its money. A series of anti-transgender Women’s Rights Rallies will reach Sydney this Sunday at Martin Place, calling for the removal of transgender protections from the Sex Discrimination Act. In response to this, Pride In Protest are organising a counter-protest set to take place at Town Hall. We’re joined by Pride In Protest convenor Evan van Zijl. Wollongong’s local council is pitting the skating community against people who want to preserve more green space. Why does it always seem like someone has to lose out in order for someone else to win?  This week, the council confirmed that MacCabe Park is the location for the region’s long-awaited Olympic-standard, fifteen-hundred-square-metre skate park. Council claims that it will only take up three per cent of the park’s total footprint… but locals are still concerned about any loss of precious green space. We’re joined by activist and Wollongong local Bella Todd.  After the tragic mass shooting in Bondi last December, the government announced a policy reform package to tighten Australia’s gun laws. But the only part of this package that politicians and the media are really latching onto is the national gun buyback scheme. The NSW government announced that they’d be starting the buyback in December, in an effort to take more firearms out of the community and compensate gun owners.  This week, producer Eva Sikes-Gerogiannis investigated what gun buybacks involve, and why certain politicians are campaigning against it in the media.  Later in the show… we’re chatting about AI trends, data mining and… shaving your bush (disappointed). Creators on Instagram have been speculating that Meta has been manufacturing trends to harvest data for their AI. Particularly, the you shaved your bush trend, in which friends take turns saying the phrase in different tones. Birdie Rinaldi spoke to Ahmed Khanji from GridWare to gain further insight on how to keep ourselves safe.  Following the anti-Isaac Herzog protests in February, sweeping arrests have been made across activist communities. There are civil liberties concerns over the technology used to get inside activists’ phones and extract information. Relatively unspoken about in mainstream news, we take a deep dive into the company that our government has contracted. Emil Kwasner Catsivelakis talked to Tim Roberts about what protections you have against emerging police technology.  This episode of Backchat was hosted by Bec Cushway and Nyaboth Chuol. Produced by James de Fraine-Murphy, Holly Payne, Birdie Rinaldi, Eva Sikes-Gerogiannis and Emil Kwasner Catsivelakis Aired 22 August 2026 on Gadigal land.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Thursday, thousands of students across Australia stepped out of classrooms to protest against Pauline Hanson and the One Nation Party. Producer James de Fraine-Murphy reports from  the ground at the Say No To Hanson Protest at Town Hall. The NDIS cuts are set to go ahead after a Senate inquiry report recommended that the proposed reforms be passed in full, despite hearing that people with disabilities and carers would be facing financial hardship, isolation, and death. Disability advocate Samantha Connor joins to discuss. Backchat’s Sana Shaikh sat down with Aiden Brown to break down the relevance of this year’s International Youth Day to young Australians. This episode was produced by Sana Shaikh, James de Fraine-Murphy, and Holly Payne. Executive produced by Bec Cushway. Hosted by Bec Cushway and Holly Payne. Aired 15 August 2026 on Gadigal land.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.