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Smart analysis, lively conversations, and great company. Understand Australia and the world with Nick Bryant.
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When Governor John Kerr sacked Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on 11 November 1975, Michelle Grattan was a young reporter for The Age.The dismissal had been brewing with a government pushing through change at breakneck speed, and a series of scandals surrounding key figures. Michelle remembers absolute pandemonium unfolding as shock waves from this historic event ricocheted across the country. Guest: Michelle Grattan, chief political correspondent at The Conversation.
Australia's uncontroversial electoral system and the compulsory voting requirement means that participation in elections is high – around 90 per cent. But it's a system that's arguable taken for granted. Public trust in our democratic system – and knowledge of how it functions – is on the decline in Australia.In Civic Duty, Annabel Crabb explores a democracy like no other, with sausage sizzles, Saturday voting, cake stalls and asks important questions about its future.
It’s been one of Australia’s most elusive ambitions - a high-speed rail network connecting the East coast of Australia, it's now starting to gain momentum. Infrastructure Australia has released a blueprint for how the first stage of the track, between Sydney and Newcastle might look. Eventually there could be high-speed trains linking Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane - will it happen?
We live in a world built on the idea that freedom equals choice — and choice equals freedom. We get to choose what to buy, what to believe, who to love, where to live.We can go onto the internet and be overwhelmed with options, we can swipe right or left on a dating app to choose a potential life partner, we go to a restaurant and are given a menu of choices. Every day, we're told that the more options we have, the freer we are.But what if the very thing we thought defined our freedom — our ability to choose — was actually overwhelming us?A new history explains how choice has evolved to dominate modern life.
The Democrats celebrated victories across the United States this week, including in New York where 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani convincingly defeated Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral race.Mamdani is a self-confessed democratic socialist and his supporters insist he is the new face of the Democratic Party.Meanwhile in Virginia, Abigail Spanberger, a moderate, centrist Democrat who used to work for the CIA, also won a convincing victory.So who are the players in the Democratic Party's search for its future direction?
International leaders are gathering in the Amazonian city of Belem, Brazil for the annual UN climate change summit, COP30.Leaders from four of the world's five biggest polluting economies are not attending: The United States, China, India, Russia.Against that backdrop, what will be achieved by the talks to chart a path forward?
The 32nd World Porridge Making Championship has just wrapped up in the small Scottish town of Carrbridge. Each year, porridge makers and aficionados gather for a live-streamed cook-off, as judges poise their spoons and scorecards. This year, Melbourne food stylist and writer Caroline Velik won the speciality prize for her inventive porridge jaffle. A documentary about the much-loved competition, The Golden Spurtle, is screening nationally at the 2025 British Film Festival.Guest - Caroline Velik
One of the nation's most eminent historians, Mark McKenna, has written a new book - The Shortest History of Australia. It's a history of modern Australia permeated by First Nations history; a multicultural society with an island mindset; a continent of epic beauty and extreme natural events; a country obsessed by war abroad but blind to its founding war at home; and a thriving nation-state still to realise its political independence.
Zohran Mamdani appears to be on the precipice of becoming New York city's Mayor.The 34 year-old socialist is leading the polls ahead of Tuesday's election, despite facing off against establishment Democrat Andrew Cuomo, who is now running as an independent.A radical policy agenda — which includes freezing rents, free buses and free childcare — seems to be winning over New Yorkers.But will Mamdani's victory lead to a dramatic showdown with the Trump administration?
The younger brother of King Charles III will be stripped of his title and honours as prince, and will be now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, over his ties to the convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.Emily Maitlis spoke to the former prince in what is widely considered a disastrous interview about his connections to Epstein.She reflects on the widening crisis for the Royal Family.
On a scale of one to ten,, Donald Trump rated it as a twelve. The much-anticipated meeting between the US president and Chinese President Xi Jinping resulted in a one-year deal whereby Beijing would postpone restrictions on experts of rare earth minerals and Washington eased tariffs.The two met on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea and they’ll apparently meet again in April with plans for the US president to visit Beijing.
This week saw an escalation in Sudan's two year civil war as the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces took control of the city of El-Fasher, which has been besieged for 17 months.There have been reports of summary executions, and the killing of unarmed civilians.Sudan has been ravaged by war since 2023. Since then, more than 150,000 people have died across the country and about 12 million have been forced to flee their homes.The RSF is carrying out mass atrocities with impunity, according to the United Nations and Human Rights Watch.Will this escalation finally lead to action from the international community?
Diljit Dosanjh is Punjab's most celebrated star.With a background in Bollywood, the singer fuses Punjabi folk with high energy pop, hip hop and dance music.He is touring Australia over the next two weeks, playing to tens of thousands of fans, many who will come to shows dressed up as the star himself.
Amidst more noticeable signs of European and American-style populism and protest in Australia, how resilient is our democracy? How are the economics of home ownership and the after effects of COVID playing out at the ballot box and on the street? Two former state premiers join us for a democracy temperature check.
Inadequate security and a simple ruse featuring hi-vis vests saw $157 million worth of French crown jewels stolen from the Louvre this week.Audacious and simple. That's textbook art heist.History shows that many of history's greatest heists are brazen and opportunistic, relying on renovations and poor security.
Timor Leste will become ASEAN's newest member, a historic moment for the nation given President José Ramos Horta once said that it was easier to get into heaven than ASEAN.But the headline of the summit is the attendance of US President Doanld Trump. The attendance of any US president at the ASEAN summits is seen as a test, of the group’s international relevance, and US interest in the region. What do all the parties want from the visit?
The US President Donald Trump is due to arrive in Malaysia this weekend to attend ASEAN, before heading to Japan on Monday and South Korea later in the week.The trip comes in the aftermath of his decision to freeze trade talks with Canada - a huge US trading partner.Nations in the region are all alert to an anticipated meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which could defuse or escalate the roiling trade war between the two nations.
Griffin Dunne is the star of the Martin Scorsese movie, After Hours, an actor in American Werewolf in London, the son of the late Vanity Fair writer, Dominic Dunne, and the nephew of the author of Joan Didion. He produced and appeared in a Netflix documentary of his aunt, The Centre Will Not Hold. He’s also the author of a new memoir, The Friday Afternoon Club. Griffin Dunne is in Sydney for the Sydney Writers Festival's year-round program at the State Library of NSW. he'll also be appearing at the Newcastle and Canberra writers' festivals.Guest: Griffin Dunne - Writer, Producer, Director
Anthony Albanese will meet the US President Donald Trump at the White House next week, ending months of speculation about the failure to secure a meeting. There is a lot at stake: the AUKUS submarine plan, the issue of tariffs, and pressure on allies to cut trade ties with China. However the meeting comes with a degree of uncertainty for the Prime Minister as Mr Trump has a habit of ambushing visiting leaders.
Darcy Niland's Australian classic The Shiralee is a story of family breakdown, and hard-boiled masculinity and love on the margins of 1950s Australia. The bestselling book has been adapted for the screen twice. The 1957 film starring Peter Finch and the 1987 mini-series featuring Bryan Brown have become iconic renditions of Australian bush culture. Now, playwright Kate Mulvany has adapted the book for the stage, drawing on her own relationship with her father to create a rich and timeless tale.
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RUDD. The minute you mentioned getting his insightful opinion you lost us. He needs to be treated with extreme caution. One does wonder how much he says / reports to China on ?
Probably no espresso bars in the country ? Hence moving back into the city. Hmmmm.