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Solstice Media
An independent daily news show. We feature the country’s best reporters, covering the news as it affects Australia. This is news with narrative, every weekday.
Episodes
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Oct 11, 2022 • 17min
Are we on the brink of global recession?
Yesterday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers offered a grim warning to Australia: we could be on the brink of a global recession.While Australians are already familiar with inflated prices and rising interest rates, the global financial outlook is getting worse.What does it mean for Australians? And if a downturn happens, who will be worst affected?Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on how the United States could be making a global recession more likely.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike SeccombeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 10, 2022 • 16min
What Labor says about unemployment behind closed doors
Labor has been shy to propose any major changes to the unemployment system.During the election, it ruled out raising the rate of unemployment benefits and while in opposition, it offered support to the coalition’s new ‘Workforce Australia’ scheme for the way job services operate.But now we have new insight into what Labor is saying behind closed doors and the new government appears far from happy about what it’s discovered in the unemployment sector.Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton, on mutual obligations – and the first signs that the system might change.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram.Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 9, 2022 • 18min
Zoe Daniel on the power of Julia Gillard's misogyny speech
Ten years ago the then-prime minister Julia Gillard delivered a speech to parliament about misogyny.At the time, the speech was poorly received by the Canberra press gallery and described by some journalists as "desperate".But online, it took on a life of its own.Now, what has become known as the misogyny speech can be found on merchandise, in TikTok videos, and is used as shorthand for a particular sense of frustration at sexism in Australian politics.Today, Independent MP for the seat of Goldstein Zoe Daniel on the forgotten history of the speech and why it still resonates with so many people today.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Independent MP for Goldstein, Zoe DanielSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 6, 2022 • 17min
Is Albanese about to axe the stage three tax cuts?
They are the tax cuts Scott Morrison promised and Anthony Albanese said he would deliver.If Australia cancels the stage three tax cuts, experts say we could properly fund services like the NDIS and raise unemployment benefits above the poverty line, among other desperately needed measures.If Australia keeps the cuts, some of the wealthiest tax payers will benefit and our tax system will become less progressive.Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on whether Labor could be ready to slowly ditch the stage three tax cuts. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 5, 2022 • 18min
Vladimir Putin has unleashed dangerous forces in Russia
Earlier this week, Vladimir Putin held a rally in Moscow.Even as Russia continued to lose ground in his war in Ukraine, he was defiant; calling the west satanic and making the case for a greater Russian empire.But the most significant thing about what Putin said that day was what it represented: a turn to the ultra-nationalism of the Russian far-right.Today, Associate Professor at the ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Matthew Sussex on what Putin is doing now that he is desperate and what he could unleash.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram.Guest: Associate Professor at the ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Matthew Sussex.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 4, 2022 • 18min
Decline of the IPA: How the right’s favourite think tank ran out of ideas
For decades now some of the most important public policy that's shaped our country hasn’t been designed by politicians or public servants – it has come from think tanks.Among the most influential in Australia is the Institute of Public Affairs, the IPA, a right-wing think tank that prides itself on being the policy brain of the conservative movement.But the organisation is in decline, it’s generating less new ideas and it’s finding it harder to get the support of business.Today, national correspondent at The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on the decline of the IPA.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: National correspondent at The Saturday Paper, Mike SeccombeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 3, 2022 • 18min
Reducing good teachers to a single test
All of us know that a great teacher can make a huge difference in a person’s life – and a bad one can be a disaster for a young person who’s trying to find their way.So how do we make sure the best people become teachers?That’s the question that obsessed Julia Gillard when she was Education minister in 2008. The answer she came up with has had some unforeseen consequences that teachers are still living with now.Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on the testing regime for Australian teachers that was inspired by an American consultancy firm.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram.Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 2, 2022 • 17min
Nigel Farage, the pornographer and their weird Australian tour
The right-wing anti-immigration politician who led the Brexit campaign in Britain is currently touring Australia.Nigel Farage has become increasingly irrelevant in British politics, but he is commanding speaking fees and being given a hero's welcome by Sky News presenters and One Nation politiciansIt could be a cynical money grabbing exercise, a play for political influence in Australia… or both.Today, journalist Kurt Johnson on the Nigel Farage tour, the figures behind it and the global franchise of right-wing populists.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Journalist, Kurt JohnsonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 29, 2022 • 16min
The trauma of robo-debt is finally being investigated
Mothers whose families were torn apart by the robo-debt scheme have welcomed the start of the long-awaited royal commission into the policy this week.One, Kath Madgwick, said her son took his own life just hours after learning he owed a Centrelink debt through the scheme – she’ll be making a submission to the royal commission.But this week’s hearings are only the beginning of an attempt to hold people accountable over what happened. Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno, on how the commission is trying to find the truth for the victims of robo-debt, and the future of integrity in our parliament.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 28, 2022 • 17min
The Optus hack: How 10 million people got pwned
Millions of Australians will need new drivers licences and passports, after Optus’s lax data management exposed the details of around 10 million Australians to a hacker.Anthony Albanese has announced Optus should foot the bill for new ID documents and has called the hack a ‘wake up’ for corporate Australia.But why did Optus hold so much data on millions of Australians? Why wasn’t it held more safely?Today, associate professor Toby Murray from the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne - on how millions of Australians are now exposed – and what we need to do about it.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram.Guest: Associate professor, Toby Murray.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


