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As Australia grapples with its biggest outbreak yet of Covid-19, an outbreak that shows few signs of slowing, the focus is shifting to hospitalisation figures and deaths.But even though Covid-19 wards are becoming busier, it isn’t easy to get a clear picture of just how bad things are in our hospital system.Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton on how our two largest states are handling the current outbreak and what might happen if things get worse.Guest: Senior reporter The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton.Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As our political leaders fight over the proposed national plan to re-open the country, health experts are imploring state and federal governments to learn from the experiences of places like the UK and Israel.But, there is another country closer to home whose prudent and cautious reopening could prove to be a much better blueprint for Australia.  Today, journalist with the Australian Associated Press and contributor to The Saturday Paper Hannah Ryan on what we can learn from the ongoing global experiment.Guest: Journalist with the Australian Associated Press and contributor to The Saturday Paper Hannah Ryan.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ongoing lockdowns have put many Australians under extreme financial pressure.Without adequate government support the responsibility is falling on community organisations to help thousands of people receive the basics, like food.Today, chief executive of the Addison Road Community Organisation Rosanna Barbero on the massive food relief operation underway right now in Sydney and how it exposes a broken system.Guest: CEO of Addison Road Community Organisation, Rosanna BarberoStay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The video games industry is worth over $180 billion a year, more than the US film and sports industries combined. For decades though, it’s been plagued by a culture of misogyny, homophobia and racism.Right now, a reckoning is taking place at one of the biggest games developers in the world, Activision Blizzard, the publisher of some of the most popular games ever, including Candy Crush, Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.This isn’t the first time sexism and harassment in gaming has made headlines, but could this be the long-awaited reckoning that the industry needs?To help break down the lawsuit and why it matters, games reporter for Screenhub and regular games critic for The Saturday Paper, Jini Maxwell, joins The Culture this week.Guest: Jini MaxwellFollow The Culture on InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode two of Everybody Knows, Ruby Jones goes back to the beginning of MeToo in Australia in 2017. Why did the movement seem to run out of momentum here so quickly?Ruby investigates what happened, hoping to learn lessons from the first wave of MeToo reporting as she investigates allegations of misconduct in the Australian music industry.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country might still be in the grip of a pandemic and ongoing lockdowns, but our major parties are already planning for a looming federal election.The Prime Minister has strongly hinted the nation could be heading to the polls in just a few months, and the political battle lines are now being drawn.Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on when the election looks likely to be held, and what it will be fought over.Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the past few weeks the world has witnessed scenes of chaos and desperation in Afghanistan as people scrambled to evacuate the country as it fell to the Taliban.Some were able to get out, but many others, including Afghans with Australian visas remain trapped.Coalition forces had been planning their withdrawal from Afghanistan for months, but it’s now emerged that intelligence reports failed to forecast how quickly the country would fall, and the impact that would have on the evacuation.Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Middleton on what went wrong with Australia’s withdrawal plan and what it means for those trapped in Afghanistan.Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen MiddletonSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Follow journalist Ruby Jones as she investigates an open secret in the Australian music industry -- stories of harassment, abuse and assault spanning decades.In this episode, Ruby asks why Me Too stories are still so hard to tell in Australia - and why there is so much fear about speaking out, and naming names.So will Ruby be able to tell this story? Or will the allegations remain hidden in plain sight?This is episode one of Everybody Knows.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As hospitals in NSW and Victoria prepare to deal with an influx of Covid-19 patients, there are fresh concerns that our healthcare system might not be up to the challenge. Hundreds of healthcare workers have been forced into isolation during this outbreak, putting further pressure on a system already grappling with the Delta strain.Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton, on the situation in hospitals right now, and what might happen when we come out of lockdown.Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick MortonStay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As wealthy countries like Australia race to vaccinate their population, many other nations in our region are falling behind due to the high cost of vaccines: a cost set by big pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer.As a result, South East Asia is now the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Lyndal Rowlands on the proposal that could speed up vaccinations around the world, and why Australia is holding it back. Guest: Contributor for The Saturday Paper, Lyndal RowlandsStay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.