The Morning Edition

The Age and Sydney Morning Herald
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Jan 25, 2026 • 25min

The remarkable story of how Timor-Leste is tackling cervical cancer

More than 25 years ago, photojournalist Kate Geraghty travelled to Timor-Leste to document the struggles of the Timorese people as they wrestled back their independence from a decades-long, and often brutal, Indonesian occupation. Last year, Geraghty returned to Timor-Leste, with health editor Kate Aubusson, where they witnessed a devastating legacy of this struggle: a deep, cultural tradition of withstanding pain.Coupled with a shame about cancer, and a lack of resources, a diagnosis of cervical cancer often equals a death sentence in Timor-Leste. And this in a place only 85 minutes away by plane from Australia, which is on track to become the first country in the world to eliminate the cancer by 2035. Today, Kate Geraghty and Kate Aubusson, on the Australian and Timorese medicos, who are helping the women of Timor-Leste fight this entirely preventable cancer.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jan 23, 2026 • 6min

The Sketch: Tony Wright on the Coalition’s 'ship of fools'

Tony Wright, the associate editor of The Age, has been writing for 50 years. He is the master of what we call the political sketch.Sketches are akin to a verbal cartoon and, when done well, capture a moment in politics.Today, in a bonus episode of Inside Politics, we bring you Wright's sketch on the disintegration of the Coalition, titled: It’s a mess of Titanic proportions on the Coalition’s ship of fools.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jan 23, 2026 • 39min

Barnaby Joyce opens up on his defection to Pauline Hanson's One Nation

One Nation is having a bit of a moment. Pauline Hanson’s outfit, accused by both major parties of exploiting racial anxiety over her career, has faded into irrelevance at points since she burst onto the scene in the late 1990s. But two new polls have recorded record-high primary votes for One Nation. One of them saw One Nation’s vote rise above the Coalition, which split in spectacular fashion this week, over new hate crime legislation in the wake of the Bondi massacre. The break-up of the Coalition, and the rise of One Nation, may point to a tectonic change in conservative politics. At same time, the attack at Bondi has further sapped trust in our political system as politicians have brawled in the wake of a tragedy. I’m Paul Sakkal, and you’re listening to Inside Politics, from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.From Parliament House this week, we recorded an interview before the Coalition split, with One Nation’s newest recruit, Nationals defector and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jan 22, 2026 • 14min

Littleproud fired the gun, but Ley set up the circumstances: The spectacular Coalition break-up

We are back with a special episode of Inside Politics as a few things have happened this week - namely the break-up of the Coalition, a century-old political alliance. Nationals leader David Littleproud announced the split on Thursday morning, blaming Liberal leader Sussan Ley in the process. Federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos joins chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal in today's episode.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jan 21, 2026 • 19min

Coalition splits – again – over hate speech laws

Natassia Chrysanthos, a federal political correspondent, dives into the turmoil within the Coalition following the resignation of three Nationals frontbenchers. They voted against Labor’s hastily passed hate-crime laws, raising questions about Sussan Ley’s leadership. Natassia explores the various parties' concerns over free speech and legal ambiguities, as well as the evolving dynamics after the Bondi massacre. She also highlights how this internal dissent may reshape political strategies for the year ahead.
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Jan 20, 2026 • 20min

'So much change, so much chaos': One year of Trump 2.0

Ronald Reagan’s presidency of the 1980s is known as the ‘Reagan Revolution’, while Franklin D Roosevelt - the only president who has served for more than two terms -  is known for his reformist agenda.So, now that it’s officially a year on from Donald Trump’s inauguration, for a second time, how does the scale of what he has upended and changed compare?Today North American correspondent Michael Koziol on the deliberate chaos of the Trump presidency, and whether he is likely to toss aside legalities and run for a third term.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jan 19, 2026 • 18min

The rise and fall of one of Australia’s most powerful criminals

Kazem Hamad rose rapidly to become one of the nation’s most powerful organised crime players. The syndicate he is accused of heading waged a relentless turf war for control of Australia’s multibillion-dollar illicit tobacco trade, which has seen firebombings around the country. But Hamad’s arrest last week was unexpected, because it happened not in Australia, but thousands of kilometres away in Iraq. Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago on the capture of one of Australia’s most wanted accused criminals.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jan 18, 2026 • 15min

Aus Open prize money is at an all-time high. But are players being paid enough?

When Australian Open stars, such as Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, hit the courts this week, they’ll do so with the support of screaming fans, massive sponsorship deals, and a shot at a record-breaking prize haul. But what of those who aren’t even close to being world No.1?For them, the journey to the Open is often a juggle to make ends meet – one of scrimping and saving – sometimes without a paid coach, let alone a sponsor.Today, sports reporter Marc McGowan on whether Australian Open competitors get paid enough. And the gruelling journey to the Australian Open for the tennis players you've probably never heard of.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jan 15, 2026 • 29min

Best of 2025: Bill Shorten on Albanese's Trump triumph, and the opposition's next move

Inside Politics is still on a break, but we’re set to return in two weeks.   Today, we return to an episode released just after Anthony Albanese’s successful meeting with Donald Trump, and one in which we had a special guest -  former Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten. Bill also has some advice for the opposition, and its leader Sussan Ley, before a slight diversion to discussing the dress sense of our chief political correspondent, Paul Sakkal.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Jan 14, 2026 • 21min

Why Kevin Rudd resigned, and what it means for our relationship with Trump

When Kevin Rudd announced on Monday that he would leave his post as ambassador to the United States a year early, it was a penny-drop moment for many. Wasn’t this inevitable since his incredibly awkward meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House in October? Today, foreign affairs and national security correspondent Matthew Knott on where this leaves our relationship with the most mercurial US president in recent memory. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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