If You're Listening
ABC Australia
The world is on fire. There's a coup. Inflation is through the roof, and AI is taking our jobs. What does it all mean? Each week, Matt Bevan explains the biggest story in world news while hiding in his basement from assassins and authoritarian regimes.
Recent episodes include an exploration of the relationship between India and China, a closer look at the Saudi Arabian city of NEOM, the conflict in the Middle East, the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, and Ukraine's incursions into Vladimir Putin's Russia. Matt Bevan draws connections between stories from the past and the events of the present to help listeners understand world news and international affairs.
The podcast also features series about big moments in world news; previous series have focused on the United States presidential election, the United Kingdom's 14 years of Conservative Party leadership, Donald Trump's relationship with Russia, Donald Trump's presidency and promise to Make America Great Again, the Mueller Report, Vladimir Putin's scheme to destroy western democracies, how the relationship between Australia and China came to the verge of collapse, and Australia's turbulent history with climate change.
There's a new episode of If You're Listening every Thursday.
Recent episodes include an exploration of the relationship between India and China, a closer look at the Saudi Arabian city of NEOM, the conflict in the Middle East, the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, and Ukraine's incursions into Vladimir Putin's Russia. Matt Bevan draws connections between stories from the past and the events of the present to help listeners understand world news and international affairs.
The podcast also features series about big moments in world news; previous series have focused on the United States presidential election, the United Kingdom's 14 years of Conservative Party leadership, Donald Trump's relationship with Russia, Donald Trump's presidency and promise to Make America Great Again, the Mueller Report, Vladimir Putin's scheme to destroy western democracies, how the relationship between Australia and China came to the verge of collapse, and Australia's turbulent history with climate change.
There's a new episode of If You're Listening every Thursday.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 13, 2026 • 24min
Will anything stop Palantir?
A deep look at the rise of a secretive tech firm and its philosophical, geopolitical ambitions. Strange stories about its CEO and his Frankfurt School influences get unpacked. The company’s data tools and controversial uses in military, policing and immigration are examined. Debate centers on whether corporate power has any ethical red lines.
May 11, 2026 • 24min
The FBI dug a tunnel under the Russian embassy
Cara Jensen‑McKinnon, a supervising producer and investigative storyteller, walks through Operation Monopoly. She recounts the FBI's covert surveillance house, the audacious tunnel dug beneath the embassy, the engineering hurdles, and the counterintelligence betrayals that unraveled the plan. Short, tense stories about secrecy, double agents, and a high-stakes intelligence failure.
46 snips
May 6, 2026 • 27min
How did Palantir get so powerful?
A history of how intelligence data stayed stuck in silos and the tech that aimed to stitch it together. The story of founders turning a post-9/11 problem into powerful data tools. How interactive mapping and large language models changed what’s possible with messy information. The rollout of an AI operating system that moved from government work into commercial markets, and the privacy and power concerns that followed.
7 snips
May 4, 2026 • 22min
Matt's producers present the weirdest tales from the basement
Adair Shepard, a producer who dug into North Korea’s surprising push for women’s football and its scandals. Pat Sunderland, a producer who explored 1930s technocracy and its eccentric leaders. They trade bizarre historical episodes and uncanny sports tales in short, oddball vignettes.
14 snips
Apr 29, 2026 • 26min
The unexpected loser of the Iran war
A look at how Qatar went from obscure gas state to global player through wealth, soft power and risky diplomacy. The piece traces Qatar’s role as mediator for pariahs, its investments in branding, and shifting security ties with neighbours and the US. It highlights recent strikes, damage to gas infrastructure, and how regional rules are breaking down into a more brutal balance of power.
15 snips
Apr 27, 2026 • 20min
How not to cover a radioactive incident
A live school mystery unfolds when emergency crews swarm after a reported radioactive find. A teenager’s first live radio call and nervous on-air descriptions bring the chaotic scene to life. Investigations reveal a caesium-137 source and the strange journey of lost radioactive capsules. The story explores how such industrial sources get misplaced and the safety lessons that followed.
18 snips
Apr 22, 2026 • 26min
Will the US and Iran make a deal (again)?
A deep dive into the secret backchannels and Oman’s surprising role as a diplomatic bridge. Discussion of how sanctions, trust gaps and surprise phone diplomacy shaped the 2015 nuclear agreement. Coverage of the fallout from the US withdrawal, renewed enrichment and rising strikes that make a new long-term deal seem unlikely.
20 snips
Apr 20, 2026 • 21min
When will Australia run out of fuel?
Carrington Clarke, ABC senior business correspondent and host of ABC Business Daily and Fuelcast, breaks down oil supply risks and market turmoil. He unpacks Strait of Hormuz disruptions, wild price swings and spot versus futures tensions. Aviation fuel vulnerabilities and Australia’s export-first energy choices are explored in short, punchy conversations.
20 snips
Apr 15, 2026 • 22min
How the Iran war exposed Australia's energy mistakes
They break down how long-term gas contracts left Australia locked into cheap exports while global prices surged. They trace historical trade decisions from wool-era lessons to the North West Shelf gamble. They explain how buyers resell contracted LNG at spot rates and why that left domestic consumers paying more. They explore political fallout and calls for reform.
16 snips
Apr 13, 2026 • 22min
Trump’s on-again, off-again negotiations with Iran
A rapid catch-up on the latest US–Iran ceasefire talks and the social-media theatrics shaping diplomacy. Discussion of Iran’s pause and 10-point proposal, and how Israeli strikes and Pakistan meetings upended negotiations. Exploration of a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, risks of boarding foreign tankers, and who stands to gain from shifting oil flows.
