Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast

"I don't feel like it's satisfactory at all." Geoffrey Watson SC, has compared the sealed section of the Holmes Royal Commission into Robodebt with the recent findings by the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The NACC found two senior public servants engaged in serious corrupt conduct, but cleared former prime minister Scott Morrison and three other public servants, including former secretary of the Department of Human Services, Kathryn Campbell. Watson says it was clear from both the NACC and the Royal Commission reports that there was a culture of fear in the public service of consequences for not agreeing with directions from superiors.Guest: Geoffrey Watson SC, Director of the Centre for Public Integrity, Senior Counsel at New ChambersProducers: Catherine Zengerer/ David Marr

US President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of the UK government over its response to the Iran conflict, after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the country would not be drawn into the "wider war". On the domestic front in the UK, Starmer announces a cost of living package, to help with the rising cost of oil.Guest: Ian Dunt: iNews columnist and regular LNL commentatorGuest: Ian Dunt: iNews columnist and regular LNL commentator

Adelaide writer Margaret Merilees has spent her life protesting: from Pine Gap in the 1980 through to the Rising Tide protests against coal exports, to joining Extinction Rebellion and protesting SANTOS' support of the Tour Down Under bicycle race. Now she's written a collection of essays reflecting on the issues she's fought for, why people in their seventies are as determined as ever, and why younger generations need to know whose shoulders they are standing on.  Guest: Margaret Merrilees, author of Scared Angry Laughing - how to fix the world, published by Pink Shorts Press.Producers: Ann Arnold and Catherine Zengerer

Saudi Arabia has long sought to be the dominant power in the Middle East and there is speculation Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself urged President Donald Trump to go ahead with the bombing of Iran on February 28. But in the past few years the kingdom has been softening its stance towards its formal rival, and Saudi Arabia has been diversifying its economy away from oil production. So who will emerge stronger after this war?Guest: Simon Mabon, Professor of International Politics at Lancaster University, specialising in Saudi-Iranian relations, and author of The Struggle for Supremacy in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and  Iran, published by Cambridge University Press (2023)Producer: Catherine Zengerer

Anna Henderson, chief political correspondent for SBS, breaks down Matt Canavan’s rise and the Nationals’ reshaped front bench. She outlines coalition dynamics with the Liberals. She explores climate politics, suburban voting, and the Nationals’ fight with One Nation. She discusses David Littleproud’s resignation and the surprising deputy pick, Darren Chester.

In January, AI-generated pornography flooded the social media site X, owned by Elon Musk. X's AI chatbot turned anybody into pornography, and brought millions of eyeballs to the site. What should we make of this new frontier of pornography?Guest: Jo Bartosch, journalist and assistant editor at The Critic, and co-author of PornocracyProducer: Alex Tighe

Grigory Rasputin rose from a humble Siberian peasant to become one of the most influential figures at the court of Tsar Nicholas II. A mystic and self-proclaimed holy man, he won the trust of the Romanov family and gained extraordinary access to power. But his growing influence, scandals and enemies at court deepened the crisis facing imperial Russia. In Rasputin and the Downfall of the Romanovs, historian Antony Beevor explores how the “mad monk” became entangled in the empire’s final collapse.Guest: Antony Beevor, historianProducer: Ali Benton

The Irish have high trust in government, and, also, a surprisingly widespread belief in conspiracy theories. What explains the Irish appetite for conspiracies, and how can damaging beliefs be slowed down? Plus: a digression about bouncy castles.Guest: Jane Suiter, Professor in the School of Communications at Dublin City University (DCU) and director of DCU's Institute for Future Media, Democracy and SocietyProducer: Alex Tighe

The amount of money going towards subsidising Australian film and TV has gone way up over the last two decades. The number of hours being made has gone way down. Why?Guests: Professor Anna Potter, a professor in Digital Media and Cultural Studies in Queensland University of Technology’s School of Communication; and Simon Nasht, a former political journalist for The Age and the ABC, and now a documentary producer and filmmakerProducer: Alex Tighe

In the early 2000s, esteemed Australian archaeologist Matthew Spriggs made a promise to the community of Aneityum, an island of Vanuatu: he would try to recover their lost numbering system, erased by English missionaries in the mid-1800s. He has now found it, and is returning the knowledge to the community.Guest: Matthew Spriggs, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at The Australian National University (ANU).  Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. Honorary Curator of Archaeology at the National Museum of Vanuatu, and Honorary Librarian of the Vanuatu and Pacific Collections at the National Library of Vanuatu.  Producer: Ann Arnold