Award-winning writer and historian Tony Birch grew up listening to stories from his nan, Alma. 




In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Tony shares how Alma's advice has influenced his life and his writing.




(This episode was first published in July 2023)




Reading list:

Shadowboxing, Tony Birch, 2006

Blood, Tony Birch, 2011

Ghost River, Tony Birch, 2015

Common People, Tony Birch, 2017

The White Girl, Tony Birch, 2019

Dark as Night, Tony Birch, 2021




Yellowface, R.F. Kuang, 2023

Broke, Sam Drummond, 2023




Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on Instagram and Twitter

Guest: Tony Birch

Award-winning writer and historian Tony Birch grew up listening to stories from his nan, Alma.  In this episode, from Schwartz Media’s podcast Read This, Tony shares how Alma's advice has influenced his life and his writing. (This episode was first published in July 2023) Reading list:Shadowboxing, Tony Birch, 2006Blood, Tony Birch, 2011Ghost River, Tony Birch, 2015Common People, Tony Birch, 2017The White Girl, Tony Birch, 2019Dark as Night, Tony Birch, 2021 Yellowface, R.F. Kuang, 2023Broke, Sam Drummond, 2023 Socials: Stay in touch with Read This on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/themonthlymagazine/?hl=en">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/THEMONTHLY">Twitter</a>Guest: Tony Birch

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.

An independent daily news show. We feature the country&rsquo;s best reporters, covering the news as it affects Australia. This is news with narrative, every weekday.

Read This: Tony Birch Doesn’t Believe in Luck

Earlier this year, authorities found something extraordinary inside a Cambodian scam compound: a fake Australian Federal Police office.

There were Australian flags, AFP-style logos, and desks staged to look official – all part of a six-storey compound used by scammers impersonating police forces from around the world.

It was a reminder that the scam messages Australians receive are often connected to a far more sophisticated and exploitative criminal industry.

New figures show Australians reported more than $2 billion in scam losses last year, and a recent UN report has detailed how people are trafficked into scam centres, held against their will, and forced to target strangers online.

In early 2024, Ben and his wife were kidnapped and trapped inside one of these Cambodian scam factories. This is the story of how they escaped – and why so many others can’t.

This episode was originally published in March 2025.

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

Socials:Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Ben Yeo, ambassador for the Australian International Counter Slavery Alliance (AICSA)

Photo: AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit

Earlier this year, authorities found something extraordinary inside a Cambodian scam compound: a fake Australian Federal Police office.
There were Australian flags, AFP-style logos, and desks staged to look official &ndash; all part of a six-storey compound used by scammers impersonating police forces from around the world.
It was a reminder that the scam messages Australians receive are often connected to a far more sophisticated and exploitative criminal industry.
New figures show Australians reported more than $2 billion in scam losses last year, and a recent UN report has detailed how people are trafficked into scam centres, held against their will, and forced to target strangers online.
In early 2024, Ben and his wife were kidnapped and trapped inside one of these Cambodian scam factories. This is the story of how they escaped &ndash; and why so many others can&rsquo;t.
This episode was originally published in March 2025.
&nbsp;
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at <a href="http://7ampodcast.com.au/support">7ampodcast.com.au/support</a>.
&nbsp;
Socials: Stay in touch with us on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/7ampodcast">Instagram</a>
Guest: Ben Yeo, ambassador for the Australian International Counter Slavery Alliance (AICSA)
Photo:&nbsp;AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit

Trapped in a Cambodian scam factory

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/1fa03be9-e887-4b47-a056-b45f005e9f99/transcript

Tony Abbott is back at the centre of Liberal Party politics. 

The former prime minister has been elected unopposed as federal Liberal Party president – a role that sounds administrative, but carries real political weight at a moment of deep trouble for the Coalition.

The Liberals are watching voters drift to One Nation, while Abbott argues the answer is to take the fight directly to Labor. But his return sharpens a deeper question inside the party about whether the Liberals can rebuild by reviving the politics of the Abbott era, or whether that only deepens the crisis they’re trying to escape. 

Today, press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno, on Tony Abbott’s comeback, the future of the Liberal Party and how the government is trying to turn the opposition’s crisis into a test of its own authority. 

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

Socials:Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno

Photo: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

Tony Abbott is back at the centre of Liberal Party politics.&nbsp;
The former prime minister has been elected unopposed as federal Liberal Party president &ndash; a role that sounds administrative, but carries real political weight at a moment of deep trouble for the Coalition.
The Liberals are watching voters drift to One Nation, while Abbott argues the answer is to take the fight directly to Labor. But his return sharpens a deeper question inside the party about whether the Liberals can rebuild by reviving the politics of the Abbott era, or whether that only deepens the crisis they&rsquo;re trying to escape.&nbsp;
Today, press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno, on Tony Abbott&rsquo;s comeback, the future of the Liberal Party and how the government is trying to turn the opposition&rsquo;s crisis into a test of its own authority.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at <a href="http://7ampodcast.com.au/support">7ampodcast.com.au/support</a>.
&nbsp;
Socials: Stay in touch with us on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/7ampodcast">Instagram</a>
Guest: Press gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno
Photo:&nbsp;AAP Image/Joel Carrett

Can Tony Abbott save the Liberal party?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/d41285a2-9314-4a7a-b46f-b46000513a2c/transcript

In Melbourne, few names carry the weight of Mick Gatto. 

For decades, he’s been known as a survivor of the gangland wars, a man whose influence has stretched from the city’s underworld into the heart of the construction industry.

This week, police raided his home. Gatto and his wife were arrested, then released without charge. He says it was all over a driving infringement. Police say they’re investigating alleged financial offences. 

But the raid has landed in the middle of a much larger fight over corruption, intimidation and alleged underworld influence inside Victoria’s building sector. 

Today, investigative reporter Nick McKenzie, on Mick Gatto, corruption in the construction industry, and the reckoning now facing the state’s Big Build.

 

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

 

Socials:Stay in touch with us on Instagram

Guest: Investigative reporter for The Age and SMH, Nick McKenzie

Photo: AAP Image/James Ross

In Melbourne, few names carry the weight of Mick Gatto.&nbsp;
For decades, he&rsquo;s been known as a survivor of the gangland wars, a man whose influence has stretched from the city&rsquo;s underworld into the heart of the construction industry.
This week, police raided his home. Gatto and his wife were arrested, then released without charge. He says it was all over a driving infringement. Police say they&rsquo;re investigating alleged financial offences.&nbsp;
But the raid has landed in the middle of a much larger fight over corruption, intimidation and alleged underworld influence inside Victoria&rsquo;s building sector.&nbsp;
Today, investigative reporter Nick McKenzie, on Mick Gatto, corruption in the construction industry, and the reckoning now facing the state&rsquo;s Big Build.
&nbsp;
If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at <a href="http://7ampodcast.com.au/support">7ampodcast.com.au/support</a>.
&nbsp;
Socials: Stay in touch with us on <a href="http://www.instagram.com/7ampodcast">Instagram</a>
Guest: Investigative reporter for The Age and SMH, Nick McKenzie
Photo:&nbsp;AAP Image/James Ross

Nick McKenzie on Mick Gatto, the underworld, and construction corruption

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/a9747763-98f4-462a-97ec-b45f005ae94d/transcript

Read This: Tony Birch Doesn’t Believe in Luck

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