Breaking Politics Podcast

One month after devastating floodwaters swept across Nepal's border with Tibet, humanitarian groups are working tirelessly to rebuild. The flooding decimated entire communities, leaving health and sanitation as critical concerns.  Thousands of children remain out of school, and displaced families are crowded into temporary shelters.  Senior Reporter Josh Bryant spoke with Nevan Knezevic, Chief of Education at UNICEF Nepal, to get an update on the recovery efforts.

The federal government says it will toughen cybersecurity laws, if OpenAI cannot be charged over a recent data breach. A non-human agent belonging to the tech giant gain unauthorised access to a Medicare portal. However, the bot bypassed security restrictions without direction from the company—raising the question of whether OpenAI can be held legally responsible.  Professor of Emerging Technology at the University of Technology Sydney, Nicholas Davis, joins Breaking Politics to discuss.

Legacy news outlets in the United States have banded together in a boycott, after President Donald Trump banned CNN, Politco and MS Now from the White House. The move has triggered legal action, and sparked a broader conversation about the importance of a free press in a changing media landscape. Our Senior Reporter Josh Bryant spoke to the Executive Director of the Alliance for Journalists Freedom Peter Greste, about the role news gatherers play in a healthy democracy. 

A Senate inquiry recommended removing Telstra from control of Triple Zero, and handing it over to a new federal government authority. The inquiry was prompted by last year's Optus outage, which has been linked to two deaths, Advocates have been calling for a major shake-up of the system for some time, including the Communications Consumer Action Network Senior reporter Josh Bryant chats with the group's Chief Executive Carol Bennet, to get her thoughts on the issue.

The Albanese Government has handed-down its immigration policy, tightenening access to various visa classes. Labor also intends to lower the net migration rate to about 225,000 within two years. But is this achievable? Senior reporter Josh Bryant spoke to Chief Executive of the Migration Institute of Australia, Peter Van Vliet, to find out.    

Artificial intelligence developers are calling for greater oversight, warning the rapidly evolving technology could soon pose an existential risk. US President Donald Trump claims tighening regulations risks giving China a competitive advantage. It comes as Open AI threatens to curb investment in Australia, unless the federal government scales back its own AI laws. Senior Reporter Josh Bryant chats with the Director of the AI Institute at the University of New South Wales, Dr Sue Keay, to ascertain what these developments mean.   

New analysis shows Australia is on track for it's worst decade of productivity growth in 60-years. The Business Council of Australia says productivity has been declining each year since 2020. The organisation's Chief Executive Bran Black joins Breaking Politics, to discuss what's needed to turn the trend around.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U-S President Donald Trump have overnight spoken for the first time since March. The two leaders discussed a number of key priorities including AUKUS, AI and the status of the Iran War. Mr Albanese pushed the President to reconsider a 12.5% tariff on Australian goods, which was intitiated after the US deemed Australia hadn't done enough to combat modern slavery. President Trump reportedly said he will consider Australia’s request for a full exemption. But will he? Director of Research at the United States Studies Centre Jared Mondschein, joins Breaking Politics to help us find out    

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has used a key speech to unveil "world-leading" AI regulatory standards, arguing investment in the technology can create jobs, when the right guardrails are in place. An A-I Office established in the P-M's department, while data centres will be required to generate their own power and conserve water. A-I companies will also be forced to seek permission from Australian creatives, if they wish to use their work to train their models. But, will the new regulations protect people from the risks posed by the nascent technology, or will the red-tape stile local investment? AI Expert Dr Atie Kia from Swinburne University of Technology joins Breaking Politics to help us find out.   

Cafe and restaurant owners are warning they will need to increase prices, in order to cope with a series of new expenses. The industry is concerned a by 4.75% boost to the award wage, will place further pressure on businesses already feeling the squeeze. David Bitton, who owns Sydney cafe Bitton's Rose Bay claims, the impact of the wage hike will be compounded by other looming expenses. He joins Breaking Politics to dissect what all the changes mean for his business. 

A small group of locals in rural New South Wales launched "Grain of Hope" to ship 500 tonnes of locally donated wheat to famine-stricken Sudan. Despite facing a massive $1.3 million logistical hurdle due to the skyrocketing costs of shipping into a conflict zone, the team is moving ahead with their first 100-tonne shipment to prove that ordinary people can drive global change. Riverina Farmer Rob Houghton joins Breaking Politics, to give an update on where the project is at. 

The Lowy Institute has released a new analysis claiming western militaries have failed to learn important lessons from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. It argues countries like Australia have been slow to boost capability, while authoritarian states like China, Russia and Iran are rapidly embracing new technologies. Report author Retired Major General Mick Ryan joins Breaking Politics to unpack what needs to change.   

A group of four women and nine children with links to Islamic State are set to arrive in Sydney and Melbourne today, ending years of limbo in a Syrian detention camp. While the Federal Police prepare to lay charges against some of the women, the children face a complex journey of therapy, de-radicalisation, and community integration.  But, what chance do these children actually have at a normal life? Save the Children CEO Mat Tinkler joins Breaking Politics to give us his take

The Federal government has announced a suite of changes to reduce the cost of the ballooning NDIS. Eligibility criteria will be tightened, participation will be slashed and mandatory registration for providers will be expanded. CEO of Autism Awareness Australia, Nicole Rogerson, joined Breaking Politics to dissect what the changes will mean for her members.  

A top American defence official says the US Navy’s priority is manufacturing its own ballistic missile submarines, not the Virginia-class vessels Australia depends on under AUKUS. Michael Shoebridge from Strategic Analysis Australia joins Breaking Politics to discuss whether Australia will receive it's nuclear submarines by the due date? 

Some of the nations most prominent musicians have joined forces calling for a 25 per cent levy on export revenue. Artists including Jimmy Barnes, Missy Higgins and Ben Lee say the additional funds could be used to help support the local music industry.

The Albanese government has outlined a new framework, expecting tech companies building A-I data centres to fund their own renewable energy infrastructure, in exchange for fast-tracked development approvals. The Opposition says nuclear can't be ruled out. 

New research shows an increasing number of young Australians are looking for an alternative political system.

AI Group analysis shows $10-billion is being drained from the federal budget from illegal cigarettes

Gordon Reid represents the NSW Central Coast in Federal Parliament, but he also works part-time as an emergency doctor at a local hospital. He swung by our Canberra studios for an in-depth conversation about the issues facing the healthcare system.

The Federal Government has sent the Iranian ambassador and his diplomatic staff packing in response to ASIO's finding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard was responsible for two anti-semitic attacks. We hear from the spy agency's boss, the government and opposition, and an Iranian advocate about the regime's history of foreign interference.

State and Federal education ministers have agreed to a raft of childcare reforms including a trial of mandatory CCTV in early learning centres, to better shield young Australians from predators. The overhaul has been discussed at a crucial meeting in Sydney. We hear from the government, opposition, experts and advocates about what the changes mean.

The government will inject two billion dollars into a new support program aimed at funnelling children with mild autism and developmental disorders off the National Disability Insurance Scheme. But how will it work, and what does it mean for parents who already rely on the NDIS? We hear from the Health Minister and his opposition counterpart.

Business executives, union bosses and experts are converging on Parliament House in Canberra for the Federal Government's economic roundtable. But is the three-day gathering just a talkfest, or can we expect genuine economic reform? We hear from the Treasurer, the head of the Productivity Commission, and the boss of the Council of Small Business to find out.

A new report from the Australian Institute of Criminology shows more than half of all Australians have been victims of cybercrime in the last 12 months. But there is some good news, with the rates of most kinds of online crimes falling slightly. We speak to AIC Research Manager Anthony Morgan for more detail on the findings.

The Prime Minister has announced plans to formally recognise the state of Palestine when he travels to the United Nations General Assembly in September. So what does the decision mean for the people of Gaza and the Middle East more broadly? And will it have any practical impact? We hear from a number of the key players including Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and former Foreign Minister Bob Carr.

A program is being rolled out nationwide, aimed at supporting parents and others who might be concerned about a young person being radicalised with an extremist ideology. But officials are dealing with an increasingly complex set of circumstances, as artificial intelligence makes it harder to know who to trust, and some young people adopt a "salad bar" of different, sometimes contradictory grievances. We speak with an expert from New South Wales about how the issue is being tackled.

Australia has struck a new agreement with the US, India and Japan for greater cooperation on critical minerals. But how much of a difference will it make when China dominates the global market? We speak with Critical Minerals Association of Australia Managing Director Namali Mackay to find out.

Warning - this episode deals with some distressing content. Revelations two Melbourne men have been charged with dozens of crimes including child sex offences have sparked an outpouring of community anger. For politicians, the focus is now turning to what can be done to ensure something like this doesn't happen again. State and federal governments have some ideas - now they just need to make them work. We hear from the federal education minister and his opposition counterpart about the changes they'd like to see.

Artificial intelligence is already starting to revolutionise some industries, so what does it mean for yours, and what can Australia do to prepare? We hear from Redbridge pollster Kos Samaras, who argues the Government should be helping people retrain, if they're likely to be impacted.

As many as half a million Australians could be falling through the cracks because the mental health and suicide prevention agreement between state and federal governments is "not fit for purpose". That's the finding of the Productivity Commission, which has released a scathing report into the issue. We hear from commissioner Selwyn Button, who worked on the report, about what needs to change.

The US has unleashed "bunker buster" bombs and tomahawk missiles on three Iranian nuclear sites. Australia has expressed support for the move, but has warned against any further escalation. What happens now? We hear from the boss of Strategic Analysis Australia to find out.

The Prime Minister is back home after his trip to the G7. He missed out on a meeting with the US President, but did get sit-downs with other world leaders. We hear from our reporter Michael Pachi who travelled with the PM to the G7 summit.

Anthony Albanese is on his way to Canada for the G7 summit, and he's stopping in Fiji and Seattle on the way. What can we expect when gets to the gathering of world leaders, and will the highly anticipated meeting with Donald Trump go ahead? We speak with former DFAT official and Australian Centre for International Trade and Investment executive director Pru Gordon for all the details.

The United States has announced a review into the $368 billion AUKUS nuclear submarine deal. So what does it mean for Australia? We hear from former Trump advisor John Bolton and the ANU National Security College's Jennifer Parker to find out.

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been named a Companion of the Order of Australia, in part for his work leading the nation through the COVID-19 pandemic. Hear from Mr Morrison and some of the other winners on this episode of Breaking Politics.

The Federal Government has come up with a unique way of trying to convince the US President to grant Australia an exemption from tariffs. But the beef industry is skeptical - hear from the Red Meat Advisory Council's John McKillop about his concerns.

US President Donald Trump has granted the UK a reprieve from his 50% steel and aluminium tariff, so could Australia be next? Hear what the Opposition's Trade Spokesman Kevin Hogan has to say. Plus, an update on Australia-EU free trade negotiations.

The PM has headed to WA for the first time since the election, to announce Greens senator Dorinda Cox's defection to Labor. While he was there, he had a wide-ranging conversation with 6PR's Oliver Peterson, covering his planned super tax, Senator Cox's decision and... bareknuckle boxing? Take a listen for all the details.

The Liberals and Nationals are hopeful of reuniting before Parliament returns in July after their acrimonious breakup. The leaders of the parties have held crisis talks and Liberal MPs will now meet to consider the Nationals' demands.  Hear from former Prime Minister Tony Abbott about what he makes of the Coalition chaos.

The Liberals and Nationals have split as they reel from their election defeat. But the two political parties are hopeful of reuniting, if they can resolve their policy differences. So what does the Coalition's future look like? We hear from former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard to find out.

The boss of the European Commission is pushing for a military pact with Australia, in a bid to improve defence ties as strategic tensions grow across the world. What does this mean for a country which has long seen the United States as its main ally? We speak to Robert Potter from the Australian National University's Centre for European Studies to find out.

Andrew Bragg has been one of the fiercest critics of Labor's plan to change the tax treatment of some super accounts. Hear what he has to say about the policy, along with the future of the Liberal party.

Labor celebrates election victory, Liberal blame game starts, Australia's plans to change car import tax, and the Government's social media age ban.

Exclusive revelations about Papua New Guinea NRL deal, campaigns pause to remember Pope Francis, leaders clash in fiery debate, declining maths proficiency and Clive Palmer's candidate troubles.

Political leaders hold duelling campaign launches, Indonesia rejects Russia base report, how the major parties stack up on the environment, and fears about deepfake election ads.

US tariffs rock election campaign, Coalition support slides, controversial candidate dumped, the push for broad economic reform and Labor's promise of cheaper home batteries.

Election 2025 starts - Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton on the campaign trial, the US has imposed tariffs on Australian goods and services, The Reserve Bank keeps interest rates on hold and Former Vic Premier Jeff Kennet on immigration.

The Treasurer delivers his pre-election budget, the Opposition promises more gas and cheaper power bills, politicians urged to reject Qantas Chairman's Lounge membership, and unions attack Liberal nuclear promise.

Labor prepares pre-election budget, more damning CFMEU revelations, the independent running in one of the Liberal party's safest seats, Malcolm Turnbull's AUKUS spray, and the push for better mental health support.