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Épisodes

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  Back to Back Barries: Labor’s migration dilemma 18.09.2026 36min

  Barrie Cassidy and Jessie McCrone, a former adviser to the former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews and now managing partner for FMRS Advisory, examine the migration reforms as announced by the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, this week. Is One Nation controlling the narrative on this issue, and how will the Coalition respond? They also look at the Guardian’s new investigative podcast series The Populist; plus, with just two months to go until the Victorian election, what does Jessie think about the state of play and Labor’s chances at the ballot box? Jessie is filling in for Tony Barry this week Amid claims of ‘mass migration’, Labor hopes a measured approach will take the hot air out of the debate
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  Tony Burke on Labor’s immigration shake-up 18.09.2026 19min

  Home affairs minister Tony Burke delivered a speech at the National Press Club on Thursday, announcing immigration reforms to achieve Labor’s forecasts for net overseas migration. After being postponed at short notice six weeks ago, Burke’s speech comes in the same week that One Nation announced its policy to significantly cut the number of temporary migrants in Australia. Political editor Tom McIlroy speaks to Burke about why the government is making the changes, the limitations that come from not successfully securing Coalition support, and why new migrants aren’t to blame for the housing crisis
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  Alan Jones on Trial: A prominent athlete takes the stand | Week 7 17.09.2026 18min

  For the first time, seven weeks into the criminal trial of Alan Jones, a complainant came face-to-face with his alleged offender in the courtroom. The former athlete, known as complainant M, was the third of six complainants and chose to give evidence in the same room as Jones. The courtroom – and the journalists squeezed into a separate room in the court – heard allegations against Jones that he twice kissed the prominent athlete without consent
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  How Ed Sheeran’s ‘apolitical’ stance is causing his biggest crisis 17.09.2026 11min

  All four supporting acts for the upcoming dates of Ed Sheeran’s tour have withdrawn in solidarity with fellow opener Macklemore. The American rapper was removed from Sheeran’s tour after comments made onstage in support of Palestine. Sheeran responded that venue owners – including Robert Kraft who owns the New England Patriots and its home stadium – had objected to Macklemore’s appearance on the tour. But after he had tried to negotiate with the venue owners ‘at length to build bridges’, ultimately the promoters made the decision to pull the plug. Artists who have pulled out include Finneas, Aaron Rowe and Beoga. Lucy Hough speaks to Guardian assistant opinion editor Jason Okundaye Read more: All supporting acts withdraw from Ed Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore
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  The 'apex predator' of fires choking south-east Asia 16.09.2026 18min

  Indonesia is in the middle of a climate emergency, experiencing what Nasa calls the ‘apex predator’ of wildfires. It’s burning an area three times the size of Singapore and choking millions across south-east Asia with toxic haze. But while Europe’s catastrophic summer made headlines in Australia, the climate emergency happening to one of our closest neighbours is less well known. Kate Lamb joins Matilda Boseley to talk about just how consequential these fires could become
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  Decoding America: Why won't Donald Trump regulate AI? 16.09.2026 31min

  In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Jonathan Yerushalmy and Reged Ahmad look at whether there is any appetite across the political spectrum to put guardrails on artificial intelligence as around the world existential fears mount that the technology is developing too quickly. They also explain what the latest supreme court ruling on the Trump administration’s mail-in ballot restrictions means for the midterms. And they look at what happened when the US president waded into the Irish reunification debate
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  Is Andrew Hastie launching a Coalition fightback against One Nation? 15.09.2026 18min

  As One Nation squeezes the Liberal vote, Andrew Hastie’s clash with Pauline Hanson over a video calling him a traitor has exposed deep faultlines across Australia’s political right. So is the MP becoming the face of the Liberal party fightback against One Nation? And what does this battle mean for the former SAS captain’s political ambitions? Reged Ahmad and Guardian Australia’s political editor Tom McIlroy discuss whether Hastie is building a platform to challenge Angus Taylor for the Liberal leadership
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  AI isn’t going to end humanity ... right? 15.09.2026 26min

  A series of figures in the tech world have been warning about – and even resigning over – the existential threat posed by artificial intelligence. How worried should we be? Today in Focus host Annie Kelly speaks with technology editor Robert Booth
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  How Icac turned into the ‘best show in town’ – Full Story podcast 14.09.2026 21min

  This Independent Commission Against Corruption has spent eight weeks investigating allegations of Liberal party branch stacking and illegal donations in New South Wales, with hearings revealing an ideological political war rarely seen outside meeting rooms or private conversations. Guardian Australia’s Anne Davies has been following the inquiry, joining a packed public gallery to watch a ‘parade’ of conservative young Liberal party figures who find themselves under the ‘scalpel-like’ questioning of Icac barrister Peggy Dwyer. With the investigation set to finish this week, Reged Ahmad speaks to Davies about what she describes as ‘the best show in town’
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  The Populist: Aeroplanes and bulldozers | Episode 1 13.09.2026 1h 1min

  ‘If you’re trying to say I’m being funded by Gina Rinehart, the answer is no.’ That’s what the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, told the Guardian’s senior correspondent Sarah Martin in February. We now know that’s not true. Over months, Martin has pieced together flight-tracking data and expense records to uncover the true extent of financial support flowing from Australia’s richest person to the country’s fastest growing political force. Episode one of The Populist tells the inside story, from the Farrer byelection to the National Press Club, including exclusive new reporting
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  Preview – The Populist: Pauline Hanson’s divided nation – podcast 13.09.2026 8min

  Around the globe, rightwing politicians pushing nationalist and anti-immigration policies are on the rise. The Populist explores the growing appeal of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation – a party that has imported the modus operandi of the populist right, including Trump-style attacks on the media. Investigations correspondent Sarah Martin speaks to Reged Ahmad about the new four-part podcast series launching tomorrow
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  Black Box: The Chatbots | 14 days | Ep 2 12.09.2026 47min

  Virginia man Jon Ganz was rebuilding his life after spending more than two decades in prison for a horrific crime. Last year, he got a prompt on his phone that his wife, Rachel, believes changed their lives forever. It was from Google, inviting him to try the company’s AI chatbot, Gemini
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  Back to Back Barries: Andrew Hastie v Pauline Hanson 11.09.2026 32min

  Barrie Cassidy and Sean Kelly (filling in for Tony Barry this week) go straight to Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie’s stoush with Pauline Hanson over an animated cartoon. Is Hastie one of the few politicians willing to take on the One Nation leader? And could this be the beginning of the Liberal party fighting back? Staying with One Nation: what does the coverage of Warren Pickering’s press conference this week say about how the media – and the public – treats political leaders differently? And the prime minister continues to come under scrutiny over grants awarded to a golf club in his electorate Hastie accepts apology from Joyce over ‘traitor’ cartoon as Hanson doubles down and tells critics to ‘chill’
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  Alan Jones on Trial: Fierce loyalty, fiery texts and a parade of witnesses | Week 6 10.09.2026 19min

  After a slow start to the week, the criminal trial of Alan Jones accelerated with a swift succession of witnesses taking the stand. Through a former politician, close friends and loyal associates, the court heard details of alleged indecent touching, scornful text messages and declarations of an ‘unbreakable bond’ with Jones.Nour Haydar speaks to media correspondent Amanda Meade to unpack the cross-examinations, key testimonies and courtroom revelations
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  Greg Jericho on One Nation’s superannuation ‘sugar hit’ 09.09.2026 18min

  One Nation’s proposal to allow people to access 3% of their super contributions for three years is touted as a lifeline for lower-income earners who are struggling to get by. But with no modelling by the party to show the long-term effects, are we better off with our money in super or in our pockets? Economist and Guardian columnist Greg Jericho speaks to Matilda Boseley about One Nation’s ‘sugar hit’ policy – and the superannuation reform that could actually ease the cost-of-living crisis
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  Decoding America: How Trump is powering the global right 09.09.2026 28min

  In this episode of Guardian Australia’s weekly US politics podcast, co-hosts Reged Ahmad and Jonathan Yerushalmy look across the water to Germany, where the rightwing political party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has had a landslide state election win. As some commentators draw parallels to the Maga movement, they examine how Donald Trump is influencing global leaders and movements. Also in this episode: why are White House staffers being subjected to polygraph tests? And George Clooney criticises the US administration in Venice
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  Why the tobacco tax is lighting up Australian politics 08.09.2026 23min

  Rates of smoking in Australia are the lowest they’ve ever been, but at the same time, the illicit trade has never been bigger. It’s estimated 80% of the tobacco trade is now illicit and the same taxes that helped curb smoking are now fuelling organised crime. One Nation and the Coalition both believe cutting the tobacco excise is the only way to stop crime. But with the potential for reform on the table, Matilda Boseley speaks to senior reporter Henry Belot about why the tobacco lobby are keen to influence debate
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  How much control should we have over the algorithm? 07.09.2026 15min

  As the federal government prepares to introduce digital duty of care laws, social media users could soon be given the option to turn off their recommendation algorithms entirely. But with the Coalition warning of internet censorship and big tech relying on these feeds for revenue, would an opt-out switch actually make platforms safer? Technology reporter Josh Taylor joins Reged Ahmad to unpack Labor’s proposed crackdown on social media algorithms
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  Could the US drag us unwillingly into war? 06.09.2026 17min

  Dotted like an outline around parts of Australia’s coast are military bases – the majority of which the US has control of or access to. Now a special Guardian investigation reveals the breadth of Donald Trump’s US military presence in the country, to a scale that the Australian public might not be aware of. Some analysts are warning it represents a ‘saturation’ or ‘colonisation’ of the Australian continent. Senior reporter Ben Doherty speaks to Reged Ahmad about whether America’s strong military presence in Australia could drag us unwillingly into war
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  Black Box: The Chatbots | Spirals | Ep 1 05.09.2026 39min

  Across the world, hundreds of people have come to believe they have made extraordinary scientific discoveries with AI chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Others say their AI has ‘awakened’, or is leading them to a higher spiritual realm. Guardian journalist Michael Safi begins investigating a phenomenon labelled ‘AI psychosis’, travelling to the US to meet two people who have been on weird journeys with their chatbots