The Morning Edition

Today, we are talking about one of the federal budget’s trickiest customers - the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Labor was once like a proud parent of the NDIS, but now even the minister in charge, Mark Butler, is describing the scheme as a honeypot for organised crime.

Also this week, an inquiry about taxing offshore gas exports went kind of viral due to a David Pocock question about beer and an appearance from a podcaster called Punters Politics.

Joining host Jacqueline Maley is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and federal political correspondent Na...

Since the Cold War ended more than 35 years ago, many of us have likely not given much thought to Bloc warfare. Those nuclear threats that the Western and Eastern Blocs hurled at each other? A thing of the past.

But lately, the beginnings of a return to Bloc warfare have revealed themselves.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on the group of countries that are assisting each other to fight wars. And why few have heard of their grouping.

Next Thursday, we'll be airing a special episode with Peter, in which he w...

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is slated to make a big change to the tax system, with the centrepiece of the May budget a change to taxing capital gains on property.

Will the likely tweaks reduce skyrocketing house prices, or address intergenerational inequality?

Today, senior economics correspondent Shane Wright talks about who this change will cost, who it will benefit, and by how much.

Background reading:

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There’s been something of a revolt in women’s basketball in the United States, and two Australians – Alanna Smith and Ezi Magbegor – are among the biggest winners.

Today, sports reporter Frances Howe on the multimillion-dollar deals netted by these Australian stars, as a result of a very simple demand, and what it means for women in sport.

Background reading

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Just picture it: under the cover of night, police detectives raid a clandestine drug lab in Melbourne belonging to an organised crime gang. But instead of picking through just the usual: beakers, wads of cash and perhaps the unmistakable acetone odour of ICE, they stumble on something else.

Boxes upon boxes – upon BOXES – of Lego.

Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago on why your kids’ favourite toy has become the underworld’s new favourite currency, and why it’s so good for laundering dirty money.

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A fire at a Geelong oil refinery - one of two refineries left in Australia - has heightened anxiety around fuel supply.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen joins the Inside Politics podcast today to address the impact of this fire and the scramble for petrol and diesel imports as the nation grapples with one of the most severe oil shocks in history.

The pugilistic minister, a lighting rod in the debate about Australia's renewable energy transition, joins chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and energy correspondent Mike Foley to discuss the rocky path to a green economy...

Seven weeks into the US-Israel war with Iran, the narrative that Donald Trump was pushed into the war by Benjamin Netanyahu, and that the US president is an agent of Israel, still permeates the internet.
How much truth is there to these claims?
Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher talks about who really is driving the war, and why it matters.

Read Hartcher's column here.

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As our journalist James Massola put it, his niece Mattea is like most three-year-olds: boisterous and bursting with energy.
Mattea is also not like most three-year-olds: from the moment she was born, her parents have had to grapple with a complex set of problems that make life very different.
I’m Samantha Selinger-Morris, and you’re listening to The Morning Edition, from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.
Today, chief political commentator James Massola on Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme and what next month’s expected cuts to the scheme really mean.

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For years, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have been tanking in popularity polls. Meghan is now the second-most disliked royal, beaten only by the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.

So why is this faux-royal tour occurring down under when the British monarchy is arguably on the nose?

Today, senior writer Bevan Shields comments on recent bullying accusations against Prince Harry, what they're doing here this week - and how much they're charging us for the pleasure.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been slammed – over the course of years – for failing to crack down on the more than 1 million gambling ads broadcast every year on Australia's free-to-air TV and radio, not to mention the rest of our gambling industry, which has driven some families to financial ruin.

Then, finally, just over a week ago, came the prime minister’s announcement of a gambling overhaul.

Today, business reporter Kishor Napier-Raman on just how much so-called “filthy money” our government is taking away from stakeholders, and if there’s any chance these reforms might break the li...

The new leader of the Nationals, Matt Canavan, is a former Marxist from the suburbs who was once a Productivity Commission economist and then, a firebrand right-wing senator.

Canavan joins Inside Politics today with chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal at a time when the Nationals are battling for survival against an ascendant One Nation.

The pair discuss Australia's over-reliance on the US, Canavan's dislike of identity politics, his surprising love of electric vehicles and, to cap it off, religion.

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US President Donald Trump has backed down, at the eleventh hour, from his horrifying threat to - as Trump put it himself - unleash destruction on Iran’s entire civilisation. 

Both sides have now said they have agreed to a two-week ceasefire, which includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on how to make sense of the events of the last 24 hours. And whether in two weeks, the world is likely to be, yet again, on the brink of carnage.

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The Australian Federal Police today arrested war hero Ben Roberts-Smith over the war-crimes murders of five unarmed Afghan civilians and prisoners during the Afghan War.
The arrest comes after a quiet, five-year-long investigation into Roberts-Smith, which reportedly involved tapped phones, listening devices, and raids by secretive Office of the Special Investigator detectives.
Today, investigative reporters Nick McKenzie and Michael Bachelard reveal how this arrest unfolded, and what happens next.

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There was a significant judgment in a Victorian court last week, one that is causing a great deal of controversy in the medical community.

The case centres on what happened when a woman presented to a regional hospital to give birth.
The woman, Larissa Gawthrop, was in labour – but the hospital refused to admit her until she’d undergone a vaginal examination. For the hospital, this test is routine, but Gawthrop had been really clear in her birth plan – she’d only consent to an examination if there was an urgent medical reason.

What happened...

Many of us probably have a hunch that vaping is bad for our health.

Questions about just how bad have been around for years.

So why, then, has there been a backlash by health researchers against a new study, that has now declared that the evidence is in, and e-cigarettes are likely to cause oral and lung cancer?

Today, science reporter Angus Dalton on the main warnings contained in this Australian study.

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This week we debate the merits of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s national address before getting stuck into what’s happening with the budget. With the world in a bit of a shambles, we found it interesting that the PM hasn’t totally killed off the idea of reforms in the budget to things such as capital gains tax and negative gearing.

But, as our guest and senior economics correspondent Shane Wright says, this is the most difficult budget to piece together since the response to the global financial crisis in 2008.

Finally, host Jacqueline Maley and chi...

US President Donald Trump says he’s nearly done with the war in Iran, declaring: "We will be leaving very soon." His secretary of state also said on Wednesday that he can "see the finish line".

This would be significant, but only if the Americans were in control of the war.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher argues the United States has leached power in this war, while the Iranian regime is in its element.

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Investigative reporter Nick McKenzie logged on to a Zoom call to meet the man who said he was Aaron Pierson.

McKenzie was also hiding his real identity, posing as a recruiter for an Australian tech company. The whole thing was a set-up, a trap for someone McKenzie suspected to be a spy for North Korea.

Today, McKenzie talks about the new way spies are targeting Australian businesses, and what happened in that Zoom call.

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The government has finally announced its national fuel security plan to help us cope with one of the worst global oil crisis the world has seen.

After meeting with the heads of all states and territories in a special meeting of the national cabinet, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government was acting now to be “overprepared" for any worsening of the crisis that has resulted from the war in the Middle East - now in its fifth week, and showing no signs of stopping.

Today, hear federal political correspondent Natassia Chrysanthos on what relief Au...

In a sudden conclusion to one of Australia’s most intensive manhunts, self-described sovereign citizen Dezi Freeman was shot dead by police on Monday morning.

For more than 200 days, Freeman evaded police after killing two police officers at a rural property in Porepunkah, in Victoria’s High Country, on August 26 last year.

In a bonus episode today, crime reporter Melissa Cunningham on how the deadly saga of Dezi Freeman came to an end.

For all the latest on this story, visit theage.com.au or smh.com.au.

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When the murky and fast-flowing water surged into their house in northern Victoria, Brian and Glenys Mulcahey were determined. They would save their home of more than 50 years.

In the end, they couldn’t. But what they didn’t know then, during that devastating flood in 2022, was that the worst was still to come.

For Brian Mulcahey was never the same again; the previously active man slid into a state of listlessness, and was later sent to a mental health facility.

Today, regional editor Benjamin Preiss on the link between dementia and natural disa...

This week, while we were all freaking out about the oil crisis – and rightly so – European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen visited to finalise a trade deal between Australia and the EU. Negotiations for this have been on and off for eight years, so it was not a moment too soon that we signed it.

But, as Jacqueline Maley and Paul Sakkal discuss, this wasn't just about delicious foodstuffs from Europe, and indeed, Europeans getting access to our delicious foodstuffs; it was also about shoring up our strategic security in a very uncertain time.

And...

How can we make heads or tails of where the Iran war is headed, and when it might end, when Donald Trump changes his strategy with whiplash speed?

One minute, the US President says he’ll drop more bombs on Iran, “just for fun”. The next he decides to lift sanctions on Iranian oil and says that he’s having “productive” negotiations with his enemy.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on whether this war will lead us all into a recession, and what Trump said that reveals how much political trouble he’s now in.

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As much as we love to hate Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O, who for so long ruled Australia's most expensive radio program, the implosion of their show is consequential.

And not just in a business sense – although if Sandilands is successful in the lawsuit he launched against his former employer this week, it could take the entire radio network down.

Today, media writer Calum Jaspan on whether Sandilands might take his brand to another platform, and turn it into a political force, with an even greater focus on the grotesque and vulgar – and what’s happene...

You’ve noticed the hike in prices at the petrol pump, but how high might prices go?

And are we at risk of running out of petrol?

Today, energy reporter Nick Toscano on what plans our government and the fuel companies have to manage this crisis.

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"Looksmaxxing" is a trend on social media where, as the name suggests, men aim to "maximise" their appearance in sometimes extreme ways. There are tales of breaking legs in order to be taller, and talk of "bone smashing" – where young men claim they are hammering their faces to heighten their cheekbones.

Today, Becca Rothfeld, a writer with The New Yorker magazine, talks about where this movement came from and why so many of its stars are Australian.

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This week we’re talking about the enormous global volatility the government is dealing with, courtesy of the US-Israel war on Iran, and whether we need to be worried about things like our fuel supplies.

Also, with this global instability and an interest rate rise this week, will Treasurer Jim Chalmers water down his budget ambitions, or press on with major changes to intergenerational equity and tax?

The Inside Politics team of Jacqueline Maley and Paul Sakkal also find time to touch on the electorate of Farrer, which is shaping up to hold one of th...

For someone who has said he’s already won the war in Iran, US President Donald Trump sure is angry.

On Tuesday night, he lashed out at allies, including Australia, that have declined to send ships to the Middle East to help put a stop to the oil crisis caused by the war.

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher speaks on the attacks Trump is now facing from within his own party over the war, and who’s really winning in this conflict.

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Medicinal cannabis has been increasingly used, legally, to relieve symptoms and treat conditions such as anxiety or chronic pain.

Today, health reporter Angus Thomson on the Australian researchers who’ve found there is no evidence that medicinal cannabis is effective at treating anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

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Housing affordability in Australia is at an all-time low, and it’s left young people rethinking the dream of homeownership – something previous generations had taken for granted. 

Today, property reporter Caroline Zielinski, on whether we can (or should) return to the Great Australian Dream – an enduring belief that home ownership can lead to a better life.  

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By now, you’ve probably seen the Reddit threads blowing up over which movie should win the best picture Oscar today.

How can Ryan Coogler’s Sinners – a vampire horror musical set in the Jim Crow era – not win, say angry cinephiles, noting that it’s the most nominated film in Oscar history.

And yet, One Battle After Another, the Leonardo DiCaprio starring film about a government that has devolved into an authoritarian regime, is touted as the favourite.

Today senior culture writer Karl Quinn and culture and lifestyle writer Nell Geraets, on which film...

This week, we talk about the incredible story of the Iranian women's soccer team, some of whom defected and were given asylum in Australia. It was a wonderful story, and a great public relations coup for the government. 

Plus, the legacy of outgoing Nationals leader David Littleproud, and we examine the somewhat controversial style of the incoming leader Matt Canavan.

Joining host Jacquline Maley is chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and national security correspondent Matthew Knott.

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It could be argued that no American president has been as enamoured with violence as Donald Trump. He appears to relish all of it: the spectacle, the promise of it taking place, and, lately, its bloody reality, as - at the time of recording - American bombs continue to drop on Iran.

So, is this the key to to understanding the US president's motivation or all the other wars he’s planning?

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on which country Trump has set his sights on next, and whether Australia is now at wa...

Five female Iranian soccer players, in Australia competing for the Asian Cup, escaped in the night from their handlers to seek refuge from their home country, which is in the middle of a war with the US and Israel.
Initially another two women decided to join them and defected a day later, but on Wednesday afternoon, one of the pair changed their mind and contacted Iranian officials with the intention of returning home.
Today, in a bonus episode, crime and justice reporter Amber Schultz joins us from Malaysia, where she has been tracking the rest of the t...

Thousands of people in Lebanon have fled their homes due to Israeli airstrikes and forced evacuations as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated this week.

Today, Europe correspondent David Crowe and photojournalist Kate Geraghty report from Lebanon, after the US and Israel’s war on Iran expanded to the region. 

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The lieutenant governor of Texas has called it “the biggest theft from the people of Texas in the history of Texas”. He was referring to the work of Australian gamblers who scooped up a $US95 million jackpot.

And this is the kicker: they did it by buying up nearly every single lottery ticket and, they say, by following all the rules.

Today, investigative reporter Patrick Begley on the Australians who took down the Texan lottery.

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Micky Ahuja catapulted his company MA Services from nothing to the big time to become the security provider of choice to the federal government retail giants like Coles and Bunnings, and a major sponsor of AFL clubs.

But his empire was a house of cards.

Today Nick McKenzie on one of the more spectacular and disturbing corporate unravellings in recent memory. 

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Israel and the United States are at war with Iran in a rapidly escalating conflict that Australia seems to be trying to avoid as much as possible. Today, we'll talk about how viable it is to be neutral these days, and whether Australia is doing its duty as a middle power.

We'll also discuss the Liberal Party review that Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and others tried to keep it secret, only to have it leaked by none other than the prime minister himself this week.

Joining Jacqueline Maley today is foreign affairs correspondent Matthew Knott a...

Only six days since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, the destruction is mounting. More than 800 people have been killed, including Iranian schoolchildren and American service members. 

What will it take to stop this war? And what might compel Donald Trump to end it, if he can? 

Today, international and political editor Peter Hartcher on Trump's tactics, and how his MAGA base is responding.

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In this bonus episode of Inside Politics, we’re joined by the Nationals leader David Littleproud.
He’s a man under pressure – commentators, Liberal MPs and some of his own colleagues blamed January’s split on the 49-year-old from Chinchilla in regional Queensland.
Today, chief political correspondent Paul Sakkal and Littleproud discuss the Coalition rupture and what’s next under the leadership of Angus Taylor.

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