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7am

Solstice Media

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.

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#2063
Yesterday · 16 min
New leader, new Greens?
David Shoebridge has taken over the Greens leadership with a big ambition: to replace Labor. He’s doing it at a time when Australians are becoming less attached to the major parties, and less trusting of the people who run them. But so far, it’s Pauline Hanson’s One Nation that has made the most of that anger, while the Greens, after losing seats at the last election, have stagnated in the polls. Their challenge now is to convince disillusioned voters that the Greens can be more than a bit player in the halls of parliament. Today, Greens leader David Shoebridge on his plan to turn the Greens into an anti-establishment force, and whether that requires changing the party itself. 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: Greens leader David Shoebridge Photo: AAP Image/George Chan See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2062
Thursday · 15 min
What the ‘Cornell 7’ tells us about male silence, violence and misogyny
News of an alleged rape involving seven men at an elite university – a case being called the ‘Cornell 7’ – is reverberating across the US. For many people, the case – and the way the men and the institutions involved responded at the time – echoes high profile incidents here in Australia. So what responsibilities are our institutions failing to live up to? And what should they be doing differently? Today, advocate Tarang Chawla on the so-called Cornell 7, and what the case tells us about misogyny at home. And a warning – while we try not to get too graphic, this episode does cover sexual assault. 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: Anti-violence advocate Tarang Chawla Photo: AP Photo/Seth Wenig See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2061
Wednesday · 12 min
Ben Roberts-Smith and the One Nation law change that could impact his trial
In April this year, Ben Roberts-Smith was arrested and charged with five counts of the war crime of murder. He’s now out on bail and maintains his innocence – and One Nation has swung its support behind him. Now, the minor party says it’s also seeking to make a change to the criminal code — a change that could make a big difference to Roberts-Smith’s upcoming trial. Today, journalist Ben McKelvey on the law One Nation wants changed — and what that could mean for Australia’s international standing. 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: Journalist Ben McKelvey Photo: AAP Image/Russell Freeman See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2060
Tuesday · 16 min
Why interest rate pain is now worse than the bad old days of 17.5%
For years we’ve heard from older generations that the current interest rate pain is nothing compared to the horror of 17.5 per cent rates in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. But now, as the Reserve Bank delivers its fourth hike this year, analysis shows the pain being inflicted on homeowners is comparatively worse. So, as the official cash rate hits a 15 year high of 4.6 percent – how bad could it get? Today, KPMG senior economist Terry Rawnsley on the chance of more interest rate hikes, the flow on effects of this latest hit, and whether we should be looking at alternatives like tax hikes, to get inflation under control. 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: KPMG senior economist Terry Rawnsley Photo: AAP Image/Sarah Wilson See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2059
Monday · 16 min
The Medicare hack and the rise of rogue AI agents
In June, an OpenAI agent was looking for public information about medicines spending when it broke into a Medicare statistics website and accessed files it wasn’t authorised to see. No personal Medicare information was accessed, and the breach itself was relatively minor. But the behaviour is more concerning: the agent hit a barrier – and instead of stopping, found a way around it. And it wasn’t the first time. Sydney Von Arx runs the Nightingale Collective, which monitors these AI systems. Her team uncovered a group of OpenAI agents behaving in remarkably similar ways around the same time as the Medicare breach – even sharing tips with each other about how to get around restrictions. Today, what happens when AI agents stop taking no for an answer – and can the companies building them actually control what they do? 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: AI researcher and CEO of Nightingale Collective, Sydney Von Arx Photo: AAP Image/Susie Dodds / Pictures: Tracey Nearmy and Dan Himbrechts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2058
Sunday · 16 min
AI is eating the world’s books
A rare old book can now be worth more dead than alive. Books are being bought, cut apart and scanned to train artificial intelligence. Nobody knows how many books have been destroyed this way, but second-hand booksellers around the world have reported anonymous orders ranging from thousands to as many as a million books at a time. And internal documents from AI giant Anthropic revealed plans to “destructively scan all the books in the world”. Today, author Sarah Wilson on the destruction of knowledge to build artificial intelligence. 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: Author Sarah Wilson Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2057
September 26 · 16 min
The Korean doomsday church targeting Australians
When starting out at university, it’s normal to want to meet new friends and establish a community. But for some young Australians, that formative time has led them down the path of a secretive and extreme religious group accused of using deceptive tactics to draw in young people: Shincheonji. According to one former member, the group took over his life – leaving him sleep deprived and isolated, and teaching him that using his own judgement was dangerous. He described what happened to him as “mind control”. Since then, similar accounts have been heard by a major Victorian parliamentary inquiry – which has now recommended new laws targeting coercive control by high-control groups. And Shincheonji itself is now under investigation by Australia’s charities regulator. Today, journalist Aleisha Orr on one young Australian who spent years inside the doomsday church – and what it took for him to get out. This episode was originally published in March, 2024. 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: Journalist Aleisha Orr Photo: shincheonji.org See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2056
September 25 · 18 min
Is liberal democracy running out of answers?
For decades, liberal democracy came with a promise: that with each generation we would become freer, wealthier, and have more control over our lives. But after years of economic shocks, war and political upheaval, more and more people seem to have stopped believing that promise. And in its place, we’re seeing political movements emerge that don’t just want different policies – they’re questioning some of the fundamental ideas our democracies were built on. In his new Quarterly Essay, Time of Monsters, writer and broadcaster Waleed Aly argues this is part of something bigger – a crisis in liberalism itself. Today, Waleed Aly on whether we’re entering a post-liberal age – and what might replace the old order. 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: Writer and broadcaster, Waleed Aly Photo: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2055
September 24 · 17 min
Could Australia’s media survive Trump-style attacks?
For years, Donald Trump’s attacks on the media were treated as part of the spectacle of his politics. Now, three major news organisations have had their White House passes revoked – and Trump says others could follow. Here in Australia, we’re seeing Pauline Hanson follow the same playbook – with One Nation repeatedly deciding which news organisations can attend its press conferences. But unlike America, press freedom in Australia has remarkably few legal protections backing it. So what happens when politicians stop respecting the rules we’ve simply assumed they would follow? Today, journalist and press freedom advocate Peter Greste, on how fragile press freedom is in Australia and why we’ve relied for so long on convention rather than law. 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: Journalist and press freedom advocate, Peter Greste Photo: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2054
September 23 · 15 min
The absurd lengths Australia goes to keep Nauru Airlines flying
It’s an uncomfortable fact our government doesn’t like to face: 25 years on from the Tampa affair, we’re still paying a tiny island micro-nation hundreds of millions of dollars to keep immigration detention alive. One of the ways we’re doing that is by helping to prop up Nauru Airlines – a company riven with financial, governance and safety issues. Today, independent journalist Nick Feik on how our relationship with a foreign commercial airline is compromising the Australian government’s own regulators, departments and procurement processes in the name of immigration detention. 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: Independent journalist, Nick Feik Photo: Nauru Airlines See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2053
September 22 · 16 min
Trump and Murdoch: The enemies who need each other
One of the defining themes of Donald Trump's presidencies has been his war against the media. Last week, he banned journalists from three media outlets from the White House, saying he’s had enough of the negative stories about him. This week, those outlets sued him over the ban. And just last year he proved no one’s off limits, taking media mogul Rupert Murdoch to court in a ten-billion-dollar lawsuit that’s still playing out – all over another story he didn’t much like. Today, journalist and author Gabriel Sherman on the battle of the titans between Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch – and who really holds the power in this twisted transactional relationship. 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: Journalist and author Gabriel Sherman Photo: EPA/Samuel Corum and Kevin Lamarque via AP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2052
September 21 · 14 min
A richer Australia in 2066 – but for who?
Australia in 2066 will be older, richer, and – according to the treasurer – transformed by artificial intelligence. The latest intergenerational report says, despite an aging population, our real incomes will be 55 percent higher by 2066. And Jim Chalmers says AI will get us there. But the same report says younger Australians aren’t seeing the same gains in income, wealth and home ownership as the generations before it. So what does this report really say about our future – and how much of it is political wishful thinking. Today, Vice Chancellor’s professor and Chief Societal Economist at the University of New South Wales, Richard Holden on what Australia could look like in 40 years – and where the economics end and the politics begin. 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: UNSW Chief Societal Economist Richard Holden Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2051
September 20 · 15 min
The race to put weapons in space
A whole new galactic battleground has just opened up. The United States has declared it has weapons in space, and it’s ready to use them. So, are we entering a new era where the opening moves of a war could happen hundreds of kilometres above us? Today, Senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Dr Malcolm Davis on the space weapons now at the ready, and the likelihood of an orbital offensive. 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: Senior analyst at ASPI, Dr Malcolm Davis Photo: National Air and Space Intelligence Center See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2050
September 19 · 13 min
Serco’s ugly legacy in Australia’s immigration detention system
Last year, the company that ran Australia’s immigration detention network for over a decade, British conglomerate Serco, lost its contract, but not before helping build what’s been called one of the world’s ‘most extreme and secretive’ detention regimes. The question at the time was whether its replacement – American private prison operator MTC – would be any better. Eighteen months later, we have an answer. Recorded incidents across the detention network have more than doubled – from almost 800 to over 1,600 – since MTC took over. At the same time, Australia’s offshore detention system on Nauru is expanding – hundreds more people are being transferred to the island, and the Albanese government has announced plans to expand immigration detention as part of its crackdown on visa overstayers. Today, journalist Denham Sadler on the private companies paid billions to run Australia’s immigration detention system – and the warnings that were there before MTC took over. This episode was originally published in January, 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: Journalist Denham Sadler Photo: AP Photo/Rick Rycroft See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2049
September 18 · 16 min
Albo’s mum and “primitive” first Australians: has Pauline finally gone too far?
Migration is shaping up to be the next big battleground in federal politics as Labor desperately tries to wrestle back control of the narrative from One Nation. But does this week’s long-awaited plan leave the government stronger or weaker politically? And could going harder on Pauline Hanson hold the key to tackling One Nation? This week, the major parties gave it a try as some of Hanson’s nasty comments came back to bite her. Today, Contributing Editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis on immigration politics and whether some things are off limits, even for Pauline Hanson. 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: Contributing Editor at The New Daily, Amy Remeikis Photo: AAP Image/Dean Lewins See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2048
September 17 · 18 min
Is Labor’s migration plan tackling a real problem or a political one?
After one false start and a hell of a lot of political pressure from the right, Labor has finally unveiled its long-awaited immigration plans. Backpackers, students and visa overstayers will all be targeted by the measures – designed to bring net overseas migration down from around 300 thousand, to 225 thousand by 2028. So what impact will the overhaul have on our economy, our communities, and on Labor’s re-election prospects? Today, journalist Peter Mares – who writes extensively on immigration for Inside Story magazine – on what’s in store, and whether the issue Labor’s addressing is a political problem, or a real one. 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: Inside Story Magazine journalist Peter Mares Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2047
September 16 · 18 min
Why is Australia going soft on settler sanctions?
Last week, countries including the UK, Canada and France announced plans to restrict trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. In the past, Australia has joined its overseas allies in actions on Israel. This time it’s different – with Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong, saying Australia isn’t considering joining the ban. So – why not? Today, Commissioner on the UN’s Commission of Inquiry into the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel, Chris Sidoti, on Australia’s responsibilities, and its failures. 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: Commissioner on the UN’s Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Chris Sidoti Photo: AP Photo/Leo Correa See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2046
September 15 · 17 min
A big-tech defector’s AI warning for the world
In the last week, AI bosses around the world have suddenly grown a conscience – urging a global slowdown amid fears the race to develop artificial intelligence could outstrip humanity’s ability to control it. For Dex Hunter-Torricke, that realisation came a little sooner. The big-tech insider walked away last year, disillusioned, after spending 15 years inside the belly of the beast. He wrote speeches for Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook, worked with Elon Musk at SpaceX, and most recently helped Google DeepMind explain the rise of artificial intelligence to the world. Now, he says society is making the same mistakes with AI as it did in the social media era – sleepwalking into what comes next. Today, founder and president of The Center for Tomorrow, Dex Hunter-Torricke gives us a glimpse inside the big tech firms shaping our future. 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: Founder of The Center for Tomorrow Dex Hunter-Torricke Photo: @dexhuntertorricke via Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2045
September 14 · 17 min
Is another GFC brewing?
The numbers are almost incomprehensible – last month US debt hit 40 trillion dollars. With an interest bill of more than three billion dollars a day. And that’s before Donald Trump’s trillion dollar promise to hand every adult in America a cheque for five thousand bucks! Now, as global debt levels rise to record highs, and the cost of paying that debt rises too – experts are sounding the alarm – warning the economic storm that’s brewing is starting to look an awful lot like the 2007 global financial crisis. Today, Senior Economics Correspondent at the Age and SMH, Shane Wright on the chance of another GFC and what it means for Australia. 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: Senior Economics Correspondent at the Age & SMH Shane Wright Photo: AP Photo/Richard Drew See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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#2044
September 13 · 18 min
Something is seriously wrong in the Northern Territory
One by one, the Aboriginal leaders, organisations and watchdogs the Northern Territory government is supposed to work with are walking away. The Children’s Commissioner has resigned. An Indigenous MP has left parliament after more than a decade. And now almost the entire Aboriginal side of the Territory’s Justice Policy Partnership has suspended its involvement. They’re all making a remarkably similar complaint – that the government isn’t listening, and that the structures supposedly designed to give Aboriginal people a say have become meaningless. Today, National Indigenous Times journalist Dechlan Brennan, on how relations got this bad – and whether a government can tackle the Territory’s enormous problems if the people most affected no longer believe there’s any point in sitting at the table. 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: National Indigenous Times journalist, Dechlan Brennan Photo: AAP Image/Supplied by (A)manda Parkinson See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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