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.

Subscribe Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

20 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes20

Newest first

Yesterday · 16 min
Is the US military secretly killing our planet?
It’s the largest institutional emitter in the world. A bigger polluter than 140 countries. And yet its emissions are hidden from sight. Now a new documentary ‘Earth’s greatest enemy’ is exposing the impact of the US military empire on the planet: the waste, the billion dollar budgets, and the political maneuvering that’s kept it all out of the public eye. Today, Journalist and filmmaker Abby Martin, on what the world’s biggest war machine is doing to our Earth. 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 filmmaker Abby Martin Photo: US Central Command See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Saturday · 16 min
Is Qantas sorry – or just sorry it got caught?
This week, 7am spoke with former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, as he returned to public life with a memoir defending many of the decisions he made during his final years at the airline. Joyce said the company was fighting for survival during the pandemic and that, while mistakes were made, the difficult decisions taken under his leadership were necessary to keep Qantas from going under. Today, we revisit our conversation with journalist and author Joe Aston, recorded after Qantas was handed a record $90 million penalty for illegally outsourcing 1,800 workers. It asks what those decisions cost, whether they really were necessary, and whether the airline has actually changed since Joyce’s departure. The episode originally aired in August 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: Rampart founder and author of The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out, Joe Aston Photo: AAP Image/Dean Lewins See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Friday · 15 min
Who is Australia’s Zohran Mamdani?
In America, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has turned anger over rent, groceries and childcare into a powerful movement on the left. One with real momentum. In Australia, that same anger is increasingly being captured by Pauline Hanson and the populist right, while Labor retreats towards the centre. So attention is turning to who in Australia could make a Mamdani-style case for economic change, and to whether the Australian left has the organisation, discipline and ambition to build a movement around them. Today, freelance writer, political commentator and host of RRR's Spin Cycle Rachel Withers, on the political figure the left is searching for, and whether the conditions exist to produce an Australian Mamdani. 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 political commentator Rachel Withers Photo: AP Photo/Heather Khalifa See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thursday · 14 min
Gangsters, corruption and cover-ups: What Victoria's building royal commission could expose
Victoria’s new premier Ben Carroll has announced a royal commission into the state’s building industry. It follows years of reporting exposing alleged corruption, organised crime links and misconduct within the sector, and years of resistance from the government and former premier Jacinta Allan. The commission now has the potential to examine what happened and who knew about it, forcing powerful figures in politics, unions and the underworld to answer questions under oath and in public. Today, The Age investigative reporter Nick McKenzie, on what the royal commission must uncover and the big names who could be called to testify. 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: The Age investigative reporter Nick McKenzie Photo: AAP Image/James Ross See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wednesday · 16 min
Albo vs Hannah Ferguson: Can the 28-year old media founder topple the PM?
Next election the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will have a new contender for his Sydney seat, with commentator and Cheek Media founder Hannah Ferguson announcing she’s taking a tilt. She says she’s started canvassing locals to find out what they want from their representative, and that she’s already been warned that attempts to build a dirt file on her have begun. Today, we speak with Hannah Ferguson, and political journalist Karen Middleton, about what it takes to actually oust a PM, and what else could be in store. 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: Candidate for Grayndler Hannah Ferguson and press gallery journalist Karen Middleton Photo: AAP Image/ Lukas Coch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tuesday · 16 min
“It’s ugly. It’s messy”: Inside the plot to bring down the Victorian premier
After a chaotic 24 hours of backroom plotting and mounting pressure, the Victorian premier resigned. Jacinta Allan’s replacement, and former deputy leader Ben Carroll, now has just four months to turn Labor’s fortunes around in what’s shaping up to be the most unpredictable election the state has ever seen. Polls show an unprecedented three-party contest – with voters split, almost equally, between the unpopular Labor government, an Opposition ridden by scandal, and a rising One Nation. Today, ABC Melbourne Mornings host Raf Epstein on what Labor’s change of leader means for an already chaotic election race and whether Australia’s most progressive state could turn orange. 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: ABC Radio Melbourne host Raf Epstein Photo: AAP Image/James Ross See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 27 · 18 min
Who decided AI was inevitable?
Cory Doctorow is the author and tech critic who brought us the term ‘enshittification’ – which refers to the gradual decline in the quality of digital platforms and services over time. Now he’s warning that what we’ve been led to believe is the inevitable march of AI towards world domination isn’t that inevitable after all, and actually what we’re marching towards could be the end of the AI bubble. Because every time you ask ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini a question, companies like OpenAI are losing money. The more we use, the more they lose. And while those AI giants burn through billions of dollars a year, gambling that eventually they’ll figure out how to turn it into a profitable business, the world’s economy is hanging in the balance. Today, Cory Doctorow, on why the AI boom is being pushed into every part of our lives and what happens when the bubble bursts. If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Cory Doctorow is in Australia this August for appearances at Sydney’s Festival of Dangerous Ideas, and in Melbourne at The Capitol, presented by The Wheeler Centre and Now or Never. His new book, The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI, is out via Verso Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Author Cory Doctorow Photo: AAP Image/James Ross See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 26 · 18 min
‘I know I’m a polarising figure’: Alan Joyce on Qantas, reputational collapse and his legacy
Alan Joyce was once one of Australia’s most admired business leaders. By the time he left Qantas, he had become one of the country’s most hated men. His final years at the airline were marked by unlawful sackings, cancelled flights, withheld refunds and a collapse in public trust. But in a new memoir, Riding the Jet Stream, Joyce defends many of the decisions that made him a symbol of corporate arrogance and public distrust. Today, former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, on what he believes Australians got wrong about him – and whether he accepts responsibility for the damage done to the Qantas brand on his watch. 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: Former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce Photo: AAP Image/Joel Carrett See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 25 · 16 min
RFK Jr’s anti-vaccine obsession
When Robert F Kennedy Jr was sworn in as Health and Human Services Secretary, his confirmation came off the back of a fiery questioning from Democrats and Republicans alike about RFK Jr’s record on vaccines. And under oath, RFK Jr denied he was against them. But now, Reuters reports he considered scrapping the entire childhood immunisation schedule, removing polio and MMR vaccines, and spending five billion dollars investigating the disproven link between vaccines and autism. Kennedy has spent two decades campaigning against vaccines, using his famous name to become one of the movement’s most prominent figures. Today, we return to our conversation with investigative journalist Brian Deer, on Kennedy’s anti-vaccine campaign – and the deadly consequences of vaccine misinformation in Samoa. This episode was originally published in February 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: Investigative journalist Brian Deer Photo: AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 24 · 15 min
Labor’s promise of a ‘fairer’ gas deal
Australia is one of the world’s biggest exporters of liquefied natural gas. Over the past 25 years, the value of those exports has increased more than twentyfold. Yet revenue from the tax designed to capture the extraordinary profits made from petroleum resources has gone backwards. This week, at its national conference, the Labor Party formally acknowledged that Australians deserve a "fairer return" from the resources beneath their land and seas. But the party stopped short of backing the policy that forced the issue onto the agenda: a 25 per cent tax on gas exports that supporters say could raise up to $17 billion a year. Today, Australia Institute co-chief executive Richard Denniss, on the unlikely alliance pushing Labor to take on the gas industry – and whether the party’s carefully chosen words will ever become an actual tax. 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: Co-Chief Executive Officer at The Australia Institute, Dr Richard Denniss Photo: AAP Image/Joe Castro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 23 · 15 min
Is Trump trying to rig the midterm elections?
In the East Room of the White House, Donald Trump made an extraordinary accusation of election interference: Beijing had illegally obtained the voter files of 220 million Americans. He also accused US intelligence agencies of hiding the extent of China’s activity. Later, Trump claimed a Homeland Security review had found around 278,000 non-citizens registered to vote. Trump’s motivation, critics say, is to sow doubt ahead of the upcoming midterm elections – which he’s already made several attempts to reshape: from redrawing maps, to restricting voting, to firing the entire electoral commission. Today, staff writer at The Atlantic David A. Graham, on Trump’s campaign to tilt the midterms and what he could still do before, during and after election day. 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: Staff writer at The Atlantic David A. Graham Photo: Saul LOEB / POOL / AFP See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 22 · 18 min
Who is Lily Jay? The Australian influencer accused of using AI in aid videos
A blonde woman stands among smiling children holding lollipops. A foundation banner hangs behind them. She announces that a new orphanage has opened in Africa. But evidence collected during an ABC investigation suggests that the woman in the video isn’t real. Neither are the children or the banner behind them. The scene appears to have been generated using artificial intelligence. Millions of people have watched an Australian influencer promise food, shelter and hope to children in some of the world's most critical crisis zones. Now, her foundation is facing questions about its humanitarian claims, the money it solicited, and the damage AI-generated appeals could do to public trust in charities. Today, ABC News Verify journalist, Matt Martino on the Lily Jay Foundation, and the tangled web behind its humanitarian work. 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: ABC News Verify senior journalist Matt Martino Photo: @lilyjayofficial via X See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 21 · 17 min
Is this the most dangerous era of the Iran war?
For more than a week, Donald Trump has unleashed strikes against Iran, in a worsening cycle of attacks, including on civilian infrastructure. Trump has defended the strikes as honouring the deaths of up to three American service members in an Iranian attack. But the real goal is to get the Strait of Hormuz open again – something that looks increasingly unlikely. So, with the region once again on a knife’s edge, the US appears locked back into an escalating war, unless the interim ceasefire deal can be salvaged. Today, diplomatic correspondent at NOTUS Akbar Shahid Ahmed on the threat of all-out war, and who is really in charge of what happens next. 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: Diplomatic correspondent at NOTUS and author of Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel’s War in Gaza, Akbar Shahid Ahmed Photo: US Central Command/Reuters See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 20 · 15 min
The racism inquiry ignored by mainstream media
It’s the other racism inquiry running at the same time as the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion – the inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. But while the royal commission has attracted rolling media coverage and government attention, the Aboriginal racism inquiry has been largely ignored. The inquiry was triggered by the alleged bombing of an Invasion Day rally – witnesses shining a light on the repeated inaction before, during and after the event as they testified about the fear still hanging over the Indigenous community. Today, National Indigenous Affairs Editor for NITV & SBS John Paul Janke, on how Australia treats different kinds of racism differently. 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 Affairs Editor for NITV & SBS John Paul Janke Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 19 · 15 min
The '24-carat f*ckwit' who became Nine's golden boy
After more than two decades at Nine, Karl Stefanovic has left the building. For years, he was the face of the Today show – surviving ratings slumps, public scandals, internal criticism and a revolving door of female co-hosts. But after launching his own podcast, and then interviewing far-right British figure Tommy Robinson, Nine finally cut him loose. Now, people who worked with Stefanovic are speaking out. Crikey contributor and Fourth Estate host Tina Quinn has spoken to current and former Nine insiders about what he was really like behind the scenes and why the network backed him for so long. Today, Tina Quinn, on Karl Stefanovic’s rise, his fall from Nine, and whether he can survive without the network that built him. 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: Host of Fourth Estate on 2SER and Crikey contributor, Tina Quinn Photo: AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 18 · 15 min
The truth about men who kill women
Earlier this month, in the space of just three days, four women and girls in Australia were allegedly killed by men and boys known to them. Two months ago, the Prime Minister resisted calls for a royal commission into domestic violence. But women and girls continue to be killed – sometimes within hours of one another. Today, we’re bringing you an episode from 2024, where Ruby Jones speaks to Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Anna Cody, about why our domestic violence crisis is getting worse – and why years of plans, campaigns and promises have failed to stop it. This episode was originally published in July 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: Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Anna Cody Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 17 · 18 min
The Liberals face old problems with no new answers
The Liberal Party has begun asking what it needs to do to modernise. Its answer, so far, appears to be Tony Abbott. As Angus Taylor tries to put some distance between the Coalition and One Nation, Pauline Hanson’s party has had a week that looks less like a political revolution and more like a holiday gone wrong. Away from the political theatre, do the Coalition’s proposed migration cuts stack up economically – at a time when one of the country’s most important systems is still failing the people it is meant to care for? Today, federal political correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald Natassia Chrysanthos, on the Liberal Party’s identity crisis, One Nation’s fortunes and an aged-care system still not fit for purpose. 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: Federal political correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Natassia Chrysanthos Photo: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 16 · 15 min
Adam Bandt on the first big test for Labor’s nature laws
The Great Barrier Reef has avoided being placed on UNESCO’s “in danger” list – for now. But the warning hasn’t gone away. UNESCO says Australia still needs to do more to protect it, including on water quality. And one of those problems starts far inland: when bushland is cleared, soil can wash into rivers that flow out to the coral. The Australian Conservation Foundation says bulldozing for beef production is a major driver of that runoff. And now, Australia’s new national environment watchdog – the National Environmental Protection Agency – has opened its doors with more than 100 potentially unlawful land-clearing cases already on its books. Labor says its new nature laws will protect the environment and speed up approvals for housing, renewables and infrastructure. But will they actually stop the clearing – or just speed up a broken system? Today, CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation Adam Bandt, on the first test of Labor’s new nature laws – and whether they can make an impact before it’s too late. 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: CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation, Adam Bandt Photo: WWF Australia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 15 · 14 min
Albo’s plan to harness the AI boom
The Prime Minister has announced a plan for how Australia approaches AI, with a new office to be created, and new standards expected to be legislated early next year. As part of the plan new data centres can be fast tracked, but will have to supply their own power. And while Anthony Albanese said that artists should be able to control the use of their work, there are still fears about what will happen when potential investment meets copyright law. Today, Chair of Digital Rights Watch Lizzie O’Shea on whether the government can walk the tightrope of the AI boom, while protecting and benefiting all Australians. 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: Chair of Digital Rights Watch Lizzie O’Shea Photo: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 14 · 20 min
The evolution of Pauline Hanson
When Pauline Hanson was at the previous peak of her political popularity, in the late 90s, one journalist was there chronicling it. Margo Kingston followed Hanson on the 98 campaign trail, and has followed her career ever since – pulled back in, even when she wanted to walk away. So what do Pauline Hanson’s beginnings tell us about her future? And what are the parallels between 1996 and 2026? Today, Margo Kingston, on what Pauline Hanson has come to represent, and how she’s using her past to fashion her present. 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 of Off the Rails: The Pauline Hanson trip, Margo Kingston Photo: AAP Image/Tony Phillips See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.