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The Front

The Australian

The Front brings the unrivalled journalism of Australia’s national broadsheet to audio, featuring each day’s essential page-one stories, journalists’ candid take on the issues that matter, and behind-the-scenes insights from our newsrooms.

Read more at theaustralian.com.au and see the video episodes by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

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  • 161 episodes
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  • Avg 9 min
  • English
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  • Today · 17 min

    Learjet 60 crash: The incredible composure of 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras

    Why did a Bombardier Learjet 60 plunge 32,000 feet a minute into a Florida road? Aviation writer Robyn Ironside joins Claire Harvey to break down the final, chilling air traffic control audio and examine the severe online attacks on the late 20-year-old co-pilot Nathalia Filgueiras. Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. We’re out of time: co-pilot’s haunting final message $2 million Learjet crashes in Florida, victims named Ice, turbulence: How the disaster happened This episode of The Front is presented and produced by Claire Harvey and edited by Joshua Burton. Our team includes Kristen Amiet, Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack and Jasper Leak, who also composed our theme. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • Today · 4 min

    Dissent inside the RBA board about rate rise

    Point of Law won the Melbourne Cup by a country mile - and rates went up just as everyone expected them to. In fact the only surprise this afternoon is that three members of the Reserve Bank Board voted against putting the cash rate target up to 4.85 per cent, revealing some controversy inside the board about whether they can slow inflation without wrecking the economy. Listen now to The Front’s afternoon headlines. Read more: Rate rise ‘to address domestic capacity pressures’, RBA governor Michele Bullock says $170bn black hole ahead of rate call that stops a nation RBA risks a 90s-style slump as rate hikes struggle for traction Point of Law wins after Robbie Williams rocks Flemington See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • Yesterday · 17 min

    Why do Democrats keep choosing the wrong candidates?

    The midterms are on in America - and you’d expect voters to give the widely unpopular Donald Trump the kind of walloping presidents can usually expect in congressional and state elections. But the Democrats are fracturing over candidate choice and tactics and the Republicans can’t decide whether to embrace Trump or disavow him. Today, Cameron Stewart on what to watch in the wild ride ahead. Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. This episode of The Front is presented and produced by Claire Harvey and edited by Tiffany Dimmack. Our team includes Kristen Amiet, Lia Tsamoglou, Joshua Burton and Jasper Leak, who also composed our theme. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • Yesterday · 2 min

    Pauline Hanson’s lieutenant rules out a run in 2028

    Pauline Hanson’s lieutenant James Ashby turns down a run for parliament, as National Party leader Matt Canavan heads to the House of Representatives. Plus, the 27-year old Afghan refugee who will stay in Australia despite being a convicted drug courier and fraudster. Read more: James Ashby’s tantrums a growing problem for Pauline Commercial drug courier wins right to stay in Australia despite reoffending risk See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • Sunday · 12 min

    BMWs and broken promises: Inside the specialist fee war

    With specialist out-of-pocket costs surging by 73% since 2010, the Albanese government is pushing ahead with a mandatory website requiring medical specialists to display their fees upfront. But can price transparency fix Australia's healthcare crisis, or will patients end up paying the price? In this episode of The Front, senior health reporter Penny Timms joins Claire Harvey to break down the high-stakes war over specialist fees, why voluntary codes failed, and what this means for your next medical bill. Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Specialist fees crackdown could backfire on patients: AMA This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Joshua Burton. Our team includes Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack, and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • Friday · 15 min

    The smart women fantasising about dragon sex

    This week’s bookshop frenzy for a new romantasy title - A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J Maas - prompts some big questions. Why are romantasy plots so silly? Why do smart women love them anyway? And what does it all tell us about men, women and modern love? Come hither: The sex women want is now a $28bn empire The self-published ‘Romantasy’ author that sparked a 9-way book auction Stand back for the hot breath of dragon sex in Onyx Storm Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. The weekend edition of The Front is co-produced by Claire Harvey and Jasper Leak. The host is Claire Harvey. Audio production and editing by Jasper Leak who also composed our theme. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • Friday · 4 min

    Mushroom killer likely to die in jail after freedom bid rejected

    Mushroom killer Erin Patterson will likely die in jail after the Victorian Court of Appeal rejected her bid for freedom and increased her sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Plus, an economist’s recession warning and Fantastic Furniture closes its last Australian factory. Read more: Erin Patterson loses appeal, could stay in jail until her 80s as jail term increased Near-zero growth, recession likely as rates rise looms: HSBC Fantastic Furniture closes Fairfield East plant to shift manufacturing to China and Vietnam See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • Thursday · 15 min

    Israel’s Arab kingmakers: Which PM will blink first?

    Israel’s gloriously messy democracy has thrown up a real doozy: parliamentary elections that have two potential prime ministers both saying the other guy lost. The Australian's Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan says there's one thing they both agree on: they won’t go into coalition with Arab parties – and it means Israel might be heading towards another election very soon. Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Benjamin Netanyahu takes narrow lead as Israel poll shows no clear result Israelis ‘won’t let Arabs become kingmakers’ in tight election race Commentary by Greg Sheridan: Impossible to kill: Benjamin Netanyahu defies defeat to maintain grip on Israeli politics Commentary by Greg Sheridan: Removing Bibi won’t end irrational hatred of Israel This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Tiffany Dimmack. Our team includes Lia Tsamoglou, Joshua Burton and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • Thursday · 3 min

    ASIC to probe banks behind failed Firmus float

    The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is making “targeted inquiries” into the actions of the bankers behind the canned multibillion-dollar stock-market float of data-centre builder Firmus. Plus, Australia’s Tax Commissioner has admitted he didn’t quite get how businesses use credit cards before the ATO brought in a ban on plastic. Read more: Corporate regulator investigates lead managers behind cancelled $44bn Firmus float ATO ‘jumped to conclusions’ over bungled credit card ban See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • Wednesday · 13 min

    Inside a casino crime wave: bags of cash, Rolexes and a $250m fine

    Breathtaking criminality - and a penalty that could have been much, much higher. The casino operator Star has had a huge judgment in the Federal Court with huge implications for the rest of the gaming sector - and for the punters. That’s today’s story. Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Star Entertainment secures lifeline as Federal Court spreads $260m penalty over 19 months Federal Court hits Star with $260m fine for money laundering breaches Crown in the black as casinos under the pump This episode of The Front is presented and produced by Claire Harvey, and edited by Jasper Leak. Our team includes Kristen Amiet, Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack and Joshua Burton. Jasper Leak also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • Wednesday · 3 min

    Did Israel just re-elect Benjamin Netanyahu?

    Huge claims and no clear winner - yet: that’s the state of play in the high-stakes Israeli elections that have seen Arab Israeli parties emerge as the potential power players. Also in the Front’s afternoon headlines: inflation’s up - are interest rates next? Read more: Israel election latest: No clear winner as count continues Israelis vote in record numbers for knife-edge election Albanese, Chalmers deflect blame for rising inflation, as rate hike looms See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • October 27 · 12 min

    The Australian ISIS bride accused of enslaving a 9-year-old

    Among the many revolting crimes of the failed Islamist movement ISIS was the enslavement and mistreatment of women and girls. They are Yazidis, a long-persecuted ethnic minority. Now, a Yazidi woman says she was enslaved and raped as a nine year old girl in the house of an Australian woman, Hodan Abby. Abby - who’s not been proven to have done anything wrong - is still stranded in the Middle East and wants to come home. Her alleged victim, Aisha, wants Australia to hold her to account. Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. ‘I want justice’: Yazidi slave survivor’s plea One Nation fails in bid to block brides’ return This episode of The Front is presented and produced by Claire Harvey and edited by Tiffany Dimmack. Our team includes Kristen Amiet, Lia Tsamoglou, Joshua Burton and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • October 27 · 2 min

    Did the ABC hire a Hamas terrorist?

    Senior ABC brass have told a Senate committee they’re investigating whether or not a journalist they used to help cover the Israel-Hamas conflict was in fact a Hamas operative. Also in today’s afternoon headlines - the Government denies it is assisting another ISIS bride who is planning to return to Australia. Read more: ABC investigates whether journalist Roshdi Sarraj was Hamas terrorist ABC news boss under fire for 'flippant' response to terror claims See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • October 26 · 16 min

    Albo, the shit sheet and the Helen Haines blame game

    We all furiously agree public discourse is nasty and dangerous. But can politicians really change their ways - or will they just blame the manosphere, social media and their enemies? Dennis Shanahan is here. Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. We’ll tackle the manosphere, says Albo Dennis Shanahan: Echoes of a 25-year-old tragedy This episode of The Front is presented and produced by Claire Harvey and edited by Joshua Burton. Our team includes Kristen Amiet, Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • October 26 · 2 min

    Taxpayers stump up for a $34 million five-star climate junket

    Revealed today: the total likely cost to Australians of a climate change conference - in Fiji - to prepare for a bigger climate change conference later this year - in Turkey. Plus, the law firm hunting Jetstar for a voucher travel ‘trap’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • October 25 · 18 min

    France’s Pauline Hanson? How Marine Le Pen is winning

    Marine Le Pen is topping France’s presidential polls as her National Rally party’s anti-immigration, economic nationalist, law-and-order policies are supercharged by student riots and a crippling cost of living. Today - how a woman convicted for embezzlement became a serious contender for President of France. Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Marine Le Pen seizes on French chaos to present herself as leader in waiting City of Light turns grey as Paris licks its wounds Emmanuel Macron bans French protests as heavy police presence swarms Paris students This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Joshua Burton. Our team includes Lia Tsamoglou, Tiffany Dimmack, and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • October 23 · 12 min

    Tom Cruise’s $350m ‘flop’ Digger is actually a masterpiece

    Most critics have Digger down as a dud. But what if they’re wrong? Ben Affleck says Digger’s a “pretty ambitious, interesting movie made by interesting people that have talent”, and our guest Jill Rowbotham, Senior Editor of Culture agrees. With Oscar-darling Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directing and Tom Cruise leading a cast of heavy hitters, Digger’s pedigree is undeniable. So are the rough reviews justified, or are we really just seeing a schoolyard-style pile-on among critics? Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Tom Cruise has made a colossal flop. It’s brilliant Tom Cruise delivers an exhausting misfire in new satire Digger The weekend edition of The Front is co-produced by Claire Harvey and Jasper Leak. The host is Claire Harvey. Audio production and editing by Jasper Leak who also composed our theme. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • October 23 · 4 min

    Labor on the defensive over Helen Haines ‘dirt file’

    Labor is on the defensive over a so-called “dirt file” compiled about independent MP Helen Haines just weeks before she was attacked outside her electorate office. Plus, a world-first cancer vaccine delivers astonishing results, and Rebel Wilson’s latest legal win. Read more: It’s not a dirt sheet, says Marles, as Hanson calls for end to ‘grubby’ politics ‘Not good enough’: Helen Haines ally David Pocock queries Anthony Albanese’s dirt sheet defence World’s first cancer vaccine slashes death risk in stunning findings Analysis by Natasha Robinson: New vaccine pushes hopes of melanoma cure even higher Rebel Wilson awarded $359,000 after winning legal battle over movie The Deb See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • October 22 · 14 min

    He’s right, she’s left: no wonder Gen-Zs aren’t having sex

    As young men increasingly drift towards conservative political worldviews, young women are becoming more progressive - and they’re increasingly unwilling to consider partners with opposing views. They call it the relationship recession - and Louise Perry has a thesis that notions of love, sex and politics are all being radically redrawn. Read more about this story at theaustralian.com.au and see the video by subscribing to our YouTube channel. This episode of The Front is presented by Claire Harvey, produced by Kristen Amiet and edited by Tiffany Dimmack. Our team includes Lia Tsamoglou, Joshua Burton and Jasper Leak, who also composed our music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  • October 22 · 7 min

    Ben Roberts-Smith doubts ‘fair trial’ on war-crimes charges

    Disgraced commando Ben Roberts-Smith told 2GB’s Ben Fordham he doesn’t know if he’ll get a fair trial when he faces court on war crimes charges. He’s consistently denied wrongdoing and has indicated he’ll defend the charges. Plus, AI detects a bug that could cripple 70 per cent of the internet’s websites. Read more: Ben Roberts-Smith breaks silence to slam AFP over dramatic Sydney Airport arrest Ben Roberts-Smith to see secret evidence in alleged war crimes case Ben Roberts-Smith kept in dark over 500 secret war crimes witnesses AI just found a bug that puts up to 70pc of the world’s websites at risk Australian government websites go dark after AI finds critical flaw See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Showing 1–20 of 161 episodes