7am

Amid the seismic political shift currently underway in this country, there’s been one party missing from the conversation: the Greens. And it’s curious, because the conditions that have seen One Nation rise – frustration with the major parties, a slip in living standards, appetite for change – should suit the Greens and their anti-establishment politics. So why are they lost in the political wilderness?Today, former Greens MP and Green Institute Executive Director Max Chandler-Mather on whether the Greens can mount a comeback and tap into the progressive version of Pauline’s populist politics. 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 Greens MP Max Chandler-Mather Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Western Australia, police have just started trialling technology that can identify people as they walk past.  A marked police van will scan faces outside major events, cross-checking them against a watchlist of people wanted by authorities. Police say it’s targeted and that innocent people have nothing to fear. But once this kind of surveillance is switched on, the question becomes how far it spreads, and who decides when it stops.  Today, UNSW cyber security expert Professor Richard Buckland, on the scope creep of live facial recognition technology, and the danger of normalising police powers before the public understands them.   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 cyber security expert Professor Richard Buckland Photo: WA PoliceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2017, billionaire businessman Sanjeev Gupta rescued the Whyalla steelworks from administration, becoming known as the “saviour of steel”. There was hope in this small South Australian town that steelmaking – and the thousands of jobs tied to it – would survive. But since then, Gupta has lost control, the South Australian government has forced the steelworks into administration, and taxpayers are now underwriting the rescue to the tune of $2.4 billion. Now, the sale of the steelworks is in its final stages, but the question of whether Whyalla becomes the green steel town politicians promised, or whether public money is being used to keep an ageing steelworks alive, remains. Today, investigative journalist and former host of the ABC’s Media Watch Paul Barry, on the billionaire who brought Whyalla to the brink – and what it would really take to save the town. 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: Investigative journalist and former host of the ABC’s Media Watch Paul Barry Photo: AAP Image/David MariuzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Pauline Hanson called for multiculturalism to be replaced with monoculturalism.  At the same time, the Soccerros were capturing the hearts and minds of Australians everywhere on the biggest stage of all, the World Cup.  It’s a team filled with players from multiple cultural backgrounds and one,  that if Hanson’s vision of the nation came to bear, simply wouldn’t exist.  Today, former Soccerroo and refugee advocate, Craig Foster. On the team that’s quietly challenging one of the most divisive debates in the country, simply by taking the field.    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 Socceroo and refugee advocate, Craig Foster Photo: Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via APSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For three decades, Pauline Hanson has built a career on grievance.  In all that time she hasn’t fronted to the bastion of political journalism, the national press club. That was until yesterday where she appeared for the first time. In a long address she laid out how she aims to turn her politics of grievance into policy; targeting immigration, the ABC, multiculturalism, renewable energy, transgender rights and journalists.  It was a performance that will play to her base and one that helps explain her rise in the polls. But she also gave her opponents a clearer picture of what they’re running against and what to target in the two years until the next election. Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton, on Pauline Hanson’s big moment, and the fight now coming for One Nation.    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: Press gallery journalist Karen Middleton Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump said what he wanted for his 80th birthday was world peace And now, alongside the UFC spectacle on the White House lawn, he appears to have given himself the headline he wanted: a so-called peace deal with Iran. Or more accurately - a sixty day “pause” – while negotiations continue.  Today Director of the Australia Institute's International & Security Affairs Program Dr Emma Shortis on the latest end of the war announcement - and what could derail it.    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: Director of the Australia Institute’s International & Security Affairs Program, Dr Emma Shortis Photo: Bonnie Cash/Pool/ABACAPRESS.COMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Professor Christian Downie appeared before a Senate inquiry into climate and energy misinformation, he warned that Australia is facing coordinated campaigns designed not to debate climate solutions, but to stall them. Professor Downie has spent years inside boardrooms and the lobbying world studying how these campaigns are built – tracing the billions spent on messaging by lobby groups, PR firms and think tanks – and outlining what he calls “the climate obstruction playbook”. It’s a strategy refined in Washington and increasingly echoed in Australia. Today, Professor at ANU’s School of Regulation and Global Governance, Christian Downie, on how the obstruction playbook has been so successful in stopping action on climate change. This episode was originally published in October, 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: Professor at ANU’s School of Regulation and Global Governance and Director of the Governing Energy Transition Lab, Christian Downie Photo: REUTERS/Pascal RossignolSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades Pauline Hanson has been on the fringe of politics. Sometimes mocked, often ignored, occasionally courted. Even from that position she’s been influential: her presence can be felt in our immigration policies, dating back to Howard.  But her power and her popularity have never been greater than they are today. A recent poll has one Nation as the most popular party in the country, surpassing Labor in primary support.  So just how possible is an Australia governed by One Nation?  Today, host of The Conversation’s The Making of One Nation podcast, Ashlynne McGhee, on the party’s popularity and what it will try to do with it.    If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   And you can check out The Making of One Nation podcast here    Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Making One Nation podcast host, Ashlynne McGhee Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.