Podcast · News

7am

by Solstice Media · English · News

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.

New episodes: Daily
Typical length: 17 min
Latest: 8 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

8 Oct 2026 · 16 minNew

The $25 billion plan to take on Coles and Woolworths

The Greens’ official think-tank has a new proposition — a national chain of 624 publicly owned supermarkets. To make that a reality would cost more than $25 billion, and involve the forced sale of 200 Coles and Woolworths supermarkets. But the Institute, which took its inspiration from New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, says it would cut grocery bills by 22 per cent. Today, former MP and now Green Institute Executive Director Max Chandler-Mather on his proposal for a publicly owned supermarket chain. If you enjoy 7am , the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E2068 · 7 Oct 2026 · 17 minNew

Could the Flydubai attack keep Netanyahu in power?

Big events have always had the power to shape elections: from John Howard and the Tampa affair, to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. And it doesn’t get much bigger than a foiled attempt to bring down a plane mid-flight. One week on from the Flydubai incident, details are continuing to filter out about the co-pilot accused of stabbing his colleague in an effort to crash the Tel Aviv-bound plane. And as investigations continue, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been front and centre – with the country’s election just weeks away. Today, Middle East…
E2067 · 6 Oct 2026 · 15 minNew

'Biggest cut in history': What Angus Taylor’s migration cuts would do to Australia

Angus Taylor has promised “the biggest cut to immigration in the history of this country” – vowing to cut net overseas migration to one hundred thousand for two years if he wins office, slashing Australia’s temporary migration intake by 650 thousand over four years. Temporary graduate visas would be scrapped and new international students capped at 240 thousand. Australia’s humanitarian intake to be halved at ten thousand a year. In a press conference which saw classic Coalition slogan “stop the boats” make a comeback, a new catch cry made an…
E2066 · 5 Oct 2026 · 17 min

Undercover inside Cuba: The world’s longest-running blockade

The United States is once again tightening its grip on Cuba. New travel and economic restrictions are adding to a brutal oil blockade that has already pushed the country deeper into crisis, leaving Cuba increasingly isolated both politically and economically. But behind the decades of hostility between Washington and Havana, there’s a human cost that can be easy to lose sight of. Power cuts stretch through the night. Food and medicine are scarce and millions of people are struggling with water shortages. Today, SBS reporter for Dateline, Colin Cosier takes us inside Cuba, where he…
E2065 · 4 Oct 2026 · 19 min

Alastair Campbell on Pauline, Trump and the shifting world order

Last week, Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham stood in front of the Labour Party conference and promised to break politics as usual. In an emotional speech, he took aim at privatisation, austerity and Brexit, arguing that Britain’s departure from the European Union had done more harm than good. Alastair Campbell was in the room and he sees Burnham’s speech as part of a much bigger political moment, as populist parties gain ground, America redraws its alliances and China is asserting more power abroad. For countries like Britain and Australia, that means old…
E2064 · 3 Oct 2026 · 17 min

‘It’s not 1800-phone-a-friend’: the failed promise of therapy apps

If you listen to podcasts, and let’s be honest, there’s a fair chance that you do, it’s likely that you’ve heard ads for a thing called Better Help. It’s an app offering flexible, affordable therapy whenever you need it. Kind of an “Uber for therapy”. Since we first brought you this story two years ago, app-based therapy has continued to grow – and now AI chatbots are increasingly being used for mental health support too. So are we actually better off with BetterHelp and apps like it? Today, we’re returning to our conversation with…
E2063 · 2 Oct 2026 · 17 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…
E2062 · 1 Oct 2026 · 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…
E2061 · 30 Sep 2026 · 13 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…
E2060 · 29 Sep 2026 · 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…
E2059 · 28 Sep 2026 · 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…
E2058 · 27 Sep 2026 · 17 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…
E2057 · 26 Sep 2026 · 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…
E2056 · 25 Sep 2026 · 19 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…
E2055 · 24 Sep 2026 · 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…
E2054 · 23 Sep 2026 · 16 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…
E2053 · 22 Sep 2026 · 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…
E2052 · 21 Sep 2026 · 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…
E2051 · 20 Sep 2026 · 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…
E2050 · 19 Sep 2026 · 14 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…
E2049 · 18 Sep 2026 · 17 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…
E2048 · 17 Sep 2026 · 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…
E2047 · 16 Sep 2026 · 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…
E2046 · 15 Sep 2026 · 18 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…
E2045 · 14 Sep 2026 · 18 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…
E2044 · 13 Sep 2026 · 19 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,…
E2043 · 12 Sep 2026 · 31 min

This is Alice Springs: Children of the Intervention

From afar, Alice Springs is a whirlpool of myth and truth. A town with competing interests and few solutions, marked by chaos and decades of government overreach. In cities and towns across Australia, we read about a “crisis” about “rampages”. One newspaper described the children of Alice Springs as “tiny menaces stuck on a turnstile of trouble”. In this first episode of our three part series This is Alice Springs , Daniel James visits the town at the heart of our nation, to find out how all the interventions, big and small, by governments of all…
E2042 · 11 Sep 2026 · 15 min

Did the PM dabble in pork barrelling?

In 2020 Anthony Albanese called for the sacking of then-sports minister Bridget McKenzie over her involvement in the infamous sports rorts – which he labelled a farce. Not long after, she resigned. But now that similar pork barrelling claims have been levelled at the Prime Minister, he’s come out swinging – refusing to admit any wrong-doing over his failure to declare membership at a golf club which received a six million dollar grant. Also coming out swinging this week was Andrew Hastie. The Liberal MP delivered a masterclass in how to take on One Nation as he labelled…
E2041 · 10 Sep 2026 · 18 min

“Nerd Reich”: Are big tech billionaires at war with democracy?

When Donald Trump was sworn in for a second time, some of the most powerful men in the tech world had the best seats in the room. Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg – a display of just how close silicon valley had aligned itself to the administration. But within that world, journalist Gil Durán says, is a smaller, more radical group with a much bigger ambition: get rid of democracy, and use technology to build a new order in its place, controlled by a wealthy elite. And in his new book, The Nerd Reich , Gil traces how these once-fringe ideas have moved closer to the White…
E2040 · 9 Sep 2026 · 14 min

Why Jacqui Lambie’s not done fighting veteran health caps

Last month, an emotional Jacqui Lambie revealed a private health battle connected to her time in the army – a debilitating prolapse that required surgery. The Tasmanian senator called out gaps in health care services for female veterans, and raged against the government’s plans to introduce a $5,000 cap on allied health services for veterans. This week fellow veterans joined her calls, laying down their war medals outside parliament house in protest, as Lambie promised to continue the fight. Today, Senator Jacqui Lambie on why veterans are getting a raw deal. If you enjoy 7am ,…

About 7am

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.

7am is a English news podcast from Solstice Media. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Solstice Media
Language: English
Category: News
New episodes: Daily
Typical length: 17 min
Latest episode: 8 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1461999702
Website: 7ampodcast.com.au
Rights: 2026 Solstice Media

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