Late Night Live - Full program podcast on Steno.fm

Late Night Live - Full program podcast

From razor-sharp analysis of current events to the hottest debates in politics, science, philosophy and culture, Late Night Live puts you firmly in the big picture.

Thu, April 24, 2025
Australians in the Spanish Civil War, and when hair was thought to indicate character
Approximately 70 Australians risked their lives to fight Franco's fascism in the Spanish Civil War, but they are not honoured in Australia. And, whiskerology - one term for the 19th century American movement that judged people's character by their hair.
Wed, April 23, 2025
What it's like to be raided by DOGE, and the fearless feminist Beatrice Faust
A former employee of the US Institute of Peace (USIP) recounts the dramatic days when members of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) raided his office and sacked most of the staff. Plus, historian Judith Brett on the fearless 1970s Australian feminist, Beatrice Faust.
Tue, April 22, 2025
Laura Tingle's election, the survival of NATO, and the misunderstood pigeon
Early voting opens on a subdued day in the federal election campaign. Will the 76 year-old security pact NATO survive, despite US President Trump's skepticism? And how did pigeons go from prized possessions, to pests?
Mon, April 21, 2025
Taiwan and its chips: the colourful history of this strategically important nation
As Taiwan waits to hear what tariffs the Trump Government will impose on its world-leading computer chips and semi-conductors, we bring you a rollicking account of this strategically important small nation. This program was first broadcast on 10 October 2024. Guest: Jonathan Clements, author of 'Rebel Island: the incredible history of Taiwan' (Scribe) Producer: Ann Arnold
Thu, April 17, 2025
Philippe Sands on war crimes and impunity - from Pinochet to now
In 1998, the former Chilean head of state Augusto Pinochet was arrested on charges of crimes against humanity and genocide. Philippe Sands was called to advise Pinochet on his claim to immunity, but would instead represent a human rights organisation against him. Guest: Philippe Sands, author of 38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia, appearing at the Sydney Writers Festival, May 2025
Wed, April 16, 2025
Pollies and their private interests, and a forgotten hero in forensics
Sean Johnson from Open Politics says Australia's federal parliament needs to act against MPs who fail to disclose their private interests. And journalist Pagan Kennedy shares the story of Marty Goddard - the true inventor of the standardised rape kit - a vital tool in sexual assault forensics.
Tue, April 15, 2025
Harvard defies the White House, Yanis Varoufakis on 'Trump Shock', and Australia's oldest footrace
The Trump administration's war on universities continues, but Harvard refuses to 'yield'. Political economist Yanis Varoufakis compares Trump's tariffs to the 'Nixon Shock' of 1971. Plus, the folklore of Australia's oldest running race: the Stawell Gift.
Mon, April 14, 2025
Laura Tingle's Canberra, the broken promise of religious discrimination reform, and a history of hand gestures
Laura Tingle recaps the official campaign launches of the major parties, three weeks out from the federal election. Another federal term ends without a promised reform to the Sex Discrimination Act, to remove an exemption allowing religious schools to discriminate against LGBTQI students and staff. And philosopher Damon Young maps the history of human gestures..
Thu, April 10, 2025
'Sorrow, grief, horror': Kate Grenville confronts her settler ancestry
20 years on from her famous novel The Secret River, writer Kate Grenville retraces the footsteps of her settler ancestors, and asks what it means to be on land taken from other people. Guest: Kate Grenville, author of Unsettled, published by Black Inc
Wed, April 09, 2025
Antony Green's last election broadcast, and the path ahead for Syria
Legendary ABC election analyst Antony Green has announced this federal election will be his last in an on-air role. Plus, journalist Nicholas Pelham on what lies ahead for Syria's new government.
Tue, April 08, 2025
Bruce Shapiro's Trumpland, Netanyahu's latest scandal, and the death of the interval
Bruce Shapiro on who is getting rich from Trump's tariffs, Irris Makler on how the Gaza war is playing out inside Israel, plus why the theatre interval is disappearing.
Mon, April 07, 2025
Laura Tingle's Canberra, the Brits baulk on AUKUS, and tariffs in the ancient world
Can Opposition leader Peter Dutton recover from a policy backtrack? What does the UK's AUKUS review mean for the relationship between the three allies? And a look at ancient Rome reveals that tariffs are nothing new, but always messy.
Thu, April 03, 2025
John Howard and the 1998 waterfront dispute, plus Peter Rose on life as a literary editor
An ABC podcast has uncovered new evidence that casts doubt on the Howard governments' claims they knew nothing about plans to sack 1400 wharfies and train a new, non-union workforce in Dubai during the 1998 waterfront dispute. Plus the Australian Book Review's CEO and editor, Peter Rose, reflects on a lifetime shaping the national conversation.
Wed, April 02, 2025
First Nations resistance in the River Country, and is ignorance always bliss?
Historian Stephen Gapps reveals the incredible story of frontier resistance warfare in a huge area of the Murray-Darling river system, across many First Nations’ lands, in a concerted defence of River Country. Plus, Professor of Humanities Mark Lilla on why humans are seduced by ignorance.
Tue, April 01, 2025
Ian Dunt's UK, does the Coalition's gas policy stack up, and Australia's endless rabbit problem
Analysis of current events to the hottest debates in politics, science, philosophy and culture.
Mon, March 31, 2025
Laura Tingle's federal election, plus defining antisemitism at universities
As the election campaign gets underway, Laura Tingle looks at the messaging, who is being effective and what role US President Donald Trump plays in it all. Plus why many Australian universities have adopted a definition of antisemitism that includes criticism of Israel.
Thu, March 27, 2025
Gaza and the contradictions of the West, and are priests employees of the Church?
Journalist Omar El Akkad examines what he sees as the moral contradictions of the West in the face of sustained violence in Gaza. Plus, lawyer Judy Courtin on the recent Australian High Court ruling that the Catholic Church is not 'vicariously liable' for a priest's abuse.
Wed, March 26, 2025
Sexual violence perpetrators getting younger, and lost in the Amazon for forty days
Perpetrators of sexual violence are getting younger, and the messaging campaigns aimed at men are only causing a backlash. Jess Hill on why our prevention programs are failing. Plus the real story behind the tale of four children lost in the Amazon jungle after their plane crashed.
Tue, March 25, 2025
Bruce Shapiro's America, Poland digging trenches, and crime in the Antarctic
Bruce Shapiro on the pressure facing judges, law firms and institutions to either comply with - or resist - US President Donald Trump's executive orders. As Europe ramps up defence spending, Poland is already digging lines of defence. And what happens when human conflict - or even a crime - occurs in an Antarctic workplace?
Mon, March 24, 2025
Laura Tingle's Canberra, mass protests in Turkiye and Australia's own vernacular
Laura Tingle on how the major parties have aligned to water down environmental protection laws in the face of further disasters in the Tasmanian salmon industry. Thousands protest the arrest of Turkiye's opposition leader. Plus the Australian-isms we love, and what they say about our history.
Thu, March 20, 2025
The ethics of posthumous publishing plus the dark side of green cities
Questions are being asked about whether its ethical to publish author Joan Didion's personal diaries after her death - and without her consent. Plus the dark history of the green cities movement - with links to eugenics and ideas of making compliant workers.
Wed, March 19, 2025
Radio propaganda wars in the Middle East, and the firebombing of Tokyo
Historian Margaret Peacock traces the history of radio propaganda in the Middle East from 1940-1960. From the BBC to Radio Moscow, all the big powers had their own Arabic language radio stations broadcasting across the region. Plus the ongoing trauma of the firebombing of Tokyo. The elderly survivors of the bombing are still fighting for recognition.
Tue, March 18, 2025
Ian Dunt's UK, Russia's frozen assets, and Poland confronts its queer history
Ian Dunt reflects on the role of Britain in a Europe bolstering its defences. Sir William Browder says sanctioned Russian assets should be used to leverage a decent peace deal for Ukraine. And a new museum fills the silence of Poland's queer history.
Mon, March 17, 2025
Laura Tingle's Canberra, Satyajit Das on how to survive a trade war, and trolling before the Internet
7.30 Political editor, Laura Tingle, asks whether Anthony Albanese ever had any chance of escaping Trump's tariffs. Economist and writer Satyajit Das, on how Australia should navigate this economic uncertainty. And a history of trolling before the internet.
Thu, March 13, 2025
The most trusting nation on Earth, and the rise and fall of Trudeau
The Danes, alongside other Scandinavian nations, are the most trusting people on Earth - trusting of their neighbours, fellow citizens and public institutions. Why then, has trust in the Danish media collapsed? Plus, biographer Stephen Maher on the rise and fall of Justin Trudeau, the prince of Canadian politics.
Wed, March 12, 2025
A new age of nuclear peril, and the Caribbean countries lining up to leave the monarchy
As alliances wobble, wars rage and world leaders talk of rearmament, are we on the precipice of a new nuclear age? Security expert Ankit Panda says our coexistence with the bomb is becoming more complicated and perilous. Plus, why are Caribbean nations lining up to leave the British monarchy?
Tue, March 11, 2025
Bruce Shapiro's America, the potential of prison architecture, and Queensland's rebellious first female doctor
Bruce Shapiro is back as measles spreads in Texas, and Columbia University faces drastic defunding from the Trump administration. Criminologist Yvonne Jewkes on the myths and benefits of prisoner rehabilitation through building design. And playwright Katy Forde celebrates the life of Dr Lilian Cooper - Brisbane's first female doctor - with an award-winning musical.
Mon, March 10, 2025
Laura Tingle's Canberra, the origins of DEI, and who really discovered gold in Australia?
Political Editor Laura Tingle on the potential federal implications of WA's state election result. What are the origins of the DEI initiatives (diversity, equity and inclusion) in the United States, that President Trump so reviles? And who really discovered gold in Australia in the mid-19th Century?
Thu, March 06, 2025
Alan Rusbridger on the perils of political journalism, and Robert Dessaix on life, death, sexuality and more
Alan Rusbridger, the former editor in chief of The Guardian UK on Trump's push to silence dissenting voices in the media and writer Robert Dessaix has a new memoir, Chameleon, in which he reflects on his many identities and how his changing understandings of life.
Wed, March 05, 2025
The State of the World: the rise of Orbán, Trump and Netanyahu
Has the rise of leaders like Orbán, Trump and Netanyahu finally put paid to the liberal fantasy that fascism, ultra-nationalism and xenophobia were symptoms of a political malaise consigned to the 19th century? Authors Wesley Lowery and John Crace join David Marr in front of a live audience at Adelaide Writers' Week.
Tue, March 04, 2025
The State of the Self: Have we lost a sense of community in a post pandemic world?
Despite the promise that we were “all in it together”, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a flight from sociability. While that escape may have been a relief for some, has it intensified a culture of excessive individualism, narcissism, and disconnection from one another? Julia Baird, Geraldine Brooks and Rachel Kushner join David Marr in front of a live audience at Adelaide Writers' Week.
Tue, March 04, 2025
The State of the Self: Have we lost a sense of community in a post pandemic world?
Despite the promise that we were “all in it together”, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a flight from sociability. While that escape may have been a relief for some, has it intensified a culture of excessive individualism, narcissism, and disconnection from one another? Julia Baird, Geraldine Brooks and Rachel Kushner join David Marr in front of a live audience at Adelaide Writers Week
Mon, March 03, 2025
The State of the Nation: has the myth of the 'fair go' been broken?
Has the myth of the Australian fair-go finally been broken? Are social divides deepening and widening? And in a time of great uncertainty, how does Australia see itself in the world? Bob Carr, Rick Morton and Rebecca Huntley join David Marr in front of a live audience at Adelaide Writers' Week.
Thu, February 27, 2025
Trans poet and comedian Alok Vaid-Menon on being banned by Trump
Trans poet and comedian Alok Vaid-Menon on how they use humour to flip the narrative about transgender people, and how to tackle Donald Trump's transgender ban - by focusing on compassion for the people who want to oppress them.
Wed, February 26, 2025
The story of Russia through Putin's eyes, and the painting that rocked Australian politics
Three years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, renowned historian Orlando Figes, delves into President Vladimir Putin's rationale for war. And we go back to 1970s Australia and America, when the Whitlam Government paid a record sum for an abstract expressionist painting - Blue Poles. There was an outcry, and the government would pay a political price as well.
Tue, February 25, 2025
Ian Dunt's UK, NT mining royalties slump and how to rescue a hummingbird
Ian Dunt on how the UK is reacting to Trump abandoning Ukraine. What happens to NT Indigenous communities when mining royalties dry up? And how to rescue a hummingbird.
Mon, February 24, 2025
Laura Tingle's Canberra, the money behind far-right young voices and the charlatan geologist from WA
Laura Tingle on the variation in poll results ahead of the election being called, the big money media-training the conservative young faces of the far-right. Plus was Western Australia's first government geologist a genius... or a charlatan?
Thu, February 20, 2025
Calls to audit Welcomes to Country, and who pays for climate disasters when insurance folds?
Indigenous Australian theatre and arts director Rhoda Roberts says the backlash against Welcome to Country ceremonies is a return to assimilation. Plus in 2024, the planet was hit by 58 weather disasters with damages of more than a billion dollars and numerous insurance companies are either folding or limiting what they will insure. So who pays for the damage?
Wed, February 19, 2025
A Catholic Bishop's take on the US Immigration crackdown, and the women who revolutionised Australian publishing
A growing number of Catholic Church leaders have criticised US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Bishop Mark Seitz from El Paso, Texas, says immigrants deserve mercy, not persecution. And happy fiftieth birthday to McPhee Gribble, the small enterprise that changed Australian publishing forever.
Tue, February 18, 2025
Bruce Shapiro's America, Vanuatu deals with multiple earthquakes and are book blurbs just an incestuous love-fest?
Members of the US Congress are wondering whether President Donal Trump will simply ignore the courts and and precipitate a constitutional crisis. How does Vanuatu recover from the double shock of earthquakes and cyclones? And major publishing house Simon and Schuster has banned book blurbs, claiming the practice is part of an "incestuous" system that rewards an author's connections.
Mon, February 17, 2025
Laura Tingle's Canberra, the War Memorial refurbished, and the shipwreck that devastated Darwin
Laura Tingle looks at what role the independents could play in a minority Coalition government. And a look back at the shipwreck that devastated early Darwin in 1875 - the sinking of the SS Gothenburg.
Thu, February 13, 2025
Political chaos in South Korea and the poet who broke taboos
A declaration of martial law in South Korea, lasting six hours, has created the country’s biggest constitutional crisis since the late 1980s, and the life of forgotten Australian poet, Francis Webb.
Wed, February 12, 2025
Life in the shadow of Mussolini and how white supremacy infiltrated the wellness industry
The small town of Predappio is Italy’s premier neo-fascist tourist site, with hundreds of thousands of fascist sympathisers descending on the town annually. So how do the locals feel about living in the shadow of Mussolini’s grave? Plus the strange connection between the wellness industry and white nationalism.
Tue, February 11, 2025
Ian Dunt's UK, the economics of degrowth, and how relevant are the Oscars?
Calls to "stop the boats" have returned to UK Parliament. What is the degrowth movement, and can it really challenge the global economic order? Plus how relevant are the Oscars as they near their centenary?
Mon, February 10, 2025
Laura Tingle's Canberra, the invention of jaywalking, and unearthing Roman mosaics
Outrage in parliament as the Opposition shuts down Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus during Holocaust speech. Why some US cities are decriminalising jaywalkers, and some remarkable finds of Roman mosaics.
Thu, February 06, 2025
The wild and talented poet Dorothy Porter and re-thinking privacy
The late Australian poet Dorothy Porter is best known for her verse novel The Monkey's Mask. But her work ranged across many ouvres. Her early life at home, with violence and bullying at the hands of her well-known barrister father, Chester Porter, is laid bare in a memoir written by Dorothy's sister Josie McSkimming
Wed, February 05, 2025
Trump's plan to 'take over' Gaza, Brazil's feud with tech titans, and Antarctica's tourism boom
ABC Global Affairs Editor John Lyons digests US President Donald Trump's extraordinary declaration that the United States will 'take over' the Gaza Strip. Why is Brazil taking on the tech titans and demanding "digital sovereignty"? And with 125,000 visitors last year, has 'overtourism' reached Antarctica?
Tue, February 04, 2025
Bruce Shapiro's America, Belarus’ secret program to undermine the EU, and moral panic over female cyclists
Bruce Shapiro on Trump's tariff backtrack. How Belarus is weaponising migrants to destabilise the EU. And moral panic over cycling women in Victorian England.
Mon, February 03, 2025
Laura Tingle's Canberra, Trump and Netanyahu discuss the West Bank, and Australia's love of cinema
Peter Dutton's political point-scoring on national security and antisemitism. Will Benjamin Netanyahu get what he wants from the second phase of the ceasefire deal. And cinema indoors and out - Australia has a longstanding cinema tradition.
Thu, January 30, 2025
America's history of expelling migrants, and factchecking in a "post-truth" world
US President Donald Trump’s threatened deportation of up to twenty million immigrants brings back tough memories for Japanese Americans who were deported in World War Two. Plus the New Yorker's head fact checker, Fergus McIntosh.
Wed, January 29, 2025
Vancouver's fentanyl epidemic plus the lost languages of Tibet
Vancouver decriminalised possession of small quantities of drugs for personal use in 2023. Then drug deaths sky-rocketed. So did the experiment fail, or were there other factors at play? Plus Tibet is one of the most linguistically diverse regions on the planet, but Mandarin is encroaching and the old languages are disappearing.
Tue, January 28, 2025
Elon Musk and Nigel Farage fall out, plus can Trump really buy Greenland?
Ian Dunt on the fall-out between Nigel Farage and Elon Musk. Plus what Greenlanders think of Trump's push to the buy the icy island.
Mon, January 27, 2025
Australia by numbers, and a history of the beach shack
As the Australia Day weekend comes to a close, leading social researchers Rebecca Huntley and Anthea Hancocks break down what the latest data says about who we are as a nation in 2025. Plus, Anna Clark muses on the history of the Australian beach shack.
Thu, January 23, 2025
When child soldiers grow up and April Ashley - glamour model and trans pioneer
What happens when child soldiers grow up and have children of their own? A new inter-generational study looks at the former child soldiers of Sierra Leone. Plus when a glamorous life is revealed to be a lie.
Wed, January 22, 2025
Peter Beinart on being Jewish after the destruction of Gaza, and Coca-Cola's power in China
While anti-Semitic attacks in Australia and America appear to be on the rise, Jewish journalism professor and author Peter Beinart argues that Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank have made Jews around the world a target. Plus how Coca-Cola infiltrated academia, and meddled with the science of obesity to protect their profits in America, China and beyond.
Tue, January 21, 2025
Bruce Shapiro on Trump's America Mark ll and a journalist returns to Syria
Regular US commentator Bruce Shapiro in an extended segment to talk inauguration and more. And journalist Dima Khatib was on the first commercial flight back into her home city of Damascus, after the fall of the Assad regime.
Mon, January 20, 2025
Laura Tingle's Canberra, a fishy deal and eucalypts taking over the world
Laura Tingle looks at how the major parties spent their summer as the shadow election campaign takes off. A landmark agreement for workers on Pacific fishing boats. Plus the role of eucalyptus trees in the LA fires, and how they've become an invasive species around the world.
Thu, January 16, 2025
LNL Summer: Stephen Fry on life, last words and the things he can't do
Stephen Fry reflects on the power of story-telling, how to counter impostor syndrome and the things he absolutely can’t do. Guest: Stephen Fry Originally broadcast: 28 October 2024
Wed, January 15, 2025
LNL Summer: Can copyright protect Indigenous art, and the downfall of the Maharajas
Since the 1980s, lawyers have used copyright law to protect Indigenous Art, but is it fit for purpose? When India gained its independence, a huge part of the country was ruled by many local princes or Maharajas. How were they convinced to give up their power to join the new Independent India?
Tue, January 14, 2025
LNL Summer: New Zealand's ethical escort agency, and pen pals across the Iron Curtain
Antonia Murphy recounts her stranger-than-fiction experience, running an ethical escort agency in New Zealand. And historian Alexis Peris uncovers a bundle of letters exchanged between women in the US and the Soviet Union, across the Iron Curtain.
Mon, January 13, 2025
LNL Summer: Opus Dei and the banks, plus the million-year history of birdsong in Australia
The deep connections between banks and the conservative Catholic order, Opus Dei. Plus how Australia's birds had songs millions of years before they reached Europe, Asia, Africa or the Americas.
Thu, January 09, 2025
LNL Summer: Wy the Dreyfus Affair still matters
Alfred Dreyfus was an officer in the French Army when he was arrested 130 years ago for treason, convicted and sent to Devils Island for 5 years in solitary confinement. His battle for justice divided the population of France and fascinated people across the globe.
Wed, January 08, 2025
LNL Summer: Who were Australia's black convicts and the truth about absinthe
Santilla Chingaipe tells the stories of the 15 convicts of African descent that came with the first fleet, and the hundreds that followed. How does their story fit in the story of the global slave trade? And what truth is there to the mystical powers of absinthe both in the past and its current form? Is it more myth than magic? Evan Rail investigates.
Tue, January 07, 2025
LNL Summer: A biography of Madrid, and the lives of medieval women
Australian-born writer and honorary madrileño Luke Stegemann celebrates the remarkable and under-appreciated Spanish capital of Madrid. And a new exhibition brings medieval women back to life.
Mon, January 06, 2025
LNL Summer: The paradox of passports, plus Harry Houdini's Australian hijinks
Did you know passports can be ranked, and can be different even within nations? Patrick Bixby examines the history of passports. Plus what Harry Houdini got up to when he visited Australia.
Thu, January 02, 2025
LNL Summer: Australia's first novelist revealed plus the race to save the world's islands
Author Henry Savery is credited with being Australia's first novelist, for his work 'Quintus Servinton', but in his new book author and historian Sean Doyle says in fact the first Autralian-born novelist was John Lang. Plus the challenge to save the world's islands and their inhabitants from the triple threat threat of invasive species, sea level rises and global heating.
Wed, January 01, 2025
LNL Summer: Celebrating First Nations languages, and a neuroscientist gets to know some cattle
Insights into some of the hundreds of Australian indigenous languages, which continue to evolve. And what can be learnt from spending a lot of time with a small herd of cows.
Tue, December 31, 2024
LNL Summer: The UK's poet laureate, and the return of the night parrot
UK poet laureate Simon Armitage reflects on his Yorkshire upbringing, writing great royal deaths and coronations, and his fear and love for nature. Plus, ornithologist Penny Olsen celebrates the historic detection of a population of rare night parrots, in WA's Great Sandy Desert.
Mon, December 30, 2024
LNL Summer: Ambon pilgrimage and remembering Kosciuscko
War historian Joan Beaumont makes a pilgrimage to the Indonesian island of Ambon, where hundreds of Australian soldiers died in WWll, and ponders the meaning of connection to past war traumas. Plus, remembering Tadeusz Kosciuszko - who was he, and why was he so revered?
Thu, December 26, 2024
LNL Summer: the year Paris was in ruins plus why we're hooked on salty fish
Art critic Sebastian Smee on why 1870 was an "annus horribilis" for Paris, but one which produced breathtaking art. Plus, love them or hate them, the humble anchovy has an important place in cuisine around the world. But we're fishing them right out of the seas.
Wed, December 25, 2024
LNL Summer: Frontline nurses in the AIDS crisis plus the Erm Malley hoax
In the early years of AIDS, nurses were stigmatised along with their patients. Now, their story has been told. Plus the great Australian poetry hoax, eighty years on.
Tue, December 24, 2024
LNL Summer: Pamela Churchill Harriman, kingmaker plus Balkan food fight
Writer Sonia Purnell reveals the astonishing life of Pamela Churchill Harriman, one of the most significant women in 20th century politics. Plus why are Balkan countries fighting over the origins of their national dishes?
Mon, December 23, 2024
LNL Summer: Guatemalan adoption & Wyballena memorials
In Guatemala private adoption agencies sent huge numbers of babies overseas - with many of them indigenous. And on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait, restoration work on the Aboriginal settlement Wybalenna has stalled. It is a significant cultural site where many Tasmanian Aboriginal people were sent in 1831. Only 47 survived.
Thu, December 19, 2024
LNL Summer: Searching for the soul
What is the soul? Is it a substance, your conscience or simply a creation of the mind? Most societies and religions have some concept of the soul. Historian Paul Ham has looked at how the idea has changed through history and across cultures. Guest: Paul Ham, author of The Soul: A History of the Human Mind (Penguin Random House) Originally broadcast on 1 August 2024
Wed, December 18, 2024
Exposing Pine Gap, the scam of academic publishing and the brilliance of the notebook
Des Ball had a long and complicated relationship with Pine Gap, which is explored in a new documentary, we ask whether academic publishing should be making big bucks - for the publishers and the contribution of the notebook to the work of some of our literary and scientific geniuses.
Tue, December 17, 2024
LNL Summer: Lobbying in the US and Captain Cooks last voyage
Brody Mullins investigates how lobbyists have changed politics and society in America and Hamilton Sides tells the story of how and why James Cook's last voyage ended up in violence - from the Hawaiian perspective.
Mon, December 16, 2024
LNL Summer: William Dalrymple on India's Golden Road
For more than 1000 years, India was a trading powerhouse across the globe - not only of spices, wild animals and gemstones but also of language, philosophy, religion, mathematics and astronomy. But why is this part of India's history not so well known, and why did its dominance wane about 1200 AD? Guest: William Dalrymple, historian, podcaster and author of The Golden Road How Ancient India Transformed the World (Bloomsbury) Originally broadcast on 3 September 2024
Thu, December 12, 2024
2024 Year in Review
Chas Licciardello, Sashi Perera and First Dog on the Moon - aka Andrew Marlton - join David Marr to survey the profound and the ridiculous from the year we've just had.
Wed, December 11, 2024
What made Cyprus rich, and the secrets of the deep oceans
A history of Cyprus that's equal parts epic and personal. Plus, Susan Casey on the life that thrives thousands of metres below the surface of the ocean.
Tue, December 10, 2024
Bruce Shapiro's America, Syria's uncertain future, and our love of Mars
Bruce Shapiro's take on a remarkable year in American politics - and what to expect in the year to come. What's next for Syria after the stunning fall of the Assad regime? Plus humanity's ancient fascination with the red planet.
Mon, December 09, 2024
Canberra Politics, Belgium compensation & Bulgarian villages
Laura Tingle and Niki Savva bring their incisive analysis on the year in politics, why the world is looking at a compensation case playing out in Belgium over their actions in the Congo and then to Bulgaria where research is being done on how nature is overtaking the many abandoned villages. Is it good news for the environment?
Thu, December 05, 2024
Robert Manne's intellectual combat, and a history of sex and Christianity
Robert Manne is one of Australia’s foremost public intellectuals. His new memoir traces his intellectual roots, and his own political shifts over 40 years. And Oxford historian Diarmaid MacCulloch challenges what we know about sex and Christian morality.
Wed, December 04, 2024
The Fairfax dynasty's last hurrah plus what Australia's trees can tell us
The life of James Fairfax, philanthropist, art collector and heir to the Fairfax media dynasty, told through eleven objects, plus what Australia's ancient trees can tell us about our history.
Tue, December 03, 2024
Ian Dunt's UK, Bob Hawke and the Balibo Five, and the patron saint of the Internet
Ian Dunt's final UK report for 2024 looks at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's pre-Christmas political re-set and the Irish election results. Historian Shannon Smith reveals the secret role Bob Hawke played in securing an inquiry into the deaths of the Balibo Five. And how Carlos Acutis went from gamer to saint. Guest: Ian Dunt, columnist with the 'i' news.
Mon, December 02, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra, North Korean troops in Russia, and poetry's place in Australia
Laura Tingle casts her eye over the last week in Parliament, and the Prime Minister's relationship with his Environment Minister. Why is North Korea sending troops to fight in Ukraine? And what is the current place of poetry in Australian popular culture.
Thu, November 28, 2024
Why humans think they can subdue nature, and Helen Garner's love of football
Historian Philipp Blom deciphers why humans continue to believe they can subjugate the Earth, tracing ancient stories of dominion back to the Bronze Age. Plus, Australian writer Helen Garner on ageing, being a grandparent and her love of football.
Wed, November 27, 2024
Essays that changed Australia, and beware the Christmas creep
Can an essay change a nation? Meanjin editor Esther Anatolitis believes that some of the essays published over the journal's long history have - including one from Michael Mohammed Ahmed. We also bust a few Christmas myths with Professor of Religion, Carole Cusack.
Tue, November 26, 2024
Bruce Shapiro's America, Australia's submarine fiasco, and the rise of Britishisms
Bruce Shapiro on the dismissal of President-elect Donald Trump's federal cases. We revisit Andrew Fowler's study of Australia's "nuked" submarine deal, recently named the Walkley Book Award winner for 2024. And why Americans are adopting British and Australian vernacular.
Mon, November 25, 2024
Laura Tingle and George Megalogenis
Laura Tingle gives her analysis of Labor's plans for the last sitting week of 2024, while George Megalogenis looks forward to 2025, and what the parliament may look like after the next Federal election - and why.
Thu, November 21, 2024
Imagining a better Australia, and Lech Blaine's miraculous life
Former federal MPs John Brumby and Cheryl Kernot discuss how Australia can make policy progress and find bipartisanship in a world of growing political division. And Lech Blaine shares the extraordinary story of his childhood, growing up in a Queensland pub, stalked by a pair of Christian fanatics.
Wed, November 20, 2024
Marcia Langton on truth telling and Sidney Nolan's African paintings
Marcia Langton on the dashed hopes for truth telling in Australia and Sidney Nolan's paintings of Africa tell a deeper story about his concerns for the future of humanity, nature and its wildlife.
Tue, November 19, 2024
Ian Dunt's UK, who is Barron Trump, and the shark that lives forever
Ian Dunt on what the US election result means for security in the UK and Europe. Journalist Jamie Tahsin investigates the online "manosphere" and Trump's courtship of the "bro vote" with the help of son Barron. And the mysteries of the greenland shark, which lives for hundreds of years.
Mon, November 18, 2024
Laura Tingle on the Greens' compromise, and Jon Ronson dissects the politics of conspiracy theories
The Australian Greens have dropped their demand for a climate trigger in the Government's proposed environmental reforms. And British/American journalist and cultural commentator on the new power of conspiracy theorists, under Donald Trump.
Thu, November 14, 2024
How Australia writes its war history, and the lives of medieval women
Acclaimed historian Peter Stanley on how Australia writes its war histories, and our complicated relationship with memorialisation. And a new exhibition at the British library illuminates the lives of medieval women, in their own words.
Wed, November 13, 2024
How will Trump handle China and Virginia Woolf's brilliant hoax
China expert Geoff Raby says we are seeing a significant global power shift away from Russia and towards China - but how will Donald Trump handle it? In 1910, Virginia Woolf and her friends gained access to the pride of the British fleet, the HMS Dreadnought disguised as Abyssinian Princes, including blackface. Was this feminist and pacifist writer also racist?
Tue, November 12, 2024
Bruce Shapiro's America, reporting from crisis zones, and the last witch of England
Bruce Shapiro on why the Democrats lost last week's US presidential election. Veteran Al Jazeera reporter Drew Ambrose calls for a greater focus on Asia. And how the last witch killed in England may have dodged death.
Mon, November 11, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra, backtrack at the NACC, and Francesca Albanese's latest report
Laura Tingle on how the Australian parliament is preparing for a second Trump presidency. Geoffrey Watson SC on the National Anti-Corruption Commission's handling of Robodebt. And UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese's latest report from the Palestinian Occupied Territories.
Thu, November 07, 2024
Gaza's damaged heritage, and a biography of Madrid
Archaeologist Ayman Warasnah on the damaged and destroyed cultural sites in Gaza. And a new biography of the the city of Madrid, in which Luke Stegemann argues that its value and cultural riches have been underrated.
Wed, November 06, 2024
Late Night Live's US election special 2024
Late Night Live's team of experts bring you their analysis of the US election 2024. What went right for Donald Trump? What went wrong for Kamala Harris?
Tue, November 05, 2024
Ian Dunt's UK, Japan's gender gap, and a precious bible torn apart
Ian Dunt on the UK Conservative party's new leader and the government's bold new budget. Japan recently elected a record number of female representatives, but a significant gender gap persists. And searching for the fragments of a famous printed bible.
Mon, November 04, 2024
Bernard Keane's Canberra, and will Shaun Micallef ever retire?
Bernard Keane says unless we fix housing young people still face huge disadvantage in Australia, even with lower student debt. Plus Shaun Micallef on writing, retirement and when comedy is no longer funny.
Thu, October 31, 2024
Running an ethical escort agency, and the pen pals across the Iron Curtain
Antonia Murphy recounts how she became the Madam of an escort agency in small town New Zealand. And historian Alexis Peri uncovers ten years of pen pal correspondence between the women of Truman's America and Stalin's Russia.
Wed, October 30, 2024
Who were Australia's black convicts and the truth about absinthe
What truth is there to the mystical powers of absinthe both in the past and its current form? Is it more myth than magic? Evan Rail investigates. And Santilla Chingaipe tells the stories of the 15 convicts of African descent that came with the first fleet, and the hundreds that followed. How does their story fit in the story of the global slave trade?
Tue, October 29, 2024
Bruce Shapiro's America, when chatbot relationships turn sour, and cave painting in the dark
Bruce Shapiro on Trump's Madison Square Garden rally and the final week of the campaign. Also in the US, a mother is suing a chatbot company for deceptive trade practices after her son committed suicide. But who is responsible for the way he interacted with the app? Plus why did our ancestors paint in deep, dark caves with little light?
Mon, October 28, 2024
Stephen Fry on life, last words and the things he can't do
Stephen Fry reflects on the power of story-telling, how to counter impostor syndrome and the things he absolutely can’t do.
Thu, October 24, 2024
Yemen's fight to be free of foreign interference and the Snowy Hydro scheme's 75th birthday
Journalist and human rights advocate Tawakkol Karman Yemen must have self-determination, free of foreign interference, to achieve true democracy and freedom. Plus why the Snowy hydro scheme continues to fascinate historians, 75 years on.
Wed, October 23, 2024
Nigel Biggar on colonialism, and a portrait of Bill Gates
Oxford theologian Nigel Biggar reckons with colonialism and the legacy of Empire. And journalist Anupreeta Das examines the life and power of the billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft founder, Bill Gates.
Tue, October 22, 2024
The must-win state of Pennsylvania, and Antony Loewenstein on the weapons of war
Journalist and former resident of Pennsylvania Sarah Smiles Persinger on why her old home town could decide the next President. Plus an update on the campaign from Bruce Shapiro, with two weeks to go. And journalist Antony Loewenstein on how Israel's arms industry profits from continual war.
Mon, October 21, 2024
Bernard Keane's Canberra, asylum seekers stranded on Nauru, and why we crave apocalypse stories
Bernard Keane on the Teals latest win, and why Labor is yet to introduce political donation reform. Plus the government has been quietly sending asylum seekers back to Nauru, where the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre says they are reliant on charity to survive. And why has every generation from biblical times obsessed over the apocalypse?
Thu, October 17, 2024
Exposing Opus Dei, and learning the language of birds
Journalist Gareth Gore investigates the wealth, power and influence of the Catholic order Opus Dei. And Andrew Turbill and Dan Lyons decode the beautiful languages of birds.
Wed, October 16, 2024
Why Russia's Constitution matters, and the Scottish poet hounded out of town
Professor William Partlett uncovers the "constitutional dark arts" that have enabled Russian President Vladimir Putin to consolidate power. Plus, Scottish poet Jenny Lindsay on when debates over gender identity turn toxic.
Tue, October 15, 2024
Ian Dunt's UK, Māori Muslims, and food culture in the Balkans
Ian Dunt on the King's imminent visit to Australia. Why are a growing number of Māori in New Zealand finding faith in Islam? And how food and identity intertwine in the Balkans.
Mon, October 14, 2024
Hurricanes and campaigns in Florida, and Jennifer Robinson on Assange's freedom
How will back-to-back hurricanes impact voter turnout in Florida? Plus Julian Assange's lawyer Jennifer Robinson on his testimony to the European Parliamentary assembly, and how defamation laws are being used to silence women who speak out about sexual assault and misconduct.
Thu, October 10, 2024
Taiwan's kaleidoscopic story
Taiwan is much more than the debate about whether it's a province of China. Its past is a colourful one, full of visitors and invaders from multiple cultures. And that creates a complex identity today. Guest: Jonathan Clements, author of 'Rebel Island: the incredible history of Taiwan' (Scribe)
Wed, October 09, 2024
The Palace Letters, Australia becomes the place of the unfair go and the scandals of the Moulin Rouge
Will King Charles agree to finally release the Palace Letters about the dismissal of Gough Whitlam? Labor MP Andrew Leigh on increasing inequality in Australia. Plus the Moulin Rouge lives on, but has it lost its soul?
Tue, October 08, 2024
US Politics, nature positivity, Wikipedia and AI
Bruce Shapiro on the latest from the US Presidential campaign trail. What is nature positivity and should Australia be legislating for it? Is AI a real threat to the future of Wikipedia?
Mon, October 07, 2024
The family behind the Nobel prizes, and the life of political kingmaker Pamela Churchill Harriman
Author Bengt Jangfeldt reveals the brilliance and resilience of the Swedish Nobel family. And Sonia Purnell recounts the astonishing life of Pamela Churchill Harriman - one of the most influential women in 20th Century politics.
Thu, October 03, 2024
Can copyright protect Indigenous art and the downfall of the Maharajas
Since the 1980s, lawyers have used copyright law to protect Indigenous Art, but is it fit for purpose? When India gained its independence, a huge part of the country was ruled by many local princes or Maharajas. How were they convinced to give up their power to join the new Independent India?
Wed, October 02, 2024
Sri Lanka's new President, America's love of dictators, and the cocaine hippos
Sri Lanka has elected a new President who is not from one of the elite families who have ruled the country since independence, but who is he? America has a long history of fascination with dictators, but why? And how is there a herd of feral hippos roaming the Magdalena RIver basin in Colombia. All your questions answered on Late Night Live.
Tue, October 01, 2024
Chasing votes in Georgia USA, discrimination in religious schools, and the elusive night parrot
The battle for votes in ultra-marginal Georgia, USA. Anglican Bishop Michael Stead on freedom and discrimination in religious schools, and Dr Penny Olsen on why we've been so fascinated with the elusive night parrot.
Mon, September 30, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra, is Hezbollah finished and why we're bored with the space race
Laura Tingle on the challenge for Labor in addressing the housing crisis. Israel has killed military leader Hassan Nasrallah, but will it mean the end of Hezbollah? And the world’s richest men might still be trying to outdo each other in space travel, but do the rest of us care anymore?
Thu, September 26, 2024
Artificial intelligence at the border, and who was Kosciuszko?
Human rights lawyer Petra Molnar investigates the growing use of artifiicial intelligence at the world's borders. And Anthony Sharwood on the man behind Australia's highest mountain - the Polish general Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
Wed, September 25, 2024
Ian Dunt's UK, and Fintan O'Toole on the perils of political tribalism
Ian Dunt reflects on UK Labour's Party Conference, while Jeremy Corbyn forms a new party of his own. Plus, Fintan O'Toole on how populists are weaponising victimhood and self-pity to undermine democracy.
Tue, September 24, 2024
Bruce Shapiro's America, sedition in Hong Kong, and when Houdini visited Australia
What are the Democrat and Republican ground game strategies in the lead up to election day? How Hong Kong is silencing the pro-democracy movement. And Houdini's visit to Australia.
Mon, September 23, 2024
Karen Middleton on Australian politics, Japan's next Prime Minister, and the feelings of plants
Karen Middleton, political editor of The Guardian Australia, on Peter Dutton's nuclear power speech today, and the new populism of the Greens. There are nine people vying the top job in Japan. And acclaimed journalist and author Elizabeth Kolbert on how much is real in the world of plant 'intelligence'.
Thu, September 19, 2024
Cultural change in the Australian Defence Force, and the secret history of LSD
Why are rates of suicide in the Australian veteran community so persistently high? And what did the CIA learn from Nazi Germany about psychedelics.
Wed, September 18, 2024
Wisconsin, hydrogen and the lost subways of America
While Wisconsin only provides 10 electoral votes in the US Presidential race, it is one of the key swing states in the upcoming election - how can it be won? There are high hopes for hydrogen in Australia's green energy future, but is it all hype? And could some of the abandoned mass transit systems of North America be revived?
Tue, September 17, 2024
The damning robodebt report and tea's significance in Iran's rich cultures
The Public Service Commission is very sorry on behalf of the public service. Journalist Rick Morton updates on the Robodebt findings of the commission, plus more of what he has unearthed. Plus tea - with our without opium - has played a big role in the history and geopolitics of Iran.
Mon, September 16, 2024
Niki Savva's Canberra, Iran's feminist uprising and opal mining under threat
Political analyst Niki Savva says if it doesn't change course, Labor is set to lose its majority and become the first one term government since 1931. Two year's on from Mahsa Amini's killing for not wearing her hijab correctly, a new book argues the feminist uprising it sparked in Iran speaks of a significant cultural and generational shift in acceptance of the theocratic state. Plus the precarious world of outback opal mining.
Thu, September 12, 2024
Eric Beecher on media moguls and the broken promises at Wybalenna
Eric Beecher looks back at some of the media dynasties through history including the Murdochs, how they use and abuse their power. And on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait, restoration work on the Aboriginal settlement Wybalenna has stalled. It is a significant cultural site where many Tasmanian Aboriginal people were sent in 1831. Only 47 survived.
Wed, September 11, 2024
Dissecting the Trump-Harris debate, and the rise of the French Impressionists
Bruce Shapiro dissects the US presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. And art critic Sebastian Smee on how the dazzling light of Impressionism emerged from the darkness of 1870s France.
Tue, September 10, 2024
Ian Dunt on the Grenfell fire report, will Russia and Ukraine negotiate, and celebrating writer Janet Frame
A six year long inquiry has found that the reasons for London's Grenfell Tower block fire were developing over a 25 year period. Analyst Anatol Lieven argues that recent attacks by both Russia and Ukraine have achieved little. And it's 100 years since the birth of New Zealand writer Janet Frame..
Mon, September 09, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra, Vatican finances, and the politics of portraiture
Political correspondent Laura Tingle on Australia's slow economic growth. Journalist Paola Totaro asks why those convicted of financial crimes in the Vatican are not yet behind bars. And Benjamin Law on the power and politics of portrait painting.
Thu, September 05, 2024
Why did the Alfred Dreyfus affair capture the world's attention?
Alfred Dreyfus was an officer in the French Army when he was arrested 130 years ago for treason, convicted and sent to Devils Island for 5 years in solitary confinement. His battle for justice divided the population of France and fascinated people across the globe. How much of his persecution can be put down to antisemitism and why is this case still so relevant? Guest: Maurice Samuels, author of Alfred Dreyfus: The man at the centre of the affair (Yale University Press)
Wed, September 04, 2024
Support for Gaza war high, but not for Netanyahu, plus the Aussie women who just loved America
Mass protests in Israel indicate a clear dissatisfaction with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the hostage situation, but polls show support for the war on Gaza remains high. Plus the Aussie women who fell in love with America and the freedom it offered them, a century ago.
Tue, September 03, 2024
Historian William Dalrymple on India's Golden Road
For more than 1000 years, India was a trading powerhouse across the globe - not only of spices, wild animals and gemstones but also of language, philosophy, religion, mathematics and astronomy. But why is this part of India's history not so well known, and why did its dominance wane about 1200 AD? Guest: William Dalrymple, historian, podcaster and author of The Golden Road How Ancient India Transformed the World (Bloomsbury) For information about WIlliam Dalrymple's tour to Australia in October please click here .
Mon, September 02, 2024
Canberra Politics, Myanmar's fragmentation and fighting fire ants
Analysis of current events to the hottest debates in politics, science, philosophy and culture.
Thu, August 29, 2024
The injustice of murdered Indigenous women and re-naming Kosciuszko
In response to the lack of justice for murdered and 'disappeared' Indigenous women, a new grassroots network of specialist family violence organisations has formed - and they're on a mission to make a difference. Should Mount Kosciuszko be renamed?
Wed, August 28, 2024
The big business of charitable trusts, the secret lives of cows, and who blew up the Nord Stream pipeline?
Journalist Joerg Schmitt solves the mystery of who blew up the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea. Dr Elizabeth Cham on how Australia's trustee companies became large, market-listed entities - and what that means for philanthropy. Plus neuroscientist Gregory Berns on the secret life of cows.
Tue, August 27, 2024
Will the Arab vote swing Michigan? And the UK's poet laureate - from Yorkshire
What role is the Arab American vote playing in the US Presidential election so far, particularly in the swing state of Michigan? Plus the Yorkshire lad who became the UK's poet laureate - Simon Armitage.
Mon, August 26, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra, Malaysia's economic ambitions, and the allure of anchovies
Laura Tingle on the government's deal to pass CFMEU administration laws, plus changes to the NDIS and aged care. Why Malaysia wants to join the BRICS alliance of middle-power nations. And, the long history of the divisive anchovy.
Thu, August 22, 2024
David Runciman on saving democracy, and the resilience of island ecosystems
How did we come to live in a world ruled by - mostly - idiots? And can we fix our struggling democracies by enfranchising children as young as six? Political philosopher David Runciman attempts to pump some adrenaline into our limp and languishing systems. Plus, the staggering beauty and fragility of island ecosystems.
Wed, August 21, 2024
Should artists have the right to freedom of political expression?
Since the war in Gaza broke out there has been a crisis of censorship in the arts sector around the world, in what the not-for-profit group Freemuse is calling a most alarming moment for freedom of expression. Here in Australia pianist Jayson Gillham had his concerts cancelled after speaking about the killing of journalists in Gaza, and arts organisations have lost millions in funding from donors. So what rights do artists have to express political views? And what should the consequences be?
Tue, August 20, 2024
Bruce Shapiro on Biden's speech, what's actually happening in Sudan, and remembering the great Australian literary hoax
President Biden has spoken at the Democratic Convention. Who's fuelling the atrocities in the Sudan? And it's 80 years since the fictitious 'Ern Malley' dazzled with his poetry.
Mon, August 19, 2024
Laura Tingle on Gaza visas, and why the Voice Referendum failed
Laura Tingle on Peter Dutton's calls for a Gaza visa ban. Constitutional lawyer Shireen Morris on why the Voice referendum failed. Plus, what's it really like to buy a 1 Euro house in rural Italy?
Thu, August 15, 2024
Cuba still on the terror blacklist plus the true identity of Australia's first novelist
Cuba is still on the USA's State Sponsors of Terrorism list and the cost to its economy is huge. Plus the true identity of Australia's first novelist revealed in a new biography - including how he ruined his own brilliant career.
Wed, August 14, 2024
Roxane Gay on dissent, despair and hope, plus marking 200 years since martial law was declared in Bathurst
Cultural critic Roxane Gay on dissent, anger, and why despair is a luxury. Plus 200 years after martial law was declared against the Wiradjuri people of the Bathurst region, elders gather to reflect on this pivotal moment in Australia's history.
Tue, August 13, 2024
Israeli censorship, inside Guantánamo Bay, and getting 'weird'
Journalist Haggai Matar considers what Israelis aren't hearing about the war in Gaza and Carol Rosenberg takes us inside 'Gitmo' to reveal why chances of it closing anytime soon are slim. Plus, 'weird' has become the word of the US election, but where did the word come from, and why is it such an effective insult?
Mon, August 12, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra, and mapping First Nations languages in Australia
Australia has signed up to a revamped AUKUS agreement, which will allow the submarine deal to be cancelled with as little as a year's notice. Plus, an extraordinary effort to map Australia's First Nations langauges.
Thu, August 08, 2024
Maori rights rollback and Guatemalan adoption trade
Maori rights are being whittled away by the new conservative government in New Zealand and in Guatemala private adoption agencies sent huge numbers of babies overseas - with many of them indigenous.
Wed, August 07, 2024
Who is Tim Walz? The Murdoch succession battle, plus righting wrongs in Australian history
Bruce Shapiro on whether Tim Walz is the right pick for Kamala Harriss's running mate, the epic Murdoch court battle for the succession of the empire, and the mammoth task of writing women and Indigenous Australians into our official Dictionary of Biography.
Tue, August 06, 2024
UK riots actually pogroms, suicide and brain injury in soldiers and the poetry pentathlon
Ian Dunt says the term 'anti-immigration protests' is woefully insufficient to describe the outbreak of violence in the UK. He says what occurred was a pogrom, an attempt to attack, and in some cases murder, people with black and brown skin. The US military has revealed soldiers subjected to blasts have the highest suicide rates. And the 17th century Olympic Games - for poets.
Mon, August 05, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra and how sugar shaped the world
At the annual Garma Festival, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he remained committed to Makarrata. But what exactly does that mean? Laura Tingle and David Marr discuss. Then, we get an update on what's happening in Senator Linda Reynolds' defamation trial against Brittany Higgins with Richard Ackland. And finally, Ulbe Bosma tells us why the history of sugar is anything but sweet...
Thu, August 01, 2024
Searching for the soul
What is the soul? Is it a substance, your conscience or simply a creation of the mind? Most societies and religions have some concept of the soul. Historian Paul Ham has looked at how the idea has changed through history and across cultures. Guest: Paul Ham, author of The Soul: A History of the Human Mind (Penguin Random House)
Wed, July 31, 2024
Venezuelan unrest, exposing the gas industry and celebrating James Baldwin
Venezuelan election of Maduro prompts violent protests, what the oil and gas industry really knew about global warming and celebrating James Baldwin's writings on politics, Black America and sexuality.
Tue, July 30, 2024
The power of US lobbyists and James Cook's fateful last voyage
.Brody Mullins investigates how lobbyists have changed politics and society in America and Hamilton Sides tells the story of how and why James Cook's last voyage ended up in violence - from the Hawaiian perspective.
Mon, July 29, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra, Robert Fisk's final work and Olympic myth busting
Laura Tingle on Anthony Albanese's cabinet re-shuffle, Robert Fisk's widow Nelofer on Western interference in the Middle-East and how language around it is being used by the Western media, plus the myths and misconceptions about the Olympics past and present.
Thu, July 25, 2024
Pine Gap, academic publishing and the history of notebooks
A new documentary examines the life of military analyst Des Ball and his role in our understanding of Pine Gap, the big bucks that are being made in academic publishing and how notebooks have been a tool for creativity through history.
Wed, July 24, 2024
Is Israel a liberal democracy and was William Shakespeare gay?
Saree Makdisi questions the perceptions by the West of Israel as a liberal democracy and Will Tosh questions whether William Shakespeare was gay, and does it really matter.
Tue, July 23, 2024
Bruce Shapiro on Kamala Harris, Paul Davies on the benefits of AI and the beauty of the Brisbane River
Bruce Shapiro on how Kamala Harris can turn the Trump campaign on its head, theoretical physicist Paul Davies says there's a lot to be gained from artificial intelligence - if we're mindful about how we use it and Simon Cleary on his walk down the Brisbane River.
Mon, July 22, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra, the Brittany Higgins defamation case and was Gaudi a saint?
Laura Tingle on the Opposition's renewed focus on Howard's battlers, Richard Ackland on whether Linda Reynolds should be suing Brittany Higgins over social media comments, and Antoni Gaudi - a bad-tempered genius, but was he a saint?
Thu, July 18, 2024
Who is the new President of Iran and passport paradoxes
How much reform can we expect from the President of Iran while the Ayatollah Khomeini is still the Supreme Leader. How many countries can your passport get you access to? Passports provide freedom to cross borders but that freedom comes at a price.
Wed, July 17, 2024
France in flux and how should we remember the war dead
France remains in limbo while deciding on a new Prime Minister and historian Joan Beaumont takes us to the war graves on the island of Ambon and asks how should we commemorate those that died in war now and into the future.
Tue, July 16, 2024
The challenge for Keir Starmer and pioneering nurses in the AIDS crisis
Will British PM Keir Starmer be able to restore faith in politics in the UK? And who will the Tories choose as their next leader? Plus the little told story of the nurses who cared for, and advocated for, AIDS patients, when most people were afraid of them.
Mon, July 15, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra, Bruce Shapiro post Trump assassination attempt and French sub secrets
Laura Tingle on which laws the Albanese government hasn't been able to get through parliament, Bruce Shapiro on the impact of the Trump assassination attempt on the upcoming election, plus the secret plan to unravel the French submarine deal.
Thu, July 11, 2024
The young leftie Rupert Murdoch
The young Rupert Murdoch was a radical who espoused socialism, kept a bust of Lenin in his uni accommodation and then went on to build his empire from 1950s Adelaide. Walter Marsh is a journalist and author of Young Rupert - the making of the Murdoch empire, published by Scribe.
Wed, July 10, 2024
Lara Marlowe on Robert Fisk, Azar Nafisi on reading dangerously
Lara Marlowe reflects on the life and work of her late partner, the great English writer and journalist Robert Fisk in her memoir Love In A Time Of War: My Years with Robert Fisk. And Azar Nafisi, Iranian-American writer and professor of English literature believes we need to read dangerously in order to resist the populist and polarising impulses of contemporary politics. Her book is called Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times
Tue, July 09, 2024
Classic LNL: composer Elena Kats-Chernin AO
The brilliance of Elena Kats-Chernin was first discovered when she was only four years old and from that moment she has been unable to imagine a life without composing music. She's since forged an international career as a composer across a huge range of genres. Elena even scored our LNL opening theme! In 2019 she was awarded an Order of Australia for her distinguished service to music as a composer. First broadcast in 2019.
Mon, July 08, 2024
Classic LNL: Magda Szubanski
One of Australia's most beloved performers, Magda Szubanski, star of Kath & Kim, Fast Forward and films including Babe and Goddess, talks to Phillip about her life and her extraordinary 'mongrel family history', which includes Irish, Polish, Italian and Scottish backgrounds. This was first broadcast in 2013.
Thu, July 04, 2024
Classic LNL: Paul Keating on the first dismissal
'The Big Fella', Jack Lang, twice premier of NSW, was one of Australia's most controversial politicians and loved and hated with a visceral intensity. During the Great Depression he was dismissed from office by the NSW Governor for refusing to repay interest on Commonwealth loans. He was expelled from the Labor party in 1942 and re-admitted in 1971 with the support of his young protégé, Paul Keating. Paul Keating, former Labor prime minister, and Frank Cain, historian. First broadcast on November 17, 2005.
Wed, July 03, 2024
Classic LNL: The revolutionary women of the Whitlam era
The Whitlam era saw a great leap forward for women's rights in Australia, driven by Women’s Adviser Elizabeth Reid and a host of female activists, backed by a grass roots movement across the country. Their work is recognised in a book released to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of Reid’s appointment. Guests: - Dr Elizabeth Reid, former Women's Adviser to Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, feminist development worker, academic and writer. - Michelle Arrow, Professor in Modern History at Macquarie University and editor of 'Women and Whitlam: Revisiting the Revolution,' published by New South Books. - Ranuka Tandan from the Whitlam Institute's Public Affairs Team. First broadcast in 2023.
Tue, July 02, 2024
Classic LNL: Isabel Allende on feminism and Finding Fibonacci
Phillip and best-selling Chilean author Isabel Allende explores how feminism has shaped her life over the past seven decades. Originally broadcast in 2021. Mathematician Keith Devlin from Stanford University is on a crusade to get the world to recognise Fibonacci as the man who introduced Hindu-Arabic numbers to the West. Originally broadcast in 2017.
Mon, July 01, 2024
Classic LNL: The life of Deborah Cheetham-Fraillon
Deborah Cheetham-Fraillon AO talks to Phillip about composing Australia's first Indigenous opera, Pecan Summer, founding her Short Black Opera Company and her work encouraging Indigenous kids to get more involved in singing and the arts.
Thu, June 27, 2024
Phillip Adams farewells Late Night Live
In Phillip Adams' last Late Night Live, Laura Tingle turns the tables and interviews Phillip. They discuss how the political conversations and media landscape has changed since Phillip started at the ABC back in 1991, and what his hopes are for Australia. You can also watch this interview on I-View by clicking here . Host: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30 Guest: Phillip Adams, host of Late Night Live
Wed, June 26, 2024
Naomi Klein’s Doppleganger. Untangling the big ethical issues of our time with Peter Singer.
Naomi Klein on doppelgangers, conspiracy theories and getting mistaken for Naomi Wolf. Plus Philosopher Peter Singer's advice on how we can make our lives worth living by making the right choices.
Tue, June 25, 2024
Phillip's swansong with Laura Tingle, Bruce Shapiro and Ian Dunt
In Phillip's last show with his regular contributors, Laura Tingle, Bruce Shapiro and Ian Dunt look at the release of Julian Assange, the importance of the AUKUS alliance, and the big stories they have covered over their many years on the little wireless program. Guests: Laura Tingle, Chief Political Correspondent, 7.30 Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine; Executive Director of the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University Ian Dunt, Columnist with the “I” newspaper.
Mon, June 24, 2024
Left for dead? The Australian left, then and now
Phillip Adams is joined by comrades Frank Bongiorno, Jon Piccini and Meredith Burgmann for a romp through the history of the political left in Australia and an assessment of what's left of the left today.
Thu, June 20, 2024
The adventures of Simon Winchester
Simon Winchester has appeared on Late Night Live many times over the years to discuss his bestselling books. Now he and Phillip discuss Simon's own phenomenal life - from entering boarding school in England at the age of 4 to having his beehives in Massachusetts raided by bears.
Wed, June 19, 2024
Is the world's most expensive painting the real thing? How twelve sheep can give life meaning.
Art historian Ben Lewis' new book The Last Leonardo: The secret lives of the world's most expensive painting.John Connell reflects on life as a shepherd in rural Ireland.
Tue, June 18, 2024
Ian Dunt's UK plus what we can learn from the Inuit
Ian Dunt on whether Nigel Farage’s Reform party could take a big chunk out of the conservative vote in the upcoming UK election. Plus Wade Davis on how anthropology can help us deal with the many problems we face as a human species.
Mon, June 17, 2024
Laura Tingle on Li Qiang and Linda Burney on reconciliation
Laura Tingle discusses the highs and lows of the Chinese Premier's visit - and what it really means for Australia. Then Phillip's successor David Marr makes a surprise appearance, and Minister for Indigenous Affairs Linda Burney joins Phillip for a frank conversation about her life and reconciliation after the Voice referendum.
Thu, June 13, 2024
George Monbiot on the invisible forces behind neoliberalism
In his new book, George Monbiot says the trend towards neoliberalism began in the 1930s, and has so dominated the political narrative that its now seen as the natural way of things. So as the far-right once again marches to power, is this moment a political tipping point in the direction of fascism? And can this be reversed before the planet reaches its own ecological tipping point?
Wed, June 12, 2024
The NACC disappoints on Robodebt and Paul Gauguin's Pacific works
Geoffrey Watson SC had high hopes for the new National Anti-Corruption Commission, but its first decision on Robodebt has left him disappointed. Nicholas Thomas looks back on the life of celebrated artist Paul Gauguin and tries to answer the question about whether you can separate the artist from his work.
Tue, June 11, 2024
Bruce Shapiro and the story of John S Jacobs - fugitive US slave
Bruce Shapiro gives his analysis of the peace deal that has the support of the UN Security Council, but still has not got approval from Israel and Hamas. Jonathan Schroeder tells the story of a fugitive slave from America, John S Jacobs, who managed to publish his anti-slavery treatise in a Sydney based journal back in 1855.
Mon, June 10, 2024
Kay Kinane: trailblazing broadcaster and educator
Kay Kinane was a school-teacher from Perth who went on to become Deputy Director of the ABC’s Education Department in the 1960s – the first woman to hold such a position. And she did it with cheek, determination, and a remarkable eye on the future of broadcasting.
Thu, June 06, 2024
The lost history of Iranian Jews plus clearing the air - of emissions
Iran has shown remarkable restraint in responding to Israel's attacks on Gaza. Professor Ali Ansari says the country is not only caught up in internal issues following the death of its president, but also has a long and not well-known connection with the Jewish community. Plus, how acting quickly on pulling methane from the atmosphere could make a difference to climate change.
Wed, June 05, 2024
Who are Amit Shah and Mary Astell?
Narendra Modi has won his third successive election in India, but journalist Atul Dev tells the backstory of his feared and influential wingman, Amit Shah. And author Regan Penaluna tells the story of some of the women philosophers whose names should be better known - like Mary Astell.
Tue, June 04, 2024
Ian Dunt's UK, Mexico's anti-machismo president and preserving the Wollemi pine
Ian Dunt on the first fortnight of the UK election campaign, how Mexico's new President, Claudia Sheinbaum, will take on its machismo culture and thirty years after its discovery, how the Wollemi pine is coping with modernity.
Mon, June 03, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra and Australia's ongoing fight for equality
7:30's Chief Political Correspondent Laura Tingle is back with Phillip to discuss the latest immigration scandal to shake up politics, and historians Michelle Arrow and Leigh Boucher look at Australia's long fight for equality on the basis of sexuality and gender, from the 1970's to today.
Thu, May 30, 2024
The autocrats teaming up with MAGA politicians and the Greek communists "rescued" by Stalin
Anne Applebaum on the connections between Russian and Chinese autocrats and the Trump Republicans seeking to discredit liberalism. Plus how Joseph Stalin secretly organised to evacuate 12,000 Greek communists after the Greek Civil War, and send them to Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Wed, May 29, 2024
Primatologist Jane Goodall and Rwanda under the spotlight
Jane Goodall is most well know for her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania, but she is currently in Australia explaining why she has hope for the climate. Michela Wrong has been researching the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame and questions why the west continues to support him.
Tue, May 28, 2024
Bruce Shapiro explains what an upside-down US flag means.
In Bruce Shaprio’s America, Donald Trump’s hush money trial is almost over and what’s going on with the upside- down US flag? Exiled activist Ma Thida on Myanmar’s civil war.
Mon, May 27, 2024
Bernard Keane's Canberra plus Clive Hamilton on privilege
Bernard Keane looks at how the government is navigating the challenges of reconciliation, hate speech, the war in Gaza and the path to net zero. Plus Clive Hamilton asks why Australia accepts says the privileges enjoyed by the rich and powerful - which he says cause widespread harm.
Thu, May 23, 2024
Jordan protests Gaza war plus AC Grayling on who owns the moon
In Jordan both the royal family and Palestinian Jordanians are protesting the war in Gaza, but Jordan's reliance on Israeli water is becoming a political obstacle to further action. And philosopher AC Grayling thinks we need to turn our attention to ownership disputes not on earth, but on the moon.
Wed, May 22, 2024
Reporting 5km from the frontline and the history of undersea cables.
Anastasia Taylor-Lind and Alisa Sopova met covering the war in Donetsk back in 2014. Since then they have captured the every day lives of people living close to the frontline. Aaron Bateman traces the history of global connection from radio to modern day undersea cables.
Tue, May 21, 2024
UK politics, Stella Assange and how to fix France
Stella Assange on what the latest court win means for Julian Assange, Ian Dunt assesses the initial pitches from Labor and the Conservatives in the election campaign and Nabila Ramdani busts a few myths about what France is really like, and how it should be fixed.
Mon, May 20, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra, bird flu scare and Paul Salopek on his world trek
7:30's Chief Political Correspondent Laura Tingle unpacks Peter Dutton's Budget reply speech. Then, a new strain of bird flu is wreaking havoc across the world; what's the risk to Australia? And finally we re-join national Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek in Georgia, 12 years into his Out of Eden walk.
Thu, May 16, 2024
Why some people have more luck than others and the most likely path to nuclear war.
Annie Jacobsen describes in chilling detail the steps that might lead to nuclear war and Mark Rank explains why some people are more vulnerable to the vagaries of luck and randomness than others.
Wed, May 15, 2024
Geoffrey Robinson on Putin and Boyan Slat on The Ocean Cleanup
Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robinson on whether the international community is equipped to respond to war crimes being committed in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza. He also speculates on what would happen to Julian Assange, should he be extradited to the United States. Plus Boyan Slat, Dutch inventor and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, on their quest to rid the oceans of plastic.
Tue, May 14, 2024
Trump's policy platform and Russia's water problems
The conservative think tank - the Heritage Foundation - has issued a policy manifesto for 2025. Bruce Shapiro and Emma Shortis give their analysis. Flooding, failing dams and melting Siberian permafrost are causing real issues for water quality in Russia. Can Putin take his eye off the war to deal with critical domestic issues like water?
Mon, May 13, 2024
Laura Tingle's budget preview plus how India, Israel and Mexico are connected through spyware
Laura Tingle previews the federal budget and whether Labor can manage to navigate burgeoning cost demands in defence, housing and health and the need to bring down inflation. Plus what do Israel, Mexico and Israel have in common? David Adler from the Reactionary International reveals the shadowy networks helping helping governments to spy on their citizens, their adversaries, and their friends.
Thu, May 09, 2024
Should women get extra seats in Pacific parliaments? And Hugh Mackay on a lifetime of observing Australians.
The Pacific has the world’s lowest rate of women’s representation in Parliament, but local women are working to change that, with some innovative - but contentious - approaches to elections. And Australia's leading social psychologist Hugh Mackay is nearly ninety. His latest book examines our society today and asks timely and urgent questions about its future.
Wed, May 08, 2024
Roger Pulvers on Japan and Australia's long relationship and Japanese philosopher Kohei Saito
Japanese Philosopher Kohei Saito makes the case for degrowth communism as the radical transformation required to save our planet. Roger Pulvers looks to the past to understand the future of Australia's relationship with Japan.
Tue, May 07, 2024
Ian Dunt's UK, diplomatic asylum dilemmas and author Robyn Davidson
Ian Dunt reports on the recent UK council elections and how the Tory Party are trying to spin the disastrous results. The uses and abuses of diplomatic asylum in Latin America, and Robyn Davidson shares how she ended up having such a nomadic life including her trek across Australia.
Mon, May 06, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra and the murky business of food barons
7:30's Chief Political Correspondent Laura Tingle on the government's response to the impending ground invasion in Rafah, and what's coming up in the federal budget. Plus, Austin Frerick on the rich, powerful and occasionally corrupt corporate giants who control what we eat.
Thu, May 02, 2024
Healing the stolen generation and letters from two literary giants
Lorraine and Shaan Peeters are helping to heal the stolen generations and their families with their organisation Marumali. Plus a new book by Susan Wyndham and Brigitta Olubas called "Hazzard and Harrower: The Letters" tells an extraordinary account of two literary luminaries, their complex relationship and the times they lived in.
Wed, May 01, 2024
Johann Hari on the miracle weight loss drugs
Johann Hari explains the health risks and rewards of the new weight loss drugs and looks at the causes of the high demand for these drugs in the affluent west. Brendan Kennedy argues for water rights for native title owners in the Murray Darling Basin.
Tue, April 30, 2024
Satyajit Das on the risks of ecotourism and Bruce Shapiro on the Columbia protests
Bruce Shapiro reports on the latest from the student protests at Columbia University and Satyajit Das shares the conflicting emotions he feels about the amazing wildlife he has seen on his travels and his concerns for their future.
Mon, April 29, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra and James Bradley's oceanic love affair
7:30's Chief Political Correspondent Laura Tingle reflects on a weekend of powerful protests denouncing violence against women. Then, Australian writer James Bradley makes an impassioned plea to save our oceans and the awesome creatures who live there.
Thu, April 25, 2024
ANZAC day: Remembering Australia's lost generation and the contribution of women in war
Two historians remember those who served in the First World War. Ross McMullin delves deep into lives of three outstanding individuals; each so full of promise, but tragically, their potential would never be realised. Melanie Oppenheimer considers the overlooked role and contribution of women in the mostly male mythologies of the ANZACs.
Wed, April 24, 2024
Yossi Beilin and Hiba Husseini on a possible two state solution plus the Anzac story on the Greek island of Lemnos
About a year ago, longtime friends lawyer Hiba Husseini and former politician Yossi Beilin released a plan to lay the groundwork for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Plus a documentary on a surprising Anzac history on the Greek island of Lemnos.
Tue, April 23, 2024
Ian Dunt on the Rwanda deal and Natalie Haynes updates the Greek goddesses
Ian Dunt laments the passing of the Rwanda Bill in Westminster which will allow the deportation of immigrants who arrive by boat to Rwanda. Classicist Natalie Haynes reveals why the Greek goddesses have been much maligned and misunderstood.
Mon, April 22, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra and the transformation of Germany
The transformation of Germany over the last 80 years has been something of a marvel. It’s gone from a shattered guilt-ridden pariah of a country to a bastion of democracy and Europe’s fiscal hero. So how did this metamorphosis occur? Can it be continued in the post-Merkel era? Historian Frank Trentmann joins us to answer these questions, and more. Plus, Laura Tingle examines the PM's trip to Kokoda, and why the Opposition has changed its tune on government powers to regulate online content on social media.
Thu, April 18, 2024
Indigenous authors are winning awards and selling books. Author Tony Birch explains why.
Author, poet and academic Tony Birch celebrates the success of so many First Nations writers but there is always room for improvement in the publishing industry. From the LNL Archive we hear a conversation with Andrew O'Hagan and Karl Miller recorded in Edinburgh in 2012.
Wed, April 17, 2024
South Africa's ANC under political threat and saffron under attack from climate change
Nelson Mandela's African National Congress has held power for more than thirty years, but that could soon change. And saffron is the world's most expensive spice, revered as sacred in many cultures. But climate change is making the delicate flower that produces it harder than ever to harvest.
Tue, April 16, 2024
Trump's day in court and artists challenging history in China
Bruce Shapiro takes us inside Donald Trump's first day in court as a criminal defendant. In China, the Communist Party keeps tight control of the narrative of the history of China. Ian Johnson introduces us to the artists and film makers who are challenging that narrative - at their own peril.
Mon, April 15, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra and why free will might be an illusion
7:30's chief political correspondent Laura Tingle unpacks the Lehrmann defamation verdict dominating news headlines, and we speak to neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky who makes the provocative argument that we have no free will, at all.
Thu, April 11, 2024
Late Night Live
Sir John Franklin is honoured in Hobart as the discoverer of the infamous North-West passage through the Arctic, but a closer look at the story examines how much he relied on women's help and Indigenous knowledge. Also, in the age of scrolling, is it history for the chapter?
Wed, April 10, 2024
Rewildng the Eastern quoll and Newcastle's paedophile ring exposed
Aussie Ark's Tim Faulkner explains why he believes the imminent rewilding of the eastern quoll will be successful this time, after 50 years of extinction on the Australian mainland. Social philosopher Anne Manne tells the harrowing story of the Anglican paedophile ring in Newcastle and the brave group of people who brought it down.
Tue, April 09, 2024
UK politics, koala politics and the long reach of the Spanish Civil War
In the UK, Ian Dunt reports on the pressure building over the sale of arms to Israel, Stephen Long questions the carbon credits NSW is hoping for in order to save the state's koalas and Judith Keene details the legacies of the Spanish Civil War in both Spain and across the globe.
Mon, April 08, 2024
Bernard Keane's Canberra and David Williamson on our housing crisis
Crikey's Bernard Keane on how the government has responded to the IDF review into Zomi Frankcom's death. Plus, playwright David Williamson tells Phillip why he has come out of retirement to write a play about the housing crisis and the increasing divide between Australia's haves and have-nots.
Thu, April 04, 2024
Vandana Shiva on ecocide and Henry Grabar on parking
Ecofeminist Vandana Shiva explains the significance of adding ecocide to the list of crimes that the ICC can prosecute. And Henry Grabar makes his case for reducing the number of car parks on our planet.
Wed, April 03, 2024
Viet Thanh Nguyen's memoir and computer scientist Leslie Valiant
Professor Viet Thanh Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American professor and Pulitzer Prize winning novelist. Viet's memoir, A Man Of Two Faces, is published by Black Inc. and Viet will be a guest at the Sydney Writer's Festival later this month. What makes humans so unique? Our ability to learn. So says computer scientist and Harvard Professor Leslie Valiant. His new book is called “The Importance of Being Educable” published by Princeton University Press.
Tue, April 02, 2024
Bruce Shapiro on US politics and Anna Funder on Eileen Blair
Bruce Shapiro digs into the history of the 1871 Comstock Act being used to argue against the sale of abortion drugs online. Anna Funder reveals the many ways that George Orwell's wife Eileen contributed to his work during their life together.
Mon, April 01, 2024
A chat with Jack Thompson
Phillip Adams and Jack Thompson sit down to chat about Jack's career, how he is living with dialysis, his love of Dylan Thomas and his determination to tell the truth about the frontier wars in this country.
Thu, March 28, 2024
Rupert Read on the Climate Majority Project plus the history of ice
Rupert Read helped found the radical climate protest movement, Extinction Rebellion. Now he says a climate movement is needed that the broader public can feel comfortable with. And Max Leonard explains how ice has changed the world from ice-cubes to ice-bergs.
Wed, March 27, 2024
The crisis on the US border and surrealism turns 100
Years of neglect on immigration policy in the US means that it will be a big issue in the Presidential election later this year. Surrealism was born out of the horrors of World War One and Mark Polizzotti explains why it was so much more than an artistic or literary phenomenon.
Tue, March 26, 2024
The wild ride that was Dick Tamimi's life: from gold smuggler to gold records
What might a Keir Starmer Labor government might look like in the UK. Ian Dunt reveals all. Dick Tamimi had a wild life as a pilot, gold smuggler and record producer. Julien Poulsen has decided to turn his life into a musical.
Mon, March 25, 2024
Canberra politics and Timor then and now
Laura Tingle is back with the latest news on Australian politics and Phillip speaks to former First Lady of Timor-Leste Kirsty Sword Gusmao about her decades-long fight to improve life for Timorese women.
Thu, March 21, 2024
Dutton demolition and victorious Vesuvius
Journalist Lech Blaine unpacks Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's 'battle for the burbs' strategy, and whether his strongman persona will see the Liberals win back enough territory to claim a future victory. Plus how Vesuvius became a magnet for early adventure tourists.
Wed, March 20, 2024
Spies and sleuths
Joey Watson on his investigation into the ASIO nest of cold war moles. And Caitlin Davies on the real life female super- sleuths of the 19th century.
Tue, March 19, 2024
Bruce Shapiro and Shannon Smith on the mysterious Clive Williams
Bruce Shapiro dives into the latest fault lines in American politics and Dr Shannon Smith recounts the previously untold story of Clive Williams; the Australian preacher, teacher and chiropractor who became one of President Soeharto's closest advisors.
Mon, March 18, 2024
Canberra politics, 'Missing' Iraq war documents revealed and Joseph Conrad in Oz
Rachel Withers dishes the latest in Australian politics, and Dr David Lee reveals whether newly released records shed light on how the decision to send Australian troops to Iraq in 2003 came about. Plus, could Joseph Conrad's writing have been heavily influenced by his travels Down Under?
Thu, March 14, 2024
Unshackled: true convict stories. Easey street murders: a cold case revisited
Historians Tony Moore and Hamish Maxwell-Stewart guide us through Unshackled : a multi media touring exhibition that tells a new and different story about convicts, transportation and colonial Australia. Helen Thomas, in her true crime podcast, reviews the evidence in the Easey street murders in Melbourne in the late 1970's
Wed, March 13, 2024
The art of ghost writing and a microhistory of the Edwin Fox
Liam Pieper recounts how he was forced into ghost writing and then found his way out again to write books in his own name and Boyd Cothran studied an unremarkable cargo ship, the Edwin Fox, through the lens of microhistory to tell a wider story.
Tue, March 12, 2024
Ian Dunt on UK politics and Gideon Levy on reporting on the war in Gaza
Ian Dunt on the mass exodus of Conservative politicians from Westminster under way and Gideon Levy on the challenges of reporting on the war in Gaza as an Israeli journalist who has been unable to enter Gaza for 16 years.
Mon, March 11, 2024
Amy Remeikis on Canberra and Yanis Varoufakis
Amy Remeikis brings all the recycled news from Canberra, including utes and nukes, and Yanis Varoufakis shares his ideas on the economies of Australia and Greece and how Australia should be positioning ourselves in a world of shifting alliances.
Thu, March 07, 2024
IWD special: the great trade union women of Australia's history
This International Women's Day while debate rages about the latest gender pay gap figures, LNL looks back at the women of Australia's history who led the fight for better wages and conditions, writing letters, leading protests and strikes, taking on male-dominated jobs and challenging our governments and our biggest employers to do better.
Wed, March 06, 2024
Bruce Shapiro's America and Peter Goldsworthy's 'Cancer Finishing School'
Bruce Shapiro on US politics, Super Tuesday primaries and Supreme Court deliberations. Also, Peter Goldsworthy's reflections on being told he has cancer.
Tue, March 05, 2024
Bob Brown on a life of activism
Former Greens Leader Bob Brown on a life of environmental activism, the role independents might have in the upcoming Tasmanian election, his work in East Timor and Tibet, and why he wants a statue of forgotten Tasmanian opera singer, Amy Sherwin.
Mon, March 04, 2024
Laura Tingle on Dunkley plus Matt Noffs on breaking the cycles of youth crime
Laura Tingle looks at the by-election results in the Victorian seat of Dunkley and how the campaign got so nasty. Plus Phillip chats to the man he calls the son he never had - Matt Noffs - and what can be done to break the cycles of youth crime.
Thu, February 29, 2024
Peter Frankopan and Polly Toynbee
Historian and author of 'The Silk Roads' and 'The Earth Transformed' Peter Frankopan sits down in the studio with Phillip for their fourth and final chat. Plus, we hear about the extraordinary rabble-rousing characters of journalist Polly Toynbee's life.
Wed, February 28, 2024
Nathan Thrall investigates life in the West Bank plus Marwan Barghouti - the Palestinian Nelson Mandela?
Jewish-American journalist Nathan Thrall investigates a tragic bus crash in the West Bank, and finds that it reveals much about the restrictions on everyday life for Palestinians living there. Plus Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti is hailed as the West Bank's Nelson Mandela, and the only politician who could bring about democracy and negotiate peace. But he has been imprisoned in Israel for more than twenty years - for murder.
Tue, February 27, 2024
Naomi Smith's UK and the global history of opium
Naomi Smith on the latest headaches for Rishi Sunak after by-election loses and a motion on Gaza causes havoc in the House of Commons. Plus Amitav Ghosh on how the East India company turbo-charged the opium industry and found an infinitely expanding market for opium in China.
Mon, February 26, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra and Margo Kingston on the rise of the independents
Laura Tingle unpacks the big new changes to higher education and Late Night Live alumni Margo Kingston talks about how independents became a force to be reckoned with in Australian politics. Plus, a history of male belly dancing. Yes, you read that right.
Thu, February 22, 2024
The moon unmasked and wealth inequality across the ages
Science writer Rebecca Boyle explains why she loves the moon and how it has contributed to humanity's physical and cultural evolution. Guido Alfani looks back on the super wealthy of history and how their responsibilities to society have changed over time.
Wed, February 21, 2024
Democratising Poland and a new film 'Damage'
Radoslaw Markowski explains the many measures being taken in Poland to restore democracy since the election. Ali Al Jenabi and Madeleine Blackwell discuss their new film Damage which explores themes of refuge and refugees.
Tue, February 20, 2024
Bruce Shapiro on US politics and film maker Anand Patwardhan
Indian Filmmaker Anand Patwardhan reveals the very personal nature of his latest documentary - The World is my Family and Bruce Shapiro brings us his analysis of the latest news from Washington.
Mon, February 19, 2024
Laura Tingle's Canberra plus Kate MyClymont on a life investigating crime and corruption
Laura Tingle on the back-to-the-future border wars, and SMH chief investigative reporter Kate McClymont reflects on on a life investigating crime and corruption.
Thu, February 15, 2024
Lorin Clarke on life with her dad, comedian John Clarke
Lorin Clarke and Phillip Adams share their memories of the brilliant comedian and Lorin's father, John Clarke.
Wed, February 14, 2024
Julian Assange's next appeal and the links between books and war
Jennifer Robinson on the latest appeal from Julian Assange against his extradition to the USA, and historian Andrew Pettegree looks back on the long and complicated connections between books and war.

Late Night Live - Full program podcast

Australians in the Spanish Civil War, and when hair was thought to indicate character

What it's like to be raided by DOGE, and the fearless feminist Beatrice Faust

Laura Tingle's election, the survival of NATO, and the misunderstood pigeon

Taiwan and its chips: the colourful history of this strategically important nation

Philippe Sands on war crimes and impunity - from Pinochet to now

Pollies and their private interests, and a forgotten hero in forensics

Harvard defies the White House, Yanis Varoufakis on 'Trump Shock', and Australia's oldest footrace

Laura Tingle's Canberra, the broken promise of religious discrimination reform, and a history of hand gestures

'Sorrow, grief, horror': Kate Grenville confronts her settler ancestry

Antony Green's last election broadcast, and the path ahead for Syria

Bruce Shapiro's Trumpland, Netanyahu's latest scandal, and the death of the interval

Laura Tingle's Canberra, the Brits baulk on AUKUS, and tariffs in the ancient world

John Howard and the 1998 waterfront dispute, plus Peter Rose on life as a literary editor

First Nations resistance in the River Country, and is ignorance always bliss?

Ian Dunt's UK, does the Coalition's gas policy stack up, and Australia's endless rabbit problem

Laura Tingle's federal election, plus defining antisemitism at universities

Gaza and the contradictions of the West, and are priests employees of the Church?

Sexual violence perpetrators getting younger, and lost in the Amazon for forty days

Bruce Shapiro's America, Poland digging trenches, and crime in the Antarctic

Laura Tingle's Canberra, mass protests in Turkiye and Australia's own vernacular

The ethics of posthumous publishing plus the dark side of green cities

Radio propaganda wars in the Middle East, and the firebombing of Tokyo

Ian Dunt's UK, Russia's frozen assets, and Poland confronts its queer history

Laura Tingle's Canberra, Satyajit Das on how to survive a trade war, and trolling before the Internet

The most trusting nation on Earth, and the rise and fall of Trudeau

A new age of nuclear peril, and the Caribbean countries lining up to leave the monarchy

Bruce Shapiro's America, the potential of prison architecture, and Queensland's rebellious first female doctor

Laura Tingle's Canberra, the origins of DEI, and who really discovered gold in Australia?

Alan Rusbridger on the perils of political journalism, and Robert Dessaix on life, death, sexuality and more

The State of the World: the rise of Orbán, Trump and Netanyahu

The State of the Self: Have we lost a sense of community in a post pandemic world?

The State of the Self: Have we lost a sense of community in a post pandemic world?

The State of the Nation: has the myth of the 'fair go' been broken?

Trans poet and comedian Alok Vaid-Menon on being banned by Trump

The story of Russia through Putin's eyes, and the painting that rocked Australian politics

Ian Dunt's UK, NT mining royalties slump and how to rescue a hummingbird

Laura Tingle's Canberra, the money behind far-right young voices and the charlatan geologist from WA

Calls to audit Welcomes to Country, and who pays for climate disasters when insurance folds?

A Catholic Bishop's take on the US Immigration crackdown, and the women who revolutionised Australian publishing

Bruce Shapiro's America, Vanuatu deals with multiple earthquakes and are book blurbs just an incestuous love-fest?

Laura Tingle's Canberra, the War Memorial refurbished, and the shipwreck that devastated Darwin

Political chaos in South Korea and the poet who broke taboos

Life in the shadow of Mussolini and how white supremacy infiltrated the wellness industry

Ian Dunt's UK, the economics of degrowth, and how relevant are the Oscars?

Laura Tingle's Canberra, the invention of jaywalking, and unearthing Roman mosaics

The wild and talented poet Dorothy Porter and re-thinking privacy

Trump's plan to 'take over' Gaza, Brazil's feud with tech titans, and Antarctica's tourism boom

Bruce Shapiro's America, Belarus’ secret program to undermine the EU, and moral panic over female cyclists

Laura Tingle's Canberra, Trump and Netanyahu discuss the West Bank, and Australia's love of cinema

America's history of expelling migrants, and factchecking in a "post-truth" world

Vancouver's fentanyl epidemic plus the lost languages of Tibet

Elon Musk and Nigel Farage fall out, plus can Trump really buy Greenland?

Australia by numbers, and a history of the beach shack

When child soldiers grow up and April Ashley - glamour model and trans pioneer

Peter Beinart on being Jewish after the destruction of Gaza, and Coca-Cola's power in China

Bruce Shapiro on Trump's America Mark ll and a journalist returns to Syria

Laura Tingle's Canberra, a fishy deal and eucalypts taking over the world

LNL Summer: Stephen Fry on life, last words and the things he can't do

LNL Summer: Can copyright protect Indigenous art, and the downfall of the Maharajas

LNL Summer: New Zealand's ethical escort agency, and pen pals across the Iron Curtain

LNL Summer: Opus Dei and the banks, plus the million-year history of birdsong in Australia

LNL Summer: Wy the Dreyfus Affair still matters

LNL Summer: Who were Australia's black convicts and the truth about absinthe

LNL Summer: A biography of Madrid, and the lives of medieval women

LNL Summer: The paradox of passports, plus Harry Houdini's Australian hijinks

LNL Summer: Australia's first novelist revealed plus the race to save the world's islands

LNL Summer: Celebrating First Nations languages, and a neuroscientist gets to know some cattle

LNL Summer: The UK's poet laureate, and the return of the night parrot

LNL Summer: Ambon pilgrimage and remembering Kosciuscko

LNL Summer: the year Paris was in ruins plus why we're hooked on salty fish

LNL Summer: Frontline nurses in the AIDS crisis plus the Erm Malley hoax

LNL Summer: Pamela Churchill Harriman, kingmaker plus Balkan food fight

LNL Summer: Guatemalan adoption & Wyballena memorials

LNL Summer: Searching for the soul

Exposing Pine Gap, the scam of academic publishing and the brilliance of the notebook

LNL Summer: Lobbying in the US and Captain Cooks last voyage

LNL Summer: William Dalrymple on India's Golden Road

2024 Year in Review

What made Cyprus rich, and the secrets of the deep oceans