7am

Today, Gina Rushton’s latest story for The Monthly magazine, ‘The first victim’ is voiced by Lucy Moir. The piece explores how victims of sexual assault are treated in courts of law - and asks whether the legal system in Australia puts people through unnecessary trauma.Warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Indie music icon Mitski had already released five albums and received critical acclaim before her 2018 song ‘Nobody’ blew up on TikTok. On her new album, ‘Laurel Hell’, Mitski explores her relationship to the music industry and making art under capitalism, at a moment when she’s more famous than ever.Today Shaad D’Souza joins The Culture to talk about Mitski, TikTok, and the grind of being a musician. Guest: Shaad D’Souza, music critic for The Saturday Paper.Background reading: Mitski's Laurel Hell in The Saturday Paper.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed the National Press Club in Canberra this week, hoping to reset his relationship with the public ahead of the federal election.Instead, it raised a series of questions – questions about just how out of touch Scott Morrison is with the Australian people and with his own party.Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno on what the price of bread and a series of leaked text messages have to do with Scott Morrison’s leadership.Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fifteen hundred kilometres north of Perth, inmates at the Roebourne Regional Prison are exposed to some of the hottest temperatures in the country. Recently, the prison marked its hottest day on record - reaching 50.5 degrees. Former prisoners and advocates have warned that it’s not a matter of if someone at Roebourne will die from heat - it’s a matter of when. Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Dechlan Brennan on what it’s like in Australia’s hottest prison, and why the government is refusing to act. Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Dechlan Brennan.Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Russia amasses troops on the border of Ukraine, speculation is mounting over whether the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, plans to invade the country. Today, world editor at The Saturday Paper Jonathan Pearlman on the escalating tension in Europe, and the likelihood of war.Guest: World editor at The Saturday Paper, Jonathan Pearlman.Background reading: Russian troop numbers build on Ukraine’s border in The Saturday Paper.Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week children across NSW and Victoria are finally going back to school.Lockdowns and school closures have meant that many children have spent the better part of two years learning remotely.But the decision to reopen schools right now, in the middle of the Omicron wave, has been fraught, with governments caught between trying to reduce case numbers, to wanting to live with the virus.Today, journalist Hannah Ryan on the debate over when, and how, to return to in-class learning, and what going back to school actually looks like. Guest: Journalist, Hannah Ryan.Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even though the worst case projections of the Omicron wave haven’t yet been realised, Australia’s health system is still buckling under the pressure.Thousands of healthcare workers are off work, and surgeries, palliative care and mental health services are all feeling the strain - leaving hundreds of thousands of Australians with inadequate or interrupted care. Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on the crisis in our health system, and how our government’s didn’t see it coming.Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton.Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Culture is back for 2022! And to start things off, we’re putting the magnifying glass over a game that has taken the internet by storm.With no promotion or monetisation, Wordle has grown a player base of over two million in a little less than three months. But what is it about this humble word game that has so many people addicted?To help unpack where Wordle came from and how it operates in a social media landscape, games reporter for Screenhub and regular games critic for The Saturday Paper, Jini Maxwell, joins The Culture this week. Guest: Jini Maxwell, games critic for The Saturday Paper.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year Australians will head to the polls and cast their judgement on the performance of the federal government.The Coalition has been in power for nearly a decade, but according to the latest polls the Labor opposition are the favourites to win.But, with at least four months to go until polling day, anything could happen - especially in the unpredictable world of Australian politics.Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on what kind of surprises might be in store this election year.Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic arrived in Australia earlier this month, he intended to defend his title at the Australian Open.Instead, his visa was cancelled and he was detained at a hotel in Melbourne - the Park Hotel.  Before Djokovic’s arrival, the Park Hotel was home to around 30 refugees and asylum seekers who were being kept in indefinite immigration detention.   Today, 7am producer Elle Marsh on the moment the world’s attention focused on Australia’s treatment of refugees, and what happens now most of the media have moved on. Guest: Producer for 7am podcast Elle Marsh and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Mehdi Ali.Background reading:‘I grew up in this cage’: Life inside the Park Hotel in The Saturday PaperThe sky of this cage in The Saturday PaperStay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.