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Lockdown is over and cinemas are back! Luckily, Australia’s reopening happens to coincide with a bunch of exciting new releases coming out between now and the end of the year.This week on The Culture, Osman Faruqi is joined by Flick Ford - film reviewer and presenter of Triple R’s ‘Primal Screen’ - to run us through the most exciting films to watch this summer.Guest: Flick FordSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has just returned from two international summits, but Australia’s diplomatic standing is worse than ever.His handling of a $100 billion submarine contract has created tension with both France and the United States, two traditional allies, and he’s also been accused by his predecessor of being a serial liar.Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on Scott Morrison’s damaged international standing, and the impact it has on Australia.Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With international travel resuming and our biggest states re-opening, life in Australia is finally returning to normal. So, is this really the beginning of the end of the Covid-19 pandemic? And what have we learnt from the past eighteen months? Today, Nobel prize winning scientist Peter Doherty on what surprised him most about the pandemic, and the way we respond, and what we should expect in the months to come. Guest: Nobel laureate and immunologist Peter DohertyStay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Australia the not-for-profit sector employs over a million people, and it’s growing.Much of this growth is driven by charities accepting government grants to deliver essential services to our most vulnerable. But these grants come with strict contractual obligations, which effectively prevent organisations from holding government agencies to account.Frontline workers say that this can mean that the people they’re supposed to be helping are instead sidelined and betrayed. Today, contributor to The Monthly Russell Marks on how charities are becoming complicit in their own silencing. Guest: Contributor to The Monthly, Russell MarksBackground reading: The silence of the lambs in The MonthlyStay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian fronted the Independent Commission Against Corruption and was asked candid questions about the nature of her relationship with former MP Daryl Maguire.Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on what happened when Gladys Berejiklian went to ICAC, and what the corruption investigation reveals about NSW politics.Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe.Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dave Chappelle is one of the most successful comedians in the world, and his latest Netflix special, ‘The Closer’, reportedly made him $20 million.The special has sparked a huge amount of backlash, prompting a staff walkout at Netflix, and calls for the special to be taken down. This week comedians Cassie Workman and Tom Ballard join The Culture, to help unpack the reignited conversation around free speech, what kind of impact harmful and offensive language can have in the real world, and the purpose of comedy.Guest: Comedian, actor and musician Cassie WorkmanComedian and podcaster Tom BallardFollow The Culture on InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After spending weeks locked in secret negotiations with the Nationals on climate policy, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is finally heading to the UN summit in Glasgow.But while Morrison’s deal with the minor party might solve an internal political issue for him, it still leaves Australia without a serious and ambitious emissions reduction plan.And that could lead to more political trouble for Morrison as the federal Labor opposition weighs up fighting the upcoming election on climate policy.Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno on the problems with Scott Morrison’s climate plan.Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right now world leaders are gearing up for COP26: a major international climate summit starting in just a few days.The summit has been billed as humanity’s last chance to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change.But while many developed nations are preparing to commit to strong emissions reduction targets, Australia remains an outlier.Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe on why COP26 is so important, and how Australia might undermine global efforts to stop runaway climate change.Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.Stay in touch with us on Twitter and Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A landmark judgement by the High Court of Australia has reignited debate over whether or not our legal system is fit for purpose in the age of social media.The Court found that news organisations are liable for the comments posted on their Facebook pages.The decision has forced many news sites to disable comments - impacting how each of us find and consume the news.Today, legal affairs editor for The Saturday Paper, Richard Ackland on what this High Court decision means for how we use the internet, and how our courts are out of step with the online world.Guest: Legal Affairs Editor for The Saturday Paper, Richard Ackland.Background reading: Judges v The Internet in The Saturday PaperStay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In recent weeks the world’s two superpowers, China and the United States, have been steadily building up their military presence in the Taiwan Strait.Chinese President Xi Jinping has made it clear that he wants to bring Taiwan back under China’s control, a move the United States seems likely to resist at all costs.Today, Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University Hugh White on how Australia could be drawn into a war over Taiwan, and why it could turn nuclear.Guest: Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University, Hugh White.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.