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Behrouz Boochani spent six years detained on Manus Island, a victim of Australia’s Pacific Solution.Last year he was granted refugee status in New Zealand, and since then has used his freedom to advocate on behalf of the hundreds of other asylum seekers detained by Australia.One group of detainees, the Murugappan family from Biloela, were recently moved from Christmas Island into community detention in Perth. But has their case shifted attention from those still trapped by Australia’s immigration system?Today writer and former detainee, Behrouz Boochani on the refugees we aren’t speaking about, and the reasons why.  Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Behrouz Boochani.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tens of thousands of athletes and officials are about to descend on Tokyo as the city prepares to host the 32nd Olympic games. But with Covid-19 cases surging in Japan, health experts and the majority of the Japanese public are opposed to the event being held at all. So, why are the Olympic Games going ahead? Today, sports writer Kieran Pender on the institution, and the vested interests, behind this pandemic Olympics.  Guest: Sports writer Kieran Pender.Complete our listener survey to go into the draw for a chance to win one of ten limited-edition 7am tote bags. Competition closes at 11.59pm on July 2, 2021. Visit: 7ampodcast.com.au/surveySee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

YouTuber Friendlyjordies has built up a significant audience in recent years through his pointed and acerbic political videos. But he’s also attracted controversy, with the deputy Premier of NSW suing him for defamation. Now, one of the comedian’s producers has been arrested by a controversial police unit established to explicitly focus on ideological extremists. Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on the friendlyjordies saga, and why a state government seems intent on turning him into a martyr. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recent breakthroughs in science and medicine have demonstrated that we may be much closer to being able to artificially grow and replace human organs than ever before. But, those developments are also challenging long established ethical guidelines around the use of embryos, or embryo-like cells.Today, science writer and contributor to The Monthly Elizabeth Finkel on the latest scientific breakthroughs, and the argument that our ethics need to evolve alongside our knowledge of the world. Guest: Science writer and contributor to The Monthly Elizabeth Finke.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Underground Railroad, a new series on Amazon Prime, is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead. It's directed by Barry Jenkins, who also directed the 2016 Best Picture winner Moonlight and the follow up, If Beale Street Could Talk. The show is one of the most gripping, powerful and visceral series out this year, and it’s an opportunity to explore what prestige television looks like in 2021, and how it can help us confront our history and grapple with the present.Guest: Award-winning writer, filmmaker and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Santilla ChingaipeSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies gathered to discuss climate change, and pledged further action, the Australian government chose to reiterate its commitment to fossil fuels.With Prime Minister Scott Morrison out of the country the Nationals leader Michael McCormack used the spotlight to take a swipe at renewable energy advocates and talk up coal.Today, contributing editor to The Monthly Rachel Withers on how the Coalition is increasingly out of step with both the international community and voters at home.Guest: Contributing editor to The Monthly Rachel Withers.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The QAnon conspiracy theory, focused on a belief in the existence of a Satanic child sexual abuse ring, has been collecting followers worldwide. Here in Australia one of its adherents is a man called Tim Stewart, who also happens to be a long-time friend of Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Now, questions are being asked about Tim Stewart’s influence on the Prime Minister. Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Richard Cooke on what drives people to Q-Anon, and the threat it poses in Australia.  Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Richard Cooke.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia’s health care system is facing unprecedented amounts of pressure.Our public health systems have been cut back for decades, and now the private system is facing a death spiral… with younger Australians opting out of increasingly pricey insurance options.Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton on why some health experts are worried that Australia’s health care system is becoming more and more like the expensive, privatised model in the US. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.Complete our listener survey to go into the draw for a chance to win one of ten limited-edition 7am tote bags. Competition closes at 11.59pm on July 2, 2021. Visit: 7ampodcast.com.au/surveySee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speaking from a hospital in Perth, Priya Murugappan details her daughter’s sickness and her family’s struggle in detention. More than three years after they were taken from their home in Biloela, the Tamil family just want to be settled. Medical records show their children are deficient in Vitamin D and have psychological issues related to being locked up. Guest: Writer for The Saturday Paper Rebekah Holt.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hip-hop is the biggest musical genre in the world right now, and one of the fastest growing locally, but in Australia it still feels like it hasn’t quite broken through and dominated the mainstream yet, in the way it has overseas - especially in the US and UK. Acts like the Hilltop Hoods and Bliss n Eso helped popularise Australian hip-hop in the mid-2000s, but while they were achieving commercial success, a much grittier and raw kind of hip-hop was coming out of housing commission estates in Sydney and Melbourne.Known as gutter rap, or lad rap, this underground subgenre never saw much airplay and didn’t sell heaps of records, but it influenced a generation of artists redefining hip-hop in Australia today.Writer, journalist and contributor to The Saturday Paper and The Monthly, Mahmood Fazal, joins The Culture to discuss the history of Australia’s underground hip-hop scene and how it feeds into the music being made today.Guest: Writer, journalist and contributor The Saturday Paper and The Monthly, Mahmood FazalSee acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.