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There is a widening gap in Australia between the life expectancy of the rich and the poor. On some figures it is as much as 10 years. Mike Seccombe on the death toll of inequality.Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.Background reading: The fatal cost of Australia’s rising inequality in The Saturday Paper. The Saturday PaperThe MonthlyFor more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ross Garnaut wrote the blueprint for Australia’s response to climate change. As the politics fell apart, he became interested in the economic opportunities of a zero-carbon future. He says Australia has more to gain than any other developed country. Guest: Economist and author of Superpower Ross Garnaut.Background reading:Superpower by Ross Garnaut, published by Black Inc. The Saturday PaperThe MonthlyFor more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Albanese was shaped by the circumstances of his childhood: a single mother, a council house, a love of the Labor Party. The question now is if his working-class background can help the ALP reconnect to its working-class base. James Button on making sense of the leader of the Opposition.Guest: Journalist and former speechwriter James Button. Background reading:Picking up the pieces in The Monthly. The Saturday PaperThe MonthlyFor more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Morrison government is committed to a budget surplus above all else. But as Paul Keating points out, this commitment can be a kind of sickness. Paul Bongiorno on what happens when politics refuses to acknowledge circumstances.Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.Background reading:The Coalition's surplus focus in The Saturday Paper.The Saturday PaperThe MonthlyFor more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the Morrison government announced another inquiry into the family courts, to be co-chaired by Pauline Hanson, advocates in the sector expressed concern it was a distraction. One of them was Rosie Batty.Guest: Anti-domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty.Background reading:Family law needs reform, not inquiry in The Saturday Paper. The Saturday PaperThe MonthlyFor more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the number of police strip-searches rises in New South Wales, a law enforcement commission considers whether many of them are actually legal. Fiona McGregor on police powers and the trauma of being searched.Guest: Author and performance artist Fiona McGregor.Background reading:The strip-search state in The Monthly.The Saturday PaperThe MonthlyFor more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How the American anti-climate-science lobby hijacked local councils in Australia, changing sea-level benchmarks as it went.Guest: Writer for The Monthly and The Saturday Paper Bronwyn Adcock.Background reading:Rising tide in The Monthly. The Saturday PaperThe MonthlyFor more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A decision to hand planning about sea-level rise to local council has opened up a war around science, property values and influence. Bronwyn Adcock on how the future of the Australian coastline will be shaped by disagreement over climate change. This is part one of a two-part episode.Guest: Writer for The Monthly and The Saturday Paper Bronwyn Adcock.Background reading:Rising tide in The MonthlyThe Saturday PaperThe MonthlyFor more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Liberal Party celebrates its 75th anniversary, the Nationals are brawling with each other about drought. At the same time, concern grows over press freedom. Paul Bongiorno on the party to which you were never invited.Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.Background reading: The shadowy corridors of power in The Saturday Paper.The Saturday PaperThe MonthlyFor more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia is almost alone in the world in its willingness to lock up primary-school-age children for criminal offences. But the “tough on crime” rhetoric that pervades politics means there is little will to change this. Mike Seccombe on the push to lift the age of criminal responsibility.Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.Background reading:Children in the criminal justice system in The Saturday PaperThe Saturday PaperThe MonthlyFor more information on today’s episode, visit 7ampodcast.com.au.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.