7am

The latest IPCC report says current farming practices are unsustainable. But there are solutions, if farmers want to change. Matthew Evans on how the way we grow food could change the world.Guest: Farmer, chef and former restaurant critic Matthew Evans.Background reading:The need for sustainable farming in The Saturday PaperThe MonthlyThe Saturday PaperFor 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 aged-care sector is on the brink of collapse. The major providers have been propped up by a government bailout, but without reform they cannot keep operating. Rick Morton on how a string of nursing homes became too big to fail.Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.Background reading: Exclusive: Aged-care sector at risk of collapse 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.

Scott Morrison shares a rhetorical lineage with Robert Menzies and a suburban one with John Howard. Like Menzies, he has no clear policy agenda. But, as Judith Brett points out - what worked in the post-war boom might not work now.Guest: Author and emeritus professor of politics at La Trobe University Judith Brett.Background reading:John Howard’s heir 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 Scott Morrison tried to shift Australia’s focus to the drought, and the cash rate fell below 1 per cent, Donald Trump’s paranoia followed the prime minister home. Paul Bongiorno on the week Alexander Downer became a Clinton spy and the phone call that might haunt The Lodge.Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.Background reading: 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.

Penny Wong is the intellectual leader of the Labor Party. Her politics is shaped by her experiences of difference and her belief in compassion. Her biographer, Margaret Simons, on what drives the most guarded woman in politics.Guest: Associate professor of journalism at Monash University and author of Penny Wong: Passion and Principle Margaret Simons.Background reading: Penny Wong: Passion and Principle by Margaret Simons, 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.

The Murray–Darling Basin is being ruined by cronyism and incompetence. Entire towns are running out of water. But a new crop is exploiting the system even further: almonds. Mike Seccombe on how a tree nut boom is drinking the river dry.Guest: The Saturday Paper’s national correspondent, Mike Seccombe.Background reading: NSW farmers’ class action on water 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.

The judge who sentenced Jaymes Todd for the rape and murder of Eurydice Dixon was asked to consider mitigating factors that included Todd’s age, his autism diagnosis and his early guilty plea. Sarah Krasnostein on the legal argument that preceded that decision. A warning: this episode contains discussion of sexual assault and pornography.Guest: Writer and sentencing law expert Sarah Krasnostein.Background reading:A man who hates women 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.

One of the terrible facts about the day Jaymes Todd killed Eurydice Dixon is that for him it was almost all very ordinary. Sarah Krasnostein on a crime that made the country pause and ask how these things can happen. A warning, this episode contains a detailed description of sexual assault and pornography.Guest: Writer and sentencing law expert Sarah Krasnostein.Background reading:A man who hates women 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.

When former Anglican dean Graeme Lawrence was found guilty of child sexual abuse, his victim, Ben Giggins, made the unusual decision to request that the court name him publicly. Anne Manne on the case that convicted a key figure in the Newcastle clergy. A warning, this episode contains detailed descriptions of sexual assault.Guest: Writer and author Anne Manne.Background reading: The Newcastle trial of Graeme Lawrence in The Monthly. The Saturday Paper The 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 a royal commission into disability care begins, it emerges that key emails relating to the NDIS are held on a private bank server and cannot be accessed. Rick Morton on governance, transparency and a failing system. Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.Background reading: Exclusive: Key NDIS emails held on private bank server in The Saturday Paper.The Saturday Paper The 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.