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The death of Graham Freudenberg comes at a time when politics has all but abandoned speech making. Don Watson on how the loss of big narratives denies us the possibility of bold policy.Guest: Author and speechwriter Don Watson. Background reading: Graham Freudenberg’s time 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.

Tanya Day was a 55-year-old Yorta Yorta woman. She died after being arrested on a train for public drunkenness. Madeline Hayman-Reber on how a coroner is now asking whether systemic racism contributed to her death.Guest: NITV journalist Madeline Hayman-Reber.Background reading: Waiting for justice in The Saturday Paper.The Saturday PaperThe MonthlyFor more information on today's episode, visit https://7ampodcast.com.au.See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomorrow, Scott Morrison will be received in Washington on a state visit. The trip highlights the special relationship he has with Donald Trump. At the same time, it underscores the difficulty he has with Beijing. Paul Bongiorno on the prime minister’s diplomatic wedge.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.

Philip Lowe is the governor of the Reserve Bank. By all accounts, he is a conventional person who’s been pushed by the economy to make unconventional choices. Mike Seccombe on how rate cuts no longer stimulate growth, and how Lowe’s office became political.Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.Background reading:Philip Lowe and Australia’s economy 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.

Twenty years after Timor-Leste’s vote for independence led to bloody retaliation from Indonesia, the country’s relationship with Australia remains fraught. John Martinkus on what happened after the ballot and what is happening now. Guest: Foreign correspondent John Martinkus.Background reading: Remembering Timor-Leste’s independence 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.

As Scott Morrison announces plans to expand the cashless welfare program and drug test dole recipients, questions are raised over the effectiveness of his approach. Rick Morton on what happens when you treat poverty as a moral problem.Guest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton.Background reading:Newstart: the human cost of Morrison’s plan 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.

Spiro Boursinos was the impresario behind the rave music phenomenon Earthcore. When he died last year, he left behind a legacy of paranoia, intimidation and financial mismanagement. Martin McKenzie-Murray on tracing the threads of his strange, short life.Guest: Writer and author Martin McKenzie-Murray.Background reading:All tomorrow’s parties 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.

While some backbenchers doubt that Gladys Liu can stay in parliament, Scott Morrison has given her his full support. At the same time, he is in the difficult position of attempting to capitalise on ICAC while voting against an integrity commission. Paul Bongiorno on the foreign influence scandals engulfing Canberra. Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno.Background reading:The politics of integrity in The Saturday PaperThe Saturday PaperThe Monthly For 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 Annabel Crabb decided to find out what happens to men’s work habits when they have children, she discovered a huge store of gendered norms and inequality. The lives of most new fathers change very little when they have a child. But there is policy that could change this – and in some places it already has.Guest: Writer and broadcaster Annabel Crabb.Background reading:Men at Work in Quarterly EssayThe 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 ICAC exposes apparent corruption in New South Wales, focus is drawn on the government’s integrity commission, which, among other things, could not make findings of corruption. Meanwhile, a Greens bill for an anti-corruption body has passed the senate but looks set to be blocked in the lower house. Mike Seccombe on anti-corruption legislation and how politicians avoid scrutiny.Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe.Background reading:ICAC and the federal watchdog 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.