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One way that inequality becomes baked into Australian society is through education. For decades, the school system has become increasingly stratified – to the benefit of private schools and detriment of public ones.So, what are the consequences of this divide, and how will the past twenty years of education policy shape the Australia we see tomorrow? Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Jane Caro on why Australia stubbornly clings onto the myth of education equality and the damage it’s doing. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Jane Caro.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, journalist Esther Linder will be reading her piece from the May issue of The Monthly.While Australians often can’t skip a rent payment, they can skip a meal. And as the cost of living soars, more and more Australians are going hungry.Through the lens of hunger, Linder looks at economic inequality, Australia’s failure to perceive the growing gaps in wealth.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Journalist Esther LinderSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parliament began this week with bitter arguments over the handling of Brittany Higgins’ rape allegation, with the opposition using leaked text messages from Higgins’ phone to prosecute their case against the government.But it took only two days for fresh allegations of another sexual assault to emerge.Liberal senator David Van has been advised he will no longer sit in the party room, following accusations of sexual harassment and assault from independent senator Lidia Thorpe.Van denies the claims, but the opposition leader says he reached the decision after receiving even further complaints about the senator.Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno, on the standards and culture within Parliament House.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Activists around Australia have proven willing to risk jail time and fines of tens of thousands of dollars under new anti-protest laws, as states and territories rush to crack down on climate and environmental protests.Victoria has said the state will end native logging by 2024, but it remains committed to harsh anti-protest laws aimed at protecting the industry.Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Elle Marsh, on the harsh penalties for environmentalism and the people willing to face them.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Elle MarshSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Personal text messages between Brittany Higgins and her partner, David Sharaz, have been splashed over the news for days – reopening questions about the lead up to the interview when Higgins first went public with the allegation she was raped in a ministerial office.The Coalition says the texts show evidence of “collusion” and “weaponisation” on the part of the Labor government.But as the political scandal spirals, the source of the texts, the motives for the leak and the consequences of them being published have remained mostly unexamined.Today, contributing editor of The Politics at The Monthly online, Rachel Withers, on the leak of Brittany Higgins’s texts, and what it really proves about our media.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Contributing editor to The Politics at themonthly.com.au, Rachel Withers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the push towards a Voice to Parliament continues, decisions are still being made that affect the lives of Indigenous people.Mines continue to open on traditional lands, in states around the country the age of criminal responsibility remains as young as 10 years old, and the gap is not closing.There are plenty of things that governments across the country could be doing right now to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians, but politicians seem to be focused only on the future.Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Ben Abbatangelo, on why governments can’t get away with saying the Voice is the only answer.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Ben Abbatangelo.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A speaking tour claiming to quote “let women speak” has been at the centre of disturbing scenes across Australia.In Melbourne, neo-Nazis stood on the steps of Victorian Parliament and openly performed the Nazi salute – while in Canberra, Senator Lidia Thorpe was tackled and held to the ground by police as she tried to protest the tour.So who is this British woman touring Australia, provoking these scenes? Contributor to The Saturday Paper and co-editor of the book Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia, Sam Elkin on the woman who calls herself Posie Parker. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Writer and host of Triple R’s Queer View Mirror, Sam ElkinSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe pushing Australia into a recession?That has now become the biggest question in the Australian economy – as household budgets are squeezed even further by an interest rate rise that almost no-one wanted to see.Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on Phillip Lowe, the treasurer and the fight over wages.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the department that’s supposed to watch over the support system for Australians with a disability – and ensure the care they’re receiving is good. But the very people doing this job, at the Quality and Safeguards Commission of the NDIS, could be in an unsafe workplace.And the strangest part of all: the leadership of the commission has allegedly been pretending there isn’t a problem.Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper Rick Morton, on how the organisation that oversees the NDIS was gaslighting its own staff, and what that means for those who rely on the service.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Tax Office suspected that PwC used confidential information to help their big corporate clients get richer – seven whole years ago.But they did shockingly little about it. They didn’t even share that information with government ministers.The reason, they say, is that their hands were tied – that bureaucratic rules kept them from exposing one of the biggest scandals in the history of our tax system.Today, chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen Middleton on whether secrecy really should have kept the tax office from doing more.Socials: Stay in touch with us on Twitter and InstagramGuest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Karen MiddletonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.