
Late Night Live — Full program podcast
Incisive analysis, fearless debates and nightly surprises. Explore the serious, the strange and the profound with David Marr.
Latest episodes

Aug 29, 2024 • 54min
The injustice of murdered Indigenous women and re-naming Kosciuszko
In response to the lack of justice for murdered and 'disappeared' Indigenous women, a new grassroots network of specialist family violence organisations has formed - and they're on a mission to make a difference. Should Mount Kosciuszko be renamed?

Aug 28, 2024 • 54min
The big business of charitable trusts, the secret lives of cows, and who blew up the Nord Stream pipeline?
Journalist Joerg Schmitt solves the mystery of who blew up the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea. Dr Elizabeth Cham on how Australia's trustee companies became large, market-listed entities - and what that means for philanthropy. Plus neuroscientist Gregory Berns on the secret life of cows.

Aug 27, 2024 • 54min
Will the Arab vote swing Michigan? And the UK's poet laureate - from Yorkshire
What role is the Arab American vote playing in the US Presidential election so far, particularly in the swing state of Michigan? Plus the Yorkshire lad who became the UK's poet laureate - Simon Armitage.

Aug 26, 2024 • 54min
Laura Tingle's Canberra, Malaysia's economic ambitions, and the allure of anchovies
Laura Tingle on the government's deal to pass CFMEU administration laws, plus changes to the NDIS and aged care. Why Malaysia wants to join the BRICS alliance of middle-power nations. And, the long history of the divisive anchovy.

Aug 22, 2024 • 54min
David Runciman on saving democracy, and the resilience of island ecosystems
How did we come to live in a world ruled by - mostly - idiots? And can we fix our struggling democracies by enfranchising children as young as six? Political philosopher David Runciman attempts to pump some adrenaline into our limp and languishing systems. Plus, the staggering beauty and fragility of island ecosystems.

Aug 21, 2024 • 54min
Should artists have the right to freedom of political expression?
Since the war in Gaza broke out there has been a crisis of censorship in the arts sector around the world, in what the not-for-profit group Freemuse is calling a most alarming moment for freedom of expression. Here in Australia pianist Jayson Gillham had his concerts cancelled after speaking about the killing of journalists in Gaza, and arts organisations have lost millions in funding from donors. So what rights do artists have to express political views? And what should the consequences be?

Aug 20, 2024 • 54min
Bruce Shapiro on Biden's speech, what's actually happening in Sudan, and remembering the great Australian literary hoax
President Biden has spoken at the Democratic Convention. Who's fuelling the atrocities in the Sudan? And it's 80 years since the fictitious 'Ern Malley' dazzled with his poetry.

Aug 19, 2024 • 54min
Laura Tingle on Gaza visas, and why the Voice Referendum failed
Laura Tingle on Peter Dutton's calls for a Gaza visa ban. Constitutional lawyer Shireen Morris on why the Voice referendum failed. Plus, what's it really like to buy a 1 Euro house in rural Italy?

Aug 15, 2024 • 54min
Cuba still on the terror blacklist plus the true identity of Australia's first novelist
Cuba is still on the USA's State Sponsors of Terrorism list and the cost to its economy is huge. Plus the true identity of Australia's first novelist revealed in a new biography - including how he ruined his own brilliant career.

Aug 14, 2024 • 54min
Roxane Gay on dissent, despair and hope, plus marking 200 years since martial law was declared in Bathurst
Cultural critic Roxane Gay on dissent, anger, and why despair is a luxury. Plus 200 years after martial law was declared against the Wiradjuri people of the Bathurst region, elders gather to reflect on this pivotal moment in Australia's history.