In the 1970s, eight children in Perth were sent to a psychiatric hospital to be ‘treated’ for being transgender. Their experiences became the basis of a medical study that claimed kids could be cured of their identity.

Now, nearly forty years after it was released, that same study is being cited in arguments against trans healthcare and being used to shape policy and law.

Today, Walkley Award-winning journalist and founding editor of ABC Queer, Mon Schafter, on how a forgotten experiment from another era is still influencing the culture war over trans healthcare.

This episode was originally published in October 2025.

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Guest: Walkley Award-winning journalist and founding editor of ABC Queer, Mon Schafter

Photo: Supplied: Jayne McFadyen

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It’s the on-again, off-again political drama that has turned Australian politics into something resembling a soap opera.

For the second time in a year, the Liberal and National parties have split, rendering the coalition dead – again.

The break-up has once again thrown Sussan Ley’s leadership under the bus, shattered the opposition’s ability to challenge the government – and underscored deeper pressures from an ascendant One Nation.

Today, contributing editor of The New Daily Amy Remeikis, on the break-up, the fallout, and the ex sitting on the sidelines who can’t get enough of the spectacle.

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Guest: Contributing editor of The New Daily Amy Remeikis

Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

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Donald Trump has invited Australia to join his new “Board of Peace” – a Trump-led body he says will help bring peace to Gaza.

But the invitation comes with a warning. Some leaders say the board could undermine the United Nations – and Trump himself has suggested it might even replace it.

Trump has spent years attacking the United Nations as ineffective – and this term, his administration has moved to pull the US out of dozens of UN agencies.

So is this a peace plan, or a power play?

Today, UN analyst at the International Crisis Group, Maya Ungar, on the real agenda behind Trump’s Board of Peace and whether Australia should join.

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Guest: UN analyst at the International Crisis Group, Maya Ungar

Photo: EPA/LAURENT GILLIERON

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This week, Labor’s watered-down hate speech laws passed the Senate.

The following day, the bigger story wasn’t the bill.

Three senior Nationals – Bridget McKenzie, Susan McDonald and Ross Cadell – were forced off the opposition frontbench after defying shadow cabinet and voting against the legislation.

Then, after a late night emergency meeting, the rest of the Nationals frontbench followed suit, quitting their roles in a show of solidarity.

Now, the Liberal National partnership is hanging in the balance and Sussan Ley’s leadership is again under threat.

Today, Press Gallery journalist Karen Middleton, on how hate speech blew up the Coalition.

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Guest: Press gallery journalist Karen Middleton

Photo: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

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When Elon Musk first launched his AI tool Grok, he called it “rebellious” and anti-woke.

But over the summer, what that meant took a disturbing turn.

The chatbot, which is embedded in Musk's social media platform X, started creating sexualised images of women and children without their consent.

Anthony Albanese has staked his legacy on keeping children safe online, so what is he doing to protect them from Grok?

Today, associate editor at Crikey, Cam Wilson, on whether it’s time for the government to get off X.

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Guest: Associate editor at Crikey, Cam Wilson

Photo: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

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In the aftermath of the 1996 massacre at Port Arthur, Prime Minister John Howard donned a bullet proof vest and argued the case for gun control, to crowds of angry protestors.

His reforms, including a ban on automatic and semi-automatic weapons, and a national buyback scheme, changed the country by getting rid of more than half a million guns.

But in the years since, the number of guns in Australia has skyrocketed, and as Anthony Albanese tries to change that, the Coalition is fighting back, while the Greens have signalled early support.

Today, deputy director at The Australia Institute Ebony Bennett on why Australia has more guns than ever – and whether Labor’s proposed plan will make us safer.

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Guest: Deputy director at The Australia Institute Ebony Bennett

Photo: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

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Rex Patrick is a former senator from South Australia. Before that, he was a submariner in the Navy.

Last year, he noticed a reference to a new arm of the Australian Federal Police called the AUKUS Command.

He wanted to know more, so he lodged Freedom of Information requests with the Australian Submarine Agency and the Australian Federal Police.

The documents he got back were heavily redacted – but he was able to form a picture of a secretive new command set up to protect AUKUS submarines.

But hidden in the fine print were plans to surveil protest, manage dissent, and deploy force against it.

Today, Rex Patrick on the Australian Federal Police, their new powers to protect America’s interests in Australia, and what it means for the future of protest.

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Guest: Former submariner and former senator for South Australia, Rex Patrick

Photo: AAP Image/Pool, Colin Murty

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The fallout from this year’s Adelaide Writers’ Week debacle has reignited fierce debate about political interference in the arts and about who gets to speak in Australia’s cultural spaces.

After the invitation to Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah was withdrawn, 180 writers pulled out in protest.

The festival was eventually cancelled and Adelaide Festival has since apologised for excluding the author from Writers’ Week, admitting it had failed to uphold artistic freedom. The whole saga raises urgent questions about how decisions are being made – by governments, by boards, and by those in charge of our institutions.

Today, we’re bringing you a story from last year that exposed one of the initial fault lines in cultural administration.

It’s about artist Khaled Sabsabi, who was dropped from representing Australia at the Venice Biennale after political pressure. Then, as the backlash intensified, Sabsabi was reinstated.

It’s an episode that feels more relevant than ever. It features chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow, speaking with Ruby Jones.

This episode originally aired in February last year.

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Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow

Photo: Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino in Granville. Photo: Anna Kucera

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