If You're Listening

Australia’s housing market is, like many places in the Western world, in the midst of a crisis that feels like it will never be solved. Owning a property in an Australian city has only drifted further out of reach for most Australians in the last decade, and there are very few practical solutions on offer. Is it possible to actually unpick this situation?Japan offers a useful example. Thirty years ago, property in Tokyo was the most expensive in the world. Today, home ownership in that same city is comparatively affordable, with plenty of available stock on the market. How was this massive turnaround achieved, and how can other countries learn from the Japanese model?

When Narendra Modi left home, it wasn't to begin a career in politics. He wanted to be a monk. Modi's teenaged pilgrimage would take him across India, following the trail of his country's most influential religious leader. It was a journey that would ultimately steer him towards politics, and lay the foundation for some of his most popular and controversial philosophies.

The Princess of Wales has barely been seen since Christmas and everyone is asking, where is Kate?The Royal Family released a photo meant to squash the rumours, but when it became obvious it had been photoshopped, the speculation just got worse.Fake photos are everywhere, and there's a long history of people doctoring them, from photocopying to photoshopping, to straight up AI.But is there a time coming where we won't be able to tell the difference between what's real and what's fake?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihzt5GNfnig

For most politicians, the image of a stable marriage and a happy family is a crucial part of their pitch to voters. But in India, being single is a selling point: leaders want to show that they are dedicated only to their country. Narendra Modi's carefully crafted image of a bachelor was up-ended when it emerged that he had a wife who had been kept secret for decades.Since this scandal broke, Modi's estranged wife has barely been seen or spoken to the media. In this episode, we're going to find her.

Russia is in the midst of an election, but we already know Vladimir Putin will win. He always wins.So why does Russia bother holding elections? What’s the point?Putin learned a lesson many years ago about the illusion of democracy, and it’s one he has never forgotten.

Every Tuesday for the next seven weeks, we'll be dropping an extra episode from a new ABC podcast into the If You're Listening feed. Looking for Modi, hosted by the ABC's South Asia correspondent Avani Dias, examines the life and political career of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. It's a fascinating show that we think you might enjoy. Matt will be back with another episode on Thursday.Narendra Modi's rise from poverty-stricken childhood has been a major appeal throughout his political career. He tells ordinary Indians that he is just like them, and that his life is proof of India's egalitarian democracy. But in truth, some of the central elements of his own biography are disputed. What do we really know about his origin story, and how did his time spent with a volunteer right wing organisation many view as a paramilitary group influence his politics?

The police arrested and interrogated Andrew after he was set up by hackers.Now we know how Chinese spies pull it off.An unprecedented leak of data from Chinese company i-Soon has cracked open the black box, revealing the secrets of China's cyber espionage operations.Correction: When Andrew Phelan was taken in for questioning by Victoria Police, he was never chargedSubscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c58XyP6Bx1E

Donald Trump was ordered to pay a $463.9 million fine for lying to banks about how rich he is.He's also facing at least five other cases that could cost him millions more in legal fees and fines.And this is all happening as he tries to run for president again — and political campaigns ain't cheap.So the question is: Can Donald Trump make it to election day without running out of money?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzEp-Vr4Oao

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was a revolutionary leader with a revolutionary idea.In just 10 years as Supreme Leader, Iran became a global pariah; virtually friendless in the international community.Yet when he died, millions of Iranians hysterically grieved his death.In today's episode, how Ayatollah Khomeini changed the course of Middle Eastern history, and how his ideas are still affecting us today.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOsdbCwS5qQ

In 1974, the Shah of Iran was diagnosed with cancer.It led to a Shakespearean tragedy that brought about the end of the Iranian monarchy and shaped the Middle East conflict we're seeing today.As open warfare between the US and Iran becomes more and more likely by the day, it's worth remembering that it all started with something tiny — a small lump in the spleen of one man.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZgrNZDxQhA

The Red Sea is the most trafficked trade route in the world, and now the US Navy and a group of militant Houthi rebels are going to war over it.The Houthis are attacking ships it says are linked to Israel and its allies; America is desperately trying to stop them. I mean, America might not get directly involved in the Israel-Gaza conflict, but you bet they'll protect their trade routes.The stakes couldn't be higher — if the US can't prove they have this under control, plenty of other groups around the world might decide to try their hand at blocking global trade as well.Editor's note: This introduction has been edited to clarify that not only Israeli ships have been targeted in Houthi attacks.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYJFHtTYc0g

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a new problem. As well as fighting Russia, he also has to fight Israel and Hamas for the world's attention.The shift in attention to Gaza has already meant Ukraine has lost crucial support.The question is — can Zelenskyy get the world to care about Ukraine again? And if not, what will that mean for the war?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fSMBo3xGBQ

China's pandas are not just pandas. They're diplomats.You're friendly to China? You get a panda. You criticise China? You get no pandas.In recent years China has been hostile toward the West, with the most literal symbol of their displeasure being the withdrawal of their pandas from zoos around the world.And yet, Chinese President Xi Jinping appears to be having a change of heart.This may indicate something very important — a return to a more peaceful relationship with the West.But why? And why are pandas the key to understanding it?Please participate in our listener survey!Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzM1L3Nrc-I

The world's most famous artificial intelligence company, OpenAI — the creator of ChatGPT — was set up to create a superintelligent AI, while at the same time safeguarding humanity from an omnipotent robot overlord which could enslave us all.But last week the company fell into chaos. OpenAI fired its wunderkind CEO Sam Altman.Just days later, under intense pressure, Sam Altman was put back in charge and the entire board was booted.So is an AI apocalypse possible, and with Altman back in charge, will OpenAI be able to protect us from its own robots?Please participate in our listener survey!Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR8c10Tkb3E

China is using cash to try and shore up support in the Pacific.In Honiara, the Solomon Islands capital, they just built most of the venues in the Pacific Games precinct.And China is not alone. Like a geopolitical version of The Bachelor, China, Taiwan, Australia and the United States are all trying desperately to win Honiara's heart.This tussle has caused panic in Taipei and Canberra, anger in Beijing and Washington, and actual violence in the Solomons.It's hard to think of a more perfect example of trouble in paradise.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Check out our series on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzF_o11VvuQ

As international sanctions have cut into North Korea's ability to import and export things, they've become desperate for cash.They've been running crazy schemes to get it — smuggling, stealing, lying, cheating, swashbuckling — but that's nothing compared to what they make from stealing cryptocurrency.In fact, most of their foreign currency now comes from stolen crypto.So, can anything be done to stop the world's first nuclear-armed crypto bro, Kim Jong-un?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7eK8MO7c0Q

The Israeli hostages Hamas took back on October 7th still have not been rescued.The 1976 Entebbe rescue mission is legendary and gave Israel a reputation — they get hostages back no matter what.Now this reputation is putting enormous pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rescue the hostages again.The question is — can he?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQx0U-bfd7A

While Israel tries to defeat Hamas, they also have to worry about a much more dangerous paramilitary group on their northern border: Hezbollah.The express purpose of Hezbollah, which formed 40 years ago, is also to eradicate Israel.It would be a nightmare for Israel if Hezbollah swings in and backs Hamas up.So where did Hezbollah form, why do they hate Israel, and what hand did Israel have in their creation?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ4x0gAzJx4

The Israeli Government has one of the most well-resourced intelligence communities in the world, specifically tasked with preventing attacks from Hamas.So how did it fail to detect an operation that involved months of planning, meetings in multiple countries, and thousands of militants?This is part two in our series on the Israel-Gaza conflict.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Catch up on our series about the Israel-Gaza conflict on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYJFHtTYc0g

Last week, Hamas burst out of the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, killing at least 1,400 people, the vast majority of them Israeli civilians.But Hamas' origins go back decades, to its founder Ahmed Yassin.How did a disabled refugee from Gaza become one of the most influential men in Palestine?And how did he take Hamas from obscurity to wresting control of the Gaza Strip?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VqWVeanOS0

In 2021, a doctor from Florida met with a group of men to plan the overthrow of the Haitian President.The plot triggered a series of events which led to the President's death, the almost total collapse of the government, and the rise of mob rule in Haiti.So why is Kenya now being sent in to save the day?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhcd5oos_P4

In September last year, Elon Musk refused to let the Ukrainian military use his Starlink satellites to attack Russia.Musk jumped on Twitter and posted “Starlink is meant for peaceful use only”. So how did we get into a situation where Elon Musk gets to personally decide whether a Ukrainian military operation succeeds or fails?And was he justified in refusing to help? Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVojbEzWoUU

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was murdered in Vancouver in June.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has just come out saying the Indian Government assassinated him.India is, of course, denying it.So who was Niijar? Why would anyone — much less the Indian Government — want to kill him?And is there more to this story than meets the eye?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2K0dTtkGNE

When world leaders received their invitations to the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi, everyone got a bit of a surprise. It referred to Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of Bharat, not India.The debate over the naming of India stretches back nearly 80 years, and tells an important story about the country's history.And Modi's new push for a change in the constitution is just the latest in a series of political fights centred on race, religion and unity in India.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWhuh87aYOM

The US, Russia, China and India are all sending missions to the moon — and all to its totally unexplored south pole.Why? Well, in order to make the next giant leap, we need to build a petrol station on the moon.How a discovery made a century ago will allow us to use the moon as a stepping stone to explore the solar system.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWhuh87aYOM

For a century society has bullied and shamed people into trying to lose weight, without much result.Now, a seemingly accidental discovery by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk may be the first weight loss drug that actually works.People are hailing semaglutide, marketed under the names Ozempic or Wegovy, as a miracle weight loss drug — but it comes at a cost.One clear winner is the Danish economy, as semaglutide has shot Novo Nordisk into the stratosphere as the most valuable company in all of Europe.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meJItedDm2Y

China's economy is struggling. Similar things are happening across Asia but in China it's happening extremely fast.And a big part of the reason why is the disastrous One Child Policy and years of dodgy population data.How can you make plans for a country when you don't know how many people you have?Now the population is going backward, the property sector is faltering, and China is in a world of trouble.Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4E5qY_tTDg&t

While everyone has their eyes on the war in Ukraine, West Africa is threatening to break out into war.There's been a seemingly unstoppable wave of coups washing along the edge of the Sahara, gaining strength each time.After the recent military coup in Niger, locals were seen chanting "down with France" and "long live Putin".What are France and Russia doing in West Africa? And could they end up in a proxy war?Subscribe to If You're Listening on the ABC Listen app.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_N9w5e9NrE

Microchips are in your car, your microwave — there might even be one in your kettle. They run everything.And the best microchips are made by TSMC, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.TSMC chips have put Western tech companies and militaries streets ahead of China, and China is not happy about it.TSMC is so important, that the world could go to war over it.Find more If You're Listening on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tC3u8NEqU8&t

Inflation in Argentina is at 100 per cent. The government is printing money fast and locals are spending in US dollars because the peso is so unreliable. The economy is like a rollercoaster.It might be tempting to think, "they're different over there", but here's the thing: they're kind of not. Argentina — one of the wealthiest countries in the world — was once uncomfortably similar to Australia. Until it totally lost control of its own economy.

Donald Trump has been charged with trying and failing to delete CCTV evidence of farcical, and allegedly criminal behaviour.It's just the latest charge in the case against the former president over his… interesting decision to take classified documents with him when he left the White House.Could it land him in jail? We tell the story of how Trump got into this predicament, and his plan to get out of it.

A bromance is a powerful thing. Lennon and McCartney. Holmes and Watson. Gilbert and Sullivan. Han and Chewy. But occasionally a bromance can nearly get you killed.A month ago the entire world watched transfixed as a former chef named Yevgeny Prigozhin marched with his private army on Moscow. At the core of this mutiny is a bromance between Prigozhin and a guy you've probably never heard of — General Sergei Surovikin.Prigozhin assumed his friend Surovikin would back him up, but he flaked, and now both men are missing. So how did Prigozhin's bromance with Surovikin nearly bring down the Russian Government? And what's the punishment for even thinking about trying to roll Vladimir Putin?We now make a video version of If You're Listening! Check us out on YouTube and iView.

If You're Listening is back, and better than ever. Same espionage, same corruptions, same scandals, but more often.Not only will we be in your feed every Thursday, we'll also cover a different story each week. And if you prefer to watch rather than listen, we're also making videos for iView and YouTube.Episode one drops Thursday, 27th July.

After ten months of war, a few likely outcomes of the war in Ukraine are emerging.A win for Vladimir Putin. A win for Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A bitter frozen conflict. Neither Putin or Zelenskyy will sign a peace agreement and admit defeat. But what if Putin’s regime ends?Guests:Dr Paul Dibb - Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at ANU; Former Director of the Australian Joint Intelligence OrganisationLieutenant General (retired) Ben Hodges - former commanding general of the US Army in EuropeDr Mykhailo Minakov - Philosopher; Editor in Chief of Focus Ukraine blog from the Kennan Institute at the Wilson CenterMichael Bociurkiw - Global Affairs Analyst and former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in EuropePhilip Short - Former BBC Moscow Correspondent; Author of Putin: His Life and TimesProfessor Daniel Treisman, University of California, Los Angeles, co-author “Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century”

Protest is not allowed inside Russia.There was little resistance from the Russian people to the invasion of Ukraine, and those who didn’t like it simply left. But Vladimir Putin has made a decree that has caused discord across Russia. Has he finally pushed his people too far?Guests:Zoya Sheftalovich - Contributing editor for POLITICODr Christina Ezrahi - Historian; author of Swans of the Kremlin and Dancing for StalinDenis Volkov - Director - Levada Centre, MoscowDr Yevgenia Albats - Chief Editor of The New TimesDr Mykhailo Minakov - Philosopher; Editor in Chief of Focus Ukraine blog from the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center

On 26 September, a series of underwater explosions destroyed a cluster of natural gas pipelines on the bottom of the Baltic Sea.The pipes were designed to deliver gas directly from Russia to Germany, and the explosions exacerbated the already dire energy crisis in Europe.Everyone agrees it was sabotage, but nobody can agree on who did it. Today: the mystery of the Baltic Sea bubbles, and the story of how Germany’s plan for peace-through-capitalism blew up in their face.Featuring:Dr James Henderson - Chairman of the Gas Research Programme at the Oxford Institute for Energy StudiesMichael Bociurkiw - Global Affairs Analyst and former spokesperson for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe

What does war look like on the ground, for the soldiers who go off to fight? What’s it like to be sent into the muddy confusion of a battlefield, asked to lay down your life for your country?In this episode: two soldiers. A Ukrainian in his 50s and a Russian in his 20s. One of them is still on the battlefield. The other fought for a week, and is now serving a 15 year prison sentence.These two stories explain a lot about how Russia messed this up, and how Ukraine was far stronger than anyone realised.Guests:Isabella Higgins - ABC News Europe CorrespondentSean Rubinsztein-Dunlop - ABC News Investigative ReporterTaras Rodtseyvich - Ukrainian Territorial Defence Volunteer; IT ManagerDr Paul Dibb - Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at ANU; Former Director of the Australian Joint Intelligence OrganisationZoya Sheftalovich - contributing editor for POLITICOPOW interview audio courtesy of Volodymyr Zolkin

Vladimir Putin's plan for a three day takeover of Ukraine relied on a quick strike to take out Volodymyr Zelenskyy - to kill him, to capture him, or to make him flee. Putin assumed that Zelenskyy was weak, but on the very first day of the invasion, two events showed that Putin was wrong, and led to the transformation of a man into a symbol of defiance against Russian tyranny.Guests:Simon Shuster - Reporter for Time Magazine; author of an upcoming biography of Volodymyr ZelenskyyZoya Sheftalovich - contributing editor for POLITICOPhilip Short - Former BBC Moscow Correspondent; Author of Putin: His Life and TimesDr Paul Dibb - Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at ANU; Former Director of the Australian Joint Intelligence OrganisationPOW interview audio courtesy of Volodymyr Zolkin

For 20 years the Russian President Vladimir Putin was happy to lurk in the shadows, trying and occasionally succeeding to manipulate the rest of the world into doing what he wanted them to do.But this year he chucked that out the window.His invasion of Ukraine has turned global security and the global economy upside down. In this episode we ask, why did he do it?Guests:Philip Short - Former BBC Moscow Correspondent; Author of Putin: His Life and TimesDr Yevgenia Albats - Chief Editor of The New TimesDr Mykhailo Minakov - Philosopher; Editor in Chief of Focus Ukraine blog from the Kennan Institute at the Wilson CenterDr Paul Dibb - Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at ANU; Former Director of the Australian Joint Intelligence OrganisationSimon Shuster - Reporter for Time Magazine; author of an upcoming biography of Volodymyr Zelenskyy

In the seventh season of If You're Listening, we tell the story of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Will Putin fulfil his dream of expanding the Russian empire, or has he made the biggest mistake of his life? Episode 1 drops Wednesday November 9!

Australia is now in a race to build enough renewable energy to replace our coal fired power stations before they close. We’re in this situation because of a series of ignored warnings and missed opportunities over the last five decades.Now, experts are telling us that the transition to a decarbonised economy presents a big opportunity for Australia. The question is - can we grasp it?Guests:Dr Alan Finkel - Commonwealth government energy advisor and former Australian Chief ScientistAlison Reeve - Deputy Program Director of Energy and Climate at the Grattan Institute; former Commonwealth energy policy advisor; author of the National Hydrogen PlanDr Kerry Schott - Independent chair of the Energy Security BoardScott Hamilton - Australia-German Energy Transition Hub & former energy policy advisor to federal and Victorian governmentsDr Ross Garnaut - Economist, Author of Superpower: Australia's Low Carbon Opportunity Dr Marcia Langton - Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of MelbourneRobert Hill - former Federal Environment MinisterDr Graeme Pearman - Former Chief of Atmospheric Research, CSIRO

Over the last five years, politicians in Australia and around the world have regularly tried to blame renewable energy whenever something goes wrong with our electricity supply.But lately whenever something catastrophic has happened to our energy supply, it’s been old technology at fault.This is the story of a series of disasters that show how the system we’ve always relied on to deliver electricity is faltering.Guests:Dr Alan Finkel - Commonwealth government energy advisor and former Australian Chief ScientistWendy Farmer - Latrobe Valley resident and founder of “Voices of the Valley”Alison Reeve - Deputy Program Director of Energy and Climate at the Grattan Institute; former Commonwealth energy policy advisor; author of the National Hydrogen PlanDarren Chester - Federal MP for GippslandDr Kerry Schott - Independent chair of the Energy Security BoardScott Hamilton - Australia-German Energy Transition Hub & former energy policy advisor to federal and Victorian governmentsIan Macfarlane - Chief Executive of Queensland Resources Council & former federal resources ministerGraham Richardson - Former Federal Environment Minister

Australia has always found energy underground - digging up coal, gas and uranium. As climate change begins to change the way we get our power, our leaders regularly argue that we can keep on digging for power while also saving the planet. But do nuclear energy, carbon capture and storage, and gas fired power have a role to play in the future?

For more than a decade, Australian politicians have discovered - the hard way - that climate policy is a dangerous game. But as the Federal Parliament tore itself apart, the rest of the world moved on, finding new ways to understand the effects of climate change, and deal with it. This is the story of how Australia fell behind the rest of the world, and why we might finally be ready to catch up.Guests:

In 1997, the debate over climate change in Australia was relatively civil. The question was not whether climate change was happening, but what should be done about it?In the following decade, Australia’s mining industry polluted the debate with misinformation. This is the story of how Australia's understanding of this vital issue went backwards.

Australia intends to keep exporting coal for as long as there are countries willing to buy it. Miners have grand dreams of establishing new coal regions in Queensland to supply coal to the power stations and steel mills of India.But how much longer will India, and our other big coal customers, keep needing it?Guests:Neelima Jain, Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies at the Centre for Strategic and International StudiesMika Ohbayashi, Director of the Renewable Energy Institute, TokyoMary Delahunty, Head of Impact at HestaIan Macfarlane, Chief Executive of Queensland Resources Council & former federal resources ministerDr Judith Brett - Emeritus Professor of Politics at La Trobe University, author of the Quarterly Essay The Coal Curse

Australia’s second-oldest city, Newcastle, was built around a single resource - coal.Since then, Australia has come to rely on coal for its prosperity. Our industries grew around the cheap energy it provided, and our global trade balance relies on its export.But now, that has to end. The question is - what will happen to Australia, and its coal communities - when it does?Guests:Professor John Maynard, Emeritus Professor, Indigenous Education and Research, University of NewcastleDr Judith Brett - Emeritus Professor of Politics at La Trobe University, author of the Quarterly Essay The Coal CurseJulie Baird - Director of Newcastle MuseumStephen Galilee - CEO of the NSW Minerals CouncilScott Hamilton, Australia-German Energy Transition Hub & former energy policy advisor to federal and Victorian governmentsWendy Farmer - Voices of the ValleyDarren Chester - Federal Nationals Member for Gippsland

In 1987, scientists gathered in Melbourne for a landmark conference where they discussed, for the first time, the effects climate change might have on Australia.In the decade after that, two decisions were made by federal governments - one Liberal, and one Labor - which have shaped the climate debate in this country ever since. Australia, If You’re Listening will look at why Australia’s found it so hard to tackle climate change since then, and what that means for the future.Guests:Dr Graeme Pearman - Former Chief of Atmospheric Research, CSIROGraham Richardson - former Federal Environment MinisterRos Kelly - former Federal Environment MinisterRobert Hill - former Federal Environment Minister

The sixth season of If You’re Listening tells the story of Australia’s turbulent history with climate change, and what that means for the future.As we approach a federal election where climate and energy is a key battleground, this 8 episode series will examine how Australia wasted decades fighting change, instead of capitalising on it.Episode 1 launches on February 23.

For months commentators and politicians in Australia have been talking about one of the most frightening topics imaginable — a war between the United States and China over the island of Taiwan.It's the last frozen remnant of a hundred year old Civil War — two governments both claiming to be the legitimate rulers of China, separated by 100 miles of ocean.In this episode, we explain the bizarre story which led to the current tension, and look at what might happen next.Guests:Katherine Wei, Taiwan Correspondent, The Straits TimesMalcolm Turnbull, former Australian Prime MinisterDr Helen Sham-ho OAM, first Chinese-born MP in an Australian parliament