
Late Night Live — Full program podcast
273 episodes — Page 1 of 6
How royal commissions make a difference, plus cuisine in conflict zones
Ian Dunt on Starmer's demise, Antoinette Lattouf on women who win, plus 50 years of Australian film at Cannes
Australia's first political assassination, plus the man who led Japan into war
Anna Henderson's Canberra, six months in a submarine and the ethics of crisis reporting
Fintan O'Toole on Trump's brand of 'crazy,' plus how to escape the Taliban
Netanyahu faces a new opposition party, plus the lives of those liberated from the Nazi camp Bergen-Belsen
Bruce Shapiro's USA, why community radio matters, and an historic Pitcairn Island document returned
Anna Henderson's Canberra, Kim Jong Un's comeback and classical marble statues - in colour
Australian writers celebrate David Malouf - friend, mentor, inspiration
Ian Dunt on the King's speech to Congress, plus the scandalous life of Dick Meagher
Pakistan the negotiator, and reporting mass shootings
How war fired up indigenous soldiers, and Japanese espionage - fact or fiction?
Who are the British elite today? And a tribute to David Malouf
NZ PM's leadership struggle, and the Weintraubs Syncopaters' sad end
Bruce Shapiro's USA, Chernobyl's wildlife thriving and the great convict escape on the Catalpa
Anna Henderson's Canberra, how best to commemorate war, plus Lake Eyre tourists need fuel
A Jewish Australian lawyer reckons with state violence. Plus, can corporate scandals be good for the world?
Ian Dunt's UK, the Colombo plan, and AI publishing scams
Jon Lee Anderson on Trump's Cuba threats, plus how chokepoints like Hormuz have shaped history
Australia's fuel import dependency, gay conservatives backing Trump, plus damaged treasures in Iran
The making of poet A.D. Hope, Australian literary giant
Attacks on culture in the USA, plus the secret life of famous author Daniel Defoe
Bruce Shapiro's USA, antibiotic resistance in India, plus Marralwanga's bark paintings
Henry Reynolds turns Australian history upside down
Robert Reich's America and ten years since the release of the Panama papers
In his new memoir, Former Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, Robert Reich, traces how the Democrats lost the working class and paved the way for Donald Trump. Plus ten years on since the release of the Panama Papers, has anything changed in the global financial system?
Ian Dunt's UK, and the Shahs and Ayatollahs of Iran
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces his plan to address fuel prices. And 'The Shah's party, and the Iranian revolution that followed'. Bob Templer on how Iran's recent history explains the deep divisions and violence that occurred in February, leading to the current war. Guests: Ian Dunt: iNews columnist and regular LNL commentatorRobert Templar, author of 'The Shah's last party, and the Iranian Revolution that followed' (Hurst)
Western Australia's GST wins, Israel death penalty for West Bank, and mapping the wilderness
The only Australian state with a budget surplus will get an extra $6.6 billion from Australian taxpayers in the coming financial year, under its special GST deal. Israel's parliament has passed a law that makes the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank who have been found guilty of killing Israelis. Australia's wilderness has just been mapped for the first time in 40 years, and it's estimated to have shrunk by more than 20 percent.Guests: Shane Wright – Senior Economics Correspondent for the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National InitiativeJames Watson, Professor of Environmental Science, University of QLD
Anna Henderson's Canberra, Ash Sarkar critques the modern Left, and should daylight savings be permanent?
The Australian government will halve the fuel excise for three months, as the energy crisis triggered by the Iran war looks set to drag on. UK journalist, commentator and self-identified communist Ash Sarkar offers her critique of the modern liberal-Left, and its tendency to fall into culture war traps that do not serve people's material needs. Plus, why has the Canadian province of British Columbia decided to ditch seasonal clock changes, and embrace daylight savings time year round? Guests: Anna Henderson, chief political correspondent, SBS NewsAsh Sarkar, journalist at Novara Media, author of Minority Rule: Adventures in the Culture WarMaurice Katz, video journalist with CBC, Vancouver
The struggle to get aid into the Middle East, plus a great Australian librarian retires
Millions have been made homeless by wars in the Middle East, but with access severely limited, humanitarian agencies are struggling to get aid into the region. Plus, the National Library of Australia's departing General-Director Marie-Louise Ayres reflects on a decades-long career at this cherished public institution, where she's overseen the digitisation of millions of precious Australian archives. Guests:Susanne Legena, CEO of Plan International AustraliaMat Tinkler, CEO Save the Children Australia Marie-Louise Ayres, departing Director-General, National Library of Australia
Bruce Shapiro's USA, Trump’s business in the Gulf, plus the Museum of Failure
Bruce Shapiro on whether Trump now looking for a way-out of the war in Iran, and why the Pentagon has lost its defence of media shut-out rules. Plus the New York Times has investigated Donald Trump’s private business footprint in the Gulf, and found luxury real estate, golf courses, and high-profile partnerships. And why we should celebrate failure. Guests:Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor with The Nation magazine and Director of the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma. Eric Lipton, Investigative reporter, New York TimesDr Samuel West, Clinical psychologist and founder, Museum of Failure
Anna Henderson's Canberra, a tribute to Rhoda Roberts, and making floristry more sustainable
The South Australian election result has got the major parties elsewhere scrambling to understand what the One Nation phenomenon means for them. In tribute to the late Rhoda Roberts, we replay an interview she did with David Marr on the 'Welcome to country' backlash. Plus the downsides of pretty flowers, and what the industry is doing to clean up its act.
Guns and God in the USA, plus fresh scrutiny on weedkiller Roundup
Journalist and author William J. Kole examines how white evangelicals in the United States have fused the gospel and guns - and are standing in the way of reasonable restrictions on firearms. Plus, fresh scrutiny on the makers of the herbicide Roundup - and the widely-cited research used as evidence of its safety.Guests:William J. Kole, journalist and author of In Guns We Trust -The Unholy Trinity of White Evangelicals, Politics, and Firearms, published by Broadleaf books Naomi Oreskes, Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science and Affiliated Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University
Please explain: Niki Savva, Paul Kelly and Antony Green on the resurgence of Pauline Hanson
Pauline Hanson rose from Ipswich City Council in 1994, to win the federal seat of Oxley in 1996, as a disendorsed Liberal turned independent. Her maiden speech ignited national controversy, and after just two years in Canberra, and a string of failed comebacks, she’s now back at the centre of Australian politics — with One Nation now polling at 24% of the primary vote (Resolve Strategic). Some of Australia's finest political minds unpack Hanson's remarkable resurgence.Guests:Niki Savva, journalist, author and former political advisor to Peter CostelloPaul Kelly, Editor-at-large for The AustralianSimon Hunt and his alter ego Pauline PantsdownABC Election Analyst Emeritus, Antony GreenProducer: Ali Benton
Ian Dunt's UK, Geoffrey Watson finds the NACC wanting and the power of presidential pardons
Ian Dunt on why UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to be drawn into the "wider war" in the Middle East. Geoffrey Watson reflects on the findings of the National Anti-Corruption Commission into Robodebt - and finds them wanting. And why a law professor thinks the power of presidential pardons in the USA should be curtailed.Guests: Ian Dunt: iNews columnist and regular LNL commentatorGeoffrey Watson SC, Director of the Centre for Public Integrity, Senior Counsel at New ChambersSaikrishna Prakash, Distinguished Professor of Law and Miller Center Senior Fellow at the University of Virginia
The new Nationals' front bench, where Saudi Arabia sits in the Middle East war, and meet veteran protestor Mag Merrilees
Our regular Canberra correspondent Anna Henderson on the new-look Nationals. Saudi Arabia is playing a quiet hand so far in the war. And a longtime radical feminist reflects on the need to keep protesting.Guests:Anna Henderson, chief political correspondent, SBSSimon Mabon, Professor of International Politics at Lancaster University, specialising in Saudi-Iranian relationsMargaret 'Mag' Merrilees, author of 'Scared Angry Laughing - how to fix the world'
Acclaimed historian and author Antony Beevor on Rasputin, and Elon Musk's facilitation of making fake porn with unauthorised images
The so-called 'mad monk' Rasputin bewitched Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra. But their strange and scandalous relationship conceals a riddle, which casts an intriguing light on the controversial 'great man' theory of history. And, in a push to deepen engagement with Grok, the chatbot on the X platform, Elon Musk allowed AI to generate porn from public images of people, including children.
Funding Australian TV, and conspiracy theories in Irish politics
Australian TV now has to compete with social media, on-demand streaming, and, soon, AI. Our government supports the industry, but the amount of Australian TV being made has continued to drop. What can be done to keep Australian stories on screen? Plus: why do the Irish have such pervasive belief in conspiracy theories?
Bruce Shapiro's USA, Christian rhetoric in the US military, and Vanuatu's lost numbering system
Donald Trump's war in Iran is certainly taking the world's attention away from the scandals of his administration, including the firing of former Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and the latest allegations about Trump in the Epstein files. Speaking of the US military, what role does Christian nationalism play in the most lethal military in the world? Any role is too much for Mikey Weinstein, the founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Plus: recovering a lost language for counting in Vanuatu.
Anna Henderson's Canberra, Economist journalist Sophie Pedder on President Macron's support for Lebanon, and why the power of the mafia - in multiple cultures - still prevails.
Our Canberra correspondent on Australia's delicate positioning with the Middle East War. Why the French President is passionately arguing for no further attacks on Lebanon. And the mafia, even after all these years, still holds sway in Japan, the US, and Italy.
Yanis Varoufakis on war and drugs, and 200 years of the State Library of NSW
Yanis Varoufakis, the firebrand economist and former Greek Minister of Finance, joins David for a talk about the Iran war, Trump's tariffs and the new drug charges against him. Plus how our oldest library has been reflecting us for 200 years. The Mitchell Librarian, Richard Neville, talks about the living collection under his care.
In conversation with the UK's Ian Dunt
For the first time, Late Night Live UK political commentator Ian Dunt, meets David Marr in person. In this special hour-long conversation, Dunt explores the parallels and distinctions between political developments in the United Kingdom and Australia, analyses the strains in relations between the UK and the US over the Iran conflict, and examines the recent Greens by-election win, in a long-held UK Labour seat.Guest: Ian Dunt: iNews columnist and regular LNL commentatorProducer: Ali Benton
Gideon Levy on Israel's objectives in Iran, the secret life of batteries, and Australia's earliest desert people
What are Israel's ultimate objectives in Iran, Lebanon and the broader Middle East? The veteran journalist and author Gideon Levy joins the show to discuss Israel's role in the Iran war, and whether or not peace is possible in the Middle East. Then: what even is a battery? So much of modern life depends on our ability to store energy, and humanity's turn towards a green energy future is only possible because of the humble battery. But should you recycle your old AAs? Plus: new research on Australia's very, very early desert settlers.
Anna Henderson's Canberra, Bruce Shapiro on the US attack on Iran, and when books go bad
Australian Government leaders have been taking a cautious 'let's just wait and see what happens' approach to the war in the Middle East. Bruce Shapiro explains the legal and political constraints on President Trump's war leadership. And the scandals scattered across the literary world.
Bob Carr on suddenly losing his wife Helena
Former NSW Premier and former Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Bob Carr and his wife Helena were almost inseparable. When she suddenly died, while they were in Vienna on an opera and galleries tour of Europe, Bob was bereft. Back in Sydney, he took to walking the streets late at night.His memoir 'Bring back yesterday' pays tribute to Helena, born to Chinese and Tamil parents in Taiping. Bob Carr reflects on their life together, and on the work and politics that they both, and separately, have been involved in.Guest: Bob CarrProducers: David Marr/Ann Arnold
Bruce Shapiro on Trump's State of the Union, Catholic Church High Court loss and do Australian cities have a guaranteed water supply?
Our US political commentator Bruce Shapiro has watched the (very long) State of the Union address. The High Court has found the Catholic Church is liable for the actions of a priest who abused a boy in the 1960s in NSW. Lawyer and victim advocate Judy Courtin analyses what this decision might mean for the Church. Plus dams and desalination plants: will they supply sufficient amounts of water to cities in an extreme drought?
Richard Ackland on the antisemitism Royal Commission, the biodiversity of the high seas, and Mawson's scrawled diaries
Richard Ackland discusses the scope and ambitions of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, and the challenges facing the enquiry. On the high seas, a major treaty aims to protect marine life from overfishing, climate change, shipping, and deep-seabed mining. Why hasn't Australia ratified it yet? Plus, Sir Douglas Mawson kept extensive diaries, which have taken the South Australian Museum 20 years to transcribe. What do Mawson's diaries reveal about one of Australia's greatest explorers?
Anna Henderson's Canberra, and Helen Clark on the UN's missing senior women
Chief political correspondent for SBS, Anna Henderson, on the ongoing political wrangling over people who do or do not reflect 'Australian values'.And former New Zealand Prime Minister and former head of the United Nations Development Programme, Helen Clark, says it is high time the UN's top job went to a woman.
A review of the Pacific labour scheme in Australia, and rethinking the gay rights movement
The PALM scheme, bringing Pacifika workers to regional Australia to work, has many fans, but significant problems also, a new report finds. Its author Peter Mares, a long time analyst of immigration policy, also discusses the current political hyperbole around immigration. And Irish author Ronan McCrea on the new sources of opposition to gay rights, and argues the movement needs to rethink its goals.
Ian Dunt's UK, Germany rearms and politicians who dodge questions.
i Paper's Ian Dunt on Keir Starmer's political future and how UK asylum seeker policy is getting headlines in the tabloids. Plus why Germany is on a mission to revamp its military and defence systems. And the art of the dodge and deflect - how politicians spin their way out of answering questions
Gambling's grip on politicians, Cuba's invasion threat and greenwashing green burials
The Australian Democracy Network says our lobbying laws make it easy for the gambling industry to have the ear of our political leaders. After capturing Venezuela's leader, Cuba may be next on Trump's list, and questions are being asked about whether green burials are as environmentally friendly as they claim to be.