Melbourne childcare abuse allegations and how the industry needs to change

The creation of a National Anti-Corruption Commission was a key Labor promise before it won Government in 2022. The Commission was duly created and this week it released the findings of its first ever investigation.  But was it a little anti-climactic? Can we hope for bigger and better corruption-busting in the future?  Plus, interest rate cuts and the confusing matter of the Trump tariffs, and their effect on the Australian economy.  Joining Jacqueline Maley to discuss is federal politics reporter Olivia Ireland and senior economic correspondent Shane Wright.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is every parent’s worst nightmare. That their vulnerable child might have been abused at daycare; the very place where they’re meant to be looked after.  This comes after new broke on Tuesday morning that a Melbourne childcare worker, Joshua Dale Brown, had been charged with 70 counts of sexual abuse against eight children, some as young as five months old. Today, senior reporter Chris Vedelago, on what we know about this case. And early childcare sector advocate Lisa Bryant, on the changes she’s fighting for, and what parents need to know to keep their children safe.  This podcast contains content that listeners may find distressing.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was the killing that led to protests not just across Australia, but in New Zealand and the United States, too. Because the brutal beating of 15 year old Cassius Turvey while he was walking home from school, didn’t just end the life of a boy who was on a steady path to buck one of Australia's most damning trends: that a young Indigenous man is more likely to go to prison, than to university. The killing also reopened one of this country’s foundational wounds. Today, WA Today reporter Rebecca Peppiatt, on the sentencing of the killers, last week. And what she understands about the community that birthed these killers, where she herself lives, that she thinks we should know, too.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was a time, not so long ago, when so-called quiet luxury, or stealth wealth, was in vogue. You remember; this is what Gwyneth Paltrow wore during her ski slopes trial; understated cashmere cardigans and suits cut just so that you had to be in the know, to know that these had come from The Row and Celine and cost a bomb.  But the $50 million wedding, last week, between Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez has marked a new age. That’s right, we’re now in 'The Age of Vulgarity.' Today, senior columnist Jacqueline Maley, on why this celebrity wedding is different from all the rest. And how we’re all going to pay the price.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us most likely spent the weekend catching up with friends, at our local pub or favourite restaurant. It’s unlikely we turned our attention to those preparing our meals, hidden in the kitchen, chefs who may be on their 14th hour, burnt out and very far from home. Some of those chefs, former staff at lavish Merivale venues across Sydney, are now sharing their story, and the at times darker reality of their work. Today, Good Food reporter Bianca Hrovat and investigative reporter Eryk Bagshaw. And just a note, lawyers for Merivale have denied the allegations raised in this episode. You’ll find their response at the end.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She is a former shearer, a pilot and a mother of three children. She has a dark past as a punk in Canberra. She has been one of the only women in the room in successive Liberal cabinets. She was the deputy to former opposition leader Peter Dutton, and following the last election, she took his job.  She is, of course, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley. Today, chief political commentator James Massola and host Jacqueline Maley speak to Ley about the Coalition’s woman problem, how she plans on stopping a split within the Coalition over energy policy, and most importantly, we ask who she really is, as a personSubscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has accused Israel and Iran of already breaking a ceasefire, in a tirade against both sides as the US President left for a NATO summit in the Netherlands.  Meanwhile, multiple American media outlets are reporting Sunday’s bunker blitz did not destroy Iran’s three key nuclear sites.  So what’s next? And also, how did we get here in the first place?  Today, national environment editor and former US correspondent, Nick O’Malley on the series of events which left Iran dangerously exposed.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After eight weeks, the jury in Australia’s most high-profile trial in decades, is set to deliberate, and return a verdict. By now, most will be familiar with the tale - Victorian woman Erin Patterson is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, by serving them poisonous mushrooms in a beef Wellington lunch. Heather’s husband, Ian, also ate the lunch but survived after weeks in hospital. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder. Soon, we will know whether Patterson faces a life behind bars, or walks free. Today, crime reporter Marta Pascual Juanola, who’s been following this case since the very beginning, on the trial of Erin Patterson.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the kind of war he’s promised for years to avoid. Then just last week, Donald Trump said he’d take the fortnight to consider his options. But on Sunday, under the cover of darkness, the US president announced American forces had struck Iran. The secret and brutal assault on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, using so-called "bunker buster" bombs, brought the United States directly into the conflict between Israel and Iran. While Trump has certainly claimed the total obliteration of Iran’s nuclear capability, the full extent of the damage remains unclear – so too how the Islamic Republic may retaliate, including a potential move to choke the world’s oil supplies. Today, North America correspondent Michael Koziol on the fast-escalating developments in the Middle East.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donating blood is an important community service – one that’s desperately needed for patients, in life-threatening conditions. But up until now, those identifying as gay, bisexual or transgender had effectively been banned from donating. A lift on that ban will now significantly expand Australia’s donor pool at a time when blood - specifically plasma - is most needed by patients. But for many in the LGBTQ+  community, the changes are long overdue, and the ban has been a major source of stigma. Today, health reporter Kate Aubusson and Matthew Mottola, on why the ban has been lifted, and why it took so long.Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.