Why the major parties won’t fix the domestic violence crisis

Since the election was announced, just five weeks ago, at least five women have been killed by their partners in Australia. Yet this crisis has barely received a mention in either of the two major parties’ campaigns.  Dr Tracy Westerman, a Nyamal woman from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, has worked as a psychologist in remote communities for 25 years. She says where she works, the silence from politicians has been especially deafening. Aboriginal women face a significantly higher risk of domestic violence, but the assumptions our political leaders draw about the causes are deeply misguided.  Today, Dr Tracy Westerman on what’s really fuelling intimate partner violence in Aboriginal communities – and how to stop women from being killed.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Dr Tracy Westerman. Photo: AAP / Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s one question Grace Tame is asked all the time: when is she going into politics? And her answer is always the same – never. Like many younger Australians, Tame is disillusioned with the two-party system, which she says serves a dwindling minority of morbidly wealthy players rather than the general public. But as Australia heads into an election where Gen Z and Millennials outnumber Baby Boomers for the first time, she thinks it’s a chance to move beyond the two-party games. Today, 2021 Australian of the Year and director of the Grace Tame Foundation, Grace Tame, on advocating for change outside of politics, and why this election is a chance to fix democracy.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: 2021 Australian of the Year and director of the Grace Tame Foundation, Grace Tame. Photo: Don Arnold/WireImageSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Under Peter Dutton’s leadership, the Coalition has placed One Nation candidates second on scores of how-to-vote cards across the country. In return, Pauline Hanson has switched One Nation's how-to-vote cards to preference the Liberals second in seats where the Coalition is under threat. The decision goes against decades of principled condemnation of Hanson and One Nation inside the Liberal Party, and normalises what has for almost 30 years been a shunned fringe voice in Australian politics. It signals a change not just in campaign tactics, but in what the Liberals stand for. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on the preference deal between One Nation and the Liberal Party and whether it could backfire.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper, Mike Seccombe. Photo: AAP Image / Brian CaseySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If things go the Greens’ way this weekend, the party could hold the balance of power in a minority Labor government. But given the prime minister’s famed antipathy towards the Greens – and the Labor Party’s continual approvals of new coal and gas projects – questions remain about whether they’ll really have any power at all. Today, Greens leader Adam Bandt, on working with Albanese and what the Greens have to show for their record win last time around.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Greens leader Adam Bandt. Photo: AAP Image/Jason O’BrienSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we head to the polls this weekend, election analyst Ben Raue has been calculating the path to victory for the major parties.  The Coalition needs to pick up 18 seats to win, while if Labor loses four seats, they lose their majority. But as the electorate shifts in all kinds of surprising ways, the path to victory is becoming increasingly complicated for the major parties. Today, analyst at The Tally Room Ben Raue, on the seats that will decide the election – and why Victoria matters more than ever.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Analyst at The Tally Room, Ben Raue. Photo: AAP / Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The opening scene of Chris Flynn’s fourth and latest novel, Orpheus Nine, came to him in a dream. Not long after, he had the whole story down from start to finish. On this week’s episode of Read This, Chris and Michael sit down for a conversation about the falsity of certitude, how trauma can re-shape a community, and what The Exorcist, the Bible, and Winnie the Pooh all have in common.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Bongiorno is one of the 1.2 billion Roman Catholics who mourned the loss of Pope Francis this week. As he read tribute after tribute of the impact of the Pope’s life, he noticed what wasn’t on the front page – Peter Dutton’s last-minute policy announcements. “The Pope is a world figure… and of course, it swamped the world’s media, including here in Australia. So it’s not surprising that the death of this pope would overshadow anything that our leaders were doing in the election campaign. In fact, it would blow the campaign out of the water for a few days.” Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on how the Pope’s death changed the election.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Columnist for The Saturday Paper, Paul Bongiorno. Photo: AAP / Domenico StinellisSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In January, Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the trans community by banning some medical care for minors. The move has had a chilling effect across the United States, as doctors withdraw their services for fear of being prosecuted and parents stop accessing medication for their children.  But many are fighting back. In one red state, we spoke with a doctor driving across state lines, at great personal risk, to give patients the care she says is needed to save their lives. Now, trans healthcare is also under attack in Australia – with the Queensland government announcing a ban on state-funded gender-affirming care for minors on the same day of Trump’s directive. Today, 7am’s senior producer Cheyne Anderson, on the ordinary people pushing back against Trump’s war on trans people, and how Queensland became the testing ground for bans in Australia.    Warning: this episode discusses suicide.  If you need support, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14. You can also call QLife on 1800 184 527. Support is also available at:  Switchboard, Queerspace, Transcend Australia, Transgender Victoria and Minus18.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: 7am’s senior producer Cheyne Anderson Photo: AAP / Dean LewisSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Scott Morrison lost his job as prime minister, it was women who sacked him. A review commissioned by the Liberal Party after the 2022 election found that a decline in support among women was a decisive factor in their loss. The report outlined ways the party might win women back. But three years on, that hasn’t happened. Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper Bri Lee, on what women want – and why they’re not getting it from the Liberal Party.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper, Bri Lee. Photo: Supplied.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Peter Dutton’s son, Harry, fronted the media to talk about his dream of home ownership, it was an attempt by the opposition leader to seem relatable. The 20-year-old apprentice said he was “saving like mad”, but it’s unlikely he’d be able to save enough in the near future.  But it seems his father may have failed to anticipate the obvious question: would he help his son with a deposit? As reporter Mike Seccombe observed, “if he said he wouldn’t help Harry, he would look mean and/or untruthful – and if he said he would help, it could be seen as an admission that despite his promises to fix the housing affordability crisis, his son, and by extension other people struggling to get into the housing market, still couldn't achieve home ownership without parental help”. Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on why both major parties have policies that will see house prices rise – and what it means for the housing crisis.   If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.   Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: National correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe Photo: AAP Image/Dean LewinsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.