How Bondi is testing Australia’s national security

As the country tries to understand how a Hanukkah gathering in Bondi ended with 15 people dead, more details about the alleged shooters have come to light. Authorities say the attack was inspired by Islamic State. The two gunmen had recently travelled to the Philippines for military-style training. The surviving gunman, now in custody, had been known to ASIO since 2019. And yet the attack still went ahead, raising fresh questions about the limits of Australia’s counter-terrorism systems – and how hard it is to detect and stop lone-actor violence before it happens. Today, Chair in Global Islamic Politics at Deakin University, Professor Greg Barton, on how a mass attack like this can still happen in Australia, even when intelligence agencies are on high alert.   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: Chair in Global Islamic Politics at Deakin University, Professor Greg Barton Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has promised to deport a million people in his first year back in office. As a result, immigration officers are conducting widespread raids across the country – often targeting and locking up American citizens. The Trump administration says nearly 70 percent of the people Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested are criminals. But ICE’s own data shows the overwhelming majority have no criminal conviction at all. Today, reporter at ProPublica Nicole Foy, on how Trump’s immigration crackdown is changing America – and how ordinary civilians are fighting back.   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:  Reporter at ProPublica Nicole Foy Photo: AP Photo/Evan VucciSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Sunday night in Bondi two gunmen opened fire on Jewish families.  Sixteen people, including one of the gunmen, are confirmed dead, making the tragedy Australia’s first mass shooting in nearly 30 years.  A further 42 people were taken to hospital, as well as the second gunman, who is under police guard.  ASIO has confirmed one of the gunmen was known to them, and there are reports the men are linked to Islamic State.  As authorities grapple with the terror event, The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will put tougher gun laws to national cabinet. Today federal member for Wentworth Allegra Spender on how the Bondi community is responding to this tragedy, and what needs to change to keep Jewish Australians safe.   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: Federal member for Wentworth Allegra Spender  Photo: AAP Image/Mick TsikasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Liddle is the CEO of SNAICC, the national body that represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. Every year, Catherine and her team document how First Nations children are faring, and how they’re treated. And yet again, the picture is devastating. Catherine’s report shows that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are more likely to be reported to authorities, they’re more likely to be taken away from their families and they spend more time institutionalised. For every dollar the government spends on this, only 16 cents goes to helping families – the rest is on taking children away, causing enormous harm. Today, SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle on the damage the child protection system is doing to First Nations children – and what needs to be done to break the cycle.   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: SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, devastating figures were released that show the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care. It’s damning evidence that not enough has changed since the Stolen Generations.  Last year, we published a story about the long shadow cast by a policy of child removal, centred on the notorious Kinchela Boys Home in NSW. It’s a place that holds painful memories for the many survivors of the Stolen Generations who went through its doors. Hundreds of of Indigenous boys were sent there, and subjected to torture, abuse and reprogramming, in order to assimilate them into white society. Now, the survivors and their families want to take ownership of the site, to make it a place of healing for future generations. Today, Gunaikurnai and Wotjobaluk writer and contributor to The Saturday Paper Ben Abbatangelo, on the enduring legacy of the Kinchela Boys Home.  This episode was originally published in October 2024.   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 Twitter and Instagram Guest: Gunaikurnai and Wotjobaluk writer and contributor to The Saturday Paper Ben Abbatangelo Photo: Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal CorporationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Labor rolled out its flagship social media ban for under-16s. The reform was expected to be one last win for the government after a year of political victories. But while the spotlight was on the minister leading the charge, it was for all the wrong reasons. Instead of having runway to promote the ban, Anika Wells spent the week defending her use of taxpayer-funded expense entitlements. Today, former political advisor to two prime ministers, Sean Kelly, on how even a tightly planned policy launch can be knocked off course, and the unquenchable thirst to apply the pub test to some and not others.    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: Former political advisor to two prime ministers Sean Kelly Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Condoms and other contraceptives are set to become more expensive in China, as the Communist Party tries to boost population growth.  With the economy slowing, birth rates declining and the population ageing, the government is now trying all kinds of ways to make women have more babies – from taxing contraception, to new laws on marriages, to cash bonuses and propaganda campaigns. Reproduction is now seen as a national security issue, and the success or failure of the new policies will have far-reaching consequences – for China’s economic and military strength, and for countries like Australia, who rely on China continuing to grow. Today, senior analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, Daria Impiombato – on the threat to women’s autonomy in China’s new phase of population control.   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: Senior analyst at The Mercator Institute for China Studies, Daria Impiombato Photo: CFOTO/Sipa USASee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the past week, Labor Minister Anika Wells has become the face of a new debate over politicians' perks. Revelations about a near-$100,000 trip to New York to talk up Australia’s teen social media ban at the UN, followed by reports of taxpayer-funded family travel to grand finals, ski fields and overseas sporting events, have seen her refer three-and-a-half years of expenses to the parliamentary watchdog. The prime minister insists her claims are “within the rules”, but the backlash – and even more questions over the spending of MPs from all parties – has opened up a bigger argument about whether the rules are fair, and whether they match public expectations in a cost-of-living crisis. Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton, on parliamentary entitlements – and whether this scandal will force change.   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: Press gallery journalist Karen Middleton Photo: AAP Image/Lukas CochSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AUKUS is moving full steam ahead. That was the promise made in Washington, as Richard Marles and Penny Wong stood beside their US counterparts, stating the alliance is stronger than ever. But behind those assurances is a Pentagon review of AUKUS that the public isn't allowed to read – and in Canberra, a hand-picked AUKUS committee that will mostly meet in secret, raising questions about what our government is trading away to stay friends with our most powerful ally. Today, former Director of War Studies for the Australian Army and adjunct professor at UNSW, Dr Albert Palazzo, on the US military’s plans for expansion on Australian soil – and what the secrecy around AUKUS is really hiding.   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:  Former Director of War Studies for the Australian Army and adjunct professor at UNSW, Dr Albert Palazzo Photo: EPA/LUKE JOHNSONSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia’s neo-Nazis are forming secret mothers’ groups – and have plans for a network of homeschools for their children. And when a government minister expressed concern, she was threatened – the latest in a string of threats against female politicians by neo-Nazis. Now, the federal police have raised the alarm, raising questions about the risk of further political violence – and why neo-Nazis have been allowed to build their movement. Today, crime reporter at The Age, Sherryn Groch, on the National Socialist Network’s threats and whether authorities are doing enough to stop them.   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: Crime reporter at The Age, Sherryn Groch Photo: AAP Image/Joel CarrettSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.