Why Helen Garner trained her forensically observant eye on an Aussie rules team - and what she learnt from it

In this week's episode we speak with acclaimed author Helen Garner, who followed the travails of her grandson's footy team for her new book, The Season. She speaks with Konrad Marshall about what she now envies about male contact sports, the benefit of coming to footy with limited prior knowledge, and the debate over the book's cover image.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we speak with CEO of the Australian Open, Craig Tiley, on the eve of the 2025 tournament for a chat about his own background as a promising player and highly successful coach, plus about the game today. He sits with Good Weekend’s Konrad Marshall for some tips on the best players to watch and who he thinks might take home the trophies later this month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we speak with Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins, who broke through two decades ago with her hit debut album The Sound of White, which dealt with teen and 20-something troubles. Now 41, Higgins has just produced a new album, The Second Act, which traverses the aftermath of the breakdown of her marriage. Higgins talks candidly with Good Weekend senior writer Melissa Fyfe about taking the audience with her on her life journey, the travails of songwriting and dating whilst being a single mum - and the joys of touring with a mostly female support crew. We'll be back in January 2025 with plenty of exciting interviews booked in the calendar, but for now please enjoy one of our most popular episodes from the past year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's episode, singer/songwriter Tim Minchin discusses the poison that is social media, how he emerged from his bruising time in LA and why he urges students to look after their bodies. In conversation with culture reporter Thomas Mitchell, he reflects also on his infamous George Pell song, and on the impending publication of his first non-fiction book, You Don't Have to Have a Dream (Advice for the Incrementally Ambitious). We'll be back in January 2025 with plenty of exciting interviews booked in the calendar, but for now please enjoy one of our most popular episodes from the past year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we speak to Academy Award winner Kate Winslet about her new film "Lee" - a biopic about the life of pioneering World War II correspondent Lee Miller, and her sensitive and stunning front-line photography. Hosted by Konrad Marshall, the discussion covers everything from the ups and downs for women in film, to life behind the lens. We'll be back in January 2025 with plenty of exciting interviews booked in the calendar, but for now please enjoy one of our most popular episodes from the past year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode, our last for 2024, we speak with two of the magazine's most beloved writers about the craft of long-form journalism. In conversation with Good Weekend editor Katrina Strickland, they discuss their most popular stories of the year, what it was like to cover the Paris Olympics and Olympians, where they get their ideas from and the most difficult and rewarding aspects of the job.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode, the eight-time world champion talks about the amazing places she's toured in her year out from competitive surfing. Speaking with Good Weekend senior writer (and keen surfer) Tim Elliott, she also discusses the rising popularity of women's sport, whether female competitors are any nicer to each other than their male counterparts - and the mind game she plays to psyche herself up for battle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode we speak with Perth pole vaulter Nina Kennedy, who won the trifecta of the three big global events in her sport this year. Kennedy speaks with Good Weekend senior writer Amanda Hooton about the big cry she had before the Paris final, how important it is to give her body time to recover, her onward march towards the LA Olympics - and whether Brisbane 2032 is within the realms of possibility.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode we speak with Shanghai-born, Melbourne-based artist Badiucao, who explains what it's like to remain under suspicion and surveillance for his political artwork. Badiucao, a Walkley-award winning artist with The Age, speaks with opinion editor Patrick O'Neil about his early life in China, the kind of things that still happen to him here in Australia - and that strange time someone pretended to be him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode, actor, author and advocate Hannah Diviney speaks about what it was like to call out Lizzo and Beyonce for ableist language, how she doesn't always love her disability, and the freedom to be found in not always needing to be awesome. Speaking with The Sydney Morning Herald culture writer Thomas Mitchell, Diviney also talks about her the new Australian film, Audrey.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.