Breaking Politics Podcast

One month after devastating floodwaters swept across Nepal's border with Tibet, humanitarian groups are working tirelessly to rebuild. The flooding decimated entire communities, leaving health and sanitation as critical concerns.  Thousands of children remain out of school, and displaced families are crowded into temporary shelters.  Senior Reporter Josh Bryant spoke with Nevan Knezevic, Chief of Education at UNICEF Nepal, to get an update on the recovery efforts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The federal government says it will toughen cybersecurity laws, if OpenAI cannot be charged over a recent data breach. A non-human agent belonging to the tech giant gain unauthorised access to a Medicare portal. However, the bot bypassed security restrictions without direction from the company—raising the question of whether OpenAI can be held legally responsible.  Professor of Emerging Technology at the University of Technology Sydney, Nicholas Davis, joins Breaking Politics to discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legacy news outlets in the United States have banded together in a boycott, after President Donald Trump banned CNN, Politco and MS Now from the White House. The move has triggered legal action, and sparked a broader conversation about the importance of a free press in a changing media landscape. Our Senior Reporter Josh Bryant spoke to the Executive Director of the Alliance for Journalists Freedom Peter Greste, about the role news gatherers play in a healthy democracy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Senate inquiry recommended removing Telstra from control of Triple Zero, and handing it over to a new federal government authority. The inquiry was prompted by last year's Optus outage, which has been linked to two deaths, Advocates have been calling for a major shake-up of the system for some time, including the Communications Consumer Action Network Senior reporter Josh Bryant chats with the group's Chief Executive Carol Bennet, to get her thoughts on the issue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Albanese Government has handed-down its immigration policy, tightenening access to various visa classes. Labor also intends to lower the net migration rate to about 225,000 within two years. But is this achievable? Senior reporter Josh Bryant spoke to Chief Executive of the Migration Institute of Australia, Peter Van Vliet, to find out.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Artificial intelligence developers are calling for greater oversight, warning the rapidly evolving technology could soon pose an existential risk. US President Donald Trump claims tighening regulations risks giving China a competitive advantage. It comes as Open AI threatens to curb investment in Australia, unless the federal government scales back its own AI laws. Senior Reporter Josh Bryant chats with the Director of the AI Institute at the University of New South Wales, Dr Sue Keay, to ascertain what these developments mean.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New analysis shows Australia is on track for it's worst decade of productivity growth in 60-years. The Business Council of Australia says productivity has been declining each year since 2020. The organisation's Chief Executive Bran Black joins Breaking Politics, to discuss what's needed to turn the trend around.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and U-S President Donald Trump have overnight spoken for the first time since March. The two leaders discussed a number of key priorities including AUKUS, AI and the status of the Iran War. Mr Albanese pushed the President to reconsider a 12.5% tariff on Australian goods, which was intitiated after the US deemed Australia hadn't done enough to combat modern slavery. President Trump reportedly said he will consider Australia’s request for a full exemption. But will he? Director of Research at the United States Studies Centre Jared Mondschein, joins Breaking Politics to help us find out    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has used a key speech to unveil "world-leading" AI regulatory standards, arguing investment in the technology can create jobs, when the right guardrails are in place. An A-I Office established in the P-M's department, while data centres will be required to generate their own power and conserve water. A-I companies will also be forced to seek permission from Australian creatives, if they wish to use their work to train their models. But, will the new regulations protect people from the risks posed by the nascent technology, or will the red-tape stile local investment? AI Expert Dr Atie Kia from Swinburne University of Technology joins Breaking Politics to help us find out.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cafe and restaurant owners are warning they will need to increase prices, in order to cope with a series of new expenses. The industry is concerned a by 4.75% boost to the award wage, will place further pressure on businesses already feeling the squeeze. David Bitton, who owns Sydney cafe Bitton's Rose Bay claims, the impact of the wage hike will be compounded by other looming expenses. He joins Breaking Politics to dissect what all the changes mean for his business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.