Radio National Breakfast — Separate stories podcast (ABC listen)

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has used his budget reply to unveil a "National Gas Plan", which he says will prioritise domestic supply of gas and reduce energy bills for Australians.

If elected, Mr Dutton says the Coalition government's plan will include fast-tracking new gas projects.

But the Founder and Director of think-tank, Climate Energy Finance, says the "devil will be in the detail" with the proposal.

• Guest: Tim Buckley, Founder and Director, 
• Producer: Lexie Jeuniewic 

The Coalition's promise to cut some 41,000 jobs from the federal public service isn't going down well in the nation's capital, Canberra.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says the Coalition would focus on cuts to jobs created under Labor, and questioned staffing levels in the departments of health and education.

• GUEST: Andrew Barr, ACT Chief Minister
• PRODUCER: Tim Skelton

The ACT's Integrity Commission has found Walter Sofronoff, the retired Supreme Court Judge who led the board of inquiry into the rape prosecution of Bruce Lerhmann, engaged in "serious corrupt conduct".

• Guest: Suzanne Le Mire is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience at the University of Queensland, and a Professor of Law specialising in judicial ethics
• Producer: Tim Skelton

Producer: Tim Skelton

The Trump Administration's foreign aid cuts have blown a massive hole in the budgets of global humanitarian organisations and lives are at stake.

But the cuts aren't just coming from the US, with other wealthy countries like Britain, Belgium and The Netherlands are also pulling back on aid funding in real terms.

Now, a new report from the Australian National University's Centre for Development Policy says Australia is spending 10 times more on defence than it is on foreign aid.

• Guest: Retired Admiral Chris Barrie, former Chief of the Defence Force
• Producer: Tim Skelton

A new AI-powered app has been launched, by the Crisafulli Government and Queensland Academy of Sport, that will help find Queensland's next generation of Olympians.

• GUEST: Tim Mander, the Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games
• PRODUCER: Kelly-Anne Taylor

From asthma to ADHD - new research has revealed almost one in two Australian teenagers suffer from chronic disease or a developmental condition.

Published today in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, the study links these conditions to unhealthy habits, from excessive screen time, to an overconsumption of ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks.

• Guest: Dr Bridie Osman, Lead Author, the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney
• Producer: Brooke Young

The Australian National University (ANU) is the latest of Australia's major universities set to lose US funding, as the Trump administration pushes universities and institutions to justify why they should receive research grants.

US astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are scheduled to be just hours away a long-awaited return to earth, after an incredible nine months in space.

The pair had launched into space as in June , 2024, for what was expected to be an eight-day test mission.

• Guest: Dr Sara Webb, astrophysicist and science communicator 
• Producer: Joe Sullivan

Outback Queensland farmers have already been battered by unprecedented rainfall and flooding, and now, a second blow to the industry has been delivered in the shape of US President Donald Trump's tariffs.

The US has imposed a baseline tariff of 10 per cent on Australian exports, including beef. 

• Guest: Garry Edwards, Chair, Cattle Australia
• Producer: Kelly-Anne Taylor

Global markets have tumbled since US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs.

In the aftermath,  Mr Trump's top economic advisor — Kevin Hassett — has revealed that 50 countries have reached out to the US to negotiate.

• Guest: Justin Brown, former Deputy Secretary with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
• Producers: Kelly-Anne Taylor, Flint Duxfield

The Trump administration has cut or paused funding to joint-research programs at eight Australian universities., although the full extent of the cuts is unclear.

It's a 36-point questionnaire that has Australian researchers worried.

Academics from at least eight universities -- working on joint research projects with US institutions -- have been sent a series of questions seeking to identify their alignment with US domestic and foreign policy aims.

Now the Australian Academy of Science is urging for guidance from the Federal Government. 

Western Australia's strict new gun laws have come into effect, including a ban on rapid-release firearms, following increased concerns over gun safety and fatal shootings across the state.

A new buyback scheme is also being offered for other types of firearms for nine months from April 14  

The reforms come as recent research from the Australia Institute shows a significant rise in gun ownership across the country.

• Guest: Stephen Bendle, Convener of the Australian Gun Safety Alliance, and member of the Alannah & Madeline Foundation
• Producer: Briana Charles 

The Australian Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Veterans' Association has raised concerns about the nation potentially sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. 

Over the weekend, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he remains open to making a "small" contribution to a peacekeeping force in Ukraine if requested.

Current and ex-serving Australian Defence Force personnel and their families are able to seek free and confidential support through Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

• Guest: Ian Lindgren, Chairperson, Australian Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Veterans' Association
• Producer: Lexie Jeuniewic 

It's been 18 months since the Disability Royal Commission handed its recommendations to the Federal Government

But as Australia heads into week three of the election campaign, advocates for people with disabilities say their community has been largely left behind by the major parties.

• Guest: El Gibbs, CEO of the Disability Advocates Network Australia
• Producer: Grace Stranger

The NSW Environmental Protection Authority has launched an investigation after at least 100 corellas fell from the sky in Newcastle. 

This weekend South Australia's Barossa Valley will play host to the AFL Gather Round, with North Melbourne facing Gold Coast and Richmond taking on Fremantle.

Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests in Türkiye, calling for the release of the Istanbul Mayor who is seen as the main political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Almost 2,000 people have been arrested,  including protesters and some journalists covering the rallies. 

• Guest: Mark Lowen, BBC Correspondent
• Producers: Anne Barker and Luke Siddham Dundon  

The Queensland government is set to announce its official infrastructure plan for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics this morning.

It's widely expected to back a proposal for a new 60,000 seat venue at Victoria Park.

This will be the third stadium proposal since Brisbane was announced as host back in 2021, with the construction industry concerned it is now facing a race against the clock.

• Guest: Jon Davies, CEO, Australian Constructors Association
• Producer: Brooke Young

The Albanese Government's fourth budget sees a $27.6 billion deficit this financial year, followed by a $42.1 billion deficit.

Many of the key announcements had already been made, but $17 billion in tax cuts was one measure few saw coming. 

• Guest: Jo Masters, Chief Economist, Barrenjoey Capital
• Producer: Tim Skelton

Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers will hand down his fourth budget tomorrow, after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred dashed plans for an early election. 

Before the federal budget was handed down, the government had already announced a $8.5 billion investment in health.

The Coalition quickly matched that spending promise, on top of a $500 million increase in funding for mental health.

• Guest: Peter Beardon, Health Program Director, The Grattan Institute
• Producer: Tim Skelton

Small businesses have been left underwhelmed by the federal budget, at a time when the sector is grappling with soaring output costs and high insolvencies.

• GUEST: Luke Achterstraat, CEO of Council of Small Business Organisations Australia
• PRODUCER: Brooke Young

The federal budget may have centred around cost-of-living relief, but social services advocates fear not enough has been done to help Australia's most vulnerable.

Though indexation saw a rise for Centrelink payments last week, calls have been growing to boost JobSeeker payments more substantially to help those most in need.

• Guest: Kristin O'Connell, Anti-Poverty Centre spokesperson
• Producer: Brooke Young

The Business Council of Australia and the Australian Council of Trade Unions weigh in on the budget, with differing - and similar -views on its impact on growth, industrial relations, and workers' rights.

In the wake of the Four Corners' expose into the childcare industry, the National Children's Commissioner is calling for child safety and wellbeing to be made a priority at national cabinet.

Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a snap election for April the 28th.

Until recently, the Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre was the clear favourite to win Canada's next general election. But as US President Donald Trump continues to threaten the country's economy - and freedom - the election race has been turned on its head.

• Guest: Greg Lyle, President of the Toronto-based Innovative Research Group 
• Producer: Grace Stranger

Move over Captain America - Captain Canuck, Canada’s homegrown superhero is on the scene to fight and restore peace. 

And, in the comic series latest instalment, Captain Canuck comes head-to-head with American president Donald Trump.

• GUEST: Richard Comely, Comic Writer and Creator of Captain Canuck
• PRODUCER: Kelly-Anne Taylor, Luke Dundon

Eddie Woo is famous for his love of maths and ability to teach maths to not just students, but teachers too. 

When it comes to women's safety, one thing that often goes under the radar and remains  hard to detect…and prove…is financial abuse.  

Shabnam Shafa, a Hazara minority, was a baby when her family fled Afghanistan and  became refugees in Pakistan.  

If you live in a community plagued by increasing youth crime, you want to see effective action.  In Queensland, as the numbers get higher, the laws get tougher.

Bo Remenyi's first year as a doctor in Doomadgee in Queensland shocked her. She saw a disease virtually eradicated from Australia's white population decades ago still killing young people: rheumatic heart disease.

Bo's work has been instrumental in raising awareness and understanding of the condition and influenced the national strategy to end rheumatic heart disease by 2031 - but she says we're not on track to meet that goal and the clock is ticking. 

Dr Jenny Gray was CEO of a bus company at the age of 27, worked in airlines and then the banking industry, where she says she made a lot of money for rich people she didn't like.

Lucy Thomas thought the organisation she started with her sister two decades ago would be a community project. 

The dream was to equip an emerging generation of young people with the tools to counter hate.  

Today, it is internationally recognised for its work to stop bullying and has engaged hundreds of thousands of students around Australia with youth-led workshops. 

Guest: Lucy Thomas, co-founder and co-CEO of Project Rockit

Marc Diplock can trace his family military history back for decades.  But when his own defence career was ended early from injury,  the journey to find help in the civilian world was long and rocky.

Orange Sky started to provide clean clothes and warm showers to those sleeping rough.

As Australia grapples with a housing crisis and increasing natural disasters, its services are mobilising to deal with increasing demand. 

Meanwhile, a third of its services are now in remote communities in an effort to help reduce rheumatic heart disease. 

Guest: Nick Marchesi, co-founder, Orange Sky

For decades Simon Longstaff has been a significant voice for change in Australia, working to improve ethical standards in governance, business and society.

In the 1990s, he founded the Ethics Centre, in 2009 he helped set up the Festival of Dangerous Ideas and earlier this year he took over as Chair of Primary Ethics, which brings the study of ethics to children in NSW public schools.

Simon's own personal life has been touched by profound ethical challenges, too.  Some which have had long lasting effects on his family. 

Guest: Simon Longstaff, founder The Ethics Centre

A decade ago, many people affected by cancer in the regional Victorian town of Warrnambool faced a terrible choice.

Life saving treatment was hundreds of kilometres away in Melbourne or else where. For some farmers, business owners and families that trip over and over again was near impossible, and there are stories of some getting help too late or choosing not to get treatment at all.

After losing her husband to cancer, Vicki Jellie made it her life's work to get improved cancer treatment services in her community, not taking no for an answer.

Guest: Vicki Jellie, founder, Peter's Project Foundation

As if a rubik's cube met a T20 cricket match - Freestyle Chess could change the way the game is played forever. 

Radio National Breakfast takes a closer look at a major competition underway in Paris this week that is flipping the historic game on its head. 

A recent Four Corners investigation into Australia's childcare crisis shocked the nation. In an industry dominated by private organisations, it unveiled the catastrophic impact putting profit above education and care is having. 

Now, the focus hones in on how childcare has become one of the most profitable plays in Australian real estate with families feeling the pinch of the cost. 

Nearly six million Australians - many of those in regional areas - are living in a childcare desert, making it harder to retain workers and give kids the best start in life.

Now, an alliance of more than 70 organisations, including unions, farming organisations and business groups is calling on the federal opposition to detail its childcare policy for regional Australia. 

• GUEST: Maddy Butler, Campaign Director at The Parenthood and Convenor of the "Access For Every Child Coalition"
• PRODUCER: Tim Skelton

The U.S. is reducing funding for key humanitarian and soft power initiatives, like Radio Free Asia and the Office of Net Assessment, potentially benefiting China by weakening American influence. 

In a post on the encrypted messaging service Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims to have information about "significantly more Chinese citizens" serving in Russian military units, and says he has ordered his foreign minister to contact Beijing.

China has accused the United States of blackmail and has vowed to 'fight to the end'  if it goes ahead with an additional 50 per cent tariff on Chinese imports.

Donald Trump has threatened to impose the extra tariffs if Beijing refuses to remove the retaliatory 34 per cent tariffs it announced last Friday on US goods.

• Guest:  Professor Tim Harcourt, Chief Economist with the Institute for Public Policy and Governance at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) 
• Producer: Anne Barker 

If you've been looking for a new energy provider, perhaps you've sought help from third-party utility connection services like My Connect.

But did you know MyConnect is owned by Origin Energy?

The consumer advocacy group CHOICE got mystery shoppers on the case and found time-poor Australians were steered towards Origin — even when it wasn't the cheapest option.

• Guest: Jarni Blakkarly, Investigative Reporter at CHOICE Consumers Group
• Producer: Briana Charles

In a statement to Radio National Breakfast, Duncan Permezel, General Manager, Consumer & Property — Retail, Origin says:

It is very important to Origin that we be appropriately clear about our ownership of MyConnect, which is why we reference this on most pages of the website.

All Origin energy plans offered via MyConnect, and other similar platforms, are priced at or below the VDO and DMO.

Meanwhile Hasan Ulker, Co-CEO & Founder, MyConnect says:

We are very proud to be part of Origin and believe it's important to be clear with our customers which is why we reference Origin's ownership of MyConnect on multiple pages of the website. If our team are asked about this, they should definitely be upfront about Origin's ownership.

Customers who come through our website are presented with three offers side by side, with reference to the relevant default offer for each clearly displayed, for customers to choose from and they are under no obligation to proceed.

Real estate agents are required to clearly communicate their existing relationship with MyConnect as part of the application process, including that their information will be passed on to MyConnect.

The Leader of the Nationals, David Littleproud, says a future Coalition Government would want Pacific nations to take a "more aggressive stance" towards China.

Mr Littleproud says he would work with these nations to identify the leverage they have, particularly around China's climate policies.

His words come as the leader of Palau visits Australian shores, ahead of a major renewable energy conference in Sydney which starts today.  

• Guest: Surangel Whipps Jr, President of Palau

Support measures announced by the federal government for industries affected by the US tariffs have largely been backed by the opposition.

But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has criticised Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for not securing an exemption, calling him weak and missing in action.

• Guest: David Coleman, Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister
• Producer: Jacqueline Breen

Housing economists have criticised new housing policies from both the government and the opposition, warning they risk pushing already unaffordable house prices even higher.

The Coalition's plan would allow first home buyers to deduct the interest on mortgage payments from taxable income, for five years.

• GUEST: Michael Sukkar, Shadow Minister for Housing and Homelessness
• Producer: Jacqueline Breen

Labor has unveiled a $1 billion commitment to expand mental health services, saying the funding will help plug current gaps in the system.

The Coalition's committed almost the same amount, including $500 million to restore the 20 subsidised psychology sessions per year that were available during the pandemic.

• GUEST: Anne Ruston, Shadow Health Minister
• Producer: Jacqueline Breen

Labor's energy bill announcement was quickly matched by the opposition on the weekend as has been the case with most of the billions of dollars already announced by the government ahead of tomorrow's budget, mostly in the area of health.

While few new announcements are expected in Labor's budget tonight there are rumblings about a potentially major one coming from the opposition this week.

The Coalition is understood to be close to announcing details of a gas reservation policy that could require companies to guarantee supply for the domestic market. 

• Guest: Jane Hume, Shadow Finance Minister
• Producer: Jacqueline Breen

The Coalition is promising it'll help "make home ownership achievable again" — the First Homebuyer Mortgage Deductibility Scheme will allow first home buyers to deduct interest on mortgage payments from their taxable income.

It only applies for new properties, and only for the first five years of the loan.

The opposition says it would leave the average household $11,000 a year better off --- $55,000 dollars over five years.

• GUEST: Angus Taylor, Shadow Treasurer
• Producer: Jacqueline Breen

Since Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's budget reply, Australians have been hearing about the Coalition's plan for an east coast domestic gas reserve, with a pledge to bring wholesale gas prices down by the end of the calendar year.

But it's actually unclear when the modelled savings from the Coalition's gas plan will flow through to Australians' energy and gas bills.

• Guest: Samantha McCulloch, Chief Executive, Australian Energy Producers
• Producer: Tim Skelton

The federal opposition is backing down from a fight over work from home policies, abandoning a decree that all public servants would need to work full-time from the office if the Coalition wins the election.

It comes after weeks of criticism from Labor who argued that women especially benefit from flexible working arrangements.

Two weeks after promising a plan to lower power prices, the Coalition has released its modelling for its gas reservation policy — claiming it would shave seven per cent off household gas bills while electricity bills would decrease by around three per cent.

The analysis by Frontier Economics also shows the plan could reduce industrial retail gas bill by 15 per cent.

• GUEST: Ted O'Brien, Shadow Energy and Climate Minister
• Producer: Jacqueline Breen

The Coalition started this week walking back its pledge to cut thousands of jobs in the public service, instead saying the workforce would be slimmed through natural attrition and a hiring freeze.

The Coalition has promised another rolling back of Labor's climate policies if elected declaring it will abolish penalties under the fuel efficiency scheme.

The Coalition is promising that its gas reservation plan would drive prices down by the end of 2025.

At the weekend, Peter Dutton said the opposition has modelling to back that claim up ... but we'll have to wait to see it.

• Guest: James Paterson, Coalition campaign spokesperson and shadow home affairs minister

An ABC Four Corners investigation has exposed systemic failures in Australia's $20 billion a year childcare industry, ranging from child abuse to failure to enforce regulation. 

But is at the heart of the investigation is evidence that many private providers are prioritising profit over safety.

The former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Professor Allan Fels, says urgent government action is required to improve the sector.

• Guest: Professor Allan Fels, Former Chairperson, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
• Producer: Jacqueline Breen

Palliative care providers claim a new government program designed to assist those in care, will short-change many Australians in their last months of life.

The federal government's "Support at Home Program", which starts in July, promises $25,000 for those who have three months or less to live.

• Guest: Peter Allcroft, Chair of Palliative Care Australia
• Producer: Briana Charles

Donald Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" has arrived, and we're not far away from finding out the finer details of the US President's reciprocal tariffs.

Australia has a growing mental health crisis, and it's acutely felt in the construction industry where a worker dies by suicide every second day.

Today, Lifeline and construction company, Buildcorp, have launched a new initiative to tackle the issue.

If you or someone you know needs support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

• Guest: Professor Steve Moylan, Chair Lifeline Australia
• Producer: Kelly-Anne Taylor

Could a constitutional change to citizenship laws harm the rule of law in Australia and damage the separation of powers that keeps our democracy afloat?

• Guest: Professor Kim Rubenstein, constitutional law and citizenship expert at the University of Canberra.
• Producer: Grace Stranger

Four months ago, South Korea's then-president Yoon Suk Yeol sent the country into its worst political crisis in decades by declaring martial law and sending military troops into the capital Seoul.

Today the ousted president will stand trial on charges of insurrection after he was indicted in January for alleged rebellion. 

If found guilty, he could face the death penalty, or life imprisonment.

• Guest: Jean Lee, Fellow at the East West Centre in Honolulu, and a former Seoul bureau chief for the Associated Press
• Producers: Brooke Young and Anne Barker 

Dating apps may be helping Australians find love, but a new study finds they're also helping predators find victims....

A new report co-led by the University of New South Wales Sydney has found most dating sites have inadequate identity checks for users, allowing child sex offenders onto their platforms.

• GUEST: Professor Michael Salter, Director of the Childlight East Asia and Pacific Hub at UNSW Arts, Design and Architecture
• PRODUCER: Lexie Jeuniewic

The Treasurer has labelled this budget as the "best combination of affordable, responsible cost of living relief", pointing to sweeping tax cuts for all Australians.

But the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee's recommendation to substantially raise JobSeeker benefits above the poverty line has gone unanswered.

• GUEST: David Pocock, Independent Senator
• PRODUCER: Brooke Young

Synthetic opioids up to 40 times more powerful than fentanyl have been detected in Australian wastewater for the first time, according to new research by the University of Queensland.

The finding comes as Australia faces a shortage of naloxone the medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids, prompting urgent calls for a national emergency plan to respond to an impending public health crisis.

• Guest: Dr Krista Siefried, Clinical Research Lead & Deputy Director The National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs
• Producer: Grace Stranger

We're now day 14 into the federal election campaign, and this week saw the start of the election debates.

Meanwhile, further Donald Trump tariff announcements caused global markets to shake.

• GUESTS: Shane Wright, senior economics correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Karen Middleton, political journalist and columnist
• PRODUCER: Joe Sullivan

Thousands of public doctors across New South Wales are walking off the job this morning for the first in over 40 years, after pay negotiations broke down with the state government.

The Australian Salaried Medical Officer's Federation insists patient safety will not be compromised by its industrial action, though hundreds of elective surgeries have been cancelled.

• GUEST: Ryan Park, NSW Health Minister
• PRODUCER: Brooke Young

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor says a referendum on deporting dual citizens who are criminals is not a Coalition policy, but is an option

Palestinian health officials say more than 90 people have been killed, and dozens more wounded, in a third day of Israeli air strikes across Gaza.

It brings the death toll in the past three days to over 500 people , according to the health officials.

Medical staff say Israeli attacks have targeted residential areas in both northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip, while families including women and children were sleeping. 

• Guest: Doron Spielman, former Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson
• Producer: Anne Barker

The federal government says it will "continue making the strongest case" for the removal of US tariffs on Australian exports, but isn't putting a time-frame on its hopes of getting an exemption.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says he believes he could have secured a better outcome, in the wake of Donald Trump's self-declared liberation day of tariffs yesterday.

• Guest: Ed Husic, Minister for Industry and Science 
• Producer: Jacqueline Breen

The prime minister is set to call the election, as soon as this weekend, once tonight's budget is announced and out of the way.

But the question remains: how will tonight's budget lay the path way for the campaign, given the government has already made several key policy announcements with big price tags? 

• Guest: Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister
• Producer: Jacqueline Breen

Amid the uncertainty caused by Donald Trump's wide-ranging and unpredictable tariffs, there is growing concern from the cross-bench about the AUKUS pact.

In the UK, the British parliament's defence committee has launched an inquiry to examine whether the AUKUS partnership is on track, and now local MPs are calling for a similar review here in Australia.

• GUEST: Zoe Daniel, Independent MP for Goldstein
• PRODUCER: Lexie Jeuniewic, Joe Sullivan

Energy experts say better 'literacy' around energy bills could go even further than the government's proposed rebate, to lower Australian power bills. The Prime Minister has announced another one-point-8 billion dollars in tomorrow night's budget, to extend the energy bill rebate for another six months.

Guest: Alison Reeve, the Grattan Institute

Producer: Anne Barker

Even as inflation eases, household energy bills for most Australians continue to rise.

With the cost-of-living crystallising as a key issue for voters this federal election, Labor has unveiled a plan to cut the cost of household batteries by 30 per cent, while the Coalition is focusing on a gas reserve which they say will help lower prices. 

• GUESTS: Tim Buckley, Director of think-tank, Climate Energy Finance and Bruce Mountian, Director of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre
• PRODUCER: Tim Skelton

Thousands of demonstrators are back on the streets for the sixth consecutive night of protests after the arrest of the President's main political rival Ekrem Imamoglu.

More than 1,100 people have been arrested, including nearly a dozen journalists. 

So would President Erdogan benefit from further charges against Mr Imamoglu, or would they only inflame tensions on the streets?

As the world braces for the global trade storm in the wake of Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, many nations are looking to pivot and form new trade relationships.

Australia's Trade Minister, Don Farrell is preparing to meet with his European counterpart this week, sparking the question: could a Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the European Union be finally signed off?

Australia is preparing for new trade talks with the European Union (EU) in the wake of US President Donald Trump's new tariff regime.

The prospect comes two years after negotiations between the two parties collapsed over European access to Australia's agriculture.

The EU's top trade official will travel to Australia after the federal election to begin talks, following Trade Minister Don Farrell's meeting with his EU counterpart on Wednesday night.

• Guest: Beate Grzeski, Germany's Ambassador to Australia
• Producers: Brooke Young, Flint Duxfield

• GUEST: Beate Grzeski, Germany's Ambassador to Australia
• PRODUCER: Brooke Young, Flint Duxfield

In the wake of US President Donald Trump's new tariffs, the European Australian Business Council say it's an important time for Australia to re-start trade negotiations with the E-U 

The trade talks collapsed in 2023, and naming rights was one of the sticking points with the EU wanting Australian producers to give up the use of some descriptions for certain products, like prosecco.

• GUEST: Helen Haines, Indi M-P
• PRODUCER: Tim Skelton

US President Donald Trump has pressed pause for 90 days, with dozens of countries joining Australia at the baseline tariff rate of ten per cent.

While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly said Australia secured a better deal than "any country on the planet", the pain is still being felt across industries including Australia's fashion and textile sector.

The industry's peak body is warning of wide-ranging impacts for brands, retailers, and consumers alike.

• Guest: Jaana Quaintance-James, CEO, the Australian Fashion Council 
• Producer: Lexie Jeuniewic 

Invasive species are driving more than 80 per cent of Australia's most vulnerable native plants and animals towards extinction, according to the Invasive Species Council.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of ex-tropical Cyclone Alfred, Queensland has experienced an alarming surge in fire ants.

• Guest: Jack Gough, CEO and Advocacy Director at the Invasive Species Council
• Producer: Kelly-Anne Taylor

More than three million Australian households are experiencing food insecurity ... a situation exacerbated by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Providing essential support to individuals in need are food relief charities...

Now, the talk turns to what food relief charities have been promised in the federal budget and what needs to be prioritised in the election. 

Guest: Ronni Kahn, founder of OzHarvest

Producer: Kelly-Anne Taylor

Food security is just as important as tanks and ammunition when it comes to Australia's national defence strategy,  according to a new report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

The report highlights the breadth and complexity of the challenges facing Australia's food security, including rising geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, climate-related shocks and deteriorating water security.

• Guest: Andrew Henderson, Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and Principal of Agsecure
• Producer: Kelly-Anne Taylor 

The federal government has lodged diplomatic protests with China after two prominent Hong Kong pre-democracy activists were targeted by what appears to be attempts to intimidate and silence them on Australian soil.

In South Australia, a pamphlet was sent to Adelaide mosques which claimed to be from a local lawyer who was pro-Israel and wanted to "wage war against Islamic terrorism."

• Guest: Ted Hui, practising solicitor and former pro-democracy legislator in Hong Kong
• Producers: Eleni Psaltis

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that begins the process of dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, fulfilling a long-held conservative desire to reduce federal influence in education. 

Former Australian Ambassador to the US, Joe Hockey, joins Radio National Breakfast to discuss the evolving state of US-Australian relations, including the impact of tariffs on key sectors like pharmaceuticals and agriculture. 

Footy fever has swept South Australia over the weekend, with the AFL's third iteration of Gather Round attracting a record crowd of over 260,000 attendees.

But despite its popularity, the event's future is up in the air beyond 2026, with a formal deal yet to be inked between the state and the AFL. 

• Guest: Peter Malinauskas, Premier of South Australia 
• Producer: Lexie Jeuniewic

Crowds of mourners have attended funerals for some of the 15 emergency responders who were killed by Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Eight of those killed worked for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, while others were from the Palestinian Civil Defence, and the United Nations. 

The Red Crescent has accused Israeli troops of killing their workers "in cold blood," while Israel says its troops opened fire on vehicles that approached them "suspiciously" without identification.

• Guest: Olga Cherevko, Head of Communications, the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs
• Producer: Tim Skelton

Over 400 people have died after following air strikes from Israel in Gaza, according to local health authorities in the war-torn territory. 

The Israeli military says the air strikes will continue for as long as necessary and has even flagged a potential return of Israeli ground troops.

• Guest: Nebal Farakh, Palestinian Red Crescent
• Producer: Anne Barker 

Israeli soldiers have revealed how military forces have expanded their presence and control of the Gaza Strip, since Israel relaunched its bombing campaign last month. Israel now controls more than 50-percent of the coastal strip, and is reportedly squeezing Palestinians into shrinking areas of land - according to soldiers and rights groups - as the military razes homes, farmland and infrastructure to the point that many Palestinians will never be able to return.

Guest: Nabil Fahmy, former Egyptian Foreign Minister and former Ambassador to Washington

Producer: Anne Barker

Israel's Defence Minister has announced a major expansion of military operations in Gaza, with large areas to be seized and added to Israel's security zones, including along Gaza's border fence. At the same time, the minister says large-scale evacuations will take place from areas where there's fighting, with people in southern Gaza encouraged to move to a humanitarian zone on the coast, known as Al-Mawasi.

Guest: Michael Fakhri, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food

Producer: Anne Barker

Gaza's biggest city is now without a proper functioning hospital - after Israeli airstrikes destroyed the intensive care and surgery wards, and severely damaged the emergency room and pharmacy. Dozens of staff including children were evacuated from Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, even as it was in flames. One child died after being moved.

Guest: Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah, British Palestinian surgeon and professor of conflict medicine

Producer: Anne Barker

The Israeli military says its forces have resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip, as a second day of air strikes killed dozens of Palestinians, according to local health workers.

In a rare display of opposition to Hamas, Palestinians in Gaza have turned out to demonstrate against the militant group after 17 months of war with Israel.

Up to 2000 protesters in the north of Gaza have chanted "Hamas Out" and held signs demanding an end to the war. 

• Guest: Ghaith al Omari, former Palestinian negotiator and a Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute
• Producer: Anne Barker

Israeli forces have carried out raids on six schools for Palestinian refugees in East Jerusalem, as they move to enforce a ban on the UN agency UNRWA.

Israel has also ordered the schools to close, leaving about 800 children with few alternatives. 

• Guest: Roland Friedrich, Director of UNRWA in the West Bank and East Jerusalem
• Producer: Anne Barker 

As Australian shares experienced their largest one-day drop since the COVID-19 pandemic, how soon could borrowers expect an interest rate cut?

In the wake of US President Donald Trump's latest tariffs, the Australian share market lost nearly four-point-two per cent in value on Monday, or over $100 billion, following significant declines on Wall Street.

• GUEST: Katy Gallagher, Finance Minister
• Producer: Jacqueline Breen

Housing has been at the heart of some of fiercest clashes between Labor and the Greens over the course of the last parliament.

But while the Greens have dismissed the government's latest announcements as quote, "tinkering around the edges" — will the party stand in the way of passing them?

• Guest: Max Chandler-Mather, the Greens' housing spokesperson
• Producer: Jacqueline Breen 

The Greens are proposing to spend one per cent of the federal budget on protecting the environment if they secure the balance of power in the next parliament.

The party is releasing its environmental policy, which also includes an overhaul of environmental laws, an end to native forest logging and a climate trigger for major developments.

• Guest: Adam Bandt, Greens leader