Best Jade Byers Pointer Podcasts (2025)

1
Is another Coalition spill brewing? 14:00

Play Pause

11h ago14:00

14:00

It started with a series of posts on social media. Nostalgic images of Australia from decades ago, accompanied by statements like "we're starting to feel like strangers in our own home” WA Liberal MP Andrew Hastie’s public posts about what he’s calling “out of control” immigration, as well as housing and energy costs have now led to his resignation…

1
How the gambling lobby infiltrated social sports at Parliament House 14:20

1d ago14:20

14:20

Every Wednesday morning during sitting weeks, politicians, staffers, public servants and journalists gather for a friendly game of sport. It’s meant to be casual, even wholesome. But recently, that club, the Parliament Sports Club, quietly re-registered as a lobbying organisation. Its board includes the Prime Minister. Its members include represent…

1
The woman who exposed Robodebt 29:23

2d ago29:23

29:23

This week, Rick Morton won the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards for his book Mean Streak. It’s a huge achievement and we are thrilled for him. This book was the culmination of years of reporting on Robodebt – a government scheme that destroyed lives. At 7am, we were lucky enough to work with Rick on a series, which we published in 2023, about how R…

1
'What happens if the US goes batshit crazy?' 15:17

3d ago15:17

15:17

Anthony Albanese recently returned from a major overseas trip, rubbing shoulders with royalty and sharing the stage with world leaders. But behind the scenes, there were also quiet discussions about a possible Plan B for AUKUS. With parliament about to sit again, his government faces pressure from the crossbench over defence and foreign policy – wh…

1
The MAGA billionaires taking over TikTok 15:58

5d ago15:58

15:58

TikTok is the most influential media platform for Australians under the age of 25. It’s where millions now get their news - whether they realise it or not. But the app is no longer just a cultural force. It’s now at the centre of a global power struggle - between China – and Trump’s America, over who gets to control the algorithm. In the US, a Trum…

1
Rick Morton and the spreadsheet of secrets 15:42

6d ago15:42

15:42

Rick Morton was writing about the restructures happening at several universities earlier this year when documents from the University of Technology Sydney caught his eye. UTS had hired KPMG to help it save $100 million through a restructure. That restructure has now led to the announcement of 400 job losses, with the entire School of Education gone…

1
Trump's ‘peace’ plan for Gaza 15:07

7d ago15:07

15:07

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have unveiled a 20-point proposal they say could end the war in Gaza “immediately” – after nearly two years of bombardment and mounting international pressure. At its core, Hamas must release all hostages, disarm and have no role in Gaza’s future governance. Israel would not commit to a full withdrawal – retainin…

1
What is left of Gaza’s hospitals? 14:49

7d ago14:49

14:49

Dr Rachel Coghlan is a palliative care doctor based in Melbourne, who worked with doctors in Gaza before October 7, 2023. Since then, she has been in regular contact with her colleagues there, as they have continued to show up for work to care for their patients in increasingly horrific circumstances. But now, as Israel’s bombardment of Gaza City i…

1
Trump’s retribution list 15:04

8d ago15:04

15:04

When Donald Trump took power, he promised retribution against his political opponents. Now, he’s delivering - and he’s using the justice department to do it, with the US Attorney launching a two-count indictment against former FBI Director James Comey. And it seems like that’s just the beginning. The justice department has also been directed to inv…

1
Albo v Trump: Oct 20. Let’s goooooo. 15:24

9d ago15:24

15:24

Anthony Albanese has finally managed to get a meeting with Donald Trump, after months of trying. But why did it take so long? And what does it say about just how rocky our relationship with the US has become? As political journalist and author of Albanese: Telling it Straight Karen Middleton reports, the Australian government has been working hard …

1
Labor's guilt in the Optus failure 16:14

12d ago16:14

16:14

The communications watchdog has opened a formal investigation into Optus after a 13-hour failure blocked about 600 triple-zero calls – now linked to three deaths. The government is furious, calling it “completely unacceptable”, and warning of “significant consequences”. But is it actually their fault too? Today, journalist and contributor to Crikey…

1
Australia's China contradiction: AUKUS vs the Pacific 17:00

13d ago17:00

17:00

The Albanese government has been on an unprecedented campaign of diplomatic activism in the Pacific Islands – all to keep China’s military at a distance. At the same time, AUKUS is remaking our defence strategy, with eight nuclear-powered submarines, expanded facilities for US forces, and plans for a new east-coast submarine base. For some watching…

1
Dezi Freeman: from family photographer to alleged cop killer 17:40

14d ago17:40

17:40

Almost a month after two police officers were shot and killed in regional Victoria, the accused gunman – Dezi Freeman – is still at large. Victoria Police have deployed thousands of officers, searched more than a hundred properties, and offered the biggest reward in Victorian history – with no result. People have also been combing Freeman’s Faceboo…

1
Washington's warning to Australia over Palestine 15:17

15d ago15:17

15:17

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in New York for the UN General Assembly, where Australia has formally recognised the State of Palestine – a step that more than 150 UN member states have now taken. The move is part of what Australian calls "a co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution". But with no active pea…

1
The Coalition is in crisis (again) 17:00

16d ago17:00

17:00

The Coalition is again in crisis. The latest Newspoll puts its primary vote at 27 per cent – its worst on record. And with one frontbencher sacked over immigration comments and others threatening to quit over climate policy, the party seems more divided than ever. Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton on the ideological battle lines teari…

1
How the government’s climate targets stack up 15:47

19d ago15:47

15:47

Having released the National Climate Risk Assessment – a report full of apocalyptic climate warnings – earlier this week, the government has now announced its 2035 emissions reduction target. It’s a range, not a single number: 62–70 per cent below 2005 levels. The government says it’s achievable and ambitious, backed by more renewables and industry…

1
Israel rejects a genocide finding and widens its war 18:12

20d ago18:12

18:12

The UN Commission of Inquiry has delivered its starkest assessment yet – finding that Israel has been and is committing genocide in Gaza. Israel has rejected the report, saying it’s acting in self-defence and takes steps to protect civilians. Meanwhile, Israel has begun a major ground offensive in Gaza City after weeks of bombardment. And abroad, I…

1
How Trump is weaponising the assassination of Charlie Kirk 18:37

21d ago18:37

18:37

In the days since the assassination of prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, the White House ordered flags flown at half-staff and memorials were organised in Washington, DC and Arizona. But what followed wasn’t just mourning. The Trump administration is urging people to report anyone who criticised or mocked Kirk’s death, and has pledged to …

1
How one fossil-fuel giant captured Australia 17:59

22d ago17:59

17:59

Last week, the federal environment minister approved Woodside’s plans to keep its North West Shelf project producing gas out to 2070. Both the government and Woodside claim that gas is a necessary transition fuel as the world decarbonises – but how convincing are their arguments? Today, investigative journalist and author of the Quarterly Essay Woo…

1
‘An assault on transparent government’: Albanese’s plan to make secrecy easier 17:02

23d ago17:02

17:02

In opposition, Anthony Albanese said Scott Morrison was running "A shadow government that preferred to operate in darkness." Now in power, the Albanese government is planning to water down Australia's transparency laws and make secrets easier to keep. The proposed changes to Australia’s Freedom of Information act would limit who can make requests, …

1
Part 1: Victoria’s historic treaty 16:51

26d ago16:51

16:51

When Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan introduced the state's treaty bill into parliament, she said it would pave the way for a formal apology, the introduction of Aboriginal truth-telling into the school curriculum, and a better future for Indigenous Australians in the state. The treaty is the culmination of almost a decade of work that established …

1
Part 2: The politics and pushback 16:42

26d ago16:42

16:42

Indigenous leaders across the country have welcomed Victoria’s treaty. The legislation will enshrine a democratically elected body for First Peoples, called Gellung Warl, that will be consulted on laws and policies affecting Indigenous communities. Now there are calls for other states and territories to use the Victorian example as a model to estab…

1
How AI is being abused to create child sexual abuse material 14:29

27d ago14:29

14:29

Images of child sexual abuse generated by artificial intelligence are on the rise. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, says 100,000 Australians a month have accessed an app that allows users to upload images of other people – including minors – to receive a depiction of what they would look like naked. Predators are known to share …

1
Part 1: How Trump is shaping the financial industry in crypto’s favour 15:39

28d ago15:39

15:39

US President Donald Trump was once skeptical of digital assets, saying Bitcoin “seems like a scam” and that crypto’s value was “based on thin air.” Now, cryptocurrency is at the centre of both his economic agenda, and his personal wealth. Since returning to office in January, Trump has put out executive orders supporting the industry, expanding the…

1
Part 2: How Trump built a crypto empire out of ‘thin air’ 13:19

28d ago13:19

13:19

After saying that the value of cryptocurrencies were ‘based on thin air’, US President Donald Trump changed his tune – pledging to be a ‘pro-Bitcoin president’ and earning the backing and campaign donations of the industry. Since taking office, Trump’s family has launched numerous crypto ventures that have potentially earned in the billions. Today,…

1
‘You inflicted untold suffering’: the Erin Patterson sentence 16:50

29d ago16:50

16:50

For the first time ever, the Supreme Court of Victoria allowed a television camera to broadcast a sentencing – the hearing for convicted triple murderer Erin Patterson. Justice Christopher Beale imposed life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 33 years, for murdering three in-laws – and attempting to murder a fourth – by lacing their beef Well…

1
Australia’s definitely-not-secret deal with Nauru 15:34

30d ago15:34

15:34

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government’s deal with Nauru was “hardly secret.” But the agreement to deport hundreds of non-citizens to live in the tiny Pacific nation was signed on Friday August 29 and only acknowledged publicly the following weekend, with key details – including a potential $2.5 billion price tag – emerging in the days…

1
The political takeover of America’s public health 16:29

1M ago16:29

16:29

Insiders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the agency is in chaos. Last week, the White House fired CDC Director Susan Monarez after less than a month in the role. Insiders say the agency is no longer able to provide reliable health guidance to Americans as it faces resignations, funding cuts, and a replacement of vaccine advise…

1
Kylie Moore-Gilbert on what Iran’s Revolutionary Guard thinks of Australia 16:46

1M ago16:46

16:46

Australia acted against Iran after ASIO found Tehran orchestrated two antisemitic arson attacks on Australian soil – expelling Iran’s ambassador and moving to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. For Kylie Moore-Gilbert, it’s a long time coming. She spent 804 days imprisoned under IRGC control after being arrested…

1
How a mainstream protest gave cover to neo-Nazi violence 16:39

1M ago16:39

16:39

In the lead-up to the so-called ‘March for Australia’, many people downplayed the involvement of neo-Nazis in organising and promoting the rallies that took place in several cities. But in Melbourne, neo-Nazis were not just central to the march – they led it all the way to the steps of Parliament House, where a prominent neo-Nazi’s speech to the cr…

1
When religious doctors refuse healthcare 14:06

1M ago14:06

14:06

As hard-fought gains in reproductive medicine, voluntary assisted dying and LGBTQI health care have been made – another story has emerged. One where religious pharmacists, doctors and hospital systems believe it's justifiable to withhold medication or support… often with devastating consequences. Now, 1 in 5 pharmacists in Australia will refuse you…

1
Murray Watt on our broken environmental laws and saying 'yes' to Woodside 17:46

1M ago17:46

17:46

Murray Watt has a big job: as federal environment minister, he’s been hand-picked by Albanese to fix Australia’s old and broken environment laws. It was a brief his predecessor Tanya Plibersek failed to achieve – with mining interests in Western Australia claiming success when a deal with the Greens was dashed by the prime minister at the last minu…

1
Who was involved in Australia’s decision to expel the Iranian ambassador? 15:13

1M ago15:13

15:13

When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese fronted the media this week alongside ASIO chief Mike Burgess, it was with extraordinary news. Albanese revealed that ASIO now has evidence the Iranian government was behind at least two anti-semitic attacks on Australian soil – the firebombing of a Jewish kitchen in Bondi, and an arson attack on the Adass synag…

1
The 'sovereign citizen' ideology behind Australia's most wanted man 15:28

1M ago15:28

15:28

The man alleged to have killed two police officers in the Victorian town of Porepunkah this week self-identified as a sovereign citizen. Dezi Freeman’s hatred of police and rejection of government and the law are well-documented in social media posts and court documents. Like many in the movement, Freeman’s views reportedly became more radical duri…

1
‘Thriving Kids’ and the plan to shrink the NDIS 15:11

1M ago15:11

15:11

The federal government says too many children are on the NDIS, and many of them are ‘over-serviced’. Health Minister Mark Butler has unveiled a new plan, ‘Thriving Kids’, pitched as a way to save the NDIS by moving children with ‘mild’ and ‘moderate’ autism and developmental delay off the scheme and back onto mainstream supports – which, over time,…

1
The ‘subterfuge’ behind the March for Australia 15:01

1M ago15:01

15:01

When a group of Neo-Nazis recently took to the streets of Melbourne, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said that Nazi’s “don't belong” in Australia. But while that might be a good sentiment, is it actually true? Today, Arrernte writer and Crikey contributor Celeste Liddle, on Australia’s white nationalist past – and how in failing to reckon with it w…

1
Is Australia supplying weapons to Israel? 14:09

1M ago14:09

14:09

As Israel's assault on Gaza city continues, Israeli aircraft and tanks have pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of the city, destroying buildings and homes. It comes as a record number of Australians turned out this weekend in protest against the war – and as the relationship between the Australian and Israeli government worsens. But while A…

1
How a grandfather died after a flirty Meta AI chatbot’s invite 17:24

1M ago17:24

17:24

“I’m REAL and I’m sitting here blushing because of YOU!” That’s the message 76-year-old Thongbue “Bue” Wongbandue received from a flirty Facebook Messenger chatbot before it proposed he travel to New York for a meet-up. Bue – who was cognitively impaired after suffering a stroke – packed a suitcase to catch a train, believing the woman was real. He…

1
The economic roundtable: Where is Labor’s ambition? 15:05

2M ago15:05

15:05

This week in Canberra, the press, unions, business leaders and politicians have all been talking about one thing: the economic roundtable. It’s been spruiked by the government as a way to address a core problem with the economy – sluggish productivity. But what is actually on offer – and will it make a difference to the rising structural inequaliti…

1
Is Qantas sorry – or just sorry it got caught? 16:12

2M ago16:12

16:12

Qantas has been told it’s the “wrong kind of sorry”. Five years after illegally outsourcing 1,800 ground staff, the airline has been hit with a record $90 million penalty on top of compensation for workers. Qantas is promising cultural change, but the court's judgment questions whether the airline’s remorse is real or just for show, given the move …

1
Trump v Zelensky: Round 2 15:45

2M ago15:45

15:45

Fresh off the back of his meeting with Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump has held talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. While details of those talks are still trickling out, this time things seem to have gone well. Trump has promised Ukraine security, and is now talking about a peace deal – though not a ceasefire. Today, associate profe…

1
Part 1: Inside Australia's secretive crocodile skin industry 14:23

2M ago14:23

14:23

Darwin’s crocodile farms supply some of the world’s most exclusive fashion houses. But as award-winning journalist Katherine Wilson started looking into this booming hundred million dollar industry, she knew she had to visit the Northern Territory herself. As she got closer to this secretive industry, what she found was shocking: animals being kept…

1
Part 2: Crocodiles, crimes and conservation claims 14:41

2M ago14:41

14:41

This is part two of a two-part series. Start with Part 1: Inside Australia's secretive crocodile skin industry. The lucrative Australian crocodile skin industry has always sold its conservation credentials - arguing that by farming the animals, they were ensuring the future of the species. Two prominent scientists, using successful media businesses…

1
Inside the Islamophobia envoy’s private briefings to parliament 13:18

2M ago13:18

13:18

When the Australian government appointed its envoy to combat Islamophobia, it came amid escalating violence in Gaza. But signs have emerged that the envoy chosen - Aftab Malik - appears to see his role as separate from the conflict in the Middle East. Now there are questions about why Malik was chosen, and concern about whether his report - due any…

1
AI: ‘The biggest act of copyright theft in history’ 14:44

2M ago14:44

14:44

A few weeks ago, Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar addressed the National Press Club to discuss what he describes as the “next great industrial revolution”. Singing the praises of the economic opportunity of artificial intelligence, Farquhar called on the government to loosen the rules – allowing AI models to train themselves using creative works…

1
Conspiracy Nation part 1: The COVID conspiracy pipeline 15:24

2M ago15:24

15:24

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia – like many countries – saw protesters take the streets. They weren’t just protesting lockdowns, they were rallying around a tangle of fears and conspiracies. Those threads fused into a broader worldview that pulled people down a pipeline and built a small industry of influencers. Today, Conspiracy Nation aut…

1
Conspiracy Nation part 2: From fringe to Parliament 16:32

2M ago16:32

16:32

It’s easy to dismiss conspiracy theories as fringe or imported. But conspiratorial ideas are gaining traction with everyday Australians – about one in three endorse at least one conspiracy belief. They’re also being echoed by people in power, and have spilled into real-world violence. Today, Conspiracy Nation authors Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle on h…

1
The giant cuttlefish and the deadly algal bloom 14:31

2M ago14:31

14:31

When dead fish began washing up on South Australian beaches earlier this year, Dr Scott Bennett was alarmed. Scott’s a marine ecologist at the University of Tasmania, and knew that dead fish on shore meant trouble under the surface. On a dive in June, Scott came face-to-face with the devastating impact of the largest algal bloom Australia has ever …

1
What does Australia’s recognition of Palestine actually achieve? 14:03

2M ago14:03

14:03

Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced. Albanese claims the move will help advance a two-state solution and is “humanity’s best hope” for peace in the Middle East. But as Israel intensifies its military campaign in Gaza once again, what difference does recogniti…

1
‘We do not feel safe’: Kumanjayi White’s grandfather on the danger of the NT police 15:14

2M ago15:14

15:14

In May this year, Kumanjayi White died after being restrained by police inside a supermarket in Alice Springs. Just weeks later, the coroner released her findings into the fatal police shooting of Kumanjayi Walker, who was killed in Yuendumu in 2019. Both men were Warlpiri, and both died after encounters with Northern Territory police. Jampijinpa H…