(aired 12/08/2023) - Heard much about the Fair Pay for Radio Play bill being debated in federal parliament? We'll be kicking off this episode of Backchat with a deep dive into the new proposed bill and what it could mean for aussie artists. Backchat producer Libby Hopper will be in the chair with all you need to know. Next, you’re not imagining it - the days are literally hotter in Western Sydney. The area records about 30% more hot or very hot days each year compared to the East. Later on in...

(aired 05/08/2023) - We're diving into our state's contentious shark netting program to kick off this episode of Backchat; after the New South Wales Government dropped its Shark Meshing, Bather Protection Report for 2023. Backchat producer Libby Hopper is in the chair to explain the report's findings and how government and conservation groups have reacted to the news. Next, pill testing is back on the agenda in NSW after the Unharm organisation launched its ‘Just Check It’ campaign with the...

(aired 29/07/2023 - Bushfire season is upon us, and this week on Backchat we'll get started with a look at our preparedness. Outgoing Backchat producer Matt Le Guay will be in the hot seat to unpack how we're tracking and how much Indigenous cultural cool burning practices have been incorporated into our preparation. Next up - cash looks to eb going the way of the Dodo, but do we really understand what a totally cashless society would mean? You'll be hearing from Swinburne Uni’s professor...

(aired 22/07/2023) - This week on Backchat, we're kicking things off with an explanation of the latest phenomenon borne from social media - Girl Dinner. You may have seen it bumping around your socials feed, but what does this tell us about gender roles in 2023? Our host Tanita Razaghi is leading this explanation with help from producer Libby. Next, we're exploring Bush to Bowl - a social enterprise aimed at creating a healing space & platform through First Nations knowledge, by...

(aired 15/07/23) On Backchat this week, we bring you the stories of Sydney and beyond – and we’re keeping it super local this time! TW: This show discusses SA and rape. First up, with many of us noticing our grocery shops getting more expensive by the day, you’ll be hearing from Backchat Producer Sana Sheikh about why this is the case and what this means for young people.   Next up, we’ll be about the open letter that was put forward to the Albanese government from a group called End Rape...

(aired 08/07/2023)  On Backchat this week, we bring you a special episode in celebration of NAIDOC Week. Join us as we delve into the rich history and culture of our First Nations peoples, with an line up of 100% Indigenous voices. First up, we explore something that has now become a common practise in many settings across Australia - an acknowledgement of country. Mundanara Bayles, Director of Blackcard shares how we can transcend the surface level, and foster genuine change through our...

(aired 01/07/2023) This week on Backchat, we're kicking things off with a dive into the editorial decisions in Australian newsrooms following the wall-to-wall coverage of the Titan submersible disaster. Our producer Sana Shaikh is in the studio to run through the pitfalls and forgotten stories of our overwhelmingly white newsrooms. Next, RACGP spokesperson on addiction, Dr Hester Wilson is in studio to chat about advances in harm reduction. Opioid dependence therapy drugs have recently made...

(Aired 04/02/23) - This week on Backchat we'll be discussing the digitisation of the work place and how it has affected our workplace productivity. Next, we’ll be chatting with Grattan Institute economist, Joey Moloney on the what is causing the current economic struggles of young people in todays society, and how the government should address the issue. Finally, you'll be hearing from Dr Brad Mckay from the Darlinghurst Medical Centre to briefly explain Mpox (formerly known as Monkey Pox)...

(Aired 28/01/23) - Invasion Day came and went this week and as always, it’s sparked debate around the history of Australia, the future of First Nations people and the deep divisions we collectively face. This week on Backchat, we'll be centring our coverage around First Nations issues. We kick things off with a look at what the last 12 months has meant for First Nations resistance. Indigenous scholar and popular podcaster Alicia Johnson joins us to unpack it all. Next up, we're joined by...

(Aired 21/01/23) - Backchat is back for 2023, and we're hitting the ground running this week. First up, we're gonna be tackling the prickly issue of parking permits in inner-Sydney and what impact they're having on renters in share houses or on short-term leases. Next, we’ll be chatting with obstetrician and gynaecologist Professor Kirsten Black about why women are finding it difficult to access publicly-funded abortions, even though the procedure is no longer a crime. Finally, pokies are...

(Aired 17/12/22) - It's the final episode of Backchat for 2022, but we haven't let that slow us down. Getting us started this week will be a look at the gender pay gap in Australia as we address some of the misconceptions around the issue. Backchat producer Timothy Nguyen has been exploring this one and will be in studio to share what he's found. Next, Sydney’s prestigious Waverley college was in the news last week for all the wrong reasons as allegations of brutal bullying and ‘hazing’...

(aired 10/12/22) - This week on Backchat, we're kicking things off with a look at the planned changes to Indonesia's legal code. You've likely heard of the looming 'bonk ban', but there's plenty more changes worthy of your attention, too. Backchat producer Eamonn Snow will be in studio to unpack what's going on with our northern neighbour. After that, we'll be chatting education in NSW; after plans were announced to overhaul school syllabuses in an attempt to adress steadily declining...

(Aired 03/12/22) -  This week on Backchat, we get started with an update on the Royal Sydney Golf Club's controversial redevelopment, after the golf club overcame a final legal hurdle last week. Greens councillor with Woollahra Council, Nicola Grieve will join Tanita and Holly to unpack where things are at. Next, we're joined by Chloe Williamson from the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance to chat sexual assault and harrassment in the music industry. This comes after the landmark 'Raising...

(Aired 26/11/22) - We're bringing you a very special episode of Backchat this week, as our host Charles Rushforth bids the program adieu after more than two years. We'll have a bunch of soppy farewelling sprinkled - of course - amongst the news that matters to you. We'll kick things off with a look at the NSW Government's plans to turn their remaining single-sex schools to co-ed. Backchat producer Timothy Nguyen will be in the hot seat to run us through that one. Next, we're gonna be putting...

(Aired 19/11/22) - This week, we’ll be kicking off the show by chatting with producer Sana Shaikh about why NSW laws have been passed this week to stop taxi drivers from negotiating the fare instead of using the meter.  We kick off our state election coverage this week as we speak to NSW Labor’s shadow minister for the environment, Penny Sharpe. Backchat looks at the koala wars, natural disasters and what the opposition has in store for the environment if they win. Next, we’ll be chatting...

(Aired 12/11/22) - This week's episode of Backchat kicks off with some much needed analysis of the collapse of RedCycle - the soft plastic recycling scheme you would have seen at Coles and Woolies. Backchat producer Sana Shaikh is in studio to run us through what happened and where we go from here when it comes to plastic and recycling in Australia. Next, we're chatting trees after the NSW Government reached its goal of planting one million trees across greater Sydney in 2022. Associate...

(Aired 29/10/22) - This week on Backchat, we kick things off with a look at the slimy world of sports sponsorship in Australia, following the Australian Netball team’s sensational rejection of a lucrative sponsorship deal with Gina Reinhart’s Hancock Prospecting. Next, we're going behind the scenes into the push to revive Chinatown after several years of neglect. Andrea Plawutsky from Haymarket HQ will be on to run us through the plan to breathe new life into the area. Finally, Labor...

(Aired 05/11/22) - On Backchat this week, we get moving with a conversation around the increasing commercialisation of Sydney's green spaces and public areas. This comes after a resident living near Tumbalong Park in Sydney CBD calculated that the park had been unusable to the public for over 150 days this year. Next, we're discussing the cascading failures that contributed to the tragic death of Noongar-Yamatji schoolboy Cassius Turvey, and the continued struggle facing Indigenous...

(Aired 22/10/22) - This week on Backchat, producer Holly is in to guide us through the sensational resignation of state Labor MP Tania Mihailuk and what it means for the party as a state election looms for 2023. Next, as new laws limiting protest are being challenged in the supreme court, we're talking the slow slip of civil liberties in New South Wales with Josh Pallas from the NSW Council for Civil Liberties. Finally, a joint investigation by the ABC and Nine newspapers this week alleged...

(aired 15/10/22) - This week on Backchat, we kick off with a look at Sydney’s cycle-friendliness after NSW police descended on the CBD earlier in the week for a crackdown on non-compliant cyclists. Next, we dive into what the prickly stage three tax cuts could mean for young people with Dr Greg Jericho from The Australia Institute and the Guardian news. Finally, have you noticed some of your favourite products shrinking while prices go the other way? Backchat will be tackling the most cursed...

Aired 08/10/22 - This week on Backchat, Backchat producer Sana Shaikh jumps on for a dive into the recently fast-tracked state government plan to raise the wall of the Warragamba Dam by 14 metres. We'll have all you need to know about this complex and controversial response to incresed floding events in Sydney. Next, we're joined by First national Real Estate CEO, Ray Ellis to unpack mould issues in rental properties and the tension between tenants and their real estate when it comes to...

Aired 01/10/22 - This week on Backchat, you'll be first hearing about the halting of a promised arts hub in Marrickville as Sydney creatives complain of 'trojan horse' gentrification. We'll have exclusive commentary from Tim Levinson - aka Urthboy - about moves to suspend construction of the hub and the situation facing the arts community in inner Sydney. Next, we'll have a chat with NSW Senator for the Greens, David Shoebridge, about his party's recently announced policy to legalise...

Aired 24/09/22 - This week on Backchat, we get started with a look at the recently released findings of an enquiry into the drug ice, which recommended that some quantities of drugs be decriminalised in NSW. Next, we chat to Saul Deane from Total Environment Centre about a state government plan to open up huge chunks of Western Sydney - including critical Koala habitat - to new development. Backchat producer Alice Leggett caps things off with a chat to Adam Jones from the NSW State Emergency...

Aired 17/09/22 - This week, Backchat kicks off with a dive into a damning report that found Star Casino was unfit to hold a casino license in NSW. Next, int he wake of the shocking leaked group chat from Knox Grammar, we hear from a former student from an elite private boys school about the culture in those environments. Finally, we check in with Amanda Copp from National Radio News about what the Queen's death is going to mean for the productivity of our federal parliament as the sitting...

Aired 10/09/22 - We kick off Backchat this week with a much needed explanation of the industrial dispute that has gripped the Sydney rail network recently. Next, we explore the controversial question of ethical shoplifting with QLD Greens councillor Jonathan Sriranganathan. Finally, we’ll be chatting with 2021 Queenslander of the year, Dr Dinesh Palipana about why there are very few doctors with disability, and what’s rotten in the culture of medicine.  This episode of Backchat was produced...