Round the world people use pronouns and honorifics that identify or conceal class, gender and marital status. So why do we use language the way we do?

Tony Abbott vs Malcolm Turnbull: Who will win in the ultimate showdown? Are the Liberal Party's roots conservative or progressive?

How soon will your job be automated, what jobs are least likely to be affected, and could a Universal Basic Income - where everyone receives a basic wage - ensure a more equitable society?

Australia has long talked about constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians, but what does that practically mean?

As Cardinal George Pell faces an unprecedented legal case, how will he pay for his defence? Actually... who is he?

What is the Murray-Darling Basin Plan? Farmers, governments and environmentalists have argued for ever over how the water from the Murray-Darling Basin system should be used.

People just can't get enough of hearing about grisly murders. But how does a journalist walk the line between ethical reporting and providing gruesome titillation?

Electricity prices are expected to go up by as much as 20 per cent this year! Australia has so much coal, gas and renewable energy, so how did this happen?

More and more companies are encrypting communications, making it very difficult for the Government to access your private texts. So what is encryption? And how can the Government get their hands on everyone's messages?

The Tories are trying to strike a deal with the Northern Ireland's DUP so they can govern with a majority. So who is this extremely socially conservative party and what are they asking for?

James Comey has called Trump a liar and sent him the message that if you come at the FBI, you best not miss.

Who is James Comey, and why is he defending the FBI's honour in front of a congressional hearing?

The UK election will go down this week. What will happen if the Scottish Nationals lose seats? Where the hell has UKIP gone? And could it be the end of another Prime Minister?

Tell Me Straight is a podcast that answers life's curly questions and explains the big news stories of the day. So what do you want to know?