In this episode A Secret Australia’s co-editor Peter Cronau and contributor and former Greens Senator Scott Ludlam joined Sally Warhaft at Bendigo Writers Festival for a discussion about what is kept from public view and why. What are the limits of journalism when reporting on state apparatuses, and what is a publisher’s responsibility when dealing with state secrets?

In the final Fifth Estate episode for 2020, Sally Warhaft and George Megalogenis catch up to take stock of the shifting situation and look to the future. How will the decisions made by Scott Morrison, his government, and the national cabinet affect us for decades to come? What are the long-term economic implications of closed borders? What will happen to global markets and local jobs? What will we rebuild in the post-recession economy and what can we create anew?

What might the economic and social upheavals of 2020 mean for climate policy in Australia? For this Fifth Estate conversation, host Sally Warhaft brings together Judith Brett and Marian Wilkinson – two writers who have undertaken in-depth research into the resource economy and Australian climate scepticism.

Kevin Rudd joins Sally Warhaft for a live-streamed Fifth Estate discussion of these questions and more. As president of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York, a former Australian diplomat in China, and, of course, our former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Rudd shares his reflections on diplomacy and governance, his insights into how the pandemic is likely to alter international relations, and his thoughts on how Australia can continue to manage the far-reaching economic and...

Tom Porteous is a former journalist for the Guardian and the BBC, and an expert on global conflict management and resolution. Now deputy program director at Human Rights Watch, he joined Sally Warhaft live from Paris to discuss human rights and COVID-19.

Joshua Wong was still a teenager when he rose to international prominence as a leader in Hong Kong’s 2014 Umbrella Movement, protesting increased Chinese Communist Party intervention in the city’s electoral system. With Sally Warhaft, he talks about the evolution of Hong Kong’s democracy movement and the impact of COVID-19.

With host Sally Warhaft, former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull discusses his life and the trajectory of his extraordinary career. The pair talk, too, about the current state of Australian politics, his notable encounters during his time in public office, and the pressures that permeate a Prime Ministership.

In a special live-streamed edition of The Fifth Estate, journalist George Megalogenis joins host Sally Warhaft for a careful analysis of the coronavirus pandemic, our precarious present and the future that may follow. Drawing on lessons from the past – including the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, post-World War II unemployment and more – they consider what the compounding challenges of the coronavirus will mean for our national character, for different workers and citizens, and for our...

The bushfires that raged across the country this summer have caused environmental and economic damage that will be felt for years to come. In Canberra, they have ignited a frenzy of finger-pointing in every direction. In the first Fifth Estate discussion of 2020, Sally Warhaft talks with environmentalist and former Greens leader Bob Brown about the ecological, political and economic implications of this urgent and ongoing national issue.

For the final Fifth Estate of 2019, George Megalogenis returns to reflect with host Sally Warhaft on the year in Australian politics.

In conversation with Sally Warhaft, Samantha Power discusses the complexity of decision-making, the tensions between activism and power, and the reconciliation of past and future.

How does writing about the past shape the possibilities of the future? Star historians Geoffrey Blainey and Clare Wright join Sally Warhaft to discuss their approaches to writing Australian history: warts, beauty spots and blind spots.

In conversation with Sally Warhaft at Bendigo Writers Festival, acclaimed author and war correspondent Megan K. Stack discusses the ethics, unexpected emotional shifts and negotiations of hired domestic labour and the household as a workplace.

Mia Love was once a rising star of the Republican Party. She was the first black female Republican elected to congress, running and winning in Utah's 97% white 4th District in 2015. During her time in office, Love was appointed to the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees the Treasury and the Federal Reserve. But Love chose not to embrace President Donald Trump during her mid-term election campaign last year, and drew his ire. Love has been critical of Republicans'...

For decades, Tim Costello has been among Australia’s most outspoken voices on issues of social justice and global inequality. Through his work as a minister, as a lawyer and as the mayor of St Kilda council, he’s tackled pressing social issues – from gambling and homelessness to gun control. He’s perhaps best known to most Australians, though, for his 15-year tenure as CEO of World Vision. With Sally Warhaft, he discusses his new book – A Lot with a Little, a memoir – as well as his ongoing...

What are we really doing about family violence? Why, in so many cases, are our justice and enforcement systems making things worse for women and children? Why have we settled for modest gains and vague long-term targets? What causes perpetrators to be violent and what can we do to stop it right now? With host Sally Warhaft, Walkley-winning investigative journalist Jess Hill discusses her four-year undertaking of research and writing for See What You Made Me Do.

Join Sally Warhaft and Lowy Institute executive director Michael Fullilove for a wide-ranging spotlight on foreign affairs, encompassing trade, alliances, cybersecurity and powerful and populous neighbours.

Veteran journalist Nikki Savva's latest book, Plots and Prayers: Malcolm Turnbull’s Demise and Scott Morrison’s Ascension, tells the inside story of conflict and vengeance within the Liberal Party and the extraordinary rise of our new Prime Minister. With Sally Warhaft, Savva discusses Canberra savagery and political miracles.

In this Fifth Estate discussion, Gustav Nossal and Ranjana Srivastava join Sally Warhaft for a long, hard look at Australian healthcare today. Where do we need to direct our investment? Join us for a conversation about who’s getting adequate care, who’s missing out and what we can learn from care and research models overseas.

A month on from the federal election, once the dust has settled, we take an in-depth look at the events of 18 May and discuss what we might expect from the new Morrison government. With a mandate, and likely a revamped front bench, can Scott Morrison unite a fractured country and leave a lasting legacy? What are the policy goals of the Liberals in their third term in government and how will they handle the cynicism that has infected much of the electorate? What kinds of new alliances might...

Frédéric Martel's latest book, In the Closet of the Vatican: Power, Homosexuality, Hypocrisy, is the result of four years worth of investigative journalism, including hundreds of interviews across many corners of the globe, in efforts to understand the scope and culture of homosexuality within the Catholic Church. Many of his sources – including priests, cardinals, Vatican administrative staff and sex workers – have spoken to Martel about widespread clerical homosexuality under terms of...

A former executive editor of the New York Times, and a widely-respected media veteran, Jill Abramson is the author of Merchants of Truth – a bracing new account of American journalism’s moral crisis. The first woman to hold many of the senior roles she’s occupied, Abramson joins The Fifth Estate to share what she’s learned through her celebrated career. She also addresses the criticism and controversy surrounding the book: she has been accused of being dismissive towards young, digitally...

For this conversation, we bring together citizenship law expert Kim Rubenstein and the eminent historian Judith Brett, author of From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage: How Australia Got Compulsory Voting. They trace the history of our voting system and examine how it’s shaped the tenor of our debates and our sense of ourselves and our representatives – plus, how the system may yet change. With Sally Warhaft, they discuss donkey votes, ballot boxes, barbeques and the wide-ranging...

When, and how, does hate flourish in a society? How is hate spreading in our society? When do speech acts qualify as acts of hate? Who is encouraging the spread of hate, and what do they have to gain? With Sally Warhaft, guests Tim Soutphommasane and Santilla Chingaipe discuss populism, prejudice and radicalism in the context of recent events and the looming federal election.