Please Explain: Coronavirus Daily

This week on Please Explain, Tory Maguire talks to chief political correspondent David Crowe and environment editor Peter Hannam about the politics around this current bushfire crisis.  While there is some reprieve from the fires, rising from the embers are questions for our politicians and there is no longer any willingness to accept the response "now is not the time." Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

This week on Please Explain, part 3 of our summer series on climate change and weather with Sydney Morning Herald Environment Editor, Peter Hannam. Tory talks to Peter about what it was like to be on the New South Wales south coast where he witnessed first hand the anxiety and challenges of one of the biggest evacuation efforts we’ve ever seen. Plus, Justin McManus, a photographer from The Age tells Tory about his five days in Mallacoota where 4000 people were trapped by fire and then rescued by the navy. Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

The wealth gap between young people and their parents is widening, according to a new report. But why? Is it mismanagement of cash or a deeper economic issue? This week Jacqueline Maley speaks to our Canberra economics correspondents Shane Wright and Eryk Bagshaw to figure out if young Australians are getting a raw deal in the "generational bargain". Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

Every few months, Australians are reminded of the recycling crisis gripping the country. Australia's spotless landscapes are giving way to urban mountains of shattered glass, toxic fires and recycled plastic in landfill. This week World News Editor Chris Zappone is joined by Sydney Morning Herald and The Age's South East Asian correspondent James Massola from Jakarta, Melbourne editor Jewel Topsfield. Please Explain is taking a short break over Christmas, so please enjoy one of our favourite episodes from this year. 

This week on Please Explain, part 2 of our summer series on climate change and weather. Joining Tory Maguire is environment editor Peter Hannam and climate and energy correspondent Mike Foley who will attempt to untangle the complexities around water and the Murray Darling Basin plan. Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

This week on Please Explain, we begin part 1 of our summer series on climate change and weather with environment editor Peter Hannam. How confident are scientists on blaming extreme weather events on global warming? And are we “doing our bit” on emissions reduction like the Prime Minister says we are?  Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

This week on Please Explain, Peter Hartcher, Ross Gittins and David Crowe rate the Government's performance at this year's SMH Live: 2019 Year in Review Federal Politics panel. Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

This week on Please Explain Tory Maguire dissects Westpac's week from hell with Sydney Morning Herald Investigative Journalist and Columnist, Adele Ferguson and Business Reporter, Clancy Yeates. Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

This week on the Please Explain podcast, we’ll take you to Hong Kong where our China Correspondent, Kirsty Needham is witnessing the chaos first-hand and Peter Hartcher and David Crowe discuss China’s influence in Hong Kong and Australia. Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

In this week's episode of Please Explain, Tory Maguire talks to Sydney Morning Herald environment editor Peter Hannam about why these are the worst bushfires in living memory and she speaks to reporter Lucy Cormack who has been on the ground in the NSW Mid North Coast seeing the devastation of of these bushfires on communities and infrastructure. Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

This week on Please Explain, Sydney Morning Herald senior journalists Jacqueline Maley and Nick O’Malley join host Chris Zappone to dissect Prime Minister Scott Morrison's pledge to outlaw protesters from boycotting companies. But who would benefit from these proposed changes? Is the freedom to protest under attack or is it the latest political football in the culture war unfolding online? Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

This week on Please Explain, we're joined by The Age's investigations editor, Michael Bachelard, and Sydney Morning Herald photojournalist Kate Geraghty, who have just returned from Syria. We'll get a run-down on the Australians in the al-Hawl refugee camp and speak to Kamalle Dabboussy, whose daughter Mariam is one of the Australian women in the camp who want to come home. As the conflict simmers, we ask what's next for this embattled region? Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

It used to be as easy as ABC; but somewhere along the way, did we forget what's important in educating our kids? This week on Please Explain, The Sydney Morning Herald’s education editor Jordan Baker and The Age’s education editor Adam Carey to dig into how Australia is doing when it comes to teaching our kids. We're also joined by education expert professor Geoff Masters, from the Australian Council for Education Research, who authored the most comprehensive review of the NSW schooling system in 30 years. His idea: scrap the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) altogether. Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.

Investigations editor Michael Bachelard speaks to Australian women and children who are trapped in Al-Hawl camp in Syria about why they believe the Australian government should bring them back to Australia.  The Please Explain team greatly value your feedback - you can email us here. We'd love to hear from you. And if you value independent, quality journalism, please subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. Thanks for listening and don't forget to check out more great podcasts from The Age & SMH.

The Kurdish people have an expression that rings true now more than ever. ‘We have no friends but the mountains’. With the US withdrawing troops and Turkey moving in, the Kurds have been forced to side with Assad. We’re joined by The Age’s former foreign editor Maher Mughrabi and independent journalist Anna Therese Day, who spent years reporting from Syria, to discuss the implications of these actions on the Kurds. Investigations editor Michael Bachelard also joins us from the border of Iraq and Syria, where he is speaking with refugees fleeing since Turkey’s incursion. Become a subscriber Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Becoming a subscriber also gets you exclusive behind-the-scenes content and invitations to special events. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald.