Please Explain: Coronavirus Daily

In 1969, it was one small step for man. In 2019, it’s one giant gold rush for mankind. And Australia wants in. We're joined by PhD Candidate at The University of SydneyAnnie Handmer, Canberra-based space policy expert Brett Biddington and CEO at Cyborg Dynamics Engineering and Chair of National Space Committee Stephen Bornstein to learn about how technology, business and politics are combining to create a 21st Century space boom. 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, a special episode of Please Explain: economics writer Jess Irvine is out of the studio and into the office of Westpac’s Sydney head office. Why? To speak to Bill Evans, the chief economist at Westpac, and one of the few people who has correctly predicted rate cuts over the past decade. 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.

Could it be the beginning of the end for the President, or just more partisan political warfare? This week on Please Explain, we’re joined by US correspondent Matthew Knott, senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre Bruce Wolpe and Washington Post White House correspondent Anne Gearan as we look into the impeachment process. 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.

Gladys Liu, a newly minted member of the government’s backbench, reignited debate about what should be considered a risk of interference after revelations of her connections to Chinese Communist Party associations. The elaborate web of Chinese interference in Australia is gradually being illuminated. This week on Please Explain Nine political editor Chris Uhlmann, chief political correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age David Crowe and our deputy bureau chief Stephanie Peatling join me to dissect all things Gladys Liu and preview Scott Morrison’s imminent trip to the Whitehouse. 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 and Re-Group's Chief Development Officer and Waste Management Resource and Recovery Association Australia's Garth Lamb to ask where to from here.

The first 100 days of a new government are crucial for any prime minister. It’s their first opportunity to put in to action a policy agenda promised to voters in an election, and the time when Australians are most open to big plans and big ideas. This week on Please Explain: a special episode, recorded in front of a live audience at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Antidote Festival. Special guests David Crowe, Shane Wright and Jacqueline Maley join National Editor Tory Maguire to dissect the first 100 days of an administration many thought would never exist. 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.

After discussions with the President on the sidelines of the G7 this weekend, Prime Minister Scott Morrison stepped a little closer to picking sides in the US-China trade war. But would a deal between the United States and China, which everyone is calling for, actually be that great for Australia? This week Tory Maguire is joined by Sydney Morning Herald senior writer Matt Wade, and Tim Harcourt, an economist from the University of New South Wales and host of The Airport Economist podcast. See us record Please Explain live at the Opera House during Antidote At 4pm on Sunday September 1 we'll be doing a live recording at the Opera House as part of the Antidote festival. The topic is the elected Morrison Government's first 100 days. 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.

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". See us record Please Explain live at the Opera House during Antidote At 4pm on Sunday September 1 we'll be doing a live recording at the Opera House as part of the Antidote festival. The topic is the elected Morrison Government's first 100 days. 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.

Tense scenes and high drama outside the Victorian Supreme Court in Melbourne as the Court of Appeal upheld former Cardinal George Pell's previous conviction and sends him back to jail. In this Please Explain Extra our producer David Estcourt talks to reporters Chip Le Grand and Tom Cowie as Australia's most notorious and controversial inmate made his bid for freedom. EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction. It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict. 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.

David Crowe talks to Tory Maguire about his new book, Venom, a fascinating inside line on the parliamentary spills and thrills from Abbott to Turnbull to Morrison, and all machinations in-between. 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.

About two months ago, millions of Hong Kongers marched peacefully to protest an extradition deal with mainland China. It's a far cry from tear-gas filled streets and 'guerilla-like pop-up protests'.  This week we're joined by China correspondent Kirsty Needham, and Hong Kong-based lawyer and author Antony Dapiran about the unfolding crisis.  We also speak with journalist Nick Bonyhady about how the clashes have moved to university campuses in Australia. You can join Please Explain live at the Sydney Opera House on September 1, where we will cut through the soundbites and spin of the elected Morrison Government’s first 100 days in office.  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.

A proposed bill to remove abortion from NSW’s 119-year-old Crimes Act and instead regulate it with a stand-alone health care act has ignited intense debate, both in public and parliament.  This week we're joined by our state political editor Alexandra Smith, and lawyer and co-founder of WomenVote Maria O’Brien to talk through the criminal and legal implications of the bill. Health editor Kate Aubusson will also discuss access and affordability. You can join Please Explain live at the Sydney Opera House on September 1, where we will cut through the soundbites and spin of the elected Morrison Government’s first 100 days in office.  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.

Banking Bad: How Corporate Greed and Broken Governance Failed Australia Whistleblowers. Corporate cover-ups. One journalist's fight for the truth. Adele Ferguson's reporting on the banking sector played a key role in forcing the government to announce the Hayne Royal Commission. On the back of the release of her book, "Banking Bad" on August 5, Ferguson sits down with Business Editor Mathew Dunckley for fascinating a behind-the-scenes conversation on the state of the finance sector, whether the royal commission went far enough and her fight for truth in a years-long investigation.

James Packer’s Crown Resorts is a behemoth. Its influence stretches across both major Australian political parties and into the pockets of some of the most powerful people in the world. This week we're joined by Nick McKenzie and Grace Tobin to discuss how Crown's involvement in money laundering, Chinese espionage and links to people traffickers was exposed. Since we recorded the podcast, Crown Resorts responded to the allegations which you can read here. 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.

Boris Johnson has finally taken up residence in No. 10 Downing Street. While detractors are doubting his ability to lead Britain out of the European union, he couldn't be more upbeat. Former Downing street insider Alastair Campbell and Europe Correspondent Nick Miller join Tory Maguire to discuss Johnson's Brexit conundrum. 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.