Experience Anu

Paula Gerber was in conversation with Kim Rubenstein on her new book Sex, Gender & Identity: Trans Rights in Australia. Why are trans people so hated? Barely a week goes by without pointed media stories about the trans community, usually targeting trans women. They are likely to have a sensationalist headline and a salacious tone, and the writing is often ill-informed and vilifying. Favoured topics include women in sports, bathrooms, where prisoners are housed, and health care for trans and gender-diverse children and young people. Why have they become contemporary ‘villains’ and the target of so much prejudice and bigotry? And most importantly, how do we change this? Is it possible to move from blaming, shaming and excluding trans people to respecting, protecting and including them? These questions are at the heart of Sex, Gender & Identity: Trans Rights in Australia, alongside the goal of increasing community-wide understanding of this much maligned minority. Professor Paula Gerber is a law professor at

Elizabeth Finkel was in conversation with Joan Leach on Elizabeth's new book Prove It: A Scientific Guide for the Post-Truth Era, a compelling journey through science's big breakthroughs, by an award-winning Australian science writer. Humans developed the scientific method over centuries. Its departure from what came before was that theories should be fuelled by data, not opinion. Today, the institutions that underpin democracy – the law, academia, government, journalism – all rely on its central idea: seeking facts and interrogating them through robust discussion and real-world testing. Yet in the post-truth era, public conversations can feel far from scientific. In Prove It, Elizabeth Finkel describes how the scientific method plays out in a series of controversies, from proving the existence of Einstein's gravitational waves to identifying the origins of Covid-19, from understanding human origins to defining consciousness. Through these tales of dispute and discovery, she breaks down the key elements of

Tracy Lee Holmes was in conversation with Phil Coorey on The Eye of the Dragonfly, a candid, wide-ranging and passionate book, part memoir, part manifesto, in which she shares both her stories and her views on sport’s most dramatic issues. The dragonfly sees in 360 degree perspective, and that’s what Tracey Lee Holmes has always done in her sports journalism. Over four decades, she has taken us beyond the scores and stats to the real stories of sport – the stories of human beings in exultation and defeat, and the bigger stories of money, power, and all too often, discrimination. In both her life and work, Holmes has consistently broken barriers. The first female presenter of the ABC’s flagship sports programme, Grandstand, she has pioneered coverage of and by women in sport. Her longform style of interviewing and her reporting on world events like the Olympics and FIFA World Cups have introduced us to athletes from all backgrounds and nations Anchor, reporter, podcaster and – for a rocky spell over the 200

Marian Wilkinson was in conversation with David Pocock on her Quarterly Essay Woodside vs. the Planet. How a Company Captured a Country. Why is Australia doubling down on fossil fuels? The world may have committed at Paris to hold back dangerous climate change, but Australia's fossil-fuel giant Woodside is doubling down: it has bold new plans to keep producing gas out to 2070. Support from the major parties is locked in, so something has to give. This is a story of power and influence, pollution and protest. How does one company capture a country? How convincing is Woodside's argument that gas is a necessary transition fuel, as the world decarbonises? And what is the new ""energy realism"" narrative being pushed by Trump's White House. In this engrossing essay, Marian Wilkinson reveals the ways of corporate power and investigates the new face of resistance and disruption. The stakes could not be higher. "The gas companies and the Labor governments in WA and Canberra had refined their defence: the gas indus

Michael Brissenden was in conversation with Chris Hammer on Michael's new novel, MTA, a dark, gripping thriller that explores the complexities of identity, a search for truth, and the unyielding forces of corruption in a world where lives are lived on the fringe and nothing is as it seems. Lake Herrod, a once-thriving community, now lies in the shadow of a nearly dry lake. The town, like the water, is evaporating and its residents are left clinging to what little remains. When Aaron Love discovers a fresh corpse near the cracked lakebed – along with evidence his missing father is alive and linked to a web of organised crime – he is thrust into a world of deception, injustice and betrayal. With the town on the brink of collapse, Aaron and a haunted detective, Martyn Kravets, uncover a web of conspiracy that reaches far beyond the small community. ‘Searing and raw, beautiful and tender for its profound humanity, Dust ventures where few dare – to the true, blistered Australian climate-changed outback, and to t

Bryan Horrigan was in conversation with James Edelman on Bryan's new book Corporate Social Responsibility in an Age of Existential Threats.

Adam Courtenay was in conversation with Alex Sloan on his moving memoir My Father Bryce. Dynamic, complex, driven: Bryce Courtenay was all of these as well as one of Australia's most beloved authors. To his son Adam, he was larger than life, mercurial, and impossible to know completely. In this moving, unforgettable memoir, Adam searches for the real Bryce.

Liz Cameron was in conversation with Alex Sloan on her new book Cult Bride How I Was Brainwashed – and How I Broke Free, ‘an intriguing and powerful memoir,’ in which Liz asks how are people like you and me brainwashed into cults? As an 18 year-old on her gap year in Canberra, Liz is approached at a shopping centre by a woman who asks her survey questions about her Christian faith. Liz is slowly brought into her small, friendly church community – but little does she know that her new ‘friends’ are members of the South Korean cult Providence, which currently operates in more than 70 countries. This is the story of how Liz endured mind-control techniques and a visit to the cult’s convicted serial rapist leader in prison and came out the other side alive. She takes us behind the scenes to show us how cults operate in plain sight – and how we can unpick the systems that enable them to prey on vulnerable people. This powerful, candid memoir tells one woman’s extraordinary story of how she was broken down by a

Katherine Biber was in conversation with Kate Fullagar on her new book, The Last Outlaws, a gripping work of historical true crime and a richly revealing examination of our nation at its birth. Brilliantly reconstructed from contemporary narratives, it's The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith meets Killing for Country. In the winter of 1900, Wiradjuri man Jimmy Governor and his brother Joe murdered nine people across New South Wales, in a rampage that caused panic in the colony on the cusp of nationhood. Triggered, it seems, by a racist incident, they killed men, women and children, evading a vast manhunt until they were eventually captured. Joe was shot in the open; Jimmy survived to be put on trial. Thus the last man to be outlawed in the colony was hanged in the new nation, meeting his end in Darlinghurst Gaol as the Federation decorations were taken down. The brothers’ names still resonate, partly due to Thomas Keneally’s novel The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and Fred Schepisi’s subsequent film, but their story h

Sam Guthrie was in conversation with Mark Kenny on his gripping new espionage thriller and debut novel, The Peak. Written with an extraordinary insider knowledge of China, the realities of global power and the inner dealings of the Australian Government, The Peak weaves an intriguing story of friendship, love and betrayal. Political hatchet man Charlie will do anything to protect Sebastian, Australian government minister and his best friend since their brutal private school days. Rising to power and prominence through international diplomatic postings and then the rough and tumble of Australian politics, they are as close as brothers - or so Charlie thinks - while both keep the secret that lies at the very heart of their relationship - a secret that in one way or another will change the world. But then a single phrase in Mandarin is spoken in Sebastian's ear and he does the unthinkable. As Charlie tries to piece it all together - from their youth spent in Hong Kong to the recent past in Beijing and Washingt

Graeme Turner was in conversation with Frank Bongiorno on his new book Broken: Universities, Politics and the Public Good. A strong higher education system is fundamental to civil society. The building of knowledge and the dissemination of information is vital to the proper functioning of our democracy. At the economic level, higher education is in the top three of our export industries; international students have become central to the hospitality, retail and agricultural economies; and the country desperately needs well-trained, knowledgeable citizens to shore up its future. Yet, in February 2024, a detailed review of higher education in this country concluded that the system is broken and urgently needs fixing. The problems that afflict it are legion, including over-investment in international enrolment, an epidemic of casualisation and the burning out of a generation of academics, culture wars over the content and orientation of university research and teaching, the lack of sectoral coordination around

Two times Gold Dagger winning, and twice Edgar short-listed author, Michael Robotham was in conversation with Chris Hammer on Michael's new PC Phil McCarthy crime fiction novel The White Crow. *This podcast contains explicit language. Listener discretion is advised.

Journalist and recipient of the 2024 Press Freedom Award, Cheng Lei was in conversation with Michael Hertel on her new book Cheng Lei: A Memoir of Freedom, the extraordinary true story of journalist Cheng Lei whose life was abruptly transformed when she was detained in China on false charges of espionage. Harrowing, fierce and often darkly humorous.

Toby Walsh was in conversation with Andrew Leigh on his new book The Shortest History of AI, everything you need to know about the origins and future of artificial intelligence through the examination of six key ideas.

Internationally acclaimed epidemiologist Raina MacIntyre was in conversation with Sanjaya Senanayake on her new book Vaccine Nation Science, reason and the threat to 200 years of progress, a gripping journey through the past, present and future of vaccines.

Marcel Dirsus was in conversation with Allan Behm on his book How Tyrants Fall: And How Nations Survive.

Ian Rankin was in conversation with Chris Hammer on Midnight and Blue, the latest instalment of the Inspector Rebus series, and reflections on Ian’s bestselling career in crime writing. Midnight and Blue is Ian Rankin at his tense and thrilling best. Detective Inspector John Rebus spent his life putting Edinburgh's most deadly criminals behind bars. Now, he's joined them. As new allies and old enemies circle, and the days and nights bleed into each other, even the legendary detective struggles to keep his head. That is, until a murder at midnight in a locked cell presents a new mystery. They say old habits die hard. However, this is a case where the prisoners and the guards are all suspects, and everyone has something to hide. With no badge, no authority and no safety net, Rebus walks a tightrope - with his life on the line. But how do you find a killer in a place full of them? ‘Rebus is one of British crime writing's greatest characters: alongside Holmes, Poirot and Morse' Daily Mail ‘Rankin has taken

Geoff Raby was in conversation with Allan Behm on the updated edition of his book China’s Grand Strategy and Australia’s Future in the New Global Order and his recent publication, Great Game On. The contest for Central Asia and Global Supremacy.

Award-winning biographer Judith Brett was in conversation with Virginia Haussegger on her new book Fearless Beatrice Faust: Sex, Feminism and Body Politics.

Steve Vizard was in conversation with Frank Bongiorno on Nation, Memory, Myth. Gallipoli and the Australian Imaginary, a book in which Steve Vizard brings an original perspective to the foundational myth of Gallipoli as a sacred bearer of Australian national values and identity.