Rex Patrick is a former senator from South Australia. Before that, he was a submariner in the Navy.

Last year, he noticed a reference to a new arm of the Australian Federal Police called the AUKUS Command.

He wanted to know more, so he lodged Freedom of Information requests with the Australian Submarine Agency and the Australian Federal Police.

The documents he got back were heavily redacted – but he was able to form a picture of a secretive new command set up to protect AUKUS submarines.

But hidden in the fine print were plans to surveil protest, manage dissent, and deploy force against it.

Today, Rex Patrick on the Australian Federal Police, their new powers to protect America’s interests in Australia, and what it means for the future of protest.

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Guest: Former submariner and former senator for South Australia, Rex Patrick

Photo: AAP Image/Pool, Colin Murty

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The fallout from this year’s Adelaide Writers’ Week debacle has reignited fierce debate about political interference in the arts and about who gets to speak in Australia’s cultural spaces.

After the invitation to Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah was withdrawn, 180 writers pulled out in protest.

The festival was eventually cancelled and Adelaide Festival has since apologised for excluding the author from Writers’ Week, admitting it had failed to uphold artistic freedom. The whole saga raises urgent questions about how decisions are being made – by governments, by boards, and by those in charge of our institutions.

Today, we’re bringing you a story from last year that exposed one of the initial fault lines in cultural administration.

It’s about artist Khaled Sabsabi, who was dropped from representing Australia at the Venice Biennale after political pressure. Then, as the backlash intensified, Sabsabi was reinstated.

It’s an episode that feels more relevant than ever. It features chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow, speaking with Ruby Jones.

This episode originally aired in February last year.

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Guest: Chief political correspondent for The Saturday Paper Karen Barlow

Photo: Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino in Granville. Photo: Anna Kucera

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On Monday, parliament will return early to debate new laws to deal with hate speech and gun ownership.

The legislation has been drafted in a hurry – under mounting pressure in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack.

But support for the bill has already fractured. The Coalition says it goes too far. The Greens say it doesn’t go far enough. Both want more time to consider the changes.

The debate over what is and isn’t hate is unfolding at a time of deep political division with consequences not just for parliament, but for Australia’s cultural institutions.

Today, CEO of Cheek Media and host of the Big Small Talk podcast, Hannah Ferguson, on the politics of hate speech and how a fight over free expression spilled into the arts.

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Guest: CEO of Cheek Media and host of the Big Small Talk podcast, Hannah Ferguson

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Directly after Donald Trump intervened in Venezuela, capturing president Nicolas Maduro and laying claim to the country’s oil industry, the US President set his sights on Greenland.

Trump claims America “needs” Greenland for national security, and has asked his military chiefs to draw up plans to invade if neccessary.

Meanwhile, a meeting between US Vice-President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt ended in a stalemate – with Trump doubling down, and Denmark asking for European back-up.

Today, defence editor at The Economist Shashank Joshi, on the real reason Trump wants Greenland, and how his plan could change the world.

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Guest: Defence editor at The Economist Shashank Joshi

Photo: EPA/THOMAS TRAASDAHL DENMARK

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Is the world about to see the United States intervene in another country – this time, Iran?

Since late December, Iran has been rocked by mass protests, and the government has responded with force.

The internet has been cut for days at a time, making it difficult to verify what’s happening on the ground. Reports suggest a death toll in the thousands, with even larger numbers of protesters detained.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has been publicly encouraging protesters and declaring that “help is on the way”.

Today, Iranian-born analyst and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Trita Parsi, on a regime fighting for survival – and on what Trump’s threats could mean for the entire Middle East.

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Guest: Iranian-born analyst and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Trita Parsi.

Photo: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

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Adelaide Writers’ Week has been cancelled after the removal of Palestinian author Randa Abdel-Fattah sparked a mass boycott of the event by more than 100 writers who were programmed to attend, as well as the resignation of the festival’s director.

In a statement on Tuesday, Adelaide Festival apologised to Abdel-Fattah, but rather than reinstating her, they announced that Australia’s premier free literary event would not go ahead – and almost all remaining board members would stand down.

The board described the cancellation as a “deeply regrettable outcome”.

Today, InDaily journalist Helen Karakulak on questions of political influence – and what the cancellation means for the future of the arts.

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Guest: InDaily journalist Helen Karakulak

Background reading: https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/entertainment/books/2026/01/13/adelaide-writers-week-cancelled

Photo: PR Image

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Ten days out from the American capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the country faces an uncertain future.

Pro-regime gangs with guns are roaming the streets, citizens are deleting their messages and search histories before going out, for fear of being searched and punished for being critical of the government.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump insists he will control the oil-rich nation.

Today, we speak to a Venezuelan journalist who lives abroad. We aren’t using her full name as her family back home fear retribution. She talks about Maduro’s legacy, the reality on the ground after Trump’s intervention, and what comes next for the people of Venezuela.

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Guest: Venezuelan journalist living abroad

Photo: AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez

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Ruby Jones is taking some time off from 7am to report an episode of the ABC’s premier investigative news program, Four Corners.

While she’s gone, Daniel James will be sharing hosting duties with journalist and foreign correspondent Nicole Johnston.

Originally a country girl from regional NSW, Nicole has spent almost two decades reporting on the biggest events shaping our world. From the Middle East to Africa, Europe, the US and Asia, there aren’t many frontlines she hasn’t been on.

In this bonus episode, she tells Daniel about some of the most impactful moments in her career so far, including living in Gaza for a year and witnessing Egypt’s military coup against the Mohamed Morsi government.

“That was really for me one of those moments where you're sitting on the edge of history and thinking, I can't believe that I'm here.”

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Guest: Foreign correspondent and 7am host Nicole Johnston

Photo: Supplied

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