Australia's national theatre company Bell Shakespeare has announced its 2025 season; featuring the works of one of Shakespeare's most popular tragedy, and two lesser-known works. The season marks 35 years of Bell Shakespeare's production and national education programs. Guest: Peter Evans, Bell Shakespeare artistic director…

In the Atacama Desert in Chile, on top of a mountain at 3,000m, the Extremely Large Telescope is being constructed. Inside the telescope is a 39m mirror - the size of four tennis courts - in a building the size of the Colosseum. It's a one-of-a-kind construction, but what are they building it for and will Australia be able to use it when it opens i…

Since 1979 'Up There Cazaly' written and performed by Mike Brady has been synonymous with AFL and in particular the AFL Grand Final, but did you know it's also a much loved song at English soccer matches? To Mike's surprise his beloved song had been rewritten into the club song for Derby County Football Club. Guest: Mike Brady, Singer Producer: Mat…

New South Wales police has broken up a major crime syndicate which they say controlled the price and supply of cocaine on Sydney's streets. Police allege an organised crime network called 'The Commission' supplied more than one-point-two tonnes of cocaine across Sydney between February and July this year, with an estimated street value of more than…

The Pacific Islands are some of the most vulnerable nations on earth when it comes to ecological destruction and the effects of climate change But three island nations, Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa, are using the international courts to fight back. This week the three countries have introduced a submission to the International Criminal Court in Hague, a…

More than 100 former Republican members in Congress and former national security officials have published an open letter endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris for US President. The letter says that Donald Trump is "unfit to serve" and alleges he "cannot be trusted" to uphold the Constitution. Guest:John B. Bellinger the third - served as the Legal Advis…

In the AFL, can Port Adelaide rise again against the Swans in the preliminary final tonight? In rugby league, will the North Queensland Cowboys make the expensive flights to Sydney worth it for their fans in the NRL tonight? In cricket, important wins for the Australian women's and men's team in separate hemispheres. In netball, the Diamonds too st…

This week we saw an all out policy war in the Senate over housing, is the Government right to think that this was pure politics from all sides? And did Labor, the Greens or the Coalition come out as political winners Political Editor for news.com.au Samantha Maiden and ABC Political lead and host of Insiders on ABC TV David Speers join RN Breakfast…

The Albanese Government has limped through another difficult week, as it's faced obstruction from the Greens and the Coalition on its Help-to-Buy housing scheme. Minister for NDIS Bill Shorten says it was an "unholy alliance" between the Greens and Liberals, who he claims threw the opportunity of home ownership on the "bonfire of political expedien…

Queensland's Truth-Telling and Healing Inquiry for First Nations People will continue hearings in Brisbane, before travelling to other parts of the state. But how long the truth telling process will actually last is uncertain. The state Opposition,the Liberal National Party, are dominating opinion polls and have vowed to scrap the three year inquir…

Among broader calls for divesture calls in the supermarket sector, there's a push for major change within major investors at Woolworths. They're agitating for change at the top of the retail giant who want the company to ditch its discount chain Big W stores and sell off its New Zealand division. Guest:Ray David, Investor and portfolio manager at B…

Student debts in Australia are sky-rocketing, with the amount of individuals owing more than $100,000 has doubled in the last 5 years, and Australian's collectively owe more than $81 billion in debt through the system. But the current student loan system has changed dramatically since HECS was conceived in 1989. Professor Bruce Chapman, the founder…

More than six months after his homes were raided, hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has this week pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges. He's been denied bail, despite proposing a 50-million dollar bail package, and has been remanded in a Brooklyn jail. Guest: Tracy Walder - Former CIA and FBI agent Producer: Niam…

This week, members of the Iran backed militant group Hezbollah came under attack from exploding pagers and walkie talkies, with Hezbollah's Executive Council says it will respond with “special punishment" for the attacks. Israel has not taken responsibility for the communication device attacks, but in the latest development the nation has bombed so…

Musical comedy Gloria! has kicked off the Italian Film Festival in Sydney, with plenty of films on offer ahead of the festival's openings across the country. Following a maid at a Venetian refuge, Gloria! shows how hidden musical talents helps female friends to band together and uprise their oppressive priest. Guest: Margherita Vicario, Italian sin…

Demi Moore is back on big screens this week in an award winning horror film about a woman's struggle with growing older in Hollywood in 'The Substance'. And while it sounds like an oxymoron, an Italian comedy about domestic violence has won acclaim and box office success. 'There's Still Tomorrow' is shot in black and white like a neo-realist film, …

The Federal Government is considering a proposed new funding model for childcare which could see some families access free day care. The Productivity Commission has released a report detailing how sliding-scale subsidies could benefit four in five Australian families. Guest: Anne Aly, Early Childhood Education Minister Producers: Joanna Crothers / …

As the housing crisis continues, the Federal Government has so far failed to get its 'Help To Buy' bill through the Senate this week. A new report from RMIT University looks at how Australia's taxation system could be used to force investors to improve conditions for private renters. Guest: Professor Jago. Dodson, Professor of urban policy at the C…

How much of a blow to the Government are the Senate delaying key housing bills? And the Productivity Commission has presented the Government with a dilemma about what to do about early childhood education, especially when it comes to a promise made at the last election? The Chief Political Editor for 9News Charles Croucher joins RN Breakfast to dis…

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has slammed the Greens and the Coalition "No-alition" after the Government's Help-to-Buy Housing bill was delayed in the Senate. The PM told RN Breakfast the Greens and Coalition are "blockers", who are offering "the vibes of policies rather than serious ones". Anthony Albanese says the Help-to-Buy scheme was just a …

The Productivity Commission has been examining ideas to make childcare more affordable and more accessible, including a universal flat fee for all families, or a universal 90 per cent subsidy. it dismissed both as likely to primarily help wealthier families, while significantly costing the budget, instead recommending substantial changes to childca…

Giving birth does tend to change your life - but does it change your brain? Dr Elizabeth Chrastil from the University of California scanned her own brain before, during and after pregnancy to find out - and the results were remarkable. Guest: Dr Elizabeth Chrastil, associate professor at the University of California, Irvine Producer: Richard Crabtr…

The price of an espresso in Italy is set to increase by 66%, and caffeine lovers around the world are being told to brace for a price increase and potential shortage in coffee beans Extreme weather events in South America and Asia, coupled with supply chain issues has led to a global shortage and put the price of coffee beans at a 13 year high. Gue…

While the Reserve Bank is holding interest rates at a 12-year high in Australia, the U.S. Federal Reserve has just announced they will cut U.S. interest rates. Overnight the Federal Reserve said it will cut interest rates by half-a-percentage point - citing greater confidence about inflation. So, what does this mean for Australia - and could we see…

Lebanon has been hit by a second wave of attacks in as many days. At least 14 people have died and over 400 injured after walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah have detonated across the country. It comes 24-hours after 3000 pagers exploded in co-ordinated strikes, that Hezbollah say Israel is responsible for. Guest: David DesRoches, Former liaison to th…

At last weekend's AFL semi final between GWS and Brisbane, cultural educator Brendan Kerin conducted the Welcome to Country but it didn't go exactly to script. Some argue that the ceremony is becoming politicised and that's stoking division. Larrakia man and former AFL player, Matthew Stokes says while he's not against Welcome to Countries, which a…

Is there a path forward on housing for the Government? And the Prime Minsters has threatened a double dissolution. But is this merely a political bluff? The chief political correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age David Crowe joins RN Breakfast to discuss the latest developments in federal politics.Guest: David Crowe…

Australian DJ, Simon Lewicki aka. Groove Terminator, is a legend of the House music scene both here and internationally, but his latest collaboration is something completely fresh. He has teamed up with the Soweto Gospel Choir and together they have re-imagined some of the greatest hits of house music in a collaborative album called The History of …

Hobart's MONA gallery appeals against discrimination ruling. Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art - MONA - has launched a court appeal that it hopes will allow it to deny men entry to a small part of its exhibition - known as the Ladies' Lounge. Guest: Kirsha Kaechele, artist and Curator at Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art Producer: Anne Barker…

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, have announced a new feature to make all teenage accounts private and restict what content they can access.Facebook whistle blower and advocate for social media accountability Frances Haugen has said that Australia deserves credit for these new functions but argues about Meta's real motives for the changes. Gu…

A video released by China shows Australia's aircraft being intercepted by a Chinese fighter plane over the South China Sea in 2022. In the video, Australia's surveillance plane is described as "a strong enemy" and "a tough opponent". Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham says the behaviour is "aggressive" and "unacceptable glorification of unacc…

The Greens and the Coalition refusing to support Labor's Build-to-Rent and Help-To-Buy housing bills - with the Greens pushing for a raft of additional concessions in exchange for their support. Greens leader Adam Bandt says Anthony Albanese needs to "stop bulldozing and start negotiating", but the Penny Wong says it must be a "pretty slow bull-doz…

Tensions around the Albanese government's industrial relations reforms played out during the Business Council of Australia's annual dinner last night. Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia, Bran Black told RN Breakfast the key concern from the industry is that as a nation we "aren't as competitive as we used to be", due to what he sa…

Queenslanders have been catching public transport in record numbers since the state government started a trial of 50 cent fares last month. Qld Deputy leader says the successful trial has seen the number of Queenslanders catching public transport increase 5 per cent on pre-pandemic numbers and not just in the south-east. Both major parties have com…

At the start of September, Ukrainian students returned to school. For some, it is their fifth year of online learning due to the Russian invasion and the coronavirus pandemic. Against a backdrop of ongoing bombardment, support services fear the upcoming winter could widen educational gaps. Featured: Polina Sheleng, eight-grader in Korostyshiv Olena…

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch has brought a secretive court case in an attempt to change the terms of his irrevocable family trust - which currently splits control between his four children from his first two marriages after he dies. He wants the terms changed so that his eldest son, Lachlan remains in charge of his newspapers and television networks …

The latest report card on the 2021 Brexit deal has found the policy is having a 'profound and ongoing stifling effect' on the UK's trade with the EU. Researchers at the Aston University Business School in Birmingham have been analysing data from the last three years and says the findings reveal a sharp decline in both UK exports and imports. Guest:…

The detonation of thousands of Hezbollah pagers, likely laden with secret explosives, has killed at least nine people and injured thousands. The finger has been pointed at Israel, which has so far not commented on the developments - as the region teeters on the brink of full-scale war. Guest:Nabih Bulos, LA Times Middle East bureau chief in Beirut…

Shogun, a historical series set in Japan and mostly with Japanese dialogue, was the big winner at the Emmy awards - breaking records.Baby Reindeer also triumphed, but there was a big upset in the comedy categories when Hacks unexpectedly beat The Bear. Guest: Wenlei Ma, culture editor, The Nightly RECOMMENDATIONS/MENTIONS: - Agatha All Along- A Ver…

Monty Python member Eric Idle wrote the iconic song 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' 45 years ago. And despite a recent cancer scare and describing Monty Python as a "financial disaster" - Eric is still writing and touring at the age of 81. Idle is making the journey Australia later this year for a new one-man musical show and joined RN Bre…

Juries play a crucial role in our criminal trial system. So, how can jurors be protected from outside pressures? And what can be done when serious juror misconduct jeopardises a trial? The Law Report's Damien Carrick has been looking at three very interesting cases – which focus attention on jury integrity…

Changes to the federal Privacy Act were introduced into parliament last week, part of long overdue amendments aimed at updating our Privacy Laws for the digital era. But according to Data Privacy and Consumer rights groups, the changes do not go far enough to protect Australian's private information, and it leave us lagging behind the rest of the w…

Labor's Help-to-Buy bill was debated in the Senate yesterday and the Build-to-Rent bills is due later this week, but so far they've failed to gain support from the Greens or the Coalition. But while the politicians scrap over how to move forward, key housing groups have formed an unlikely alliance calling for politicians to come to the table to hel…

To the NRL first, D-day looms for the Bulldogs Josh Addo-Carr after his failed drugs test. It's now confirmed that World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe is in the running to become the new International Olympic Committee president. And the hearing into the defending EPL champions Manchester City is beginning - but what are the City group bei…

The Government's looking like it will bring on a vote today over key housing legislation, even though it's likely to fail. Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume put industrial relations on the agenda, saying the Coalition would likely look to wind back the "same job, same pay" legislation plus several other aspects of new IR law. This now has the publi…

The Federal Government had hoped its signature housing legislation, aimed at helping thousands of Australians buy their first home, would pass through the Senate this week - but the Coalition and the Greens have vowed to vote it down. Coalition spokesman on Home Ownership, Andrew Bragg told RN Breakfast the Build-To-Rent legislation is "a very bad …

Warning: This story discusses suicide New figures collated by the Queensland Treasury show that Australians are losing a staggering $32 billion a year on gambling - the highest per head of population in the world. Kate* lost her brother to suicide when he was 24, he left a note on his laptop that said "I am taking my own life because I am pathologi…

Australia is in dire need of doctors, especially GPs in rural and remote areas. But there are concerns a new streamlined registration process for international doctors could result in under-qualified or even unqualified doctors working in overwhelming and unsupported settings. Guest: Dr Nicole Higgins, president of the Royal Australian College of G…

The second assassination attempt on Donald Trump has raised many questions about the level of security around the Former President and the protocols in place for protecting the Republican Presidential Candidate. A former secret service agent took RN Breakfast inside the protection detail that surrounds a President and Former President Guest: Bill G…

At least 750,000 are on the brink of starvation in South Sudan following months of civil war and a series of environmental disasters. Humanitarian groups say a disaster of this scale has not been seen in decades, with the World Food Programme warning it could become the world's largest hunger crisis. Guest: Mary Ellen McGroarty, South Sudan's Count…