7am

Every Wednesday morning during sitting weeks, politicians, staffers, public servants and journalists gather for a friendly game of sport. It’s meant to be casual, even wholesome. 

But recently, that club, the Parliament Sports Club, quietly re-registered as a lobbying organisation. Its board includes the Prime Minister. Its members include representatives from the major sporting codes – and one of its sponsors is t...

This week, Rick Morton won the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards for his book Mean Streak. It’s a huge achievement and we are thrilled for him.

This book was the culmination of years of reporting on Robodebt – a government scheme that destroyed lives.

At 7am, we were lucky enough to work with Rick on a series, which we published in 2023, about how Robodebt was allowed to happen.

And there’s one episode from t...

Anthony Albanese recently returned from a major overseas trip, rubbing shoulders with royalty and sharing the stage with world leaders. But behind the scenes, there were also quiet discussions about a possible Plan B for AUKUS. 

With parliament about to sit again, his government faces pressure from the crossbench over defence and foreign policy – while the Opposition is consumed by internal divisions and power plays.&nbs...

TikTok is the most influential media platform for Australians under the age of 25. It’s where millions now get their news - whether they realise it or not. 

But the app is no longer just a cultural force. It’s now at the centre of a global power struggle - between China – and Trump’s America, over who gets to control the algorithm.

In the US, a Trump aligned group of investors is taking over TikTok&rsqu...

Rick Morton was writing about the restructures happening at several universities earlier this year when documents from the University of Technology Sydney caught his eye.

UTS had hired KPMG to help it save $100 million through a restructure. That restructure has now led to the announcement of 400 job losses, with the entire School of Education gone.

Rick noticed that UTS had asked KPMG to provide a spreadsheet ranking researchers b...

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have unveiled a 20-point proposal they say could end the war in Gaza “immediately” – after nearly two years of bombardment and mounting international pressure.

At its core, Hamas must release all hostages, disarm and have no role in Gaza’s future governance. Israel would not commit to a full withdrawal – retaining the freedom to re-enter Gaza and a widened footprint ...

Dr Rachel Coghlan is a palliative care doctor based in Melbourne, who worked with doctors in Gaza before October 7, 2023.

Since then, she has been in regular contact with her colleagues there, as they have continued to show up for work to care for their patients in increasingly horrific circumstances.

But now, as Israel’s bombardment of Gaza City intensifies, doctors in Gaza face a devastating decision: stay and care for thei...

When Donald Trump took power, he promised retribution against his political opponents.

Now, he’s delivering - and he’s using the justice department to do it, with the US Attorney launching a two-count indictment against former FBI Director James Comey. 

And it seems like that’s just the beginning. 

The justice department has also been directed to investigate the Open Society Foundations, a group funded b...

Anthony Albanese has finally managed to get a meeting with Donald Trump, after months of trying. 

But why did it take so long? And what does it say about just how rocky our relationship with the US has become?

As political journalist and author of Albanese: Telling it Straight Karen Middleton reports, the Australian government has been working hard to soften the Trump administration’s attitude over many months, announcin...

The communications watchdog has opened a formal investigation into Optus after a 13-hour failure blocked about 600 triple-zero calls – now linked to three deaths.

The government is furious, calling it “completely unacceptable”, and warning of “significant consequences”.

But is it actually their fault too?

Today, journalist and contributor to Crikey, Michael Sainsbury, on what went wrong and how the gov...

The Albanese government has been on an unprecedented campaign of diplomatic activism in the Pacific Islands – all to keep China’s military at a distance.

At the same time, AUKUS is remaking our defence strategy, with eight nuclear-powered submarines, expanded facilities for US forces, and plans for a new east-coast submarine base.

For some watching on, those two approaches are at odds – the diplomacy aims to preve...

Almost a month after two police officers were shot and killed in regional Victoria, the accused gunman – Dezi Freeman – is still at large.

Victoria Police have deployed thousands of officers, searched more than a hundred properties, and offered the biggest reward in Victorian history – with no result.

People have also been combing Freeman’s Facebook history, which plots a journey from nature photos and famil...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in New York for the UN General Assembly, where Australia has formally recognised the State of Palestine – a step that more than 150 UN member states have now taken.

The move is part of what Australian calls "a co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution".

But with no active peace process, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to fight calls for...

The Coalition is again in crisis.

The latest Newspoll puts its primary vote at 27 per cent – its worst on record.

And with one frontbencher sacked over immigration comments and others threatening to quit over climate policy, the party seems more divided than ever.

Today, press gallery journalist Karen Middleton on the ideological battle lines tearing the party apart.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by...

Having released the National Climate Risk Assessment – a report full of apocalyptic climate warnings – earlier this week, the government has now announced its 2035 emissions reduction target.

It’s a range, not a single number: 62–70 per cent below 2005 levels. The government says it’s achievable and ambitious, backed by more renewables and industry support.

Critics say it adds little beyond what the st...

The UN Commission of Inquiry has delivered its starkest assessment yet – finding that Israel has been and is committing genocide in Gaza.

Israel has rejected the report, saying it’s acting in self-defence and takes steps to protect civilians.

Meanwhile, Israel has begun a major ground offensive in Gaza City after weeks of bombardment.

And abroad, Israel’s strike in the Qatari capital of Doha has ...

In the days since the assassination of prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, the White House ordered flags flown at half-staff and memorials were organised in Washington, DC and Arizona.

But what followed wasn’t just mourning. The Trump administration is urging people to report anyone who criticised or mocked Kirk’s death, and has pledged to use federal power to uproot and dismantle left-leaning groups it says fom...

Last week, the federal environment minister approved Woodside’s plans to keep its North West Shelf project producing gas out to 2070.

Both the government and Woodside claim that gas is a necessary transition fuel as the world decarbonises – but how convincing are their arguments?

Today, investigative journalist and author of the Quarterly Essay Woodside vs the Planet, Marian Wilkinson, on how one company captured the co...

In opposition, Anthony Albanese said Scott Morrison was running "A shadow government that preferred to operate in darkness."

Now in power, the Albanese government is planning to water down Australia's transparency laws and make secrets easier to keep.

The proposed changes to Australia’s Freedom of Information act would limit who can make requests, and make it easier for officials to refuse them.

Today, former Senator and tran...