Author Helen Garner sat through the trial of Erin Patterson, who was convicted of murdering members of her family with deadly mushrooms. She reflects on coming face to face with a murderer, her love of the courts, her faith and what happens when people have to face the consequences of their actions.  Guest: Helen Garner, co-author of The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations about a Triple Murder Trial, with Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein, published by Text. And How to end a story — collected diaries 1978 to 1998 Note: Erin Patterson is appealing her convictions, claiming there was a "substantial miscarriage of justice" during her trial.  

Space is big... but not infinite. The area around the Earth is populated by thousands of satellites and a million pieces of space debris, and those objects could stay in orbit for decades. Adding to the complexity, since 2019 there's been a growth-spurt in the number of satellites being sent into space. Is it possible to avoid a catastrophic build-up of junk in orbit that could make space unusable? Guest: Professor Aaron Rosengren, space engineer from the University of California, San Diego Producer: Alex Tighe

As Myanmar prepares for its first elections since the military junta took over in 2021, a new documentary from Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit has revealed some of the horrific measures being used by security forces to maintain control, including forced conscription and interrogation centres where it is claimed that detainees are often tortured to death. The tactics are seeing people flee the country, and and the number of soldiers deserting the army is on the rise.  Guest: Fiona Macgregor, senior producer of Myanmar Exposed, a series of reports by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit. Producer: Catherine Zengerer

As the Liberal Party joins the Nationals in ditching a net zero emissions target for 2050, what is the fate of the remaining moderate MPs in the Liberal Party? Plus, One Nation continues to gain ground in polling.  Guest: Anna Henderson, Chief Political Correspondent, SBS         

In 1966, Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz wrote his PhD thesis on inequality. Almost sixty years later, after decades of research, numerous books, and international acclaim, he has led a new report for the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa, warning that the world is now confronting an “inequality emergency.” GUEST: Nobel Laureate Economist, former chief economist of the World Bank, and Professor at Columbia University, Joseph Stiglitz. PRODUCER: Ali Benton

As Russia and the US both threaten to resume nuclear testing and China has tripled its stock of nuclear arms, former foreign minister Gareth Evans has written an essay for Australian Foreign Affairs Magazine arguing that Australia should lead a new arms control push. He says “nuclear arms control has never been more necessary, and never more difficult to achieve. The important arms control agreements of the past are dead, dying or on life support. And the recent behaviour of the actors that matter most – the United States, Russia and China – has fed concerns that things can only get worse.” Guest: Gareth Evans, Distinguished Honorary Professor, Australian National University, former Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, author of “Doomsday diplomacy: Australia can lead a new arms control push”, for Australian Foreign Affairs Producer: Catherine Zengerer Guest: Gareth Evans, Distinguished Honorary Professor, Australian National University, former Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, author of “Doomsday diplomacy: Australia can lead a new arms control push”, for Australian Foreign Affairs Producer: Catherine Zengerer

The writing of Australian history has tended to focus on the south-eastern corner of the continent, but the story of colonisation north of the Tropic of Capricorn paints a vastly different picture of this country, its people, politics and ambitions.  Guest: Henry Reynolds, historian and author of Looking from the North: Australian History from the Top Down

The University of Melbourne is celebrating 70 years of Australian computer classes, which were first taught on CSIRAC, the earliest computer ever built in Australia and the oldest surviving computer in the world. What did it take to run a 2,500kg computer back in the 1950s? Guest: Dr Peter Thorne, former head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Melbourne (and, long before that, the weekend service operator for CSIRAC) Producer: Alex Tighe

On October 28, conservative Governor of Rio, Cláudio Castro, ordered over 2,500 police officers and soldiers to storm the city’s favelas at dawn. The goal was to capture leaders of the notorious Comando Vermelho (Red Command) gang. "Operation Containment” was a massacre – at least 120 people were killed, sparking international outrage about police brutality in the country which is hosting the CoP Climate Summit. The dead included a 14-year-old and a 19-year-old who was decapitated and had his head exhibited on a tree. Guest: Ana Lankes, The Economist’s Brazil bureau chief Producer: Catherine Zengerer

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for 1.6 million dollars, over an inaccurate clip aired on its flagship documentary program, Panorama. Despite the editing mistake, Ian Dunt argues that attacks on the British broadcaster are part of a populist assault GUEST: Ian Dunt: iNews columnist and regular LNL commentator PRODUCER: Ali Benton

Fifty years on, the dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on November 11th 1975 remains the most dramatic day in Australian political history. But mysteriously, there is little surviving news footage from that frenzied day.  Guest: Simon Smith, curator at National Film and Sound Archive Producer: Jack Schmidt

Rebel forces in Sudan have captured the city of el-Fasher in a coup so violent the blood stains could be seen from space. The RSF rebel army is led by Commander "Hemedti” Hamdan, whose family has deep ties to Sudan's gold trade. Gold makes up around 70 percent of the country's exports and is estimated at $USD16 billion annually. Much of it is smuggled to the United Arab Emirates and control of Sudan’s gold mines is making Hemedti a very rich man. Meanwhile the government's SAF army has control over their own supply of gold, and they're refusing to sign up to a ceasefire deal put forward by the United States, Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.  Guest: Declan Walsh, Africa Bureau Chief, New York Times and author of The Gold Rush at the Heart of a Civil War Producer: Catherine Zengerer

As the 50th anniversary of the Whitlam dismissal approaches,  Prime Minister Albanese announces the commissioning of a statue of Gough Whitlam for Canberra. And the Liberal Party looks likely to drop their net zero policy this week. But what will that do for their base?  Guest: Anna Henderson, SBS World News Chief Political Correspondent Producer: Catherine Zengerer

The war medic Edward 'Weary' Dunlop became legendary in the POW camps of World War II for his courage and leadership, including putting his body between a patient and a Japanese bayonet. From the football field through to the horrific working conditions on the Thai-Burma Railway, Peter FitzSimons traces the life of an Australian hero. Guest: Peter FitzSimons, journalist and author Producer: Alex Tighe

The dismissal of Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam by the Governor-General on November 11, 1975 is perhaps the most dramatic and most contentious moment in Australian political history. 50 years on, do modern Liberals still back Governor-General Sir John Kerr's decision to sack a sitting PM? Guest: Julian Leeser MP, shadow Education Minister, Liberal Member for Berowra Producer: Jack Schmidt

When New York based, Queer thriller writer Andrea Bartz, discovered the AI company Anthropic, had pirated her book to train its AI large language models, she decided to sue. Alongside two other authors, a class action suit was filed. In a landmark settlement, Anthropic agreed to pay 2.28 billion dollars to five hundred thousand authors. It’s the largest payout in the history of U.S copyright cases. GUEST: Queer thriller writer Andrea Bartz, author of The Last Ferry Out PRODUCER: Ali Benton  

Despite lacking approval for construction from the federal agency that oversees building projects, US President Donald Trump has commenced major renovations at the White House. The East Wing, has been flattened, and a new, 90000 square foot ballroom will be built in its place. Heritage architects are concerned about the new design, claiming that one of America's most famous landmarks could be compromised.   GUEST: Jan Werner Muller, Professor of Politics at Princeton University. PRODUCER: Ali Benton

After a stunning ascent, Zohran Mamdani is the youngest mayor of New York in more than a century. Mamdani is a fierce critic of Donald Trump, and Trump had endorsed an alternative candidate. But New York wasn't the only anti-Trump election result; Democratic governors were elected in New Jersey and Virginia, and Californian voters approved a measure designed to bolster the number of Democrats in the House. What do all of these results mean for Donald Trump's second presidency? Guest: Bruce Shapiro, Contributing Editor at The Nation and Executive Director of the Global Center for Journalism and Trauma

The emergence of commercial photography technology in the mid-19th Century coincided with the rise of imperial control in the Pacific, including the British colony of Australia. A new book offers a comprehensive study of photography's arrival in Australia, and its implication in the colonial project.  Guest: Elisa DeCourcy, writer and curator, author of Early Photography in Colonial Australia, Melbourne University Press Producer: Jack Schmidt

During his decade as UN Secretary-General, U Thant played a pivotal role in resolving some of the most dangerous international crises of his time. From defusing the Cuban Missile stand-off, and preventing nuclear war, to mediating conflicts in India and Pakistan, and the Middle East, he consistently worked to maintain global peace. He also challenged U.S. policies during the Vietnam War, demonstrating a commitment to diplomacy over confrontation. Despite these critical interventions, history rarely remembers him as the peacemaker he truly was, and his legacy remains largely overlooked. GUEST: Thant Myint U, historian, academic and author of The Peacemaker:  U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World PRODUCER: Ali Benton