Backchat

This week, we chat pill testing at Australian music festivals. Later, we invite James Laureceson, the Deputy Director of Australian-China Relations Institute, to talk about Australia's growing anxieties over China.

This week, Backchat discusses the culture wars revolving around Macklemore and his song "Same Love." Later, we chat to journalist Drew Rooke about whether pokie machines are being rigged. A former gambling addict has taken Crown Casino and Aristocrat to federal court on claims the popular "Dolphin Treasure" machines are deceptive. Are they in breach of Australian consumer law for misrepresenting punters' chances of winning?

Guest hosts Johnny Lieu and Swetha Das cast their eyes across the seas to Donald Trump's controversial UN speech, in which he threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea and branded Kim Jong-un a "Rocket Man." The North Korean leader hit back in a rare statement, calling Trump a "dotard." Next, we jump over to New Zealand. Today, the Kiwis are voting to decide on their next PM. Backchat talked to Duncan Grieve, editor of pop culture website The Spinoff, about the parliamentary battle.

This week, we chat about North Korea. Will they mark their national holiday, Foundation Day, with another missile test? We also have Ben Raue from GetUp and the Tally Room joining us to discuss local council elections.

Derryn Hinch is trying to refer himself to the High Court, but when will the citizenship scandal finally be over? Plus, we speak about how to get involved with shareholder activism with Brynn O’Brien, Executive Director of the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility.

This week, CBA is in major trouble and the government is drug testing welfare recipients. Most importantly, Tony Abbott drank lots in Parliament House in 2009 and slept through the GFC stimulus vote.

This week Pauline Hanson pushed for a $12 million boost to community radio funding, but why? Charlottesville, Virginia was targeted by neo-Nazis angry about the removal of Confederate statues - but are the Australian far-right just as dangerous? And are Australian colonial statues just as bad?

This week, Backchat went down to Martin Place to speak to the residents of "tent city" before they were asked by the NSW government to move out. Plus, we speak to Clinton Pryor -- a man who has walked from Perth to Sydney for Aboriginal rights.

This week we talked pub internships and the politics of marriage equality with Lane Sainty from BuzzFeed Australia.

Backchat golden boy James Colley rejoined the show to shamelessly launch his new book, Too Right, co-written with prominent right-wing columnist Peter Chudd. We also talked about Anthony Scaramucci. What a guy.

This week, we spoke to Greens expert Dr Stewart Jackson about the resignations of Senators Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters. We also speak to Canadian First Nations activist Sarain Carson-Fox, who took on Justin Trudeau, and we speak to Sydney City Councillor Jess Miller about WestConnex.

Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has resigned, but where does that leave his beautiful hair? We also looked into Aussie internet speeds, Turnbull's encryption proposals and a recently launched investigation into the operations of Uber and Deliveroo in Australia.

This week: Chris Lilley's show was pulled from NZ TV, but is his comedy really racist? Plus, it's a NAIDOC week special, and we look into Indigenous languages in Australia.

This week on Backchat: the Liberals and the Greens are in turmoil, but is it something normal people should care about? Also, we look into the complex diplomatic relationship between the Vatican and Australia, we have a feature on NSW fire safety and we talked about police powers with Stephen Blanks, President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties.

It’s been 10 years since the Northern Territory intervention, and fresh research has suggested it hasn’t really been effective. We chatted to Steve Bunbadgee Hodder, who was living in Alice Springs when the intervention was rolled out, to talk about its impact and legacy. Also this week, the NSW government unveiled its budget, and it’s Gladys Berejiklian’s first. So what did you miss? We’ll fill you in! Finally - Backchat legend Bish Marzook joined to talk tampons and tax.

What the Finkel? We make climate change politics fun (well, we try) with Ketan Joshi; a look into roadside drug testing in NSW; and an investigation into the closure of Parramatta Pool.

Linda Burney joins Backchat to discuss the Uluru summit and #robodebt, we look at the latest scandal at St Paul's college and what universities are doing to educate students on consent, and what happened at Club 77 during a controversial "police raid".

It had been a huge week in Indigenous affairs. Backchat spoke to an ABC journo in Uluru to give us the latest on the Uluru summit, Laura Murphy-Oates told us about her new doco Young and Black, and water expert Bradley Moggridge told us what it's like to "infiltrate" Western institutions with Aboriginal knowledge.

We investigate the future of sex robots, explain what privatisation means for you, check out how the government is using data to drug test people, and discuss "big data".

We got an update on the ransomware outbreak with Troy Hunt from Microsoft; we talk about what's missing from the budget (hint, it's gonna make the planet pretty toasty) with Richard Denniss; we get a history lesson about Catholic schools in Australia; and the team went to the controversial screening of The Red Pill at Sydney University to give you the full low-down.