The ICAC inquiry into former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has begun and, with the first week drawing to a close, several explosive claims have already been made. From damning evidence about the speed at which funding proposals from disgraced former MP Daryl Maguire were pushed through the bureaucracy, to the shock within Berejiklian’s own office when their relationship was revealed, the first week of the inquiry has offered a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the NSW government. Today on Please Explain, legal affairs reporter Michaela Whitbourn joins Nathanael Cooper to bring us up to speed on what’s happened so far at the ICAC. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Inside ICAC: What the Berejiklian inquiry has revealed so far

Will the vaccine hurt? How does it work? How do they make the vaccine, and can I make it? Children aged 12 and older already qualify for the COVID-19 vaccine, but it’s likely that in coming months kids aged five to 11 will be able to get it too. In a special episode of Please Explain, we’ve thrown the hosting microphone over to Archie Miles, 10, who interviews co-host Bianca Hall about how COVID-19 vaccines work, and whether kids should get one. If you have kids or know any kids, make sure you show them this episode or show them the explainer these questions are based on. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kids and vaccines: your questions answered

After more than a decade of climate wars in this country, the Morrison government appears on the verge of locking in a target of net zero emissions by 2050 to take to the Glasgow climate summit. But the Nationals haven’t made the process easy, with threats MPs could quit federal cabinet or even cross the floor. Today on Please Explain, chief political correspondent David Crowe joins Bianca Hall to discuss the junior Coalition partner’s horse-trading over emissions reductions. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Morrison on the verge of locking in net zero by 2050 target

The electric car revolution has swept through Norway, transforming the country’s car market. Only 10 years ago diesel cars accounted for 75 per cent of new sales in Norway. Today they make up just 2.3 per cent. Here in Australia, less than 1 per cent of car sales in 2020 were electric. Today on Please Explain, Europe correspondent Bevan Shields joins Bianca Hall to discuss Norway’s transition to electric vehicles, and what 80s pop group A-ha had to do with it. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s driving Norway’s electric vehicle revolution?

Tax reform might not be the sexiest topic to discuss over drinks with friends, but the fact is, taxes impact just about every facet of our lives. In a series of interviews with top economists and tax experts by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, we have found that Australia is in desperate need of an overhaul to its tax system. Today on Please Explain, economics correspondent Jennifer Duke joins Nathanael Cooper to break down the push for tax reform. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why we need to pay attention to tax reform

The NSW government announced a new strategy on Wednesday to develop hydrogen that will help the state cut its carbon footprint in half by 2030 and create new opportunities that could grow the economy by more than $600 million this decade. But hydrogen as a form of energy has been around for decades and all meaningful attempts to use it as a cleaner form of energy have failed to reach their full potential. The costs associated with so-called green hydrogen are prohibitive and critics say it will never be the path forward for cleaner energy. Today on Please Explain, business reporter Nick Toscano joins Nathanael Cooper to talk through the complexities of green hydrogen. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘Swiss army knife of energy’: the pros and cons of green hydrogen

Australia’s JobKeeper program was designed by Treasury officials at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The aim was to keep workers connected to their jobs by handing employers a $1500 per fortnight subsidy to cover their wage bills. Any firm which had reasonable grounds to suspect their turnover would fall by at least 30 per cent was eligible to get the money. For some, however, that did not happen. Figures released by Treasury this week have revealed the exact amount of money handed to businesses who did not suffer a decline in their turnover as large as 30 per cent, and indeed, to business who actually increased their turnover during that time. Today on Please Explain, economics correspondent Shane Wright joins Jess Irvine to discuss whether JobKeeper money wasted. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Was JobKeeper money wasted?

An investigation by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes has uncovered shocking allegations of money laundering, fraud and the courting of organised crime figures, linked to Sydney’s Star casino. It follows a long-running investigation into the behaviour of Crown Resorts, which sparked a Victorian royal commission that is due to report within days. Today on Please Explain, investigative journalist Nick McKenzie joins Bianca Hall to discuss the allegations of money laundering, and links to organised crime and large-scale fraud, associated with the casino. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Falling Star: Money-laundering allegations hit ‘cleanskin’ casino

As Australia reaches 62 per cent of eligible people being fully vaccinated, and Sydney opens up to newfound freedoms, there are fresh warnings of the dangers of leaving our neighbours behind. New research warns that at current vaccination rates, the 70 per cent vaccination target won’t be met until at least 2030 in 20 low-income countries. And there are growing concerns that deadlier mutations of the virus could evolve in the developing world within the next year. Today on Please Explain, foreign affairs and national security correspondent Anthony Galloway joins Bianca Hall to discuss the growing inequality in vaccine access, and the threats it poses to us all. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vaccine inequity could threaten all

This weekend The Age will launch an important new series of stories about Truth Telling. Our series seeks to understand the impact of colonisation on Indigenous Victorians, how Indigenous peoples survived to tell their own stories, and to forge their own future on a path towards the nation’s first Treaty. With many Indigenous languages already lost or dormant as a result of colonisation, the importance of preserving language, and for all Australians to learn it, has come into sharp focus. Today on Please Explain, Indigenous affairs journalist Jack Latimore joins Nathanael Cooper to discuss the importance of language. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How preserving First Nations languages forms a key part of preserving culture

New research conducted for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age has revealed primary vote support for the federal government has fallen to 40 per cent in NSW, down from 43 per cent, and 37 per cent in Victoria down from 39 per cent. Labor has also lost ground in the two states since the election, down from 35 to 32 per cent in NSW and 37 to 35 per cent in Victoria, in a sign that some voters may have shifted their allegiance to smaller parties and independents until closer to the election. Today on Please Explain, federal bureau chief Angus Livingston joins Nathanael Cooper to make sense of the numbers. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are we losing our political religions?

It’s been called the world’s biggest-ever data leak of the secretive financial affairs and offshore tax structures used by some of the world’s most rich and famous people, including celebrities like Elton John and Shakira and former British PM Tony Blair. This week’s Pandora Papers eclipse in size the bombshell Panama Papers, which five years ago revealed the accounts of law firm Mossack Fonseca and led to the resignation of several world leaders and new laws designed to stamp out offshore tax evasion. Today on Please Explain, business investigative reporter Sarah Danckert joins Jess Irvine to discuss how exactly did this information come to light, and will any heads roll as a result? Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pandora Papers: what’s in the box?

Melbourne today claimed the title of world’s most locked-down city, passing Buenos Aires’ record of 245 days. The fatigued city also marked another record: 1763 new cases and another four deaths, the highest daily number of cases in any state since the virus arrived in Australia last year. Today on Please Explain, The Age’s state political reporter Sumeyya Ilanbey joins Bianca Hall to discuss the city’s lockdown – and the pathway out. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Melbourne claims lockdown world record

NSW deputy premier John Barilaro announced his resignation from politics on Monday, forcing a by-election in his seat of Monaro and the third across the state. It comes after former premier Gladys Berejiklian’s resignation on Friday amid an Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry. Today on Please Explain, The Sydney Morning Herald’s state political editor Alexandra Smith joins Bianca Hall to discuss Ms Berejiklian’s downfall and what sort of premier her likely successor Dominic Perrottet might be. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Goodbye Gladys…what does the post-Berejiklian era look like?

On Sunday, this year’s NRL season will come to a head when the Penrith Panthers face the South Sydney Rabbitohs in an epic grand final clash. For the Panthers it’s a chance to better their runner-up performance in last year’s decider. The Bunnies are after their first trophy since 2014, the last time they made it this far in the competition. Today on Please Explain, sports reporter Michael Chammas joins Nathanael Cooper to look at what to expect from the 2021 grand final. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NRL grand final - Panthers & Rabbitohs set for epic clash

Please Explain - from The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, a weekly podcast that cuts through the noise to give you insight into the stories that drive the nation. Subscribe to The Age: https://subscribe.theage.com.au/ or The Herald: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ Get in touch with the team: pleaseexplain@theage.com.au or pleaseexplain@smh.com.au

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