7am

When the teal independents swept through Liberal heartland, their pitch was simple: they were not like the major parties.
They were community-backed, locally accountable, and free to vote how they wanted.
Now, two of the best-known teals – Zali Steggall and Allegra Spender – are forming a political party. They say Community Strong Australia is a home for the politically homeless: people who want climate action, integrity, sensible economic management and a pro-business agenda.
But can you build a party out of independents without sacrificing what voters liked about them in the first place?
Today, independent MP Zali Steggall, on why the teals are becoming a party – and whether they can hold the centre as Australian politics becomes more divided.

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Guest: Community Strong Australia MP Zali Steggall
Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia – like many countries – saw protesters take the streets.
They weren’t just protesting lockdowns, they were rallying around a tangle of fears and conspiracies.
Those threads fused into a broader worldview that pulled people down a pipeline and built a small industry of influencers.
Today, Conspiracy Nation authors Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson on the conspiracy pipeline: how it works, who benefits, and where it’s heading now.
This is part one of a two-part series that was originally published in August 2025.

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Guest: Authors of Conspiracy Nation, Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s easy to dismiss conspiracy theories as fringe or imported.
But conspiratorial ideas are gaining traction with everyday Australians – about one in three endorse at least one conspiracy belief.
They’re also being echoed by people in power, and have spilled into real-world violence.
Today, Conspiracy Nation authors Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle on how conspiracies leap from the fringe to the mainstream – including all the way to Parliament house.
This is part two of a two-part series that was originally published in August 2025.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

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Guest: Authors of Conspiracy Nation, Cam Wilson and Ariel Bogle
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pauline Hanson’s call for Australia to become a monoculture was meant to draw a line around national identity. Instead, it opened up a new split inside the Liberal Party.
This week, the idea left Opposition Leader Angus Taylor looking bewildered, unable to say clearly where he stood on multiculturalism.
Andrew Hastie took the opposite approach in navigating the challenge presented by One Nation, launching a full frontal assault on One Nation from inside the Coalition party room.
And as the right fights over Hanson’s rise, a new party from two teal independents is trying to offer voters another way out.
Today, news.com.au political editor Samantha Maiden, on a week of conservative confusion, One Nation pressure, and the teal independents trying to turn disillusionment into votes.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

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Guest: news.com.au political editor Samantha Maiden
Photo: AAP Image/Lukas Coch
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karl Stefanovic has spent decades as one of the most recognisable faces on Australian television.
A household name from the largely inoffensive world of breakfast television.
Now, that multi-million dollar career at Nine is officially over, after Stefanovic published an interview with Tommy Robinson, a British far-right activist with a long criminal history, who has built a large following based on hate-driven rhetoric towards Muslims, immigrants, the changing face of Britain; and on the claim that he’s being silenced by the establishment.
But the fall out from the podcast, including his split with Nine, may have worked in Stefanovic’s favour as he tries to forge a new career in outrage podcasting.
Today, Crikey’s media reporter Daanyal Saeed on Karl Stefanovic, the interview that ended his time at nine, and the audience he may have been chasing all along.

If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support.

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Guest: Crikey media reporter Daanyal Saeed
Photo: The Karl Stefanovic Show
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.