Hack

When Luke Bateman was at the peak of his NRL career, his seemed to be living the dream of many young Aussie men. 
At 24, he was earning hundreds of thousands of dollars to play the sport he loved. But the reality of what was happening in Luke's life was much darker. 
He was struggling with a gambling addiction and depression. 
In this extended interview Luke opens up, revealing details of how he rebuilt his life and overcame addiction. We also get into the backlash he faced after announcing a book deal, and why he wants more guys to read. 
Remember, the National Gambling Helpline is available on 1800 858 858.
Guest: 
Luke Bateman, former NRL player and #BookTok creator
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Have you heard of Grok? It’s an AI bot that lives inside X, which you might still know as Twitter.
Grok has come under fire in the last few days for 'undressing' women against their consent in response to prompts from X users. 
On Friday Grok started to limit the ability of users to generate AI images, due to concerns about non consensual sexual imagery.
So, why was the bot able to make those images to begin with?
And what's being done to prevent future harm? 
On the deep dive today, we speak to one of the young Aussies caught up in the Grok 'nudify' controversy, and we hear from an expert about the lack of safeguards in Grok allowing this to happen. 
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It's been a crazy few days in Venezuela.
On Saturday, the US dropped bombs on the country's capital Caracas while US special forces descended on a compound where the president Nicolás Maduro was staying, capturing him and his wife and flying them both to the US.
Then a few days later, Maduro appeared in court in New York, charged with drug trafficking and terrorism crimes.
The reaction has been a mixed bag: from widespread concern the US is breaking international law, to many labelling president Donald Trump a hero.
But many Venezuelans feel their voices have not been getting enough attention.
In this ep, Dave catches up with two Venezuelans living in Australia.
They talk about why they left Venezuela, what it feels like to see Maduro stand trial, and what they hope happens next.Guests: 
Lamira, Venezuelan musician living in Australia
Samantha Oviedo, Venezuelan living in Australia
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According to Uber drivers, it's the "oldest trick in the book": gaming the system to charge you more.
In some cases, it could mean you end up paying 2 or 3 times the normal cost of a trip.
So how does the trick work?
Well, triple j hack has been speaking to drivers about how they create artificial surge prices, leaving passengers out of pocket.
And even more remarkably, the union representing them reckons the consequences for passengers are entirely on Uber itself, because drivers aren't being paid enough for their work.
So is any of this fair?
We chatted to a few drivers to get an inside look at the industry, as well as a CHOICE spokesperson to find out what this could mean for your next Uber ride.
A version of this episode was first published in August 2025.
Guest: 
Jarni Blakkarly, investigative journalist, CHOICE
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It's the social season in Australia — barbecues, festivals, long nights out.
And with it often comes alcohol and drugs, which are woven into how we celebrate and connect.
But what about the costs to your health, your bank account, and your headspace?
And while more people are cutting back, others are realising they can't have a healthy relationship with booze, opting for sobriety instead.
So how do you stop?
Dave Marchese sits down with Julia Rangiheuea from the Soberly Speaking podcast to unpack Australia's drinking culture, the real costs of partying, and her journey from self-described "party girl" to being 3 years sober this month.
And if this chat brought up anything for you, there is help available: the National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is on 1800 250 015
A version of this episode was first published in October 2025.
Guest: 
Julia Rangiheuea, host of Soberly Speaking
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