Good Weekend Talks

In this episode, we speak with Matthew Walker. The British neuroscience professor is the author of “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams”, and he’s coming to Australia shortly to speak at Vivid Sydney in conjunction with the Sydney Writers' Festival. Walker has lately become the sleep expert of choice around the world for his deep research and clear thinking about one of life’s great mysteri...

In this episode, we talk to Hannah Kent. The South Australian author burst onto the literary scene in 2013, with the publication of her debut historical novel, Burial Rites, about the execution of a young woman in Iceland, two centuries ago. The book was a global bestseller, optioned by Hollywood with Jennifer Lawrence attached to star in the film version, but Kent’s success also gave her that thing that all writers crave - n...

In this episode, we talk to Rutger Bregman. You might remember the Dutch historian and author from a 2019 appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which went viral after he called out millionaires and billionaires for tax avoidance. He joins us to talk about everything from the loss of America's moral authority after the re-election of Donald Trump, to why we need more ordinary people...

In this episode - one week before the federal election - we talk to Kos Samaras. Samaras had a long career as a Labor strategist - particularly in running campaigns for the Victorian party - before founding the political consultancy firm RedBridge in 2020. He's one of the big thinkers in Australian politics, who grew up in a blue collar Labor family, and is now sometimes critical of Labor for what he sees as the neglect of its hear...

In this episode, we talk to Tim Rogers. Best known as the frontman for rock band You Am I, Rogers was born in Kalgoorlie, WA, but lived all over the country growing up, spending time in Adelaide, Sydney and Canberra, and now, rural Victoria. The 55-year-old has lived a big life so far as a songwriter, raconteur, talking head and author. He's had his struggles and his joys but has remained, as always, sartorially splendid. He speaks...

In this episode, we talk to Melinda French Gates. Famous as one half of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – one of the largest philanthropic outfits in the world – Melinda spent more than two decades overseeing the giving-away of more than $US77 billion. Then, in 2021, she and Bill divorced after 27 years of marriage, and Melinda began to chart a new path for her life. That new path is the subject of a feature pro...

In this episode we speak with Ellie Cole. Cole, of course, is a childhood cancer survivor whose right leg was amputated when she was 3. Within weeks of that operation, she was swimming as a form of rehab, before ultimately going on to become the most decorated Aussie female Paralympian of all time, with 17 medals over four games. In recent years she’s become a rising star in Australian sports media, as a trusted and charismat...

In this episode, we speak with Jane Flemming, who made her name in the late '80s and early '90s as a golden girl in track and field, a two-time Olympian – and Commonwealth Games gold medallist – specialising in the heptathlon and long jump. Flemming retired before the Sydney 2000 Olympics and transitioned into a career in media, marketing and management, but 18 months ago she took on a different role altogether, as pres...

In this episode, we speak with Matt Kean. The former NSW state politician was once deputy Liberal leader, treasurer, and minister for energy and environment – but he’s now chair of the national Climate Change Authority. That means Kean helps set the Australian agenda in the fight against global warming, shaping federal policies on every hot-button green issue imaginable. Taking on the job was seen in some quarters &ndas...

In this episode, we speak with Curtis Stone. The Melbourne-born, LA-based chef has run two celebrated restaurants in that city, earning several Michelin stars and praise from critics – yet in Australia he’s better known as the face of Coles, for whom he’s been an ambassador for 15 years. He’s back in town right now, about to cook for 1700 people at Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s flagship event, the...

In this episode, we speak with Senator Katy Gallagher. The busy politician is close to both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers, and manages an almighty workload.

With four big portfolios in finance, women, the public service and government services, she’s also firmly in the crosshairs of the opposition, which has promised to slash jobs, and cut back on diversity hires and working from home.

Gallagher t...

In this episode we speak with Kara Swisher, the American journalist, author and podcaster who has been covering the tech sector for 30 years - and now finds herself at the epicentre of public debate over the convergence of tech and power in the new Trump administration.

Swisher hosts the podcasts On With Kara Swisher, and Pivot, both of which are part of th...

In this episode we speak with Callum Linnane, a principal dancer with The Australian Ballet. Linnane, 29, has been dancing since he enrolled in tap classes as a seven year old in regional Victoria.

Now he’s a star of the show - the kind of person who does magazine spreads and launches spring fashion campaigns. (His social media followers have described him as everything from Australia’s  answer to Rudolf Nureyev, t...

In this episode, we speak with journalist Peter Greste and actor Richard Roxburgh. Greste is a former foreign correspondent, arrested with two other Al Jazeera journalists in Cairo in 2013, ultimately serving 400 days in an Egyptian prison before his release. Roxburgh, meanwhile, is known for various acting roles in film (Moulin Rouge) and television (Rake). More rec...

We speak with Millie Millgate, the director of Music Australia, established by the federal government two years ago to support our contemporary music scene. It’s a tough gig given the issues facing the local music industry. Festivals have been paused or cancelled. Live music venues are struggling. And local hits are few and far between.
Millgate knows the industry back to front, having started out booking acts for Sydney p...

In this week's episode we speak with the author of a new book, Processed, about the downside of sandwich ham and salami, fried bacon, hot dogs, pepperoni pizzas and the like. Speaking with GW deputy editor Greg Callaghan, Morris-Marr explains how a raft of scientific papers link the nitrites used in many processed meats to improve flavour and eliminate bacteria, with cancer. She explores, too, why so many of us ignore such warnings...

In this episode we speak with Australian singer-songwriter Missy Higgins, who broke through two decades ago with her hit debut album The Sound of White, which dealt with teen and 20-something troubles. Now 41, Higgins has just produced a new album, The Second Act, which traverses the aftermath of the breakdown of her marriage.

Higgins talks candidly with