Rn Breakfast - Separate Stories Podcast

The energy crisis is one of the biggest early challenges facing the new Labor Government - so what can they do to fix it? David Crowe joins RN Breakfast to discuss the latest developments in federal politics.

Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen says electricity supplies will remain tight for some time to come. He says he's been advised by the market operator that blackouts on the eastern seaboard can be avoided in coming days.

London will today mark the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire, which left 72 people dead. Five years on, the families of the victims are still no closer to getting answers and no-one has been charged for any crime.

A report from the UK's Royal Veterinary College has found that pugs have so many health problems, they can no longer be considered typical dogs. Brisbane-based One Canine surgeon, says it should be illegal to breed dogs without a nose in Australia.

The Australian Energy Market Operator has imposed price controls in QLD and NSW to force generators to boost supplies which are running dangerously low. The NSW Treasurer and Minister for Energy, Matt Kean says AEMO is confident there is enough electricity supply available, but they're monitoring it closely.

Advocates have renewed a push to phase out woodfire heaters in urban areas to protect asthma sufferers from what they say are dangerous levels of air pollution. The latest survey from Asthma Australia suggests three quarters of the country agree that they shouldn't be allowed in the city.

A British court has ruled the Government's first flight taking asylum seekers to Rwanda can leave later today. Under the policy, anyone who arrives in the UK by boat will have their asylum claims processed in the East African nation where they will stay if successful.

Half a million Australians live with dementia, a figure that's expected to double by 2056 as our population ages. On Four Corners, Radio National's own Dr Norman Swan investigates the science behind a new type of drug to treat dementia, that's dividing the medical community.

South Australia is hoping to take the first step in the Uluru statement and implement its own formal parliamentary voice. The states first ever Aboriginal Attorney General, Kyam Maher will be leading the process.

Emeritus Professor Anne Green was the first female PhD student to be enrolled in the School of Physics at the University of Sydney. A specialist in physics and astrophysics, she was Director of the Molonglo Observatory for more than a decade and the first female Head of Physics at the University of Sydney.

Mehreen Faruqi is the first Muslim Australian to be elected to a leadership position in a major political party. The Greens Deputy Leader says she will use the position to call out rising Islamaphobia in Australia and the 'outright racism' displayed by some of her parliamentary colleagues.

Trans activist and actress Georgie Stone is the subject of a new documentary, The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone. She helped change the law, making it easier for trans kids to access early hormone treatment.

Incoming teal MPs have pledged to work together on a new code of conduct to deal with parliament's toxic work culture. North Sydney MP Kylea Tink says a binding code should apply to everyone working in Federal Parliament and could lead to suspension and even dismissal for bad behaviour.

Former Qantas chairman and former Rio Tinto boss Leigh Clifford is one of 37 eminent Australians to be made a Companion of the Order of Australia in today's Queen's Birthday Honours list. Others include philanthropist Gina Fairfax, former National Party leader John Anderson and Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy.

Richard Marles says he had a "full and frank exchange" with the Chinese Defence Minister in Singapore, but the China relationship remains deeply problematic. The Chief Political Correspondent for The Conversation Michelle Grattan joins RN Breakfast to discuss the latest developments in federal politics.

Defence Minister Richard Marles met his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the Shangri La Security Summit in Singapore at the weekend. The first high-level contact since January 2020, Former Director-General of ASIO Dennis Richardson says it's noteworthy and positive, but warns China will continue to probe.

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the Albanese Government should work with the states to impose export controls on gas. He says the LNG giants would quickly capitulate and find cheaper gas to solve the gas crisis in the eastern states.

Business groups have been arguing that with inflation running hot and interest rates rising employers can't afford a big hike in pay packets. The Fair Work commission could hand down its minimum wage decision as soon as this week, so what does history tell us to expect?

The case of a young Victorian woman with a history of self harming associated with her intellectual disability highlights failings of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Shaniah Greenhill, 25, has been refused the funding she needs to continue living in her current supervised accommodation, despite experts warning her wellbeing and safety are at risk.

Rights groups have welcomed Malaysia's landmark decision to abolish the mandatory death penalty as a rare progressive step on the issue for the region. The Malaysian Government has now agreed to allow judges to set alternative punishments for a range of offences.