Shows / The Front
The Front
The Front brings the unrivalled journalism of Australia’s national broadsheet to audio, featuring each day’s essential page-one stories, journalists’ candid take on the issues that matter, and behind-the-scenes insights from our newsrooms.
Read more at theaustralian.com.au and see the video episodes by subscribing to our YouTube channel.
Episodes
- The Front
Defence v prosecution in the Erin Patterson mushroom trial
No motive – but no doubt, according to the Crown’s closing argument in Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial. The defence says the Crown has…
- The Front
Give Trump what he wants: some advice for Albo
Start making American submarines here now – and don’t panic. That’s the hot tip for Anthony Albanese heading into his first face-to-face with…
- The Front
Israel v Iran: The new Middle East war explained
There’s a new Middle East war over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Our experts unpack why Israel is striking now – and what happens next. Find out…
- The Front
Getting nude at ‘subversive’ arts fest DarkMofo
Hobart’s beloved arts festival Dark Mofo is all grown up - so does it still have the power to shock? And why does everyone love taking their clothes off…
- The Front
Erin Patterson’s liposuction testimony
After nine days of evidence and cross-examination, accused mushroom killer Erin Patterson spent her final minutes in the witness box explaining how her plans…
- The Front
Erin Patterson says doctors and her own kids are wrong
Pleading not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder, mushroom cook Erin Patterson takes issue with claims by medical professionals and…
- The Front
Mushroom cook Erin Patterson on why ‘sarcastic’ husband was wrong
Erin Patterson is cross-examined in the Victorian Supreme Court, where she’s pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder…
- The Front
Chris Dawson’s last chance at freedom
The High Court of Australia will this week consider an application made by Chris Dawson for special leave to appeal a finding that upheld his conviction for…
- The Front
The billion-dollar NRL v AFL war gets brutal in Perth
A hostile billionaire, bitter media politics, a powerful football titan and a legendary coach: it’s a sporting drama worthy of Ted Lasso as rugby…
- The Front
Alone Australia - is season 3 the best reality TV show ever made?
Why we can’t get enough of SBS’ wildly hot franchise about scrappy survivors starving, freezing and slaughtering their way back to civilisation…
- The Front
Pete Hegseth says China will invade Taiwan. Is he right?
Donald Trump’s defence boss wants Australia to massively lift defence spending in preparation for an ‘imminent’ war over Taiwan. So why is…
- The Front
I lied, I panicked: Erin Patterson’s account of mushroom lunch
Erin Patterson told the Victorian Supreme Court she ‘lied’ to her elderly relatives at a lunch that left three of them dead and one gravely ill…
- The Front
Erin Patterson’s ‘ashamed’ tears
Mushroom cook weeps in the witness box as she’s asked for the first time about a beef Wellington lunch that killed three elderly relatives. Find out more…
- The Front
Mushroom cook Erin Patterson’s evidence, in her own words
A voice-acted recreation of the evidence given by accused mushroom murderer Erin Patterson in the Victorian Supreme Court. She’s pleaded not guilty to…
- The Front
The police cold case unit that's paranoid about podcasts
The NSW Unsolved Homicide Unit won’t share crucial information with families because it’s worried publicity from podcasts will jeopardise its…
- The Front
Cheng Lei: the wise, sweary, funny survivor of a Chinese prison
From Bridget Jones to Prisoner 21003: Cheng Lei has created a powerful memoir and a Sky News documentary about her three years in Chinese detention, falsely…
- The Front
Did police overlook Erin Patterson’s ‘missing’ phone?
Defence lawyer Colin Mandy SC is probing the police case against accused mushroom murderer Erin Patterson, as her trial races toward its conclusion. Find out…
- The Front
Erin Patterson’s multiple mobile phones
The jury in mushroom cook Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial hears allegations she swapped SIM cards between mobile phones, remotely reset a phone…
- The Front
Hear Erin Patterson’s police interview in full
We have voice-acted Erin Patterson’s police interview, as played to the jury in her triple-murder trial. Patterson, who denies any wrongdoing, told…
- The Front
Has Vladimir Putin outsmarted Donald Trump?
Donald Trump’s plan to bring peace to Ukraine is faltering, but he can’t walk away. We unpack why Vladimir Putin has the President in bind. Find…
- The Front
TV’s million-dollar journos
Who’s the highest earner on TV? And who earns 600 grand for two hours’ work? Today - the top salaries on free to air television. Find out more…
- The Front
The Studio - Seth Rogen’s smash-hit series skilfully skewers Hollywood
Art v Commerce - a tussle as old as time. Seth Rogen’s new show, The Studio on Apple TV, takes a brutal - and hilarious - look at modern-day Hollywood…
- The Front
Explicit messages found on Erin Patterson’s phone
A fresh twist in the mushroom triple-murder trial: expletive-laden Facebook messages found on Erin Patterson’s phone that labelled her husband a…
- The Front
The secrets of Joe Biden’s rapid decline
As controversy rages about how much Democrats and Biden insiders knew about the former president’s cognitive decline, foreign editor Greg Sheridan joins…
- The Front
Have the Nationals blown themselves up?
Nuclear power - and political power games - break up the Liberal-National Coalition. National editor Dennis Shanahan tries to make sense of David…
- The Front
Did Israel just change its battle plan?
Disarming Hamas rather than destroying it - and occupying Gaza rather than pounding it. Today - why Benjamin Netanyahu changed up the war. Find out more about…
- The Front
Have hackers stolen your tax refund?
Hackers have harvested potentially millions of dollars from unsuspecting taxpayers by submitting bogus tax returns – and nobody knows how. Find out more…
- The Front
Nagi v Brooki: Down to the last crumb
Two whip-smart journos join us to discuss the cookbook controversy. Sexism, intellectual property law, and who was the first person to stick a lemon up a…
- The Front
The uni students who turned their backs on Jews
Jewish groups are condemning what they say was antisemitism and racism on a university campus. University of Sydney students have voted to reject a new…
- The Front
Mushroom expert told authorities death cap poisoning was impossible
No sign of death caps - that was the judgment of a leading mushroom expert asked to analyse beef Wellington from Erin Patterson’s fatal lunch. Today -…
- The Front
Whistleblower’s tale of a bankrupt tycoon’s NDIS ‘rort’
Crime journo Dave Murray uses his shoeleather journalism skills to report a ballooning scandal about the National Disability Insurance Scheme Find out more…
- The Front
Winners and losers in Albo’s big shakeup
A new Attorney-General, Plibersek demoted, Dreyfus and Husic to the backbench: the thinking behind Anthony Albanese’s reshuffle - and who’ll be new…
- The Front
Pope Leo vs China
China is cracking down on religious freedom and Pope Leo XIV faces a raging controversy about a deal his predecessor signed with Xi Xinping’s Communist…
- The Front
Trent Dalton reveals his deeply personal new book
The nicest man in journalism and literature is Trent Dalton, our colleague here at The Australian and global bestselling author of Boy Swallows Universe. But…
- The Front
Roger Rogerson’s first kill? The mystery of ‘Shotgun Johnny’ Regan
The 1974 murder of ‘Shotgun Johnny’ Regan has never been solved. Now, his family wants answers. That’s where The Australian’s new cold…
- The Front
Could Kashmir trigger nuclear war between India and Pakistan?
As missiles, artillery fire and claims of terrorism fly between India and Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir, we ask Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan…
- The Front
Erin Patterson’s elderly uncle on surviving deadly mushroom lunch
The only survivor of a deadly mushroom lunch has told a jury after eating allegedly poisoned beef Wellington, he led a prayer for his niece, who is pleading…
- The Front
How Labor and the Libs could freeze out the Greens
The Greens are bragging they’ll host the balance of power. But how well did the Greens really do at this election - and could Labor and the Liberals team…
- The Front
What Albo 2.0 will do with his immense new power
Medicare, energy, tax, workplace change and reconciliation: Federal Labor celebrates an historic victory and the devastated Liberals look for a new leader -…
- The Front
A portrait the Archibald Prize rejected: Jewish leader Alex Ryvchin, by Johannes Leak
As the annual controversy swirls around the finalists for the Archibald Prize, we look at an artwork that didn’t make the cut: a moving portrait of a…
- The Front
Mushroom cook Erin Patterson did ‘taste tests’ on kids, husband alleges
Emotional testimony by Crown witness Simon Patterson in the murder trial of his wife Erin, who has pleaded not guilty to deliberately poisoning elderly…
- The Front
Mushroom trial begins: Murder, or a ‘terrible accident’?
Erin Patterson served a mushroom meal that killed three elderly relatives and made another seriously ill. The crown says it was murder. Patterson says it was…
- The Front
Why Bondi junction hero cop Amy Scott was ready to die
The untold story of Inspector Amy Scott and the day she took down a mass murderer at Westfield Bondi Junction. Find out more about The Front podcast here. You…
- The Front
A dark horse in the race for Pope
Pierre Batista Pizzaballa – the keffiyeh-wearing, Hebrew-speaking cardinal in Jerusalem who offered to exchange himself for the hostages – has…
- The Front
What happened to Virginia Giuffre?
The Australian’s Queensland bureau chief Michael McKenna reveals the truth behind one of the last interviews given by prominent Prince Andrew accuser…
- The Front
Les Miserables storms the barricades with an arena spectacular
Irresistible melodies, stirring lyrics and a ripping story of injustice and revolt: Les Miserables is back. Today: Review editor and Les Mis superfan Tim…
- The Front
Death in paradise prompts NT bail crackdown
A 71-year-old friendly grocer loses his life. Suspicion turns to an 18-year-old accused rapist who was on bail. Now the political fallout begins. Find out more…
- The Front
Is the Coalition’s defence cash splash too late to the party?
After a long wait, the Coalition’s multi-billion-dollar defence policy is here. Is it too late to help them at the polls? Find out more about The Front…
- The Front
All eyes on Rome as cardinals convene to pick a new Pope
After Catholic leaders lay Pope Francis to rest in Rome, they’ll choose a new pontiff. Who it is at this stage is anyone’s guess. Find out more…
- The Front
Does Russia want a military base in Indonesia?
Our Defence expert unpicks what Russia’s up to in Indonesia - and if we should be worried about its appearance in our neck of the woods. Find out more…
- The Front
The tiny theatres and town halls keeping live music alive - on the road with Sarah Blasko
Come with us on tour with Sarah Blasko, one of Australia’s most gifted singers, in tiny town halls and bush theatres where live music is alive and well…
- The Front
China’s trade-war revenge
Chinese exporters in Guangzhou are brazenly flouting US tariffs – and flaunting it on TikTok. Our correspondent unpacks this new phase of the global…
- The Front
How Facebook monetises teen misery
The Australian revealed how Facebook pitched ads at children in despair. Now a Meta whistleblower exposes the company’s attempts to spin the story away…
- The Front
Billion-dollar babies: Pressure on public health as private births decline
Private birthing units are closing around Australia, and experts say it could cost taxpayers dearly if big, structural changes aren’t made. Find out more…
- The Front
Major parties bet the house on election campaigns
Labor and the Coalition announced competing housing policies at their official campaign launches. Could either one win the election? Find out more about The…
- The Front
Facing death, Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst wants to be useful
Rob Hirst has pancreatic cancer. He’s handling it with all the soul you’d expect from one of the songwriters who made radical 80s politics into…
- The Front
Trump and Xi Jinping: clash of the megalomaniacs
Our man in Beijing, North Asia correspondent Will Glasgow, unpacks how Chinese President Xi has mishandled the tariff war, and how it can possibly be resolved…
- The Front
White House at war: Elon Musk v Peter Navarro
Two of Donald Trump’s closest advisers are at each other’s throats. The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is openly ridiculing Peter Navarro -…
- The Front
Is your super safe from hackers?
An elderly lady had $400,000 drained from her super account by hackers - but the industry and law enforcement have been flat-footed in response. Find out more…
- The Front
Ferris Bueller tried to tell us tariffs don’t work
Donald Trump’s tariffs have upended everything we thought we knew about global trade – but we might not be here if we’d listened to the…