The Radio National Hour

ABC Australia
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A weekday magazine-style current affairs program hosted by one of Australia's pre-eminent and loved interviewers. Drawing on Fran's extensive current affairs and cultural knowledge, The Radio National Hour takes a thoughtful, deep dive into the important and challenging issues, and brings insightful and engaging conversations with big names in the arts, sport and culture.

  1. 11H AGO

    Ambiguity or indifference? Concern grows over Trump's posture on the Taiwan question

    It's a country wracked by violence, poverty and corruption and now a deadly strain of Ebola. Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo are scrambling to contain the virus which has already killed at least one-hundred and thirty people. Australian health company, Aspen Medical has been on the front-lines of the fight against previous Ebola outbreaks in Africa and experts Dr Katrina Sanders and Al Martin say they're ready to respond if asked.  Donald Trump’s visit to China has left many in Taiwan asking whether the island could be facing a nightmare scenario where rather than being at the negotiating table, they’re in fact on the menu. William Yang, Senior Analyst for North East Asia with the International Crisis Group says President Trump takes a purely transactional view of Taiwan.    More and more doctors are using Artificial Intelligence to lighten their administrative load but when the patient says no, who gets to decide? Around 40% of Australian GP’s are now using AI to take patient notes and convert them into records, and in some instances making treatment recommendations. Dr Tom Kelly is the founder of Heidi Health one of the most popular platforms providing this service, he says patients should be able to opt out but that many protections are built into the system to ensure privacy. GP and medical technology advisor Dr Janice Tan says, as is often the case with technology, better regulation and clear guidelines are needed.

    55 min

  2. 1D AGO

    How to build a unicorn — start-up founders call on government for budget relief

    Founders and venture capitalists say the government's proposed changes to tax concessions in last week’s budget will be a massive handbrake on the start-up sector. They’re calling on the government to back the big thinkers and risk takers. Zac Altman, CEO of Kantoko, & Shivani Gopal, founder and CEO of Elladex share their wishlist?  It’s the size of a sesame seed but - if left unchecked - has the potential to wipe out half of Sydney’s tree canopy. Our favourite species up and down the east coast - Moreton Bay and Port Jackson figs, flames trees, oaks and paperbarks - are all vulnerable to this nasty little borer and scientists like Professor Brett Summerell from Sydney's Botanic Garden are sounding the alarm.   The namesake of our most prestigious literary awards, Australian feminist icon and trailblazing author Stella Miles Franklin is enjoying a cultural revival and now there's a new novel by French author Alexandra Lapierre written very much in her own words.

    55 min

  3. 4D AGO

    Will the Enhanced Games change the face of competitive sport?

    The Coalition leader Angus Taylor has laid out his vision for a more prosperous Australia, with plans to end bracket creep and block permanent residents from accessing welfare and social services. Political hounds Clare Armstrong and Phil Coorey give their budget replies.  Intergenerational equity was another key theme , but Angus Taylor insists its migrants not boomers who are to blame for the housing crisis. The Coalition is proposing to block access to welfare and social services for permanent residents, but just how much will this save the budget and what message does it send? The enhanced games kick off next week in Las Vegas, with a juiced up for Australian swimming champion James Magnussen leading the pack. There’s millions of dollars  and a lot of pumped up egos invested in the event but sports integrity expert Dr Catherine Ordway reckons few people will be watching.

    55 min

  4. 5D AGO

    Political intrigue and gunfire in Manila senate

    Filipino senators and staff were forced to run for their lives as gunshots ring out in the Manila Senate last night. The chaotic scenes were broadcast live on national television, but was it a gun fight or was it all a smoke screen aimed at protecting Senator Ronald dela Rosa, the chief enforcer of former President Rodriguez Duterte, now wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity.  Never pay a ransom. It’s the cardinal rule when dealing with hackers,  but the company behind online learning platform Canvas has reportedly done a deal with cybercriminals who stole the personal details of 270 million people, including many Australian students. Cybersecurity experts like Professor Nigel Phair from Monash University say that the company could now end up on the suckers list of vulnerable targets. It's the highly curable cancer that’s killing nearly four thousand Australian men every year. Prostate cancer can be detected through a simple blood test and former Labor deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan - a survivor of the disease - is on a mission to get more men tested.

    55 min

  5. 6D AGO

    The Radio National Hour

    Last year the Labor government was re-elected with an historic majority, and last night the treasurer delivered what he calls a ‘big reform’ budget, aimed at tipping the scales on tax policy to help younger Australians get onto the property ladder. For some it’s a budget betrayal that won’t do anything to improve house prices but UNSW economist Richard Holden reckons it’s a waste of a good mandate.       The shadow of the war in Iran hangs over US President Donald Trump  as he jets off to Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterpart. What might the US president be willing to sacrifice to court favour with Xi Jinping? Could it be a shift on America’s policy on Taiwan? And does Beijing now feel emboldened to follow through on its ambition for reunification? And a new collaboration between South Korean musician Sunny Kim and Ensemble Ochaye inspired by the life giving element that transcends cultures, borders and time: water.

    55 min

  6. MAY 12

    The story the government doesn't want you to talk about today

    Gambling addiction is costing more lives than we know. This week a coronial inquest in Victoria has heard harrowing testimony of a young man who lost nearly $50,000 before taking his own life at just 22. It was stories like this that moved the late Labor MP Peta Murphy to act and today nearly three years after she delivered her review into gambling harm, the government has finally tabled its response. Reform advocates like Mark Kempster and Monash University Associate Professor Charles Livingstone, … have described their response as 'weak' and 'gutless'. Comedian, actor, political candidate and marathon runner Suzy Eddie Izzard is back in Australia with two new tours, a comedy remix and tragedy - with a one-woman performance of Hamlet.

    55 min

  7. MAY 11

    Something has to give: will the budget deliver intergenerational relief?

    Anthony Albanese is going where no Labor leader has successfully gone before with the budget expected to see cuts  to negative gearing and capital gains tax discounts. But will it deliver the changes younger Australians really need and want?  The march of the populists continues, with historic council elections in England, delivering Labour’s traditional heartland to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party and placing the prime ministership of Sir Keir Starmer in peril. Meanwhile One Nation hs claimed an historic victory in the blue ribbon liberal seat of Farrer. Is this the end of two party dominance?

    55 min

  8. MAY 8

    Memoirs on motherhood in all its light and shade

    Sunday is Mother’s Day — a tradition wrapped in flowers, cards, and a very neat idea of what motherhood is. But in reality motherhood is an experience shaped by history, circumstance, and the stories families tell, and keep hidden. In their new memoirs, journalists Cynthia Banham and Sheryle Bagwell exploring the secrets, absences and complicated bonds that define the sacred connection between mother and child.  Not many people get to live on planet earth for a century and few people have seen as much of it as broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough.The great narrator and defender of our natural world is 100 years old today. His friend and collaborator Australian cinematographer Chadden Hunter says he's as generous and entertaining off camera as he is on it.

    53 min
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About

A weekday magazine-style current affairs program hosted by one of Australia's pre-eminent and loved interviewers. Drawing on Fran's extensive current affairs and cultural knowledge, The Radio National Hour takes a thoughtful, deep dive into the important and challenging issues, and brings insightful and engaging conversations with big names in the arts, sport and culture.

Information

  • Creator
    ABC Australia
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    195
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Radio National Hour

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