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After the ceasefire between the US and Turkey ended, Turkey has indicated they intend to remain in Syria, meanwhile Donald Trump announced US forces with also remain to protect oil fields from Islamic State. Dr Mehmet Oz-alp, Director of the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation at Charles Sturt University, joins us for insight on the situation. Later, it’s been two years since same-sex marriage was passed, but beyond the law, how much has changed? Backchat reporter Olivia Stanley takes a look into the treatment of LGBTQI+ Australians in the church. Finally, daft proposals to change the NSW consent laws were submitted this week. They clarify that sexual consent hasn’t been given, if a person “freezes” or doesn’t give any direct, verbal indication of consent. Many experts are saying they’re still not strong enough. Academic and researcher Dr Rachael Burgin who specialises in sexual assault law in Victoria joins us to discuss the proposal.

There are currently seven hundred thousand people in Australia actively looking for a job, and a market with only two hundred thousand vacancies. Not to mention the further million who are under-employed. Edward Miller, a Campaigns Director for Economic Fairness at GetUp joins us to discuss the possibility of an Australian Universal Job Guarantee initiative. Later, ‘fast-fashion’—single-wear wardrobe fillers from brands like Zara and H&M may be cheap, but they come at other costs. Natalie Shehata, founder and editor of Tommie Magazine joins us to talk about slow-fashion, recycling, and making ethical choices with your wardrobe.

The more information we give to social media, the more power they have to influence us. Lyndsey Jackson, a digital rights expert from Electronic Frontiers Australia, joins us to talk about the ways in which our favourite social media apps are changing, and what that means for our online security. Later, Australians gamble $24 billion a year, and growing concern for problem gamblers has helped launch the Community Benefit Payment Scheme. Backchat reporter Eamonn Snow looks into gambling issues in Australia, and what the government is actually doing about it. If you or somebody you know suffers from a gambling addiction, you can reach out to the Multicultural Problem Gambling Service on 1800 856 800 or to Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14.

According to the United Nations’ Refugee Agency’s 2019 report, there are currently more than 70 million displaced people around the globe. Lynn Dang is a former refugee, board member of Australia for United Nations Refugee Comission, and head of talent acquisition at Microsoft Australia—she recently travelled to Uganda to understand the progressive programs they’ve implemented to support their 1.3 million refugees. She joins is to share her insight into refugee policy in Uganda, and what we in Australia could learn from them. Later, we take a quick look inside the glossy pages of gossip magazines at celebrity rumour journalism.

Congestion in Sydney is an ongoing problem, but over the next decade the city’s population is expected to grow to over 7 million people, pushing us into a congestion crisis. Deputy CEO and Director of Policy for Committee of Sydney, Eamon Waterford, talks with us about what 'congestion crisis' means, and what we’re doing to prevent it. Later, ‘Breaking the Model’ is a new doco on SBS Viceland’s The Feed, looking into the way the modelling industry exploits child models. Documentary creator, comedian and former child-model Jenna Owen joins us.

Scott Morrison’s government has revived controversial legislation that would force 5,000 Newstart and youth allowance recipients to undergo drug testing to get their welfare payments. Dr. Nicole Lee, drug policy expert from Curtin University’s National Drug Research Institute, joins us to discuss the proposal. Later, after 5 years of controversy the state government is taking steps to remove the lockout laws - everywhere except for Kings Cross. Michael Rodrigues, Managing Director of Time Out Australia, and chair of the Night Time Industries Association speaks with us about the changes. Finally, ‘Her Sound, Her Story’ is a moving documentary exploring women in Australia’s music scene. An intimate conversation with 45 artists spanning six decades, it discusses the experiences, triumphs and social impact of women in the industry. Documentary co-creator and self-taught music photographer Michelle Grace Hunder joins us.

Sydney Water levels are dropping faster than they have in decades across 11 dams in Greater Sydney, and levels are about to drop below 50%. Still, we aren’t talking about drought in greater Sydney. Environmentalist Liz Miu joins us to discuss the water crisis, and what small changes that we can all make to conserve water. Later, Archibald Prize finalist Amani Haydar has a new exhibition at Fairfield City Museum and Gallery. Lawyer, artist, mother, and domestic violence advocate—Haydar joins us to talk about her life, art and advocacy. If you or somebody you know is experiencing domestic violence you can visit 1800respect.org.au or call Lifeline on 13 11 14 to be put in contact with State Crisis Services.

Free flowing information on the internet is seen as tantamount to a functioning democracy. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Russia’s government is looking to implement a centralised, state controlled internet. We’re joined by Russian independent investigative journalists Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, who have spent years investigating how the Kremlin watches over its citizens Later, in the wake of an increase in accidental deaths by drug overdose, new laws by the NSW government may see people who sell illicit drugs be prosecuted for homicide if the person who uses the drug dies as a result. Dr Elyse Methven, Lecturer in Law and a UTS Early Career Research Fellow, joins us to discuss the new law.

A new report from Diversity Arts Australia indicates that Australian art bodies are lacking in culturally and linguistically diverse leadership across all sectors. Lena Nahlous, Executive Director of Diversity Arts Australia joins us to talk about their report, and what we can do going forward.

At the Pacific Islands Forum 2019, Scott Morrisson made his opposition to other Pacific Islands nations’ views on climate change known. When it was called for an immediate global ban on the construction of new coal-fired power plants, Australia was the only country to opt out of supporting the statement. Director of the climate and energy program at the Australia Institute, Richie Merzian joins us to discuss our representation at the forum. Later, as of 2020, Australian universities will be measured across new performance criteria to unlock funding increases. These criteria include graduate employment outcomes, student experience, and enrolment of Indigenous, disadvantaged, and rural students. Desiree Cai, Australia-wide President for the National Union of Students, joins us to unpack these changes.

We’re seeing more and more climate protests across the world, and last week Lobby group Extinction Rebellion hit the main stage with attention-grabbing demonstrations in Brisbane. Nicola Paris from CounterAct joins us to talk about what makes for a successful protest. Later, do you ever wonder how visually-impaired people get immersed in cinema, TV and theatre, or even live public events? Backchat reporter Rhianna Soliman looks into how audio captions work, and why Australia is so far behind.

Globally, 2019 has been full of bad news for reproductive rights. The good news is, the Reproductive Healthcare Reform Bill 2019 has seen bipartisan support in NSW Parliament. Medical Director of Family Planning NSW, Dr Deborah Bateson joins us to discuss the ramifications of decriminalising abortion in NSW. Later, dating can be tricky at the best of times. For young people with intellectual or learning disabilities, the challenges and stigma surrounding dating and relationships can be overwhelming. Relationship coach and sexuality advisor Liz Dore is a on a mission to break the taboos surrounding love and relationships for everyone—she joins us to discuss her work. Finally, that feeling of overwhelming sadness, and dread has a name—‘climate grief’. Comedian, ASMR eco-activist, and climate griever Issy Phillips talks about mourning the Pale Blue Dot.

NAIDOC week was observed from July 7th to 14th, celebrating the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This week’s show reflects some of the voices of the people behind these achievements. Thomas Mayor, a Torres Strait Islander man born on Larrakia country in Darwin. He’s also the National Indigenous Officer at a construction union and an advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart. He spoke to us about his work on the Statement, and where we should be looking to from here. Later we’re joined by Corey Tutt, a Kamilaroi man who runs Deadly Science, a program which encourages Indigenous students to stick with STEM subjects, by sending them books and equipment across the country. Finally, we speak with Kalinda Griffiths, a Yawuru woman and Epidemiologist at the UNSW Centre for Big Data Research, about how Indigenous people are represented in Australia’s official statistics.

Starting this month the HECS repayment threshold has dropped to $45,881 a year. To discuss what this will mean for lower-earning graduates, and the broader economy, Sam Langford, Junkee news and politics reporter joins us. Later, Canberra is always the butt of Sydney’s jokes, but why is our nation’s capital also our punching bag? Prue Robson, Canberra migrant, and PhD candidate from the University of Canberra joins us in defence of the city.

‘Climate Emergency’ has been declared in Sydney by Lord Mayor Clover Moore, following 600 similar declarations worldwide. City of Sydney Councillor and Deputy Chair of the Environment Committee Jess Miller joins us to discuss climate futures in Sydney and Australia. Later, transport in Sydney is a constant cause for complaint, but recent shakeups and innovations seem to be inching us forward. Transportist David Levinson, an Honorary Associate at the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies at Sydney University, joins us to talk about the state of transport in Sydney.

Every day the plight of refugees coming to Australia, especially those on Manus and Nauru, is becoming more and more dire. Florence Cruz Montalvo is a solicitor at Legal Aid’s Refugee Service, and she joins to us about the ways in which their service can improve the lives and experiences of young people and refugees in Australian society. We also hear a story from Backchat’s regular co-host Shami Sivasubramanian about Techfugees: a not-for-profit that seeks to use technology to help newly-arrived refugees to Australia.  Later, we’ve been yelling about climate change for a while, maybe it’s time to try whispering. Comedian Issy Phillips joins us to talk about ASMR as the next frontier of climate activism.

From July 1st, there are going to be big changes to how your superannuation is managed, but most young people don’t even know how much is in their super. Acting Director of the Superannuation Consumers’ Centre at CHOICE, Xavier O’Halloran, joins us to explain what’s happening. Later, the role of geography in Islamophobia. We’re joined by Rhonda Itaoui from the Challenging Racism Project, and PhD candidate at Western Sydney University, to discuss how racism manifests differently depending on where you live and work.

It’s national Reconciliation Week, allowing us time to reflect on the contributions and achievements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. However the week doesn’t go by without criticism from Indigenous Australians. To discuss the triumphs and shortcomings of Reconciliation Week, Nathan moodyi Sentance, a Wiradjuri man from the Australian Museum joins us. Later, the term ‘revenge porn’ has been used for some time to refer to the sharing of partners’ private images. Many academics are pushing for a move away from the term to ‘image based abuse’, in an effort to desexualise the act and better address the motivations, and consequences for victims. Associate professor in the Social and Global Studies Centre at RMIT University, Nicola Henry, joins us to discuss. Finally, the abortion ban in Alabama has sparked conversation about reproductive rights the world over. We’re joined by Sydney high school student Bella Ziade has organised a rally to fight

The lack of diverse publications has been increasingly highlighted and internationally challenged in recent years, forcing us to question how well represented Indigenous and people of colour writers are in Australia. Gaining statistics to answer this question, however, is proving very difficult. Hella Ibrahim is the founder and editorial director of Djed Press, she joins us to discuss the issue of representation in publishing in Australia. Later, following the Coalition’s election victory, one of the LNP’s first priorities is to repeal the medevac law. This law allowed refugees and asylum seekers in need of medical attention to be transferred to Australia. All of this follows a notable spike in self-harm and suicide attempts among off-shore refugees and asylum seekers in the wake of the election. Keeping us up to speed on developments is human rights campaigner Renaire Druery from GetUp!. If you or anyone you know is in need of support, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, at any hour of the day.

With a nail-biting election in process, the unprecedented number of young voters enrolled is expected to shake up results. Ariadne Vromen, a Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Sydney, joins us to discuss the election from a young voters perspective, and the way major parties have (or have not) effectively made campaign appeals to the demographic. May 18th is also significant in global politics this year, as the finale of the Eurovision contest is set to go ahead in Israel, despite controversies due to the ongoing conflict with Palestine. This comes just three days after Nakba Day, literally translating to ‘Day of the Catastrophe’, which commemorates the mass displacement and human rights abuse of Palestinian people that has continued since late 1940s. Sydney lawyer and Palestinian rights activist Ramia Abdo Sultun joins us to talk about the controversy caused by the decision to host the finale in Israel.