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A recent YouGov survey indicates that 51% of Australians have ‘unfavourable sentiments’ towards Islam, with only 10% of the population looking upon the religion positively. The results also revealed that Australia is more negative towards Islam than 17 of the other 22 countries surveyed. Writer Ruby Hamad joins Backchat to discuss this survey outcome, and Islamophobia in contemporary Australia.  Later, a look into the election campaign. Voters are being bombarded with promises and posturing on more platforms than ever before. Whether it’s Clive Palmer’s bizarre United Australia Party’s ads, smear campaigns, or straight-up lies—it seems like it’s pretty much a free-for-all for politicians. Shami and Swetha look into the laws surrounding election campaign advertisements, and just how tight they are. Also, producer Eden Faithful joins for a pop quiz on how well you’ve been following politics in the lead up to the election.

The 2019 federal election is set to boast the highest enrolment rate in Australian history—96.8%, and a record enrolment rate for young Australians aged 18-24, at 88.8%. Katie Acheson, CEO of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition, joins Backchat to talk about the reasons behind the enrolment spike, a possible election outcomes. Also, the Coalition has recently committed to funding two additional case workers and cyber security measures at the Penrith Women’s Health Centre. This comes under its total domestic violence spending, which adds up to 328 million dollars. Lula Dembele, Co-Founder Childhood Domestic Violence Australia, joins to discuss the ways in which the government can move to a safer and more rigorously supportive society for survivors of domestic abuse.  If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call 1800RESPECT for help and information.

Jason Wing is a Canterbury-based Birripai Chinese-Indigenous artist who has just unveiled ‘Rainbow Warrior’, a new mural at Ewan Perk in Hurlstone Park as part of the 2019 Wurridjal Festival. Jason joins Backchat to talk about his work, the importance of contemporary Indigenous art, and maintaining cultural history. Backchat reporter Lindsay Riley also investigates the impact of the 2018 Data Sharing and Release bill which gives the government the power to share their data on you.  Finally, we look into the rise of youth homelessness in Sydney, particularly in the Inner West. Zoe Robinson, CEO of YFoundations joins us to explore the issue, and discuss the work of her organisation.

The Wangchuks are Bhutanese a family who have lived and worked in Australia since 2012. They are now facing deportation after their permanent residency was refused, because their deaf son would be a “cost” to the taxpayer. Disability Officer for the National Union of Students and friend of the family Will Edwards, joins us to explain their situation and help share their story.  Also, Michael Hing, comedian and writer for SBS’s The Feed, is now a senate candidate. Set to take Australian politics by storm, Hing has formed the One Asian Party, and he joins us to talk about policy and his potential political career.

This week on Backchat, we talk to photojournalist Mridula Amin and artist and photographer Lachie Hinton who recently reported on the experiences of refugee children living on Nauru for the New York Times. Later, we chat to lawyer and human rights advocate Teela Reid about the importance of a First Nations Voice before Australia puts forward a republic referendum.

We are celebrating 15 years of FBi Radio this week! Listen for all the hits from 2003, including Guy Sebastian's Angels Brought Me Here and Missy Elliot's Work It. Plus, we quiz our hosts Swetha and Nat about Australian pop culture from the year. We also chat to Newtown Greens MP Jenny Leong about proposed changes to NSW's rental laws and pill testing at music festivals.

Three quarters of people in NSW do not know that abortion is a crime in this state. We chat to Maddy Ward, women's collective officer at the University of Sydney, who was nearly suspended for protesting against an anti-abortion stall on campus under pressure from Labor MP Greg Donnelly. Later, we talk to Ash Streeter-Jones, co-founder and COO of Jasiri Australia, about women in politics and improving gender representation in parliament.

Big news in politics this week! An ex-campaign advisor to Trump has been sentenced to 14 days in prison for lying to the FBI about Russian intervention in the 2016 elections. Plus, the sexual harrassment claims against Barnaby Joyce were declared inconclusive. We also chat to sociologist and academic Dr Na'ama Carlin about the commercialisation of Australian universities.

This week, we discuss the Liberal Party's huge bloodspill following the leadership change, plus Mark Latham's defamation case against Backchat alumnus Osman Faruqi. Plus, we welcome Marwa Al-Sabouni, author of The Battle for Home: The Memoir of a Syrian Architect, to talk about design and architecture's role in rebuilding war-ravaged cities. We also chat to Terri Butler, Shadow Minister for Young Australians and Youth Affairs, about pressing issues for young Australian people today, including housing affordability.  

Earlier this week, Queensland senator Fraser Anning used his maiden speech in parliament to call for an end to Muslim immigration in Australia, invoking the "final solution to the immigration problem." We discuss what Anning's speech reflects to the state of race politics in Australia. Later, we chat to Lyndsey Jackson, Chair of Electronic Frontiers Australia, about a new law proposal which would create a process where the government would be able to access your encrypted data. She discusses the draft laws and how it would impact on our privacy.

Half a million Australians went to the polls last week to cast their votes in not one, not two, but five by-elections. We also look at the latest developments in the state government's review into sexual consent laws. The NSW Bar Association recommended this week that a person who has an unreasonable but honest belief in consent shouldn’t be guilty of a crime. Later, Eden Faithfull investigates university support services for those who report on sexual harrassment and assault on campus. We also chat with Dr Andrea Carson, incoming associate at La Trobe University, about the implications of the Fairfax-Nine merger.

In big news this week, the Israeli government pushed through a controversial law declaring the country as the "nation-state of the Jewish people", defining Israel first and foremost as a Jewish state where Jewish people have an “exclusive right to national self-determination”. Later, our reporter Eden Faithfull reports on the petition to permanently fly the Aboriginal flag on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and we chat to ABC Online Technology Reporter Ariel Bogle about My Health Record.

We're excited to celebrate NAIDOC Week on Backchat today. Joining us in the studio is Dylan Voller to talk about Indigenous youth incarceration. Last month, the Northern Territory government confirmed that all children currently in detention in the Northern Territory are Aboriginal. The numbers haven’t changed since the Royal Commission into the youth justice system, which took place after an ABC’s Four Corners report uncovered the treatment of Indigenous children in the Don Dale youth detention centre. Later, we chat with Dr Maggie Walter, inaugural Pro Vice-Chancellor of Aboriginal Research and Leadership at the University of Tasmania, about the significance of Indigenous data sovereignty for the Uluru Statement.

Hosts Swetha Das and Natalie Sekulovska bring you the freshest wrap of news from the week, including the World Cup, a just launched inquiry into workplace sexual harassment, and a new English language test for migrants under consideration by the government. We also welcome Regina Jefferies, teaching fellow at UNSW and affiliate of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, to discuss Australia's National Refugee Week and immigration policy in the US.

Maddison Connaughton and guest host Johnny Lieu discuss the biggest story dominating headlines this week - the Trump-Kim summit. The two leaders signed a joint statement promoting "mutual confidence building" and to potentially pave the way to denuclearisation. Later, Sydney Morning Herald Legal Affairs and Investigations reporter Michaela Whitbourn talks to us about Australia's defamation laws and why a review of the current laws are needed.

What's new in politics this week? After a marathon debate, abortion "safe-access zones" legislation has passed through the lower house in NSW. Plus, Tony Abbott and Alan Jones launched a new anti-PC book by Dr Kevin Donnelly, called "How Political Correctness is Destroying Australia." Later, we chat to Matt Noffs, CEO of the Ted Noffs Foundation, pill tester, and author of the book "Addicted", about sniffer dogs at music festivals.

It’s National Reconciliation Week and our hosts Maddison Connaughton and Swetha Das speak to Teela Reid, a lawyer and human rights advocate, about the Uluru Statement. We also chat to Nathan Sentance, librarian and First Nations programs officer at the Australian Museum, about reclaiming Indigenous voices in galleries and museums.

This week hosts Maddison Connaughton and Swetha Das welcome Gina Rushton from BuzzFeed into the studio to chat about the NSW parliamentary vote on abortion “safe zones." Later, we chat about a “virtual kidnapping” scam that’s been targeting international students in Australia with Dr Lennon Y.C Chang, senior lecturer in Criminology at Monash University. Plus we round up some of the most important stories in politics this week, including Luke Foley's "white flight" comments and the anniversary of Sorry Day.

Over the past decade, Sydney has become one of the least affordable places in the world to buy a house. Indigenous architect Joel Spring comes into the studio to chat about gentrification and its impact on local communities in Redfern and Waterloo. Later, we welcome in author and race scholar Randa Abdel-Fattah to talk about the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict after nearly 60 Palestinians were killed in the Middle East when Israeli troops fired shots during a protest last week.