How sales reps infiltrated operating theatres

There are strict rules around how drug company representatives can interact with doctors to ensure they aren’t influencing how medications are prescribed. But when it comes to expensive medical devices inserted in our bodies during surgery – all sorts of screws, pacemakers and implants – those same rules don’t apply.

Today, national correspondent for The Saturday Paper Mike Seccombe, on whether the pursuit of profit risks driving clinical decisions.

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‘A race towards minority’: Inside Labor’s re-election strategy

Almost every first-term government gets a second chance, but could the current Labor government be an exception? With so many voters feeling the cost-of-living crisis, and the government facing a slump in the polls, evidence is starting to pile up that Labor will struggle to retain majority government.

Today, special correspondent in Canberra for The Saturday Paper Jason Koutsoukis, on Labor’s strategy to hold on to power.

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Australia v Elon Musk: Can our politicians really take on the tech billionaire?

When Australia’s eSafety commissioner issued takedown orders to some of the world’s biggest tech companies at the beginning of this week, the commissioner probably didn’t realise it would put us on the frontline of a global battle over the internet.

The orders were aimed at removing the kind of footage social media companies have agreed to remove in the past – but today things are very different, in large part because of Elon Musk.

Today, columnist for The Saturday Paper Paul Bongiorno, on why Elon Musk and his fans turned on Australia and how one Senator in particular, ended up in the firing line.

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'Outrageous and probably illegal': Offers to skip the queue at public hospitals

The wait for elective surgery in our public hospitals is longer than ever, but it seems there’s a way to jump the queue. If you can afford to pay for private care in a public hospital, you might find yourself being offered more perks than just a free bathrobe and some slippers.

Today, lawyer and contributor to The Monthly Russell Marks, on whether our public health system is truly fair and what happens when your own child’s health is on the line.

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The stabbing of a TikTok bishop

An attack at a Western Sydney church last week was inextricably linked to social media. The bishop who was stabbed is a social media celebrity, the attack itself was live-streamed, and both the attack and the reaction may have been inflamed by online extremism.

Today, counter-terrorism expert and Lowy Institute fellow Lydia Khalill, on the attack, whether it was an act of terrorism and how we can do more to prevent extremism.

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Grace Tame is not a cat, she’s autistic

Grace Tame knows how to advocate. Her campaigning for survivors of sexual assault and abuse helped to create real change and pushed powerful institutions to be better. Now, she is turning that lens onto something she has lived with her whole life and which is now on the agenda in Canberra autism and neurodivergence.

Today, former Australian of the Year and contributor to The Saturday Paper, Grace Tame, on Australia’s first attempt at a national autism strategy – and why we must get it right.

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Can Channel Seven survive the Lehrmann verdict?

It’s now been a week since the Federal Court of Australia’s Justice Michael Lee ruled it was substantially true that Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittney Higgins in a minister’s office at Parliament House back in 2019. In other cases, that may have been the end of the matter. But this case has drawn in dozens of characters, with careers ended, others on the rocks and Channel Seven appearing as if it could implode.

Today, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, Rick Morton, on who emerges from the wreckage of one of the most dramatic defamation cases we’ve seen in years.

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The Great Housing Disaster: The minister for housing

At the end of the day, the people who decide what path Australia takes to solve the housing crisis are those in government. In this episode, we speak to the federal minister for housing, Julie Collins.

In this final episode of 7am’s five-part series, we dive into what the government is doing and whether there is more that could be done.

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