ABC 7.30

Australia's universal health care system, Medicare is considered one of the best in the world. However tonight 7.30 will show how suspected fraud, misuse and billing errors are draining billions from Medicare every year. Adele Ferguson from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald returns to 7.30 with this investigation. The producer is Chris Gillett. A statement from the AMA:

What may be the last of the congressional hearings into January 6th riots rolled out in Washington with new video footage taken behind the scenes on the day of the assault. The committee has now voted to subpoena Donald Trump but next month's mid-term elections could mean the committee will be wrapped up. So what's next? Here's North America correspondent Barbara Miller.

Northern Victoria is in the grip of major flooding, with communities isolated and thousands of homes inundated. The region around Shepparton has been heavily impacted. Shepparton Mayor Shane Sali speaks to Sarah Ferguson.

As the global outlook darkens, Treasurer Jim Chalmers is in Washington for meetings with G20 finance ministers as well as the IMF and World Bank. Tomorrow he meets with the head of the US Federal Reserve, whose aggressive rate rises are also pressuring the global economy. He speaks to Sarah Ferguson.

While the Treasurer prepares to hand down his budget, speculation continues to swirl around the Albanese government’s pledge to honour the stage 3 tax cuts in 2024. To explore the Labor Party's philosophy around promises, here's a new ad from 7.30 satirist Mark Humphries and his co-writer Evan Williams.

Some scientists are warning that global warming could be headed for a crucial tipping point - and carbon dioxide is not the only culprit. In recent years, there's also been a surge in the release of methane into the atmosphere - most of it due to natural causes. Today, Australia signalled it will join an effort to cap methane emissions agreed to at the last global climate change conference. Ellen Coulter reports.

Former PM Kevin Rudd is President of the Asia Society and a former diplomat in Beijing. Sarah Ferguson speaks to him about the extraordinary events due to take place in China - which mark the culmination of Xi's Xinping's relentless centralisation of power and the possible consequences for Australia.

This weekend, the Chinese Communist Party will host its 20th National Congress where it's expected that Xi Jinping will be voted president for a record-breaking third term. But the congress opens against the backdrop of China's unpopular extended COVID lockdowns - which are hammering the economy. East Asia correspondent Bill Birtles reports.

Right now, we're in the biggest debate we've ever had about Australia's green energy future. One of the most provocative voices to emerge is Dr Saul Griffith who is the founder of Re-Wiring Australia and an advisor to the Biden administration on its recent legislation to drive America's green energy transformation. He thinks Australia's energy transformation should begin in people's homes.

Nationwide protests in Iran are now in their fourth week provoked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in custody after being arrested by the morality police in Tehran - this is being called Iran's George Floyd moment. Hundreds of Iranian-Australians have now joined what has become a global protest movement. Norman Hermant and Marty Smiley report.