Nights with Bryan Crump

When does creative nonfiction cross the line into fabrication, and does it matter? That's the question being asked by many after serious concerns were raised about the bestselling memoir The Salt Path. The 2018 book, which has sold nearly two million copies worldwide and been adapted into a feature film, tells the story of a couple, Raynor Winn and her husband Moth, who walked Britain's 1,000km South West Coast Path after their home was repossessed. But an investigation by the Observer newspaper has cast doubt over key parts of the memoir, including how the couple lost their home, the fact that they owned land in France and questions around Moth's terminal diagnosis of a rare disease. So, what should we expect from a memoir? Should we take everything written as the truth and nothing but the truth? Or is there room for creative embellishment? To explore the issue, Emile speaks to writer, editor and lecturer at the University of Melbourne, Nicola Redhouse.

Homeowners whose houses are flooded or damaged by weather events should not expect buy-outs in the future, a panel of experts has recommended to the government. An independent reference group set up by the Ministry for the Environment released a suite of recommendations on Wednesday to help the government shape climate adaptation legislation. The group recommended a 20-year transition period, after which homeowners whose houses are flooded or damaged by weather events should not expect buy-outs. Emile Donovan speaks to Victoria University's chair of the school of government Professor Jonathan Boston about the consequences of any policy change.