Politics with Michelle Grattan
The Conversation's Chief Political Correspondent Michelle Grattan talks politics with politicians and experts, from Capital Hill.
Tue, April 01, 2025
Kos Samaras on polls and the people who'll decide this election
Kos Samaras, a director of the political consultancy firm Redbridge and a former Labor Party official joins to talk about the polls and the parties prospects. Mentioned in this episode: How Australian Democracy Works 'How Australian Democracy Works' edited by Politics Editor Amanda Dunn is out now in all good book stores.
Fri, March 28, 2025
It’s on: tracking policies and truth in advertising. Election special episode with Michelle Grattan and Amanda Dunn
Policy tracker: https://stories.theconversation.com/policy-tracker/ Set the Agenda survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TheConversationElection25 email us: editorial@theconversation.edu.au Mentioned in this episode: How Australian Democracy Works 'How Australian Democracy Works' edited by Politics Editor Amanda Dunn is out now in all good book stores. The Conversation Weekly Search for 'The Conversation Weekly' wherever you get your podcasts. Sign up to The Conversation's newsletter https://theconversation.com/au/newsletters
Wed, March 26, 2025
Jim Chalmers and Angus Taylor on tax top-ups and budget bottom lines
On this podcast we are joined by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor to talk about the budget. Mentioned in this episode: How Australian Democracy Works 'How Australian Democracy Works' edited by Politics Editor Amanda Dunn is out now in all good book stores. Sign up to The Conversation's newsletter https://theconversation.com/au/newsletters
Fri, March 21, 2025
Negotiating with the Greens and negotiating with Trump: election special episode with Michelle Grattan and Amanda Dunn
Michelle Grattan and The Conversation's Politics Editor Amanda Dunn discuss the big issues of the week and answer your questions. Mentioned in this episode: How Australian Democracy Works 'How Australian Democracy Works' edited by Politics Editor Amanda Dunn is out now in all good book stores. Sign up to The Conversation's newsletter https://theconversation.com/au/newsletters
Wed, March 19, 2025
Barbara Pocock on the Greens' policy priorities
With the polls close to a dead heat, would the Greens push a potential minority Labor government even harder to pursue their agenda?
Fri, March 14, 2025
Tariffs, a tricky road for Dutton and the future of Pine Gap: election special episode with Michelle Grattan and Amanda Dunn
Michelle Grattan and The Conversation's Politics Editor Amanda Dunn discuss the big issues of the week and answer your questions. Mentioned in this episode: Sign up to The Conversation's newsletter https://theconversation.com/au/newsletters How Australian Democracy Works 'How Australian Democracy Works' edited by Politics Editor Amanda Dunn is out now in all good book stores.
Thu, March 13, 2025
Peter Dutton on why he’s not Australia’s Trump – ‘I’m my own person’
Opposition leader Peter Dutton joins the podcast to discuss his ambitions if he becomes Prime Minster at the May election.
Wed, March 12, 2025
Tina Jackson says there's 'No such thing as a safe seat': 3 independent challengers to watch this election
We are joined by the co-founder of the Community Independents Project, Tina Jackson - a key figure behind Zali Steggall's successful campaign against Tony Abbott in 2019 Mentioned in this episode: Listen to Scam Factories on The Conversation Weekly 🔎 search for The Conversation Weekly Scam Factories takes you inside Southeast Asia’s brutal scam compounds. We meet the people lured into the industry, reveal how they become trapped and trafficked and track their desperate attempts to escape. We track the organised crime groups and corrupt politicians linked to the operations and chart the industry’s explosive growth: hundreds of thousands of people are being forced to scam. And we try to answer the question, are they victims or criminals, or can they be both?
Fri, March 07, 2025
James Curran on Trump, Ukraine, shifting tectonic plates, and a bigger Australian defence bill
To discuss Trump Mark 2 on the world stage and what that means for Australia, we're joined by James Curran, professor of modern history at the University of Sydney. Mentioned in this episode: Listen to Scam Factories on The Conversation Weekly 🔎 search for The Conversation Weekly Scam Factories takes you inside Southeast Asia’s brutal scam compounds. We meet the people lured into the industry, reveal how they become trapped and trafficked and track their desperate attempts to escape. We track the organised crime groups and corrupt politicians linked to the operations and chart the industry’s explosive growth: hundreds of thousands of people are being forced to scam. And we try to answer the question, are they victims or criminals, or can they be both?
Fri, March 07, 2025
Cyclone Alfred wreaks havoc as leaders await Trump tariff decision: election special episode 2 with Amanda Dunn and Michelle Grattan
Cyclone Alfred wreaks havoc as leaders await Trump tariff decision: election special episode 2 with Amanda Dunn and Michelle Grattan From cyclones to school funding announcements, there have been lot of issues - and disruptions - for the prime minister and opposition leader. As we gear up for a Federal election, Politics + Society Editor Amanda Dunn and Political Correspondent Michelle Grattan sit down to talk about this week's key issues. Mentioned in this episode: Listen to Scam Factories on The Conversation Weekly 🔎 search for The Conversation Weekly Scam Factories takes you inside Southeast Asia’s brutal scam compounds. We meet the people lured into the industry, reveal how they become trapped and trafficked and track their desperate attempts to escape. We track the organised crime groups and corrupt politicians linked to the operations and chart the industry’s explosive growth: hundreds of thousands of people are being forced to scam. And we try to answer the question, are they victims or criminals, or can they be both?
Fri, February 28, 2025
Chinese warships, a dirt file and a firming election date: election special episode with Amanda Dunn and Michelle Grattan
Chinese warships, a dirt file and a firming election date: election special episode with Amanda Dunn and Michelle Grattan Mentioned in this episode: Listen to Scam Factories on The Conversation Weekly 🔎 search for The Conversation Weekly Scam Factories takes you inside Southeast Asia’s brutal scam compounds. We meet the people lured into the industry, reveal how they become trapped and trafficked and track their desperate attempts to escape. We track the organised crime groups and corrupt politicians linked to the operations and chart the industry’s explosive growth: hundreds of thousands of people are being forced to scam. And we try to answer the question, are they victims or criminals, or can they be both?
Wed, February 26, 2025
Tom Rogers on helping voters spot election lies
We're joined today by Tom Rogers, recently retired as Electoral Commissioner. As commissioner, Rogers oversaw three federal elections and the Voice referendum.
Wed, February 19, 2025
Danielle Wood on how to trim back housing regulations
We talk to productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood about the housing challenge, as well as Australia's parlous productivity performance generally.
Wed, February 12, 2025
David Littleproud on US tariffs, a government-owned Rex, and the Nationals’ identity
Joining us on this podcast is Nationals leader David Littleproud to talk about the upcoming election and how he's "joined at the hip" with Peter Dutton.
Tue, February 04, 2025
Tariffs, climate & the rules based order: what the Trump presidency means for Australia
We're joined by John Blaxland and Richard Holden to talk about the impact of global uncertainties will have on Australia.
Sat, February 01, 2025
Albanese discusses a second term with the youth vote in mind
Anthony Albanese joins us on the podcast to discuss ongoing issues in Australia, his experience in the top job and his pitch to voters for this years election.
Thu, December 19, 2024
"I don't do coy": Treasurer Jim Chalmers + Angus Taylor on the budget blues
Appropriately, we finish our podcast for 2024 talking to Treasurer Jim Chalmers and his shadow, Angus Taylor because, as the saying goes, "it's the economy, stupid!"
Thu, December 12, 2024
For Mark Dreyfus, antisemitism is very personal
Mark Dreyfus joins the podcast to talk about his family's story of fleeing Nazi Germany, his own and his community's experience with antisemitism, and his reaction to criticism of the government.
Tue, December 03, 2024
Populism, tribalism and partisanship": Simon Birmingham's parting reflections
Simon Birmingham joins the podcast to talk about the highs and lows of his time in politics and the Liberal Party, as well as to share his biggest regret and a couple of anecdotes.
Fri, November 29, 2024
From 'drill, baby, drill' fears to hope: why COP wasn't so bad for climate boss Matt Kean NEW
Head of the CCA former New South Wales Liberal treasurer Matt Kean, joins the podcast to talk about COP, Australia's energy transition, and the challenge of preparing that advice on the 2035 target.
Thu, November 21, 2024
The argument for reducing "big money" in elections: Special Minister of State Don Farrell
On this podcast we are talking with Special Minister of State Don Farrell about the changes to political donation laws and the criticisms.
Fri, November 15, 2024
"One of the worst bills ever": Shadow Minister David Coleman on proposed misinformation laws
A brief summary of this episode
Sun, November 10, 2024
Independent Helen Haines says the NACC has had 'disappointing start', and the government is pork barrelling
Independent MP Helen Haines, who holds the Victorian seat of Indi, has long focused on integrity issues, and she joined us on the podcast.
Fri, November 01, 2024
Bruce Wolpe says personal relations between Trump and Albanese would be 'rocky'
To discuss the state of the contest and what comes next, we're joined by Bruce Wolpe, senior fellow at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney.
Thu, October 24, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Sally McManus on what unions want from Labor and Innes Willox on business wish list for Dutton
we're joined by ACTU secretary Sally McManus and Innes Willox, the head of the Australian Industry Group, one of the peak employer groups to talk about the state of IR laws and the CFMEU.
Sun, October 20, 2024
'It’s going to be a bad result for Labor' - Antony Green and Michael McKenna on the Qld election
To discuss what's the potential outcome of the Queensland election and what that could mean for the federal Labor government, we're joined by the ABC's election specialist, Antony Green and The Australian's Queensland editor, Michael McKenna.
Wed, October 09, 2024
Productivity Commissioner Danielle Wood on how to grow Australia's weak productivity
The head of the productivity commission outlines numerous ways government can improve productivity.
Tue, October 01, 2024
Josh Bornstein on how big companies are taking away employees’ private rights
Josh Bornstein is a lawyer specialising in employment and labour relations law. His new book examines the problematic reach of the corporate hand into the private sphere. He joins us on the podcast.
Thu, September 26, 2024
Richard Holden says no interest rate fall likely for 12 months
We're joined on the podcast by Richard Holden, to talk about the book and also Australia's economic outlook, on what has been a big week for economic news.
Wed, September 18, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Adam Bandt on why the Greens are playing hardball on housing
Greens leader Adam Bandt joins us to talk about the immediate impasse as well as his party's broad agenda including its demands if Labor fell into minority at the election.
Wed, September 11, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Robert French on the realities of a social media age ban
While French acknowledges possible privacy concerns, he explains why the long-time storage of personal data would be unnecessary.
Wed, September 04, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Ghaith Krayem on Muslim votes mattering
Today we're joined on the podcast by Ghaith Krayem, a spokesman for the group Muslim Votes Matter. The group plans to back candidates who support the issues it says Muslims care about.
Mon, September 02, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Reserve Bank's Andrew Hauser says don't read too much for Australia from US rates message
Andrew Hauser, the deputy governor of the RBA, joined us to talk about the RBA's thinking when it comes to inflation. Hauser formerly worked at the Bank of England and was chosen by Jim Chalmers.
Thu, August 22, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Joe Hockey says Kamala Harris and Anthony Albanese share views
We're joined on the podcast by former Australian ambassador to Washington, Joe Hockey, who's been attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Sun, August 18, 2024
Politics With Michelle Grattan: Andrew Wilkie says government ‘scared stiff’ of gambling companies
Joining the podcast is Independent member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie. Wilkie has advocated for gambling reform during his entire political career.
Wed, August 07, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Pat Turner on Indigenous empowerment, Closing the Gap, and future Indigenous leadership
Pat Turner is lead convener of the Coalition of Peaks and CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), and she joins the podcast.
Wed, July 24, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Lester Munson on Kamala Harris’s style and a changed Trump
To discuss the fast-changing US election and Kamala Harris moving to the top of the ticket we're joined by Lester Munson, a fellow with the United States Studies Centre.
Thu, July 18, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Joe Hockey on how Australia should navigate a second Trump term
Hear the former Australian ambassador's observations of 'a very different' Donald Trump at this week's Republican convention, and his predictions for Joe Biden's successor and AUKUS's future.
Wed, July 10, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Fatima Payman on the challenges and opportunities of being a crossbencher
The now-independent senator joined the podcast to discuss her decision, the challenges of regrouping as a crossbencher, and the impact of the Muslim vote.
Wed, June 26, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chris Bowen on 'calling out' claims about the energy transition's cost
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen joins the podcast to discuss the ongoing costs of the energy transition and Peter Dutton's nuclear plan.
Thu, June 20, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Peter Malinauskas on political donations, kids on social media, and the nuclear option
Peter Malinauskas joined the podcast to talk about AUKUS, bans on children under 14 accessing social media, restricting most political donations and Peter Duttons Nuclear announcement.
Thu, June 06, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Clive Hamilton on how Australians must adapt to 'Living Hot'
Clive Hamilton, who is Professor of Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University, joined us to talk about what Australia can do to not only survive a hotter world.
Wed, May 29, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Andrew Norton on the Albanese government's interventionist policy to cut foreign student numbers
Andrew Norton, professor in the practice of higher education policy at the ANU, joined the podcast to dissect the governments new policy to cap international student intake.
Sat, May 25, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Andrew Bragg flags a coalition would use 'coercion' of the states to get more new houses built
Andrew Bragg joins us to explain why the coalition sees migration as a major issue when it comes to housing supply.
Thu, May 23, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Madeleine King on investment incentives and the pivotal role of gas
Joining us for the podcast Resources Minister Madeleine King pushes back against Coalition claims the green energy projects – developing green hydrogen and investment in processing critical minerals.
Wed, May 15, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Budget fight looms on Future Made in Australia tax breaks
In this podcast were joined by shadow treasurer Angus Taylor and Treasurer Jim Chalmers to discuss the third Albanese government budget.
Wed, May 08, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: James Paterson on prospects for passage of the government's deportation bill
Senator James Paterson, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security joins us to discuss the Coalition's position on the bill, as well as the issue of handling the former detainees.
Wed, May 01, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Anne Summers says we need much more information on male perpetrators of violence against women
In this podcast, we're joined by Dr Anne Summers, a longtime writer and advocate on women's issues to discuss the horrific number of women murdered this year.
Sun, April 28, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Economist Chris Richardson on recent economic data and whats in store for the upcoming budget
In this podcast, we're joined by independent economist Chris Richardson to discuss the upcoming budget and Australia's economic outlook.
Wed, April 17, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Independent MP Dai Le on the church attack in her electorate
The stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in a church in Wakeley on Monday has left many in shock. Dai Le, whose electorate features the church where the incident happened discusses her community's reaction.
Thu, April 11, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Josh Burns on being a Jewish MP during a terrible conflict
Labor MP Josh Burns joins us to discuss the government moving towards recognition of a Palestinian state to help facilitate a two-state solution and the wider Middle East crisis.
Thu, April 04, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Andrew Leigh on competition - economic and political
Andrew Leigh joins us to talk about longer-term economic outlook, reforms to made to the system and the need to increase competition and our flat-lined productivity.
Tue, March 26, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Kim Beazley on Kevin Rudd, being an ambassador, and a possible second Trump presidency
Kim Beazley, a former Labor leader and Australia's ambassador in Washington joins us to talk about Donald Trump's denigrating comments about Kevin Rudd, AUKUS and the Australia-Chinese relationship.
Wed, March 20, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Cyber expert Lesley Seebeck on TikTok’s future in Australia
TikTok has come into the spotlight after the US. congress proposed a bill to force it's sale away from Chinese owned company ByteDance. To discuss this we're joined by Cyber expert Lesley Seebeck.
Thu, March 14, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Masculinity expert Michael Flood on boys and men behaving badly
We're joined by Michael Flood, professor at the Queensland University of Technology to discuss the harassment against women in boys only schools and what leads to some men and boys to mistreat women.
Wed, March 06, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: John Blaxland on spies, AUKUS, and an unsettled Washington
Today we're joined by Professor John Blaxland, Professor of International Security & Intelligence Studies at the Australian National University. Who gives us an overview of spying in Australia.
Mon, February 26, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jason Clare on the future of education in Australia
The recently released Universities Accord report featured recommendations for improving education in Australia. Joining us to discuss the government's response is Education Minister, Jason Clare.
Tue, February 20, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Antony Green, Kos Samaras and Tim Costello on Dunkley contest
The March 2 byelection in the outer suburban Melbourne seat of Dunkley is a challenge for the government. Labor goes in as the favourite but at a time of high cost of living will it's 6.3 margin be enough?
Thu, February 15, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Assistant minister Malarndirri McCarthy says there's 'no rush' on treaty and truth-telling
To discuss this week's policy announcement, the centrepiece of which is a $700 million jobs program for people in remote areas, we're joined by Northern Territory Senator Malarndirri McCarthy.
Thu, February 08, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chris Bowen on fuel efficiency standards and the energy transition
The new fuel efficiency standards regime will move Australia in the direction of comparable countries, but it has its critics. Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen joins the podcast to discuss this policy and more.
Thu, February 01, 2024
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Angus Taylor on tax and the economy
In our first podcast of 2024, Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor discusses the tax broken promise, where the economy is heading, falling inflation, and more.
Fri, December 15, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jim Chalmers says Australians will be better off next year
Treasurer Jim Chalmers, overseer of the government's economic policy, joins us on the podcast to talk us about the latest budget numbers, interest rates, changes to the Reserve Bank board, Australia's debt, cost of living measures and more.
Thu, December 07, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Bill Shorten on making the NDIS fit for purpose
Bill Shorten, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Government Services, has released the review of the NDIS, which recommends sweeping changes to the scheme. The reforms to come will see the states take up much of the responsibility for providing services for people with more minor issues, especially children with developmental delays. Shorten joined the podcast to talk about the way ahead for a scheme that has run off the rails and become financially unsustainable.
Fri, December 01, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chris Bowen’s struggle to promote consensus on climate action at COP28
Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy, next week heads to COP28 in Dubai, leading the Australian delegation. He joins the podcast to talk about the meeting, which he hopes will be easier than last year's was.
Wed, November 22, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Greens Barbara Pocock on the quest for greater transparency
Greens Senator Barbara Pocock – who has a background in economics and industrial relations and formerly worked at the Reserve Bank, in the federal public service and as an academic – has been in parliament only since the 2022 election, But she has already made a mark. Pocock has been one of the federal parliamentarians who has been holding the big consultancy firms to account this year. PWC especially has felt the heat over its improper use of confidential government tax information for its commercial gain. The behaviour of the other consultancies has also been under strong scrutiny. Pocock and other members of parliament have shown how the parliamentary committee system can be used to great effect to hold big companies accountable when other avenues fail. In this podcast, the Greens senator talks of the need for action to bring greater transparency.
Wed, November 15, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: James Paterson on the High Court’s decision on detention and rising anti-Semitism
Last week the High Court ruled that holding high-risk asylum seekers in indefinite detention was unconstitutional. As a consequence of the court decision, more than 80 people, some of whom were convicted of serious crimes including murder and rape, have been released. The government is now expected to rush in legislation to deal with the fallout. In this podcast, Liberal senator and Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Cyber Security James Paterson joins The Conversation to discuss the High Court’s ruling, his concerns about increasing anti-Semitism across the country, the rising cyber risks, and Australia’s future relations with China.
Wed, November 08, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Former climate minister Greg Combet on Australia’s mission to reach net-zero
As climate minister in the former Labor government, Greg Combet has endured the rigours of the “climate wars”. He oversaw the highly contentious move to put a price on carbon, which ultimately came to grief under the Abbott government. Fast forward a decade: now Combet has been appointed by Anthony Albanese to chair the government’s new Net-Zero Economy Agency. This agency, due later to become a statutory authority, is described on its website as: responsible for promoting orderly and positive economic transformation across Australia as the world decarbonises, to ensure Australia, its regions and workers realise and share the benefits of the net zero economy. Combet joins The Conversation to discuss the enormous challenges of Australia’s transition to renewable energy, its complications, and what is necessary to achieve our 2030 and 2050 commitments.
Wed, November 01, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Economist Chris Richardson on a likely interest rate rise and the fall in living standards
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a report this week calling on Australia to raise interest rates again, adding to the speculation the Reserve Bank will increase the cash rate on Tuesday. If that happens it will be yet another blow to many household budgets, already under strain from the rises in the prices of food, fuel and power. In this podcast, independent economist Chris Richardson joins The Conversation to discuss the expectations about a rate rise, “sticky” inflation, the fall in the standard of living, the difficulty of the government responding to the cost-of-living crisis, and a bleak prospect as we go into 2024, before we reach some light at the end of a long tunnel.
Wed, October 25, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Don Farrell’s high noon for European free trade deal, and hopes for lobster exports to China
In this podcast, the Minister for Trade and Special Minister of State Don Farrell joins The Conversation to canvass Australia's prospective trade agreement with the EU, relations with China, and electoral reform
Wed, October 25, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Kim Beazley on Albanese’s US trip, Biden in the Middle East, and the Voice’s defeat
The prime minister heads to Washington next week for a state visit. Talks between Anthony Albanese and President Joe Biden will canvass progress on implementing the AUKUS agreement, Ukraine, China and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, and of course the Middle East crisis. Biden will have just returned from his visit to Israel and will brief the PM on the situation, which has worsened by the day. In this podcast, Kim Beazley, defence minister during the Hawke government, former Labor leader, and former Australian ambassador to the US, joins The Conversation to talk about the Albanese visit and the international situation.
Tue, October 10, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Middle East expert Ian Parmeter on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict
Hamas' attack on Israel has unleashed a horrific conflict. Breaking out over the weekend, Palestinians murdered Israeli civilians and are threatening to execute many hostages. Israel countered with mass aerial bombing and has cut off electricity, water and food going into the Gaza Strip. Even against the history of the conflict ridden Middle East, the atrocities we've seen are beyond appalling. The coming days are unpredictable and alarming. In this podcast, expert on the Middle East and former Australian ambassador to Lebanon Ian Parmeter joins The Conversation to analyse the conflict so far; explaining its background and ramifications.
Fri, October 06, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Greens Jordon Steele-John on the disability royal commission and Bill Shorten’s NDIS reforms
The federal government last week released the report of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability , which painted a confronting picture and recorded the calls of disabled people “for a more inclusive Australia”. The commission made more than 220 recommendations, and was conducted at a cost to the taxpayer of $600 million. But commissioners split on the key issues of special schools and group housing for people with disabilities, causing immediate controversy. In this podcast, the Greens spokesman on disability, Jordon Steele-John, who campaigned for the royal commission, joins The Conversation to discuss the report, and also to canvass the NDIS, which is under review in another inquiry.
Fri, September 29, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Treasurer Jim Chalmers on jobs and work
Treasurer Jim Chalmers released his White Paper on employment this week. Its aim is for everyone who wants a job to be able to get one without having to search for too long. The paper says that a surprisingly large number of people are looking for work or for more hours of work, some three million, and that’s when unemployment is at a low 3.7% and we have labour shortages in multiple sectors. In this podcast, Chalmers also canvasses inflation, migration, the cost of living pressures on households and concerns about China’s economy.
Wed, September 27, 2023
Word from The Hill: Assessing Daniel Andrews, the extraordinary Pezzullo story, senators give Qantas chiefs a hard time
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and politics editor Amanda Dunn discuss Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ exit, as well as the revelation of extraordinary texts from leading public servant Mike Pezzullo promoting his views to the Coalition government through a Liberal insider. They also canvass the Senate inquiry into the Qatar Airways saga, with Qantas chairman Richard Goyder and its new CEO Vanessa Hudson given a very hard time by committee members at a hearing on Wednesday.
Thu, September 21, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: ANU Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt on the challenges universities face
Australia’s higher education sector is under heavy scrutiny. Still recovering from the impact of COVID and criticised for its treatment of staff, it faces strong pressures to step up its performance. The government launched a broad review of the sector in late 2022 to inform a Universities Accord. The interim report was released in July , with the full report coming in December. Professor Brian Schmidt, is one of Australia’s most eminent academics, an astrophysicist who shared a Nobel Prize in 2011. Schmidt has been Vice-Chancellor at the Australian National University since 2016, a role he leaves at the end of the year.
Wed, September 13, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Asia expert Richard McGregor on Anthony Albanese’s coming visit to China
Anthony Albanese has now confirmed he’ll be heading to China before the end of the year. He is the first Australian prime minister to visit since 2016, and it is the culmination of an improvement in China-Australia relations since the change of government. In this podcast, we’re joined by Richard McGregor, an expert on China and senior fellow at the Lowy Institute.
Wed, September 06, 2023
Word from The Hill: Danielle Wood to head Productivity Commission, Alan Joyce bows to public anger, PM jets off again
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn discuss the latest national accounts and Jim Chalmers’ announcement that Grattan Institute CEO Danielle Wood will take over as head of the Productivity Commission. The appointment came as a surprise, after Chris Barrett, chosen for the position only recently, decided he had a better offer – he will become head of the Victorian Treasury. They also canvass the QANTAS saga, which has seen its now former CEO Alan Joyce step down earlier than scheduled. The news came amid public anger over its poor customer service, and after the national carrier was taken to court by the consumer watchdog for selling more than 8000 tickets on flights already cancelled. And finally, they discuss Anthony Albanese’s trip to Indonesia for the ASEAN summit, followed by a visit to the Philippines, before he attends the G20 meeting in India.
Wed, August 30, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Battle of The Voice - Yes23 campaign director Dean Parkin and former deputy prime minister John Anderson
October 14, is the day Australians will head to their polling booths to vote for or against an Indigenous Voice being enshrined in the Constitution. Anthony Albanese announced the date in a speech in Adelaide on Wednesday, as politicians across the spectrum and Indigenous “yes” campaign leaders rallied around the country. In this podcast, we are joined by the campaign director for Yes23, Dean Parkin, and former deputy prime minister John Anderson, who sits on the no campaign’s advisory board. We spoke with each of them on the eve of Albanese’s announcement.
Wed, August 23, 2023
Word from The Hill: Date for Voice referendum to be announced on Wednesday
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn discuss the news that the Prime Minister next Wednesday will reveal the date for the Voice referendum. They also canvass the Intergenerational Report, which gazes into the 2060s, as well as Labor's national conference, that endorsed AUKUS. During the conference Anthony Albanese emphasised the importance of the party staying in office to bed down a long term agenda, with the message to the rank and file not to rock the boat.
Thu, August 10, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Labor president Wayne Swan on the party’s coming national conference
Next week the Labor Party will hold its national conference in Brisbane. It’s the first face-to-face conference in five years. These conferences don’t have anything like the bite they once did, but there’s still a chance for the party’s rank and file to have a shout about issues. More than 400 delegates will be there. Most of the delegates are aligned to a faction, and for the first time in decades the left will have the largest slice of the numbers. AUKUS and the Stage 3 tax cuts are expected to be among the hot topics, but the conference will be carefully managed – there will be no defeats for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Ahead of the conference, we have already seen the government change its stance on Palestine, a sensitive subject among the left and right factions of the party. In this podcast we talk with Wayne Swan, the Labor Party National President. Swan was treasurer and deputy prime minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments.
Wed, August 02, 2023
Word from The Hill: Double dissolution hot air, PM dodging Treaty question, Morrison hit with counter punch after Robodebt speech
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn discuss whether there’s much in the PM’s double dissolution threat, and his defensiveness when pressed on Treaty in an ABC interview. As well, they canvass the Reserve Bank’s reprieve for mortgage holders, which will be only small comfort to those coming off fixed rates. Meanwhile in parliament, Scott Morrison’s rejection of the Robodebt royal commission’s findings against him just sparked fresh attacks on him from the government.
Wed, August 02, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: ‘yes’ campaigner Thomas Mayo and ‘no’ advocate Derryn Hinch on the Voice
The Garma Festival is being held over the next few days in Arnhem Land. There will be a great deal of talk this year about the Voice. Anthony Albanese will speak on Saturday, but he won’t announce the date for the referendum. Peter Dutton isn’t attending. Meanwhile in parliament this week the opposition has sought to turn the discussion of the Voice to the issue of treaty, also a feature of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. But the government wants to keep the debate strictly to the Voice, dodging questions about treaty where it can. In this podcast Thomas Mayo, a signatory of the Uluru Statement and one of the leaders of the yes campaign, and Derryn Hinch, former prominent broadcaster and a former crossbench senator, join us to argue for the yes and no sides respectively.
Thu, July 27, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: ACCI Head Andrew McKellar on industrial relations and boosting Australia’s productivity
Australia’s inflation moderated somewhat this week. But in economic terms, there will be more tough months ahead for households and for businesses. Meanwhile, the relationship between business and the Albanese government is somewhat scratchy. From the point of view of business, the Government is delivering to the unions. Business is particularly critical of the Government’s industrial relations changes those already made and those to come. In this weeks podcast, our guest is Andrew McKellar, the chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). He joins us to give a business take on the economy, issues concerning business and relations with the Albanese Government. ACCI describes itself as Australia’s largest and most representative business network, saying it covers businesses “of all shapes and sizes”.
Thu, July 20, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Battle of the Voice – Greens senator Dorinda Cox & Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle
The Voice to Parliament reached another milestone this week, with the official essays for the Yes and No cases published online by the Australian Electoral Commission. These will be sent to all Australian electors in the lead up to the vote, which will be in the last quarter of the year In recent weeks, polls have suggested the “yes” vote is on the slide, and has an uphill battle if it is to be successful. In this podcast, we talk with two Indigenous senators, The Greens’ Dorinda Cox, and Liberal Kerrynne Liddle. Cox is campaigning for the Voice, while Liddle does not believe a Voice will achieve the practical outcomes those in favour are championing.
Wed, July 19, 2023
Word from The Hill: On ditching the Commonwealth Games, the Voice pamphlet, Labor’s factions
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn discuss Premier Dan Andrews’ surprise decision to pull Victoria out of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games. They also canvass the official yes and no cases issued this week for the Voice referendum, and Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh’s strong speech warning of the excessive level of factional control within the Labor Party.
Fri, July 14, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Michele Bullock’s appointment as Reserve Bank Governor
For months, speculation has swirled about the appointment of a new governor of the Reserve Bank, a key position in the management of the Australian economy. The present governor, Philip Lowe, has faced sharp criticism, especially over his prediction interest rates would be held steady until 2024, which proved wrong. It always seemed unlikely he would get another term. Now the government has named his successor – the present deputy governor Michele Bullock. She will be the first woman to hold the position. From the government’s point of view, it is a cautious appointment, signalling both continuity and change. Bullock is of the bank, but she will oversee the reforms that have come out of the review of its operations.
Mon, July 10, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Bill Shorten on Robodebt report’s sealed section, and progress on NDIS reform
The Robodebt royal commission’s report has excoriated a raft of former ministers, especially Scott Morrison, who was a main instigator of the program, as well as public servants who were involved. What we don’t know is who has been referred for prosecution or other action, because the names are in a sealed section of the report. When in opposition, Bill Shorten pursued the scandal, mobilising a class action. Now Shorten is Minister for Government Services, overseeing a department that in an earlier iteration was at the centre of Robodebt. He’s also Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. In this podcast, Shorten joins The Conversation to discuss the aftermath of the royal commission report, and progress in reforming the NDIS.
Thu, July 06, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Author Bruce Wolpe on the “shocking” consequences for Australia of a Trump 24 win
Next year’s American presidential election is shaping up to be extraordinary. Donald Trump is favoured to be the Republican candidate, despite facing multiple charges over removing classified documents. President Joe Biden has indicated he intends to run again, despite the fact he’ll be 82 at the time of the poll and 86 if he completed another four-year term. In this podcast, author Bruce Wolpe - a senior fellow at the United States Centre at the University of Sydney, who previously worked with the Democratic Party in Congress, discusses his new book “Trump’s Australia”. Wolpe argues a second Trump term would have shocking consequences for Australia.
Wed, June 21, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Special Minister of State Don Farrell wants donation and spending caps for next election
The next federal election could be conducted under dramatically reformed electoral laws, with caps on spending and donations, and a much lower disclosure threshold for the disclosure of donations. The changes, being worked up by Special Minister Don Farrell, would also trim the wings of third parties, such as Simon Holmes à Court’s Climate 200. Farrell tells The Conversation’s Politics Podcast he is not waiting for the final report of the parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, which in its interim report has recommended a set of reforms broadly in line with Labor policy. The report was tabled on Monday. Farrell says waiting until the final report comes at the end of the year would make it harder to get legislation in place for the next election, due by May 2025. He will have negotiations over the coming months and wants as much bipartisanship as possible, despite the Coalition opposing key recommendations of the majority report.
Fri, June 16, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Community Independent Dai Le on what voters are saying
For most voters, the cost of living is their major current concern. Rising interest rates and high prices for power, groceries and other necessities are hurting in particular lower and middle income people. Nowhere is this more the case than in Sydney’s western suburbs. Independent Dai Le, who holds the seat of Fowler in Sydney’s west, managed to pull off the unthinkable at last year’s federal election. Le, who financed her campaign with a very modest budget, defeated Labor’s Kristina Keneally, who was attempting to move from the Senate to the lower house. Fowler has traditionally been Labor heartland. Le is the first non-Labor MP to represent the area, one of Australia’s most multicultural electorates.
Thu, June 08, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Industry minister Ed Husic on the artificial intelligence revolution
Artificial intelligence is a challenging policy area that’s moving towards the centre stage of public and government attention. Some experts emphasise the immense potential of AI, while others are deeply troubled about the ramifications the technology may have on humans. AI has the potential to open up employment opportunities, but also to replace many jobs. The Albanese government has recently begun consultations as it formulates a policy for seeking to ensure AI technology is both safe and responsible. In this podcast, Ed Husic, the minister for industry and science, who is overseeing the AI policy development process, joins us to talk about this new frontier.
Thu, June 01, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Liberal MP Bridget Archer urges other moderates to speak up as she presses for party change
The Coalition’s decision to oppose the Voice to Parliament has put its moderate members in a jam. Some moderates are active yes advocates, while others are trying to keep low profiles. Bridget Archer, the outspoken Liberal MP for Bass, is a vocal yes campaigner. More generally, she is also taking a lead in urging the Liberal party to undertake root-and-branch reform. Archer is pushing for extensive change in a party that is electorally on the ropes, out of office everywhere except her home state of Tasmania. Since entering parliament in 2019, Archer has crossed the floor on 27 occasion to vote against her party. She admits there are those colleagues who avoid her, but says her decisions are always based on what is in the best interest of her community, and argues the strength of the Liberal Party historically has been for members to be able to sometimes disagree and to do so respectfully.
Thu, May 25, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Labor’s Julian Hill on employment, AI, Julian Assange and TikTok
The federal budget gave a much-needed, but very modest, increase to those on JobSeeker and associated payments. However, it didn’t address that other important issue of the unemployed: how to help as many JobSeekers as possible to get into work, whether full- or part-time. This will be canvassed in the government’s coming white paper on employment. It’s already, however, before a parliamentary inquiry into employment services. In this podcast, Julian Hill, the Labor member for Bruce, who chairs that inquiry, joins us to discuss the job market and getting people into work. Hill has also been actively working for Julian Assange’s release from London’s maximum-security Belmarsh Prison. And he boasts a huge following on TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media platform, which is banned on official government devices.
Thu, May 18, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Greens Max Chandler-Mather on the housing fund, rent freezes and migration
The government’s planned Housing Australia Future Fund has hit a roadblock. Legislation for the $10 billion fund – the returns on which would be used to build social and affordable housing – is being blocked by an unusual alliance of the Coalition and the Greens. Max Chandler-Mather, who won the seat of Griffith in Brisbane from Labor’s Terri Butler, has been under personal attack by the government. Labor leader in the Senate Penny Wong accused him of ego-stroking, and the prime minister suggested he was hypocritical for wanting more social housing while opposing a developments in his electorate. Why is a party that has championed more social and affordable housing opposing an initiative to get more housing into the market? In this podcast, Chandler-Mather says: “Our criticisms are twofold"
Wed, May 10, 2023
The day after the night before - Chalmers and Taylor on the budget
Will the budget make inflation worse? Are its boosts to welfare payments just the first step for the Labor government? Could the projected one-off surplus be followed by another one or more? What (if any) of the budget measures will the Coalition oppose? There’s quite a bit about this budget that, as the saying goes, “only time will tell”. In this podcast, Treasurer Jim Chalmers defends his budget from those economists who claim it will be inflationary, and strongly rejects suggestions it doesn’t have much for middle income Australians struggling with rising mortgage payments. Chalmers also promises that, given the current tight labour market, a priority in coming months will be finding ways to help more of the long-term unemployed into jobs. Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor lists some of the measures the opposition supports but will not commit on the changes to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax, despite the sector’s benign attitude to the cautious revamp.
Wed, May 03, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: NDIA chair Kurt Fearnley on ‘fundamental’ reform of the disability scheme
The federal government is trying to contain the exploding cost of the landmark National Disability Insurance Scheme – especially difficult given the fears of vulnerable people who rely on it. National cabinet’s decision last week to aim to reduce the cost increase from the current 14% annually down to 8% by 2026 received a sharp reaction from disability advocates. This financial year the NDIS will cost more than $35 billion, two thirds paid by the federal government. The government has flagged areas for change and there is also a review being done. In this podcast, former Paralympian Kurt Fearnley, chair of the National Disability Insurance Authority, which implements the scheme, discusses its issues and the road ahead.
Thu, April 20, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Labor MP Marion Scrymgour on her yes campaign trail, and reinstating the CDP
With the Liberal Party formally opposing the Voice, Peter Dutton last week kicked off his “no” campaign in Alice Springs. His claim that child sexual abuse is rife was quickly under attack from the government and others who accused him of politicking, using the issue as a political football. Marion Scrymgour, a former deputy chief minister in the Northern Territory, is the federal Labor member for the seat of Lingiari, an electorate covering almost all the NT outside Darwin. Scrymgour says Dutton is taking up the same theme as was heard in the Northern Territory intervention. “The same campaign that was done to justify the intervention is the same campaign that’s been happening with the Leader of the Opposition.
Wed, April 12, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Professor Marcia Langton on the Voice’s powers and potential
Professor Marcia Langton holds the Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne, and was co-author (with Professor Tom Calma) of the Indigenous Voice Co-design Process report to the Morrison government. She has been a fighter for rights and progress for Indigenous Australians for decades, and she’s one of those at the centre of the yes campaign for the Voice. Her own voice is always forthright and formidable. Langton admits she isn’t “entirely confident” where the referendum stands at the moment but is more positive as the debate continues. “I’ve been gauging the response of the general public by reading a lot and having a look at the social media, and I think most people can see that this is a very simple and modest proposition and that it will make a difference. And what I’m seeing more and more is most people realising, yes, well, why don’t Indigenous people have a say about policies and the laws that affect them? "They realise when they think about it that this has gone on for too long, where all of these laws and policies that seem to be universally ineffective in closing the gap, and causing more suffering, have been imposed on us by non-Indigenous people. […] I think most people are still very embarrassed about the Northern Territory intervention initiated by John Howard.”
Thu, April 06, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Simon Birmingham on the Voice, Aston, the Liberals, Uranium
The Liberals have formally decided to oppose the Voice. Peter Dutton has declared he will campaign against it, a high risk strategy when polls are showing a majority of Australians currently support a “yes” vote. Noel Pearson was scathing of the Liberal Party, calling the decision not to support the Voice “a Judas betrayal of our country”. Moderate Liberal MP Bridget Archer will campaign for the “yes” case. In this podcast, Michelle Grattan and Senator Simon Birmingham, leader of the opposition in the senate, and one of the few remaining moderates in the party, discuss the Voice, the Aston byelection defeat and “where to now?” for the Liberal Party.
Tue, March 28, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Lambie urges return of former employment program for Indigenous communities
Senator Lidia Thorpe’s defection from the Greens changed the power dynamic in the Senate. Now the government needs two crossbenchers (and the Greens) to pass legislation opposed by the Coalition. Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie and her colleague Tammy Tyrrell can provide those two votes, which puts them in a potentially strong bargaining position. Lambie has never been afraid to call things how she see’s them. She recently visited Alice Springs and urged the situation needed some “tough love”. In this podcast Lambie urges a return to the old Community Development Employment Projects program for Indigenous communities. Under the CDEP people exchanged unemployment benefits for work and training managed by a local Indigenous community organisations. “I don’t know how many of these places I’ve visited in the Indigenous communities over the last nine years where they just so much praise that old jobs program.”
Thu, March 23, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Michael Brennan on Australia’s parlous productivity growth
The Productivity Commission’s nine-volume report has a tough central message. It says productivity policy has to focus on the areas that have proven the hardest in the past, rather than those where previously progress has been most readily achieved. One key take from the report is that Australia is performing poorly in growing its productivity. The commission makes recommendations across the policy spectrum, from education and health through workplace relations and migration to data and technology. It points to the difficulty of improving productivity in the public sector, and more generally to the complexities, now that we have become predominantly a services economy. In this podcast, Michelle Grattan discusses the blueprint for reform with commission chair, Michael Brennan.
Thu, March 16, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Antony Green, Professor Andy Marks and Ashleigh Raper on the NSW election
Voters in New South Wales are heading to the polling booths on March 25. For both Premier Dominic Perrottet and Labor leader Chris Minns, it is their first election as leader. The Coalition government has held power since 2011. Labor needs to gain a net nine seats to form majority government. If Labor wins, the party will be in power in every state and territory except Tasmania. There are 10 seats in this election that are on a margin of less than 6%, including Minns’ seat of Kogarah on 0.1%. In several contests the fate of “teal’ candidates will be watched. Spending and donation caps, and optional preferential voting make the teals’ path to victory more difficult than in the federal election. In this podcast, Michelle Grattan speaks with Antony Green, the ABC’s election analyst, Professor Andy Marks, from the University of Western Sydney, and Ashleigh Raper, the ABC’s NSW state political reporter.
Wed, March 08, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chair of Retirement Income Review, Mike Callaghan, on reforming superannuation
Treasurer Jim Chalmers sparked a political row when he announced a tax hike on superannuation concessions for accounts with balances over $3 million, from 15% to 30%, to begin in 2025. Polling indicates the move has broad support from the public, although any change to super is always controversial. Opposition leader Peter Dutton has promised the change would be reversed by a Coalition government. Mike Callaghan, a former treasury official, chaired the Retirement Income Review that was handed to the Morrison government in 2020. Callaghan sees the Chalmers’ change to super as “an important step”.
Tue, February 28, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Greens leader Adam Bandt on trying to force Labor’s hand on reform
Adam Bandt aspired to power-sharing with a Labor government. That was never going to happen but, possessing the major slice of the balance of power in the Senate, the Greens have considerable potential muscle – at least in theory. In this podcast, we get a glimpse of the gap between Greens leader Adam Bandt’s aspiration for ambitious reforms and the reality that the government is only giving concessions at the edges to the minor party. “There’s a capacity for this to be a golden era of reform in this parliament,” Bandt says. “For us to pass laws that tackle the climate crisis and to protect the environment. That tackle the cost of living crisis.
Wed, February 22, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Frank Brennan on rewording Voice question
Frank Brennan has been involved over decades in the big debates in Indigenous affairs. A Jesuit priest and an academic expert on the constitution, Brennan has advocated for recognising First Nations peoples in that document. But he has concerns about the breadth of Anthony Albanese’s proposed referendum question, arguing its reference to the Voice making representations to executive government raises the prospect of many legal challenges. This issue of the potential for legal challenges is one that divides legal experts, with a number of authorities maintaining there is no problem. In this podcast, Brennan elaborates on why he believes the referendum question should be reworded and the form he thinks the question should take.
Thu, February 16, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Kate Chaney on life as a teal MP
Kate Chaney was one of half a dozen new “teal” MPs elected to parliament last year, winning the previously solid Liberal seat of Curtin in Western Australia. “It’s been a fascinating and steep learning curve over the last eight months,” Chaney tells the podcast. “As a crossbencher, you really have to think very carefully about how you vote on every piece of legislation and try as much as possible to connect with community and ensure that those votes are informed by community.” Against the background of the stoush between fellow teal Monique Ryan and a staffer over long hours, Chaney says the workload is massive. “It’s definitely challenging trying to get across all of the legislation with only one personal staff member [working on legislation]. I do think that challenge is quite different to the work of a backbencher in a party. I have been very lucky to find [staff] who are passionately engaged and have experience that has made them very well-suited for the job while still bringing a freshness to it.”
Tue, February 07, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Senator Malarndirri McCarthy on Alice Springs and the Voice
In this podcast, Michelle talks with Malarndirri McCarthy, Labor senator for the Northern Territory and Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians. McCarthy is a former journalist and also served in the territory parliament, including as minister for children and families.
Mon, January 30, 2023
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Treasurer Jim Chalmers answers critics of his ‘values-based capitalism’
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has rejected as “laughable” criticism he has turned his back on the Hawke-Keating reform era in his blueprint for “values-based capitalism”. In this podcast Chalmers also reveals he spoke with Paul Keating while writing of the essay, published in The Monthly. “Capitalism after the crises” looks at Australia’s future following three international crises: the GFC, the pandemic, and the current energy and inflation shock. Chalmers advocates government-private co-investment, the renovation of the Reserve Bank and the Productivity Commission, and improving the functioning of markets. Critics have labelled his values-based capitalism highly intervention, and counter to the direction of the reforms Bob Hawke and Keating implemented.
Fri, December 16, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Albanese flags new progress in China relationship ’in coming weeks’
In this, our last podcast for 2022, we talk with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. We spoke to each of them on the day the parliament was back to pass the energy package. Albanese, who met Chinese President Xi Jinping during the recent summit season, reveals he anticipates a further positive development in China's relationship with Australia within weeks. Asked whether he expected some relaxation of China's trade restrictions on Australia any time soon, he said: "I'm hopeful that any of the barriers to normal economic activity are removed and that we have stronger economic relations. "China is our major economic partner and I think in coming weeks you will see further measures and activities which indicate a much improved relationship, which is in the interests of both of our countries, but importantly as well is in the interests of peace and security in the region."
Wed, December 07, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Energy crisis has ‘badly damaged’ social licence of coal and gas
Australians are currently confronting a cost of living crisis that includes soaring energy prices. Ministers have been working for weeks on a strategy to contain the prices of coal and gas, driven up by the fallout from the Ukraine war. It’s the toughest, most complicated policy issue so far faced by Anthony Albanese, and it’s involved some head-butting with the NSW and Queensland governments. In this podcast, we talk with Professor Bruce Mountain, Director of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre at Victoria University, about this energy policy conundrum, and the attempt to deal with it by price caps. Mountain says: “One of the great difficulties in capping wholesale coal or gas prices is there’s no guarantee that that will impact the price of electricity. There’s a long chain to be followed between a wholesale cap on coal or gas and the price that the customer pays.”
Tue, November 29, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Niki Savva on her book Bulldozed, Scott Morrison and the Liberals’ woes
Six months after Scott Morrison was ousted, he remains a centre of attention, with parliament set to censure him on Wednesday over his multi-ministry power grab. In exquisite timing, journalist Niki Savva’s book Bulldozed is released this week. It documents Morrison’s style, which eventually shocked even those closest to him in government. “He’s a very secretive character. He’s distrustful. He’s a control freak. He’s a bully. He’s stubborn. He doesn’t listen to anyone,” Savva says. “And he was, as Alex Hawke [former minister and a Morrison numbers man] has said on the record, addicted to executive authority. He liked to be in absolute control, taking every decision but not taking responsibility for every decision.” Savva says Hawke believed Morrison was frightened of a leadership challenge. “Alex Hawke […] believed Morrison was panic stricken by the thought that both left and right were out to get him. And although he was worried about Frydenberg, he was more worried about Dutton. He thought that there would be a move initiated by Frydenberg and then Dutton would come through the middle.”
Wed, November 23, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: ’Teal’ Monique Ryan on the Victorian election and six months in parliament
The Australian National University Dictionary Centre has just announced its word of the year is “teal”. Senior researcher Mark Gwynn described it as an “easy choice”. “The colour came to represent a movement of independent and strong female voices taking on the establishment.” Monique Ryan, the member for the Melbourne seat of Kooyong, is the giant slayer of the movement, having defeated former treasurer Josh Frydenberg. “It’s fascinating that the now the word ‘teals’ is now a noun that everyone recognises,” she says. “That was not the case a year ago.
Thu, November 17, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Tim Colebatch, Kos Samaras and Sumeyya Ilanbey on the Victorian Election
Victorians go to the polls on November 26, with the Andrews government seeking a third term. Labor is the clear favourite, but it is under pressure in a number of seats. The premier is a polarising figure, especially (although not only) as a result of the trials Melburnians endured with the prolonged harsh lockdowns during COVID. Victoria will be a fresh test of what we saw in the federal poll – the disillusionment of many voters with the major parties.
Thu, November 10, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Karen Andrews on the Medibank hack, visa scams, and winning back women voters
Karen Andrews is the former home affairs minister and now shadows that portfolio, which includes cyber-security. With Australians shocked by hackers starting to post Medibank data on the dark web, in this podcast Andrews calls on the health insurer to provide more information. “There are some very serious questions that need to be put to Medibank about what it actually did.” “They have sustained incredible reputational damage. The only way that I can see forward for them to be able to improve their public standing is to be very clear and open about what happened, why it happened, and what they are doing to assist their customers".
Wed, November 02, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Energy expert Bruce Mountain on what to do about the gas crisis
The aftermath of the Albanese government’s first budget has seen the political and policy debate turn sharply onto the spectre of households and businesses facing sky-high power prices over the next 18 months. The government is now scrambling to craft a policy to bring the domestic price of gas down. In this podcast, Michelle Grattan talks with Professor Bruce Mountain, Director of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre at Victoria University, about this power price crisis, and the options available to deal with what he calls “a weeping sore”. Mountain offers four key ways to address gas policy.
Wed, October 26, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan:Jim Chalmers, Angus Taylor and Danielle Wood on the budget
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says of his first budget: “Inflation is the dragon we need to slay”. Chalmers’ worry about inflation was reinforced by Wednesday’s release of the September quarter CPI, which showed inflation at 7.3%. In this podcast, we talk to Chalmers, shadow treasurer Angus Taylor, and the head of the Grattan Institute Danielle Wood. Among the topics we canvass are the budget’s broad fiscal settings, the huge increases in power prices it forecasts, the pressures for tax and spending reforms in future budgets, the government’s housing initiative, and the implications of the childcare policy for women’s workforce participation.
Thu, October 13, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Rod Sims on tax reform and the gas price crisis
The government has flirted with, and now ruled out, changing the Stage 3 tax cut in the October 25 budget, which appears set to be dominated by some deep spending cuts. In the longer term, however, debate will continue over the need to reform Australia's tax system, as the calls on revenue to finance big programs increase. Meanwhile, the government is locked in a battle to get high domestic gas prices down, with its light touch policy towards the gas producers not having much impact. In this podcast, Michelle Grattan talks with Rod Sims, former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and now a professor at the Australian National University's Crawford School for Public Policy, on tax, gas and privatisation.
Thu, October 06, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Bill Shorten on NDIS reform and the Optus fallout
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a landmark reform of the last decade. But while delivering much benefit, it has operational problems and its cost has escalated dramatically – currently around $30 billion annually, there have been suggestions it could reach $60 billion. The scheme looms as one of the major pressures on the Albanese government’s budgets in coming years. In this podcast, Michelle Grattan talks with Bill Shorten, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Minister for Government Services about the issues around the scheme and the reforms needed to improve its operation and contain its cost.
Thu, September 29, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on the National Anti-Corruption Commission
The government has introduced its legislation for the National Anti-Corruption Commission, which has received the endorsement of opposition leader Peter Dutton and so is assured of passage through parliament. But critics are unhappy that its public hearings will be limited to when there are “exceptional circumstances”. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus in this podcast strongly rejects the argument this is too high a hurdle. The government has yet to nominate a head of the powerful new body, and Dreyfus says it is open to suggestions. Asked if he has anyone particularly in mind he says, “No I do not. […] We’re going to be trying to find someone who’s eminent, who has a real standing in the community.” On the question of so-called “grey corruption”, notably misuse of ministerial discretion in grants schemes, Dreyfus stresses it will be completely up to the commission to decide what might justify investigation.
Fri, September 23, 2022
Ukraine ambassador urges Australian embassy in Kyiv to reopen ASAP
The Ukraine conflict has escalated this week, with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announcing a partial military mobilisation and once again raising the threat of nuclear weapons. Meanwhile Ukraine has been pressing Australia to provide another 30 Bushmasters, after those already helping the war effort are proving very effective. In this podcast Ukraine’s ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko urges the Albanese government to reopen Australia’s embassy in his country as soon as possible. “By now 60 different countries have sent their embassies and ambassadors back to Kyiv. And I think it’s important for Australia to go back because if Bruce Edwards [the ambassador, now stationed in Poland] is on the ground, he’s capable of meeting people there and interacting with the minister of defence, with the minister of foreign affairs, with other stakeholders in Ukraine, to provide a better feedback to Canberra.”
Thu, September 15, 2022
Professor Joseph Ibrahim on COVID in aged care - and the end of nursing homes
Joseph Ibrahim, Professor and Head, Health Law and Ageing Research Unit, Monash University, specialises in aged care issues. He has been a long-term advocate for improving the quality of life for those in residential care and for reform of the sector. In this podcast, Ibrahim says currently COVID in aged care facilities is going largely unnoticed in the media. “If you have a look into the media coverage it would seem that it’s not a problem at all. [But] COVID deaths are far greater than at any time in the last two to three years”. While the vaccines have helped get things under control, the absence of restrictions is seeing infection rates at an all-time high. Ibrahim believes there should be a more tailored approach to outbreaks at facilities, depending on the circumstances.
Thu, September 08, 2022
Simon Holmes à Court on ’community candidates’ and two state elections
Simon Holmes à Court and his Climate 200, the body that provided funding for “teal” and some other independent candidates who promoted action on climate change, integrity and women’s issues, had great success at the federal election. But will community candidates become a big force in November’s Victorian poll and the March NSW election? In this podcast, Holmes à Court talks about the “enthusiasm” from the community independents movement about the desertion by voters of the major parties, and the mobilisation already under way in various areas to get behind candidates. But he stresses there will be new challenges to face in the two state campaigns. A major one is the more restrictive arrangements around funding, compared with the federal election. Community independents in the state elections will target frustrations in their local areas, but climate change and integrity will be strong themes of their campaigns. “In Victoria, our polling shows that climate is very high [in voters’ minds] and people are frustrated with the pace of change in some of the Andrews government’s actions there - we have the dirtiest grid in the country and a less certain plan for phasing out coal than New South Wales, for example”. Federally, teal candidates ran in Liberal seats. In Victoria, where there is a long-time Labor government, can we expect to see strong community independents also in Labor seats? “There is talk in Victoria that there might be some independents or minor parties challenging more in the outer suburbs and putting a lot of heat on the Andrews government, responding to the frustrations in those communities.”
Tue, August 30, 2022
Treasurer Chalmers on boosting migration and a ’resilience’ budget
For Treasurer Jim Chalmers, this week's jobs and skills summit is the prelude to what will be his main game, the October budget. The summit, to be held in Canberra on Thursday and Friday, still has many moving parts, notably in the intense debate we're hearing about what changes should be made to the wages system. But Chalmers can already welcome "a broad appetite" for raising permanent migration from the present cap of 160,000.
Thu, August 25, 2022
David Littleproud on charting his course in opposition
David Littleproud runs his own race. In opposition he’s Nationals leader first and Coalitionist second. Thus he was quick out of the blocks criticising Scott Morrison’s power grab, and when Peter Dutton rejected an invitation to next week’s jobs and skills summit, Littleproud said he wanted to go. In this Podcast Littleproud says about the government’s planned inquiry into Morrison’s actions: “I’m happy to work within whatever the constraints of what the government decides, that’s their prerogative. But it just seems to me this has now become an obsession of Anthony Albanese.” Of the conflicting signals from the opposition about the jobs summit, Littleproud says: “We’re two separate parties. I represent the National Party and Peter Dutton represents the Liberal Party. He made a decision on behalf of the Liberal Party that he would not attend.” He’s scathing that the Nationals were not originally invited. “The fact that this government didn’t even bother to ask anyone from regional and rural Australia to represent their interests was a failing to start with.”
Tue, August 23, 2022
Word from The Hill: Morrison faces inquiry into how he flouted responsible government
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast, politics editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss the solicitor-general’s advice on Scott Morrison’s secret appointment to multiple ministries, which flouted “responsible government”. Morrison’s action will now be scrutinised by an inquiry. They also canvass next week’s jobs and skills summit, where the government will be seeking agreement on immigration and improving industrial relations.
Thu, August 18, 2022
Crossbencher Helen Haines on Morrison and integrity
The revelation that Scott Morrison secretly had himself appointed to five separate portfolios has triggered widespread outrage, just when the broader question of integrity has been a big political issue. In this podcast, Michelle Grattan speaks with Independent member for Indi Helen Haines, who has pushed for a national integrity commission. Such a body will soon be legislated by the Albanese government. Haines strongly condemns Morrison’s behaviour, although she doesn’t see it as the sort of matter that would go to an integrity commission. “It doesn’t appear apparent to me that there are questions here of corruption. But we don’t know really what motivated the prime minister to keep all of this a secret.” Haines says an Anti-Corruption Commission needs to have the capacity to investigate what has been dubbed “grey” corruption, such as jobs for the boys and pork barrelling. She argues that “public money being spent for political gain through so-called rorting or pork barrelling is potentially corruption.” “These bodies are seeking to stamp out corruption and they are seeking to shine a light in dark places. Now, in shining that light, they may well determine that there’s nothing to be seen. "But on the other hand, they may well find that there are practices which have been accepted as kind of matey and okay that in fact lead to poor governance, that lead to poor public policy, that lead to an erosion of trust in our leaders.” “There needs to be a pathway that communities can see is fair and just. [So] that if you need a hospital in your electorate (as indeed I do), if you need new roads or a bridge or whatever it might be, that there’s a clear pathway to applying for those funds, putting forward a case, and a legitimate system that shows where you are in the queue to achieving the infrastructure that you need in your community.” In her maxim for integrity in politics, Haines says politicians need to “be what you want to see.”
Tue, August 16, 2022
On Scott Morrison’s bizarre power grab
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast, politics editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss this week’s revelations that former prime minster Scott Morrison had himself secretly sworn into five different portfolios. They talk about the criticisms some are making of Governor-General David Hurley for his role, and the political fallout which has seen one Liberal frontbencher, Karen Andrews, saying Morrison should leave parliament.
Thu, August 11, 2022
How far will China go? La Trobe’s Nick Bisley says China’s ’risk appetite’ has gone up
The Chinese reaction to United States Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Taiwan visit further escalated tensions in our region, as China becomes more bellicose in language and action. On Wednesday, China's Ambassador Xiao Qian spoke at the National Press Club. He talked about wanting a positive relationship between Australia and China, while reiterating China's uncompromising line towards Taiwan, and giving a chilling prediction of what the Taiwanese would be in for post reunification. "The least thing we are ready to do is use force. That is one of the reasons why China has been so patient for several decades. [...] We're waiting for a peaceful unification. But [...] we can never rule out the option to use other means [...] when compelled, we are ready to use all necessary means." “My personal understanding is that once Taiwan is united, come back to the motherland, there might be process for the people in Taiwan to have a correct understanding of China.” In this podcast, Michelle Grattan speaks with Nick Bisley, Professor of International Relations at La Trobe University, an expert in Asian foreign relations and Australia's foreign and defence policy. Bisley says "what we are probably entering into, at least for the next few months, is a period of much sharply-heightened instability and military kind of friction in and around Taiwan". "China has made very clear for decades now that under certain circumstances it would use military force to deal with what it sees as a rogue province. And those circumstances are largely around a unilateral declaration of independence by Taiwan or some other really significant move away from the old status quo." "I think what what we see out of this crisis is that China's risk appetite has gone up and its willingness to put up with what it sees as kind of provocations has gone down. "So the likelihood of them using military force to coerce Taiwan – it's not going to happen this year or next year, but its likelihood of occurring in the next four to five years has distinctly increased." On whether there is the likelihood of a conflict between China and the US as tensions between the two nations continue to rise, "the constraints that domestic politics puts on each side means that we could end up in a situation where they are backed into a corner and find that there's few ways out other than some kind of military action, which then escalates." But "if there is a proper conflict between the US and China, everyone loses pretty significantly." "When we look back in February 2022, thinking about what Putin would do in relation to Ukraine, we all thought he's not going to do a full-blown invasion. It doesn't make any sense. It's not in his interest to do so. I think we've always thought that about Taiwan. It's just not in the US's interest to do the full-blown military operation. And the lesson has got to be from Ukraine, is that sometimes rationali
Wed, August 03, 2022
Tom Calma on the Indigenous Voice to parliament
The Albanese government has released the draft wording for enshrining an Indigenous Voice to parliament in the constitution. Anthony Albanese is making a referendum a priority but history tells us how hard these are to pass. Tom Calma, Chancellor of the University of Canberra, has been a leading participant in Indigenous affairs for many years. He and professor Marcia Langton prepared a report for the Morrison government on the Voice. They recommended a Voice structure involving local and regional levels as well as the national level. The Albanese government has not spelled out a detailed model for the Voice it proposes, but the extensive consultations Calma and Langton undertook produced insights that will help shape the conversations ahead. “We’ve got to understand that when we talk about the Voice through referendum changes to the Australian constitution, [it] is only about Commonwealth legislation and not about state and territory legislation,” Calma tells the podcast. He says during the consultation process, people said “we support a national voice, but don’t forget us at the local and regional level, because that’s where all the action takes place”. “When we look at education, employment, health service delivery, all of that takes place under a state or territory jurisdictional level, supplemented by funding from the Commonwealth. It’s administered through the states and territories by and large.” Calma says regional groups could “do the canvassing of the membership and push that up to the national-level voice”. “There needs to be these other regional level arrangements and all the [federal] government needs to do is to agree to that – and then the dialogue can start with the states and territory governments to build up what form it might take. "But none of this is coming out cold because in every state and territory, they’ve already got some form of arrangement. And this is really about saying, how do we maximise the impact of the current arrangements, give them a secretariat, give them some guidance and support and make it an inclusive body?”. The proposed Voice, Calma stresses, “is about giving an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person’s perspective on that new legislation. But it has no other authority to veto or to direct politicians on how to think. This is only an advisory body and to make comment, so we have formal input by Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander people into legislation that most affects us.” Calma says Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people “don’t always speak with the same voice and we all have different experiences, we represent different demographics and so forth.” He rejects the argument that a Voice isn’t needed because there are 11 Indigenous members of the federal parliament. “We can’t expect that the elected politicians […] are going to be able to give a view for all Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.” “
Tue, August 02, 2022
Peter Dutton puts nuclear power on opposition’s agenda
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast, politics editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle canvass Tuesday's decision by the Reserve Bank to raise the cash rate again, by 50 basis points to 1.85%. They also talk about Peter Dutton's announcement that the opposition will inquire into nuclear power, in a contentious decision as it looks to crafting an energy policy for the next election. Most immediately, the Coalition will vote against the government's legislation for its 43% 2030 emissions reduction target. The vote in the House of Representatives will be this week. Meanwhile, after Anthony Albanese's weekend Garma speech, attention this week also turned to the proposed referendum to put into the constitution an Indigenous "Voice" to parliament.
Tue, July 26, 2022
Is Morrison’s absence from parliament disrespectful to his voters?
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. Politics editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle talk about the opening of the 47th Parliament, the prospects for the climate legislation that seeks to enshrine the 43% emissions reduction target, and Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ economic statement, which will come hard on the heels of another bad inflation number. They also ask: should Scott Morrison be in the House this week?
Wed, July 13, 2022
Health Minister Mark Butler warns COVID wave will worsen
With COVID cases surging in a new wave and half the winter still ahead, the news from Health Minister Mark Butler isn’t good. “We haven’t reached the peak of the wave yet,” he tells the podcast. “Case numbers are going to continue to climb over the coming weeks […] and as a result, hospitalisations are going to continue to climb as well.” The response, he says, is “a question of balance”. People accept “that wearing a mask does reduce transmission”, but “we’re not going to move into lockdowns. We’re not going to see very broad-based mandates or government orders.” Health authorities, as much as political leaders, recognise that “to get a balanced community response, you need to have a mix of targeted mandates”. “We’ve had them all through the course of this year. So, for example, visitors to aged care facilities, to health facilities, public transport, aeroplanes – either where there is very high risk of transmission or where there is a population at high risk of severe illness.” “You will continue to see those targeted mandates, I think, for some time. But beyond that, there is really strong advice, clear advice given to people about about using the common sense lessons that we’ve learnt over the last couple of years.” “What we don’t want to end up with is a position where the community thinks government is being heavy handed or just continuing a situation which the community tolerated very well over [..] the first two years of the pandemic, but I think is starting to reach the end of their tether about.” He defends not extending payments to workers forced to stay at home with COVID. “They are hard decisions for government not to continue those emergency payments. But as a number of us, from the Prime Minister to the Treasurer and myself, have made clear over the last few days, we’ve taken the hard view that we simply can’t continue emergency payments, very expensive emergency payments, forever with the budget that’s one trillion dollars in debt.” “We’ve all hoped and maybe concluded that maybe this thing’s over. And every time that’s been the case, this virus has mutated again. It’s become more infectious. It keeps coming back. And so we are moving into a different phase of the pandemic where we recognise that the virus is endemic in Australia. It’s deeply established. We’ve got millions of people [who] have had it, hundreds of thousands of people have it today. And we need to find a response to the pandemic that reflects that, that we have moved out of an emergency phase.” The pandemic has put huge pressure on already faltering hospital systems. “We are going to have to have a good, long, hard talk to states about the position of the hospital system. The head of Prime Minister and Cabinet and his colleagues that head the premiers’ departments, are working on that right now.” “But we also need to recognise that a lot of the pressure on our hospitals reflect
Tue, July 12, 2022
‘Pandemic fatigue’ takes its toll of mandates and even the expert health advice
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. Politics editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss the rising number of COVID cases, and state governments’ reluctance to bring back mandates such as for mask-wearing. These governments know many of the public have COVID fatigue, when it comes to restrictions. And even the “health advice” doesn’t count for quite what it used to. Amanda and Michelle also canvass the challenges of the Albanese government’s September 1-2 jobs summit. More immediately, there is the Prime Minister’s latest foreign summitry, in Fiji, where he will be attending the Pacific Islands Forum.
Wed, July 06, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jason Clare on Australia’s education challenges
New Education Minister Jason Clare is travelling the country taking soundings in the education sector. This, he says, is “the best way to get across this big, vast portfolio that stretches from the education of our youngest children right through to the incredible work our brilliant postgraduate people are doing in our universities. "What am I hearing? What am I learning? I get the impression that a lot of people are desperate for re-engagement with the government.” Outlining his plans for an Australian Universities Accord, Clare says there’s a desire for the government “to work with our universities, not just our vice-chancellors, but everybody who works in our universities and harness all of the skills and expertise that sit within our universities. I don’t think we do enough of that.” One of Clare’s main imperatives is to address equity issues. “It’s in our collective interest as a country to make sure that more people – wherever they live, whether their skin is black or white, whether their parents are rich or poor – get access to university, and when they get there that they stay there and get a qualification.” He strongly argues that “there’s more work we need to do in helping young people get access to university. "I’m conscious […] that all the answers don’t lie at the front door of the university. The work that we do long before someone is old enough to go to university – that’s critical here. But universities can help answer this question too. What are the things we do from the age a child is born and until they’re five, that set them up for success? Because if we narrow the gap in opportunity there, the impact will be enormous come university.” The COVID pandemic has had a major impact on Australia’s international education program. “International education was crushed by the pandemic - when the borders shut, that shut out students.” Australia’s international education program is “an incredible national asset, extraordinarily important for the Australian economy. Before the pandemic [it was] something like $40 billion. [It’s] now about half that. We’ve got to rebuild it. It’s important not just because of the money it makes us, but because of the goodwill that it provides for us.” There is currently a “backlog of visa applications. International students [are] hungry to get back to study here in Australia, particularly ahead of semester two. And there’s work that we need to do there to assist in that processing task.” One of the most pressing issues in education is the teacher shortage, which includes the challenge of retention, “It’s about what we do to encourage people to stay being teachers. In all of the conversations I’ve had with educators, they’ve made this point to me time and time again - that people are feeling burnt out mid-career and that they’re hanging up the boots and leaving teaching. We’re expecting the shortage of teachers to get worse and
Tue, July 05, 2022
People’s pockets hit again, with rate rise and floods set to boost veggie prices
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. Michelle and Peter Browne from the Politics + Society team discuss Anthony Albanese's visit to Ukraine, and the desirability of Australia reopening its embassy there as soon as it can. More generally, Australia's diplomatic presence has slipped and needs to be beefed up. With the PM now home, he's off to the flood affected areas of NSW. Labor has learned from the former government's experience, and has acted quickly to get in resources, seeking to avoid the criticism Scott Morrison faced in the earlier floods. Meanwhile the Reserve Bank has again increased interest rates, with the cash rate rising by half a percentage point. Also hitting people's pockets – the latest floods will have some impact on fresh food prices.
Wed, June 29, 2022
Parliamentary ‘newbies’ inspect their workplace, with some complaints
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. Michelle and Peter Browne from the Politics + Society team discuss Anthony Albanese’s weighing a Ukraine visit and whether Australia will announce more support for that country and reopen its embassy there. They also canvass the just-released Lowy Institute’s poll, which found a narrow majority of Australians support increased defence spending, and Defence Minister Richard Marles’ announcement extending the terms of the military’s top brass. Meanwhile Parliament House has been like the first week of school, with new MPs being briefed on how the place works. Crossbenchers are in a row with the government over Albanese’s plan to cut back the additional staff they will get, above the entitlement of government and opposition backbenchers, from four in the last parliament to just one.
Thu, June 23, 2022
Greg Barns on the battle to free Julian Assange
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is facing extradition to the United States after this was given the green light by the British Government. Assange faces charges of espionage over the publication of classified information about US actions in the Iraq War. Barrister Greg Barns has worked pro bono on Assagne’s case for the last nine years as part of the Australian Assange campaign. Barns argues the Assange issue “goes to fundamental questions like freedom of the press and freedom of speech.” The election of the Albanese government has reignited calls for Australia to do more to try to bring Assange home. “We’ve certainly been heartened by the approach taken by the new government,” Barns says. “I think Anthony Albanese himself has been committed for some time now in his public statements and certainly been supportive privately of Assange’s position. He’s made that clear in a number of statements with a theme really that this has gone long enough.” “There has been a marked change in rhetoric on the part of Mr Albanese, but also I think in his very telling statement that he did not want to pursue this matter through megaphone diplomacy, which we respect, because of course you’re dealing with Australia’s closest ally.” “He wants to do something, but he wants to do it in a way that respects the friendship between Australia and the United States.” On what US President Joe Biden should consider when it comes to the relationship with Australia and the issue of Assange, Barns notes Biden has “given a number of speeches now talking about democracy and the importance of democratic values”. “This is an opportunity to assert those values by saying that freedom of speech and freedom of the press are fundamentally important in a democracy and in the democratic world. And so there are certainly plenty of avenues and plenty of reasons why President Biden might deal with this matter.” “This case has gone on too long. There are fundamental principles at stake and it’s time to end it.”
Tue, June 21, 2022
On the economy, people smugglers, parliamentary sitting, and Julian Assange
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. Politics editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe’s Tuesday statements about the economic outlook. Lowe has again warned of more rate rises, indicating the bank is determined to reduce inflation from a likely 7% at year’s end down to the 2-3% target range. But the Governor says he doesn’t expect Australia to face a recession. Meanwhile Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil has visited Sri Lanka this week amid concerns the people smugglers are looking to test Australia’s borders now there’s a new government. Australia, which needs Sri Lanka to be as active as possible in stopping boats leaving, has announced $50 million in aid for that country, directed to its food and health needs. With Wikileaks founder Julian Assange facing extradition from Britain to the United States, Anthony Albanese is under pressure to make strong representations to have the Australian freed. Albanese is sympathetic, but whether he can achieve any progress is another matter. The calendar for the new parliament has now been released, showing only four sitting weeks between now and the October budget.
Fri, June 17, 2022
Tony Wood on the unprecedented energy crisis
As the energy crisis continues to grip Australia’s east coast with consumers told to limit their consumption and warnings of blackouts Tony Wood, director of the energy program at the Grattan Institute, speaks with Michelle Grattan about why this has happened and what can be done to fix the system. The crisis is unprecedented, Wood says. “We’ve certainly seen situations where things have got very tight[…] But this sort of extended period when we’ve had major power outages and real stress on the entire system for such a long time has never been seen before.” He says the crisis could have been minimised if past governments had worked to “address climate change” and “bring on more renewables” as well as all the technology to support a renewables industry. That being said, Wood points out there are other factors also driving the crisis. “We still would have had the weather patterns we had in the south, on the east coast of Australia, that caused all the rain and caused all the flooding of the coal mines that interrupted power supply. And of course, we wouldn’t have prevented the Ukraine war and we probably would have had real stress on the gas supply system.” Wood argues that “things became very complicated very quickly”, as the crisis developed. On whether the crisis is in part a result of power companies playing the system, he says: “I don’t honestly think the companies were trying to game the system, but I think the commercial arrangements were so complicated [that the Australian Energy Market Operator taking over the system] was the only solution.” Some have suggested the crisis has been worsened because many assets have been privatised. Wood disagrees. “I don’t think this is a fundamental failure of privatisation […] I do think it’s a fundamental physical problem and government ownership wouldn’t have made much difference.” “Transitions are always difficult things […] I think we can see where we’re going. It’s got to be a system which is overwhelmingly dominated by renewable energy.” “In the short term, we are going to manage this transition carefully, which means as we adopt more and more renewables, we’re going to need some of these coal-fired power stations and gas-fired power stations to maintain the stability and the reliability of the system. They should only be there as necessary to support that transition.” “I have no doubt we can move to net zero by 2050. But remember, it will be net zero. It won’t be absolute zero. And of course, the sooner we start really seriously creating momentum in that direction, the more likely we are to get there and the more likely it is we’ll get there without too much cost.”
Tue, June 14, 2022
Bowen says “bumpy” time ahead for power supply – but don’t turn the heater off
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. This week Michelle and politics editor Amanda Dunn discuss the apparent early signs of a thaw in China’s attitude towards Australia. But Anthony Albanese has responded by saying China needs to do something tangible – removing trade restrictions it has imposed on Australia. On the domestic front, Energy Minister Chris Bowen warns of a “bumpy” time ahead for power supplies but says you should keep the heater on (just switch off outside lights if they’re not needed). Amanda and Michelle also canvass the people smugglers testing the new government on border protection, and Friday’s national cabinet meeting where premiers will be pressing the federal government for more funds for their struggling health systems.
Tue, June 07, 2022
Warm smiles in Indonesia, but chillier news
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. While Anthony Albanese this week continued to receive a warm reception abroad, at home the new government faced more difficult news. In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn canvass Tuesday’s 50 basis points rise in interest rates – the latest cost of living blow for many families – and Albanese’s trip to deepen Australia’s relationship with Indonesia. They also take a look at the new shadow ministry, announced by Peter Dutton and David Littleproud on Sunday.
Thu, June 02, 2022
Tony Burke advocates on wages and arts
Tony Burke is the minister for employment and workplace relations and minister for the arts, as well as the leader of the House of Representatives. One of his first tasks is the government's new submission for the minimum wage case, which will say these workers should not be left behind, as inflation has spiked. If the Fair Work Commission gives a 5.1% rise, in line with inflation, is there a case for it not flowing through to awards, or all awards? "I can't imagine a situation where there was no flow-through at all. The commission always has the capacity to work out how the flow-through might happen." He notes one option floated has been a flat dollar increase so the flow-through happened differently. "The commission will work that through. But certainly there are many awards that are not far from the minimum wage. "And when we talk about the heroes of the pandemic a lot of those people are on those awards. So while the focus has been specifically minimum wage, I tend to use the term low-paid workers." On reforming parliament, Burke says he is not trying to get rid of the anger. He doesn't want to turn parliament into "a quiet, polite dinner party". "The debate is fierce and passionate and real. I think that matters and I think it's good for democracy." Nor is he in favour of scrapping "dorothy dixers", because the government needs the opportunity to tell the house what it is doing. But there will be more questions for the larger crossbench, and he flags the government won't so routinely shut down opposition moves for debates. "Standing Orders say there's one question from the crossbench. With a crossbench as large as what we're now facing, that's just not sustainable." Without changing that, "you're effectively telling a very large number of Australians that because they didn't vote for a major party, their voice is going to be heard less." Burke says he has a passion for the arts – he was briefly arts minister at the end of the last Labor government – and laments a lack of a cultural policy in recent years. "In cultural terms, what the arts, events, entertainment sector do matters to who we are as Australians. And that affects your education policy, your health policy, your trade policy, your foreign affairs policy. Nor has there been any guidance that these are serious industries and these are serious jobs." The arts are really important in giving people a capacity to imagine and create, Burke says. They are "really important for us as a nation. I don't think we've had an arts minister see it as a priority in that sense for a long time, and I really want to bring that back".
Wed, June 01, 2022
Word from The Hill: Albanese’s ministry mixes stability and surprise
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn canvass Anthony Albanese’s ministry, with its record number of women in cabinet but one woman, Tanya Plibersek, having her portfolio unexpectedly switched. Peter Dutton, on being elevated to Liberal leader, flagged he’d pitch to the suburbs and small business. Meanwhile the Nationals showed that holding all the party’s seats (and winning an extra one) doesn’t guarantee the leader keeps his job. Barnaby Joyce was dispatched, in favour of the rather less flamboyant David Littleproud, to the relief of many Liberals. Meanwhile, Anthony Albanese will be off to Indonesia next week, in his second overseas trip since winning office.
Thu, May 19, 2022
Historian Frank Bongiorno reflects on elections present and past
Every election is unique, but each also presents comparisons and contrasts with elections past. In this podcast, Australian National University history professor Frank Bongiorno gives his insights into the current battle but also takes the long views of campaigns. Bongiorno talks about the role of leaders in what’s often dubbed the “presidential” election age (“a kind of proxy for judgements about policy”) and how Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese are presenting themselves. The debate on wages and inflation has overtones of the arguments in the 1970s and 1980s, but “sort of minus the policy”. This was supposed to be a “khaki” election, but the khaki has faded during the campaign, perhaps unsurprisingly. Most often, Australians are solidly focused on domestic issues when they vote. The “teals” have been a special feature of this campaign. But are they a new version of other breakaways, like the Australian Democrats of old? The rise of voter disillusionment is a feature of recent elections, as is the detachment of voters from the major parties. Not so long ago, about seven in ten voters voted at each election the same way as they had voted throughout their lives, Bongiorno says, based on the ANU’s Australian Election Study. But now it is just under four in ten. “That means there’s a growing number of voters whose support is biddable, and the independents and minor parties are benefiting from that kind of loosening of the hold of the major parties over the voters.”
Tue, May 17, 2022
Five seats to watch on Saturday night, and getting the hang of a hung parliament
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn canvass the Coalition’s “super” housing pitch, five seats to eyeball on Saturday night, and what would happen if the parliamentary numbers were “hung”.
Wed, May 11, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Grattan Institute’s Danielle Wood on election’s thin policy debate
Danielle Wood is the CEO of the Grattan Institute, an independent think tank, Its purpose is to research and advocate policies to improve Australians’ lives. Wood laments the dearth of policy debate in this election. “There was a lot of optimism when we were coming out of COVID that this might be a period of genuine policy reform. It certainly was a period that laid bare a lot of challenges. We saw trust in government go up and there was a lot of talk of building back better in the sense that government might do some of those big things. But clearly, that’s not the election we’re in right now,” she says. “We are now in a world where we’ve come out of COVID with government much bigger than what we went in. So we’ve baked in this higher spending on aged care, higher spending on defence, a higher spending on the NDIS. "In fact, size of governments increase about 2% of GDP, which is pretty extraordinary. Yet we’ve had no conversation about how we pay for that.” Climate change is to the fore in the minds of many economists as well as voters, and a central feature of “teal” candidates’ campaigns. But the government and Labor are not talking about it a great deal in the campaign. “I think it’s really interesting to see economists so galvanised by that. We need to get on the path to net zero by 2050. Both major parties have signed on to that as a target. That is a massive economic transition. And frankly, if we don’t start making serious headway over the next decade, we’re going to leave ourselves with a very large and very disruptive task through the 2030s and forties.” Anthony Albanese this week found himself under attack after advocating a 5.1% rise (reflecting the latest inflation figure) in the minimum wage. Wood says: “Locking in very high wage rises right now is not the right answer. But that’s not to say that wages growing at 2% is a good answer either. So it’s somewhere in between.” Australia needs to increase productivity, but where should the focus be? “I would like to see a focus on education. There are things we can do in health as well, such as primary care reform, which could make a big difference […] And remember, that’s a big area in the economy and spending.” Should we be more worried than we are about Australia’s debt level? “I’m not worried about the current levels of debt in terms of sustainability. Obviously we’ve come out of COVID with much higher debt levels than we went in with. But based on at least the current interest profile, it’s very serviceable and sustainable.”
Wed, May 11, 2022
Scott Morrison defends Katherine Deves (again), but slips up on surgery detail
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn canvass how the interest rate rise has played against the government, Scott Morrison defending Katherine Deves (again), the major parties’ keeping the climate change issue low key, “gotcha” questions, and the coming Liberal launch.
Thu, May 05, 2022
Dave Sharma, Allegra Spender, and Kerryn Phelps on the contest for Wentworth
In the Wentworth Project , sponsored by the University of Canberra’s Centre for Change Governance and The Conversation, we are tapping into voters’ opinions in this seat, which appears to be on a knife edge. In this podcast we talk with the two main candidates, Liberal incumbent Dave Sharma and “teal” independent Allegra Spender, as well as with Kerryn Phelps, the former independent member in the seat, who has mentored Spender and is on the advisory council of Climate 200, which is donating to her campaign. Sharma says “Kerryn Phelps was a genuine independent candidate or a more traditional independent candidate. […] This independent candidate is really sort of a franchise or party operation.” Sharma casts the teals, who are challenging Liberals in a range of city seats, as reflecting “populism as a political force”. “People think populism only belongs to the right because of Donald Trump. I think the independents are basically harnessing a populist mood, which is similar to what Donald Trump did, which is ‘a curse on all your houses.’” Morrison is not campaigning in the teal seats (though he goes to Wentworth to visit his mother). Asked how much the Prime Minister is a drag on the vote, Sharma stresses the team. “Scott Morrison is the leader of our team and the spokesperson for the team. But it’s also got a range of ministers in there who control different portfolios and we’re putting ourselves forward, and I certainly am here, as a team.” Spender says “there’s a feeling amongst the community that I hear, that they feel that the parties are looking after themselves first and the community after”. On a possible hung parliament, she says, “I would be willing to work with either party, or major party on supply and confidence, because I want stable government”. She would talk first to whichever side had the greatest number of seats. Wentworth is seeing enormous spending. Spender says her campaign will probably spend between $1.3 and $1.5 million (with something under 30% expected to come from Climate 200). She favours caps on spending and donations. “I’d like to see a cap in what individuals or companies can give. I’d like to see real time information in terms of what has been given. And then I think at the same time, you need to look at political advertising and how that is used because the government just spent $30 million spruiking their clean energy credentials […] immediately before the election being called.” Kerryn Phelps says of Wentworth: “I’ve had a medical practise in Double Bay for around two decades, and so I know the community well. It’s generally seen as an affluent community, but it’s actually quite diverse. There are clearly strong beliefs about the economy and business. And so a candidate would need to have business experience. But the people also
Tue, May 03, 2022
On the rate rise, Albanese’s launch and what a Frydenberg loss would mean for the Liberals
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn canvass the Reserve Bank’s increase in interest rates, and which side wins or loses from it, as cost of living is centre stage in the election battle. They also discuss Anthony Albanese’s launch, and the implications for the Liberals if Josh Frydenberg were to lose in Kooyong.
Wed, April 27, 2022
Economist Saul Eslake on why Reserve Bank needs to raise rates next week
After Wednesday’s larger-than-expected inflation number, all attention has turned to the Reserve Bank’s meeting on Tuesday. If the bank moves next week, it will be the first time there’s been a rise in a campaign since 2007, the election John Howard lost. Pointing to recent rate rises overseas, independent economist Saul Eslake says: “If the Reserve Bank were to do nothing in the face of this much sharper-than-expected acceleration in inflation, it would be leaving itself open to a charge of acting in a political way, which would undermine its credibility for an extended period. "So I think the Reserve Bank really has to raise interest rates at its meeting next week.” If it doesn’t, Governor Philip Lowe would require “a very persuasive explanation”. If the bank didn’t act next week, it could subsequently have to make a 75 basis points rise in one hit, “which would be a considerable shock to the mortgage-paying population in particular, but I think for small businesses and a whole lot of other participants in Australia’s economy more broadly.”
Wed, April 27, 2022
Ray Hadley’s shouty assault on Albanese; the intractable Solomons issue; and the wider play of Deves
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn canvass the latest (static) polls, apparently unaffected by Anthony Albanese’s COVID absence, or indeed by much else in the campaign so far. They also discuss shock jock Ray Hadley’s extraordinary shouty assault on Albanese, how the very serious issue of the Solomons-China security pact is playing into the campaign, and whether controversial Liberal candidate Katherine Deves is really all about seats other than Warringah, the one she is contesting.
Wed, April 20, 2022
Andrew Wilkie invites independent candidates to call him for a chat about approaching a hung parliament
Andrew Wilkie, MP for the Tasmanian seat of Clark, has “lived” a hung parliament. In 2010, Wilkie did a formal “deal” to support Julia Gillard. When later she didn’t deliver on his key issue of gambling reform, he broke it off. In this podcast Wilkie explains how he would approach the situation if the election produces no clear winner. No deals. But maybe a letter on giving confidence and supply. He suggests independent candidates – who are being assailed with questions about which side they would support in a hung parliament – should contact him for a chat about how to approach that situation, and the role of crossbenchers generally. “If they give me a call and ask what I think, I’ll tell them how I’ve navigated my way through the last 12 years and what my community has thought of it,” he says. “I’ve explained how I’m going to approach things, and it’s always been well received by my community. In fact, my primary vote and two-party preferred has increased in every election. So whatever formulation I’m using seems to work. "It might be something that some of these new independent candidates might want to just observe and think about. I think it is useful to give some indication of your thought processes,” Wilkie says. “I see my role as being a constructive one. It’s to ensure we have an effective government for the next three years. My job isn’t to pull down any party or pull down any government. So if the Australian community elects a group of people and no party has an absolute majority, I will look for ways to be constructive.” Wilkie strongly defends the role of crossbenchers, rejecting Scott Morrison’s argument that a hung parliament would make for instability. Their role can be useful even when there is majority government, Wilkie says. He concedes that when crossbenchers are in a position of power – as under Gillard – their electorates get favoured treatment and that this isn’t “fair” (although he admits he was happy to seek and take the funds). He recalls favourably Anthony Albanese’s performance as manager of government business in the Gillard government. “I credit him with being very skilled and effective at corralling the crossbench and ensuring stability of the parliament.” “If Anthony Albanese finds himself negotiating with the crossbench, he’s got form. And I suppose I can probably say the same about Scott Morrison over the last few years, because he’s been almost in minority for most of it, and he’s managed to keep what I’ll call the independent crossbenchers pretty much in line.” As for the election campaigning, “In my opinion, this is the worst campaign I’ve observed as far as the mudslinging and the dishonesty. I mean, there used to be some limits on the dishonesty of the political parties in the candidates, but there seem to be no limits at this election.”
Wed, April 13, 2022
Joe Hockey on Trump, Biden, and the federal election
In this episode, Michelle Grattan speaks with Joe Hockey about his newly-released memoir titled Diplomatic. Hockey, treasurer in the Abbott government and former Australian ambassador to the United States, picked early that Donald Trump had a good prospect of becoming president and reached out to his team, something that went down badly at the time with the foreign affairs bureaucracy back in Canberra. But Hockey says: "Diplomacy is just about human relations. It's countries dealing on the same basis with each other as human beings. So you're never going to get on well with someone you don't know. You're actually going to have to engage." Of Trump's successor, Hockey says: "I think Joe Biden has aged quite a bit in the presidency. He's only been president for just over a year. He's really shown he hasn't had the energy that you would expect of someone as president of the United States." Also, "he's run a very left wing agenda, and that's completely stunned – completely stunned – middle America, because they thought he was a safe, middle-of-the-road sort of person. "America is just not tuned into that. They're not buying that." Speaking about the differences between US and Australian politics, Hockey highlights the significance of compulsory voting in this country. "I think the challenge in the United States is, you know, firstly, you try and get your own people to vote. And the more extreme you are, the more you villainise, and radicalise your opponents. It's easier to get people to come out and vote for you if they're against something. "We don't have that battle for the extremes, and I think that's really, really important," he says. "The political ads and what people say about each other in the United States has no filter, has no boundaries. And as a result, it becomes more fractious, becomes much more aggressive. And I think it's really, really important that proper defamation laws [exist] that allow someone to go in and protect their reputation so that people cannot make ridiculous, false accusations against others." And Hockey's prediction for May 21? "I think it's just too close to call, really. I genuinely feel that both parties have a pathway to victory. And then, as so often the case, as events unfold during the campaign, we'll get a clearer picture of which way [...] the events are breaking."
Wed, April 13, 2022
Morrison suggests voters judge him as they would their dentist
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn canvass the fallout from Anthony Albanese’s lapse when asked to nominate the unemployment level and the cash rate. Meanwhile Scott Morrison, with poor popularity, has drawn on voters’ experience with their dentist: it doesn’t matter whether you like them – it’s about their competence. They also discuss the strange story of Alan Tudge, who remains in cabinet and education minister, albeit without ministerial salary or duties, despite Morrison earlier saying “he is not seeking to return to the frontbench, and I support his decision”. Finally, they canvass whether this election will ever turn to actual policy issues.
Thu, March 31, 2022
Josh Frydenberg is optimistic about wage growth
The tax offset for low and middle income earners (LMITO) will not be extended beyond this financial year, so does this amount to a tax increase for these people? Treasurer Josh Frydenberg tells the podcast the offset was a “temporary measure” that was extended as fiscal stimulus, due to the pressures on the budget from COVID. It’s being removed “now that the economy is normalising”. With unemployment set to fall below 4%, Frydenberg also says “what we think is going to happen is upward pressure on wages”. Annual wage growth is at 2.3% but Frydenberg says there’s a “broader indicator of earnings across the economy [Average Earnings in the National Accounts (AENA)] which has been higher than where the wage price index is. It’s expected to get to 5% this year, which is above where inflation is at. That’s a broader earnings indicator, which takes into account bonuses, promotions, people moving jobs and the like.” The treasurer, who holds the Victorian seat of Kooyong, is one of the Liberal members being targeted by “teal” independent candidates running on issues such as climate and the need for a federal integrity commission. Frydenberg – who is more popular than Scott Morrison in the “leafy” seats – will be used to campaign where these candidates are strong. “I will give as much support as I can to my colleagues who face those opponents.”
Wed, March 30, 2022
Word from The Hill: Next step for Morrison is visit to governor-general
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast, Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn talk about treasurer Josh Frydenberg's 'big spend' budget, Anthony Albanese's coming budget reply speech, a Liberal senator's scathing review of Scott Morrison, and what the parties' key issues will be at the election that's about to be called.
Wed, March 30, 2022
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jim Chalmers on the budget Labor can’t oppose
The opposition is criticising the government’s “giveaway” budget but, predictably, with the election close, is not opposing its cost of living package, which includes a temporary cut in full excise and billions of dollars for low and middle income taxpayers, pensioners and welfare recipients. Jim Chalmers is shadow treasurer, and he tells this podcast, “It’s a vote seeker budget in the sense that it’s got a shelf life of six or seven weeks. "The government is temperamentally incapable of seeing beyond the election, and that’s the difference [with Labor]. I think there was a real appetite in the community for something that said, ‘we’ve been through a lot together. And what does the future look like?’” Chalmers argues voters will “see through it in the same way they see through the prime minister”. Like the Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Chalmers rules out extending the petrol excise cut beyond its September expiry date. “I’ve said, to be upfront to the Australian people, it’s difficult to see a government of either political persuasion being able to afford to extend that excise relief forever. We’re just being upfront about it because we believe in being responsible with the people’s money.” He dodges when asked about a Labor government’s response, after the budget didn’t renew the tax offset for low and middle income earners. But the signal is that Labor would not seek to restore it. “We don’t want to pre-empt decisions that a future government may take,” he says. “The reality is this government is going to the election with the worst set of books that any government has ever taken to an election in Australia. There’s not room in our alternative budget, even for all of the good ideas. And so we’ve got to prioritise and sequence and make sure that whatever we do is delivering maximum bang for buck. "This is the inheritance if government changed hands and so my responsibility if I was the treasurer […] is to weigh up all of those pressures to implement our election commitments.”
Fri, March 25, 2022
Sarah Ferguson on reporting from Ukraine
As the devastating war in Ukraine continues, Michelle Grattan speaks with ABC journalist Sarah Ferguson about her experiences in reporting her Four Corners episode Despair and Defiance – how she was able to capture this story – and her views on where the conflict is likely to go from now. Sarah and her team presented a raw portrayal of the conflict and its human toll in Kyiv and elsewhere. “[In reporting] so much of these things comes down to simple practicalities. Can you get food? Can you get a driver? Can you get out? And once we’d got all of those things in place, we were good to go.” Ukranian officialdom knows how vital it is to get its story to the world. Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy “has understood the importance of telling people the story of what’s happening.” “The Russians actually shelled people during the evacuations and fired on people. […] The Russians aren’t observing the sort of conventions of war where civilians are able to be evacuated. So getting them out and witnessing that was unquestionably dangerous. It was a dangerous place to be.” Caught in this horrific situation, ordinary Ukrainians can do little but just think “from day to day” rather than contemplate the future. “‘If I can get through today, what is my plan for tomorrow?’ […] The fear of what lies ahead is so grim that the human can’t – you can’t live with that amount of fear. So in order to function, you keep your horizon nearer.”
Tue, March 22, 2022
Labor will give human rights award in memory of Kitching
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this podcast, Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn talk about Anthony Albanese’s handling of the bullying allegations mounted by friends of the late senator Kimberly Kitching, Labor’s sweeping victory in the South Australian election, and next week’s budget which will contain measures targeting the cost of living, which is escalating as an election issue.
Thu, March 17, 2022
Stay calm, petrol is headed down, budget is improving – economist Chris Richardson
Australia’s budget situation has been quietly improving. Deloitte Access Economics director Chris Richardson says the remarkable strength of the Australian economy means it no longer needs the emergency support it has been getting from the government and the Reserve Bank. Government spending fell by a record 10% in the year to January. He counsels against emergency measures to protect Australians from the soaring price of petrol, saying today’s international oil price implies that in less than a fortnight petrol prices will be between 15 and 20 cents lower a litre. While there is no guarantee they won’t climb again, the relief that’s in store is half as big as the relief the government could deliver by cutting fuel excise, a measure he says would be like applying a Band-Aid that would be difficult to rip off. Rather than pumping more money into the economy, the March 29 budget should be withdrawing support in a measured fashion. Although government debt has climbed, low interest rates mean the payments on government debt cost less than before COVID. With Australia just a “handful of months” away from an unemployment rate of 3.5% – Thursday’s February rate was 4.0% - Australia should celebrate its success in getting its economic policies right during COVID. While the reopening of borders will slow Australia’s success in bringing down unemployment, it is unlikely to reverse it. After petrol prices, the next challenge for Australians will be higher mortgage rates, but they will be going up for a reason, Richardson says, because inflation is climbing and wage growth is climbing, which will improve the budget position further.
Tue, March 15, 2022
Be careful what you say about your opponent’s ‘makeover’
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. This week Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn talk about the continuing "blame game" after the floods, the pressure on the government over petrol prices, the coming weekend's South Australian election, and the PM's campaigning in Western Australia, now its border is finally open. Then there's that Morrison crack about Anthony Albanese's 'makeover'!
Thu, March 10, 2022
Mark Maund on improving our resilience to deal with flood crises
Catastrophic floods have devastated large areas of NSW and Queensland. More than 20 people have lost their lives and Scott Morrison moved for the declaration of a national state of emergency in response to this disaster. Mark Maund is from the School of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Newcastle. He has qualifications in environmental science, urban and regional planning and project management. This latest national disaster has seen the climate debate re-ignited. Maund agrees “climate change is one of the issues that we all need to deal with”, but “there are a number of other issues that come into play as well.” Where “we choose to build our infrastructure and buildings is obviously one of the issues that we need to deal with”. When “we choose to live and develop infrastructure in flood-prone land, then we consciously make these choices that we’re exposing some of our buildings and communities to risk.” With this increasing number of natural disasters occurring in Australia, Maund says governments and citizens need to ask themselves “what risks are we as Australians prepared to accept and put communities at risk in some of these natural hazard prone areas?” To better address disasters “we need to improve facilities and services and support for our responders”. “We need to make sure is that they have the facilities, equipment, training and support when these disasters happen – because they will continue to happen, unfortunately – [so] that they can respond as quickly as possible.” “One thing I do think we really need in terms of infrastructure is evacuation centres. I think we need places, permanent places, even if they’re multi-purpose that can be used for other service facilities and activities. We really need evacuation centres for people to give them time to recover when these disasters happen.” “It’s really less about who takes the lead and more about how, as a nation, we come together and really work towards better outcomes for these situations.”
Tue, March 08, 2022
Word from The Hill: Subs, floods and people saying it’s ‘time to give someone else a go’
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. This week Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn talk about the government’s proposal for a new east coast submarine base and the politics of that in an election Scott Morrison wants to frame around national security. They also discuss the blame fall-out from the devastating floods, and the latest Essential poll finding that nearly half the electorate (48%) think it’s “time to give someone else a go” at governing federally.
Wed, March 02, 2022
Russian specialist Matthew Sussex on Putin’s potential to start wider war
As the West watches appalled at Russia’s brutal attack on Ukraine, attention is increasingly turning to the question of Vladimir Putin’s longer term ambition, and the potential for this conflagration to turn into a wider war. Matthew Sussex, associate professor at the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University and an expert on Russia, believes Putin won’t want to stop at subjugating Ukraine. “Putin himself seems absolutely personally invested in recreating the footprint at least of the USSR – certainly not its ideology, but its footprint.” “He has for a long time said that Ukraine doesn’t deserve to exist as a state. That Ukrainians and Russians are just one people driven apart by the West. "So he has […] achieved some of his aims already.” “And the worry is, of course, that if Putin gets what he wants in Ukraine, then he will not stop. He will then turn his eyes to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia – possibly even Poland will be told in a few years time that it doesn’t have the right to exist as a sovereign state.” On whether there’s a possibility of the war in Ukraine leading to a military conflict with the West, Sussex says: “Absolutely. It is potentially the case that Putin, who is a gambler, will try and up the ante by staging some kind of demonstration of strength against NATO, or perhaps even a provocation directly against NATO troops. "Many, many wars in history have been started by accident, by overconfidence, by miscalculation. And this is why it’s a very, very dangerous time.”
Tue, March 01, 2022
Assistance for Ukraine and Peter Dutton’s fundraising
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. This week Michelle and politics + society editor Amanda Dunn discuss Australia’s response to the war in Ukraine which now includes more than $100 million for lethal and non-lethal assistance and humanitarian aid. They also canvass Peter Dutton’s recent controversial GoFundMe campaign for flood victims.
Tue, February 22, 2022
Australian politics in an uncertain world
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. This week Michelle speaks with politics + society editor Amanda Dunn about the escalating crisis in Ukraine as Russia sends in troops to rebel regions and Australia and other countries are set to announce sanctions. They also discuss Australia’s relationship with China and what role that will play in the election, after a Chinese warship last week targeted a RAAF plane with a laser. An Essential poll, out this week, gives Labor a clear edge (37-28%) when people were asked, “which party would you trust to build a relationship with China in Australia’s best interests?”
Tue, February 22, 2022
Labor defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor on China and Ukraine
Ahead of the election, Scott Morrison is trying to wedge Labor on national security generally and China in particular. Opposition defence spokesman Brendan O'Connor tells this podcast: “National security is the the greatest priority of any federal government in order to protect the interests of the country and citizens. But we should not be politicising national security for base political purposes and that’s been on display now for certainly the last couple of weeks.” “It is a critical issue and will always be a critical issue, but it shouldn’t be debased in the manner in which Scott Morrison has chosen to do so recently.” On China, O'Connor indicates the difference under a Labor government would be one of tone rather than substance. “We need to use temperate language in order to maintain peace and stability in the region. That’s not for a moment to suggest we do not call out acts of aggression or coercion.” (The Essential poll, published on Tuesday, asked which party respondents would trust to build a relationship with China in Australia’s best interests. It found 37% favoured Labor, 28% nominated the Coalition and 34% were unsure.) O'Connor describes Russian’s President Putin’s move on Ukraine – recognising two breakaway regions and deploying forces for “peacekeeping” – as “a blatant fundamental breach of international law”. “Our position therefore has to be that we engage with our friends, particularly the NATO states and the United States, as to what best we can do to reduce the likelihood of any invasion by Russia of the Ukraine.” O'Connor says Labor has concerns about a possible Australian defence capability gap between the current Collins class submarines and the delivery of the first submarine under AUKUS. But how a Labor administration would deal with that gap would depend on being comprehensively briefed in government on options.
Tue, February 15, 2022
Government’s ‘shock and awe’ assault on Anthony Albanese
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. This week she and politics editor Amanda Dunn discuss the government’s torpedoed religious discrimination legislation. Scott Morrison thought he could press the issue and hopefully get the package through parliament. But he found he couldn’t control his backbench, with rebels backing an amendment to protect transgender children. As a result, Morrison then abandoned the package. Amanda and Michelle also canvass the Morrison family’s appearance on Nine’s 60 Minutes, which brought more debate (and blowback) than ratings. Meanwhile, as parliament winds down, the government is waging a shock-and-awe attack on Anthony Albanese, with Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg working in tandem to try to undermine his credentials on national security and economic issues.
Tue, February 15, 2022
Trent Zimmerman has no regrets on Religious Discrimination rebellion
Trent Zimmerman is one of the five Liberal moderates who crossed the floor to vote to amend the religious discrimination package to protect trans children. Scott Morrison’s response was to abandon his legislation. Asked whether he regrets his decision to vote against the government Zimmerman, who crossed the floor on some other proposed amendments, says he was “standing up on a couple of points of principle for me – and first and foremost was seeking to support amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act, which would have protected trans kids, but also broadened the limitation of the discrimination that’s allowable for children more generally.” Zimmerman also voted for an unsuccessful amendment (not supported by Labor) to “remove the current provisions which allow teachers to be discriminated in schools as well”. But he does “support the principle of a Religious Discrimination Act”. “I think it’s a no-brainer that you shouldn’t be allowed to be discriminated [against] based on your religious beliefs. But I just thought that this went above and beyond an orthodox discrimination law, and that’s where my problems arose. And I hope that at some stage we can have the debate again with a more orthodox bill.” The rebels have come under some sharp attack from their own side but Zimmerman says they didn’t take their decisions lightly. His colleagues were “very emotionally committed to taking the action that they did because of their perceived concerns, but they recognised the magnitude of what they were doing.” Zimmerman expects his battle against high profile independent Kylea Tink to be “a very tightly contested campaign”. “I’ve never taken elections in North Sydney for granted.” With the government’s failure to deliver a national integrity commission an issue, he hopes a commission will be a fresh promise for the election. “Having a national integrity commission, I think, is very important for our community and for politics.” On the issue of trust, Zimmerman says: “I think what people are looking for is really the answer to the question of who you trust to get certain jobs done that they expect of their government. And I think that when we get to the election, people will be judging the government on its performance in managing the economy, on its overall performance in managing the pandemic.”
Tue, February 08, 2022
On Scott Morrison’s battle for Religious Discrimination Bill
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. This week they discuss the imbroglio over Scott Morrison’s religious discrimination bill, approved by the Coalition on Tuesday after extensive debate but with dissidents threatening its fate in the House of Representatives. Moderate Liberal MPs have serious concerns: Bridget Archer, who holds the marginal Tasmanian seat of Bass, told Parliament she would not vote for the bill, while Trent Zimmerman, from NSW, in the party room reserved his right not to do so. Meanwhile, Labor has yet to decide its attitude – if it supports the legislation that would ensure its passage. Amanda and Michelle also discuss Tuesday’s parliamentary apology to victims of bad behaviour in the parliamentary workplace – with Morrison saying “sorry” to Brittany Higgins. Meanwhile the opposition immediately homed in on the aged care crisis, which saw the government this week sending in the defence forces to help out in facilities.
Tue, February 08, 2022
Anthony Albanese on his ‘legacy’ - so far
Critics say Anthony Albanese is still an unknown quantity, but in this podcast the opposition leader insists he already has a “legacy” and connections with communities around the country. “I have a relationship going back [from his time in government] to communities right around Australia during that period and relationships with the business community and with people in electorates from east to west and north to south”. He says in his almost three years as opposition leader “the government hasn’t been able to attack any of my legacy”, which says “a lot about the achievements and how effective I was as a minister”. As for the 2019 defeat, Albanese says Labor had a lot of policies but lacked “a narrative”. This time, Labor has a story to tell. “We want a stronger Australia coming back” based upon three subthemes. These are “future made in Australia”, “rising living standards”, and “more secure work”. Asked to give an assurance that the overall level of taxation would not be higher under a Labor government than at present, Albanese says: “We’re not planning anything in that direction at all. And we’ve made that very clear. The truth is, that our record as the former Labor government - taxes were lower than they are today under this government”.
Tue, February 01, 2022
Peter Dutton on US combat assets in Australia, China, and Vladimir Putin
Defence Minister Peter Dutton says he would like to see more American combat capability based in Australia. Speaking on the “Politics with Michelle Grattan” podcast, Dutton says: “I’d be very open to it. I would be very, very happy to have that discussion with the US if they saw a strategic advantage in doing so.” He says there is significant visiting by US airforce, navy and army forces (together with the current marine rotation). “And if that is accompanied by, or there’s a subsequent decision to base further numbers, we’d be very happy to have that discussion with the US – or with the UK, for that matter.” Last September’s AUSMIN talks committed “to significantly advance Australia-United States force posture cooperation”. Dutton also reiterates he’s working on the acceleration of the timetable for the nuclear-powered submarines, a centrepiece of last year’s AUKUS agreement between Australia, the US and Britain. “I can assure you, the 20 year timeline is nonsense. I believe that we will be able to acquire well before that”. Discussions with the US and UK have been “very productive” and “I’ll have more to say on that in due course once the discussions continue”. “Everything [is] on the table with the US and the UK at the moment, and we will achieve capability well ahead of what the critics are pointing out at the moment.” “I’ve been driving the process, receiving weekly updates, engaging with our counterparts. And this has momentum. It has buy-in from the US and the UK. It has an urgency because of the way in which the Chinese government is positioning in the Indo-Pacific”. Asked about criticism that his language on China is too belligerent, Dutton says, “I do believe that China is on a pathway of aggression, particularly toward Taiwan, and I want to be part of what I think is a majority view around the world to stop that from taking place. "I want China to continue to grow economically. I want to see people lifted out of poverty, but I don’t want to see a clash, particularly between great powers. And I think again, we’re better off to be frank in our assessments and to argue from a position of strength, not weakness, because otherwise, we will find ourselves in conflict in the Indo-Pacific, and that’s not what anybody wants.” Dutton doesn’t step back from his description of Russian President Vladimir Putin as an ageing dictator who is becoming more and more irrational. “People only need to look at his track record and concerning human rights abuses in Russia. There’s no sense when we’re dealing with a bully of any nature, believing that if we just close our ears and our mouth, that somehow the bully will become a good person.”
Mon, January 31, 2022
Tanya Plibersek on parents’ role in reducing violence against women
As election year opens, Michelle Grattan speaks with Tanya Plibersek, Labor’s spokeswoman on education and women, about the opposition’s agenda in these two critical areas. Violence against women is one of our society’s most pressing and intractable issues, and front and centre for Plibersek, who says there is a way to do better. “We do know so much about what we can do to reduce risks of violence in interpersonal relationships. And of course, it starts with our youngest Australians,” she says. We “need to rely much more on parents to model healthy relationships in the home.” “It disturbs me that the rates … of domestic violence don’t seem to be coming down and in fact, one of the few areas of crime where statistics continue to go up are areas like sexual assault. So we need to do better at prevention. We need to do better at policing and in our justice system.” Despite these negatives, Plibersek sees last year’s March4Justice and increased public and media awareness as signs “things are changing, that our society is changing in a way that is, I hope, unstoppable.” On education, Plibersek talks through the detail of Anthony Albanese’s announcement of $440 million for schools for improvements such as better ventilation and also for mental health and wellbeing initiatives for kids, so hard hit during the pandemic. As university fees are set to rise for many students this year, Plibersek has said that under a Labor government Australians can expect “a commitment to a fundamental overhaul of our university sector”. She says she wants to “make sure that every young Australian who is prepared to work hard and study hard can get a place at university and that no one’s discouraged because of the fees”. But although highly critical of the government’s controversial new fees structure Plibersek cannot give a commitment a Labor government would change it quickly. That would need to be worked through with the universities, she says.
Fri, December 17, 2021
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Josh Frydenberg ‘thinking about the budget’ over Christmas
In her last podcast for the year, Michelle Grattan speaks with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg about the mid-year budget update, his optimism about the economy, and the election. Although Scott Morrison has the option of a March poll, Frydenberg says he is working on the assumption he’ll deliver a budget on March 29, which would put the election in May. Frydenberg says he’ll be “spending my Christmas period doing other than eating turkey and having a quiet beer on the balcony and looking at the beach in Lorne. I will be thinking about the budget, thinking about next year’s election and hoping to frame the contest about economic management.” He admits that with the pandemic “there’s a lot of uncertainty out there.” But he stresses that the “one message I want to give to all your listeners today is there is no complacency. We’re not out of this thing yet.” Frydenberg says he is still “very confident about the economy going forward”, with plenty of spending power to help it along. “We have this wave of money that’s been accumulated by households and businesses because the restrictions meant that they couldn’t spend it and they will in time.”
Mon, December 13, 2021
Sean Kelly and Anne Tiernan on election year
In this podcast Michelle Grattan speaks with Sean Kelly and Anne Tieran about where the political battle stands as we look to the 2022 federal election. Kelly, a former staffer to then prime ministers Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, has just written The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison. Anne Tieran, adjunct professor at Griffith University, has co-edited the newly-released book The Oxford Handbook of Australian Politics. Kelly and Tiernan canvass a broad range of topics. Will questions around the PM’s character be pushed aside by the economic debate? How potent will the climate issue be? How will well-funded independent candidates fare? What about the Greens’ ambitions? What’s happening in the vital state of Queensland? Will the women’s vote be especially significant this time? How would a hung parliament work out? How do voters feel after two years of COVID and what influence might this have?
Tue, December 07, 2021
Michelle Grattan on Labor’s climate policy and Liberal’s fight for Warringah
As well as Michelle Grattan’s usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversation’s politics team. This week they discuss Labor’s newly announced climate policy which includes a target of 43% emissions reduction. They discuss how this plan differs from the Coalitions target and the support it has from key business groups. They also canvass the push for former NSW Premier Gladys Berejilikan to run for the federal election in a bid to win the seat of Warringah back from Independent Zali Steggal. This move, if it goes ahead, is controversial as there is still an ongoing ICAC investigation into her conduct. The United States has announced that they will hold a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, with speculation that the Morrison Government will follow the lead of the US. This boycott is over human rights in China. This is a diplomatic gesture rather than a full boycott, as the athletes would still attend.
Tue, November 30, 2021
Politicians condemn bad behaviour, and then behave badly
As well as Michelle Grattan’s usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversation’s politics team. This week they discuss the just-released Jenkins Report on workplace culture in Parliament House. This was commissioned after allegations of rape by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins. At a Tuesday news conference, Scott Morrison deplored what had been found and promised action, but it will take more than promises to change this culture. Immediately afterwards in parliament, there was a lot of bad behaviour. Omicron, the new Coronavirus variant, has arrived in Australia just as the country was about to open its borders to workers and students (now delayed). Although the government is reacting cautiously to Omicron, saying it needs more information, Morrison’s message is that we don’t want more lockdowns, we want to continue to open up and not go backwards. The provisional 2022 parliamentary calendar, issued this week, includes a March budget. Scott Morrison believes an election framed by a budget is the best electoral course, although the March poll option has its supporters.
Wed, November 24, 2021
Jenny McAllister on domestic violence
Labor has announced that in government it would appoint a family domestic and sexual violence commissioner and also fund 500 new community sector workers to help women at risk or in crisis. Labor spokeswoman Jenny McAllister says more staff are desperately needed. “I visited a service last week in western Sydney that said that over the last year they’d helped around 1200 women who were seeking their assistance to escape violence. But they turned away 1100 because they didn’t have the workers to support them.” Asked why, despite increased attention and funding for combatting domestic violence, we don’t seem to be getting on top of the problem, McAllister says she doesn’t “underestimate how complex and challenging it will be to produce sustained reduction in rates of violence.” But, she argues, a change of government is needed “to restore that momentum and energy that was there at the beginning of this planned process”. Earlier this year there were nationwide marches on women’s justice issues. Has the momentum faded? McAllister says: “There is still an enormous trust deficit between the prime minister and Australian women […] Australian women had had enough.”
Tue, November 23, 2021
Christmas can’t come too soon for Morrison
As well as Michelle Grattan’s usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversation’s politics team. As parliament is in its final sitting weeks for the year, the religious discrimination bill was put to the coalition party room. Concerns with the bill, to be introduced by Scott Morrison on Tuesday were raised by Liberal moderates. It will be sent to a senate committee and its fate remains up in the air. Queensland MP Andrew Wallace is the new speaker, and the Opposition was quick to test him out in Tuesday’s question time. The government will be pushing its legislation for Voter ID during this sitting. But it’s not clear where the numbers lie, with Labor strongly opposing a move that it says will make it harder for the disadvantaged to vote. The prime minister’s integrity has been again in the spotlight, over a text message he sent to Anthony Albanese when he was on route to Hawaii in 2019 during the bushfires.
Thu, November 18, 2021
Liberal Dave Sharma on 2030 target
Liberal backbencher Dave Sharma, a former diplomat, is an up-and-comer in his party and one of its moderate voices. Holding the progressive electorate of Wentworth, where formerly Malcolm Turnbull was the member and climate change is a significant issue, Sharma was among those Liberal MPs who pressed Scott Morrison on the 2050 target before Glasgow. In this podcast Sharma discusses climate policy, the religious discrimination legislation, a national integrity commission, voter ID, China, and the Liberal party. Asked whether the government should improve its medium-term target at next years climate conference - which the government is not disposed to do - he argues for leaving options open. “I wouldn’t be ruling it out, but nor do I think we necessarily need to be ruling it in. I think we need to maintain our options. "I think we always need to be mindful of where the international environment is at on this, and that’s very much shaped our attitude towards adopting net zero by 2050. "Australia has always been a country that doesn’t seek to be an outlier in the world. It seeks to move with the major currents of world opinion and world developments.” With the government’s religious discrimination legislation due to be introduced next week, Sharma says: “My concern is that what should be a shield only does not, is not allowed to become a sword. "People should be protected against discrimination on the basis of their religion. But someone’s religion or faith should not give them a positive right to discriminate against other people.” On China, he’s encouraged by the recent joint US-China statement on climate and this week’s talks between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping, and urges efforts to improve Australia-China relations. “We live in the same region together. There’s a remarkable degree of common interests that we share. We’re well integrated trading and economic partners. It’s too important a relationship [..] not to be striving every day to ensure that it works better.”
Tue, November 16, 2021
On Morrison’s character ratings
As well as Michelle Grattan’s usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversation’s politics team. This week they discuss Morrison’s fall in ratings on character qualities in the latest Newspoll, published in The Australian . The poll ranks Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese on traits such as trustworthiness, likeability, and care for people. On all but three, Morrison fared worse than Albanese. They also canvass Australia’s position post COP26, with nations already gearing up for next year’s conference and how Australia has refused to increase its 2030 targets in line with other countries. Campaigning has started for the 2022 election, and Morrison has already launched his scare against Labor, with claims of rising interest rates and petrol prices under an ALP government. This tactic has drawn comparisons with the 2004 election, when John Howard ran on similar lines.
Thu, November 11, 2021
Chris Bowen says Labor’s climate policy will be ‘realistic and ambitious’
With the Glasgow conference nearly over and the government promising to release its climate policy modelling before parliament resumes later this month, eyes are turning to Labor for its long-awaited alternative. Climate change spokesman Chris Bowen says the policy will be both “realistic and ambitious” – which of course neatly embraces the debate within Labor about how far to differentiate itself from the government on an issue that caused it grief at the 2019 election. “I hope and intend to be the climate change minister within six months. So anything we say […] it’s got to be realistic. But it will be realistic and ambitious. Both of these things can be true.” Bowen slates the government for its lack of ambition. “We like to be an influential country and we have never been as out of touch on any issue ever in our foreign affairs than we are on climate change. So I think there’s a particular onus on Australia.” On one of the issues to the forefront this week – ways to encourage electric cars – Bowen says there’s “a legitimate conversation to be had” about fuel standards (which NSW environment minister Matt Kean says should be addressed by the federal government). Labor earlier this year announced measures on electric cars and has more policy to come. Bowen says Morrison’s attempt to wedge Labor by linking an expansion of the remit of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to the $500 million for a new fund to encourage the commercialisation of technology, has backfired.“Two coalition senators have come out and said they’re crossing the floor to vote against it. […] He’s wedged himself.” Asked about the claims the renewable sector won’t produce as many jobs as the old fossil fuel sector, Bowen says: “Every dollar spent on renewable energy and energy efficiency creates three times more jobs than a dollar spent on traditional energy. "And that’s also true when you consider some of the other things the country has to do […] we also have to upgrade our transmission massively to get renewable energy from where it’s generated to where it’s consumed. Our electricity grid can’t cope. So we need billions of dollars of investment to upgrade our transmission grid. We have a policy to do that and that’ll create lots of jobs.” “I see it as a positive story to say we’re going to diversify regional economies, create new jobs, have lots of regional job creation as we go. And that’s a positive story for Australia’s regions.” But, Bowen says, “it is dishonest to pretend that coal communities aren’t going to be impacted by reducing coal exports as countries move away from coal fired power.” “We’re also going to have detailed plans for communities. We’re also going to have an opportunity for them to have a say from the ground up in their economic future.” Speaking more generally about what the Labor party stands for today, Bowen says: “We still stand for growth and opportu
Wed, November 10, 2021
Scott Morrison has decided electric cars won’t threaten Aussie weekends
As well as Michelle Grattan’s usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversation’s politics team. Scott Morrison is gearing up for the election in the first half of 2022. As the country emerges from COVID constraints, the PM is trying to make up for lost time on the ground, travelling in NSW and Victoria this week. He’s selling some of the nitty gritty of his emissions reduction policy, including a plan to encourage the take up of electric cars. But in Melbourne he was confronted by his own embarrassing quotes from 2019, when he laid into Labor’s policy on these vehicles, claiming they would “end the weekend” and that people who lived in apartments would have to dangle an extension cord out of their windows to charge their cars. Michelle and Amanda also canvass the latest developments in the allegations, involving federal MPs, of branch stacking activities in the Victorian Liberal and Labor parties, and the slow grind in the quest for a federal integrity commission.
Wed, October 27, 2021
Keith Pitt on the climate plan and coal’s future
Resources minister Keith Pitt might have been a “no” when the Nationals debated the government’s climate plan but he was a winner in the deal struck between Scott Morrison and the Coalition’s minor partner. He has been restored to cabinet, just months after Barnaby Joyce relegated him to the outer ministry. The coal industry faces a bleak future as the world tackles global warming. But Pitt, a forthright voice for coal, is anxious to provide reassurance that the climate plan will not do anything to accelerate its decline. “We’re not closing the coal sector, we’re not closing the gas sector, we’re not closing offshore oil. We will continue to work on markets that are available.” He says right now thermal coal is in a “very strong position [..] we’ve got more people involved and employed in thermal coal mining than we’ve had since 2012. "In the midst of the pandemic, thermal coal was under $50 US spot price - it’s currently over $240 [US].” “We’ve looked at the International Energy Agency forecast […] they’re saying there’ll be continued increases in demand for thermal coal out to about 2030, and I expect it to drop off peak by about 2050 by around 20 per cent. So there’s still coal-fired power stations being built. There’s still demand. And keep in mind, we have one of the highest quality products in the world. That’s why there’s demand for Australian coal.” Pitt is coy when pressed on what the Nationals got out of their negotiations with Scott Morrison – apart from his elevation and a commitment to having the Productivity Commission review progress of the plan every five years. “I’m sure we’ll have more to say in coming weeks […] there’s always process.” On how Nationals members are feeling after the rough ride over the climate plan Pitt says, “this is a democracy at work and in Canberra nearly every decision is difficult […] we’re all knockabout sort of people”.
Tue, October 26, 2021
Scott Morrison’s (thin) climate plan for Glasgow
As well as Michelle Grattan’s usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversation’s politics team. In this week’s episode, they canvass the government’s plan, released on Tuesday, to get to net-zero emissions reduction by 2050. It relies overwhelmingly on technology, some of which is yet to be developed. Scott Morrison’s mantra is “technology not taxes” but his plan spends a lot of taxpayer money to drive his technology journey. The experts are already sceptical about the plan’s thinness, and the detailed modelling is still to come. Meanwhile, after all that Coalition agonising, the safeguards the Nationals obtained remain mostly under wraps.
Thu, October 21, 2021
Phil Honeywood on the challenges of getting international students back
COVID-19 has meant international students have been unable to arrive in Australia to commence their studies, devastating one of our most profitable sectors. We’re joined in this podcast by Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia to talk about the impact of the pandemic on universities, students, and the economy – and the way forward. Honeywood says the data shows many international students have voted with their feet and given up their Australian courses to study elsewhere – Britain, Canada, and now even United States under Joe Biden’s more open door policy. “For example, UK university international student enrolments are up over 30% year on year. […] They’re recruiting full fee, paying international students at Australia’s expense, and we lose enormous market share to those countries because they’ve kept the doors open largely throughout the pandemic.” “And as we know, that has also reverberated across our agriculture, horticultural and hospitality sectors in our economy who’ve relied very heavily on international students to fill the low skilled jobs.” One problem in restarting the industry is what Honeywood calls a “pass the parcel syndrome”. “On the one hand, the federal government say, yes state government can be masters of their own destiny and put up a student return plan which the federal government endorsed. On the other hand, when it looked as though we’re going to have large numbers of international students coming back in one state, the federal government remind everybody that no, actually they control Border Force. They control visa entry into the country and they will choose to tell the state to get back to its box.” Honeywood criticises the Home Affairs Department for being unwilling to endorse student visas for Africans. These students go to the Uk in “the tens of thousands” but “our Home Affairs Department who issue student visas […] seem to prefer to just say no to African students”. Honeywood also says “it’s really important to understand the motivation of young people who want to study in another country. For many of them, it’s a chance to obviously explore their own personality, to prove their resilience.” A report released this week by the International Education Association of Australia titled ‘Student Voices’ found that “the appetite for face-to-face study in Australia is a primary driver”.
Tue, October 19, 2021
Mustering the government’s rural rump into the 2050 tent
As well as Michelle Grattan’s usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversations’s politics team. In this week’s episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss the tortuous negotiations with the Nationals over the 2050 net zero target the PM intends to take to Glasgow. The Nationals claim they’re not holding the government to ransom, but they’re playing hardball in extracting protections for the regions. They also canvass Anthony Albanese’s reference of Labor MP Anthony Byrne – who gave sensational evidence to IBAC last week about branch stacking – to the Finance Department to determine whether he breached rules by employing taxpayer-funded staff who didn’t even turn up at the office.
Wed, October 13, 2021
Grattan Institute’s Tony Wood on managing the shift in climate policy
The Morrison Government is in the painful throes of a climate policy shift to embrace a target of net zero by 2050, ahead of next month’s Glasgow conference. This requires a deal with the divided, noisy, fractious Nationals. We’re joined in this podcast by Tony Wood, Director of the Energy Program at the Grattan Institute, to talk about Glasgow, Australia’s policy and the fallout from the necessary transition to lower emissions. “[The government] will talk about […] how technology will be fundamentally important to meeting a net zero target. And that’s absolutely true,” Wood says. [But] policy will be important as well. “The government job, then, is to address the barriers and issues that arise. "In some cases, it will mean losses of jobs in some sectors, but it also means growth of jobs in other sectors. And that’s where the big opportunities lie. "Sectors actually are not really looking to be protected from the consequences of reducing emissions. In fact, they want to be part of the process of driving these changes, so they can actually have some control over their destiny,” Wood says. “So the farming community wants to be part of the solution. They’ve already committed themselves to net zero by dates which are much earlier than 2050. And now the Business Council, which represents some of those big mining companies for example, they’ve also committed to net zero by 2050. "As you think about winners and losers […] we do know that one thing is for certain – that losers shout about their losses much more than the winners boast about their gains. "So what the government puts in place to try and bring those areas of the economy along with them, where the concerns will arise, will be fundamentally important. They will obviously have had to provide some sort of concessions in the announcements around how they’re going to ensure that rural and regional and mining communities are being considered in this process.”
Tue, October 12, 2021
Word from The Hill: A prime minister, a prince and the ‘last chance saloon’.
As well as Michelle Grattan’s usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversations’s politics team. In this week’s episode, they canvass Scott Morrison’s signal he now does want to go to Glasgow, as even Prince Charles increases the pressure on him to attend the “last chance saloon”. This comes as crunch time looms for the Nationals to agree to a new government climate policy. Meanwhile the admission by federal Labor MP Anthony Byrne be branch stacked leaves Anthony Albanese is an awkward position as he prepares for the election.
Thu, October 07, 2021
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Former judge Stephen Charles slams government’s integrity commission model
After Gladys Berejiklian’s resignation over an investigation by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the debate about the federal government’s proposed – but weak – federal integrity commission is heating up. Stephen Charles, a former Victorian judge who is a director of the Centre for Public Integrity, says the Coalition should totally rework its draft model to give it real teeth in dealing with politicians and public servants. Pointing out that under the government draft, investigations of politicians wouldn’t have public hearings, Charles asks, “What does that show you about the concern they have of their activities being exposed? And […] remember the hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars that this coalition has shown it is prepared to spend […] to its electoral advantage rather than in the interests of the public.” “Australia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. Article 36 of that convention requires Australia to have an effective body to deal with corruption, and those of us who’ve been arguing for a national integrity body have been pointing to Australia’s failure to comply with its obligations under UNCAC for a long time now.” Charles agrees with the need to prevent the integrity commission being used by political players for their own purposes. “These powers must not be allowed to be weaponised by […] the political party in power at the time.” “The body should be under the control of the judicial system, which in this case would mean under the control of the federal court […] there should be an inspector, and next there should be a parliamentary committee which should have its activities under continual review.” With those protections, misuse could be prevented, Charles says.
Tue, September 28, 2021
Coalition free-for-all over 2050 target
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this episode, politics + society Senior Deputy Editor Justin Bergman and Michelle canvass the internal brawling that’s happening – which has included Nationals minister Bridget McKenzie attacking treasurer Josh Frydenberg – as Scott Morrison seeks a deal with Barnaby Joyce for the government to endorse a target of net zero emissions by 2050 for the Glasgow climate conference. They also discuss Morrison’s indication this week that he mightn’t go Glasgow. The aftermath of lockdowns could make it a risky time to be out of the country.
Wed, September 22, 2021
British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell on AUKUS and climate change
The New AUKUS security agreement has bound Australia even more tightly to the United States and Britain. But it has brought blowback against all three countries from France – which was blindsided by the cancellation of its contract to supply submarines to Australia. On another front, Australia is under intense pressure from its two "great and powerful friends", the US and the UK, to improve its ambition on climate change in the run up to the Glasgow conference. In the wake of AUKUS and on the cusp of Glasgow, we talk to Britain's High Commissioner to Australia, Vicki Treadell, about security and climate. Treadell says Britain is "deeply disappointed at the reaction from France" following the AUKUS announcement – which included the French cancelling defence talks with the United Kingdom. "We would hope that they will see the bigger picture, that our partnership from a strategic defence and security point of view should not be diminished. The areas where we already work with them, and likewise America and Australia too. All those things remain for us to work together on." "Obviously, they are disappointed, but I don't think they should regard it or interpret it as a loss of trust." She says the French should bear in mind "there is a far more important strategic dynamic to safeguard, to ensure stability and peace in the region". As for Britain's part in AUKUS, the "gravity has shifted to this region in terms of geopolitics, economics, and therefore we need to be part of this region engaged with it". Looking to Glasgow, "We want to see high ambition from all the countries participating in COP 26. We see this as a really important economic agenda for the world, the economic transition that we need to make." "I know that Prime Minister Morrison is working hard towards this, but we do understand the politics of Australia and all we can do as good friends and partners is to encourage and to say that we will be there to work with Australia to realise that level of ambition." "Australia has a huge opportunity to become a global leader in [...] key clean industries of the future. Australia has an almost unparalleled opportunity to create jobs and growth domestically and also to produce the key inputs needed for economies around the world to decarbonise inputs like clean hydrogen, green materials like steel and aluminium."
Tue, September 21, 2021
Word from The Hill: The Furious French and Porter‘s fall
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss the intense backlash from France over the Morrison government's AUKUS security deal with the United States and the United Kingdom, which will see Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines and other sophisticated military technology. As well, they canvass the mounting international pressure on Scott Morrison as he and President Biden talk climate change during the PM's current US visit. Michelle and Amanda also discuss Christian Porter's resignation from the ministry to the backbench after he refused either to find out names of donors who helped fund his defamation action or to give back the money.
Tue, September 14, 2021
Word from The Hill: Christian Porter’s anonymous money pot
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss Christian Porter’s extraordinary “blind trust” – where generous benefactors (assuming there’s more than one) are helping out with his legal bills in his now discontinued ABC defamation case. Porter, it seems, doesn’t know who he should be thanking because the donors are anonymous. Amanda and Michelle also canvass Gladys Berejiklian’s on-again-off-again media appearances, and Scott Morrison’s trip to the US next week, which is likely to include some interesting exchanges with President Biden on climate policy.
Wed, September 08, 2021
Kate Jenkins on the women‘s agenda
In the week of the National Summit on Women's Safety, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins joins the podcast to discuss progress – and lack of progress – on issues of vital importance to Australian women. Last week, the government passed aspects of Jenkins' Respect@Work report into law. Of the 12 recommendations which called for specific legislative reform, only six were enacted. In particular, the recommendation for placing a "positive duty" on employers to protect employees against workplace harassment has not been adopted. This cherry-picking has attracted considerable backlash. Jenkins intends to continue pressing the government on the six unimplemented measures. "When they gave their full response to the 55 recommendations in April [the government] did indicate they would do some legislative reform now and they would take longer to consider the other six." "So they haven't said no to me right now, and I am going to hold them to their commitment that they will continue to consider those reforms." The women's safety summit came when the conversation about this issue is front of mind, following marches early this year, sparked by the Brittany Higgins' allegation of rape in Parliament House, and the allegation of historical rape against Christian Porter, which he denies. Jenkins says achieving gender equality is an issue in "many other Western countries" but Australia ranks 50th on the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Index. "We started in 2006 at, I think it was, 15. So [...] other countries have been really moving at a faster pace than we have." "We are world-leading in terms of [...] educating women and girls. So the problem does tend to arise once those women leave university, get streamed into lower paid jobs, get expected to stay at home, don't have access to good, flexible, affordable childcare. There's a whole range of things that then build up in the Australian community. And I think it's time we change that."
Tue, September 07, 2021
Word from the Hill: A Father‘s Day backlash hits Scott Morrison
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss the criticism Scott Morrison has already faced this week. Firstly, his trip to Sydney to visit his family for Father's Day, which required a special exemption to return to Canberra, brought a sharp backlash when so many families couldn't reunite for the weekend. The PM didn't breach the rules – but did fail the pub test. Secondly, while his address to the National Summit on Women's Safety acknowledged that "Australia has a problem" when it comes to ensuring women feel safe, critics including Australian of the Year Grace Tame are scathing of his and his government's performance.
Wed, September 01, 2021
Word from The Hill: Learning to live with COVID
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss the June quarter national accounts, released on Wednesday. While this quarter was better than expected, the September quarter is certain to be negative as a result of the prolonged lockdowns. They also mark the change this week in the national COVID debate, as the Victorian government, following NSW, admits defeat in the battle to get to COVID zero.
Wed, September 01, 2021
Pat Turner on COVID – and god botherers – stalking Indigenous communities
COVID has been spreading quickly in western NSW Indigenous communities where low vaccination rates and poor conditions make for a toxic mix. The first Indigenous death occurred in Dubbo this week. As efforts intensify to deal with the NSW outbreak Pat Turner, CEO of the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (NACCHO) joins the podcast. As well as discussing the NSW situation, she warns of the vulnerability of communities in Western Australia, attacks religious figures promoting dangerous misinformation, and says Indigenous communities can't safely open at 70% or 80% vaccination rates. On western NSW, where there are hundreds of cases, Turner says crowded and bad housing make it "almost impossible to isolate and quarantine". People in Wilcannia are "having to isolate in tents – in Australia in 2021". In WA First Nations communities, the low vaccine coverage "is a very significant concern to all of us". "It has by far the lowest uptake, with less than 10% of its population 12 years and over fully vaccinated". "I would think that the first death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people [...] has been a wake up call for some, especially those who didn't think that COVID would affect them. The reality is sinking in for many of those." One obstacle is the spread of false claims by god botherers. "[Aboriginal] Pastor Geoffrey Stokes called out a circular that had been sent around by [a] so-called Indigenous prayer group in the goldfields of Western Australia. And it happened that it was a white bloke from Brisbane who had circulated the misinformation. So that was soon put to bed. "But there are people and communities, Aboriginal communities that belong to groups like the Assemblies of God and, you know, other such religions that strongly believe that God will protect them." "God will not stop COVID killing our people. I'm sorry to the religious leaders who believe that, but I'm telling them that will not happen." While the national cabinet's plan provides for easing restrictions for the general community at 70% and 80% vaccination levels of those 16 and over, Turner insists that can't apply in Indigenous communities. "No, no, no, 70 to 80% will not be good enough for our communities. We are aiming for 100% vaccination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 12 years and over by the end of this year."
Wed, August 25, 2021
Doherty’s Sharon Lewin on pivoting from chasing COVID zero
The Doherty modelling is the government’s underpinning for a proposed easing of COVID restrictions once we reach targets of 70% and 80% of the adult population vaccinated. But the exit path has put Scott Morrison at odds with Western Australia and Queensland, states which would inevitably have to give up their present status of having little or no COVID. The model’s priority is pivoting from reaching zero cases, to limiting COVID by vaccination, minimising serious illness, hospitalisation, and deaths. This week, Professor Sharon Lewin, Director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity joins the podcast to explain into the much-discussed modelling and its policy implications. In the event things open up, our “first line of defence” will be the public health capacity, says Lewin. The ability to trace, test, isolate, and quarantine limits the explosion of cases and keeps the transmission potential “less than one”. Some critics have said the 70-80% target won’t sufficiently protect the entire population from COVID. Lewin notes that amongst the varying models there is agreement we cannot open up on vaccine uptake alone. “You can’t just open up a 70% with nothing else in place. There is no ‘Freedom Day’. You do need these additional public health measures.” In particular, while “tremendous advances have been made in capabilities[…] it’s not universal across the country. In particular, First Nation communities, which have been prepared and boasted an "effective community lead response” earlier in the pandemic, will require a strengthening of their public health facilities.
Tue, August 24, 2021
Word from the Hill: The battle to exit COVID
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss the frictions as vaccination rates rise and the debate turns to lifting lockdowns and border restrictions. They also canvass the Morrison government's modest promise on Afghan refugees, and crossbencher Craig Kelly's announcement he'll lead Clive Palmer's United Australia Party at the election.
Wed, August 18, 2021
Word from The Hill: Was the Afghanistan War worth it?
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss the lost war in Afghanistan, as Australia tries to secure the evacuation of its citizens and Afghans who assisted the Australian Defence Force. They also canvass the government's hard line towards Afghans who came to Australia by boat and are on temporary protection visas.
Tue, August 17, 2021
Anthony Albanese says Afghans in Australia should be given permanent residency
Graphic pictures of mayhem confront the world as desperate Afghans attempt to flee their country, after the Taliban's seizure of Kabul. Australia's moral responsibly to evacuate people who assisted the Australian Defence Force, and may now face Taliban retribution, has become an important part of our exit from this lost war. The government is mounting a rescue mission for some of these people, as well as for Australians still in the country. But speaking on the podcast, Anthony Albanese describes the government's effort as "the latest example of too little, too late". Meanwhile, in Australia at present there are more than 4,200 Afghan refugees on temporary visas. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Tuesday that "at this stage" no visa holder will be asked to return to Afghanistan. Scott Morrison said the government "had no plans" to return any of these people. Albanese says the government should give them permanent residency. "The idea that people, for example many of whom are Hazaras, are on temporary protection visas - the idea that the circumstances are going to change, that these are temporary circumstances - is just not real" Albanese says. "It doesn't acknowledge the circumstances which these people confront. And we want them to fully participate in Australian society, and they should have the capacity to become full Australian citizens."
Fri, August 13, 2021
Josh Frydenberg on uncertain economic times
When Treasurer Josh Frydenberg joined the podcast in December, the outlook was positive. While the forecast deficit was massive at nearly $200 billion, it had been revised down and the prospects for growth and employment revised up. Frydenberg said then: "Australians go into Christmas with real cause for optimism and hope". But the economic climate now is bleaker. And very uncertain. With the September quarter set to be negative, and the December quarter dependent on New South Wales' ability to get on top of the virus, a second recession can't be ruled out. But joining The Conversation podcast this week, Frydenberg looks for some silver linings. He says a likely contraction of "about 1.5%" in the September quarter would be considerably less drastic than the 7% contraction the economy saw in the June quarter of last year. "Consumer spending is about 30% higher today than it was in March and April last year. "Consumer confidence, similarly, is around 30% higher than it was back then". And the latest jobs numbers had shown that more than 200,000 people had come off unemployment benefits since that JobKeeper ended. "So I'm confident that the underlying fundamentals of the Australian economy [are] sound." With the New South Wales lockdown more than likely to continue into a third month and other lockdowns around the country, the government has remained steadfast in its decision to not reinstate JobKeeper, relying instead on COVID disaster payments to support workers. A criticism levelled against the JobKeeper program was that money was wasted going to companies which ended up making profits, and then not returning the funds. The treasurer calls JobKeeper "a remarkable success" which "restored confidence immediately after it was announced. "If we had said at the time, you know, Grattan Enterprises would have to pay it all back if somehow they got through the crisis, the likelihood would have been that[...]some businesses wouldn't have taken that money and therefore would have let their staff go." Once borders are open, and we are back to some sort of normality, Frydenberg looks to migration to assist in the economic recovery, and in countering "the impacts and consequences of an ageing population" outlined in this year's Intergenerational Report. Frydenberg supports a migration programme which strikes "the right balance". A program which "goes to our humanity with the resettlement of refugees[...]goes to the needs, the immediate needs of the economy with skilled workers, and[...] goes to the harmony of our society, with family reunions and the like."
Tue, August 10, 2021
Word from the Hill: A reprimand for Christensen and Morrison on climate
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss the House of Representatives' slapdown of controversial Nationals MP George Christensen after his attack on COVID-19 lockdowns and mask-wearing. They also canvass Scott Morrison's initial response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.
Wed, August 04, 2021
Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers on promoting vaccine uptake and a 'modest spending program'
In the lead up to the 2019 election, the Shorten opposition attacked the government's planned 2024 tax cuts, and promised to curb negative gearing and halve the capital gains tax discount. Last week, the Albanese opposition said it wouldn't try to unwind the tax cuts and would leave negative gearing intact - a pragmatic decision designed to make the party a small target at next year's election. Speaking to The Conversation in the Mural Hall in Parliament House – COVID restrictions prevented a visit to his office – Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers defended the change of stance: "I think people understand that the highest priority right now needs to be the management of this pandemic, which is doing such damage to the economy and to local communities, and also what the economy and our society will look like after Covid-19. And what we're able to do now is to focus properly on that. And that's why we took that decision and why we announced it immediately." In a populist move this week, the opposition called on the government to provide a $300 incentive to anyone who was fully vaccinated by 1 December. Such an initiative – vehemently rejected by the government – would cost $6 billion, which Chalmers concedes "is not a small amount of money" but "is a fraction of the money that the government has given in JobKeeper for companies whose profits actually went up and didn't need JobKeeper support. $13 billion at least wasted there." Chalmers says $300 per vaccinated person would be "a lot of bang for buck in terms of public health outcomes, but also in terms of economic outcomes." If successful at the election, as treasurer Chalmers would be inheriting an enormous debt, with not much room for spending. Despite this, he says Labor's approach to spending "won't be held to constraints that the government's not held to." "The government spent a 100 billion dollars in one night on budget night[...]not a dollar offset, and nobody's saying to the government 'what taxes are you raising to pay for that 100 billion dollars in spending?' "The commitment I give to the Australian people as the alternative treasurer is our budget position will reflect the needs of the Australian people and the economy[...] "It will be more responsible than the Liberals. We won't be taking a lecture on responsibility from the most wasteful government since Federation, and our budget settings will reflect the economy."
Tue, August 03, 2021
a four-stage plan and a $300 payment to get vaccinated
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversations’s politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle talk about the outcome of last Friday’s National Cabinet meeting - an updated four-point plan for exiting COVID restrictions via vaccination levels of 70% and 80%. They also discuss Scott Morrison’s vehement rejection of Anthony Albanese’s proposal that Australians be given $300 incentive to get vaccinated.
Wed, July 21, 2021
Bob Brown on his latest environmental battle, and a critique of Labor
Since his retirement from parliament in 2012, Bob Brown has remained an activist on environmental causes - from campaigning against the Adani coal mine to fighting the threat to Tasmania’s Tarkine forest. Brown was leader when after the 2010 election the Greens helped Julia Gillard retain government by entering an agreement with her. A key part of that deal was the requirement that a price on carbon be introduced. These days Brown labels Labor “Liberal-lite” - condemning what he sees at its timid stance on climate policy as a lost opportunity to catch up with “public sentiment”. “No doubt there are people with Labor, a younger set of people who can see this, but the old guard, and that includes Anthony Albanese, don’t see it…” “Labor is on the edge, trying to make itself look a little bit greener that Morrison[…]but that really doesn’t cut the mustard”. On Friday, the UNESCO World Heritage committee will vote on whether the Great Barrier Reef should be declared “in danger” - trying to head that off, Australian government has proposed an amendment that the decision be delayed until 2023. Brown believes the listing should have been made “years ago” because the reef is “not only in danger, it’s dying”.
Tue, July 20, 2021
Word from The Hill: three states in lockdown
As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversations’s politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle talk about where we never expected to be in mid 2021 – 13 million people locked down in three states. They also canvass the "car park rorts" in which marginal electorates were brazenly targeted in a $389 million car park construction program for the 2019 election, and if such misconduct will ever be stemmed.
Wed, July 07, 2021
Barnaby Joyce on net zero 2050, a coal-fired power station – and how resources is (sort of) in cabinet
Barnaby Joyce's sudden elevation to deputy prime minister has put a significant obstacle in the way of Scott Morrison's creep this year to a commitment to a net zero 2050 target. More generally, it has made internal Coalition relations more unpredictable. In this podcast Joyce reiterates his opposition to embracing the target, while leaving some wriggle room. "With the information that I've got at the moment, it's not on [...] And that's because there is no information." "What we know at the moment is that there is no list of 'these are the costs to people in regional Australia'." Still, he says, it's not a binary choice. And he stresses that the final decision on the Nationals' stance will be taken in its party room, although he wouldn't expect a formal vote. Pressed about his controversial dropping of the resources portfolio from cabinet to the outer ministry in his reshuffle, Joyce redefines "cabinet", saying resources is "still in cabinet, even if it is in the outer cabinet". On the proposal for a coal-fired power station at Collinsville in Queensland – which most observers do not believe will get off the ground – Joyce says he would have "no objections" to the government underwriting the project, but he'd want to see the details before being more positive. "I'm very consistent in the approach I take, which is before you want me to underwrite what you're doing, let me have a look at what it costs and then I'll decide." Asked about his future if the Coalition wins the election, Joyce says he would intend to stay the full term as leader – but he is also "quite open" to transitioning the party. "I'm not going to hang around like Sir Earle Page [leader of the Country party 1921-39]". Meanwhile he wants to grow the number of Nationals seats at the election, not just hold onto current ones. He says his eyes are on Lingiari (NT), opportunities in NSW's Hunter Valley and Senate positions.
Tue, July 06, 2021
Word from the Hill: Julia Banks and international travel caps
As well as her usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversations’s politics team. In this episode, politics + society deputy editor Judith Ireland and Michelle discuss the allegation by former Liberal MP Julia Banks that she was inappropriately touched at Parliament House by an unnamed cabinet minister, and her labelling of Prime Minister Scott Morrison as a "menacing, controlling wallpaper". They also canvass the government's decision to reduce the intake of returning international travellers, and the four-stage plan announced to eventually exit the pandemic's restrictions.
Mon, July 05, 2021
Jacinta Price's parliamentary agenda
Following her pre-selection victory, Alice Springs deputy mayor Jacinta Nampijinpa Price will now be the Country Liberal party's Senate candidate at the election. This essentially assures her of victory. The Northern Territory returns one Senate seat to each side of politics. Price has made a name for herself already as a conservative Indigenous voice, critical of what she labels a paternalistic approach to Aboriginal autonomy. She is also well known for her advocacy work - bringing attention to high rates of domestic violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Her stances on a range of issues have made her a controversial figure within the broad Indigenous community. In discussing her political agenda, Price highlights affording traditional owners the ability to create business opportunities and own homes on their own land. "A lot of traditional owners, and in my own experience as a traditional owner, have not had the opportunity to be able to access their own country for economic development opportunities and, and/or have the opportunity to own their own homes." Price doesn't consider constitutional recognition for Indigenous peoples a policy priority, favouring instead "practical measures that are going to generate outcomes." "I certainly don't mind the idea of being recognised in our nation's constitution[...][but] I'm more focused on the more immediate, practical issues, trying to provide outcomes for the betterment of Indigenous Australians, as opposed to, you know, symbolic gestures." Nor does she call herself "a fan of" the voice to parliament, a proposal which would give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders a say in law and policy affecting them. "I think we do have Indigenous voices in parliament - I guess it's upon them who have been there already to actually be doing a better job[...]if we need a voice to parliament, then clearly that's saying something about the representatives who have been there already." "If we're reaching for equality, true equality, then that means that Indigenous Australians be on the same footing as all other Australians"
Tue, June 29, 2021
Word from The Hill: the return to lockdown
As well as her usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversations’s politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle discuss Scott Morrison's Monday night announcement encouraging younger people to discuss with their doctors getting the AstraZeneca vaccine - despite this not being recommended by the official technical expert group which advises the government They also dive into how the government's handling of the pandemic is affecting its wider support, and the opposition's ability to cut through in the wake of the pandemic.
Wed, June 23, 2021
Sussan Ley and Terri Butler on the Great Barrier Reef being 'in danger'
The government's response to the UNESCO recommendation that the Great Barrier Reef be listed as "in danger" was one of surprise and shock. The recommendation will be considered at UNESCO's World Heritage Committee meeting next month. While the proposal calls attention to the need to address the effect of climate change and other factors which are degrading the reef, the government alleges it's part of wider global politics. Environment Minister Sussan Ley is adamant UNESCO's recommendation represents "international politics at play" which have "subverted the normal and proper process." In the background, the government points to China – which chairs the World heritage Committee – but Ley treads carefully. "Others can make judgements about what those international politics are..." "If the politicisation of a process that we have constructively contributed to for over 40 years is now going to be the norm, the points that I will make with the 21 member countries [on the committee] and others who might influence them is that this is the moment to reflect on what the World Heritage Committee is all about and consider the risk to your own properties. "Because if the entire system is politicised, then we aren't going to be acting in the interests of the natural heritage values of these places." Her opposition "shadow" Terri Butler wouldn't speculate on what might be underlying the decision but "Australians would be very disappointed if they thought there was anything behind the decision other than concern for the reef." "What's important here is for people to be able to have confidence in UNESCO in this decision making process." Butler says heading off the listing is important not just to avoid discouraging tourists from overseas but also for Australia's image on the global stage. "It's really important [the government] demonstrate to the world they're serious about protecting the reef, preserving it for future generations. And if they do that, they should also be in a position to fight really hard to avoid this particular listing.
Tue, June 22, 2021
Word from The Hill: Australia's new Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, climate policy and UNESCO
As well as Michelle Grattan’s usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversations’s politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle dive into the National party spill, which resulted in Barnaby Joyce grabbing back his old leadership job, what this means for the Nationals at the election, and the climate change policy position this puts Scott Morrison in. They also discuss the recommendation by UNESCO to list the Great Barrier Reef as "in danger", and the suggestion by the government this classification was politically motivated.
Wed, June 16, 2021
Acting PM Michael McCormack on net zero 2050 and prospects for a new coal-fired power station
With Scott Morrison overseas, Nationals leader Michael McCormack has been Acting Prime Minister this week. In this podcast, he speaks about the free trade agreement with the UK, climate change, coal, the Nationals, and China. With speculation about whether Morrison will embrace a 2050 net zero target before the Glasgow climate conference, the attitude of the Nationals is critical and McCormack is under pressure from a vocal group in his party that is strongly against the target. McCormack says the National party will not supporting signing up to the target this year. When it is put to him, “we can be sure that the Nats would not embrace that target?” his reply is definite. “Correct”. On coal, unlike many in the government, McCormack believes the controversial proposal for a coal-fired power station at Collinsville in Queensland can be a goer. A feasibility study is being conducted for the project. (It is understood a draft report has been produced already.) McCormack says the study is “very much on its way”. Shire Energy CEO Ashley Dodd “texts me every day of every week and highlights the progress. And last week there were some really, really positive news.” Asked whether he thinks the government will be able to support the project, McCormack says, “provided every box [including environmental ones] is ticked, yes”. “If the proponents come forward with everything that they’re required to do, then I can see no reason why it wouldn’t be supported. And of course, it’s not just the federal government. It’s other entities, too, which need to come on board.”
Tue, June 15, 2021
Word from The Hill: the Biloela Tamil family, G7 and the upcoming parliamentary fortnight
As well as Michelle Grattan’s usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversations’s politics team. In this episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn and Michelle dive into Tuesday's announcement that the Bioela Tamil family will now live in Perth while their court proceedings are underway, after being incarcerated on Christmas Island since 2019. They also discuss Scott Morrison's meeting with US President Joe Biden, and Michael McCormack's sitting in the PM's parliamentary chair this week.
Thu, June 10, 2021
Rex Patrick on Freedom of Information and Australia's submarines
Senator Rex Patrick is currently challenging the secrecy around Scott Morrison's national cabinet. He's brought legal action – the outcome is pending – to attempt to have the minutes of this body, which includes federal, state and territory leaders, made public. The government claims the documents are protected by an exemption for cabinet documents in the freedom of information act, while Patrick claims national cabinet lacks some of the essential features that would afford it that cover. Patrick's also pressing for improvements in the freedom information law, which has become increasingly obstacle-ridden, to allow applicants more rights. It's perhaps no wonder former senator Nick Xenophon, for whom Patrick once worked, labelled him "Inspector Rex". On a very different front, as a former submariner Patrick has been highly critical of the government's Future Submarine Program, which has contracted a French company to build 12 submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. Patrick says the company is taking too long, and charging too much, to make submarines which may fail to achieve the necessary sovereign capability. In this podcast, Patrick says Scott Morrison should take the opportunity during his coming meeting with French President Macron to issue an ultimatum that changes must be made. "You know, despite the good relationship we may have with France, this is a matter of national security, and it's also a matter of a huge amount of public expenditure. And the prime minister must put the Australian public before that relationship. And I think it would be wise for him to be just very frank and honest with the French president."
Tue, June 08, 2021
Word from The Hill
As well as Michelle Grattan's usual interviews with experts and politicians about the news of the day, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes "Word from The Hill", where all things political will be discussed with members of The Conversations's politics team. In this week's episode, politics + society editor Amanda Dunn discusses with Michelle current issues and what's coming up. The pair dive into Speaker of The House Tony Smith's efforts to reform Question Time, Scott Morrison's agenda for the G7 Summit - taking place this weekend in the United Kingdom, and Victoria's slow emergence out of lockdown.
Wed, June 02, 2021
Mark Butler on the vaccine rollout and democracy in the Labor Party
Despite this week's strong economic figures, the pandemic is not as distant in the rearview mirror as many had hoped it would be by now. In Victoria, cluster outbreaks have forced the state into a new lockdown. With cases amongst aged care workers and residents, the state waits nervously as health authorities battle to contain the situation. As Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing, Mark Butler is focused on scrutinising the federal government's handling of pandemic and the aged care sector, and what more should be done. "The problem is distribution[...] We need to ramp up the aged care vaccination and disability care vaccination. And that just means the Commonwealth needing to engage more teams to do the job. "They're doing that in Melbourne right now. But still, we have hundreds and hundreds of aged care facilities that haven't yet received their second dose. And 98% of residents in disability care haven't received their second dose. These are priority groups. So that is what the Commonwealth should be doing as a matter of urgency." Butler is a former national president of the Labor party and sits on its national executive. This week, rebel backbencher Joel Fitzgibbon called for Labor to scrap the rank and file component in selecting its leader. Currently the Labor leader is elected on a 50-50 basis between the caucus and party membership. Butler firmly rejects the Fitzgibbon call for change. Indeed, he says he's held a "strong view" for "many, many years" that there should be more rank and file decision making in the party - not less. But the complication is that with party membership decreasing, membership decisions skew a certain way. "There is an obligation. You can't rely upon a shrinking group of party members[...]but what I do know is that it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy if we continue to disrespect our members and just expect them to roll up to polling booths every election day and not really do much else."
Thu, May 27, 2021
Katy Gallagher on the battle to hold the government to account
When Katy Gallagher joined the podcast this week, she was running between sessions of Senate estimates. Among other issues, she and other Labor senators pressed (with mixed results) for answers about the handling of the Brittany Higgins matter. Gallagher has another role in the pursuit of accountability. As Chair of the Senate's Select Committee on COVID-19, she's spearheading the quest for detail on what the government is doing on both the health and economic fronts. As shadow minister for finance, she's also been vocal in the opposition's attack on the budget - in particular the government's failure to increase real wages despite considerable spending. Gallagher speaks about the difficulty in getting substantive information. "We have had pretty critical information withheld from the [COVID] committee..." "All of the modelling and assumptions that went into the economic rescue packages, you know, hundreds of billions of dollars going out the door. All the health advice that's been provided to the government, the decisions that have been taken about border closures, about vaccinations, about why they went with certain companies and not others. "The government has refused to provide that information. And I think that creates a problem for us in properly scrutinising it."
Wed, May 19, 2021
Richard Colbeck on aged care and the Olympics
In last week's budget, $17.7 billion was allocated to the aged care sector, in response to the damning findings of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality & Safety. The commission's final report painted a grim picture of a sector in need of sweeping overhaul - with people in residential care requiring a more supportive – and in some cases safer - environment, and people at home desperately short of enough care packages. The government's response includes an additional 80,000 homecare packages, funding for better staffing (including a mandate of 200 minutes of care for each resident, each day), and a commitment to a new aged care act. Richard Colbeck, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, as well as Minister for Sport, joins the podcast to discuss aged care policy, and the coming Olympics. One big question in aged care, which hasn't been tackled, is whether wealthier people should contribute more to funding their costs. Colbeck says "we've had a really close look at that" and "there's probably more work to do in that space". "But I think there's broad acceptance that where people can afford to make a contribution to support them as they age, they should do so. We'll continue to consider that." The Tokyo Summer Olympics, originally slated for 2020 but now due to commence in July, have attracted considerable criticism given the state of coronavirus in Japan. Only recently the nation's lockdown was extended, with new cases in the thousands being reported daily, and there are strong calls for the games to be abandoned. Colbeck concedes "there will be COVID" at the Olympics. But the International Olympic Committee has "made arrangements" for any athlete or official who contracts the virus. He also described the work of the medical team at the Australian Institute of Sport as "world-leading".
Wed, May 12, 2021
Simon Birmingham and Jim Chalmers on a big spending budget
This year's budget, handed down on Tuesday, boasts plenty of winners and minimal direct losers. Spending is lavish, with the government doing its utmost to avoid offending voters. The big spending commitments include: - $17.7 billion for aged care over five years - $2.3 billion for mental health - $1.7 billion in changes to childcare - $1.1 billion for women's safety - $1.9 billion for the rollout of the COVID vaccine - $20.7 billion in support for business through tax breaks - $2.7 billion in new apprenticeships - $15 billion over a decade for infrastructure - $1.2 billion for the promotion of a digital economy. Simon Birmingham, finance minister, and Jim Chalmers, shadow treasurer, are our post-budget guests on the podcast. This is Birmingham's first budget as finance minister. Usually, it's the finance minister's unpopular task to find spending cuts – but this time, these are minimal. Birmingham's message to critics on the right of politics, who are claiming the government has given up the debt fight, is: "You don't manage to achieve budget sustainability and ultimately balanced budgets some time down the track without actually maintaining and having a strong economy that has strong jobs growth. And so this time, where we have an uncertain international environment [and] fragility in terms of confidence, because of those global uncertainties, we need to make sure we maintain the COVID recovery." And he notes, "debt is actually forecast to be lower over over each of the next 10 years than was the case in last year's budget." The budget includes assumptions that the international border will open around mid 2022, and that the Australian population would be fully vaccinated by the end of this year. Asked how "solid" these assumptions are, Birmingham says: "We have used best assumptions that we think are cautious assumptions and realistic ones. But we equally acknowledge with honesty that these are challenging times, uncertain times. "And so they are just that - assumptions." On the issue of debt, Chalmers says it's not just the level of the debt that matters, "it's the quality of the spending". He says the budget is "riddled with rorts" and "weighed down with waste". "There are new slush funds in last night's budget, and that means we're not getting the bang for buck that we need to be getting in terms of jobs and other other important objectives." Labor has homed in on flat wages, arguing working Australia's are "copping a cut in their real wages". Ultimately, the budget has failed working people, says Chalmers. "If the government is prepared to intervene in the economy as they have been and spray around what is an extraordinary amount of money, then you'd think that working people would actually get a slice of the recovery." "It's a pretty extraordinary admission of failure."
Wed, May 05, 2021
what should the budget do for women? Jennifer Westacott (BCA) and Michele O'Neil (ACTU)
What do business and union leaders believe should be in a budget that is designed in part to pitch to women? Jennifer Westacott, CEO of the Business Council of Australia, says as well as spending on childcare – which we already know about – the budget should improve women’s access to superannuation. “Women have been very, very disadvantaged in that superannuation system - they are retiring with very small savings.” “The superannuation and the childcare go hand in hand because we know that the reason many women don’t have adequate super is because they’ve taken big stints out of work and they haven’t built that savings nest egg. So those two things should be seen in tandem.” Michele O'Neil, president of the ACTU, says for women the budget “needs to include commitments to addressing insecure work and low wages [and] to make sure that the support for early childhood education and care delivers free and universal childcare. Because this is what will matter in terms of women’s participation at work. We have a relatively low rate of women’s participation.” “If we just increased women to the same level of participation for those key years of 25-45 as men, we’d see a $70 billion increase in GDP and a $30 billion increase in household incomes.”
Wed, April 28, 2021
former ASIO head David Irvine on the cyber threats Australia faces
"The warfare of the 21st century" is going to be "fought in cyberspace before kinetic shots are fired" says leading national security expert David Irvine. And perhaps the fight has already begun, with Australia's institutions, businesses, and citizens subject to a near constant barrage of cyber attacks. Previously chair and now a board member of the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre, Irvine has a deep knowledge of the cyber risks posed to Australia and Australians by both nation states and criminals. His career has included heading both ASIS, which manages Australia's overseas spying activities, and ASIO, responsible for domestic protection. Irvine describes cybercrime as a "massive issue", and say that compared to countries like "China, Russia,[...]Iran, and North Korea" the West is lagging behind in its defensive cyber capability. "I think almost every Western country is probably behind the game in its defences." Part of this is the nature of cyber incursions. "One of the rules in cybercrime is that the criminal is always half a step ahead of the protector." What can be done? Last year the government committed $1.67 billion over 10 years to combating cybercrime, but Irvine calls in particular for a "public awareness campaign" to get the message through strongly. "I think back to the old days of HIV and the Grim Reaper, and my sense is that we actually need a very hard hitting campaign that brings home to individuals and businesses[...] the threat that they are under and the sort of resilience that they need to develop as individuals, as companies, and as a nation." Irvine is also chair of the Foreign Investment Review Board, and is a former ambassador to China. He says of the current tensions with China, and warnings about "the drums of war": "Ultimately, I think we depend on China and the United States to develop a modus vivendi which concedes some interests but protects others. Because the alternative is really too horrendous to contemplate."
Wed, April 21, 2021
military ‘watch-dog’ Neil James on Afghanistan, China, and Peter Dutton
Sunday is ANZAC day - and this year it comes at a particularly important time for Australia’s military image. Last week, Scott Morrison announced Australia’s remaining troops will leave Afghanistan by September, following President Biden’s announcement of the United States withdrawal. One negative legacy of Australia’s participation in this conflict is documented in the Brereton report on Australia war crimes, which detailed alleged incidents of unlawful killing and cruelty by some special forces troops. Among the report’s recommendations was the revocation of the Meritorious Unit Citation that had been awarded to some 3,000 soldiers. The Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Angus Campbell, agreed with the recommendation. But critics were fierce and this week the new Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the award would not be revoked. Executive Director of the Australia Defence Association Neil James joins the podcast, to discuss the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the strategic risk China poses, and the high profile new minister in the portfolio. James is concerned the departure of international forces from Afghanistan will lead to more instability. “By withdrawing and without a peace agreement with the Taliban, it’s going to be a reasonable problem. The simple thing about all wars is they always end when one side gives up or both sides get tired. And in this case, unfortunately, the message being sent to the Taliban is that the international community has given up.” On China, James is concerned about any “number of flash points that could easily cause a war, even if only accidentally”. Taiwan “is the big flash point.” “President Xi will seek to legitimise his presidency by, in his words, absorbing Taiwan back into the motherland. That will automatically cause a war for the simple reason that Taiwan is a functioning democracy and a lot of the world’s democracies will probably object to that. That’s the biggest flash point.” On the controversial Dutton decision to override Campbell over the citation, James believes the minister did the wrong thing. “I think probably, to be brutally frank, he was ill advised. And I think if he [had] bothered to consult a bit more broadly and understood the implications of what he was doing, he may not have done it.” “[The revocation] needs to be done for the simple reason that the revocation of the citation isn’t an Australian issue - it’s an international issue. We’re showing the world that we’re taking the Brereton report seriously. "We admit the war crimes occurred even if we have difficulty convicting anyone of it, eventually. They certainly definitely occurred. And therefore, we have to be seen to be doing something about it. "And by cancelling the revocation, we’re actually sending the wrong message internationally about Australia’s commitment to international law. But we’re also sending the wrong message
Thu, April 15, 2021
Matt Canavan on Holgate, Di Bartolomeo, and John Andersen
Former Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate has given evidence to a Senate inquiry into her dramatic exit from Australia Post. Holgate left her position last year, when the prime minister denounced her in parliament for giving Cartier watches as rewards to Australia Post executives. Victim of a hit job, Holgate inflicted damaging hits of her own – delivering blows against Scott Morrison and Australia Post chair Lucio Di Bartolomeo, and following up her evidence with a media blitz. She accuses Morrison of bullying and says Di Bartolomeo should resign. Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan, who sat in on her appearance, also believes Di Bartolomeo should go. “The CEO of Australia Post, just like any government organisation, is not appointed by the minister or the government. The government appoints a board and then the board, under the chair’s direction, hires a CEO. "The big main job of the chair is to find a good CEO and give them good direction. And that hasn’t occurred here. "And I think, therefore, the buck must stop with Lucio.” Despite this, Canavan doesn’t believe an apology is owed by the prime minister for his “parliamentary reaction”, as it was “understandable and everyone had a similiar reaction”. An apology is required from the government, however, for the “dismount, how we’ve handedled the situation post the initial scandal”. Canavan belongs to the group within the Nationals known for being pro-coal, stirring the pot, and putting pressure on leader Michael McCormack. On this podcast, he discusses the Nationals’ election prospects, as well as the possible return to parliament of former Nationals leader and deputy prime minister John Anderson, who is seeking preselection for a Sneate run. “[John Anderson is] making a major contribution to the intellectual richness of our country[…] he’s quite a thought leader. I think having the platform of the Senate would amplify that voice a bit. I think he’d also play a very stabilising and educating sort of role in our party room.”
Wed, April 07, 2021
Stephen Duckett on what's gone wrong with the rollout
As of Tuesday, only 920,334 doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered - a fraction of the four million doses the Morrison government had promised by end-March. The rollout's complications and failures have sparked a backlash from some GPs, pharmacists, and states. The federal government says the problems are mainly supply issues – notably, the failure of millions of doses to arrive from overseas. Also, CSL has had trouble quickly ramping up its production. At the same time, there have been glitches in the logistics of delivery to doctors and the states. This week Stephen Duckett joins the podcast to critique the rollout. Currently director of the health and aged care programme at the Grattan Institute, he was formerly secretary of the federal health department and so has seen the health bureaucracy from the inside. Duckett is highly critical of how the rollout has gone, with the government over-hyping expectations. "The government hasn't met a single one of its targets so far. They had targets about four million people by the end of March. They had a target, about more than 500,000 residential aged care workers and residents by mid-March. "Now, sure, it's the biggest logistic exercise we have ever seen, but the government has had eight months or so to prepare for it. "I think the government should have set reasonable targets. It should have said, look, we know it's really, really important to get the vaccine rollout started, but we are reliant on overseas." "The prime minister said he wanted to under promise and over deliver. He did the reverse." One issue Duckett identifies has been the politicisation of the process. "There's been a huge number of vaccine announcements. Every micro-possibility has been wrung out of every announcement. We've got photos of vaccines coming off planes. We've got announcements that we're thinking about having a contract." "I think[...]the commonwealth initially thought it was all going to go very smoothly and they'd coast into the election very, very comfortably on the back of a successful vaccination rollout programme. "So I think it had a political overlay from the start."
Thu, April 01, 2021
Linda Burney on the treatment of Indigenous Women
In the passionate debate over the treatment of women in workplaces, and particularly the extent of violence and harassment, the voice of Indigenous women, especially those living in isolated communities, has gone largely unheard. Linda Burney, speaking at the ALP’s National Conference this week, strongly advocated for equality and opportunity for all in Australia. She called for a constitutionally-enshrined voice for First Nations people in parliament, commitment to realising the Uluru Statement in full, and a renewed focus on ‘truth-telling’. As Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services, and for Indigenous Australians, Burney joins the podcast to discuss the voice of Indigenous people, especially in light of the current cultural movement. Domestic violence against women in Indigenous communities is a serious issues - a 2018 report by the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare assessed Indigenous women as 32 times as likely to be hospitalized due to family violence as non-Indigenous women. Burney sees the abuse partly in historical terms. “Think about the Stolen Generation…so many women that were removed were sexually assaulted and ended up in dreadful situations. Now they became mothers, and those mothers became mothers, and that trauma is handed down.” Burney calls for change on at a “local community level” “The Aboriginal women that I speak to don’t necessarily want this to end up with a man with a criminal conviction and the possibility of going to jail. "What they want to see is for the violence to stop and for men to get help. And where I’ve seen domestic violence programmes in the Aboriginal community that are really successful, is at a local community level. Because the community has to own the problem, before it’s dealt with.” And what about the attitude of Indigenous men? “I don’t think aboriginal men are resistant to change. We have in the Aboriginal community a very strong movement in terms of mens’ groups. "Men realise that there is a problem. They realise that they’re part of the problem. But we have to find ways to make them part of the solution as well.”
Thu, March 25, 2021
Sussan Ley on being a woman in politics
Over the last month, as more and more stories of sexually explicit behaviour and misconduct within the walls of Parliament House have been revealed, the “culture” of politics has come into question. One particular issue is the role and representation of women, and the need for more female voices to express the interests – and pain and frustrations – of women across the country. As Sussan Ley puts it: “I feel overwhelmingly that the culture of this place has got to change.” Ley, Senator Marise Payne’s “proxy” as minister for women in the House of Representatives, represents the regional seat of Farrer in southern NSW. She acknowledges there is much work to be done in educating the diverse members of her electorate about how far the whole gender debate has moved. While there was a small women’s march in her electorate - in Albury - she notes the silent majority who are desperate for change: “Women on farms, women who are powerless in their relationships because they wouldn’t even be able to talk about these things at their kitchen table or, in some cases, women who aren’t allowed to leave the house because of the nature of their personal relationships. "There were women silently cheering this from everywhere.” Ley was one of the first government MPs to voice her support for quotas within the Liberal Party - to afford more women political opportunities. Talking to Michelle Grattan, Ley advocates for what she calls for a “smart quota system” in contrast to a “blunt instrument”. “I’m uncomfortable with something that would say ‘okay, your seat’s a woman seat, your seats not’. I mean, that doesn’t make any sense to me.” Under her idea, “in [the Liberal Party] constitution, it will say we accept that we will have 40% or 30% of women candidates in our seats. "It then has to say not just women candidates, because sometimes candidates have a very small chance of winning in safe opposition seats. So you’d have to say we’ve got seats that we describe as winnable…and unwinnable.” “And the ones that step forward in seats where there’s not so much chance would get very well supported, so they wouldn’t be left to fend for themselves.”
Thu, March 18, 2021
Zali Steggall on Monday's march and Scott Morrison's response
On Monday, women across the nation marched, demanding justice, safety and equality. But the government's response was lacklustre, with Scott Morrisona and the Minister for Women Marise Payne refusing to go outside to the crowd. Morrison later chose his words badly when he said: "Not far from here, such marches, even now are being met with bullets, but not here in this country". Independent MP Zali Steggall described Morrison's comments as "incredibly sad" and "just stunning". A former lawyer and olympian, Steggall is currently championing two private member's bills - a proposal for a national climate change framework, and an amendment to the sex discrimination act which would allow judges, MPs, and statutory appointees to be prosecuted for sexual harassment. Steggall is disappointed in the government's response to the strong push for women's rights. "I've been quite baffled to understand the Prime Minister's response to this situation and the [rape] allegations." And she doesn't believe Payne has been much better. "I've been absolutely, really disappointed with the minister for women's response." She is somewhat more encouraged by the government's changing attitude towards climate change, noting Morrison's language has changed "dramatically" in the last 12 months. But simply saying he wants to get to net zero "as soon as possible" is not good enough, she says. "That's not the certainty that business and the private sector are looking for. They are looking for it to be legislated, and with a clear pathway."
Thu, March 11, 2021
Fleur Johns on the rule of law
Christian Porter has unequivocally denied the historic rape allegations levelled against him, and says he is determined to stay in his job as attorney-general. Both Scott Morrison and Porter are adamant the "rule of law" in this country places the attorney-general beyond prosecution, now that the NSW police have closed the case. Porter is the country's first law officer and many argue that requires a stiffer test of suitability. This week UNSW professor of law Fleur Johns joins the podcast, to discuss the legal role of the attorney-general, how allegations of this kind can affect the performance of his duties, and the validity of the "rule of law" argument. The role of the office of the attorney-general is both one of "actual powers" and "a repository of great symbolic power," Johns says. This symbolic power is compromised by "serious allegations that go to the ability of a person to exercise power over another person in a way that is responsible." "Allegations that are made of a serious abuse of power having been conducted could erode...public trust, especially when those allegations have not had an opportunity to be tested, as is the case here." Johns "wholeheartedly" rejects the view an independent inquiry into the rape allegations would compromise the rule of law. "It's absolutely par for the course that the rule of law is delivered through a range of different procedural mechanisms." "The testing of these allegations...with the appropriate protections to ensure the rule of law, would actually be a way of ensuring that that ideal of the rule of law is defended and promoted. "[It would show] that we do experience a sense of being governed by laws and legal processes and legal institutions, rather than by particular men and women who happen to be in power at any one time."
Thu, March 04, 2021
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Patricia Sparrow on the Royal Commission into Aged Care
The Royal Commission into Aged Care has now delivered its final report, and its findings are an indictment of the inadequacies of the present system. The report calls for a refocus within the aged care system, placing the people receiving care at the centre. However the feasibility and affordability of the 148 recommendations are yet to be assessed. Patricia Sparrow is CEO of Aged & Community Services Australia, a peak body which represents not-for-profit members providing residential care for some 450,000 people throughout the country. Speaking to Michelle Grattan, she says she is disappointed the commmission did not provide estimates of the funding needed to reform the system. “Royal commission research showed that Australia spends around 1.2% of its GDP on aged care, but other comparable countries in the OECD, the average they spend is around 2.5%. "I’m not saying that’s exactly what’s needed, but I think it gives us a sense of the scale and the scope of what’s going to need to be considered.” As for fears the government might fall short of serious change when it releases its full response around budget time, “I think the indications are that they will do a serious response, but [there have been] 20 reports over 20 years and that hasn’t happened.” “We want to ensure that…there is a desire to fundamentally reform the system. Because anything short is not going to cut it.”
Tue, February 23, 2021
Former MP Kate Ellis on the culture in parliament house
The revelation of the alleged rape of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins and subsequent allegations of sexual misconduct have sparked multiple inquiries into the culture of parliament house. It's a subject on which Kate Ellis is an expert. Ellis was a Labor MP from 2004 to 2019, and held various ministries in the Labor government. She was then – and still is – the youngest person to become a federal minister. Ellis retired to spend more time with her young family. Her coming book, Sex, Lies and Question Time, published in April, discusses the history of women in parliament, their triumphs, but also the adversities faced by female parliamentarians and staff. It draws on contemporary accounts. Ellis describes her time as a parliamentarian as "the best job in the world" but says "if you're a woman in our federal parliament, you are treated differently than if you are a man." She chose to "overstep the line" as an employer, when she was a minister, to warn staff of the hazards of the life and culture around parliament. "There are several occasions where I would sit my staff member down and actually play more of a maternal role...kind of talking about the culture, making sure that they were okay and making sure that they knew that they could come to me. "Now, that's not the traditional role of an employer. Normally what people do outside of their strict work hours is up to them. But just having seen enough of the Canberra culture, I felt that it was my responsibility to play that role. And it's something that I did on a number of occasions."
Thu, February 11, 2021
David Littleproud on The Nationals and net zero
Scott Morrison has indicated he wants to embrace a 2050 target of net-zero emissions. That, however, requires bringing the Nationals on board, and a vocal group in that party is fighting a fierce rearguard action. The Nationals deputy leader David Littleproud, who is Minister for Agriculture, is sympathetic to the target - so long as there is a credible path to get there, which won't disadvantage rural Australians. In this podcast Littleproud says he believes the pathway could be settled this year. "That's not in my remit. But there is a hope to accelerate that and to make sure that we can provide that [pathway] as quickly as we can. The money's been set aside for a lot of that work and some of that work's already been completed." As for that Nationals, "our position is we want to see the plan first. Our party room hasn't got to a juncture of dismissing it. We want to see what the plan is and who pays for it." Asked whether agriculture would have to be exempted for the Nationals to sign up to the 2050 target, Littleproud says, "Well, with respect to ag, I think it cane be part of the solution". On the ANZ's announcement this week it would stop lending to Australia's biggest coal port, the Port of Newcastle, Littleproud is scathing: "Well, they're a pathetic joke... We had a banking royal commission and here we are, a bank telling the Australian people about how society should run. That is not their role. Their role is to provide capital."
Mon, February 01, 2021
Anthony Albanese on his new frontbench, Joel Fitzgibbon, and Labor’s imminent workplace policy
Last year, Anthony Albanese was criticised for his lack of cut-through during the COVID crisis, as Labor was sidelined by a hyperactive government. This year, amid ALP leadership speculation and now a shadow ministry reshuffle, Albanese is seeking to assert himself more forcefully, declaring last week “I will be leader of this country after the next election”. With that election possible within the year, the need for Labor to outline its policies, including on climate change and industrial relations, is becoming more pressing. Albanese is still intent on taking his time on climate policy, where international developments are fast-moving, but the IR policy is imminent. This week, the opposition leader joins the podcast to discuss the reshuffle, and his and his party’s goals. “Labor will always stand up for the interests of working people,” he says, and that commitment will be at the heart of its workplace policy. The policy’s “priorities are very much on job security and income security.” “Whether it be people in labour hire companies…working next door to someone but earning less money… whether it be people in the new gig economy who are sometimes working for almost nothing in some cases, whether it be issues of workers who are having to bid against each other.” Albanese says the policy will be in direct contrast to government legislation, drafted last year and now before parliament, which would “cut wages and conditions”. Will the ALP definitely vote against the government’s measures? “We’ve said we will not vote for any legislation that cuts wages or cuts conditions such as penalty rates.”
Thu, December 17, 2020
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on promising budget figures
This week's update shows an improvement on the numbers in the budget that was delivered only 10 weeks ago. The prospects for growth and employment have been revised upwards. While the forecast for the deficit remains massive, at nearly $200 billion, it has been revised down. But even as we return to some sort of normality, it will be many years before the economy resembles its pre-COVID self. And the Parliamentary Budget Office predicts the federal budget won't leave its deficit behind in this decade. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg joins the podcast to discuss Thursday's budget update and the economy's future. Frydenberg acknowledges the road back will be tough, for the economy and the budget. Given the "huge economic shock" of COVID, the "unprecedented spending" will leave us in the red for a long time. "There will be a very challenging fiscal environment for years out of this crisis." But the economic future looks vastly better than in the hairy initial days of the COVID crisis. "Very early on it was uncertain, and many of us feared the worst." "Treasury told me early on in the pandemic that the unemployment rate could reach 10%, and, but for Jobkeeper, reach 15%. That's a very different world to the one that you and I face today." "Programmes like JobKeeper, the cash flow boost, the JobSeeker Coronavirus Supplement, the $750 payments, now $250 payments to pensioners and to carers and others on income support have very much helped pull Australia through this challenging time. "Australians go into Christmas with real cause for optimism and hope."
Wed, December 09, 2020
Chief Scientist Alan Finkel on climate, energy and emissions
This month Alan Finkel ends his term as Australia's Chief Scientist. An entrepreneur, engineer, neuroscientist, and educator in his former life, Finkel describes the role he's held since 2016 as consisting of two activities. There's "reviewing" – briefing government on all matters scientific, including energy and climate change. And then there's "making things up" – developing programs to support the communication of science, technology, innovation, and research across the community. Writing for The Conversation, Finkel expresses confidence Australia will achieve the "dramatic reduction in emissions" that is "necessary". However the road has not been easy, with many political setbacks. "I was certainly somewhat personally disappointed, and disappointed for the country, that the Clean Energy Target wasn't adopted," Finkel tells the podcast. "On the other hand, I took a lot of comfort from the fact that the other 49 out of 50 recommendations [in his report] were accepted and adopted and most of them have been implemented." "Those recommendations – a lot of them have been part of the reason that we've been able to introduce solar and wind electricity at extraordinary rates in the last three years." The debate currently is whether Australia will sign up for zero net emissions by 2050. While Finkel says "that's a question for politicians, not for me", he adds that "we're taking the right measures already consistent with a drive towards zero or low emissions". These measures, he says, involve cheaper batteries, solar, wind, pumped hydro, and gas as a "backstop", as we transition out of coal fire electricity. Asked if a new coal-fired power station project could ever be started, Finkel said that to comply with carbon capture and storage, the cost of electricity from the plant would be "five or six times higher" than electricity produced by solar and wind. "I would never predict anything...but I can say with some degree of confidence that that economics would be challenging". His message was clear.
Wed, December 02, 2020
Asia-Pacific expert Bates Gill on China’s endgame
Chinese official Lijian Zhao’s tweeting an image depicting an Australian soldier holding a knife against a child’s throat and the subsequent angry exchanges is the latest incident in an exceptionally poor year for Australian-Chinese relations. Tensions deepened after Australia’s call for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, and the Chinese have hit Australian exports, most recently with punitive tariffs on wine. Diplomacy is of the mega variety; Australian ministers can’t get their calls returned. Bates Gill is Professor of Asia-Pacific Security Studies at Macquarie University, and has published extensively on Chinese domestic and international affairs. His coming book will focus on the goals driving Chinese foreign policy under Xi Jinping. Gill predicts Chinese military capability, while limited to the areas closest to its shore, will be more assertive in the next five years. He says the list of 14 Chinese grievances, recently reported, gives an indication of what China thinks the ideal relationship with Australia would be. “It would mean keeping our heads down, not criticising the nature and actions of the regime in Beijing and just generally being more accommodating and friendly towards China’s steady rise and ambitions.” “That’s what they want out of Australia.” While it’s often said one Australian export China would find hard to hit – because it depends on the supply – is iron ore, Gill sounds a caution. “Something in the range of 60 or 70%, I believe, of Chinese iron ore imports come from our shores, but they are looking [for] – and there are – other sources out there.” “We would be naive to think that Beijing and its iron ore importers are not looking and … trying to figure out ways to become less dependent on what they see and understand to be a relationship which is not going in a positive direction
Wed, November 18, 2020
Defence expert Allan Behm on the background to the Brereton report
The findings of the inquiry by Justice Paul Brereton into the misconduct – including allegations of murder of non-combatants and mistreatment of prisoners – by Australian special forces in Afghanistan are released on Thursday. Scott Morrison last week warned the findings will be "difficult and hard news" for Australians. The leadership of the Australian Defence Force will drive a program of reform in the wake of findings that put a deep blemish on what the ADF and most Australians see as the nation's proud military tradition. Allan Behm, from The Australia Institute, an expert on defence and security issues and a former senior public servant and ministerial adviser, joined the podcast on the eve of the release to discuss the background to the report. "I think it is going to be quite shocking for many of us. And I think...we will feel a sense of shame." "It will get many people to think about issues of moral hazard. It will certainly get people to think about what kind of administrative and organisational arrangements within the Australian Defence Force permitted this to happen." "I think it will cause a lot of Australians to think quite deeply about the moral peril that we expose young soldiers to in warfare. If reports are true "that prisoners were shot dead, that noncombatants were simply 'wasted', to use the language of warfare, as collateral damage in pursuit of military objectives, many, many ADF people will be very perturbed by that." Asked about the culture of these soldiers, Behm described the special forces as "elites". "Elites can be highly problematic," he says. In the wake of the report, there will be the question of whether special forces are needed. If they are to be retained, "the second thing will then be to decide whether we need to have the special forces quarantined, separate from the rest of our forces...or whether the special forces should be more clearly part of our standing army." Having the special forces work across a wider base within the military could "militate against the formation of uncontrollable elites or rogue elements". "And there's history to be dealt with. "I mean, we have a regiment which is highly decorated and highly recognised. At the same time, it is this regiment and this function, which ... has brought this shame upon us. "And that will require a lot of evaluation."
Wed, November 11, 2020
Joel Fitzgibbon on Labor climate policy and leadership
Labor's Joel Fitzgibbon this week quit the frontbench, ensuring he'll become even more vocal in his campaign to have Labor's climate policy move to the centre and the party give greater attention to the working class part of its constituency. Fitzgibbon – who was shadow minister for resources – and climate spokesman Mark Butler have been at loggerheads, and in this podcast Fitzgibbon makes it clear he believes Butler should be moved when Albanese has an expected pre-Christmas reshuffle. "I think a refresh in that area would be good ... I think someone without his history, someone who doesn't bring baggage, if you like, to the conversation might be better placed to prosecute Labor's case in the broader electorate." Fitzgibbon was active in Labor's 2013 leadership change back to Kevin Rudd. He says he supports Albanese's leadership. But asked whether, if it became clear next year Labor was heading to a likely really bad defeat, he would be willing to push for a change, he says: "I think senior people in the party have a responsibility to ensure that the party doesn't go over the proverbial cliff. "And none of us are as big or bigger than the party itself. "The party has to be the key interest and its capacity to win government, because millions of people are relying upon us to be a government from time to time. And we owe it to them to be electable." Sounds like a warning.
Thu, October 15, 2020
economist Danielle Wood on Australia’s ‘blokey’ budge
In his budget reply, Anthony Albanese said women have suffered most during the pandemic, but were reduced to a footnote in the budget. He promised a Labor government would undertake a generous reshaping of the childcare subsidy to enable more women to join the workforce or to work more hours. This week, Michelle Grattan talks to Grattan Institute CEO Danielle Wood who, in writing for the Australian Financial Review , described the budget as “blokey”: “We look at those areas that have received direct support - construction… the energy sector, defence, manufacturing, all of those areas where the government has put direct money into a particular sector - they tend to be male dominated sectors. "And actually often they’re not the ones that have taken the hardest hit in this recession. "The sectors that have been hit really hard: hospitality, tourism, the arts, recreation, administrative services tend to be actually slightly more female dominated… we really don’t see any direct assistance for those sectors in the budget. ” When asked about the budget generally Wood, the president of the Economic Society of Australia, is concerned all the eggs have been put into the “private sector basket”. “If it doesn’t pay off, then we may see unemployment sticking around for a long time to come.” In the Grattan institute’s report, co-authored by Wood, and titled Cheaper Childcare , Wood endorsed reform in a similar vein to Albanese’s proposal. “Our numbers suggest that for every dollar that you spend reforming the subsidy…you return more than two dollars in additional GDP,” she says. “The Labor reforms… you’re probably talking, if its $2 billion a year… something in the vicinity of $5 billion return each year for GDP.”
Thu, October 08, 2020
a budget for a pandemic
With the budget’s expected eye-watering debt and deficit numbers, the question remains whether the huge spending will be enough to fight the coronavirus slump. Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann and Shadow Minister Katy Gallagher joined the podcast to discuss the budget’s entrails. The government has faced criticism for benchmarking the much vaunted tax cuts against 2017-18, making them appear larger. Cormann said 2017-18 is the appropriate benchmark, and wouldn’t be drawn on giving further detail. “The costing has been done on the basis that we’ve published it.” Gallagher declared the budget expressed Scott Morrison’s choice to leave some people without support. In particular, the decision to leave those on JobSeeker hanging was described by Gallagher as “frankly, just plain mean.”
Wed, September 30, 2020
Chris Richardson on what Tuesday’s budget will and should do
On Tuesday, the 2020 budget will be brought down. It will show a huge deficit for this financial year and massive government spending, aimed at promoting economic recovery and reducing unemployment. In the wake of COVID, the Coalition’s usual preoccupation with “debt and deficit” has become very yesterday. On this week’s Politics podcast, we speaks with Chris Richardson, partner at Deloitte Access Economics. Deloitte’s Economics Budget Monitor, released this week, favoured bringing forward the tax cuts as one measure to stimulate the economy and expected the deficit to be holding up better than earlier thought. Like economists in a recent survey Richardson says the budget should prioritise a permanent boost to JobSeeker and fund more social housing: “The least noticed thing about this crisis is how geographically specific it is,” he says. “The job losses in Australia have been far and away the biggest where unemployment rates, suburb by suburb, town by town, out in the bush, were already the highest. … The areas that were struggling are now struggling a lot more. The areas that weren’t struggling haven’t been that hard hit.” “And one real advantage of boosting unemployment benefits. It’s probably the single most targeted regional spend you can do in Australia at a time when that is needed most.” And on social housing: “Think of what this virus has done all around the world. It’s found the weakest link in every nation. "It’s travelled through the political system, the political divide in the US, it’s travelled through the migrant workers, construction workers in Singapore. "In Australia, it showed up or could have shown up through our very low unemployment benefit… And social housing. You saw those towers locked down, as the virus got away on us in Melbourne. And again, both social housing and unemployment benefits. That’s money that would be spent. It makes it good stimulus.”
Thu, September 24, 2020
New Zealand’s Helen Clark on the pandemic inquiry and avoiding election ‘cat fights
On October 17, New Zealanders will head to the polls to vote in a general election and also on referendum questions for the legalisation of cannabis and euthansia. In a head-to-head between two women, Labour’s Jacinda Ardern appears to be heading to a comfortable win against National Judith Collins, who only recently became her party’s leader. This week NZ’s three term ex-PM Helen Clark joins the podcast to discuss the World Health Organisation’s investigation into COVID preparedness and response, and the New Zealand political scene. Clark is a significant global player, a strong voice on the issues of climate change, gender equality, and women’s leadership, through her work with prominent bodies in the United Nations. Most recently, Clark was appointed co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, which will present a report on how to effectively address health threats as they develop. In NZ, an election in the wake of a pandemic creates a unique range of issues for voters. Ardern hasn’t committed to opening the New Zealand border, while the National party believes the border must be opened for economic reasons, but under stringent conditions. Clark is doubtful the border should be opened soon, or will be. “I don’t think the border could be open for Christmas. "And I’m in the school of thought that says a vaccine as a silver bullet isn’t going to give us sufficient protection any time soon. The most optimistic forecasts … [are for] later next year. "Others – which might be more realistic – are saying later on 2022. Others are saying for years.” Will there be a trans Tasman bubble? “At the moment, we don’t see that either. "If Australia had firm borders at its state level, we could have had bubbles with New Zealand and Australian states. But that’s not the way the Australians have dealt with it. And that, of course, is absolutely their prerogative.” With the first election debate taking place this week, Clark looks back to the election when she ran against a female leader. “I recall that 1999 election when I went head-to-head with then prime minister Jenny Shipley. And to use a ghastly phrase, in a way there’s nothing that a lot of observers would like more than to see the two of you descend into some kind of ‘cat fight’ "Watching Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins last night, I think it’s also fair to say that they kept it well above that level. They are so different in style. They’re a generation apart. Jacinda, 40. Judith, 61. Very different style. But they didn’t descend into pettiness of the kind that you can see in such debates. So I think the women leaders feel a real onus not to get down into the gutter.”
Wed, September 16, 2020
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Angus Taylor on the 'gas-fired' recovery
The Coalition is having yet another go at crafting an energy policy. Faced with the huge economic challenges presented by COVID, the government this week announced its "gas-fired recovery". But the policy is already under fire from both environmentalists and coal advocates, and the energy sector warns it could discourage investors. Part of the announcement was a threat – the government will build a gas generator in the Hunter Valley if the private sector fails to fill the gap in power supply that will be created by the closure of the Liddell coal-fired power plant. This dramatic form of intervention would seem very much against the Liberal grain. But Energy Minister Angus Taylor says: "Our focus is on good competitive markets. That's a Liberal Party philosophy. "Our belief is in the importance of affordable, reliable energy - we want the private sector to deliver it. That's their obligation to their customers, we believe. But if they don't, we will step in." Despite the focus on gas, Taylor said renewables would play their role in the future. "I've always been enormously enthusiastic about renewables, but I also see that what we need is a mix. "And when people talk about a single technology as the answer to all our problems, I am sceptical. "I'm not sceptical of balance and having a range of different technologies...a balance that includes hydro, solar and wind, gas, coal, batteries starting to play a role, particularly over the very short term, to help support, secure, the market."
Wed, September 09, 2020
Jodie McVernon on Melbourne’s modelling, a Covid vaccine, and the role of experts in a crisis
In light of Victoria’s cautious roadmap out of lockdown, with some experts claiming the exit is too fast, and others believing it is unnecessarily slow, the modelling underpinning the decisions is under close scrutiny. University of Melbourne Professor Jodie McVernon is director of epidemiology at the Doherty Institute, and a modelling expert. She tells the podcast, “I think the broad qualitative conclusions of the model would have been reached by really any kind of model formulation - that the lower numbers can be driven down, the less likely a resurgence would be”. This week saw a pause in the progress towards a hoped-for Oxford vaccine, when a clinical trial produced an unexplained illness in one participants. But McVernon remains optimistic. “I think we will get vaccines. I don’t think we’ll get perfect ones, but I’m hoping we’ll get useful ones – because without vaccines, we only have behaviour to prevent this disease. … So I think [a vaccine will] be one of a suite of things that we’ll be using into the future to control the spread of Covid.” The pandemic has seen ‘experts’, including public health officials and academics, come centre stage as public figures – as policy heroes but, latterly, also targets for some critics who think their voices are carrying too much influence. “I would have to say I’m a very reluctantly public figure,” McVernon says. “[I] was convinced by others early on that it is important …in these times of uncertainty that people are reassured by having the evidence explained. "If we we do have expert knowledge and we can help to clarify things for the public - I think that’s an important responsibility. Part of having knowledge is sharing that knowledge.”
Thu, September 03, 2020
Chris Bowen on the recession, aged care and priorities for health policy
Had the 2019 election panned out differently, Chris Bowen would have been the treasurer coping with Australia's current economic crisis. Instead, as shadow health minister, he has been critical of aspects of the government's handling of the health issues, especially its failure to act earlier and more comprehensively to secure access to potential vaccines. With Labor homing in on aged care, which has seen the deaths of hundred of residents, Bowen in this podcast questionsd the performance of the regulator, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. "I was frankly shocked by a number of things. "I was shocked by the fact the regulator was informed by St Basil's, [that] they had a positive case – and on the face of it, did nothing. I've seen no evidence that they actually did anything about it. Their defence is it was somebody else's job - we had no role to play. "I just don't think that cuts the mustard for a regulator. "I was surprised to learn that no-notice or very short notice inspections had [ by the regulator] ceased during the pandemic. "I think these are problematic decisions which the regulator is accountable for, and I do have deep concerns about [them]. "And as a parliamentarian, I am expressing the view that there have been shortcomings [by the regulator] and I've yet to see an adequate explanation for those."
Thu, August 27, 2020
Former Greens leader Richard Di Natale on COVID, climate and his successor
In February, then Greens’ leader Richard Di Natale stepped down from the leadership after five years and announced he’d leave parliament to spend for more time with his family. On Tuesday, he delivered his valedictory speech to the senate – remotely – and on Wednesday, he formally resigned. In his speech Di Natale said “We’ve closed off the [parliament] building to the community, but we’re throwing the gates wide open to vested interests with deep pockets.” Asked if there should be tougher control on lobbying and what could be done to limit the power of “vested interests”, he says: “There’s a few things that need to happen. "The first thing is political donations. There are cancer on our democracy, and we need to immediately move to a system of public funding of election campaigns with basically the prohibition of all corporate donations.” “The second thing you have to do is … close that revolving door between lobbyists and MP’s… It’s remarkable that some MPs don’t even leave the parliament before they get on the payroll of some of these interest groups, whether it’s in the defence industry, the gambling industry, the alcohol industry, the mining industry.” “And finally, we need a national anti-corruption body.” Many would regard current leader Adam Bandt as more radical than his predecessor. Di Natale sees the difference as more cosmetic. “I think Adam and I shared a sort of political outlook on most things. We’re obviously different people. We might have different ways of communicating. And that’s to be expected. But the truth is, [in] terms of our policy direction, in terms of all the things we’ve been campaigning on, there’s very little of a difference between us or indeed any of our Greens colleagues.”
Wed, August 19, 2020
Professor Barney Glover on the bleak years ahead for higher education
With the withdrawal of the international market, and the stresses of delivering education virtually, the university sector has been hit especially hard by COVID-19. The sector, which in the 2018-2019 financial year contributed $37.6 billion in export income to the Australian economy , is a shadow of its former self. Meanwhile the government last week released its controversial “JobReady Graduates” draft legislation, which aims to promote study in areas it believes will increase the employment prospects of graduates. A new fee structure will steer students towards STEM fields, IT, teaching, nursing and away from the humanities and law. Professor Barney Glover, former chair of Universities Australia, a peak body for the higher education sector, is Vice Chancellor of Western Sydney University. Among his many roles on advisory committees, he’s on the New South Wales International Education Advisory Board. While acknowledging the need for innovation and reform in how higher education is delivered, Professor Glover believes it will be a long road back to normality for the university sector, which has had such a high dependence on foreign students. “This is something that’s going to affect the sector for several years because the recovery – the economic recovery overseas, the capacity for students to study internationally, the amount of international mobility – all of that is going to be curtailed and constrained, which means universities are going to have to deal with a very different financial situation over the course of particularly [20]21, [20]22 and I suspect [20]23. "And it won’t be, we predict, until 2024 that we see recovery back towards 2019 levels.”
Thu, August 13, 2020
Jim Chalmers on tax cuts, inequality, and the Queensland election
The second wave of the pandemic in Victoria has pushed the post-COVID economic recovery further beyond the horizon. Among the challenges for the federal opposition are dealing itself into the debate and formulating alternative economic policies before the next election. With speculation the budget may bring forward the next tranche of the legislated tax cuts, Labor is leaving the way open to give its support. “We’ve said for some time that that’s something that the Government should consider. We’d have an open mind to that if they came to us with a proposal. They don’t yet have a specific proposal. We’ve had some smoke signals about it for some time now…” Jim Chalmers, Shadow Treasurer, tells The Conversation. “If they came to us and said that they wanted to bring forward stage two of the legislated tax cuts, then we’d engage with them in a pretty constructive way. We’ve said that for some time.” A high danger is Australia may come out the COVID recession as a more unequal society. Charmers says: “My big fear is that it will accelerate some of those trends that we were already worried about; inequality, but also social immobility. "We are worried about a lost generation of workers, a discarded generation of people, who become disconnected from work and from society during this recession, who find it very hard to make their way back. "When people ask what keeps us awake at night, really it’s the idea that this spike in unemployment turns into long-term unemployment, which becomes long-term disadvantage, which cascades through the generations and concentrates in areas like the one that I represent. That’s our big fear.” At the moment, Chalmers is working in Brisbane, assisting with the campaigning for the October Queensland election, which he believes will be “extraordinarily tight” “There’ll be different sub-elections around the place. Townsville will be a challenge for us. There’s some opportunities for us on the Gold Coast. It’ll be a real mixed bag. The big thing that we need to avoid is one of those minority governments. In this recession and into the recovery, we want to have a stable government like the one that Annastacia Palaszczuk is providing.”
Fri, August 07, 2020
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells on aged care – what needs to be done differently
The Royal Commission into Aged-Care Quality and Safety delivered it’s interim report in October 2019. Titled ‘Neglect’, it provided a scathing insight into the aged care industry - finding it centred around transactions not care. It minimised the voices of people receiving care, lacked transparency, and was staffed by an under-appreciated and under-pressure workforce. The outbreak of coronavirus, and the second-wave of infections in Melbourne, has raised fresh questions. The virus has infected residents and staff en masse, leaving aged-care residents major victims of the pandemic. Read more: View from The Hill: There's no case for keeping secret any aged care facility's COVID details NSW Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was the shadow minister for ageing for four years, during Tony Abbott’s time as opposition leader. She has made a detailed submission to the Royal Commission, critical of the government’s attempts to reform the troubled sector. The Royal Commission is holding hearings next week to take evidence on the affects of the COVID virus. Among the questions Fierranvanti-Wells would like asked of the industry are “How could you have avoided the situation that you were facing? "What is it about the system that has led to you being in this difficult situation? "What was in place to assist you in the event of a pandemic? "Where have you found that the intersection between health and ageing has fallen over? "Where could you have performed a better response if you’d had better medical services available in your aged care facility? "And what workforce was required to have been available to you in your aged care facility to meet the potential of a pandemic?” Concetta Fierravanti-Wells submission to the commission can be read here .
Thu, July 30, 2020
Patricia Sparrow on the need for aged care reform
Those in aged care have been some of the hardest hit by the coronavirus second wave in Victoria. Even before the crisis, there were calls for reform of the sector, which is currently being examined by a royal commission. Issues with staffing and delivery of care have only become worse as many workers are required to isolate, with mass transmission occurring in the homes. Patricia Sparrow is CEO of Aged & Community Services Australia, a peak body which represents not-for-profit members providing residential care for some 450,000 people throughout the country. One of the many issues with the aged care sector, Sparrow says, is a failure to define the role and purpose of aged care. "They used to be called nursing homes and that's what people thought they were. But in recent times ... there's been a move to them being more home-like and less emphasis on [the] clinical. So I think one of the critical things we need to do is actually to determine what is it that aged care is providing." "We need to decide then as a community how we fund it so that it can deliver the quality of care that the community expects and that we as providers want to provide." The royal commission produced a scathing interim report, and Sparrow is hopeful its final findings will bring about the real reform the industry needs. "We do need a system that's wellness-based. We need a system that supports people at home, that provides the very best in terms of health-care needs. And that does require us to look at the interface with the health system. "There's no doubt that we need a fundamental reform and there's no doubt that providers are doing the very best they can now, with the resourcing and the restraints around what it is that we can do."
Wed, July 22, 2020
Geoff Kitney on a life in journalism and the contemporary media landscape
Geoff Kitney fell into a career in journalism, and rose from reporting the local footy in Western Australia to covering many of federal politics's biggest stories and serving as a foreign correspondent based in Berlin and London. Arriving at parliament house in 1975, Kitney reported on the dramatic Dismissal. Later, the relative decorum of the Canberra press gallery contrasted with the danger and adventure of war reporting. During the Kosovo war, he was sent to Belgrade, travelling there in a bus with a crowd of Serbians. "It was very, very strange bus trip because we'd passed houses with MiG fighters parked in the driveways ... [Slobodan Milošević] was trying to stop NATO destroying his airforce. So he put the MiG fighters next to people's houses so that they wouldn't hit them, which meant that he couldn't use them, but at least he still had them." In Kitney's new book, Beyond the Newsroom, based around his decades of reporting and analysis, he also has some sharp observations about what's happened to the media. "Advertising started shifting to social media. Newspaper budgets got tighter and tighter. Staff started being cut. We've now had years of redundancies." "We had specialist reporters covering all sorts of issues, digging down, getting out into the bureaucracy ... finding what's really going on. Now ...there aren't enough people to do that." "And the pressure, for Twitter for example, is to be noticed. And it seems to me that people think the best way to get noticed, and probably this is true, is to have strong opinions that people react to. And so opinion becomes more important than actual information."
Mon, July 20, 2020
After the crisis: what lessons can be drawn from the management of COVID-19 for the recovery process?
In this fourth episode of the Conversation-Democracy 2025 Podcast on “Political Trust in Times of Covid-19”, Michelle Grattan and Mark Evans explore the lessons that can be drawn from the management of Covid-19 for the recovery process with the ABC’s Norman Swan and Mark Kenny from the Australian Studies Institute at the Australian National University. The discussion draws on the very latest findings from a comparative survey conducted by Democracy 2025 and Trustgov in May and June in Australia, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States on political trust and democracy in times of Coronavirus. The survey investigates whether public attitudes towards democratic institutions and practices have changed during the pandemic. We also asked questions on compliance and resilience issues and whether the way we do democracy in Australia might change post Covid-19. We observe that Australia can be considered a global leader in its response to the pandemic and assess whether the highest levels of public trust in federal government seen for a decade can hold in the recovery period. You can find the first of three reports on the findings at [Democracy 2025](https://www.democracy2025.gov.au/).
Thu, July 16, 2020
Jane Halton on the risk of 'vaccine nationalism'
Jane Halton, who formerly headed the federal health and finance departments, is chair of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness. CEPI, founded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is at the forefront of the international search for a COVID-19 vaccine. She is also a member of the Morrison government's National COVID-19 Coordination Commission, which liaises with business and advises government on how to mitigate the economic and social impacts of the pandemic. Currently she's undertaking a nationwide review of the hotel quarantine system. Halton, who when in the public service took part in a government pandemic rehearsal, says Australia was relatively ready. But she says that inevitably, when there's a review in the wake of COVID-19, there'll be a lot to learn from this experience. "Just like we've learnt from H1N1...just like we've learned from SARS. "But in the short term, the systems stood up capacity really quickly, which is great." On the reality of vaccine being developed, while it might not be soon, Halton is relatively optimistic. "Look, there are lots of experts who are both optimistic and pessimistic." "The experts that I work with, they are probably what I would describe as moderately optimistic. Now, they sort of have to be because they're working on this and they are spending huge hours every day, every week in this race. And so they have to think that there's the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But there's a pretty significant number of scientists who do think it's possible."
Thu, July 09, 2020
Christopher Pyne on being 'the ultimate insider'
Former Liberal Minister Christopher Pyne attracted critics for his political front. But he always had plenty of friends and networks, enabling him often to be a player, if not always a "fixer". After his election to the South Australian seat of Sturt at age 25, he went on to hold senior portfolios, notably education and defence, and to stride the parliamentary stage as Leader of the House of Representatives. In his memoir, The Insider, the former politician provides his take, humorous and candid, on a tumultuous 26 parliamentary years. In this podcast, Pyne talks about life after politics, and stories from the 'Canberra bubble'. "I don't miss politics at all - because I left happy, and I wanted to go. "So I'm not one of these politicians that was dragged kicking and screaming. I left when people wanted me to stay, which is a great rarity." Pyne is ultra candid about his ambition to be prime minister: "I think when you're 15, and you decided you want to be a member of the House of Representatives, you kind of think 'I'm going to dream big.' So of course I dreamt to be prime minister". Reality, it appears, didn't hit for quite a while. "I think that week when Malcolm [Turnbull] was deposed and nobody was suggesting that I should be running for leader, it dawned on me that the generation that was being elected, which was Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg, were a generation different to me."
Thu, July 02, 2020
two leading economists on Australia’s post-COVID economy
With three months before JobSeeker is due to end and calls for billions of dollars in extra spending , there is a growing debate about how Australia’s post-coronavirus economy will actually look. While Scott Morrison has said Australia will need to lift economic growth by “more than one percentage point above trend” through to 2025, a 22-economist panel hosted by The Conversation forecast a bleaker result. Growth one percentage point above trend would average almost 4% per year. The Conversation’s economic panel forecast an annual growth averaging 2.4% over the next four years, much less than the long-term trend. In this podcast, Michelle Grattan discusses the economic pathway ahead with two economists featured on the panel: Professor of Economics at the UNSW Business School Richard Holden, and Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Australian National University Warwick McKibbin. McKibbin argues for a major change to the national cabinet. “I think it would be very useful if the leader of the opposition was on that cabinet, and perhaps even a couple of the key ministerial portfolios from the opposition side, so that you truly have… both sides of the political spectrum represented.” Making the body more inclusive, McKibbin says, would assist a bipartisan approach. “If you are going to go for the big bipartisan approach, which I think is fundamental to most of the problems we face, you have to do something like the national cabinet,” he said. “It worked very effectively during the worst parts of the virus, it is breaking down now it appears, because Australians seem to think things are okay now. But I think you’ll see it re-emerge very shortly.” Richard Holden warns an increase in taxation should not be contemplated to pay for some of the large spend the COVID crisis is requiring. “I don’t think there will be an increase in taxation under this government, and I definitely don’t think there should be under any government,” he says. “The coalition has made the debt and deficits mantra part of their political brand, and I understand that from a political perspective. And there’s nothing wrong with aspiring to balancing the budget over the economic cycle.” “But when you’re in one of the largest economic crises in a hundred years, it is not the time to be penny-pinching and focusing on economic management credentials as measured by the budget bottom line in the short term.”
Thu, June 25, 2020
Politics with Michelle Grattan: The Battle for Eden-Monaro – interviews with Kristy McBain and Fiona Kotvojs
On July 4, the voters of Eden-Monaro will give their judgment on the performances of Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese. The seat is held by Labor on a margin of just under 1%. Labor is campaigning hard on JobKeeper ending in late September, while the Liberals are hoping the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis will outweigh Scott Morrison’s poor conduct during the bushfires. In this podcast, Michelle Grattan discusses the byelection campaign with the main candidates, Labor’s Kristy McBain and Liberal Fiona Kotvojs. McBain: “I think everybody’s sick of old politics … this idea that you govern for only the people that vote for you. When you’re elected, you’re elected to represent everybody, whether they agree with you or not. You should be hearing them out, and I want to make sure that people in Eden-Monaro have a strong fair voice in Canberra for them.” Kotvojs: “There [are] two key issues: one is about recovering after fires and after COVID, and the other is in terms of rebuilding our economy. So in terms of the first one, what we need to do is to look at getting more consistency and an integrated approach between the three levels of government… In terms of the rebuilding the economy, that’s all about jobs.”
Wed, June 17, 2020
Clive Hamilton and Richard McGregor on Australia-China relations
After its calls for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus, Australia has found itself targeted by China with sharp rhetoric and trade retaliation. In this podcast, we talk with two prominent China experts about China's ambitions and the Australia-China relationship. Clive Hamilton, from Charles Sturt University, has just coauthored, with Marieke Ohlberg, Hidden Hand. The book probes the Chinese Communist Party's ever-expanding presence on the international stage."From Beijing's perspective, they see themselves not in a new Cold War, but still in the old Cold War," Hamilton says. Richard McGregor, who reported from China for many years, last year published Xi Jinping: The Backlash. McGregor argues for a rather different "tone" in Australia's dealing with China. "We always seem to want to bring on a fight with China, and that ignores the economic equities we have in the relationship. We don't want to give them any excuse to unfairly punish us."
Tue, June 16, 2020
Trust, democracy and COVID-19: A British perspective
Conversation-Democracy 2025 Podcast on “Political Trust in Times of COVID-19” produced by ContentGroup A week ago, the British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced that the number of people killed by the coronavirus in the United Kingdom stood at 32,313, the second highest death toll in the world. Health experts believe that the real figure is likely to be closer to 50,000. The number of deaths from COVID-19 in Australia currently stand at 103. Critics have accused a “complacent” British government of “massively underestimating” the gravity of the coronavirus crisis. The prominent Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the situation in the UK was “like a nightmare from which you cannot awake, but in which you landed because of your own fault or stupidity”. London correspondent Christoph Meyer writes, Britain has emerged as Europe’s “problem child” of the COVID-19 crisis. Although international comparisons of COVID-19 death tolls, are methodologically problematic and morally bankrupt, there can be no doubt that the lived citizen experience of COVID-19 has been dramatically different in the United Kingdom when compared with Australia. Every citizen has a heart-breaking personal story to tell. In contrast, most Australians, have been blessed voyeurs on the pandemic further perpetuating its image as the Lucky Country. In this podcast Mark Evans and Michelle Grattan explore differences in the management, experience and impact of the crisis in the company of three leading British academic thinkers and members of the [Trustgov project](https://trustgov.net) at the University of Southampton. Will Jennings is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Southampton. He is an expert on public policy and political behaviour, Principle Investigator on the Trustgov project, Co-Director of the UK Policy Agendas Project, and elections analyst for Sky News. Dr. Jennifer Gaskell joined the TrustGov project as a Research Fellow in July 2019. She holds an interdisciplinary PhD in Web Science from the University of Southampton. Her research focuses on the ways new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) impact civic and political participation. She is also the co-founder of Build Up, a social enterprise working at the intersection of new technologies, civic engagement and peace-building. Gerry Stoker is Professor of Governance at the University of Southampton and Centenary Professor at the University of Canberra. He is an expert on democratic politics and governance, and advisor to governments and international organisations on public sector reform.
Wed, June 10, 2020
Pat Turner on Closing the Justice Gap
Pat Turner, for decades a strong Aboriginal voice, is the lead convenor of the Coalition of Peaks, which brings together about 50 indigenous community peak organisations. In this role she is part of the negotiations for a new agreement on Closing the Gap targets. Unlike the original Rudd government targets, the refreshed Closing the Gap agreement, soon to be finalised, will set out targets for progress on justice and housing. But the issue is, how much progress should be the aim? “We want to push the percentages of achievement much higher, but we are in a consensus decision-making process with governments … what the targets will reflect is what the governments themselves are prepared to commit to,” Turner says. The Australian Black Lives Matter marches have focused attention on the very high rates of incarceration of Aboriginal people, often for trivial matters. In this podcast Turner canvasses both causes and solutions, advocating major changes to the justice system. She points to “huge issues with drug and alcohol abuse”, with inadequate resourcing to deal with these problems. She urges reform for sentencing arrangements for those charged with minor offences, criticising a system which imprisons people who cannot pay fines, or post bail. “It would be less expensive overall for the jurisdictions, and it would more beneficial to the community [if those people weren’t in prison]”. And she identifies the “the over-incarceration of women [as] a major concern.” Among the changes needed, she says, is better training of police. “Now I’m not saying that all the police behave badly - we have got outstanding examples of how the police work with our communities.” But “we just can’t wait for ad hoc ‘good guys’ to come out of the system and engage properly - we need wholesale reform of the police departments.”
Fri, June 05, 2020
Statistician David Gruen and the race for real-time pandemic data
Perhaps at no point in Australia’s history has the demand for real-time figures been stronger than during the coronavirus crisis. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stepped up its efforts to get data fast, to help inform the government’s COVID-19 decision-making. David Gruen, the Australian Statistician and ABS head, in this podcast tells how the bureau has used small, quick surveys to mine timely data from businesses and households. Some of the more interesting findings concern household stresses felt during the crisis. Some 28% of women reported feeling lonely, compared to 16% of men. “Overall, only about a fifth of people said they were lonely, but that was the most common of the stressors,” Gruen says. ABS survey results also showed 75% of parents kept their children home from school. “Women were almost three times as likely to have stayed at home to take care of their children on their own, than men.” “About 15% of parents said that a lack of access to a stable internet connection was impeding their children’s ability to undertake schooling from home,” Gruen says. In the wake of the roll out of the single touch payroll system last year, the ABS has also had instant access to almost all business and tax data. “[Single Touch Payroll] is a huge addition to the statistical arsenal,” Gruen says. In the next census of the Australian population, to be held in August 2021, there will be two new fields of questions - on chronic health conditions and veterans. But the census will no longer ask Australians whether they use the internet. “There’s huge public value in having an accurate census, because you collect an enormous amount of information which is of value both to government decision makers, and to decision makers in the community,” Gruen says. “The things that you learn from the census form the basis for an awful lot of decision-making in subsequent years.”
Fri, May 29, 2020
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on saving Australia’s tourism and construction industries
As Australia slowly emerges from isolation, the nation’s economy is reopening, and even looking rather better than expected. But Australia still faces grim months ahead as unemployment numbers grow and the true extent of business survival rates emerge. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg described the economic data as sobering when he recently gave an update to parliament. In this podcast, Frydenberg says there would be greater reason for optimism, especially for the tourism sector, if states were more willing open their borders. “Now we need to see those state borders opened, whether it’s in Queensland or Western Australia, South Australia or Tasmania,” he says. The Northern Territory will begin easing its border restrictions from June 15, scrapping mandatory quarantine for interstate arrivals. But both the Queensland and Western Australian governments say they will likely keep the measures in place for several months. Tasmania’s premier too is standing firm on his decision to keep the state’s borders closed. Frydenberg says the government has reacted to COVID-19 “in an unprecedented way in terms of the scale and the size of our response” but reiterates that “the measures are temporary and targeted. And we want people to get back to work as soon as possible”. However he acknowledges the housing construction and tourism sectors are in need of particular support. On housing, “we recognise that there may be contracts in place to July or August, which is going to see the pipeline continue to then, but then we’re going to see probably a steady fall after that. And that’s the gap that we need to try to fill with particular measures.” “It’s a watching brief, but certainly both areas are a focus for the government.” Frydenberg also indicates that after the June review of the JobKeeper payment, some people could get less money than they are receiving now. “There are a few issues we need to look at, including some workers within the JobKeeper programme getting paid more than they normally would otherwise get.”
Wed, May 20, 2020
Jim Chalmers on JobKeeper’s flaws and the Eden-Monaro byelection
Labor will campaign on the flaws in the JobKeeper program in the Eden-Monaro byelection, shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers says. “There will be so many people from Eden-Monaro who would have heard the Prime Minister say that there would be wage subsidies only to find out that they’ve either been deliberately or accidentally excluded from those wage subsidies, who can’t understand why someone who might have been on $100 a week before is now getting $750 while they’re excluded from it.” Chalmers says he intends to campaign in the byelection - for which a date has yet to be set - and has spoken with Labor leader Anthony Albanese about doing so. As the political debate turns to the strategy for the economic exit from the pandemic, Labor is seeking to define its differences with the government. “We don’t want to see all of this support withdrawn from the economy in one hit, on one day, based on a faulty assumption about ‘snap back’, when the reality is that the recovery is going to be patchy, Chalmers says. "It’s going to be longer than ideal, and different types of workers in different types of industries will feel the impacts differently. I think the Government’s policy needs to recognise that.” The aftermath of the crisis will be the defining debate at the next election,“ Chalmers says. "I think the next election will be about unemployment in particular. It will be about what the future economy looks like and whether we can create that inclusive, sustainable growth that creates well-paid jobs for more people and more opportunities. I think that’s where the next election will be won or lost for the government and for the opposition.” “This is not the sort of crisis where we get to September, people forget about it, and the world moves on” Chalmers, who worked in then-treasurer Wayne Swan’s office during the global financial crisis, contrasts the support Labor has given the Morrison government with the stand of the Coalition opposition then. “We actually haven’t held anything up in the parliament because the priority is to get this support out the door and into the pockets of workers and businesses as soon as possible.” “We are deliberately being more constructive than our opponents were a decade ago because we saw firsthand the costs of that kind of oppositionist approach.”
Mon, May 18, 2020
Democracy 2025 - The role of the APS in a post COVID-19 world with Michelle Grattan, Mark Evans, Peter Shergold, and Renée Leon
In the latest Democratic Fundamentals, Renée Leon, former Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Human Services, and Peter Shergold, former Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, discuss the challenges and opportunities for the APS as the world eases restrictions with hosts Mark Evans and Michelle Grattan. Democratic Fundamentals is produced in partnership with Democracy 2025, The Conversation and contentgroup.
Tue, May 12, 2020
Paul Kelly on the risk of a COVID-19 second-wave
Speaking as an expert in epidemiology, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly is candid about the prospects of a second-wave of coronavirus in a society that hasn't developed herd immunity. "There is a very large risk of a second wave. We need to do this very carefully," he says, as Australia starts to roll back restrictions. "We are potentially victims of our own success here because we have been so successful in minimising the first wave of infections, the vast majority of Australians have not actually been exposed to this virus in a way that could develop immunity in people or herd immunity in the population". "There is that sense that people want to just get back to doing what what they did before. But it's going to be a new normal. We have to decide as a society, what does a COVID-safe society look like? And there will be changes..." "This is a big change in the way we're going to live. I think we've seen that in human history. The changes that pandemics have brought, back to [how] the 1918 flu changed the world. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has changed the world. And this one will change the world." Kelly, in his role as an adviser to the government, praises Australia's response to the virus as one of the most effective in the world - comparable to the successes of Taiwan and New Zealand. But he also acknowledges the marked difference in policy between the Tasman neighbours. "New Zealand very early on decided that they could and wanted to eliminate the virus altogether as a public health issue. And so they've gone very hard with their social isolation policies and so forth...they really are on a path to not having any virus in the country at all." "On our side of the Tasman, we went for a suppression approach, which meant that we didn't go quite as hard with the lockdown measures that have been introduced, on the basis that the economic and social impacts of that were not proportionate to the threat of the virus." If, as both governments would like, a trans-Tasman "bubble" is established for travel, Kelly agrees that, in terms of risk, it would be the New Zealanders who'd have to be more careful about inviting Australians in rather than the other way around. "But I think it's definitely achievable. " Describing himself as a glass half-full person, Kelly says: "So with my glass half full, I will hope that sometime in 2021 we'll be talking about vaccines. And then our challenge will be getting enough of them available to the people that need them, not only in Australia but throughout the world and particularly in the poorer nations of the world, so that we can have an equitable distribution of something that could change a lot of people's lives."
Wed, May 06, 2020
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Nev Power on the role of business in a post-coronavirus world
Nev Power, former head of "Twiggy" Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group, is now the Chairman of the government's National COVID-19 Coordination Commission. The commission, set up by Scott Morrison in March, is working on mitigating the effects of the virus on jobs and businesses, and exploring opportunities to help get the country moving again in the post-virus future. This week the national cabinet was briefed on its preparations for the COVID-safe workplaces. It is also looking towards the big ideas. With many calling for reform, Power advocates "tax benefits to companies that invest here in Australia". "If there are opportunities to incentivise companies to do that, and to accelerate that process, I think that would be very positive. "This would be some form of investment allowance, or investment tax concessions that reward companies for investing directly in Australia rather than across-the-board tax reductions for those companies." Power sees a longer-term role for the national cabinet: "I think the national cabinet has been very successful and the results speak for themselves... I believe that there's a great opportunity to keep it in place to help us accelerate the economy and to put through all of the changes that we need to make sure the economy comes back as quickly as possible."
Wed, April 29, 2020
Katy Gallagher on the senate's coronavirus watchdog
Labor's Katy Gallagher is chair of the Senate committee that will assess the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis, both its economic and health challenges. It is set for the deep dive, having a final reporting date of mid-2022. With parliament currently sitting only in fits and starts, Gallagher considers the committee a "key accountability vehicle". "We don't want political grandstanding, we don't want long winded political arguments, there are other forums for those," she says. "We do expect public servants and ministers to attend with information and provide information. I don't want it to be turned into one of those committees that we see so often where we ask questions and the officials at the table work out how not to answer them" The committee's role will be "to explore why decisions were taken and provide that conduit back to the public."
Mon, April 20, 2020
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on his autobiography, ‘A Bigger Picture
In this episode of Politics with Michelle Grattan, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull gives his frank assessment of Scott Morrison as a former colleague and as prime minister, warns about the right of the Liberal party, and tongue lashes News Corp. As Treasurer, Morrison at times infuriated then PM Turnbull by leaking to the media and “frontrunning” positions before decision were made. “Morrison and I worked together very productively” but “he had an approach to frontrunning policy which created real problems for us,” Turnbull says. As for now, Morrison’s “obviously got massive, completely unanticipated challenges to face … I think he’s doing well with them by the way. … I think the response of Australian governments generally [on coronavirus] has been a very effective one”. Turnbull’s anger against both the Liberal right wing and News Corp continue to burn undiminished. The right, “amplified and supported by their friends in the media, basically operate like terrorists”. News Corp “I think was well described as ‘a political organisation that employs a lot of journalists’”; The Australian “defends its friends, it attacks its enemies, it attacks its friends’ enemies, and the tabloids do the same.”
Thu, April 09, 2020
MPs Tim Watts, Fiona Martin, Clare O'Neil and Helen Haines discuss serving their electorates during the coronavirus crisis
Michelle Grattan talks with MPs Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Victoria), Fiona Martin (Reid, NSW), Clare O'Neil (Hotham, Victoria) and Helen Haines (Indi, Victoria) about how they do their job during the pandemic. They discuss the operation of their electorate offices in light of isolation requirements, and recount how the crisis is affecting their constituents.
Thu, April 02, 2020
Democracy 2025 - How does Australia compare: what makes a leading democracy? With Michelle Grattan, Mark Evans and Ian Chubb
In this special hour long podcast presented by Mark Evans, professor of governance and director of Democracy 2025, the panel discusses Australian democracy with Emeritus Professor Ian Chubb and Michelle Grattan. The panel dissects the Australian trust in government, compared with other modern democracies around the world. Drawing on the world values survey, the report (available here) notes the sharp focus on the quality of democratic governance, especially in the time of global crisis caused by coronavirus.
Thu, March 26, 2020
Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty on the coronavirus crisis and the timeline for a vaccine
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease COVID-19, has infected nearly half a million people and taken the lives of more than 21,200. No person in Australia is more qualified to speak on the science of this global pandemic than Professor Peter Doherty. Professor Doherty was awarded the Nobel prize for medicine in 1996 for his work studying the immune system. The Doherty Institute, now at the forefront of Australian research on the coronavirus, bears his name. In this episode of Politics with Michelle Grattan, Professor Doherty discusses the particulars of the pandemic - including how controlling this pandemic differs from that of other illnesses: “It’s a problem of dealing with a respiratory infection,” he said. “It’s different from, say, AIDS. We can all modify the way we behave in the sexual sense, but we can’t decide not to breathe. And so it’s very important that we keep that social distancing right at the front of our mind. In fact, one of the best pieces of advice I’ve seen is, think [as if] you’ve already got it and you don’t want to transmit it to anybody else. And if you think like that, you’ll protect yourself. ” Scientists from The Doherty Institute were the first to successfully grow the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) from a patient sample. According to Professor Doherty, a COVID-19 vaccine could be available within 12 to 18 months. “There are a few new concerns … that some vaccine formulations, not all, but some could give you what we call a bit of immunopathology,” he said. “That is, they might actually make [the illness] a little bit worse or contribute to some bad, bad situation. So we have to be careful with the vaccine. But the first vaccine product from the University of Queensland, I’m told, has already gone into lab animals.” Listen to the full podcast for more from Professor Doherty, including how his research and institution is furthering the vaccination effort, how the virus affects the body and the future of the crisis.
Tue, March 10, 2020
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy on COVID-19
With 100 domestic cases as of March 10, federal and state governments and health authorities face daunting challenges posed by COVID-19 in coming weeks and months - securing a workforce of nurses and doctors to treat the sick, ensuring enough testing facilities to meet a rapidly growing demand, and stemming the spread of the virus, to the maximum extent possible. As Chief Medical Officer for the federal government, Professor Brendan Murphy is confident about maintaining enough health staff, including in nursing homes. “You can find a health workforce if you look hard enough, and if you can fund the surge. So I think we will find them.” Murphy is also optimistic the present self-isolation period of 14 days can be shortened at some point, as the incubation period of virus is now thought to be “probably around five to seven days”. When will the virus peak in Australia? Murphy says: “If we had widespread and more generalised community transmission, I would imagine that would be peaking around the middle of the year, in the middle of winter. … But that’s really our best guess of the modelling at the moment. And it’s very, very hard to predict.” Murphy re-iterates that only people in certain categories need to be tested; in the last few days there has been a “significant surge” of people with flu-like symptoms but outside these categories who have been seeking testing, placing pressure on facilities. With eyes on Italy’s lockdown, could a single region of Australia be locked down? “It’s potentially possible, absolutely. If we had a city, a major city that had an outbreak of some thousands, and the rest of the country was pretty unaffected, we could very easily consider locking down a part of or a whole town or city.”
Thu, March 05, 2020
Keith Pitt on the Murray-Darling Basin, the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, and Nuclear Power
Appointed minister for resources, water, and northern Australia in the Nationals reshuffle, Keith Pitt was handed a diverse portfolio with some highly contested issues. As water minister, he'll soon have a report from Mick Keelty on the Murray-Darling Basin, which could spark more fighting between states, and the ACCC report into water trading, expected at the end of the year. "We do need to ensure the trading is fair," he says. "I'm as concerned as anybody else if people are playing the market to their own financial benefit rather than what the purpose of it is." "They'll be caught. And they'll be punished." One of his priorities will be putting his foot on the accelerator to have the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility get its investment money out faster, after what's been a slow start, with only some $2 billion of its $5 billion allocated. "My view's very straightforward. This is $2 billion worth of capital that can drive jobs and help drive the Australian economy. I want to get it out the door, into projects." Pitt's pet project has long been nuclear energy as a means of clean power supply in Australia. Despite nuclear not being a policy of the government, he is hopeful community attitudes will change. "I think there's been some change over recent years... particularly in the younger generations. They're certainly more concerned about other priorities...and they're not as concerned about what's happened in the past with the older type technology".
Wed, February 26, 2020
Mark Butler on Labor’s 2050 carbon neutral target
Mark Butler, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, is optimistic that Labor is better placed to prosecute its climate policy at the next election, compared to the last. “I think we are better positioned now for two reasons.” “Firstly, I think the business community has shifted substantially over the last couple of years, and that’s a global shift that reflects, particularly the fact that regulators…and investors have recognised that climate change poses a very serious risk to the stability of the financial system.” “Also I think people are starting to better understand the costs of not acting. Not only because of some of our tragic experiences over recent months, but because universities and other groups are starting to quantify the costs of not acting.” “So there are enormous opportunities for a country as abundant in clean energy resources as Australia to make this shift.”
Thu, February 20, 2020
Phil Honeywood on the coronavirus challenge for universities
The coronavirus is presenting a major threat to Australia’s education export industry, which is highly dependant upon the China market, and a huge challenge to the universities. Phillip Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia says: “At the end of the day, China is the most heavily populated country in the world, it’s on our regional doorstep and it has an incredible appetite for having their children study offshore.”
Tue, February 11, 2020
Adam Bandt on Greens' hopes for future power sharing
Adam Bandt began his political journey in the Labor party, but the issue of climate change drew him to the Greens. Last week he became their leader, elected unopposed. Asked about his ambitions for the party, Bandt aspires to a power-sharing situation with a Labor government, akin to the Gillard era. "Ultimately Labor's got to decide where it stands, and if Labor decides that it does want to go down the path of working with us on a plan to phase out coal and look after workers in communities, then great. "If Labor prefers to work with the Liberals, maybe we're going to see a situation like we do in Germany at the moment where there's a grand coalition between the equivalent of the Labor and Liberal parties because they find that they've got more in common with each other than with us." Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/Mick Tsikas
Tue, February 11, 2020
Michael McCormack moves on from his near-death experience
Starting the year with a leadership spill will be seen by many, especially those hit by the bushfires, as the Nationals being particularly self-indulgent. Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack admits as much, but notes he wasn’t the initiator of his party’s bad behaviour. “We should not have been talking about ourselves. This was never of my making or doing. And we should have spent the entire day, not just those sitting hours, but the entire day reflecting on just what has taken place this summer,” he tells the Politics podcast. McCormack also says he supported Bridget McKenzie “the whole way” through the sports rorts controversy and he again stands by her decision-making. The National leader defends his new frontbench line up against criticism that it’s short on women, mounts a strong pitch in favour of coal, and rejects claims he’s been too invisible and a weak leader. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Mon, December 16, 2019
Mathias Cormann and Jim Chalmers on the mid-year budget update
The mid-year budget update has seen the government downgrading its forecast for Australia’s economic growth in 2019-20 by 0.25%, and slashing the projected surplus by A$2.1 billion, to $5 billion. The forecast for wage growth has also been reduced, and unemployment is projected to be slightly higher than was envisaged at budget time. The figures indicate a worsening economy, but the government has sought to put a positive spin on the situation, saying the Australian economy is showing resilience. Joining this podcast is finance minister Mathias Cormann and shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers to talk about the figures and the outlook. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: The Conversation
Wed, December 11, 2019
Andrew Hastie on foreign influence, security and veteran mental health
Chinese government influence and interference has been a contentious issue in Australia politics in the past year. Weighing up concerns about foreign money in state and federal campaigns, candidates’ direct relationships with arms of the Chinese Communist Party and the defection of a Chinese spy operating within Australia, against the fragile trade relationship we have with our largest export market has been one of the more difficult topics for both major parties. Andrew Hastie, Liberal member for the seat of Canning, is one of the most outspoken government members on the issue of foreign interference. He’s used his position as a backbencher – and as chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security – to speak openly about his concerns and what he sees as the expansion of “revisionist” countries trying to “remake the world order … pushing out to secure their economic and strategic influence beyond their geographical borders”. He also talks about why he thinks it would be untenable to have security clearance for every member of parliament, the role of the media in scrutinising candidates, and concerns about mental health among returned veterans. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/Lukas Coch
Thu, November 14, 2019
Minister David Littleproud on bushfires, drought, and the Nationals
Bushfires continue to burn across NSW and Queensland, the death toll has risen, and the damage to properties, wildlife and the environment is devastating. With conditions predicted to worsen over the summer, climate change has inevitably come into the frame. The Prime Minister and Opposition leader have said policy arguments should be avoided until the immediate crisis has passed, but many - including former emergency chiefs and some victims - disagree. And Greens and Nationals have had vitriolic exchanges. The Nationals David Littleproud has ministerial responsibility for water, drought, and natural disaster and emergency management. In this podcast, he says while “the man on the street” can link climate change and the bushfires, but “as elected officials, we’ve got a responsibility” to wait for the right time to have such discussions. After announcing the government’s drought package last week, Littleproud criticises the states for not stepping up their efforts, and says they have done “three-fifths of bugger all”. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive Image: AAP/Dan Peled
Tue, October 29, 2019
Ross Gittins on the government’s ‘surplus obsession’
The Australian economy is growing slowly, with people not opening their purses and businesses uncertain about the future. The Reserve Bank has cut interest rates three times this year - the official cash rate is currently at a historic low of 0.75%. Many are arguing monetary policy has run its course, and fiscal stimulus is needed. This week’s Essential poll shows voters tend to think so as well, with 56% agreeing that stimulating the economy should be prioritised over getting back to budget surplus. The Morrison government, however, is reluctant to do anything impinging on the projected surplus, which has become a political icon for it. How long can the government maintain this position if the growth numbers don’t improve? And does action need to be taken now? Joining Michelle Grattan to talk about these issues is Ross Gittins, economics editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/ Mick Tsikas
Mon, October 28, 2019
On the trust divide in politics
Democracy 2025 is an initiative by the Museum of Australian Democracy and the University of Canberra, which aims to stimulate a national conversation on the state of our democracy, including the trust divide between the political class and everyday citizens. A just-released report by the project gives the perspective of federal politicians - key voices in the debate. Members of the last federal parliament were surveyed on their attitudes to democracy, the faults they see in the present political system, and how they thought it could be improved. Some 43% of the parliamentarians replied to the survey, done shortly before the election. Professor Mark Evans and Professor Gerry Stoker, two of the authors of the report, join Michelle Grattan on this podcast to discuss the findings, and share their thoughts on the future of Australian democracy. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive Image: Shutterstock
Wed, October 23, 2019
Deputy PM Michael McCormack on the drought and restive Nationals
While the drought continues to hit the Nationals’ constituents hard, the party faces a testing terrain on a political level. In this episode of Politics with Michelle Grattan, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack acknowledges the mishandling of the bring-forward of the dairy code, which will increase the negotiating power of milk producers. Tensions blew up in the Nationals party room this week after Pauline Hanson managed last week to win an acceleration of the code. The deal was all about the government wanting Hanson’s Senate co-operation. But agriculture minister Bridget McKenzie had previously told Nationals who have been fighting for the code that it couldn’t be finalised until well into next year. McCormack also shared his willingness to consider a proposal from the drought policy released by the National Farmers’ Federation for exit assistance for drought-striken farmers who sell. But he had a cautionary message for those deciding whether to stay or leave, saying “they absolutely need to make sure they don’t self-assess. They need to absolutely make sure that they consult their families foremost, that they talk to rural financial counsellors, they talk to their accountants, their banks. They take every bit of good advice available before they take that ultimate step”. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/ Mick Tsikas
Mon, October 14, 2019
Tim Watts on Australia's changing identity
Tim Watts is Labor member for the Victorian seat of Gellibrand, one of the most diverse electorates in Australia. His own family is a microcosm of diversity - Watts comes from a long line of Australians with ancestors deeply rooted in the old attitudes of "white Australia", while his wife is from Hong Kong, and his children Eurasian-Australian. In his new book, The Golden Country, Watts reconciles the past and present in his family, as well as examining immigration, race and national identity in modern Australia. In this podcast with Michelle Grattan he also explores the "bamboo ceiling" in our politics, business and other areas, and talks about his efforts to encourage Asian-Australians to climb the ranks in Labor, which presently has ALP Senate leader Penny Wong as the only Asian-Australian face among its federal MPs. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/ Erik Anderson
Tue, September 24, 2019
Daughters of Robert Menzies and Arthur Calwell say parliament wasn’t always a “fort”
Last week, a very special event took place in Parliament House. The daughters of Sir Robert Menzies and Arthur Calwell - Heather Henderson and Mary Elizabeth Calwell - came together to reflect on their fathers’ legacies, and to offer their perspectives on a different era in Australia’s political history. Michelle Grattan moderated the conversation. The event was organised by the Menzies-Calwell Group, made up of members of parliament from both sides of the political divide. Inspired by the friendship between Menzies and Calwell, the group aims to inject a degree of bipartisanship into our present hyper-partisan politics. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: Office of Maria Vamvakinou MP
Wed, September 18, 2019
Arthur Sinodinos with some reflections and advice
Arthur Sinodinos will soon leave the Senate, and early next year take up the position of Australian ambassador in Washington. A former staffer and one-time public servant as well as a former minister, in this podcast Sinodinos reflects on the challenges of pursuing reform, has some advice for ministerial staff in dealing with the public service, and warns about dangers for democracy and science posed by a polarised media. A strong ally of Malcolm Turnbull, Sinodinos tells Michelle Grattan that the former prime minister was “prepared to make a stand for what he believed was right - and unfortunately there were others who didn’t seem to be too comfortable with that”. On the current controversy about Liberal MP Gladys Liu and her past ties to groups with links to the Chinese regime, he says: “I think she’s trying to … make sure that she’s got her memory intact, as it were. And then I’m sure she will as necessary provide further information”. On the contrast between the roles of staffer and politician: “One of the biggest differences is that when you’re the politician and the front person, the minute you say something … you own it, Whereas when you’re the adviser you give all the advice in the world but there’s not quite the same level of responsibility”. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/ Mick Tsikas
Mon, September 16, 2019
Jim Chalmers on the need to change economic course
Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers says it's time to change Australia's economic course “in a responsible and affordable way which doesn't jeopardise the surplus”. Chalmers predicts the budget outcome for last financial year, forecast to be a deficit at budget time, could possibly show a surplus, because of high iron ore prices and other factors including an underspend on the NDIS. He argues the government can have both a more stimulatory policy and a surplus going forward, given the various boosts to the budget's bottom line. “I don't think the government has come to a fork in the road where it's a choice between a surplus or doing something responsible to stimulate the economy. “As it stands right now it's possible to do both and we think the government should do both”. The government should boost Newstart, Chalmers tells Michelle Grattan, although he wouldn't oppose it first holding “a short sharp review” to examine interactions with other payments. On Labor's way ahead, now being debated within the party, Chalmers says “we'd be mad not to learn the lessons” of the election result. With some of the opposition's most controversial election policies in his portfolio, notably on franking credits and negative gearing, Chalmers is already consulting widely. There's agreement on two things, he says. “Nobody expects us to finalise our policies three years before the next election […] and nobody expects us to take an absolutely identical set of policies to the 2022 election”. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/ Joel Carrett
Wed, September 11, 2019
Independent MP Helen Haines on using 'soft power'
Helen Haines, MP for the Victorian regional seat Indi, made history at the election as the first federal independent to succeed another independent. She was backed by grassroots campaigners, Voices for Indi, who had earlier helped her predecessor, Cathy McGowan, into parliament. But while McGowan towards the end of her time in the House of Representatives shared real legislative power after the Coalition fell into minority government, the same power does not lie with the lower house crossbench today. Still, Haines believes she has what she calls “soft power” as she has focused on relationship building during the first few months into her term. "Building relationships is key to getting things done and it’s key to establishing an environment that is less an environment of conflict and less an environment of bringing people down." On current legislation, Haines is in favour of the government’s push to stop animal-rights activists from publishing farmers’ personal information. "Many people have contacted my office deeply concerned about this and I’m very supportive of bringing their views to the house on this." But she’s a trenchant critic of the government proposal for trials to drug test people going onto Newstart and Youth Allowance. She says “the evidence is not there to support” the move. In Indi, she points to mental health and aged care as frontline issues, which she will seek to work with the government on. Additional Audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/ Mick Tsikas
Thu, September 05, 2019
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on a slowing economy
This week’s June quarter national accounts showed weakness in business investment and consumer spending, reflecting an all-round lack of confidence. Still, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg remains optimistic about the economy. In this episode of Politics with Michelle Grattan, Frydenberg talks about the government’s discussions with the Reserve Bank on a new agreement covering the inflation target, saying: "If you look at the last 20 quarters, 17 of those were outside the [2-3%] band and today inflation is at 1.6%.[…]You want to have a target which can be met, which is met, and is not merely just aspirational." He also promises to announce the proposed inquiry into retirement incomes before year’s end. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/ James Ross
Mon, August 26, 2019
PM’s advisor Christine Morgan on tackling Australia’s rising suicide rates
The number of suicides in Australia has been rising in the last decade, with more than 3,000 Australians taking their life in 2017, according to the latest available ABS figures. Some of the most vulnerable groups include Indigenous Australians, young Australians, unemployed people, and veterans. Scott Morrison has declared this a key priority area for the government. He has appointed Christine Morgan, CEO of the National Mental Health Commission, as the national suicide prevention advisor to the prime minister. On this episode, Christine Morgan speaks with Michelle Grattan about the issue - what we know so far, and what needs more clarity. She stresses the role of communities in tackling the rising rates, and also argues for a more holistic view - beyond narrow mental health problems - of the factors that drive people to contemplate taking their own lives. "Yes, it may be that they’re suffering from a mental health condition. Yes, they may be suffering from a health condition. But they may also be being affected by other things which significantly impact, like what is their housing security?[…]What is their employment situation? what is their financial situation? Have they come from a background of trauma?" Anyone seeking support and information about suicide can contact Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: Shutterstock
Tue, August 13, 2019
On the ‘creeping crisis’ in the public service
Scott Morrison has voiced his intention to shake up the federal public service - seeking to make it more efficient in implementing the government’s agenda. A review of the public service led by David Thodey is now finished. Meanwhile, Professor Beth Noveck and Professor Rod Glover have released a timely study of the public service, titled Today’s problems, Yesterday’s toolkit. Commissioned by the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, it builds on interviews with almost 400 public servants - most of them Australians. In this podcast episode, Noveck and Glover discuss the “creeping crisis” of effectiveness and legitimacy the Australian public service is facing. "Blunt public sector management tools, including hiring freezes, efficiency dividends, and funding cuts that hobble innovative or experimental initiatives, are creating what interviewees for this study describe as a creeping crisis for the public sector." To reverse this trend, they say the government must ensure public servants have a “ 21st century toolkit” to solve public problems. They point to the private sector’s “use of creative problem-solving methods, enabled by new technologies” as an example to follow. They argue that “improving individual skills provides the linchpin for tackling public problems and restoring trust in government”. The report is now available online and open to the public for comment. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: Shutterstock
Tue, July 30, 2019
Anthony Albanese on Labor's hard times
Anthony Albanese has a blunt message for critics who are accusing Labor of attacking government measures but then voting for them. They should “examine the world as it is rather than as they would like it to be,” he says. In the post-election reality the Senate will mostly support the government. This severely limits the opposition's capacity to alter legislation. In this podcast episode, Albanese defends Labor's backing for the government's $158 billion tax package, supports an increase in Newstart, and strongly argues the need to take the superannuation guarantee to 12%. He remains confident in his ability to force the expulsion from the party of maverick unionist John Setka, regardless of the outcome of the court action Setka has brought. “That will happen. His values don't fit the values of the ALP. It's as simple as that,” he says. But he stays implacably opposed to the government's Ensuring Integrity legislation to enable tougher action against erring union officials, saying Labor will vote against it. Despite its problems at the election, Albanese believes Labor can successfully appeal to both working class aspirational voters and its progressive supporters, maintaining they have common interests in an ALP government. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/LUKAS COCH
Wed, July 24, 2019
Paul Oosting responds to GetUp's critics
After a bruising election outcome, GetUp is regrouping around a batch of issues - with press freedom the big ticket item. The activist group's national director Paul Oosting, who has been in Canberra for the parliamentary week, says this is "deeply, deeply important to our members right now. It's absolutely the number one issue that they care about". "We're absolutely in this campaign for the long haul. How we protect press freedoms, as of today - [it] isn't entirely clear how we get there from a parliamentary and political point of view, but we've absolutely got to find a way because press freedom is central to our democracy." Post-election, GetUp has faced strong critics, most recently the Liberal member for the South Australian seat of Boothby, Nicole Flint, who has accused it and unions of "creating an environment where abuse, harassment, intimidation, shouting people down and even stalking became the new normal". Oosting says these claims "aren't true" - they are "very much self-serving from the Coalition in an attempt to to muddy our brand". He admits GetUp made some mistakes - in a "calling script" in one electorate, and a wrong "tone" in some advertising, notably depicting a Tony Abbott figure refusing to hep a drowning person. "In terms of our internal processes and how we think more broadly around those things...[we] absolutely will carry those lessons through to future campaigns." But in Boothby he says, "Nicole Flint doesn't really have a high profile. So our campaign wasn't centred on her, it was centred on issues like climate change". Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/ Joel Carrett
Tue, July 23, 2019
Centre Alliance’s Stirling Griff on Newstart
The two Centre Alliance senators, Stirling Griff and Rex Patrick will often be pivotal to the fate of government legislation. The smaller non-Green Senate crossbench this term means that if the government can muster Centre Alliance support, it only needs one other crossbencher to pass bills, as was the case with the government’s tax package. In this podcast Michelle Grattan talks with Stirling Griff about the party’s position on a range of issues - including the widespread pressure for an increase in Newstart. Griff says Centre Alliance is willing to use its bargaining muscle to try to get the government to raise the payment. "We’ll exert as much pressure as we possibly can to, at the very least, have a minor increase from where [Newstart] is now." Centre Alliance has struck up a consultative relationship with Tasmanian independent Jacqui Lambie. “Ahead of a sitting week, or a sitting fortnight, we share our thoughts on which way each of us intends to vote and if we can arrive at a common position we will do so.” Meanwhile, Senate leader Mathias Cormann remains apparently well-placed to wrangle the cross-bench. “[Cormann] is held in very high regard by pretty much everyone in the chamber. Certainly, we have a very good relationship with him.” Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/Sam Mooy
Tue, July 16, 2019
Megan Davis on a First Nations Voice in the Constitution
Last week on this podcast we talked to Ken Wyatt about the government’s plan for a referendum – hopefully this parliamentary term – to recognise Indigenous Australians in the Constitution. This week, we continue the conversation on Indigenous recognition with Megan Davis, a law professor and expert member of a key United Nations Indigenous rights body on the debate about an Indigenous ‘Voice’ which has followed Ken Wyatt’s announcement. “At this point the only viable option for constitutional reform is this proposal for a Voice to parliament,” says Megan . "The Uluru Statement from the Heart is significant because it’s the first time an Australian government has gone out to community and said to them what does recognition mean to you in the Australian Constitution? And their answer was we want a better say in the laws and policies that affect our lives…The very key point here is the symbolic elements of recognition were completely unanimously rejected. So there was a very strong view that this needed to be practical reconciliation – that Aboriginal people were over symbolism." Megan Davis is currently in Geneva for a meeting of the UN body she sits on, where she says this issue will be raised among other issues which Australian Indigenous people face. Australia’s reputation on the international stage has had a number of issues such as “incarceration[…]the conditions of young people in youth detention[…][and] the numbers of child removals”. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: RICHARD WAINWRIGHT/AAP
Thu, July 11, 2019
Minister Ken Wyatt on constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians
The first Indigenous minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, says on the government’s proposal to constitutionally recognise Indigenous Australians: “I’m optimistic about achieving the outcome because if the words are simple, but meaningful, then Australians will generally accept an opportunity to include Aboriginal people in the Constitution.” But he concedes Indigenous leaders would not take the same minimalist approach he is advocating for, but says it is “pragmatic”. "What I want to see us make some gains. Later on as we mature as a nation, then we can have another debate of what the next phase is." He admits getting support for the constitutional referendum in his home state of Western Australia would be difficult but he would be looking to the big mining companies – which have been supportive of the Uluru Statement of the Heart – to help make the case there. As for issues affecting Indigenous communities, such as high youth suicide rates, he says there is “a sense of futility for some young people. The issue of broken relationships. The way in which young people have expressed the need for their culture to be valued”. On the way forward, he is looking into “support structures that need to go into place on the ground” and thinks “there is a way that we can have some of this with existing resources”. Additional Music: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: Rohan Thomson/AAP
Wed, July 03, 2019
Frank Brennan on Israel Folau and religious freedom
Frank Brennan, Jesuit priest and member of the expert panel on Religious Freedom set up by Malcolm Turnbull says the Israel Folau matter is a "simple freedom of contract case regardless of Mr. Folau's religious views". "I think the question is, did he voluntarily, and for a very large sum of money, agree with his employer to follow a work code which included an undertaking not to make statements on social media about various things which may or may not have a religious component?" Responding to Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells' renewed call this week for a Religious Freedom Act - as distinct from narrower legislation favoured by the Morrison government - Brennan told The Conversation: "I continue to have my reservations about that, mainly on the basis that I don't think religious freedom is an enormous problem in Australia". He sees the way forward as a Religious Discrimination Act, recommended by the review, in line with other existing anti-discrimination laws on race and gender. As for issues to do with religious schools, "Penny Wong's bill was correct" - referring to the Senator's Amendment to the Sex Discrimination Act late last year which sought to remove the capacity of religious schools to directly discriminate against students on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status. The only addition needed to this, he says, would be a clear commitment that "religious schools are free to teach their doctrine". Additional audio A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/ Alan Porritt
Mon, July 01, 2019
ACTU president Michele O'Neil on John Setka and the government’s anti-union legislation
The ACTU leadership has pushed controversial construction boss John Setka to quit his union job but its president Michele O'Neil says the final decision on his leadership rests on the union membership. She told The Conversation “members of unions elect their leadership and that’s an important principle”. In this podcast episode O'Neil denounces the government’s plan to bring back to parliament the Ensuring Integrity Bill - which would give the government greater power to crack down on union lawbreaking - saying it is a “very extreme and dangerous bit of law”. “It is not about integrity, it’s a political attack,” she says, citing the ability of banks and politicians to adopt voluntary codes of practice. O'Neil is highly suspicious of Scott Morrison putting industrial relations back on the policy agenda, with a review now in train, to which the unions, unlike business, haven’t yet been invited to contribute. But she flags they will strongly argue their case over coming months, saying “we’ve written to Christian Porter asking why he hasn’t asked to meet with us…[this] won’t stop us advocating and putting forward what we think because it’s important for workers”. Additional audio: A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image: AAP/PETER RAE
Thu, May 09, 2019
Corrected version: Richard Eccleston on the electoral mood in Tasmania
University of Tasmania political science professor, Richard Eccleston, says a lack of a coherent energy policy could count against the Coalition in the island state. “The party which seems to offer the more compelling commitment to climate change and renewable production will probably be well placed to capitalize on that [Tasmania’s environmental interests].” Eccleston told The Conversation the volatile seats of Braddon and Bass could won by the Liberals. However he says Lyons should be a “safe Labor hold” after to the controversy over the Liberals’ now-dumped candidate Jessica Whelan. On the Senate, Eccleston says there will be an impact from the minor parties, with fisherman Craig Garland - who attracted a big vote at the Braddon byelection - “a name to watch”. But he doesn’t think Jacqui Lambie will be successful. Lambie, who resigned from the Senate in the citizenship crisis, is trying to make a comeback. “She’s clearly got a profile but I think she’ll be struggling to get a seat at a half-Senate election.”
Mon, May 06, 2019
Tim Colebatch on the battle in Victoria - and the Senate
Inside Story’s Tim Colebatch says three Victorian seats are seen as “pretty certain” wins for Labor - Dunkley, Corangamite and Chisholm. A number of others “are really open” - Casey, La Trobe, Deakin, Flinders and possibly even Higgins. “It does strike me that [the Liberals] they’ve done a lot to show the flag in Victoria. Morrison has been down there frequently”. Colebatch tells The Conversation climate change is a big factor in many of the blue ribbon Victorian electorates. “The failure of the government to tackle climate change is a real drawback for the Liberals when they try and confront an electorate like this, because it’s full of an educated and wealthy people who understand that we have to do something and don’t mind the cost of doing it.” On the Senate, Colebatch thinks it will have fewer crossbenchers because of the larger vote needed in a half-Senate election; he says it will be particularly hard for the minor parties of the right to get in.
Wed, May 01, 2019
William Bowe on the state of election play in WA
Western Australia-based William Bowe, who runs The Poll Bludger website, says “there is a feeling that there is a Labor resurgence in the state”. Bowe told The Conversation a “floundering” state economy after the mining boom downturn, with falling house prices and rising unemployment, has created a sense that “prosperity has been lost. And that sense of downward mobility is very dangerous for the government”. “Because Western Australians are not feeling as prosperous, they are more receptive to a Labor message,” he said. On the Liberal seats in play, Bowe says Swan is the most vulnerable, followed by Hasluck. But Labor also has its eyes on the possible prizes of Pearce (held by Attorney-general Christian Porter) and Stirling (vacated by minister Michael Keenan). “There was a poll out a week ago that showed that it [Pearce] was line-ball. […] It’s certainly not the case that Christian Porter is gone for all money, but he has a fight on his hands and that’s not something that the Liberals are accustomed to in that electorate.” On the other side, the Liberals are targeting Anne Aly’s ultra-marginal seat of Cowan. “[The Liberals] have got a leader who I think goes down better in an electorate like Cowan,” Bowe said. But he’d be “very surprised” if the seat were in danger.
Mon, April 29, 2019
Andrew Hughes on political advertising - and Clive Palmer
ANU marketing lecturer Andrew Hughes says this is the first election where the advertising spend and activity has been more focussed on digital. He told The Conversation that on Monday, the first day of pre-polling, there was a surge in social media ads - the Coalition had over 230 different ads on Facebook while Labor had over 200. "The sheer volume of ads is probably the highest we’ve ever seen in Australian politics because of the number of ads just on Facebook alone," he said. He also spoke about the major parties pivoting between positive and negative ads and the effectiveness of this strategy, personal branding, and the rise of micro-targeting. Hughes said Clive Palmer's huge advertising spending spree seemed to be working for him - but it raised the question of the need for caps. Also, "as that tipping point between traditional and social media goes more in favour of social media [...] in the future I believe the conversation will be on how many ads Australians should be exposed to as a quantity, not by dollar value."
Wed, April 24, 2019
Caroline Fisher on the spin machines of #AusVotes19
While the major party leaders seem to have curated their images, University of Canberra assistant professor in communications and media Caroline Fisher says they can’t always control how these could be manipulated. Fisher says there has been “a real attempt to soften” Scott Morrison as the “daggy dad” through candid personal selfies. In contrast, Bill Shorten has opted for more professional shots which portray him “in a more prime ministerial light” but “are almost otherworldly”. She also discusses the way family, particularly their wives, have been used to increase warmth and relatability, as well as the use of negative messaging in the campaign.
Wed, April 03, 2019
Jim Chalmers on Labor’s budget reaction
Shadow Finance minister Jim Chalmers said Labor was looking for ways to make things fairer for low-income earners who were “largely left behind” in the government’s budget. He told The Conversation the measures “would be through the tax system and would most likely be around the low and middle income tax offset which the government introduced”.
Tue, April 02, 2019
Peter Martin and Tim Colebatch on budget strategy and numbers
From inside the budget lockup, The Conversation’s Business and Economics editor Peter Martin and political and economic journalist Tim Colebatch from Inside Story shared their reactions to the pre-election budget. Martin said the budget featured a substantial tax cut “that goes back in time” and that while the government was forecasting “good times around the corner,” there has been barely any sign of them. He also said he thought while the budget gives Labor an advantage, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is unlikely to be embarrassed by it in the future. Colebatch told The Conversation it “was a modest budget” and that the spending measures were “really fairly restrained”. “It recognises that the debate has shifted and people are less likely to be bought by big spending and more likely to be bought by the impression of fiscal reticence and control and delivering a budget surplus,” he said.
Wed, March 27, 2019
Jenny Macklin on inequality and Labor values
After more than two decades, Jenny Macklin is in her final days as an MP. Her legacies from her time as a Labor minister include parental leave and the landmark National Disability Insurance Scheme. In this podcast she tells The Conversation a Labor government would fix “one of the worst” problems of the NDIS by abolishing the cap on the number of staff that could be employed in the agency. “There are other issues as well […] there’s problems with the pricing of services. There just hasn’t been the quick response that has been needed,” Macklin said. She also speaks about the need to listen to and support Indigenous-led programs to close the gap, as well as implement measures to address increasing inequality in Australia.
Mon, March 04, 2019
Ian McAllister on voters and issues in the coming election
The Australian Election Study, conducted by the Australian National University, has been running since 1987. Its director Ian McAllister says one thing voters will want at this poll is stability. McAllister says that for the first time in a long while, one of the major parties - Labor - has put forward some “very constructive policies”. But, he told The Conversation, Bill Shorten is very unpopular: he “ranks below any leader we’ve ever recorded across virtually every personal quality including things like trust, competence, integrity”. McAllister says the Coalition’s challenge is that the Liberals haven’t been looking after their base. He expects the election to highlight a “generational gap in voting” and probably a much higher level of “split-ticket voting” - people voting differently for the two houses.
Fri, March 01, 2019
Tony Abbott and Zali Steggall on Warringah votes
The Sydney electorate of Warringah will be one of the most fascinating battlegrounds in the May election, with a high profile independent Zali Stegall challenging former prime minister Tony Abbott. Despite the seat being on about 11 per cent, Abbott describes this as a “full on marginal seat campaign”. Abbott is running hard on local issues. He says over-development and traffic congestion are the biggest issues and if reelected he is keen to use his position to be a “champion” for the Northern beaches tunnel. He’s trying to tone down his stridency, this week attempting to avoid being drawn to deeply into the row around the criminal conviction of Cardinal George Pell. Steggall, a lawyer and former Olympian, is running against Abbott on a campaign that says Warringah voters want “a new voice”. Keenly focused on climate change policy, Steggall is very critical of the government’s efforts and says even Labor’s energy policy “needs again to be toughened up.” Steggall, who grew up and lives in the electorate, has only had Abbott as an MP and has never voted Liberal nor has she had voted Labor. Pressed on who she had voted for, she told The Conversation she has mostly voted independent but “wouldn’t want to say never” to having voted Greens.
Wed, February 13, 2019
Kerryn Phelps on medical transfer numbers
Independent MP Kerryn Phelps, who set the ball rolling for the medical transfers legislation, says its passage is “a remarkable exercise in cooperation”. Phelps says that of the about 1000 people on Manus and Nauru “around 70 people require urgent medical evacuation” and “another couple of hundred will require transfer but not as urgently”. She describes Scott Morrison’s proposal to reopen the Christmas Island detention facility as a “political statement”. “What we need to do is to have a regional resettlement option for people who are currently on Manus and Nauru so they don’t have to become so sick that they have to be transferred to Australia to await resettlement somewhere else.” Additional audio A List of Ways to Die , Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Image AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Tue, February 05, 2019
Michael McCormack on banks and the bush, and the election battle
Deputy prime minister and Nationals leader Michael McCormack says the banking royal commission report contained a good outcome for farmers. McCormack praised Nationals backbenchers Llew O’Brien, George Christensen and John “Wacka” Williams for their role in pushing for the commission, saying he was “really pleased” about major changes recommended in relation to agricultural loans. Acknowledging the big challenges ahead for the Nationals at the election, he told The Conversation he is “not going to write Cowper off yet” - a Nationals NSW seat under siege from Rob Oakeshott, who was an independent for the seat of Lyne from 2008-2013. With Williams retiring, McCormack says prospects for the NSW Nationals in the Senate are “difficult” and “it is yet to be decided” if the Nationals will run their own ticket in that state.
Thu, December 20, 2018
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Tanya Plibersek on a united Labor
The Labor party has emerged from its three day national conference in Adelaide looking united and projecting itself as “ready to govern”. Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek told The Conversation the ALP wants voters to see the party as “responsible and progressive”. She says a Labor government would “work cooperatively with the trade union movement cause we share the same objective”. “The union movement hasn’t got everything they wanted from the Labor party in this instance, but a lot of the changes we have made have been made better by the discussions that we’ve had over many months leading up to this conference,” she said. On border security, Plibersek dismisses the use of three word slogans on both sides of the debate and argues “a more activist aid policy and more activist foreign policy” are needed to help asylum seekers.
Wed, December 12, 2018
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Anthony Albanese on Labor’s road ahead
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese, a senior minister in the last Labor government and briefly deputy prime minister, is preparing to “hit the ground running” if the ALP wins next year’s election. But meanwhile the opposition is concentrating on staying focused and on message, fully aware that things can always go wrong. Speaking to The Conversation, Albanese wouldn’t comment on Bill Shorten’s unpopularity with voters, arguing instead that it’s a matter of whether the Labor team is “seen as worthy of election”. Albanese predicts next week’s ALP national conference will be “very constructive”, dismissing concerns about divisions over boat turnbacks. The debate is not focused on that, he said – rather the emphasis is on settling people from Nauru and Manus in third countries, dealing with those needing medical assistance, and co-operating in regional processing. Asked about the ALP last week capitulating to the government over the encryption bill, Albanese said he wasn’t involved in the decision, which was “made by the leadership group”. Always under pressure from the Greens in his own seat of Grayndler, Albanese predicts a “schism” in the “dysfunctional” party is imminent. A conflict between two tendencies in the NSW Greens could lead to a split “as soon as the March state election … two parties essentially running against each other trying to claim the same ground”.
Thu, November 29, 2018
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Josh Frydenberg on Liberal troubles
Josh Frydenberg, who became treasurer and deputy Liberal leader in the tumultuous events of August, said the party has “big challenges”. While the party is “disappointed” by this week’s defection of Julia Banks to the crossbench they “remain as a group focused on the challenges ahead. And we have big challenges, there’s no doubt about that.” He said he “absolutely” will be keeping in touch with Banks. Frydenberg reiterates that the Liberal party is still a “broad church” and says he isn’t concerned about other MPs like Craig Kelly following Banks’ suit. “I know that Craig is a strong Liberal and that Craig will continue to put the government’s case.”
Mon, November 19, 2018
Lowy Institute’s Jonathan Pryke on APEC 2018
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) ended with no agreed communique and unresolved tensions between the United States and China on open display. Lowy Institute’s Pacific Islands program director, Jonathan Pryke, who observed the forum in Port Moresby, said: “it is distressing for all parties that they weren’t able to find common ground. There is a fear that we’re losing the middle here.” Pryke told The Conversation “the desire for a convergence of China into the international liberal order seems like a bit of a fantasy now.” But he says “whilst the summit has left everyone on a pretty sour note” because of the state of the communique “it is still important for all the middle powers to find more ways in which they can communicate and work together to maintain this liberal order.” On Australia partnering with America to develop a naval base on Manus, he said “the devil will be in the details … but it does send a strong symbolic message to China.”
Wed, November 07, 2018
Andrew Giles on the growing issue of loneliness
Ahead of the release of the most comprehensive data on loneliness in Australia - by the Australian Psychologists Society - Labor frontbencher Andrew Giles speaks to The Conversation about this “contagious phenomenon”. Loneliness is a growing issue, Giles says. It’s not just among older Australians, as often conventionally thought, but also a problem for young people - with social media, paradoxically, a contributing factor. Giles who is working on a loneliness policy, thinks it is an area where politicians can “reach across the aisle”. He will co-sponsor a motion with Liberal MP Julian Leeser on the need to better understand the policy challenge.
Fri, November 02, 2018
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Anne Summers on #MeToo and women in politics
Anne Summers, who has worn many hats during her career - journalist, editor, activist, senior public servant, and prime ministerial advisor - is concerned about the slow progress in Australia in addressing sexual harassment and assault. “I don’t know what it is that is holding [MeToo] back here,” Summers tells The Conversation. She believes there should be more naming of perpetrators, with the proviso that “obviously it’s got to be justified, obviously you don’t do it rashly and without and very credible evidence”. “I don’t see why you can’t name somebody who has been shown to have abused his position like that,” she said. Summers, who’s long campaigned on the issue of violence against women, declares “a forensic approach is urgent”. “I worry some of the research is not really problem-solving and focusing on how to end violence. It’s seeking more to understand the impact - and I think we already know the impact.”
Tue, October 30, 2018
Satirist Jonathan Biggins on sending up the pollies
Jonathan Biggins, who has been sending up politicians as part of The Wharf Revue for almost two decades, has some sharp words about social media - “the enemy of democracy, not its ally” - and a warning on political correctness. “We are entering an age of a new puritanism that is actually not only driven by the censorious right but by the equally censorious left who are saying this is no longer acceptable,” he tells The Conversation. “We’ve always had a free rein at the wharf but I can see shadows looming at the door”.
Tue, October 23, 2018
Barnaby Joyce on facing the drought and rural women
Some in the Nationals would like Barnaby Joyce back in the leadership before the election. Joyce speaking to The Conversation repeats that if the leadership were offered, he would be up for it - though he insists he is not canvassing. But his critics think he would have a “woman problem” - and Joyce acknowledges that to win support back from rural women he “would certainly have a lot of work to do”. The former deputy prime minister is the government’s special drought envoy, and ahead of Friday’s Drought Summit he says there’s still a lot to be done. While there’s been some recent rain, even for those farmers who have received it “the real relief does not become evident until such time as the money turns up at the bank”.
Wed, October 17, 2018
Peter Jennings on Morrison's Jerusalem move
Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), Peter Jennings, says it would be "silly" to claim - as Scott Morrison does - that there is no connection between this week's announcement about the possible relocation of Australia's embassy to Jerusalem and Saturday's Wentworth byelection. This kind of decision would not have been considered by Malcolm Turnbull, Jennings says and if Julie Bishop were still foreign minister she "would have put up quite a fight". On Morrison's general foreign policy approach so far, Jennings says the new PM seems to be taking a more "conciliatory tone" to China. "If we see the Prime Minister moving away from the relatively hard line position that Malcolm Turnbull evolved over several years about China, that to me would be a concern."
Wed, October 10, 2018
The battle for Wentworth
The government’s majority is at stake in the October 20 Wentworth byelection, when the Liberals face voters still reeling from the loss of their member Malcolm Turnbull. ABC election analyst Antony Green says there’s likely to be a 10 per cent swing “as a start” - the result of losing Turnbull’s personal vote and a generally more intense battle. He says “the only danger” to the Liberals not winning the seat is high profile independent Kerryn Phelps but she may have made it harder for herself by “mucking up her preference comments earlier”. Liberal candidate Dave Sharma recognises the public’s disappointment and disillusionment with politicians and if elected is keen to “help improve the tone of the debate in Canberra”. He accepts “absolutely” the science of man-made or anthropogenic climate change and believes in Australia “keeping our international commitments” on Paris. Labor’s Tim Murray is “quite confident” he will finish second on the primary vote (although the ALP’s best chance of ousting the Liberals is to run third and help elect Phelps with its preferences). On the issue of asylum seekers, which has dogged his party, Murray says a Labor government should press for New Zealand to take more than its original offer of an annual 150: “Taking 300 would go a long way to resolving the problem of children being held in detention”. Phelps says she has received a lot of thanks for putting her hand up for Wentworth but has also been subject to “dirty tricks”. Despite her confusing messages on preferences, she’s confident she can come second if enough “disaffected Liberals and people who agree with my progressive policy agenda are prepared to put their support behind [me].”
Wed, October 03, 2018
Clare O'Neil on Labor’s listening tour for banking victims
Shadow minister for financial services Clare O'Neil, who is leading Labor’s “roundtables” for victims of the banks and other financial institutions, says the ALP exercise will give a voice to people in areas the Royal Commission hasn’t had time to visit. “There’s vast swathes of the country where the commission hasn’t been at all.” she tells The Conversation. “I just utterly reject that this is a political exercise”, she says in answer to government criticism. O'Neil says she has “a lot of confidence” in Commissioner Kenneth Hayne but is concerned that with only four months until the final report there have not yet been any policy proposals. “It’s just that I think we will get to a better result if the government gives the commissioner more time.”
Wed, September 26, 2018
Brendan O'Connor on Labor’s industrial relations agenda
With Scott Morrison flagging his government will take a hard line on industrial relations, especially the CFMEU, Labor’s shadow minister for employment and workplace relations, Brendan O'Connor will have a tough job ahead of the election. O'Connor says Labor remains totally opposed to the government’s Ensuring Integrity legislation, which the Coalition wants to resurrect. “I can’t see this bill in any way being salvageable, and that’s why of course it sat for a year without the Senate debating it,” he says. O'Connor acknowledges there have been problems with “civil breaches” by the Construction division of the CFMEU but insists the claims of bad behaviour have been “highly exaggerated”. “It is very hard to take this government seriously when it politicises institutions it establishes and uses those institutions for political purposes … this government really has no standing and no regard for the rule of law when it actually acts unlawfully itself and then wants to attack other institutions for acting unlawfully,” O'Connor says. With his brother Michael the CFMEU's national secretary, O'Connor indicates that in government he would recuse himself from decisions made specifically by the minister – though not from general workplace policy relevant to the union. "I would consider the situation and if I thought there was a perceived conflict or a conflict I certainly would of course absent myself," he said.
Thu, September 13, 2018
View from the crossbench: Cathy McGowan and Rebekha Sharkie on the role of community candidates
Independent Cathy McGowan and Centre Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie share more in common than just sitting on the crossbench. The members for Indi and Mayo respectively have dug in to retain their seats - they believe there is “a mood” in the community for alternative candidates. McGowan and Sharkie have given the government their confidence until the Wentworth byelection - after which they will consult with their electorates. They think Kerryn Phelps would have “an excellent chance” of winning the byelection if she runs. Sharkie said “I would certainly be keen to support her in any capacity and that just might be phone calls just to give her some support”. Even a few weeks after the leadership spill, Sharkie said “there is still a lot of grieving in Mayo for the loss of Malcolm Turnbull”. The feeling in Indi was “very similar”, McGowan said “except there was another level” - the loss of an energy policy. On the Liberal’s problems with unity and women, McGowan said “It’s not just the bullying it’s how they work together as a team. In making themselves into a much better party they might open themselves to greater diversity and to better systems and practices for managing conflict.”
Fri, September 07, 2018
Judith Troeth on the Liberal party’s woman problem and asylum seekers
Former Victorian Liberal senator Judith Troeth is no stranger to speaking out forthrightly on issues, even when that goes against her party’s position. In this podcast, Troeth says the party should adopt quotas to rectify the “abysmally low numbers” of Liberal women in parliament. “We should have quotas, but not forever … to get the numbers up”. One of the group of moderates when she was in parliament (1993- 2011), Troeth is concerned about the party’s drift to the right. “Sometimes i feel as though i am standing on the extreme left … when everyone who knows me knows I’m certainly not”. She partly attributes the present situation to newer MPs being reluctant to rock the boat. Troeth’s advice to them? “Be brave and let your conscience be your mouth piece.” On asylum seekers - an issue over which she confronted then prime minister John Howard - Troeth believes “quite strongly” that on humanitarian grounds people who have been processed and found to be refugees on Manus and Nauru should be allowed to come to Australia and stay.
Wed, August 08, 2018
Barnaby Joyce at his provocative best
Barnaby Joyce has confirmed he could cross the floor on the federal legislation associated with the National Energy Guarantee. “Of course I could,” he says in an interview with The Conversation. Joyce is out on the author’s circuit for his just-released book Weatherboard and Iron, which reprises the personal saga that took him from deputy prime minister to backbencher, as well as canvassing life in Canberra and policy issues. On the NEG, he says in this podcast: “If it comes back from COAG and it’s absolutely untenable in regards to what happens to power prices and it forces even more misery onto people that can no longer afford power then I think you’re almost duty bound to leave that option [crossing the floor] up your sleeve.” Asked whether the government should ditch its tax cuts for big business if it cannot get them through the Senate, Joyce says: “To be quite frank I’ve probably got a different view than some of my colleagues, in that I look at the company tax cuts and I say, well we have to also be internationally competitive.” Provocatively, Joyce says the Nationals should run a candidate in the NSW Labor held seat of Eden-Monaro - which would mean contesting against a Liberal contender. On future aspirations, Joyce makes it clear he would like to return to the frontbench after the election. “If I was offered that I would never knock it back,” he said. “In politics you should try to get to the point of most effect – because that’s how you bring the best outcome”.
Wed, August 01, 2018
Wayne Swan on Labor’s byelection victories and beyond
Incoming Labor national president Wayne Swan has made it clear he will have an assertive voice in the role, as the party moves towards next year’s election. While many in the ALP would like action on party reform, Swan says bluntly it’s not top of mind for him. “I made it very clear [in campaigning for the presidency] that party reform in the first instance was not my priority,” he says. “My priority is winning the battle of ideas.” Looking to the rescheduled party conference in December, Swan acknowledges there will be battles on issues such as asylum seekers. But “we have to be mature about it – and I think the party will be”. “I think you’ve seen from the Labor party for the last five years a degree of unity of purpose that has been very strong, and I think that will shine through what will be very passionate debates at the national conference”. Swan alleges that the Liberal party has been taken over by “tea party fanatics who are dedicated to actually trashing government as an institution”. He stops short of calling Malcolm Turnbull a “tea party fanatic” but says the Prime Minister is “dancing to the tune [of them] at every turn … people like Peter Dutton, people like the Institute of Public Affairs.”
Wed, June 27, 2018
Tanya Plibersek on Labor’s taxing times
Deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek talks on Anthony Albanese's Whitlam oration, Bill Shorten's unexpected announcement on rolling back company tax for medium sized firms, the "tough" Braddon and Longman byelections - and really fires up about mobile phones and over connected children.
Mon, June 25, 2018
Frances Adamson on being secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs
Frances Adamson is secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She was previously international adviser to Malcolm Turnbull, and served as Australia’s ambassador in Beijing between 2011 and 2015. This interview is published in partnership with The Australian Strategic Policy Institute .
Wed, June 20, 2018
Attorney-General Christian Porter on a crowded agenda
Attorney-General Christian Porter says the response to the consultations for the national apology to victims of child sexual abuse has been very strong with a total of 167 attendees at consultation sessions so far. "There are further consultations coming up in Ballarat, Melbourne, Bendigo, Newcastle and Sydney ... it is a very important process and is going very well," he said. Porter also says there's "some level of common sense" to suggestions that former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who set up the royal commission, should have a role in the apology. "I do think those things are best dealt with by exchange of letter or meetings directly between the Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister." In this interview Porter also speaks about foreign interference laws, elder abuse, the amalgamation of the Family and Federal Circuit courts, and why he rejects calls for change to section 44 of the constitution.
Thu, May 31, 2018
Brotherhood of St Laurence’s Conny Lenneberg on Newstart, poverty and inequality
The Brotherhood of St Laurence has underway a campaign with the slogan “ Share the Pie ” highlighting the inadequacy of the Newstart allowance. The Brotherhood is also arguing the social safety net more generally is fraying. Executive Director of The Brotherhood Conny Lenneberg spoke to The Conversation about the inequality created by the low level of Newstart, which hasn’t been boosted for many years. She also pointed to the systemic barriers - such as disinvestment in the TAFE system and a scarcity of entry level jobs - which contribute to youth unemployment.
Wed, May 30, 2018
Michael McCormack on Barnaby's future, latte sippers and other matters
With yet another round of the Barnaby Joyce affair distracting the government, the next question will be whether the beleaguered MP runs again in his New England seat at the election. In this interview with The Conversation, Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack pointedly avoids saying Joyce should do so. “That’ll be a matter for him and that’ll be a matter for the National party in New England. That’ll be a matter for a branch to nominate him and then that’ll be a matter for the branch members in New England as to whether or not they decide if he nominates or if anybody else nominates,” McCormack says. “Then it becomes a preselection process as to who they think would best represent them going forward”. McCormack also speaks about the reception for the government’s tax plans in regional Australia, lashes out at those city-dwellers “sipping lattes” who’d close down live animal exports, and declares “trust me, I am no pushover for anybody”.
Wed, May 23, 2018
Anthony Albanese on Labor’s National Conference
Labor is facing tough tests in coming byelections in its narrowly held seats of Longman in Queensland and Braddon in Tasmania. Later on, managing the ALP national conference will be a challenge for Bill Shorten who will be anxious to avoid damaging displays of division over controversial issues. Labor Frontbencher Anthony Albanese is putting on a confident face about the byelections. On the conference, he predicts there will not be a "substantial change" in Labor's refugee policy. On the issue of recognition of Palestine, another sensitive issue within the party, he says "if you support a two-state solution then by definition one of those states will be Palestine."
Tue, May 22, 2018
Dean Smith on the pros and risks of new religious freedom protections
The Liberal party is currently fighting fires on various fronts - from a revolt on the live sheep trade to preselection power struggles. Western Australia Liberal Senator Dean Smith is putting up another push, as he challenges the decision not to run Liberal candidates in the two WA byelections. In this podcast he also speaks about the need for rigorous debate on religious freedoms, diversity in the Liberal party, and his opposition to constitutional reform of section 44.
Wed, May 09, 2018
Politics podcast: Mathias Cormann and Jim Chalmers on Budget 2018
With the government's election focused budget released it's now a tax showdown between the two sides. Finance minister Mathias Cormann says the government is committed to the whole of their seven-year personal tax relief plan and is determined the three-part package not be broken up. Meanwhile, shadow finance minister Jim Chalmers says Labor is disappointed with the government's inflexibility on their tax plan. "It's a real shame that they're saying that they will hold those lower and middle income earners hostage for the rest of the package."
Tue, May 08, 2018
Tim Colebatch on the 2018 budget
From inside the lockup political and economic journalist Tim Colebatch speaks to Michelle Grattan about his assessment of the budget. He says the income tax cuts are “well targeted” and that he can’t see any “significant negatives” from the budget. However Colebatch is “surprised the government hasn’t made more effort to find other sources of compensating tax income or making bigger spending cuts in areas where they thought there was waste”.
Thu, May 03, 2018
Chris Bowen on the budget and Labor's policies
Ahead of Tuesday’s budget that will unveil the goverment’s tax cut plans, the Coalition is painting Labor as the big taxing party, while the ALP is attacking the government’s push to cut company tax for big business. Meanwhile the Business Council of Australia is taking its message to the public with a grassroots campaign. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen tells The Conversation he accepts that big business will “lobby on their own path”. “Clearly we have a difference of view with the Business Council,” he says, though not with every member of it. “Some members of the Business Council say they don’t see the business tax cut as a business priority.” On budget repair, Bowen he says that “getting back to budget balance is very, very important, and not just budget balance but a good healthy budget surplus of at least 1% of GDP.”
Tue, April 24, 2018
Robert Kelly on the Korean summits
Professor Robert E Kelly from the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Pusan University is pessimistic about how much the upcoming Korean summits will achieve. He told The Conversation that the Trump-Kim summit is likely "to be a bust" because the Americans aren't prepared for the negotiations, while the summit between the two Koreas is more important for issues of economic cooperation and military transparency. On the reunification of Korea, Kelly says while he wouldn't put a timeline on it he would "be amazed if North Korea would hang on in perpetuity - it's just not designed to deal with modernity." Robert E Kelly will be appearing in Canberra as part of the Lowy Lecture Series on Wednesday May 2 and at the Sydney Writers' Festival from Friday May 4 - Sunday May 6.
Fri, April 13, 2018
Clive Hamilton and Richard Rigby on Chinese influence in Australia
The Australia-China relationship is again in the headlines, with reports of strains between the two countries, resulting in federal ministers who want to visit finding it hard to get visas. China is reacting against the Australian government’s rhetoric and especially its legislation, now before parliament, to combat foreign interference in Australian politics. Malcolm Turnbull plays down the issue but admits “there is certainly some tension”, in the wake of the move on foreign interference. In this podcast, Charles Sturt University’s Clive Hamilton talks about his controversial book Silent Invasion , in which he alleges a high level of penetration by Chinese officialdom into Australian institutions. On the flip side, the Australian National University’s Richard Rigby is confident Australian institutions are strong enough to head off any dangers.
Thu, April 05, 2018
Politics podcast: Michael Keating on a Fair Share
With the debate about equality heating up ahead of the federal election, Dr Michael Keating, the former head of three federal government departments, warns that while past economic reforms have served Australia well, there’s a risk some people may be left behind if we don’t “change the debate”. A new book co-authored by University of Queensland Political Economy Professor Stephen Bell and Keating called Fair Share identifies lagging wages, low taxation and technological change as causes of inequality, and outlines comprehensive policy solutions for addressing these. Keating told The Conversation that taxation revenue will need to rise by another 3 percentage points of GDP in the next three decades.
Wed, March 28, 2018
John Blaxland on Australia’s expulsion of Russian spies
As Russian Ambassador Grigory Logvinov and Foreign minister Julie Bishop trade verbal blows, ANU professor John Blaxland says the expulsion of two Russian spies from Australia will have a significant effect on Russia’s espionage here. Blaxland told The Conversation that ideologically we’re not seeing a new Cold War but the interconnectedness of the world means that activities by Russia create new vulnerabilities. “In some ways the threat is as great, if not greater.”
Tue, March 20, 2018
Sarah Hanson-Young on the Greens Batman setback
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has strongly backed party leader Richard Di Natale’s push to purge those who leaked against candidate Alex Bhathal in the Batman byelection. Hanson-Young told The Conversation it was clear that the party infighting played on the minds of voters. “I don’t think there’s a place for people who want to undermine our party like that. This selfish act by a small number of people in Victoria has ramifications for all of us … because of that these individuals need to face the consequences.” On the future of the Greens, Hanson-Young admitted that while nobody could match Bob Brown’s legacy, it was important the party get behind Di Natale’s leadership - which has been criticised by some Greens figures outside parliament.
Tue, March 13, 2018
The Batman byelection battleground
Byelections are not just important in the obvious sense of their results, but also for the confidence of political players. On Saturday Labor and Bill Shorten face a major test in the Melbourne seat of Batman, traditionally Labor but with the Greens now threatening the ALP’s hold. A Labor loss would be a blow to the morale of the opposition - it would also open some debate within the party about Shorten’s performance and what should be done to combat the Greens at the next election. On the other hand, if the ALP’s Ged Kearney came home victorious Labor would be well placed to put the heat on Malcolm Turnbull if as is expected the prime minister loses his 30th newspoll in a few weeks. We went to Batman in the final days of the campaign and spoke to Kearney and the Greens candidate Alex Bhathal as well as former deputy prime minister Brian Howe, who once held the seat, and former Greens leader, Bob Brown.
Wed, March 07, 2018
Politics podcast: the "X factor" in the South Australian election
The South Australian election will be held on March 17 - the same day as the federal byelection in Batman. In SA Labor is pitching for a fifth term, with former senator Nick Xenophon's SA-Best party injecting a high element of unpredictability into the result. Jobs and power prices are to the fore in voters' minds while the gambling industry is investing heavily to try to fend off the "X factor". The Conversation spent two days in Adelaide; we interviewed Dean Jaensch, emeritus professor in politics from Flinders University, Carol Johnson, politics professor at the University of Adelaide, Premier Jay Weatherill, Nick Xenophon, and South Australian federal Liberal cabinet minister Christopher Pyne.
Thu, March 01, 2018
Politics Podcast: Jacinda Ardern on her political life
Ahead of her second Australia visit, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern spoke to Michelle Grattan about the toughness of Australian politics, her ambitious policy plans and the demands of being a young high-profile female leader that everyone wants to know about. On the New Zealand refugee offer Ardern told The Conversation it “still obviously sits on the table but it’s absolutely Australia’s prerogative as to whether it is taken.”
Mon, February 26, 2018
Peter Dutton on balancing interests in Home Affairs
The recently-created Home Affairs department, headed by Peter Dutton, is a behemoth that its critics fear will compromise civil liberties. But Dutton argues there should be no basis for such concerns. “There are no greater laws or arrest powers that have been introduced or a lessening of protections that have been provided for under this new arrangement,” he tells The Conversation. On the growing area of cybersecurity, Dutton says there is a need to “get the balance right” between protection and privacy. In an interview that canvasses the immigration debate sparked by Tony Abbott and the changing face of a department once focused on nation-building to one prioritising national security, Dutton also defends the time taken by the investigation into Border Force Commissioner, Roman Quaedvlieg, on paid leave since July. “I’m certain of the fact that this has been dealt with in the most expeditious way possible,” he says.
Mon, February 12, 2018
Brian Howe on revisiting Henderson, poverty and basic income
How to increase wages and tackle inequality are live political and economic debates. Many Australians are feeling the cost-of-living squeeze. Speaking ahead of a conference in Melbourne this week to revisit the landmark Henderson inquiry into poverty, conducted in the 1970s, former deputy prime minister Brian Howe says the targeted nature of Australia’s contemporary social security system goes hand-in-hand with stigmatising welfare recipients. Howe, a minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, says a universal basic income scheme “topping up” the resources of unemployed and low-income workers would provide them with much-needed confidence and dignity. He is especially concerned about the difficulties and vulnerability of young people trying to get a start in the labour market. Howe also urges a rethink on housing and home ownership, including more public housing and a combination of public subsidies and private investment for affordable housing and rental schemes. “Access to housing becomes a major cause of poverty, that’s why Henderson had two poverty lines – one a general poverty line, and then a housing costs poverty line,” he says.
Thu, February 08, 2018
Mark Dreyfus on refining foreign interference legislation
Introduced in the final hours of sitting last year, the government’s foreign interference legislation have been criticised for being too broad and draconian. Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus says Labor acknowledges the need to do more about espionage activity and foreign influence in Australia but argues changes need to be made to the “hastily” and broadly drafted bill. On the security legislation, he says despite a narrow defence journalists risk being sent to jail for handling classified information. He also expresses concern about the bill prohibiting foreign based charities from doing advocacy work. Dreyfus says the foreign register is “much needed” and the foreign donations ban is a step in the right direction but the threshold for disclosing political donations needs to be drastically lowered.
Thu, February 01, 2018
Bill Ferris on Australia’s innovation mission
Innovation has been a buzzword of Malcolm Turnbull’s government, but the public reception of this message has been less than enthusiastic. Innovation and Science Australia chair Bill Ferris launched a report this week setting out a plan over five key areas – education, industry, how government can be a catalyst for change, research and development, and culture and ambition – that seeks to put Australia into the top tier of innovation nations by 2030. Ministerially, the innovation area has had much churn, with five ministers since Turnbull became prime minister. Ferris acknowledges this has meant losing some continuity but is pleased with the dramatic increase in venture capital supply under initiatives that have been launched. Education, he says, is key to the blueprint – it’s a complex area requiring “a cocktail of things” to be tackled. This includes a change in the way that industry supports schools, and an urgent review of the VET sector, which has suffered from educational snobbery. In industry policy, Ferris says there is a pressing need to rebalance business incentives to use more direct incentives to ensure Australia is competitive. He also says the government’s announcement to increase defence exports should focus on innovative products. The blueprint also includes proposals to improve the commercialisation of research, a quest of successive governments. Then there is the matter of moonshots – big ideas that would make Australia stand out – such as promoting genomics and precision medicine to help make “Australia the healthiest nation on Earth”.
Thu, December 07, 2017
John Blaxland on new foreign interference laws
The government’s new foreign interference laws propose broad changes to political donations, counter-surveillance, and lobbying in Australia. ANU professor John Blaxland has some real concerns about the unintended consequences of the legislation for academic debate. He says there’s a real chance that good people engaging intellectually with issues might get caught up in the broader crackdown. On the controversy surrounding Sam Dastyari’s dealings with a Chinese businessman, Blaxland says its been a “sobering” lesson for politicians but we needn’t be overly worried about this particular instance. “When we expect a conspiracy it’s usually just a stuff up.”
Thu, November 30, 2017
Matt Canavan on divorce in the LNP and discipline in the Coalition
The Liberal National Party's loss in the Queensland election has sparked demerger discussions, while at a federal level it has emboldened the Nationals to take a more independent line. Nationals federal cabinet minister Matt Canavan, who is a Queenslander, doesn't agree that breaking up the LNP would solve any problems politically: "you can't unscramble the egg." Despite being an opponent of a royal commission into the banks, Canavan says the government's change of tune to support it demonstrates the strong ability of National backbenchers to push their agenda.
Wed, November 15, 2017
Greens Jordon Steele-John on being an 'accidental' senator
New Greens senator Jordon Steele-John is the youngest person ever to sit in the senate. He was sworn in this week with two other 'accidental' senators who are the gainers from the citizenship crisis. He talks to Michelle Grattan about coming to Canberra for the first time since he was a baby, his political passion, and his commitment to promote his causes - youth and disability issues.
Thu, November 09, 2017
Swinging into the Sunshine State's election
The pundits are reluctant to place bets on who will win Queensland's November 25 election, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Opposition leader Tim Nicholls both carrying a good deal of baggage. A lot of attention is focused on Pauline Hanson's One Nation, which has been polling strongly and might end up with the balance of power in the new parliament. The Adani coal mine project has been centre stage early in the campaign, with the Labor government saying it would veto any financing from the federal Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) for the venture's rail line. During two days in Brisbane Michelle Grattan spoke to Griffith University political scientist Anne Tiernan, Deputy Premier Jackie Trad, Shadow Treasurer Scott Emerson, Queensland One Nation leader Steve Dickson and The Courier Mail's national affairs editor Dennis Atkins.
Mon, October 30, 2017
Kevin Rudd on avoiding Donald Trump
Not for the Faint-hearted, the first volume of Kevin Rudd’s massive autobiography is out, and the former prime minister is on the promotion circuit. Rudd now spends much of his time in America, where he is president of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York, and keeps a close eye on the unfolding Trump presidency. He argues Australia should minimise direct engagement with Donald Trump in favour of dealing with “sane people” in his administration. “Assume that this will be a passing phase in American politics, it may not be … sit and wait in terms of what happens in three years time.” In the interim China is benefiting from the unorthodox presidency: “Take for example Trump’s appallingly irresponsible decision not to attend the East Asian summit in Manilla which is upcoming, instead conceding the ground totally to China.” On matters closer to home, ‘Kevin from Queensland’ says the strength of One Nation in the Sunshine state is “formidable”, yet despite Pauline Hanson riding a populist wave she is “all criticism, all critique, with no solutions.
Fri, October 27, 2017
Energy Security Board chair Kerry Schott on a national energy plan
The government’s long-awaited energy plan has rejected Chief Scientist Alan Finkel’s Clean Energy Target, which focused on subsidies for renewables, in favour of a National Energy Guarantee (NEG). The government has promised affordability and reliability, as well as compliance with Australia’s international climate obligations. Energy Security Board chair Kerry Schott headed a group of energy experts charged with developing a scheme, the details of which are now being modelled. She says the states and territories will have a degree of flexibility in how they legislate on emissions reduction targets. “Depending on where their emissions target, is that will dictate within their region what reliability they need.” Schott, who is also a director of NBN Co, said she acknowledges it is “not 100% perfect”. But she is confident it is financially viable. On consumer unhappiness, she said: “We do take these complaints very seriously and are working on correcting it.”
Thu, October 19, 2017
Tiernan Brady and Cory Bernardi reflect on the marriage postal ballot
There are still a few weeks left to run in the same-sex marriage postal ballot campaign, and millions of votes are yet to be returned – or not returned. With 67.5% of ballots now in, Equality Campaign executive director Tiernan Brady says the high turnout shows the importance of a “yes” vote to people’s lives and dignity. He says tyranny of distance in Australia has made campaigning difficult, compared to his experience during Ireland’s marriage referendum. Despite criticism of what some saw as invasive tactics, Brady describes the efforts made by the “yes” campaign as largely positive and respectful. However, he admits there have been unfortunate incidents and “clowns” on both sides, but that they were largely “on the fringe”. On the “no” side, Australian Conservatives senator Cory Bernardi is unwilling to concede defeat. He praises the “grassroots movement” and “rockstar” mums and dads. On the Abbott factor, he says high-profile “no” voters have been “very effective”. If the “yes” vote wins, Bernardi foresees a few contentious debates over protections for religious freedoms and freedom of speech. “If the government is serious … they won’t embrace the [Liberal senator Dean] Smith bill.” Bernardi’s party has benefited somewhat from the same-sex marriage debate: he estimates his party now has the third-largest membership in Australia.
Wed, October 18, 2017
Gareth Evans on being an Incorrigible Optimist
This podcast is a recording of an In-Conversation with Gareth Evans, former foreign minister and currently Chancellor of the Australian National University, which took place on October 12 in Canberra at a dinner of university chancellors from around Australia. The occasion was hosted by the University of Canberra's chancellor Tom Calma in collaboration with the Australian National University. Evans talks with Michelle Grattan about his new book, Incorrigible Optimist, in which he writes of his experiences over decades in politics and the policy making process. The memoir is fashioned around issues, but with lots of personal touches and anecdotes. Among other subjects, Evans puts forward his views on education – and how to be a good chancellor. This recording was produced in collaboration with ANU and Melbourne University Publishing.
Thu, October 05, 2017
Darren Chester on the infrastructure spending spree
Jokes about the satirical program Utopia aside, managing the rollout of infrastructure programs in Australia is a formidable task. Infrastructure Minister Darren Chester says there is too much hyper-partisanship in Australian politics. “I think that the tone of debate in Australia has deteriorated in recent years and we’ve shown ourselves incapable of having a good, rational debate on significant issues and its lead to some poor policies.” The challenge of projects spanning more than one term requires “making sure that there is a level of transparency in how decisions are made so that any decision we do make may withstand the change of political fortune”. From managing road safety issues to approving major projects such as those proposed for the Northern Australia Infrastructure Fund, Chester argues there is a record spend on infrastructure. “We’re delivering everything we want to deliver, and some more.” Chester is one of the few Nationals MPs supporting same-sex marriage. He’s super confident about the result, predicting “every one of the 150 house divisions will vote yes and I think that may surprise some”. We apologise that the sound quality of this podcast is poor due to a technical problem.
Wed, September 27, 2017
Rob Sitch on Utopia and political satire
Canberra politics often seems beyond satire. So it’s perhaps not surprising that Working Dog’s TV show Utopia has more than once foreshadowed reality in its hilarious depictions of life in a federal authority. Rob Sitch, Utopia’s co-writer and star, says he’s had no need to draw on covert leaks and insights from bureaucrats for material. “90 plus percent of what we find is sitting in front of everybody. It’s on the front pages.” And he’s had plenty of feedback from insiders to confirm the program hits the spot. Sitch, who relishes political satire, originally studied medicine before becoming one of Australia’s best loved creatives and performers. Asked about his jump from doctoring to the world of entertainment, he tells The Conversation it was “a hobby that got out of hand.” Twenty years on from directing the iconic film The Castle, Sitch bemoans the trend in Hollywood that has seen it become too reactive to demographics and economics. He says the government should consider a boost for our own film industry. “Something gets added to the culture when an Australian film pops out.”
Thu, September 21, 2017
AGL chief economist Tim Nelson on what to do with Liddell
In the eye of the storm over energy policy is Liddell, an ageing coal-fired power station owned by energy giant AGL. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has twisted the arm of AGL chief executive Andy Vesey to take to the company’s board the proposition that it should extend the plant’s life beyond its scheduled 2022 closure, or alternatively sell it to an operator that would carry it on. AGL chief economist Tim Nelson says the company is running the rule over both options but he argues preserving the power station may not be the best solution. “The decision is not just economic, it is also also a commitment on carbon risk.” Nelson says the emissions profile of extending the life of coal-fired power stations is inconsistent with current commitments in AGL’s greenhouse gas policy and the government’s undertakings under the Paris climate accord. Add to that the hefty rehabilitation costs for 50-year-old Liddell and it seems “the numbers don’t add up”. While AGL is reviewing government options, it is so far sticking to its alternatives for the site – repurposing it, or repowering it with zero-emissions technology. But without a coherent policy framework it is hard to see an orderly transition in the energy market. Nelson says a clean energy target could fix the uncertainty, encouraging the replacement of old technology with a combination of renewables and “complementary capacity from flexible sources”.
Mon, September 18, 2017
Judith Brett on The Enigmatic Mr Deakin
It is popular to look at today’s political challenges through the prism of prime ministers past, but when it comes to former liberal leaders it’s usually Robert Menzies, not Alfred Deakin, who comes to mind. However Judith Brett, emeritus professor of politics at La Trobe University and author, says we have much to learn from Australia’s second prime minister. Her new biography, The Enigmatic Mr Deakin, reveals the intense inner world of one of the most important fathers of Australian federation, who led the fledgling nation for three separate stints. Brett says Deakin was something of a puzzle - even to himself. As PM he had an unusual double life, anonymously penning political columns for The Morning Post in London - a well kept secret at the time. He was a gifted orator, but above all he harnessed his optimism to operate a government of compromise at a challenging time. “He saw himself as between the ultras - the ultra tory obstructionists and the part of the Labor party that was firming up as more ideological in his terms.” Brett argues that despite Deakin’s undeniable charisma and skills in persuasion, his tendency towards great introspection and solitude means he would find the intensity of contemporary politics and media overwhelming. For today’s two major parties “brand differentiation has become more important than actually solving problems”, Brett says, while Deakin advocated “policy before the needs of the party.”
Tue, September 12, 2017
Mark Butler on energy uncertainty
Pressure is mounting on the government to put an end to energy uncertainty as an Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) report warns of looming power shortages over the next few years. Opposition climate change and energy spokesman Mark Butler has written about the toxic divisions on energy policy in his recent book, Climate Wars. He recognises there are challenges in the Coalition party room over the Finkel report, but says Labor will negotiate with the government on an energy framework. It wants to avoid an ALP government inheriting the policy chaos. Responding to the government’s push to extend the life of the Liddell power station, he says Malcolm Turnbull has unfairly concluded there is only one option. “With a proper investment framework in place, new investment that will last decades, not just a few more years … could take place. At the moment we have an investment strike and if we can’t end the investment strike then yes in five years time in NSW we will be in a position of supply shortage.” On the future of coal, Butler says it’s still “a massive part of our system”, and while usage will go down over time, it will be a part of the system for “as far as we politically can see”. “The problem is not old coal power plants closing, it’s that nothing is being put in to replace them.” On alternative sources like battery power he is optimistic about their potential, while sceptical of expanding hydro power until the results of a feasibility study are produced.
Mon, September 04, 2017
Nick Xenophon on media reform
As leader of a senate crossbench party, Nick Xenophon’s position on contentious legislation, currently media reform, is crucial for the government. He says it’s “not for lack of trying” that the Nick Xenophon Team has not yet reached an agreement with the government on media ownership rules. He is pushing for tax breaks for smaller organisations to promote media diversity. He also opposes concessions that the government has made to Pauline Hanson that would clip the wings of the ABC , saying the NXT would vote against them. Meanwhile discovery of his dual citizenship means that he is among the politicians now before the high court over their eligibility to be in parliament. He’s been advised he has “the best case of the high court seven”. He holds serious concerns about another sort of citizenship issue - the government’s proposed tightening of laws for people to become Australians. “I think parts of this legislation simply go too far”.
Mon, August 21, 2017
Mathias Cormann on the same-sex marriage postal survey
When the government didn’t get the numbers to pass legislation for a same-sex marriage plebiscite they put the wheels in motion for their second best plan: a postal survey. Since announcing that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) would be responsible for carrying out the same-sex marriage postal survey, acting special minister of state Mathias Cormann has had no shortage of questions from journalists and on social media. In the absence of normal protections offered by the Australian Electoral Commission, Cormann says the government is developing legislation to ensure the respective ‘yes’ and ‘no’ campaigns are respectful. Similarly, issues around accessibility to the postal vote are being worked out by the ABS, with a paperless option being created for certain circumstances. On the High Court challenges tabled for August 24 he says that while no forms will be sent out until September 12 - after the issue is resolved - any money spent preparing the postal survey will have been spent. “We believe the course of action we have chosen is constitutional and legal but this is now a matter for the High Court”.
Fri, August 11, 2017
Derryn Hinch on surviving the Senate
After spending a year immersed in the parliamentary machine, broadcaster-turned-senator Derryn Hinch is keen to see a more efficient Senate. His suggestions include shortening the length of speeches – and thus the opportunity for filibusters – and trimming supplementary questions. He’s frustrated by the government’s “Dorothy Dixers”. “It’s a waste of time,” he says. As the debate around same-sex marriage continues to affect the government, Hinch has made clear his support for reform. But he found himself receiving some flak when he voted with the government in a division – which was defeated – to allow debate on its plebiscite bill. He had every intention of voting against the bill, but thought discussion should have been permitted. On the dual citizenship imbroglio, the former New Zealand citizen made sure he put his affairs in order before the election. He got a backhanded compliment: “If the Human Headline can check it out and fix it, it can’t be that hard”.
Thu, August 03, 2017
Tiernan Brady on same-sex marriage showdown
The issue of same-sex marriage is derailing the government’s attempts to promote its agenda as tension mounts ahead of a special Liberal party meeting on Monday and parliament’s resumption on Tuesday. The executive director of The Equality Campaign, Tiernan Brady, a leader of the successful ‘yes’ referendum on same-sex marriage in Ireland, has been working with activists in Australia to get marriage equality over the line. He says the majority of MPs and the opposition just “want to find a solution” and that the five Liberal “rebels” trying to get an early parliamentary vote have been “really brave and shown real leadership.” Brady says the best outcome would be for the government to facilitate a free vote in parliament; a popular vote would be “politically unnecessary, legally unnecessary and legally unbinding”. “The day this happens nobody is going to be less married, and nobody is going to be more gay and the world rolls on, the sky doesn’t fall in.”
Sat, July 29, 2017
Michael Cooney on an Australian republic
Malcolm Turnbull, perhaps Australia’s best-known republican, declared himself “an Elizabethan” during his recent visit to London. Turnbull insists the quest for an Australian republic is on the backburner until Queen Elizabeth’s reign ends. But Bill Shorten is pushing for an earlier timetable, as is the Australian Republic Movement (ARM). The ARM’s national director, Michael Cooney, argues that becoming a republic would give Australians, who are facing a political system that is breaking if not broken, important new symbols of national unity. The road to a possible Australian republic has steep obstacles. One is getting an appropriate model. Cooney admits that even within the ARM there are differences over whether the president of an Australian republic should be directly elected or chosen by parliament. Another challenge is that the younger royals have given the Crown a rather more modern image. But Cooney is confident that when it comes to making decisions about Australia’s head of state, the public will make judgements on the substance. “Australians know the difference between celebrities and the Constitution,” he says.
Wed, July 19, 2017
Peter Jennings on the home affairs department
The new home affairs super ministry announced by Malcolm Turnbull on Tuesday is considered by some experts to be unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) Peter Jennings, says that while the department would present an array of bureaucratic challenges it is largely a “sensible step”. Likely benefits include the potential for a much needed improvement to Australia’s ability to address cybersecurity issues and foreign interference. But he says success will depend on how effectively the ministers can work together. Jennings notes that the “absence of obvious process” behind the announcement of the home affairs department - unlike the “carefully worded, well-researched” Intelligence review - means that the details of the roll-out are unclear.
Fri, July 14, 2017
Graeme Samuel on data governance
Many Australians are worried about the proliferation of data businesses and the government knowing too much about them. Data Governance Australia chairman Graeme Samuel hopes that a self-regulatory code of conduct will raise the standards among data-driven organisations. Despite the pervasiveness of data in our daily lives, he argues most people don’t understand the extent to which organisations use it. As a former regulator, Samuel regards government regulation of data as “second-best” and is “there to step in when there is market failure”. In drafting the code, he has consulted closely with businesses and the public to try to “anticipate community concerns into the foreseeable future”. On the government’s My Health Record – which has been rolled out very slowly – he argues the benefits of a centralised system outweigh privacy concerns, although every effort needs to be made to protect the privacy of health records. While data offers an opportunity for improved safety, trust in processes is paramount. “We need to be careful, of course, that the issue of security in terms of international terrorism and the like is not used as a superficial excuse for the collection of data to be used for other purposes.”
Mon, July 03, 2017
Anna Krien on the climate wars
Melbourne-born author Anna Krien’s latest Quarterly Essay explores the debates on climate change policy in Australia and the ecological effects of not acting. She interviewed farmers, scientists, Indigenous groups, and activists from Bowen to Port Augusta. She says climate change denialism has transformed into “climate change nihilism”. Krien says the Finkel review provides another opportunity in a long line of proposals to take up the challenge of legislating clean energy. “We just need to get that foot in the door. The door has been flapping in the wind for the past decade.” On a current frontline battle – the planned Adani Carmichael coalmine – she found the people who would be affected were being ignored and blindsided. Meanwhile, the potential for exploitation of local Indigenous peoples through “opaque” native title legislation was high. “Outsiders are not meant to understand it and to tell you the truth you get the sense that insiders aren’t meant to understand it either.”
Sat, June 24, 2017
Alan Finkel on the future of Australia’s energy market
Despite the government still considering his proposal for a clean energy target (CET) – after endorsing his other 49 recommendations – Chief Scientist Alan Finkel is optimistic the CET remains firmly on the agenda. Finkel’s challenging task has been to put forward a scheme to bring Australia’s energy market into the future, providing certainty for investment and supply. His plan has required a balance between appeasing consumers on prices and meeting Australia’s commitments on climate change. This is made harder by the desire of many in the government to push on with developing new “clean-coal-fired” power stations, a term Finkel describes as “a murky concept”. “There is no prohibitions in any of our recommendations. The government has to decide whether to license new technologies,” he says. Asked about the concept of “reverse auctions” – better called competitive tenders – he says this is “widely recognised to be the most cost-effective means of bringing the lowest cost solution into the market”. But that’s dependent on the wisdom of the entity running the auction rather than the wisdom of investors. Overall, Finkel acknowledges there’s a hard road ahead for policymaking on energy. “Transitions are always painful,” he says.
Sat, June 24, 2017
Gladys Berejiklian on the need to reform federal-state partnerships
NSW Premier Gladys Berejikilian is alert to the challenge of operating in today’s difficult electorate. “The digital age has brought a sense of empowerment. It’s brought a sense of greater appreciation of democracy and the political process and we need to not only respond to it but adapt to that and make sure that we are listening during our term in office, not just at election time.” With her government having just handed down a budget with an enviable surplus, she says the federal government’s Gonski legislation will leave NSW better off “in terms of dollars”. But she is very concerned about what she sees as an urgent need to review the numerous and “clumsy” federal-state partnerships. She’d prefer a more fundamental overhaul but that’s not on the horizon. “I don’t want piecemeal reform - I would prefer to have wholesale reform but I can’t see that happening in the near future and for that reason I think as a state leader I have to deliver as much as I can under the existing circumstances”.
Thu, June 15, 2017
Josh Frydenberg, George Christensen and Mark Butler on the Finkel review
Malcolm Turnbull declared on Wednesday he'd "provided decisive leadership on energy". It is a claim perhaps better cast in the future tense. The debate over the Finkel panel's recommendation for a clean energy target (CET) is just beginning, and already it is clear that reaching an outcome that brings the certainty the business community needs to invest will be a hard slog for Turnbull, who will be undermined by critics on his own side. In this podcast we talk Finkel with Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, Nationals backbencher George Christensen, and opposition climate spokesman Mark Butler. Frydenberg, charged with the detailed heavy-lifting, tells Michelle Grattan: "We have to work together as a team to land this difficult policy area." Christensen proudly wears the agrarian socialist title as he advocates for radical changes to the regulation of Australian energy prices. "Being bold is the answer and market intervention has to happen." He's sceptical of a CET without seeing the modelling and data. Butler believes a CET is workable but it has to be consistent with principles, which means such a scheme shouldn't incorporate so-called "clean" coal. "The discussion of the Finkel report shouldn't include concessions for the hard-right-wing," he says.
Tue, June 06, 2017
John Blaxland on handling Islamist terrorism
Events in Britain, the New South Wales coroner’s report on the Lindt Cafe siege, and a new attack in Australia have given a much sharper edge to the debate about how to handle Islamist terrorism. Amid the hype, ANU security expert John Blaxland provides a reality check. He says while there’s an escalation of and change in the nature of terrorist attacks, collaboration between Australian police and intelligence services is world class. On the Lindt Cafe siege, Blaxland says that although in hindsight the police could have done things differently, it’s “preposterous” to insist the special forces were required to resolve it. “We actually need to be very circumspect about over-committing our military.” He’s sceptical of the push for a homeland security department, saying a “refined set of arrangements” is in place for interdepartmental co-operation. On the question of the local Muslim population, he says most don’t subscribe to a fundamentalist, expansionist Islam – violent jihadists are outliers. “They’re people that have been on the edge, if not mentally then certainly socially.” Speaking about this week’s revelations of Chinese influence in Australia, Blaxland says the scale is enormous and unprecedented. “We have had an ongoing growing tension emerge between our security and strategic consciousnesses and our economic consciousness.”
Thu, June 01, 2017
Matt Canavan on Adani
The Coalition has backed the Adani Carmichael coal mine but there’s debate about assistance for the project, and argument about the jobs it would create in the region. Matt Canavan argues there’s a role for the government to invest in large scale infrastructure. He tells The Conversation this mine is only one part of a plan for “opening up the Galilee Basin” to provide investment opportunities, exports, and employment. “This coal is not for Australia, it’s for our region.” On last week’s Uluru statement calling for an Indigenous body to be enshrined in the constitution Canavan says he’s concerned about creating another organisation, especially if it were to be based on different racial definitions. He says options should be explored for greater recognition of Indigenous people in the political process without “necessarily making changes to the constitution”. On the coming Queensland election - with polling close - he says either side’s for the taking. “The Queensland Labor government has had a pretty rough time in the last week but I pick up a lot of frustration in North Quensland and I think they’ve got a lot of work to pick up trust.”
Thu, May 25, 2017
Dennis Richardson on telling it like it is
Dennis Richardson, one of Australia’s most respected federal public servants, has just retired after an illustrious career. He served as head of the foreign affairs department, the defence department, and ASIO, and was Australian ambassador in Washington. He was also once chief-of-staff to then-prime minister Bob Hawke. Richardson was never afraid to tell ministers what he believed they should hear, and any grudges they had as a result they apparently got over very quickly. He urges bureaucrats to be forthright with their political bosses, but also to be strategic in how they go about trying to persuade. “Providing frank and fearless advice is not about getting something off your chest, it’s about seeking to influence for an outcome that you think is the right one.” In this interview with The Conversation he reflects on trends in the public service, and discusses the implications of the Trump presidency and the future of China. He also recalls as a very young public servant being sent to play squash with Billy McMahon – and beating him. Not long after, he handed out how-to-vote cards for Labor in the “It’s Time” election.
Wed, May 24, 2017
Chris Bowen on Labor’s budget responses
Labor has come under fire for some of its budget responses, including its opposition to the schools package, and only partial support for the Medicare levy increase. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen rejects the government’s argument about the schools plan being more “needs based” than present arrangements, telling The Conversation its “one-size fits all” approach will put pressure on families and the public system. “Being needs-based is a bit like being pregnant, isn’t it? You either are or you aren’t.” Bowen defends targeting the Medicare levy rise only at higher income earners by saying Australia’s low wage growth and other factors mean the circumstances are different from when Julia Gillard raised the levy across the board. Small and medium-sized businesses – with a turnover up to $50 million - are waiting to find out whether a Labor government would cancel their legislated tax cut. Labor is “taking a bit of time” before announcing its position, Bowen says, to look at “all the implications.” He’s commissioned work from the Parliamentary Budget Office. “There’s all sorts of stuff on the public record that I carefully sift through so that when I make a recommendation to shadow cabinet it’ll be a good one and a firm one and enable a good discussion.” On the controversial Adani Carmichael coal mine, which is dividing Queensland Labor and is publicly opposed by several federal ALP MPs, Bowen stresses the project’s future must rest squarely on its own merits, without government subsidy. “If it stacks up, it stacks up.”
Wed, May 10, 2017
Budget reaction: Mathias Cormann and Anna Bligh on the new bank tax
A brief summary of this episode
Tue, May 09, 2017
John Daley on the budget
A brief summary of this episode
Mon, May 08, 2017
Andrew Giles on schools funding
The shadow assistant minister for schools, Andrew Giles, says the strong opposition from Catholic schools to the government’s education package is because they were given “almost no notice” of the funding changes. “What’s different in the Catholic system from the independent sector is the practice of making systemic decisions. And that’s something that has been fundamentally ignored by the minister in the manner in which this has been outlined.” Giles says that “people will be waiting a long time … a lifetime” to see tangible resourcing outcomes from the government’s package. As to other measures to tackle inequality in Australia, he says: “if we’re serious about tackling inequality we need to think really hard about taxes”. A member of Labor’s left faction, Giles is an advocate of a Buffett rule, a proposal that would see high-income earners paying a mandated minimum rate of tax. However, this remains a side debate within the party at this stage. Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen has ruled out the idea for a Labor government, and says it wouldn’t be pushed at the ALP conference next year. As Giles says: “The challenge for those in the more radical wing is to get the balance right between discipline and dissent.”
Thu, May 04, 2017
Simon Birmingham on the government’s education reforms
This week, the government made big announcements about the future funding of schools and universities. Haunted by the unpopular 2014 budget, it is treading more carefully with its new education policies. Education Minister Simon Birmingham says one of the challenges of the 2014 budget was that there were “a lot of different pieces of policy reform all announced simultaneously”. Birmingham - who took on the education portfolio after Christopher Pyne - is at pains to emphasise the government’s preparation this time around. “We’ve gone through, in university reform, a very methodical process - putting out a discussion paper before the last election that aired, if you like, all of the different options and scenarios very openly,” Birmingham says. “In terms of schools funding - I’ve met with David Gonski, members of his panel, I’ve had numerous discussions with state and territory ministers, with independent and non-government Catholic school representatives.”
Wed, May 03, 2017
John Hewson on the Budget climate
Professor John Hewson, a former Liberal leader and chair in the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute at the Australian National University, describes the uncertain economic climate into which Treasurer Scott Morrison will deliver next week's budget. "I think it's an occupational hazard for treasurers that they're always optimistic - always try to put a better gloss than is the case," Hewson says. "I've been analysing and forecasting economies since the late '60s and I picked up most of the big turning points over that period, but I'd have to say that right now I think it's harder than it's ever been to say what might happen next." Hewson nominates the after-effects of the global financial crisis, geo-political tensions and environmental challenges as some of the factors driving his doubt. There is also the matter of Donald Trump. "He's quite unpredictable and his capacity to govern in the United States is really quite limited. Although he might have been a reasonably succesful property developer, it's not easy to run a government off that skill set in Washington and he's finding the reality of that." ___ _This podcast is co-published with the University of Canberra's [Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis](http://www.ausbudget.org/)_
Mon, May 01, 2017
Jane Halton on how to make a federal budget
Jane Halton, a former finance department secretary and an adjunct professor, appeared at cabinet’s expenditure review committee over nearly 30 years. Halton describes the inner workings of the federal budget in what’s known as “the razor gang”. The razor gang, comprised of the treasurer, the finance minister and then a couple of senior ministers, scrutinises the government’s spending and savings in the budget process, Halton says. “They would scrutinise – and sometimes it’s seen as interrogate – the ministers who bring forward proposals, things that they would like to do. And they will either agree with them or ask for more information or say ‘no, we’re not doing that’. And they do exactly the same with savings proposals as well.” In the process, if a minister wants to bring a spending measure forward, they also have to propose a savings measure. Whether or not it gets through depends a little bit on personality and a bit on the circumstances, Halton says. As to the upcoming federal budget, Halton says things are a “little tight”. “We know there’s very little wages growth and there will however I expect, be slightly more revenue than they were expecting.” This podcast is co-published with the University of Canberra’s Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis
Wed, April 26, 2017
Peter Jennings on North Korea’s aggression
As North Korea continues to antagonise the US and its allies, the prospect of war hangs in the air. But Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says he doesn’t think we’ll see armed conflict with North Korea any time this year. “I think the US has now resolved that it’s going to exhaust all diplomatic options first before it thinks about pre-emptively striking at the North’s missiles and nuclear facilities. "And really what that means is – one more try to see if the Chinese are prepared to apply the type of sanctions that would hurt North Korea sufficiently,” Jennings says. Weighing up North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, Jennings says that up until about 18 months ago, their nuclear program was “going nowhere fast”. “But in the last 18 months, what we’ve seen is a significant acceleration of the North’s nuclear testing.” “The different calculation the Americans have to factor in is that the North is getting close, and it now sees itself within a decent sprint of being able to weaponise a missile that could hit Los Angeles.” With Malcolm Turnbull’s New York meeting with US President Donald Trump now confirmed for next week, Jennings has some words of counsel for the prime minister. “My first piece of advice to the PM would be to say ‘you’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. We’re actually an ally in good standing’. The next piece of advice would be to say ‘but don’t wait for president Trump to come to you with a list of things he’d like Australia to do’. "I think we’d always be in a much better situation if we could go to the Americans and say ‘now here are the things we want to do that will strengthen our alliance’.”
Wed, April 19, 2017
Jenny Lambert on the 457 visa scrapping
This week, the government announced it would abolish the 457 visa and replace it with a new temporary skill shortage visa program. The change has met a mixed response from businesses. Jenny Lambert, director of employment, education and training at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says the key issue for the business community is to “try and reset the button on confidence in the temporary skilled migration system”. “We really have accepted that we have to get rid of the 457 visa and put in place arrangements that the community can be more confident in. That said, we’ve got some issues about the detail and we’re willing and wanting to work with the government on that,” Lambert says. Lambert maintains that rorting was never a big part of the 457 visa program. “When you look at the bigger picture of use of the 457 over the last few years, the predominant users are state governments in their health portfolios, universities and academia bringing in specialist researchers and scientists … and also highly skilled CEOs and managers of multinational corporations. So 75% of the use of 457 over the last five years has been in that high-skilled end. So when we talk about rorting, we’ve always seen it as more at the margins, at the lower-skilled end of the program.”
Thu, April 06, 2017
Matthew Sussex on Russia's long game
A cloud continues to hover over Russian interference in the US presidential election. Associate professor Matthew Sussex, academic director at the Australian National University’s National Security College and a specialist in Russian foreign and strategic policy, says Russia’s meddling has been “exceptionally damaging”. “I think that the Kremlin was really dreading having a Hillary Clinton White House because she would have put up the pressure quite significantly on Ukraine, on Crimea, and on Russia’s behaviour more generally,” Sussex says. “The Krelim side of it was, ‘well Trump will deliver absolutely everything we want’, and that was number one: loosen NATO, which would give it a freer hand in Ukraine and not have to worry about its western flank so much. "Second, to make America’s allies pay more and make them more uncomfortable for the sense that they might be protected by the United States. And finally – and this is the big one – Trump has promised to wind back the liberal trading order, and it’s widely perceived that this has been what’s kept stability in our own region in the Asia-Pacific but also Europe as well.”
Tue, March 28, 2017
David Marr on Pauline Hanson’s star power
In his latest Quarterly Essay, journalist David Marr delves into why Pauline Hanson attracts so much attention. Looking at figures from the last election, Marr also paints a portrait of those voting for One Nation. “The principal characteristics of her followers are this: they’re white, they’re at least third-generation Australians, they are – unlike most Australians – pessimistic about their own prospects and about the economic prospects of the country. This is a very optimistic country. "They’re not all old. About one-third of the people who voted for her in the last election were under 45. They mostly didn’t finish school. That didn’t mean their lives were wrecked; they went on to get other qualifications. "They are, above all, hostile to immigration. That is the most dramatic thing about them.” Marr says the fear of Islam is at the centre of Hanson’s appeal. “If people are not recognising this, they’re just not facing facts,” he says. As to Hanson’s “star” political status: “Whether she can survive a six-year term as a senator with this kind of lustre is a big question about her – because, on the whole, she doesn’t benefit much from prolonged scrutiny – prolonged scrutiny in the political process.”
Thu, March 23, 2017
Michaelia Cash on union misconduct
The government this week introduced a bill that aims to put a stop to secret agreements between employers and unions without the knowledge of union members. The next hurdle will be the Senate, although it’s possible Labor may support the legislation. Employment Minister Michaelia Cash says she is always in discussion with the Senate crossbenchers about the implementation of the recommendations from the Heydon royal commission. “And certainly, I’m always willing to sit down with [Shadow Employment Minister] Brendan O'Connor or Richard Di Natale to discuss the legislation.” Beyond these new measures, Cash suggests the government wants to legislate more recommendations from the royal commission into trade unions. “There are about 50 to 55 left and we are finalising that package as we speak. We are absolutely committed to adopting the Heydon recommendations. "There are further recommendations in relation to what employers and unions should be disclosing in the course of enterprise agreements. There are some recommendations which go to, for example, choice of superannuation fund in enterprise agreements. There are some recommendations which go towards further transparency. Again, we’re happy to adopt them all.” Following a ruling by the Fair Work Commission to cut Sunday penalty rates in industries such as hospitality, retail and fast food, some businesses have been reluctant to show strong support for the changes. Cash would like to see more businesses take up the cause. “I believe that if you accept a decision and you embrace the positive benefits and you want to bring people with you, then yes, you should be out there selling that message. "These guys are scared. They are scared that the unions will come and get them.”
Wed, March 15, 2017
Richard Di Natale on the future of work
Greens leader Richard Di Natale is calling for a re-imagining of the way Australians approach work. “What we’re saying is: let’s have a look at some of the models around the world,” he says. “It’s absolutely possible, as we’ve seen in places like Sweden, where in the aged care sector people are working a six-hour day rather than an eight-hour day, but they’re actually delivering a productivity dividend. They’re happier. They’re healthier at work. They’re actually producing just as much as they would be doing in an eight-hour day.” With the future likely to see many jobs lost to automation, The Greens are keeping an open mind to the notion of “guaranteed adequate incomes”. “It’s a system that gives people a wage, irrespective of income. It’s not actually means tested. "It makes sure that everybody’s got enough to live on. There are a whole range of benefits to the economy. There are few overheads in administering it. So we’re looking … at the trials. We’re watching them very closely in Canada, in Scotland, in France and so on.” In the wake of an energy crisis, both the federal and South Australian governments are placing a renewed focus on gas in Australia’s energy mix. But Di Natale says we’re having a debate that “belongs in the last century”. “We shouldn’t be spending a cent on new gas infrastructure. We’ve got some legacy issues with existing gas plants and obviously existing coal-fired power plants. We’ve got to have a transition plan to make sure we can transition away from old, polluting energy generation to new renewable, clean-green generation. That’s the plan that needs to be put in place.”
Thu, March 09, 2017
WA election – Mark McGowan accuses Turnbull of bluffing
The end of the mining boom has hit many people in Western Australia hard, and this has flowed strongly into the election. Debt and deficit are besetting the state budget. In this final podcast from Perth, we talk to economist Alan Duncan about the challenges for the state’s economy and for whoever forms government after Saturday, as WA undertakes a vast transition. We also interview Opposition Leader Mark McGowan, who goes into the election as favourite. McGowan had much-revered Labor figure Bob Hawke over to help last week. Hawke talked to him about his summit approach to economic policy-making after he was elected prime minister in 1983. McGowan tells us he wants to be a consensus premier locally, but when he ventured out of his state he would be fighting hard for the interests of WA. “As a West Australian you put forward a robust case on behalf of your state. We never seem to get any favours out of the Commonwealth. And what we have to do is be absolutely forceful and never, ever give in. And I think that’s the way to treat the federal government - whoever they are,” McGowan says. If he becomes premier, McGowan would face a hostile upper house, with One Nation holding all or part of the balance-of-power. “The way you deal with the upper house, in my experience as a former minister, is you present good legislation and you argue the case. There’s no easy solutions when you have a hostile upper house.” “I would just hope that One Nation, if they get elected, look at the merits of legislation that comes before them.”
Wed, March 08, 2017
WA poll - Kim Beazley on One Nation
In our second podcast from the Western Australian election, we talk to Kim Beazley, especially about One Nation. Beazley was federal Labor leader during Pauline Hanson’s first political phase. He sees her as a national security threat and believes she should be opposed in the strongest terms. “We [in WA] are probably more conscious of South-East Asia. We do more trade with South-East Asia … with Indonesia for example. There’s a strong propensity here to look very seriously at Indonesia. Lots of West Australians holiday in Indonesia. … The positions she is adopting pose to seriously damage a critical security and economic relationship. I think quite a lot of West Australians understand that,” he said. “The rise of One Nation, to my mind, ought to be greeted in much the same way as we greeted [Hanson] back then - to see it disappear as quickly as possible.” In this podcast, we also visited Rockingham, south of Perth, where we found mixed views about One Nation and more than a little general disillusionment. Polling analyst William Bowe, who’s been watching the One Nation phenomenon, says their campaign has been “a bit of a shambles”. “I guess the question in this election with respect to how well they’re going to go is: how much does that matter?” “Given the sort of experience of Donald Trump’s campaign last year, I think there’s an idea that these sorts of populist movements can get away with a great deal.” Finally, Dexter Davies, federal senior vice-president of the Nationals and a former WA state MP, strongly defends the controversial Nationals’ proposal for a mining tax on Rio Tinto and BHP, which has triggered a massive campaign from the mining companies.
Tue, March 07, 2017
election report from the West
In the first of three Conversation podcasts on the Western Australian election, we talk to Natalie Mast at the University of Western Australia, Premier Colin Barnett and ABC election analyst Antony Green. Saturday’s election potentially carries a hefty national punch. The polls are running strongly against the Liberal government. If Colin Barnett loses, the federal Liberals will become even more jittery, although the defeat would be due primarily to state factors. The election will also test the power of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation as a disruptor, with the party set to win state upper house seats. Hanson is on the campaign trail all this week. Her latest provocative comments on immunisation, Vladimir Putin and Muslims - she said on Monday Muslims had changed Australian suburbs - continue to highlight the dubious deal the WA Liberals have done with One Nation on preferences. The deal has alienated some among both Liberal and One Nation supporters. Barnett is anxious to keep maximum distance from Hanson, insisting the preference swap doesn’t indicate any wider convergence. He admits that while some people will be unhappy with the deal, “I think overall it will improve the Liberal Party vote. And can I stress there’s no agreement with One Nation. I don’t endorse their policies. I don’t endorse their candidates and there is no agreement about any role in government about legislation or policy.” ABC election analyst Antony Green. Pat Hutchens/TC Barnett, who is promising - ambitiously, given the government’s unpopularity - to sell 51% of Western Power, is highly critical of the way the national energy debate has gone. After saying at a news conference on Tuesday there was no such thing as clean coal, Barnett told The Conversation: “Coal has relatively high levels of emissions. Higher quality coal tends to have lower emissions per unit of energy produced. In Western Australia we have had good long-term policies on natural gas and for a power station of an equivalent size, gas powered generation produces less than half of the emissions of coal. So if you want to clean up the energy system in Australia, it seems to me that the bleeding obvious thing to do is to make more use of natural gas in Australia,” he said. He says he watches “with bewilderment” the national debate on energy policy. “Australia, with its huge natural resources of coal, of natural gas, of uranium and so on, has got itself into an absolute mess over energy policy.”
Wed, March 01, 2017
Former ambassador Jeff Bleich on the shocks of the Trump presidency
Australia got a taste of US President Donald Trump’s approach to diplomacy in a sensational phone call with Malcolm Turnbull, details of which were leaked to the Washington Post. But former US ambassador to Australia during the Obama years, Jeff Bleich, says the reaction in the US was “very helpful” to Australia. “Because one person after another, myself included, was called on to TV to talk about it,” Bleich says. “We all said the same thing - which is that Australia is one of our best friends in the world. It’s a critical country. Look at all the things we do together and that Australia has done over the years. And it was actually an opportunity to reinforce the importance of this alliance and the importance of Australia.” In the wake of Trump’s controversial immigration order, Bleich was one of many who denounced it . But he has no criticism of Turnbull for not joining in on the international condemnation. “My statement was really about Americans. Americans have a responsibility to stand up for American values and I think we have a vital responsibility to speak out when we think our government is doing the wrong thing. "For a foreign leader, I think they need to first and foremost advance the interests of their own country and so if the government thinks that by condemning the president’s actions it may interfere with their ability to do other things that are important for Australia’s national interests then I think that’s what a leader is supposed to do.” Bleich feels vindicated by court decisions to put a stay on Trump’s executive order. “I think it’s much more likely that the Trump administration will go back to the drafting board and come up with a new ban that they believe will survive constitutional review,” he says. The former diplomat describes deep divisions in his home country. “This is a major shock to the system that is going to force all Americans to revisit what we’re all about - what our constitution sets forth for us as our common values.” Though Democrats can’t afford to be complacent, the seeds to Trump’s undoing may already be at work. “He’s made some very, very bold promises. He talked about bringing back all sorts of jobs to communities that are feeling left behind. "If he’s not able to deliver new jobs and he’s not able to avoid dramatically increasing the debt, I think there will be a backlash.” Music credit: “Micsource”, by Tab & Anitek on the Free Music Archive
Tue, February 28, 2017
Ken Coates on the future of higher education
With university graduates finding it harder to find jobs, questions have been raised about the merits of a typical tertiary qualification. Dr Ken Coates, Canada research chair in regional innovation at University Saskatchewan Campus, says by 2050 we’re going to have hundreds of more specialised, boutique institutions. “We’ll have a smaller number of what we call these ‘multiversities’ - the large scale enterprises that have the 30, 40, 50,000 students offering everything to everybody. I think we’re going to see a much larger shift towards private education,” Coates says. As it stands, graduates are left with what Coates calls “a huge dose of career paranoia”. “We have significant challenges in different countries with the unemployment of university graduates. It’s very high in places like Spain and Greece and other countries. We have a larger problem with graduate underemployment. … They get a job, but the job doesn’t require a university degree. "I think one of the issues is that we have too few good jobs. So it’s actually a function of the fact that we’re losing jobs on the left hand, we’re over-producing people for jobs that no longer exist on the other hand, and you’re creating a growing level of dissatisfaction - sometimes anger.” One of Coates’ interests has been how the rise of automation and artificial intelligence will affect tertiary education and the career prospects of future generations of students. “This whole issue of automation, artificial intelligence, digital technology, robotification has a lot of people worried, but not enough. So the estimates are - depending on which economy you’re in - 30 to 50% of the jobs we currently have will disappear somewhere by 2025/2030. That’s not that long down the line. "That is actually where the global conversation about a guaranteed annual income has really picked up speed. It used to be a kind of marginal, left-wing kind of idea that sort of found a certain amount of currency in places like Scandanavia. Now people are talking about it all over the place.” Music credit: “Medium Leaker”, by Tab and Anitek on the free music archive
Thu, February 23, 2017
Hugh Saddler on Australia’s energy crisis
As politicians debate the causes of South Australia’s power failures, separating fact from rhetoric has become difficult. In this episode of The Conversation’s politics podcast, Michelle Grattan interviews energy expert Hugh Saddler. Dr Saddler explains the complex mix of factors behind the power failures in South Australia and the stresses on the electricity systems elsewhere, and canvases what can be done to fix the problems. With the government attempting to reinvigorate enthusiasm for coal, Saddler doesn’t believe the idea of subsidising the development of “clean coal” power stations will fly. “There’s so many parties who would be involved in that sort of investment saying there’s no way they would invest in such a type of power station. "One factor is that they have a long life. … That type of power station would take a very long time to build. Then it will have a long life and under that sort of life they would still be operating in 2050 when many countries have said we’ve got to be [at] zero emissions.” A review into energy security by Australia’s chief scientist Alan Finkel is still underway. But the government has already ruled out establishing an emissions intensity scheme. “In my opinion an emissions intensity scheme is just one of a number of different mechanisms which probably should be used. … I would suspect the sort of process that might go through is the Finkel report will come down with a whole suite of recommendations,” Saddler says. Music credit: “Equestrian”, by Anitek on the Free Music Archive
Thu, February 16, 2017
Anthony Albanese on Labor’s approach to infrastructure
Labor’s edge over the government in the polls has seen the party stay united. But it has not stopped speculation about whether frontbencher Anthony Albanese would be a better fit as leader of the party. Albanese dismisses Coalition jibes about him being the alternative leader. He tells Michelle Grattan it’s the government who has internal issues. “The government are I think more divided than I’ve seen a political party for a very long time – and I’ve seen a bit of division,” says the deputy prime minister in the second Rudd government. As shadow minister for infrastructure and transport, Albanese says there are significant differences between Labor and the government in this portfolio. “We established Infrastructure Australia to recommend the right projects to the government that would provide the biggest economic boost. We’ve seen the government effectively walk away from that strategy and remove funding from projects that had been approved by Infrastructure Australia, particularly public transport projects. "Malcolm Turnbull likes riding on trains and taking selfies but he hasn’t funded any new public transport projects,” he says. After coming under threat from the Greens in his own seat at the last election, Albanese sees weaknesses in his opponents to the left. “I think they’re struggling with their identity, of whether they’re a protest party and a movement, if you like – which is the view of many in the New South Wales Greens – or whether they’re a parliamentary party. "For many in the Greens, the protest is the end in itself. It’s a sophisticated view I guess. It says: that is how people are politicised, and how from their perspective of wanting revolutionary, if you like – rather than reformist change – you need that momentum from the bottom and from social movements. "I’m about making a difference to people’s lives and making lives better. That’s why I’m in politics and that stands in stark contrast to many in the Greens who advocate that sort of view,” he says. Despite his strong personal advocacy for marriage equality, Albanese maintains that members of the Labor caucus should be able to vote with their conscience on the matter – in contrast to the ALP conference policy of a bound vote from 2019. “I’ve supported the conscience vote for a considerable period of time on a range of issues where essentially people are in a position whereby they believe that they have to choose between their loyalty to their party and their loyalty to their faith.” Music credit: “Racketeer”, by Tab & Anitek on the Free Music Archive
Wed, February 15, 2017
Barnaby Joyce on a year at the top
Approaching the one-year anniversary of becoming National Party leader, Barnaby Joyce is well aware of the challenge posed by One Nation. Joyce tells Michelle Grattan he knows “there’s a battle on”, as the Queensland election looms. He agrees regional seats in that state are particularly vulnerable to falling to Pauline Hanson’s party. “I take every political vote seriously because every person has a right to reflect their wishes in their vote and therefore I’ll be in Queensland this weekend. I was there last week or the week before last - but Australia is a big place. I try to get around as much of it as I possibly can.” In his first year as leader, Joyce has had to manage his volatile backbencher - and party whip - George Christensen, a delicate task when the Coalition has a majority of just one seat. He remains confident Christensen will remain in the tent. “"I talk to George all the time,” he says. He holds back from criticising Christensen for attending a fundraiser of the far-right “Q Society” in Melbourne last week. “Because you attend a forum, does not mean you agree with all their views. It’s a question for George. "The National Party, more than any other party in this building, believes in the liberty of the individual. All the others might talk about it but we actually believe it.” Music credit: “Opaque”, by Tab & Anitek on the Free Music Archive
Wed, February 08, 2017
Cory Bernardi on spurning the Liberals
A day after moving to the crossbench, senator Cory Bernardi is feeling the heat. The media, former Liberal colleagues and South Australian voters all have a view on what he's done. "People will say what they're going to say. And I've tried to be consistent. I've been accused of many things in my time in politics but I've looked to be consistent and principled in my approach to policy areas. "Strangely, many of the people calling me an opportunist are the ones that exploit, you know, a momentary weakness to grasp power or influence, or promotion for themselves," Bernardi says. A lot of the people who look favourably on his decision: "are disillusioned Liberal Party sympathisers that said 'I couldn't bring myself to vote for the Liberal Party at the last election' or 'I wasn't intending to vote for them but at least now I can give you my vote knowing that our values will be upheld.'" As interest focuses on whether billionaire businesswoman Gina Rinehart will donate to the Australian Conservatives, Bernardi leaves the door open. "Gina's a pal and I never ask my pals for money directly. If people want to offer support or resources to what I'm doing then I wait for them to raise it. And there's a reason for that. It's because, you know, friendship is valuable and I'm not prepared to put people in an uncomfortable position if that's not what they want to do." "It's an enduring friendship. I have great admiration for her [Rinehart]. You know, she's a very private person and I like my private life to remain private too and we're friends," he says. ___ _Music credit: "Albiero A", by Dlay on the Free Music Archive_
Tue, February 07, 2017
Arthur Sinodinos on the government’s headwinds
At the beginning of the parliamentary year, the government is beleaguered on several fronts. But Arthur Sinodinos, one of the Coalition’s most experienced operators and the newly appointed minister for industry, innovation and science, is determined to be optimistic. “You can’t rule any possibilities out, including the possibility that the government actually goes from strength to strength as we go forward,” Sinodinos says. “Yes, there are testing headwinds, including the international environment, but we’re going to be very keen to prosecute the case for economic growth, for jobs, for why international trade is a good thing for everybody, not just one country.” Speaking with Michelle Grattan on the day of senator Cory Bernardi’s exit from the Liberal Party, Sinodinos has a sharp observation for his former colleague. “What I’d say to senator Bernardi is that if you want to influence the party, you’ve got to be inside the party. You can’t do it from outside.” Assessing Bernardi’s prospects as a force outside the Liberals, Sinodinos says “we’ll wait and see what happens”. “But he’s got some pretty formidable players out there, like Pauline Hanson, who has a very high profile and a lot of street cred as an outsider.” “I would expect on most things that he would support Coalition policy. He was actually elected on a Coalition platform and I think if he’s going to keep faith with those voters, he should support Coalition positions.”
Thu, December 15, 2016
Politics podcast: Chris Richardson on the state of the Australian economy
Ahead of next week’s mid-year economic and fiscal outlook, the government has been hit with the sobering news that real GDP shrank in the September quarter. Deloitte Access Economics’ Chris Richardson offers some context to the gloomy figures. “Perhaps a better way to describe it is the numbers have been artificially good for a while and now they’re looking artificially bad. The bottom line is that for four years now, Australia’s economy has been growing just a little bit below trend and that’s partly because the boom in China has peaked. China has slowed and that is throwing some challenges our way.” Richardson tells Michelle Grattan he sees a lot that is missing from the debate about how to strengthen the economy and the budget. “If you asked the person in the street - they’re aware that there are challenges but they don’t really know what they are and that worries me because getting good policies requires a good understanding from the electorate,” Richardson says. Richardson foresees minimal immediate consequences if credit ratings agencies downgrade Australia’s triple A credit rating in the near future. “In the short term, it is absolutely not a big deal. … Part of the reason why interest rates are very, very low is that investors are very, very scared and they want to put their money in super safe places and lending your money to the Australian government is still a remarkably safe thing to do right now. "So yes, there would be a minor impact on the borrowing costs of the Australian government. I cannot get excited about that in the near term.”
Wed, December 07, 2016
Nick Xenophon on working the new parliament
As the curtain falls on the year, one of the most powerful players in the new parliament looks back on his successes. Nick Xenophon nominates whistleblower protections and procurement law changes negotiated alongside the government’s industrial legislation as major achievements. “The government has agreed to sweeping changes to whistleblower protections in this country. Compensation for whistleblowers will be built into the registered organisations legislation that will apply to unions and employer organisations but most importantly it will also apply to corporations and to the public sector in the next 18 months and we’ve already begun the process on that. "The other big achievement, just a few days ago was with the ABCC legislation. The government has agreed to procurement law changes which will mean for the first time we’re more in line with some of our major trading partners,” Xenophon says. Xenophon tells Michelle Grattan that his team will have hard negotiations with the government “but we like to think that if we reach a consensus, a compromise, we do so in good faith which I think is mutually beneficial to both parties”. “I think the government can expect more of the same and I think the government is prepared to sit down and talk to us about areas of common ground.” Reflecting on One Nation, Xenophon describes the relationship between his and Pauline Hanson’s teams as “courteous”. “Even though I made it clear that I don’t agree with them on their views on immigration, on race, on religion. Attacking Islam is not what we do. We think we are a multicultural society and tolerance is the key and obviously we have very different views on climate change. But where there’s common ground - such as issues on procurement, on Australian jobs, on food labelling, on farmers getting a fair go - obviously where there’s common ground we’ll work together.
Wed, November 30, 2016
Josh Frydenberg on climate change and the 2017 review
After ratifying the Paris agreement on climate change, the government is looking ahead to its 2017 review of climate change policy. Energy and Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg tells Michelle Grattan the government will have more to say about the review before Christmas. “The key is to ensure we’re on track to meet our 2030 targets, which is a 26-28% reduction in our emissions by 2030 on 2005 levels. We did beat our first Kyoto target by 128 million and we’re on track to beat our 2020 target by 78 million tonnes. But clearly the 2030 target is a larger one and a more challenging one,” Frydenberg says. “We’ve got some good mechanisms in place but we’ll be looking at the overall settings to ensure we meet our Paris commitments.” With some in the Coalition rattled by the growing popularity of One Nation, Frydenberg says: “The way to deal with it is to listen and to understand people’s concerns as to why they have left some of the major parties and to take action to ensure that they understand the good things that the government is doing.” Music credit: “Where the river run”, by Ketsa on the Free Music Archive
Thu, November 24, 2016
Jenny Macklin on Labor’s approach to welfare
In times of budgetary constraint, the cost of Australia’s welfare system has been regarded by many in the Coalition as a burden and a drag on economic growth. Shadow Minister for Social Services and Families Jenny Macklin has a different take. “Sadly I think the Liberal-National Coalition have an ideological view that the welfare system is too generous - even though the international evidence is completely to the contrary…our social security system is one of the most tightly targeted in the world,” she says. For Labor, the message is that cuts to welfare and social services increases inequality - damaging the wider economy. “You’ve got the International Monetary Fund, the OECD, other very big international players telling us that increasing inequality is a constraint on growth. So what Labor is saying is that we want to… use all the different levers available to us to reduce inequality through the tax changes on negative gearing for example, through improved social investments, such as our schools policy. "These are all very practical policies that Labor has to reduce inequality, to make sure that we see that reduction in inequality delivering in improved economic growth.” Music credit: “Dryness”, by Ketsa on the Free Music Archive.
Wed, November 23, 2016
Barnaby Joyce on the state of the National Party
Earlier this week, footage aired of Attorney-General George Brandis speculating that Queensland’s Liberal National Party might demerge. But Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce says this won’t happen. “It’s not going to happen. You know why? Because the people who make that decision is not George, or myself or anybody else, it’s the membership and the membership would have to decide they want to do it and I haven’t heard any big swathes of members having meetings saying that want to demerge.” Joyce tells Michelle Grattan the Nationals need to differentiate themselves from the Liberals. “I think people clearly understand there’s a difference between the National Party and the Liberal Party. They recognise the qualities in both. If there wasn’t a reason to differentiate then you would amalgamate. So I’m very - always have been - parochially National. "When I first came into politics back in 2005 and we got down to 12 members and senators I think, there was always this ‘oh we should just fold this show up’ and I fought as hard as I could with others to make sure that didn’t happen,” Joyce says. Acknowledging the threat posed by One Nation, Joyce puts that party’s success into the context of a global wave of right-wing populism. “In those messages are things that matter to people - are messages that matter, that resonate. People wouldn’t just change [their vote] because they got a giggle. They change because they get a message and go ‘yep, that’s all I needed to know and that’s enough for me to change my vote’. And that’s what’s happening now and we’ve got to compete in that space.” Joyce also has a reality-check for his colleagues pushing for changes to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. “There’s a set of people who are more intensely involved in politics and they might be concerned - but if you think I go past the guys working on the road and as I say ‘g'day’ to them and ask them how’s the job going [that] they’d say ‘I really want to talk to you about 18C’ - no they don’t. "They are interested in the things they can touch. They do not occupy themselves in the deeper philosophical thoughts. "What we’ve got to be really careful of is once you leave the party room meeting - whether it’s here or whether it’s your branch meeting back in the country - don’t think that’s the issue that’s going to get across to people in the pub on a Friday night.” Music credit: “What tomorrow brings”, by Ketsa on the Free Music Archive
Wed, November 16, 2016
Rory Medcalf on the security implications of Donald Trump’s presidency
For allies of the United States, the reality of a Donald Trump presidency has just begun to sink in. Former Australian diplomat and intelligence analyst, Professor Rory Medcalf, who heads the National Security College at ANU, tells Michelle Grattan that for Australia, the shock of the Trump presidency will mean that we have to think much more seriously about what our foreign policy and national security looks like with an unpredictable American ally. “I do think that Australia knows now that we can’t simply rely on the strategic direction that America is setting in the Asia-Pacific or the Indo-Pacific region, because I suspect under Trump, for quite a while, the Americans won’t know that themselves,” he says. “A lot of old certainties are now in question. I think that countries like China and Russia are going to feel emboldened, particularly Russia. I think US allies around the world are going to be feeling anxious and there is this potential for a ripple effect of far-right political views, more so in Europe than in this country.” Music credit: “Sabre”, by Ketsa on the Free Music Archive
Tue, November 08, 2016
Julian Leeser on section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act
Many in the government have clamoured for changes to be made to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. Liberal backbencher Julian Leeser, however is not one of them. The member for the northern Sydney seat of Berowra tells Michelle Grattan there are definitely people within the Liberal Party who share his view that Section 18C “achieves a good balance between allowing people the freedom of speech which is necessary in a democracy like Australia but also protecting racial minorities from racial vilification and racial slurs”. “But the thing that I think unites everybody in this debate, regardless of your view on Section 18C, is that the process underscored in the QUT case and also in the Bill Leak case, just didn’t work as well as it should have,” Leeser says.
Thu, November 03, 2016
Kim Beazley on the US election
Kim Beazley’s time as Australia’s ambassador to the United States came to an end earlier this year, but he is riveted by next week’s presidential election. “When I was the ambassador to Washington I just missed politics every day. In this year, I am missing the United States every day,” he says. Beazley tells Michelle Grattan that “slightly, on balance” Hillary Clinton is more likely to win. “But the anger, the energy, in this campaign is within one group and that is with the white working class - mainly male but also female - who feel that America is being taken away from them,” he says. “I see the election contest at the moment has the momentum with Trump.” He cites the reduced turnout of Democrat-voting African-Americans and the mire of the Hillary Clinton email controversy as factors in a possible upset. “One would have to say that if there is more of this over the weekend that the Trump momentum may well be unstoppable.” If Trump pulls off an unlikely victory, Beazley foresees huge challenges for Australia. “Were he to implement the policies that he talks about in regards to the Asian region, we would be confronting strategic damage and possibly economic disaster,” he says. Beazley says Hillary Clinton has a very favou
Tue, October 25, 2016
John Blaxland on The Secret Cold War - The Official History of ASIO
In the third volume of The Official History of ASIO series, historians Dr John Blaxland and Dr Rhys Crawley examine the organisation’s role in the years leading to the end of the Cold War. Blaxland tells Michelle Grattan that this is a story about looking at Australia in the ‘70s and '80s “through the glasses of an ASIO officer or an ASIO agent”. During the period covered in the book, Blaxland says the Soviet Union was so active in Australia the work of ASIO was not sufficient to cover their activity. “Effectively, ASIO found itself dealing with a grown Soviet presence and a proliferation of Soviet Bloc consulates and diplomatic presences that were simply beyond it. They weren’t resourced to monitor them all. And so we now know that while ASIO was doing what it could, it was in a position where it was simply outpaced. They did not have the number of officers and agents in place to monitor the incredible growth in the number of diplomats-cum-spies operating in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and elsewhere,” he says. In this final volume, which was preceded by The Protest Years and The Spy Catchers , Blaxland and Crawley draw upon ASIO archives and interviews with former spies to piece together a history of one of Australia’s most secretive institutions. Music credit: “The Spirit of Russian Love” by Zinaida Troika, covered by Kosta on the Free Mu
Tue, October 18, 2016
Stirling Griff and Skye Kakoschke-Moore on life in the Senate
Nick Xenophon’s two new Senate colleagues, Stirling Griff and Skye Kakoschke-Moore, are no strangers to the political process, having both worked with Xenophon behind the scenes. In a joint interview, they tell Michelle Grattan about their contrasting experiences in becoming politicians. Kakoschke-Moore says she has had the benefit of being around Xenophon for nearly six years. “So I understand the way he operates,” she says. Working as a Xenophon adviser, she learnt the ropes of the Senate. “It is so rule-driven and so procedure-driven that I have a great deal of sympathy for people coming into this who have had no exposure at all to the inner workings of Senate procedure.” Stirling Griff, on the other hand, has had a “huge learning curve”. “I’m following behind Skye like she’s the mother hen and I imagine I’ll be doing that really for another few more weeks,” he says. With the government’s industrial relations legislation before the parliament, the Nick Xenophon Team is looking for some amendments. “Particularly in relation to the building code and requiring building projects, to the greatest extent possible, to use Australian goods and services. So we’ll be looking at the bills closely but we’ll also be keeping an open mind to amendments,” Kakoschke-Moore says. The pair are dismissive of any move by senator David Leyonhjelm to push for concessions on gun laws in exchange for passage of the industrial relations bills. “They’re not related and we don’t want to play those games,” Griff says.
Mon, October 17, 2016
Tanya Plibersek on marriage equality and education funding
In the wake of Labor’s rejection of the proposed same-sex marriage plebiscite, speculation has fallen on whether Labor will maintain their planned policy of enforcing a binding vote on marriage equality after the next election. Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek tells Michelle Grattan she doesn’t think the issue will come up at the party’s next national conference. “I know that the Liberals are trying to whip up some notion that this will be reexamined at the next national conference. I don’t hear anybody in the Labor Party calling for this to be reopened at the next national conference,” she says. Plibersek, who is Labor’s spokesperson for education, says the government needs to properly fund the university sector. “When it comes to undergraduate students in particular I’m very concerned about where this government is headed. You only need to look at the United States to see university degrees that cost an arm and a leg, hang a debt sentence around the neck of students and in many cases don’t even have the pay-off of leading to higher paid jobs,” she says. “So I think we need to be careful about loading students up with debts that really become a burden for them. … You’re talking about students at the same time in their lives as they’re finishing university, they’re often establishing relationships or families, they’re looking to buy a house. It comes at a very difficult time and the inter-generational effects of the type of debt that this government is proposing for students I think has broader social consequences than just being a disincentive to education for many people.” Plibersek also defends Labor’s criticism of Education Minister Simon Birmingha
Thu, October 13, 2016
Mark Dreyfus on George Brandis’ solicitor-general controversy
A contentious move by Attorney-General George Brandis to restrict access to legal advice from the solicitor-general is continuing to raise controversy and questions about its legal validity. Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus tells Michelle Grattan that he sees this as “the most extraordinary power grab by the Attorney-General in the history of the office”. “We already know that he’s held up requests. Why? I can’t say, but the deputy secretary of the department giving evidence to the Senate committee last week said that one of the requests had taken 10 days. "Now very often it’s urgent that you get legal advice. It’s never before been the position that secretaries of commonwealth departments, other ministers, the prime minister, the governor-general have been told that the written consent of the attorney-general is necessary before they get the advice of the solicitor-general,” he says. The solicitor-general has to be the primary source of advice on the most important matters of the government, Dreyfus says. “I’m not for a moment suggesting that in a complex, large government with 168,000 Australian public servants that every single legal question that the government comes into contact with has to go to the solicitor-general. Clearly that at a practical level couldn’t be the case but matters like the plebiscite bill, which the parliament is now dealing with, or the prorogation of parliament that occurred earlier this year or the citizenship bill - they are matters that the government should go to the solicitor-general [with] first.” On the question of whether Labor should stick with its planned policy of enforcing a binding vote on marriage equality aft
Tue, October 04, 2016
Simon Birmingham on the new VET loan scheme
A new vocational education and training student loan scheme will aim at putting a stop to rorting by dodgy private colleges. Education Minister Simon Birmingham tells Michelle Grattan the new scheme is being built from the ground up. "First and foremost, [there will be] strong barriers to entry for the types of vocational education providers who can offer loans as part of it," he says. The reforms will see the number of courses available drop from than 800 to "somewhere around the 300 or 400 mark", Birmingham says. "There are a range of different areas that have been subsidised over recent years - but certainly very odd areas - such as Chinese veterinary medicine, will no longer make the cut. A number of I guess lifestyle-type courses is the best way to define some of them." Birmingham also talks on his negotiations for a new school funding agreement, and says he will soon announce a new higher education policy to start in 2018. --- Music credit: "Natural", by Dlay on the Free Music Archive
Wed, September 28, 2016
Scott Ryan on the same-sex marriage plebiscite and political donations
Monday’s government-Labor meeting over the proposed same-sex marriage plebiscite ended in a stalemate. But Special Minister of State Scott Ryan tells Michelle Grattan the government has made it very clear it will consider in “good faith” any proposal that Bill Shorten and the Labor Party bring forward. “The meeting was an opportunity for them - even if they didn’t have the power to make formal suggestions - to actually say ‘these are the terms upon we want to come back to you in a week or two’,” he says. Ryan gives no encouragement to the view that if the plebsicite legislation is defeated, the government could move to a parliamentary vote. “The government’s position I think, and we’ve done this on a number of issues, is to stick with the policy we took to the election.” Having launched a parliamentary inquiry into electoral matters, which will include an examination of political donation rules, Ryan says he has no problem with corporate donations “in principle”. “I’m not going to participate or support any measure that seeks to create an unfair playing field in political donations or political participation and the ludicrous position of the Greens to ban corporations that make a profit but allow unions and non-profit corporations to make political contributions is an example of that.” Following much debate about the impact of Labor’s so-called “Mediscare” campaign on the outcome of this year’s election, Ryan says he would require a lot of convincing to go down the path of further regulating political speech, through truth in advertising measures. “My personal view is that I require a lot of convincing because in politics, unlike in say commercial transactions where we do have consumer law that protects people from misleading conduct, politics is a lot more about opinion and interpretation of fact, so I think we need to be careful to not have a system that would end up in people needing more lawyers to argue the case of whether something is true or not. That would distract from the fact that this is a political contest.”
Fri, September 16, 2016
Politics podcast: Peter Jennings on Turnbull’s trip to the US
At next week’s UN General Assembly, Malcolm Turnbull will be among many leaders responding to the large movements of refugees and migrants across the world. Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, tells Michelle Grattan that the purpose of Barack Obama’s meeting is to get other countries to accept more refugees through legal channels. “I don’t think he’s going to make much headway because at the moment the Europeans are closing their doors rather than opening them. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we see significant pledges of new aid and Australia will probably be doing the same thing at that meeting,” he says. While Turnbull is in the US, he will take part in a dialogue on cyber security. Jennings, who is head of one of the think tanks sponsoring the talks, says the idea is to see if they can find ways to more effectively link business into a discussion about cyber security, including on issues like counter-radicalisation. “I think what the hope is is that we’ll see closer Australia-US cooperation emerging not only in government but also between business entities as well.” Music credit: “Ebani”, by Dlay on the Free Music Archive
Wed, September 14, 2016
Don Watson on the rise of Trump
Earlier this year, Australian writer Don Watson visited the United States, observing the race for president. Rather than examine the “rust belt” or “down-at-heel” cities, Watson chose America’s heartland. “I found in Wisconsin many of the underlying themes of this election. And that sort of Gothic quality of the United States where everything has a very deep and often dark story behind it.” Watson tells Michelle Grattan that what is happening in the United States now has “something to do with the religion of neoliberalism and the really nasty tactics of the Republican Party since Reagan”. “We ought to be careful I think that we don’t go the same way. Certainly inequality is increasing here and we have seen the revival of Hansonism and we know that Australia is prone to bouts of xenophobia and even of racism,” he says.
Thu, September 01, 2016
Eric Abetz on the conservatives in the Liberal Party
In the first sitting of the new parliament, conservatives within the government have muscled a proposed amendment to the Racial Discrimination Act onto the agenda. Senator Eric Abetz, a strong advocate for change, tells Michelle Grattan that he doubts it will be dealt with this year. “It will be introduced and then I think it would make sense for it to go through the normal processes. It may well go to a Senate committee, things of that nature. So how it transpires - no timetable has been set but we did want to put it up there on the agenda so it could be dealt with in due course,” he says. “We would hope that in the period of a three-year parliament, we can chew gum and walk at the same time and that there will be time set aside for what is a very minimalist amendment to the Racial Discrimination Act to remove the words offend and insult.” Abetz, a former leader of the government in the upper house and a minister in the Abbott government, remains resentful of being banished by Turnbull to the backbench and still harbours frontbench ambitions. “Chances are there’s still some ministerial capacity left within myself. Senator David Bushby, who’s the chief government whip in the Senate - clearly ministerial capacity as well. So I think it’s a disappointment that the prime minister did not see fit to appoint somebody from Tasmania for the frontbench when, if I might say, there is ministerial talent available from Tasmania.” “I would like to be able to serve on the frontbench again but as I’ve said many a time - I got into politics to serve, not to ‘succeed’, in inverted commas. But of course if you can be on the frontbench you can make a good and positive contribution.”
Wed, August 31, 2016
Fred Smith on The Dust of Uruzgan
Fred Smith is no ordinary Australian diplomat. In postings served in the Uruzgan Province of Afghanistan, he built relationships with tribal leaders while continuing his side-career as a folk musician. Smith, who has written about his experiences in a book, The Dust of Uruzgan, tells Michelle Grattan for the first three or four months he stashed his guitar under the bed. “You know, I wanted to be taken seriously as a political officer and not seen as a folk singer. But eventually as I became more comfortable on the base, I got the guitar out and started writing songs and put together bands … and of course there wasn’t much going on on a Saturday night in Tarin Kowt so a lot of people would come,” he says. “Then they would hear me singing stories about things that had happened a couple of weeks beforehand and it resonated, you know. And that’s sort of in the very finite emotional and intellectual information economy of that base. It opened up doors and built a sense of community.”
Mon, August 29, 2016
Bob Brown on Malcolm Turnbull and the same-sex marriage plebiscite
Since retiring from politics in 2012, former Greens leader Bob Brown has continued to offer sharp perspectives on issues of national debate. After giving the closing address at the Canberra Writers' Festival at the weekend, Brown tells Michelle Grattan that Malcolm Turnbull should have “stood up to the right wing” of his party at the end of 2015. “We now have a reactionary and conservative government. I don’t think that’s where Malcolm Turnbull wants to be. I think he would prefer to be a Bob Menzies, and his time’s running out. “He either will stand up to that power base of right-wing reactionaries and conservatives, or he’ll be another prime minister who failed to reach their promise, and Australia deserves a very progressive and liberal-minded leader. “Turnbull’s got it in him, but one wonders if he’s had the life experience to be able to say: ‘Well, I’m not going to be dictated to’. It’s pretty late in the piece. ‘I’m not going to be dictated by these right wingers. I will stand up to them and if I lose out as a result of that at least I’ve tried.’,“ he says. In the wake of a Greens portfolio reshuffle last week, Brown pays tribute to Sarah Hanson-Young’s period as the party’s immigration spokesperson. “I think she’s helped move this nation from feeling ‘oh, you know let’s forget about those people’ to saying ‘no, we can’t. They’re under our care.’ “I was sorry to see her move because she’s done such a fine job in that portfolio. On the other hand I think it’s a very, very daunting job. You know, you are dealing with the agony and suffering of men, women and children and she’s been doing that for years. So in a way it might end up being a hidden blessing. “I think it’ll free her a little. You know, I just think it’s a harrowing job,” he says. Opening music credit: What Tomorrow Brings, by Ketsa on the Free Music Archive. Closing music credit: Earth Song, written by Bob Brown. Sung by Claire Wood and accompanied by Craig Wood and Michelle Wood.
Thu, August 25, 2016
Derryn Hinch on becoming a senator
Incoming Victorian senator Derryn Hinch has the potential to be an ally or an enemy to the government’s agenda. Describing his political philosophy, Hinch says he isn’t in the Senate “just to be opposition”. “If I was in America I’d be a Democrat. I’m conservative on some issues. Very conservative. And that’s over law and order issues and I’ve campaigned on those over the years. If I’m a socialist about anything it’s about medicine and hospitals. … Socially I’m fairly lower case liberal,” he says. In the early days of the new parliament, Hinch plans to try to lift the restrictions on press in the Senate, where current rules prevent Senators from being photographed unless they are speaking on their feet. “I just think this is wrong, we should streamline it, bring it up-to-date. This is a public house. …So those restrictions should be lifted. Standing order should be changed,” he says. Music credit: “Definition” by Ketsa, Free Music Archive
Wed, August 24, 2016
Karen Middleton on ‘Albanese: Telling it Straight’
This week, political reporter Karen Middleton is releasing a book about the life and career of Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese. At its heart is a deeply personal story of Albanese’s absent father. As a boy, Albanese believed his father had died in a car accident shortly after his parent’s marriage. But at the age of 14 his mother told him the truth. Middleton tells Michelle Grattan she came to know Albanese’s story over the years “sort of by accident”. “He had told a few people but not very many and he had kept this story about his father and his personal life very tightly,” she says. Music credit: “Roll On” by Ketsa, Free Music Archive
Thu, August 18, 2016
Anne Aly on counter-terrorism policy
When parliament returns later this month, Labor’s Anne Aly will become the first Muslim woman to take a seat in the lower house. Aly is an internationally renowned scholar on counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation. In 2014, she was the only Australian expert invited to attend Barack Obama’s summit on countering violent extremism. Aly tells Michelle Grattan she has spoken with many people who have been involved in violent organisations, including former members of the Irish Republican Army, former right-wing neo-nazis, and violent jihadists. Aly says most deradicalisation programs fail because all that they can do is remove the opportunity, the capability and perhaps change the environment. “But very rarely, if someone is highly radicalised, can outside forces actually change their world orientation or their world view. Many of them need to go through a process to arrive at disillusionment … in order to fully move away from the movement itself,” she says. On the bread-and-butter issue of the GST, she welcomes Malcolm Turnbull’s idea of reforming its distribution to give her home state of Western Australia a better deal, and would like to see Labor and Liberal come together to promote WA’s cause. “Now that Mr Turnbull has made that, I guess, commitment, to at least looking at it, I’d like to see the Western Australian cohort work across parties for the best interests of our state,” she says.
Tue, August 16, 2016
Linda Burney on the 50th anniversary of the Wave Hill walk-off
Next week, Australians will look back at one the most significant moments in the struggle for Indigenous rights. August 23 marks the 50th anniversary of the Wave Hill walk-off when Vincent Lingiari led a group of 200 Aboriginal workers and their families off a Northern Territory pastoral station in protest against their exploitative pay and working conditions. Labor’s spokesperson for human services, Linda Burney, who at the election became the first Indigenous woman to win a seat in the lower house, tells Michelle Grattan the events of Wave Hill were incredibly important and continue to be. Burney says the actions of Lingiari and the Gurindji people at Wave Hill were “heroic” and should be “fundamental to everyone’s education in Australia through the school curriculum”. Burney also traces the modern land rights movement to the walk-off. “The Gurindji with the support of unions and many others - non-Aboriginal people - came to the south and presented their case about living conditions, about rights to country, rights to culture, and the south and the north came together and over a long period of time eventually delivered land rights to the Gurindji,” she says. Consititutional recognition of First Australians Acknowledging roadblocks in the way of constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians, Burney says she doesn’t want to “entertain the notion that it can’t happen”. “I am very disappointed that the Referendum Council has now taken the view that they can’t deliver a report until mid next year.” “I am still very optimistic that there will be a referendum. It will not be for the 50th anniversary [of the 1967 referendum]. That symbolism is lost but I do think there is still an appetite for a referendum at some point. I am sick of this being kicked down the road. If the Referendum Council says ‘mid next year’ then lets for heaven’s sake set a definite date so we know what we’re working towards and get a set of words, a question, so we know what we’re going to be talking about,” she says.
Tue, August 02, 2016
Tom Calma says Nigel Scullion should go
The royal commission into the Northern Territory’s youth detention and child protection systems has had a shaky start. The Four Corners program that spurred the federal government into action has also raised questions about its previous knowledge of reports of abuse at the Don Dale detention centre. Chancellor of the University of Canberra Professor Tom Calma, who is co-chair of Reconciliation Australia and a Northern Territory Aboriginal elder, tells Michelle Grattan that there was “little to no interest” by the federal government and Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion into the numerous reports of abuse leading up to the Four Corners program. He says it was “pretty much swept under the carpet at the Northern Territory level” and that the Northern Territory government should not be co-sponsors of the royal commission. “You don’t get the opportunity to have an independent royal commission very often and to have one where one of the major defendants is going to have to be the Northern Territory government … in all consciousness they should just withdraw from the process and leave it up to the independent commissioners,” he says. Calma questions Scullion’s level of interest in his portfolio and calls for the appointment of a new minister. “His [Scullion’s] interest in Indigenous affairs has really got to be questioned - and why he doesn’t take note of the various reports that are out there, why he limits his consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to a small handful of people who aren’t representative,” he says. “From an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective our hand is extended to government. It’s not being embraced and that’s what’s got to change. And if that means we’ve got to change ministers to somebody who’s going to be much more responsive, who’s not going to have an attitude that consultation is about telling people what the government wants to achieve…the current minister is really not doing a good enough job.”
Fri, July 29, 2016
Politics podcast: Tiernan Brady on the campaign for marriage equality
Tiernan Brady was the political director of the “yes” campaign during the Irish referendum on same-sex marriage. With the government pushing ahead with plans for a plebiscite on the issue, Brady is in Australia to help advise local marriage equality advocates. Brady tells Michelle Grattan one of the most important aspects of the Irish referendum was that they recognised that it should always be about “a real person”. “It shouldn’t be a set of angry debates and loud interviews where people shout at each other…what it needed to be was friendly conversations, engaging; much more about having conversations at the dinner table, on the street and in the supermarket than in Parliament or on ABC or on the radio,” he says.
Thu, July 21, 2016
Jim Chalmers on Labor’s approach to the economy
Labor begins its next phase in opposition with bigger numbers in the parliament and with a new level of confidence as it confronts the government. Shadow Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation Jim Chalmers tells Michelle Grattan Labor has a pretty good record of “supporting what they can” of government savings measures. “The way I like to describe it is when it comes to the budget, you agree where you can and you disagree where you must…I’m someone who puts a lot of value in trying to find as many ways as we can to repair the budget bottom line,” he says.
Wed, July 13, 2016
Darren Chester on the Nationals' success
By increasing their numbers within the government, the Nationals were the surprise success story of the election, with a very local campaign. Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Victorian National Darren Chester tells Michelle Grattan the presidential style of campaigning that is becoming more prevalent in Australia doesn’t suit the Nationals. “We don’t necessarily benefit from that style of campaigning. That’s no criticism of our Coalition partners. It’s just that they tend to focus on the metropolitan seats where the leader of the day gets a lot of media coverage. Our media coverage and our profile comes through the local newspapers in small country towns, the local ABC or the local commercial television news service,” he says.
Fri, July 08, 2016
Wayne Swan on Labor’s next moves
As a veteran of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years, former treasurer Wayne Swan is a politician with a great deal of experience with parliamentary instability. With the outcome of the election still uncertain, Swan tells Michelle Grattan Labor should approach the next period ahead in a very positive way. “We put [forward] a comprehensive agenda for inclusive growth. What you saw at this election was the defeat of the Abbott-Turnbull agenda of trickle-down economics,” he says. Swan says Malcolm Turnbull’s authority has been “shattered” and that he will find it very hard to assert any authority in his partyroom. “His glass jaw-shattering speech after midnight on election night I think effectively ended his authority not just in his party but I think in the country.” Swan says he wants to continue to speak about issues he is passionate about from the position of a backbencher rather than from the shadow cabinet. “I want to use my time as treasurer to add to critical national debates and speak about them in a much more open way than I would otherwise if I had some form of executive responsibility,” he says.
Tue, July 05, 2016
James Pearson on the knife-edge result and business confidence
The election has plunged Australia into uncertainty and placed a question mark over the country for companies looking to invest. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO James Pearson tells Michelle Grattan that businesses are disappointed there isn’t a clear result and that policies that are pro-business will now be harder to get through parliament. “The call from business now is to get on with the job of leading and running the country and making decisions for the future,” he says.
Thu, June 09, 2016
Nick Xenophon on his play for Senate power
Senator Nick Xenophon is the South Australian “vote magnet” making both the Coalition and Labor nervous, as he spreads his brand at this election. His probable success promises not just more Senate seats for the nascent party but a powerful role in the new Senate for its leader. Xenophon tells Michelle Grattan he believes that while governments have a mandate to introduce legislation, the Senate has a mandate to scrutinise. “I say that in the context that there are many hundreds of thousands of Australians that vote differently between the lower house and the upper house because under our Constitution, under our system of government, the Senate is there to represent the states. “It’s also there under its proportional representation system to be a bulwark against excesses of executive power,” he says.
Thu, June 02, 2016
Tony Abbott on his campaign role
Tony Abbott has been low key so far this election, spending much of his time campaigning in his own electorate, with some visits to MPs who invite him. Speaking with Michelle Grattan, he plays up being part of the team. He admits staunch Liberals have issues with the superannuation changes but says “the point I keep making to them is that we cannot avoid tough decisions”, and does not expect the policy to change after the election. On same-sex marriage he confirms that if the plebiscite was carried he would vote for the enabling legislation. By putting the question to the people “we’ve effectively said the people are sovereign on this matter rather than the parliament”.
Thu, June 02, 2016
The Greens' fight for Batman and Wills
The Greens, who already hold the seat of Melbourne, are making a big play for two nearby Labor-held seats – Batman, held by David Feeney, and Wills, where the popular Kelvin Thomson is retiring. Labor is especially worried about Batman, where Feeney’s failure to declare his A$2.3 million house added to his already embattled position. This week The Conversation spoke to Greens leader Richard Di Natale about the Greens' campaign and ambitions generally, including these two seats. Di Natale said that if there were a minority Labor government and the Greens were in a balance-of-power situation, he would still hope for an agreement, despite Labor ruling out such an alliance. He indicated the Greens would press for concessions on policy rather than seeking a ministry. The Conversation also interviewed the Greens candidate in Wills, Samantha Ratnam, and the Labor candidate Peter Khalil, as well as the Greens candidate for Batman Alex Bhathal. David Feeney declined an interview.
Tue, May 31, 2016
The Indi Project
The battle for the Victorian seat of Indi is shaping up as a three-way contest. Independent Cathy McGowan is trying to fend off the former member Sophie Mirabella and the Nationals' Marty Corboy. McGowan tells Michelle Grattan the election will come down to preferences. “I’m hoping that the National Party people will consider giving me their second preference and I’m hoping that Liberal Party people … certainly the ones in Wodonga – don’t see their answer in the National Party and they will consider giving me their preferences,” she says. In this special election podcast, Michelle Grattan interviews McGowan, Corboy, as well as the Greens' candidate Jenny O'Connor and Labor’s Eric Kerr. Sophie Mirabella was unwilling to be interviewed.
Mon, May 23, 2016
Sam Dastyari on the ‘Bill Bus’
The Labor Party has been driving a campaign bus from Cairns to Canberra. On Sunday night senator Sam Dastyari, leader of the “Bill Bus”, told supporters at a Canberra pub they had raised enough money to extend its journey through to Melbourne and would be leaving the next morning. After giving a speech to the faithful, Dastyari tells Michelle Grattan they have been getting a lot of local media in small towns and that the reception has been “quite positive”. “The irony of all this is what is old is new. And what we’re really doing is taking on board some really 1950s/1960s great Labor campaigns, great political campaigns. This is how we campaigned. And why did we campaign this way? Because people felt engaged, people felt like they were part of it. It helped tell a story,” he says. While warning Labor can’t afford to be complacent in any state or territory, Dastyari emphasises the importance of New South Wales and Queensland for Labor at this election. “In 2010, we lost a bunch of Queensland seats and in 2013, we lost a bunch of New South Wales seats. If we’re not picking up the bulk of the seats we need to win government out of New South Wales and Queensland, we will not be forming government.”
Mon, May 16, 2016
The Battle for New England
This is The Conversation’s first election podcast, where we visit the New South Wales seat of New England. The electorate is held by deputy prime minister and Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, who is under challenge from former independent member Tony Windsor. Joyce predicts the government will “take a haircut” at the election, and talks about New England becoming a net exporter of renewable energy in future years. Windsor says if there was a hung parliament he would not go into an alliance, as he did with the Gillard government, and is coy about where his vote would end up.
Sat, May 07, 2016
Andrew Leigh on Labor’s budget reply
In response to the government’s pre-election budget, Labor’s Shadow Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh, a former professor of economics, describes an alternative economic plan. Leigh tells Michelle Grattan that a Labor government would have delivered a budget that faced down Australia’s big economic challenges. “They include declining living standards: income per capita in real net terms has declined 4% since the government came to office; flagging innovation, which has seen too few Australian firms develop ‘new to the world’ innovations; and rising inequality where the gap between rich and poor now is as high as it’s been in three-quarters of a century,” he says.
Thu, May 05, 2016
In Conversation with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull
On the cusp of calling the election, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sat down with Michelle Grattan to talk about the budget. When the discussion turned to political trust, Turnbull said it’s critical to be very upfront about issues, to explain what the problems are, and to explain how you propose to resolve them. “I think there is a gotcha culture in the media and perhaps in the political discourse overall where, for example, any change in policy is seen as a backflip or an admission of failure.”
Wed, May 04, 2016
Mathias Cormann on the government's economic plan
Sleep is at a premium in Canberra this week. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann is one of those doing the post-budget heavy lifting, with 22 media interviews on Wednesday. He sat down with Michelle Grattan to discuss the government’s long-term economic plan.
Tue, May 03, 2016
John Daley on the budget big picture
From the Parliament House lockup, Grattan Institute CEO John Daley joins Michelle Grattan to give an overall picture of the government’s pre-election budget.
Wed, April 27, 2016
Robert Simms on the evolution of the Greens
The future of Senator Robert Simms, one of the freshest faces in the Greens team, may hang on whether he is first or second on his party’s ticket. In his home state of South Australia, where the Nick Xenophon Team looks to be strong, the Greens face a particularly tough battle. But Simms tells Michelle Grattan he thinks the Greens have a chance of retaining their two seats. “There’s no question it’s going to be a lot of work for us in South Australia but I do think we can do it,” he says. He also discusses the appeal of the Greens' to new groups of voters. “I think one of the really good things about the Greens and our evolution as a political party is that we’ve really smashed that dichotomy that used to exist between the environment and the economy, “We’ve really been able to say that what is good for the environment is good for the economy,” he says.
Wed, April 20, 2016
Sarah Ferguson on The Killing Season uncut
In 2015, the ABC aired a gripping documentary series covering the tumultuous Rudd-Gillard era. This week, the series’ writer and interviewer Sarah Ferguson has released a book developed from the documentary. Ferguson tells Michelle Grattan she longed for a single villain or a single narrative that she could pursue to the ends of the earth. The widely acclaimed journalist talks about the difficulties of getting past the defensive mechanisms of Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, both expert media operators, during her interviews. “What nobody is prepared for is what happens over hours and hours of interviews. As we know, our politicians are highly trained in answering, not answering questions. Delivering messages, delivering lines. But none of them are prepared for what happens over ten hours,” she says. “You can’t consistently tell a story that is not entirely true or is a version of a story or is shaped to suit you over a long period of time. Eventually inconsistencies, if there are any, will creep in. You can’t maintain the facade you use in a studio interview over ten hours.” Ferguson also discusses Bill Shorten’s reluctance to participate in the documentary and to keep himself out of the story. “He just wants to step away from the centre of the events and remain in the cloisters, underneath the arch, half in shadow,” she says.
Tue, April 19, 2016
Angus Taylor on cities and digital transformation
In his ministerial reshuffle earlier this year, Malcolm Turnbull made Angus Taylor, an up-and-coming Liberal MP, the assistant minister for cities and digital transformation. Taylor tells Michelle Grattan there needs to be agreement across all three levels of government to meet the challenges of jobs growth, transport and housing affordability faced by the nation’s cities. “We have already said we’re going to use the mechanism of “city deals”, which is an agreement across federal, state and local governments on a strategy for each of our individual cities, recognising that no two solutions will be the same.” Taylor also says Australia will need to find “innovative ways of financing increased investment in our cities”. “We won’t be able to finance the very significant investments required in our cities just on budget. We’ll have to look off the budget. We’ll have to look to use our balance sheet,” he says.
Wed, April 13, 2016
Hugh White on Turnbull’s China visit
Malcolm Turnbull will visit China this week in his first trip there as Prime Minister. The two-day trip, including Shanghai and Beijing, will juggle trade and political issues. ANU Professor of Strategic Studies Hugh White tells Michelle Grattan that Turnbull will be primarily focused on the economic agenda. “Turnbull is one of those who remain bullish about China. He thinks its economic prospects remain bright and he sees it as the principal source of economic opportunities for Australia over the next few years and indeed decades,” White says. White believes Turnbull is downplaying the strategic challenges Australia faces in its relationship with China in an era in which US primacy will no longer remain uncontested. “If we want to remain a military middle power in an Asian century, in which we can no longer assume that the Americans are going to be the dominant player, then we are going to have to spend a higher proportion of our GDP on defence than we have,” he says. He suggests defence spending needs to rise to 3.5% - 4% of GDP. At present it is just under 2%.
Thu, April 07, 2016
Peter Whish-Wilson on his experience in banking and the need for a royal commission
The global scandal surrounding the release of the Panama papers and Malcolm Turnbull’s criticism of Australian banks have put the spotlight on the often murky world of banking and finance. Greens' finance spokesman Peter Whish-Wilson, who had a pre-parliamentary career on Wall Street, tells Michelle Grattan one reason he walked away from the banking industry was because of its culture. “You’re only as good as your last sale. I think the culture of any organisation starts at the top and the way they incentivise their employees – from the CEO down – is the root cause of the problem,” he says. Whish-Wilson argues that a royal commission into the finance and banking sector is what is needed to deal with its pervasive cultural problems. He also says the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Tax Office need greater powers to deal with the tax-avoiding behaviour revealed by the release of the Panama papers.
Wed, April 06, 2016
Glenn Lazarus on the government’s industrial legislation
Senators will return to Canberra later this month with the expectation that they will give final consideration to the government’s industrial legislation - unless they decide to refuse to consider it. Glenn Lazarus, a crossbencher whose approval the government may need if the bills are to have any hope of passing, tells Michelle Grattan he will not be bullied or blackmailed into giving his support. Lazarus says that when he asked Malcolm Turnbull to turn the Australian Building and Construction Commission into a national corruption watchdog for all industries, the Prime Minister gave him a blank look. The former Palmer United Party senator also says that he has become a better politician as a result of leaving the PUP and that no ministers had visited his office before his decision to walk away from the party.
Fri, April 01, 2016
George Wright on Labor’s chances of winning the election
While Labor goes into the coming election as underdog, the party’s strategy to win government will capitalise on what it sees as its competitive advantages. From Labor’s national secretariat in Canberra, campaign director George Wright tells Michelle Grattan the party will be working hard to increase its direct contact with voters. “We worked very hard at that in 2013 and we will work even harder on that in 2016,” he says. Whether or not the government calls a July 2 double-dissolution election, Wright is ready and says Labor led by Bill Shorten can win. “The party that he leads is now in a very competitive position against someone who everyone was predicting would wipe the floor with everyone. I think people who underestimate Bill’s capacity are doing so at their own peril.” Listing Labor’s policy strengths, Wright nominates health, education, housing affordability and the economy. “I think a lot of work has gone into having a cogent and credible position on the budget and I would strongly argue that right now we have a stronger policy position than the government,” he says.
Wed, March 16, 2016
Ricky Muir’s fight to stay in the Senate
The Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party’s Ricky Muir this week made an unsuccessful last roll of the dice to try to delay the government’s Senate voting reform legislation. The bill will prevent almost all “micro” players being elected to the Senate, and facilitate the government driving out most of the current bunch if it holds a double-dissolution election. But Muir tells Michelle Grattan the reforms have not been properly scrutinised and the process to approve them has been a sham. While he acknowledged the need for some reform, he believes the government is scapegoating him for being elected on 0.51% of the primary vote. “Do I appreciate that some kind of changes could happen? Absolutely. But it needs to be a long, thought-out, thorough process with proper public consultation,” he says. Muir, who was reticent about speaking out in public in his first months in the Senate, is now fiesty. He is taking a high-profile and ready to fight for his political reputation at the election.
Thu, March 10, 2016
Tony Windsor on his bid for New England
In what promises to be one of the toughest contests at the election, former independent MP Tony Windsor will try to retake the seat of New England from Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce. Windsor tells Michelle Grattan he believes the seat is winnable. “I’m not naive in politics, I know there will be an enormous amount of money thrown at this but my campaign will be based on people – and people power, if it gets positioned correctly, can actually do a tremendous amount,” he says. Windsor pitches his campaign as a policy battle to be fought on local issues that have national prominence: climate change, the NBN, and the Shenhua mine – to name a few.
Wed, March 02, 2016
Politics podcast: Mathias Cormann on Senate reform
Following recommendations from the joint standing committee on electoral matters, the government has amended its Senate reform bill to include provision for optional preferential voting “below the line” as well as “above the line”. Special Minister of State Mathias Cormann explains the details of the changes and says the bill “empowers the Australian people to determine what happens to their votes and their preferences”. “What it does is it will help ensure that the result at the next Senate election and any subsequent Senate election reflects the will of the people.”
Wed, February 24, 2016
Politics podcast: senator David Leyonhjelm on Malcolm Turnbull
Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm has accused Malcolm Turnbull of failing to live up to his promise to liaise closely with the Senate crossbenchers. As the "micro" players react furiously to the government's proposed Senate voting changes, Leyonhjelm tells Michelle Grattan he has not heard from Turnbull since his call in his first week as prime minister. Despite the "reservoir of goodwill" he enjoyed on taking over, Turnbull did not follow through. The Coalition government has been appallingly bad at negotiating with the crossbenchers, Leyonhjelm says. Unlike the Gillard government, which negotiated successfully with lower house crossbenchers, the Abbott and Turnbull governments never learnt how to do it. Leyonhjelm and the other "micro" Senate players have been invited to dinner at The Lodge this week. They are ready to vent their sense of grievance to Turnbull face-to-face.
Fri, February 19, 2016
Francis Sullivan on Cardinal Pell and the royal commission into child sex abuse
Soaring community outrage over the issue of child sexual abuse was this week fanned by a Tim Minchin song calling for Cardinal George Pell to return home to Australia to give evidence to the Royal Commission. Francis Sullivan, CEO of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council tells Michelle Grattan that his organisation supports the crowd-funded push to fly victims to Rome and describes Cardinal Pell as a lightning rod for discontent. “It’s a buildup of the angst, the anger, the hurt surrounding the whole issue of child sex abuse and the history of the Catholic Church, which has been a history of cover-up and a history of distrust,” he says. “In such a short time it’s raised so much money and it shows you the intense concentration in the community not only about this specific issue, but about the broader issue of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.” Sullivan also criticises the Turnbull government for appearing to wash its hands of a national redress scheme for victims, instead placing it in the hands of the states, territories and major institutions.
Wed, February 10, 2016
Politics podcast: South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill on the tax debate
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill’s willingness to countenance an increase to the GST angered federal Labor colleagues. But Weatherill tells Michelle Grattan he has no regrets about his “circuit-breaker” intervention – although he also concedes an increase to the GST is not really a solution to the states' revenue problems. “It raises too much money in the early years and too little in the later years because GST is not growing at the rate of the growth of our health care expenditure,” he says. “Even if we were to get a 15% GST it would just kick the can down the road for another 10 or 15 years to be back talking about this problem,” he says. Weatherill explains why he has called for the states to receive a share of income tax revenue, the problems associated with raising land-based taxes and his disappointment in Malcolm Turnbull. “This sort of approach that we’re now getting from Malcolm Turnbull is the sort of thing that reminds us of Tony Abbott. The glib one-liners, what I have described as an infantile debate where you can just focus on one thing without looking at the whole picture.”
Tue, February 09, 2016
Kelly O'Dwyer on tax reform
As the government considers a tax reform agenda without changing the GST, Assistant Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer discusses tax and superannuation with Michelle Grattan - and strongly defends the Business Council of Australia’s Jennifer Westacott against an attack by Victorian Liberal President Michael Kroger. Kelly also suggests the Liberal party tap talented women on the shoulder to get more female representation in Parliament.
Thu, February 04, 2016
Nick Xenophon on launching a political party
At the start of a frenetic year for independent Nick Xenophon, the South Australian senator tells Michelle Grattan his new national political party, the Nick Xenophon Team (NXT), will fill a vacuum. “People want a genuine choice from the political centre. I think they’re sick of the left and right skirmishes we see in politics - the red team, blue team approach where even if one side acknowledges that the other side has a good idea, it needs to tear it down,” he says. Xenophon talks about the preselection process for his candidates, the difficulty of operating on a “dental floss budget”, and his views on how to create a fairer senate voting system.
Wed, February 03, 2016
Michaelia Cash on the government's push to restore the ABCC - as a tough watchdog on the construction industry
As the government turns up the heat over its Australian Building and Construction Commission legislation, Employment Michaelia Cash reveals to Michelle Grattan she is willing to agree to senator David Leyonhjelm’s call for a sunset clause. “David has raised that with me and … yes, I would accept an eight-year sunset clause,” she says. She says in that time the ABCC would demonstrably prove its worth in curbing lawlessness in the construction industry and improving productivity. In the aftermath of the trade union royal commission, Cash talks about a restored ABCC’s powers, proposed revamped registered organisations legislation and double dissolution triggers. Cash, also Minister for Women, outlines plans for promoting gender equality in the public service and calls on the Liberal Party across Australia to undertake “audits” on female participation.
Tue, February 02, 2016
Tony Burke on Labor's fiscal challenge
In the first Politics Podcast for 2016, Michelle Grattan and shadow finance minister Tony Burke discuss the challenging gap between government revenue and spending, and what Labor would do to address the problem. Burke pitches Labor’s recent education announcements as being central to its economic vision, describing them as a “strategic economic investment” in what Australia will need post the mining boom. He also responds to the divisions in Labor over GST changes, and the need to ensure Australia maintains its triple A credit rating. Asked about Treasury Secretary John Fraser’s high profile speech last week, Burke is complimentary.
Wed, December 16, 2015
Andrew Leigh on MYEFO
Michelle Grattan discusses the mid-year economic and fiscal outlook with shadow assistant treasurer Andrew Leigh, gaging his thoughts on the savings measures announced by the government and how Labor would address the issue of budget repair.
Tue, December 08, 2015
Peter Reith
Former Howard government minister Peter Reith, who has just released his recollections of the period in his book 'The Reith Papers', talks about the current challenges facing the Turnbull government including his view that Tony Abbott needs to keep his head down for a while, the pros and cons of increasing the GST and the predicament facing Mal Brough.
Tue, December 01, 2015
Innovation Australia Chairman Bill Ferris
Newly appointed chair of Innovation Australia, Bill Ferris, talks about his early experiences investing in start-ups in the 1970s, the need for Australia to bring its ideas and inventions to market, and the way to tackle a business culture that fears failure.
Thu, November 26, 2015
Simon Birmingham on education reform
Michelle Grattan speaks with Education Minister Simon Birmingham about his negotiations for a new higher education package, efforts to crack down on rorting in the vocational educational sector and the government's overhaul of the childcare system.
Thu, November 26, 2015
Christian Porter on domestic violence
Michelle Grattan speaks with Minister for Social Services Christian Porter about the government's moves on domestic violence, his thinking on welfare reform and his support for making adoption easier.
Wed, November 18, 2015
Peter Jennings on the danger of leasing the Port of Darwin to the Chinese
Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings has strongly criticised the decision to lease the Port of Darwin to a Chinese company, saying it is a deep strategic mistake after a flawed policy process. Speaking to Michelle Grattan, Jennings also canvasses the difficulties of co-ordinating Russian and American military action in the Syrian conflict, and warns Australia could ''in time'' get a request for more special forces assistance.
Wed, November 04, 2015
Katy Gallagher
Former ACT chief minister Katy Gallagher, now a federal Labor Senator with new responsibilities in the shadow ministry, admits she has found the jump into the bigger political pool challenging - she has also had to do a pivot in her views on increasing the GST. Here she also talks about the issues of mental health, federal-state relations and Labor’s face-off against Malcolm Turnbull.
Tue, October 27, 2015
John Blaxland - The Official History of ASIO
Michelle Grattan discusses the new release book The Protest Years: The Official History of ASIO 1963-1975, with its author Dr John Blaxland. Among many controversies, they review the evidence supporting conspiracy theories surrounding the dismissal of the Whitlam government and the fractious relationship between the agency and Lionel Murphy, the Labor Attorney-General.
Wed, October 21, 2015
Sarah Hanson-Young
In this interview, Senator Hanson-Young calls upon the government to appoint an independent advocate to protect the interests of the Somali woman known as Abyan, who at the time of recording was being held in Nauru. Michelle also probes the Senator on the Greens electoral prospects following the ascension of Malcolm Turnbull to the prime ministership.
Thu, October 15, 2015
Sam Dastyari unleashed
In The Conversation's first live podcast, which took place in Canberra's Muse wine bar and bookstore, Labor's Sam Dastyari gives a candid insight into Labor's strategy to win back government, the threat of the Greens and much more.
Wed, September 30, 2015
Jamie Briggs
Minister for Cities and the Built Environment Jamie Briggs joins Michelle to talk about his new portfolio, the policy pivot away from just roads toward other infrastructure projects like public transport, the changes under new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, the mistakes the government made about submarines in South Australia and much more.
Tue, September 22, 2015
Kim Carr
Labor has a new higher education policy out this week. Shadow Minister for Higher Education Kim Carr joins Michelle to talk about it in depth. In the interview Carr is highly critical of some university managements for exploiting the system to the detriment of the tax payer, says far too many students are not graduating and much more.
Thu, September 17, 2015
Arthur Sinodinos
Arthur Sinodinos was a key backer of Malcolm Turnbull, and he sits down with Michelle to talk about the coup, why the Liberals needed to change leader, what he hopes will change in the running of the Prime Minister's Office and much more.
Thu, September 10, 2015
Josh Frydenberg
Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg joins Michelle to talk about Syria, Australia's humanitarian refugee intake, the economy, Canning, the state of the Liberal Party in Victoria and much more.
Thu, September 03, 2015
Canning by-election special
Michelle spent two days this week in Canning, where campaigning is building up for the by-election on the 19th of September. The seat is held by the Liberal Party by about 12%. Its former member was Don Randall, who died suddenly in July. In a break from our usual longform format, we conducted short interviews with Labor candidate Matt Keogh, Deputy Labor Leader Tanya Plibersek, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, Greens Leader Richard di Natale and Greens candidate Vanessa Rauland.
Wed, August 26, 2015
Peter Varghese
The secretary of the department of foreign affairs and trade Peter Varghese sat down with Michelle to talk about aid, the integration of AUSAID, Islamic State, the Asian century and much, much more.
Thu, August 20, 2015
Michael McCormack
Michael McCormack is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance and the Nationals member for Riverina. He joins Michelle to talk about the future of the Nationals leadership, the difference in the Nationals political style, tax reform and much more.
Mon, August 17, 2015
Clare O'Neil
Clare O'Neil is the Labor member for Hotham and with her colleague Tim Watts has written a book, Two Futures. In the book the discuss Australia in 2040 and what can be done in the short term to improve our future. Clare sits down with Michelle to talk about the book, the ideas in it, and the future of progressive politics in Australia.
Mon, August 10, 2015
Chris Bowen
Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen and Michelle step away from day to day politics to talk about Bowen's new book The Money Men, in which he writes about twelve of Australia's most notable treasurers. They talk about the legacies of notable Treasurers such as Keating, Costello, Cairns and Swan, Bowen talks about his research process, writing on the job he hopes to hold and much, much more.
Sun, July 26, 2015
Anthony Albanese & Richard Marles
In a special episode recorded live at the ALP federal conference Michelle sits down with infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese to discuss the conference itself and then with immigration spokesman Richard Marles to talk about the ALP controversially adopting asylum seeker boat turnbacks.
Tue, July 21, 2015
Ben Oquist
Ben Oquist is Executive Director of the Australia Institute and former chief of staff to former Greens leader Bob Brown. Ben sat down with Michelle to talk about the current direction of the Greens, the Senate crossbench, climate change, and the future of progressive politics in Australia.
Mon, July 13, 2015
Christophe Lecourtier
The French Ambassador to Australia Christophe Lecourtier sits down with Michelle to talk about the 2015 Paris climate conference, Australia’s role in tackling climate change, France’s hopes for the meeting, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s attendance and much more.
Tue, July 07, 2015
Tim Soutphommasane
Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane sits down with Michelle to talk about Dawn Fraser's comments, "team Australia", the government's approach to terrorism and asylum seekers, racism in Australia and more.
Sun, June 28, 2015
Mark Butler
Labor environment spokesman and new ALP federal president Mark Butler joins Michelle to talk about climate change, an ETS, the possibility of an early election, the ALP national conference and much more.
Thu, June 25, 2015
Malcolm Turnbull
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull sits down with Michelle to talk about the government's new anti-online piracy measures, Zaky Mallah on ABC's Q&A, gay marriage and much more.
Mon, June 15, 2015
Sarah Hanson-Young
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young sits down with Michelle to talk about personal attacks on her, the accusations that people smugglers were paid by Australian officials to turn their boat around, stripping the citizenship of dual citizens engaged in terrorist activity, gay marriage, and much more.
Wed, June 03, 2015
Bruce Billson
Minister for Small Business Bruce Billson sat down to talk to Michelle about the budget, the small business tax cuts, cabinet leaks, gay marriage and much more.
Wed, May 27, 2015
Richard Di Natale
Greens leader Richard Di Natale spoke to Michelle about how he is adjusting to leading the party, gay marriage, the Coalition and Labor's deal on the RET and more.
Tue, May 19, 2015
Nick Xenophon
Michelle Grattan speaks to Senate independent Nick Xenophon about an iron ore price inquiry, the budget, higher education deregulation and more.
Wed, May 13, 2015
Tony Burke
Labor's Finance Spokesman Tony Burke talks to Michelle about the government's budget, the prospect of an early election and the upcoming Labor conference.
Wed, May 13, 2015
Mathias Cormann
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann sits with Michelle to talk about the government's budget, an early election and getting measures through the Senate.
Wed, May 13, 2015
Jennifer Westacott
Business Council of Australia Chief Executive Jennifer Westacott joined Michelle to talk about the BCA's reaction to Tuesday's federal budget.
Mon, May 11, 2015
Sussan Ley
Health Minister Sussan Ley joins Michelle to talk about the federal budget, the pharmacist agreement, the AMA, Medicare reform, being a woman in cabinet and much more.
Tue, May 05, 2015
Josh Frydenberg
Michelle and Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg talk about preparations for next week's budget, big company tax dodging, gay marriage and much more.
Tue, April 14, 2015
Ian Macfarlane
Ian Macfarlane is the Industry and Resources Minister and he talks to Michelle about the Renewable Energy Target, nuclear power, the energy white paper, fossil fuel and more. Follow Michelle on Twitter: @MichelleGrattan or on Facebook: facebook.com/michellegrattanao For more, read Michelle on www.theconversation.com/au
Thu, April 09, 2015
Sam Dastyari
Sam Dastyari is a former New South Wales ALP state secretary and is now a Labor Senator from that state. Currently he is chairing the Senate Inquiry into Corporate Tax Avoidance. He talks to Michelle about tax avoidance, the Labor national conference and gay marriage. Follow Michelle on Twitter: @MichelleGrattan or on Facebook: facebook.com/michellegrattanao For more read Michelle on www.theconversation.com/au
Wed, March 25, 2015
Richard Marles
Shadow spokesman for immigration Richard Marles talks to Michelle about the Moss Report, offshore detention centres, turning boats back and much more.
Wed, March 18, 2015
Darren Chester
Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Darren Chester talks to Michelle about The Nationals, the place for ordinary people in politics, coal seam gas and much more.
Thu, March 05, 2015
Intergenerational Report Special
Michelle Grattan talks to economic commentator Tim Colebatch about the Intergenerational Report.
Wed, March 04, 2015
Jason Clare
Shadow Communications spokesman Jason Clare talks to Michelle about the controversial metadata legislation, reforms to Australia Post and much more.
Fri, February 27, 2015
Mike Baird
New South Wales Premier Mike Baird is facing an election campaign, he talks to Michelle about privatisation, Tony Abbott's leadership, if federal issues will encroach on the NSW campaign and more.
Tue, February 24, 2015
Cathy McGowan
Michelle talks to the independent member for Indi Cathy McGowan about voter disillusionment with politics, community engagement, technology issues facing rural Australia and the upcoming federal budget.
Mon, February 16, 2015
Brian Schmidt
Brian Schmidt is an astronomer, Nobel laureate and a council member of the Australian Academy of Science. He talks to Michelle about climate change, a new publication by the academy aimed at clearing up confusion about climate science and the policy process around the issue.
Wed, February 11, 2015
Clive Palmer
Clive Palmer talks to Michelle about the Liberal spill, his party's result in the Queensland election, his stance on controversial legislation before the Senate and much more.
Wed, February 04, 2015
Mathias Cormann
Mathias Cormann talks to Michelle about the leadership crisis in the Liberal party.
Tue, January 27, 2015
Queensland Election Special
In our first podcast for 2015, Michelle is in Brisbane and talks to Griffith University's Professor Anne Tiernan, the Labor member for Rankin Jim Chalmers and Liberal Senator for Queensland Brett Mason.
Tue, December 16, 2014
Mathias Cormann
MYEFO was on Monday this week and Michelle caught up with Finance Minister Mathias Cormann to chat about the budget situation, the chances for achieving surplus and more.
Sun, December 14, 2014
Katy Gallagher and Andrew Barr
Michelle speaks to new ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and his predecessor and candidate for the ALP's vacant Senate seat in Canberra, Katy Gallagher.
Thu, December 04, 2014
Mark Butler
Labor environment spokesman Mark Butler talks about the Coalition's direct action policy, the Lima climate change conference and Labor's climate policies.
Tue, November 25, 2014
John Madigan
Independent Senator John Madigan talks to Michelle about Jacqui Lambie, his relationship with the government, life as an independent and much more.
Wed, November 19, 2014
Victorian election special
In this special from Victoria, Michelle talks to former Greens leader Bob Brown, professor of political science at Swinburne University Brian Costar and Melbourne editor of Guardian Australia Gay Alcorn, about the upcoming Victorian election.
Sun, November 16, 2014
G20 Leaders' Summit Part Two
In part two of our G20 podcast coverage, Michelle Grattan talks to Mathias Cormann, Tim Costello, Susan Harris Rimmer and Nicholas Reece at the summit.
Sat, November 15, 2014
G20 Leaders' Summit
In our G20 special Michelle discusses Barack Obama's speech, and talks to Queensland Premier Campbell Newman, Tom Switzer, research assistant at the United States Studies Centre, and Charis Palmer, business editor of The Conversation.
Wed, November 05, 2014
Maggie Murphy
Maggie Murphy from Transparency International joins Michelle to talk about the G20, the transparency agenda and corruption in corporations.
Tue, October 28, 2014
Ken Wyatt
Liberal MP Ken Wyatt talks to Michelle about indigenous recognition in the constitution, the barriers and the importance of the issue.
Wed, October 22, 2014
Anthony Albanese - Whitlam tribute
Labor's Anthony Albanese talks to Michelle Grattan about his personal memories of Gough Whitlam, as well as the massive policy legacy of the former Labor Prime Minister.
Wed, October 15, 2014
Michael Moore
CEO of the Public Health Association Michael Moore talks to Michelle about ebola, Australia's response, if Australia is at danger and much more.
Mon, October 06, 2014
Cory Bernardi
Michelle Grattan and Cory Bernardi discuss the face covering ban, the conservative movement and standing up for issues against the wider party.
Thu, October 02, 2014
Chris Bowen
Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen talks with Michelle about giving the parliamentary budget office responsibility for economic forecasting, the G20, the importance of surplus and much more.
Thu, September 25, 2014
John Howard
Former Prime Minister John Howard joins Michelle to talk about his new book about Menzies and contemporary issues.
Tue, September 23, 2014
Peter Dutton
Health Minister Peter Dutton joins Michelle to talk about the Medicare co-payment, pharmacy ownership, ebola and much more.
Fri, September 12, 2014
Colin James
Veteran political journalist Colin James talks to Michelle about the upcoming New Zealand election.
Sat, August 30, 2014
Susan Ryan
Age discrimination commissioner Susan Ryan talks with Michelle Grattan about discrimination in the workplace, her time in the Hawke cabinet and much more.
Tue, August 26, 2014
Gareth Evans
Gareth Evans is a former Labor cabinet minister and the current chancellor of ANU. He talks with Michelle about his new book about his time in the Hawke Keating government and the Abbott government's education reforms.
Thu, August 21, 2014
Brian Owler
AMA President Brian Owler speaks to Michelle about the AMA's alternative co-payment proposal, refugee children in detention and much more.
Thu, August 14, 2014
Brendan Nelson
Chief of the war memorial Brendan Nelson talks to Michelle Grattan about World War One commemorations and the challenge of remembering the veterans of more modern wars.
Tue, July 29, 2014
US Ambassador John Berry
US Ambassador John Berry talks to Michelle about Barack Obama's objectives in his last term, the Australia-US relationship, the ambassador's roundtable and much more.
Mon, July 21, 2014
Mike Callaghan
Mike Callaghan, program director of the G20 Studies Centre at Lowy, spoke to Michelle Grattan about the situation with Vladimir Putin, the B20 and the upcoming G20.
Wed, July 09, 2014
Greg Hunt
Environment Minister Greg Hunt speaks with Michelle about the carbon tax repeal, PUP's plans for an ETS, climate change and much more.
Mon, July 07, 2014
Kate Carnell
Former ACT Chief Minister and current CEO of the Australian Chamber or Commerce and Industry Kate Carnell speaks to Michelle about the Abbott government's progress, business confidence and much more.
Wed, July 02, 2014
David Leyonhjelm
Michelle talks to incoming Senator David Leyonhjelm of the Liberal Democrats about his role in the Senate, gun control and much, much more.
Sat, June 28, 2014
Liberal Federal Council: Napthine, Newman and Stockdale
From the Liberal Federal Council, Michelle Grattan talks to Victorian Premier Denis Napthine, Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and outgoing Federal President Alan Stockdale.
Tue, June 24, 2014
Sue Boyce
In a special "exit interview" Michelle Grattan talks with outgoing Senator Sue Boyce about sexism, Malcolm Turnbull and the future of centre right politics.
Thu, June 19, 2014
Mathias Cormann
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Michelle Grattan go in depth about the government's proposed FoFA changes.
Thu, June 12, 2014
Sarah Hanson-Young
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young talks to Michelle Grattan about the Manus Island riots, same sex marriage and the Greens position in the senate.
Wed, June 04, 2014
Julie Bishop
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop joins Michelle to talk about Australia's relationship with Indonesia, the Prime Minister's trip to America and much more.
Thu, May 29, 2014
Fred Chaney
Fred Chaney is the current Senior Australian of the Year and a former member of the Fraser government, in which he was Indigenous Affairs minister. He talks to Michelle about indigenous affairs and the changes to the racial discrimination act.
Sun, May 25, 2014
AMA President Brian Owler
New Federal President of the Australian Medical Association Brian Owler talks to Michelle Grattan about the major issues surrounding health after the federal budget.
Thu, May 22, 2014
Katy Gallagher
ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher talks to Michelle Grattan about the federal budget, the difficult cuts to Canberra, the GST and much, much more.
Wed, May 14, 2014
Mathias Cormann and Tony Burke
Our 2014 budget coverage continues with interviews with Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Shadow Finance Minister Tony Burke.
Tue, May 13, 2014
Tim Colebatch
Michelle Grattan and former economics editor of The Age Tim Colebatch discuss the 2014-15 federal budget.
Thu, May 08, 2014
Chris Richardson
Chris Richardson is one of Australia’s best known economists and is in charge of Deloitte Access Economics’ forecasting and policy unit. He talks to Michelle Grattan about the Australian economy, the upcoming budget and the commission of audit.
Wed, April 23, 2014
Jamie Briggs
Jamie Briggs, assistant minister for infrastructure and regional development, talks to Michelle Grattan about his portfolio, the upcoming budget and his previous life as an advisor in John Howard’s office.
Thu, April 17, 2014
John Hewson
John Hewson, a former federal Liberal leader, talks to Michelle Grattan about Barry O'Farrell and the federal budget.
Tue, April 15, 2014
John Brogden
The government is putting the cost to the budget of pensions to the front and centre of the economic debate. John Brogden, chief of the financial services council, is recommending extensive changes to retirement policy.
Sun, April 06, 2014
Francis Sullivan
The Catholic Church has been at the centre of many damaging claims before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Francis Sullivan, CEO of the Truth Justice and Healing Council, a group established to coordinate the Catholic Church’s engagement with the royal commission and to develop a reform agenda around the handling of child sexual abuse, sits down with Michelle Grattan for a wide ranging talk.
Wed, April 02, 2014
Dr Steve Hambleton
As a tough budget nears, health seems high on the cuts agenda, despite promises to not cut in the area, made during the election campaign. AMA Federal President Dr Steve Hambleton sits down with Michelle Grattan to talk about the upcoming budget, Medicare, and much, much more.
Thu, March 27, 2014
Philip Ruddock
Chief Government Whip Philip Ruddock has had a long career in politics, entering parliament in 1973. He talks his role as immigration minister in the Howard government, the racial discrimination act changes and much more.
Mon, March 24, 2014
Tony Burke
Manager of opposition business and shadow finance minister Tony Burke has already held some of the most difficult and controversial portfolios in government and continues to tackle difficult areas in opposition. Michelle and Tony talk about Manus, the government's budget numbers and how Labor plan to get back to government.
Tue, March 18, 2014
Cathy McGowan
Independent member for Indi Cathy McGowan fought one of the most interesting campaigns of the 2013 election, defeating Sophie Mirabella in what had been a safe Liberal seat. Cathy joins Michelle to talk about people power, life as an MP and her electorate.
Wed, March 12, 2014
Heather Smith
Michelle Grattan sits down with G20 sherpa Heather Smith to discuss the ins-and-outs of the massive event, which will be hosted by Australia later this year.
Thu, March 06, 2014
Tim Soutphommasane
Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane sits down with Michelle Grattan to talk about racial discrimination in Australia and the much debated 18c legislation.
Mon, March 03, 2014
Malcolm Turnbull
Michelle Grattan sits down with the Minister for Communication Malcolm Turnbull to talk about the NBN, the ABC and gay marriage.
Thu, February 27, 2014
Clive Palmer
The always interesting leader of the Palmer United Party Clive Palmer talks to Michelle Grattan about running businesses while in parliament, the upcoming Tasmanian and Western Australian elections and the Titanic 2.
Tue, February 25, 2014
Tim Wilson
Tim Wilson is Australia's human rights commissioner and former policy director for the IPA. He talks to Michelle Grattan about the new position, his stance on a varied array of topics and his future.
Wed, February 19, 2014
Richard Marles
Labor spokesman for Immigration and Border Protection Richard Marles talks to Michelle Grattan about Labor's border protection policies, the Manus Island incident and the closure of Alcoa in his electorate.
Sun, February 16, 2014
Josh Frydenberg
Parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister Josh Frydenberg speaks to Michelle Grattan about the government's intention to put its domestic agenda on the global stage when Australia hosts the G20 in November.
Wed, February 12, 2014
Bruce Billson
Minister for Small Business Bruce Billson talks with Michelle about his own experience in small business, the importance of the portfolio to the future of Australia and much, much more.
Wed, February 05, 2014
Paul Howes
Paul Howes is the national secretary of the AWU, he talks to Michelle Grattan off the back of his speech at the National Press Club.
Fri, January 31, 2014
Kim Carr
Senator Kim Carr, Shadow Minister for Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Industry spoke to Michelle Grattan about SPC Armoda, education policy and much more.
Thu, January 23, 2014
Tanya Hosch
Tanya is deputy campaign director for Recognise, working to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the Constitution. She speaks to Michelle about this issue in the lead up to Australia day.
Wed, January 01, 2014
Stephen Parker
Michelle Grattan speaks to University of Canberra Vice Chancellor Stephen Parker about the issues facing higher education under the new government, the rotating door of education ministers in 2013 and much more.
Wed, December 11, 2013
Barnaby Joyce
On this episode Minister for Agriculture and Nationals deputy leader Barnaby Joyce talks about agriculture and the white paper, the role of the Nationals and his new role in the house of representatives.
Thu, December 05, 2013
Chris Bowen
Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen talks to Michelle Grattan about his hectic year, Australia's fiscal situation and much more.
Tue, December 03, 2013
Adam Bandt
Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt speaks to Michelle Grattan about his role on the crossbench, the future of the party and much, much more.
Wed, November 27, 2013
Colin Barnett
Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett talks about COAG, independent schools in WA, GST and much more.
Mon, November 25, 2013
Carmen Lawrence
On this episode Michelle speaks to Carmen Lawrence about life after politics, John Curtin's legacy and her work with the University of Western Australia. **Recorded at the Curtin Family Home in Cottesloe, Western Australia**
Tue, November 19, 2013
Andrew Wilkie
MP for Denison Andrew Wilkie, formally of ONA and a whistleblower, talks to Michelle about the Snowden revelations of Australia's spying on Indonesia.
Tue, November 12, 2013
Mitch Hooke
Mitch Hooke has been CEO of the Minerals Council for 12 years, he is about to step down. Michelle talks to him about the future of mining in Australia, the industries relationship with Labor and much, much more.
Sun, November 10, 2013
Brendan Nelson
Monday is Armistice Day and so Michelle spoke to war memorial chief Brendan Nelson about Australia at war, the war memorial and planned commemorations for the 100 year anniversary of World War One.
Wed, November 06, 2013
Sam Dastyari
New senator and former NSW ALP secretary talks about the Labor Party's future, where they went wrong during the election and what he wants to achieve as a senator.
Tue, October 29, 2013
George Wright
ALP National Secretary and campaign director for the Labor Party George Wright talks about the 2013 election campaign, the carbon tax, Labor going forward and what went wrong in government.
Thu, October 24, 2013
Nick Xenophon
South Australian independent senator Nick Xenophon talks to Michelle Grattan about Clive Palmer, the new senate, the carbon tax and much much more.
Mon, October 21, 2013
Christopher Pyne
Education Minister Christopher Pyne talks about his new portfolio, his time as a student and his role as Leader of the House.
Thu, October 17, 2013
Clare O'Neil & Angus Taylor
It is induction week for new parliamentarians and Michelle Grattan speaks to two new MPs, Labor's Clare O'Neil, who holds the Victorian seat of Hotham and Liberal Angus Taylor, who holds the NSW seat of Hume. Both reach Canberra after rich experiences in fields other than politics.
Mon, October 14, 2013
Bill Shorten
New federal Labor leader Bill Shorten speaks with Michelle about Labor's future, carbon pricing, Tony Abbott and his love of Roman history.
Thu, October 10, 2013
Doug Cameron
Labor Left winger Doug Cameron joins Michelle to talk about the leadership ballot and Labor's future in opposition.
Thu, October 03, 2013
Andrew Leigh
Michelle Grattan speaks to author, economist and the member for Fraser Andrew Leigh, about Labor in opposition and his move from academia to parliamentary life.
Thu, September 26, 2013
Andrew Robb
Andrew Robb speaks about his new portfolio, some of the challenges the Abbott government face, GrainCorp and much more.
Thu, September 26, 2013
Warren Truss
Michelle Grattan talks to Deputy Prime Minister elect Warren Truss about the Wombat Trail, trade, Clive Palmer and much more...
Mon, September 23, 2013
Christine Milne
Michelle Grattan speaks to Greens leader Christine Milne about the 2013 election result, the party's future and voter disillusionment.
Thu, September 19, 2013
Andrew Barr
ACT Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr talks to Michelle Grattan about his advocacy for same-sex marriage, the bill before the legislative assembly and the benefits for the ACT. *Audio issue in interview.
Tue, September 17, 2013
Ian Chubb
Michelle Grattan talks to Australia's Chief Scientist Ian Chubb about the lack of a science portfolio in the ministry, his hopes for his working relationship with Tony Abbott and much more.
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