Australian Politics Nerdjacking

In this episode I hang up the parliamentary boots and toast a successful season of Nerdjacking. We played hard on the left wing, kicked aimlessly on the right wing, marked whilst moving forward and scored with all the finesse and determination of a backbencher before a Cabinet reshuffle. I’ll be taking a short offseason and […]

Welcome to Herdjacking, my podcast about Australian animal husbandry. In this special mini episode Malcolm and I reflect on one of the most important aspects of Australian democracy – the democracy sausage. Find out if your local polling station is Australian enough here. Enjoy!

In this episode Malcolm and I discuss that pesky requirement to have your name checked off the electoral roll every 3 years – compulsory voting. Which countries have it? What are the pros and cons? Listen and find out! Stuff we discussed: Here is the list of countries that have compulsory voting. And my brain wasn’t working […]

In this mini episode I reflect on what happened in Australian politics for the month of September. We’ll look at elections around the world, what the High Court has been up to, and whether any legislation was debated. Enjoy!

In this episode I discuss the recent High Court case of a Senator who thought he was definitely an Australian citizen and not a dual citizen of another country, because you know, the vibe. Have a look at the case if you’re interested. Enjoy!

In this mini episode I read Hansard from 1976. With the government managing to do something unexpected, like pass a media reform bill, I thought we should all have a look at what media reform sounded like in the 70’s. If you’d like to know some of the history and what the 2017 media reforms looked like […]

In this episode I’m joined by Ben as we discuss electoral boundary redistributions. Why do they happen? Who gets to decide? And what will it mean for the next election? Also enjoy my made up Latin term Electio Terminus Distrubutus (thanks Google translate). Stuff we discussed: Election Yoda’s take on the recent electoral boundary malarky. And this […]

In this mini episode I’ll summarise what happened in Australian politics for the month of August 2017. We’ll take a closer look at all the crazy things that went on in parliament, what legislation was debated, and whether anything was actually achieved. Things I discussed: There will be 8 politicians defending their right to be there before the […]

In this episode I’m joined by Matt as we discuss part 4 of Good for your constitution. We look at what will go down as Australia’s most well known and bizarre section of the Constitution – Section 44. We’ll find out about all those politicians new and old that were kicked out and ruled ineligible. […]

In this mini episode I am joined by Kate as we read Hansard from 1977. With all this talk about plebiscites why not have a look at one that actually went ahead. It was a question so burning and so important it needed everyone to participate in a non-compulsory, non-binding vote and have their say. The national […]

In this episode Annie and I discuss what a plebiscite is, how it differs from a referendum, and why everyone keeps talking about them? Without getting too deep into the debate itself, we’ll discuss how we ended up with a postal survey on whether the Marriage Act 1961 should be changed. Stuff we discussed: Referendums are […]

In this mini episode I’ll summarise what happened in Australian politics for the month of July 2017. We’ll take a closer look at how many senators were kicked out for being foreigners, and why no legislation was passed at all. Some of your questions answered in this episode: Has there been a case where a politician had been […]

In this episode I’m joined by Malcolm where we discuss political dynasties and families of influence. Who has been running this joint for generations? Who hands over their electorate like it’s an inheritance? Listen to find out.

In this mini episode I am joined by Kate as we read Hansard from 1975. That dastardly Constitutional Section 44 – disqualification to be a member or senator has been troublesome of recent times, so how did they deal with it in 1975 when Senator Webster went up against the High Court to explain whether he had a […]

In this episode Annie and I discuss the results of the 2016 Census. Did enough people complete it to get any statistics? Listen to find out. Stuff we discussed: Get the low down directly from the ABS. And some more analysis from Business Insider. Music credits to Waiting for that Moment by SK, Bad Cop by […]

In this episode Ben and I discuss how our laws are made. From the introduction of a bill, through the debate, until it’s finally passed. It’s a central aspect of our parliament, so how does the magic happen? Stuff we discussed: Why was the Queen’s speech delayed for the UK parliament? Does anyone know any bills that […]

In this mini episode I’ll have a go at summarising what happened in Australian politics for the month of June 2017. We’ll look at the Finkle energy review, the curious case of Ministers vs the court, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party, and check whether any legislation was passed. If you want to read further, check here: […]

Happy Podiversary! In this episode I’ll reflect on 12 months of podcasting by going back to where it all began. I’ll pick out a few of my favourite moments, and let you know what’s in store for the future. Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far, you all rock! Oh and listen through to […]

In this mini episode I take a trip down memory lane, back to episode 3 to be precise, when I discussed why I have a Hansard collection. In fact I discuss the very person who was the original owner of said Hansard collection. Born 11 February 1913, Clyde Cameron began his career as a shearer and […]

In this episode I’m joined by Kate as we discuss today’s public holiday, the Queen’s Birthday. Why is it in June? Why do we celebrate it? Listen to find out! Stuff that we discussed: All the details of the Order of Australia can be found here. The highest honour is called the Companion of the Order of […]

In this episode I’m joined by Annie as we discuss that great 90’s Yothu Yindi song, Treaty. Or more to the point we’ll discuss the substance of that song – a treaty. What is it? And why is it still such an important concept? Stuff that we discussed: What is the difference between treaty and recognition? The […]

In this mini episode I am joined by Kate as we read Hansard from 1967. The moment 50 years ago when the Australian parliament granted a referendum to count Aboriginal people as part of the Commonwealth. The referendum ultimately received an overwhelming YES vote (90.77% in fact). This week also included Sorry Day, the 25th anniversary of […]

In this episode Kate and I discuss parliamentary committees, what they are, why they exist and who gets to be on one! Why aren’t they more widely known in society? Things we discussed: Are committees in the Constitution? It turns out there is a passing reference to privileges of members of each house and their committees […]

In this episode Kate and I discuss some of the politics and laws relating to mothers and families. What are ‘women’s issues’ and why do we care what dress she wore? What does any of that have to do with raising a family? Listen to find out! Things we discussed: South Australia was the first state to grant women’s […]

In this mini episode I am joined by Kate as we read Hansard from 1973. One of the Whitlam Government’s signature pieces of legislation was the Student Assistance Act 1973. This gave Australians (for a short period of our history) access to free university degrees. Some further reading for those who are interested: The original Act can be […]

In this episode I discuss the parliament’s night of nights – The Budget. Well more specifically the appropriation bills, why they are needed and how the parliament passes them. With all the glitz and glamour on budget night (Tuesday 9 May if you were wondering) it’s easy to miss what actually happens behind the scenes so the […]

In this episode I’m joined by Malcolm as we discuss political parties, particularly the ones that don’t exist anymore. How easy is it to register a party? How many have come and gone? Listen to find out. This will be part of a series of episodes where we look at a range of political parties and what […]

In this mini episode I am joined by Ben as we read Hansard from 1962. To round off our voting systems series, we find a significant turning point in Australia’s electoral system with an historic bill to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to vote in Commonwealth elections. It’s important to note that at that time most states had […]

In this episode I’m joined by Ben as we discuss part 3 of our voting systems series (listen to part 1 and part 2 if you haven’t already). What on earth is range voting? And who would you give your ‘tick’ of approval to? We finally exhaust all of the weird and wonderful voting systems we […]

In this episode I’m joined by Matt as we discuss Sections 18C and 18D of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and try and work out why it’s such a hot topic. Stuff that we discussed: The Jewish community weren’t too happy when Attorney-General George Brandis announced he would repeal S18C as a 2013 election promise. It […]

In this mini episode I am joined by Lauren and Anthony as we read Hansard from 1975. With all this talk about Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, we delve into the history books to find out some of the reasons behind why it was needed and what our lawmakers thought of discrimination more than 40 […]

In this episode Kate and Joanna continue their discussion with part 2 of diversity in politics. What would happen if our parliament was truly representative of all our cultures and religions? Stuff that was mentioned: The term “Tyranny of the majority” was used by US President John Adams, and more recently Israeli journalist Yoel Esteron […]

In this episode Kate and Joanna take over Nerdjacking and discuss diversity in politics. What would happen if our parliament was truly representative of all the groups in Australian society? Of the 226 members in both houses: 113 would be women (73 in current parliament) 25 would be LGBTI (8 in current parliament) 45 would […]

In this mini episode I am joined by Malcolm as we read Hansard from 1975. With all this talk about energy policy, what did our forebears do to fix the rising demand for power? Find out the history of Australia’s greatest engineering feat, with a little spicy politics thrown in for good measure. Enjoy!

In this episode I’m joined by Matt as we discuss energy policy, renewables and blackouts. There was so much wind energy bellowing from everyone’s mouths that we had to record an update to the podcast before it went to air. Stuff that we discussed: Check out the Clean Energy Regulator and the Renewable Energy Target of the Australian […]

In this episode I’m joined by Ben as we discuss part 2 of our voting systems series (listen to part 1 if you haven’t already). What is proportional representation? What about multimember electorates? And why are we forced to vote at every election? Listen and find out. Stuff that we discussed: List of countries that use single transferable […]

In this mini episode I am joined by Kate as we read Hansard from 1978 – Minister for a day edition. Imagine this – Malcom Fraser wins the election, he’s just given you a call to give you the good news that you are going to be a Minister, then the ABC calls you and tricks […]

In this episode I’m joined by Malcolm as we discuss part 3 of Good for your constitution, specifically the Governor-General. How are they appointed? What role do they play? Listen to find out. Some fun facts: There have been 4 times where a Governor-General has used the reserve powers: 1904, 1905, 1909 and 1975. The first […]

In this episode I’m joined by Matt as we discuss part 2 of Good for your constitution. We look at some of the aspects of the Constitution in more detail, such as the High Court and the separation between the Commonwealth and the States. In the episode: The Northern Territory Bottle Deposit Scheme had a bumpy […]

In this mini episode I am joined by Kate and Annie as we read Hansard from 1955 – Hansard Roulette edition. Kate reads about child endowment, Annie reads about foreign affairs and defence, and Kym reads a motion to shut the speaker up. Shout out to Well May We Say, a very informative politics podcast that want […]

Nerdjacking is back for 2017, bigger, better and jam packed full of nerdy and politicky goodness. In this episode I’m joined by Ben as we discuss different voting systems. What are their advantages and disadvantages? Where are they used? Why do we have the system we do in Australia? Listen and find out. I’m too full of […]

In this episode I’m joined by Matt (an actual law-knowing-guy) as we discuss the highest law in the land – the Australian Constitution. Why is it important? Listen to find out. Plus we find a few constitutional quirks and some High Court cases happening right now. You can find the (supposedly hidden) Constitution  on the parliament website here. Music […]

In this mini episode I am joined by Kate as we read Hansard from 1973 – the Christmas edition. As the last sitting day of the year draws to a close, Gough Whitlam and Billy Sneddon put down the gloves and give each other the customary pat on the bum and ‘nice duelling with you old chap’ […]

In this episode I’m joined by Kate as we discuss whether we get value for money out of our politicians. Could you survive on a poultry $199,040 salary? What about a lifetime of free domestic travel once you retire? Fancy having to suffer through those entitlements. PS, John Howard is a spritely 77 years old. Music […]

In this episode I’m joined by Malcolm as we discuss Captain Trump, he’s our hero, he’s going to take Mexican immigration down to zero. Do we have an equivalent in Australia? Can we Frankenstein ourselves a leader out of all the best qualities of the Donald? Listen to find out. Yes, Bert Newton is still […]

In this mini episode I am joined by Malcolm as we read Hansard from 1973. We discover what caused 1980’s television and when solar panels were invented. Do you have a pocket on your bib?

In this episode I discuss the treaties that make a difference. Well one treaty anyway: the Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty – ANZUS. As usual I said a bunch of things on the podcast that should be properly referenced, and occasionally I don’t read things very thoroughly… Fact Check on whether Australia is […]

In this episode I’m joined by James as we discuss the US election. Who will win, Trump or Clinton? Why should we care? What does it have to do with Australian politics? Listen to find out!

In this mini episode I am joined by Kate as we rant about the week in politics. Who can afford a house? Who can afford smashed avocado? Who can afford to buy an insolvent Senator? Well listen and find out!

In this episode I’m joined by Malcolm as we discuss moving from the Senate to the House. Why would anyone want to do that? If it’s anything like actually moving house, it sounds like too much effort. Music credits to Ketsa with Control and Podington Bear with Bit Rio Enjoy!

In this episode I’m joined by Kate as we discuss symbolism in parliament. What traditions have been around for hundreds of years and why do we still have them? Does your workplace have a black rod? And no that wasn’t a euphemism. Other stuff I mentioned: I couldn’t find any records of arrests or beatings […]