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Anthony Albanese is calling for new measures to safeguard AI, but Donald Trump isn't interested.
Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with the Feeney (McCrone) Files, with Lissie Ratcliff subbing in for David Feeney. This month's episode covers three big threads: the media's campaign to blame the Andrews government for Victorian Labor's current polling slump, the Albanese government's immigration announcement and what it means for One Nation's vote, and what it means to be authentic in modern politics.We cover:
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joins David Speers from Silicon Valley, with Patricia Karvelas, Laura Tingle, Charles Croucher and James Massola on the couch.
On the 2nd of December 1972, after 23 years of Coalition government, Gough Whitlam led Labor to victory with one of the most celebrated campaigns in Australian political history. But how effective was it at the time? And what does the story of that campaign reveal about how elections are actually won?Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Dr Stephen Mills (journalist, former speechwriter in Bob Hawke's office, and author of multiple books on elections) for a deep dive into the 1972 federal election.They cover the Labor split of the 1950s and how it haunted the party for a generation; how Whitlam untied the Gordian knot of state aid with a single elegant policy; the accidental election of Mick Young as National Secretary; the first ever use of focus groups in a federal election campaign; and the making of the iconic It's Time ad and jingle. Plus several new awards and categories created just for The Recount. Don't miss it.Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.Support the showSocially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocraticIf you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.Follow Us on Socials:Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au
The debate on online harm and what government can do to better protect Australian's has dominated this sitting week in Parliament, but division remains on what is the best way to do so.
Secret Harbour, Labor's Longevity, and other Mailbag Questions with Lissie Ratcliff and Michael Gunner | Australia's Labor PodcastAustralian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with the September Mailbag. Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by regular guest Lissie Ratcliff, as well as former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Michael Gunner.They cover:
Louise Adler has been one of the biggest and most controversial names in Australian publishing for decades. This is the story of how she fell in love with the world of books.An asthmatic child, she spent most of Melbourne's winters in bed with nothing else to do but read novels.But it wasn't until her parents intervened in Louise's obsession with Enid Blyton's boarding school series that her deep pleasure in the world of books began in earnest.Shaped by her family's story of surviving World War Two, Louise grew up in questioning everything.She was 15 years old when she went to her first Vietnam moratorium and was locked up for her role in the protests.She travelled to Israel at the age of 17, which was a transformative experience for her.Back in Australia, Louise began her career in publishing, backing some unconventional and headline-grabbing authors from Tony Abbott and Mark Latham to Louise Milligan and Mick Gatto.Louise was Director of Adelaide Writers' Week from 2023, until the dramatic collapse of the 2026 festival.This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison. It was recorded live at the Byron Writers Festival.It explores writing, writers, books, Australian literature, Randa Abdel-Fattah, Israel, Palestine, Anti-Semitism commission, Judaism, WWII, Holocaust survivors, Adelaide Writers Festival, Byron Writers Festival, freedom of speech, Australian literary scene, origin story, Auspol, politics, big ideas, memoir, love, marriage, safe spaces, Grace Tame.
Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam joins David Speers with Niki Savva, James Campbell and Karen Middleton on the couch.
Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is launching something new.Starting next month, we're embarking on a two-year series called The Recount: a month-by-month deep dive into every single federal election since 1972. That's 21 elections, one per episode, all the way from Gough Whitlam's 'It's Time' to Labor's historic 2025 victory. No one has ever done long-form analysis of Australian federal campaigns quite like this. We're going to speak to the people who were in the room, examine what actually happened, from the strategy, the technology, and the seminal moments that turned each election. We ask the question that hangs over all of it: do campaigns actually matter?Joining Stephen Donnelly for the entire journey is Dr Stephen Mills, a journalist, former speechwriter in Bob Hawke's office, and author of three landmark books on Australian political campaigns: The New Machine Men, The Hawke Years, and The Professionals.In this introductory episode, they discuss how Australian federal campaigning transformed from gut feel and state-based fiefdoms to data, analytics and national strategy. The Recount begins on September 18 with Episode 1: 1972, It's Time. Don't miss it.Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. New episodes every Friday.Mentioned in the Show:'The Professionals: Strategy, Money and the Rise of the Political Campaigner in Australia' [ https://amzn.to/4yemmRO ] by Dr. Stephen MillsSupport the showSocially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic.Access ad-free episodes and send in questions by joining our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SociallyDemocraticIf you like the show, rate and review us on your favourite podcast app.Follow Us on Socials:Facebook (https://tr.ee/9jGIOy)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sociallydemocratic)LinkedIn (https://tr.ee/YxyYJh)X (https://x.com/SocialDemPod)YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@DunnStreet)The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au
By speaking publicly about the threats she's facing, the One Nation leader has shone a light on a growing problem facing our democracy but pinning them on routine political rhetoric risks accusations of political point-scoring.
In this bonus episode for Patreon subscribers, Tom and Emerald meet one of #auspol’s finest shitstirrers and antagonists, Nick Schadegg! What does he get out of posting? Why can’t he quit Twitter? Is everyone insane? And a look through some of his greatest hits. Featuring Caleb Bond, Drew Pavlou, and other lowlifes!---------- The show can only exist because of our wonderful Patreon subscriber’s support. Subscribe for $3/month to get access to our fortnightly subscriber-only full episode, and unlock our complete library of over ONE HUNDRED past bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU ---------- https://x.com/nickschadegg Produced by Michael Griffinhttps://instagram.com/mikeskillz Follow us on https://twitter.com/SeriousDangerAU https://www.instagram.com/seriousdangerau https://www.tiktok.com/@seriousdangerauSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek joins David Speers with Anna Henderson, Waleed Aly and Ashleigh Raper on the couch.
This special episode of Socially Democratic was recorded live at the Victorian Trades Hall Council, as a fundraiser for four Labor women fighting battleground seats in November: Michaela Settle (Eureka), Daniela De Martino (Monbulk), Pauline Richards (Cranbourne) and Belinda Wilson (Narre Warren North).
As is so often the case in Australia, the politics came down to a fight over energy. Should the data centre boom be powered by renewables or fossil fuels?
One Nation MP David Farley joins David Speers with Phil Coorey, Andrew Probyn and Clare Armstrong on the couch.
Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic returns to one of the most important and difficult conversations in Australian public life. In December last year, following the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach that killed 15 Jewish Australians on the first night of Hanukkah, we spoke about the rise of antisemitism in Australia and the Left's role in allowing it to fester. We promised to follow up.The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is now in its sixth month of hearings. Over 20,000 submissions have been made in the largest community response to any Royal Commission in Australian history, from a community of just 120,000 people.Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Lisa Mittelman, Director of Public Affairs and Strategy for the Zionist Federation of Australia, to unpack what we're learning.⚖️ Where does free speech end and threats to safety begin?✡️ How the days after October 7th changed the Jewish community's understanding of their place in Australia
Political journalist, George Megalogenis has mapped key areas in our population, workforce and geopolitical standing in recent decades, and looks at how these shifts are impacting our collective political future.For the first time since Federation, Australia's population is mostly made up of migrants and their children. Professional women have now replaced men doing blue collar jobs as the largest segment of the workforce.And on the world scale, Australia can no longer rely on our traditional allies or trading partners.These three elements have already changed the political landscape in our country, and this will only continue as time goes on.Further informationThree Shocks: Who we are becoming in the 21st Century is published by Penguin Random House.This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan and the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.It covers auspol, populism, John Howard, Paul Keating, Harold Holt, Pauline Hanson, One Nation, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Western Australia, parliament, teals, Higgins, Bennelong, Chinese-Australians, Peter Costello, First Nations, Federation, convicts, migration, White Australia policy, one parent born overseas, census, data, graphs, data journalism and Prime Ministers.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.
Fights over immigration, superannuation, housing, tobacco excise and data centre rules will continue and intensify. But this was a week for cooperation.
NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister joins David Speers with Lenore Taylor, Mark Kenny and Jane Norman on the couch.
Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with the August Mailbag. It's just Stephen and Lissie this month, with Todd Pinkerton away temporarily. Lissie Ratcliff joins host Stephen Donnelly for a packed episode covering teacher strikes in Victoria, the Suburban Rail Loop saga, gambling reform, UK Politics, and a deep dive into the US Democratic primaries.They cover:
Behind the scenes, Angus Taylor and Anthony Albanese have been engaged in a rare level of cooperation this week but in public the opposition leader is using the melon saga to mount an all-out assault on the prime minister's character.
25 years of Insiders - it's been quite a journey!We look back at the 25 years of the show with some special guests, including founding host Barrie Cassidy.
Socially Democratic goes live at the 50th ALP National Conference Fringe in Adelaide for a special panel on one of the Labor Party's most important and least discussed challenges: how do we grow our membership, and how do we keep people once they join?Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Todd Pinkerton, Director of Campaigns and Strategy at Unions NSW; Bisma Asif, Member for Sandgate in the Queensland Parliament; and Hannah MacLeod, Executive Director SA/NT at the McKell Institute.They cover:
If stopping asylum seeker boats was the great immigration challenge in decades past, achieving a lower Net Overseas Migration (NOM) figure has become the new political test.
Deputy Opposition Leader Jane Hume joins David Speers with James Campbell, Jacqueline Maley and Tom Crowley on the couch.
Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic goes live at the 50th ALP National Conference in Adelaide.Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by David Feeney and Jessie McCrone for a wide-ranging night of conference trivia, half-year report cards, and hot takes.They cover:
After delivering a pre-election prediction that "the worst of the inflation challenge is behind us", only to see inflation then steadily rise, Treasurer Jim Chalmers is now more cautious.
Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with a snap episode. Victoria has a new Premier.On Monday and Tuesday, in a matter of 48 hours, Jacinta Allan was replaced by Ben Carroll, who is now the 50th Premier of Victoria.Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by two people who know Victorian Labor politics from the inside: former Victorian State Secretary and MP David Feeney, and former Chief of Staff to the Daniel Andrews - Lissie Ratcliff.They unpack:
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joins David Speers with Ashleigh Raper, Rafael Epstein and Greg Brown on the couch.
This episode of Socially Democratic is a special two-parter recorded on the eve of the ALP National Conference in Adelaide.Part one: pollster John Armitage from Qdos Research joins Stephen for a mid-year federal check-in. One Nation is at 30% in Newspoll. The Liberals have collapsed to 19%. And the swing is coming from women.Part two: Priya Brown from GRA Partners breaks down the Secret Harbour by-election in WA: a long winter campaign in a mortgage-belt seat that One Nation has firmly in its sights.
Shadow Housing Minister Andrew Bragg joins Patricia Karvelas, with Annabel Crabb, Paul Sakkal and Katina Curtis on the couch.
Socially Democratic is back with the July Mailbag, and we're here to answer your questions on AI regulation, nationalising critical infrastructure, and whether Victorians should be nervous about the state election.Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by former Chief of Staff to Daniel Andrews and Managing Partner at FMRS Advisory Lissie Ratcliff, and the Director of Campaigns and Strategy at Unions NSW, Todd Pinkerton.They cover:
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy joins Patricia Karvelas with Jacob Greber, Sarah Martin and Andrew Probyn on the couch.
Socially Democratic goes live at the New South Wales Labor State Conference Fringe for a special episode recorded in front of a live audience at Sydney Town Hall.Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by regular guest and Unions NSW Director of Campaigns and Strategy Todd Pinkerton, Federal Member for Cunningham Alison Byrnes, and ALP National Assistant Secretary Rosie Ryan.They cover:
Parliament has reached its winter break - so where does everyone stand?
Apologies to our listeners for the technical difficulties this week. Socially Democratic heads to Victorian Trades Hall for a special episode with two of the most important figures in the Victorian trade union movement.Luke Hilakari, Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, and Wil Stracke, Assistant Secretary, join host Stephen Donnelly to talk organising, digital campaigning, the rise of One Nation, and what happens to working people when AI reshapes the economy.This is a rare inside look at how Trades Hall went from a place that passed resolutions to one of the most sophisticated campaigning operations in the country.Plus:
The slight recovery in Labor's polling shifts assumptions about what's in store for the remainder of this parliamentary term.
Will Labor's broken budget promise haunt them all the way to the next election? And how does Opposition Leader, Angus Taylor recover from the mess he's made on multiculturalism?
James O'Loghlin had only just reconnected with one of his best and oldest friends, Jum Wallner, when Jum received some terrible news. What began next was a high stakes race with a fatal deadline.The two men had grown up in Canberra, where thousands of homes had been filled with asbestos, which was often carelessly installed and removed.Jum himself had grown up in one of these so-called "Mr Fluffy" homes, named after the local company that had installed the carcinogenic insulation.When Jum felt a pain in his side, it wasn't long before the father of two and husband was diagnosed with mesothelioma and given months to live.Jum had discovered that if you got sick from being exposed to asbestos in your workplace you were entitled to compensation, but if it came from your home, you got nothing.So Jum asked his old friend James for some help to petition the powers that be to help asbestos victims like himself and their families.James began a race against time, trying to convince both the ACT and Federal governments to help Jum and others, in the middle of a pandemic, before it was too late.Along the way, James and Jum reconnected deeply as friends who desperately wished they had more time together.The Missing Piece is published by Echo Publishing.More information about the Loose-Fill Asbestos Disease Support Scheme can be found at the ACT Government's website. This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.It explores friendship, male friendship, university days, terminal disease, James Hardie, cancer, terminal diagnosis, how to grieve a friend, activism, petition governments, Covid, pandemic, Greg Hunt, Angus Taylor, compensation, accidental activist, dying friends, mourning, funerals, Andrew Barr, ALP, Labor party, Liberals, bipartisan, Albanese, politics, Auspol, burnout, diagnosis.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed a phased end to the fuel excise discount, amid confusion over an end to the war in the Middle East.
Host Stephen Donnelly sits down with NSW ALP General Secretary Dom Ofner ahead of the NSW Labor Conference, July 4–5 at Sydney Town Hall.They cover:
A shock Coalition resignation exposes deep cracks in the opposition, while Labor repositions itself to halt a surging One Nation.
The Albanese government is paying an economic and political toll for an ongoing and deeply unpopular war.
It is up to the Greens to decide whether they will pass tax changes or join the Coalition in an unlikely alliance. The minor party is also among those expressing AUKUS concerns.
In this episode of Socially Democratic, your Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast, host Stephen Donnelly is joined by senior Democratic consultant and former Obama field organiser Katie Parsons for a deep dive into the state of the Democratic Party.The DNC finally released its post-mortem of the 2024 Harris presidential campaign. It was, to put it diplomatically, not great. Neither the campaign, nor the post-mortem. So what do we actually know about what went wrong, and is the party any closer to having answers?With the US midterms six months away and the 2028 presidential primary already taking shape, Katie and Stephen unpack it all:
Tax changes, interest rate hikes, wars and volatility have created the perfect housing market storm. So will prices tumble and what will happen to supply?
This episode of Socially Democratic covers the May federal budget: the politics, the comms, and what it means for Labor heading into the next Victorian election.David Feeney is away, so Stephen Donnelly and Jessie McCrone are joined this month by Lissie Ratcliff, former Andrews Chief of Staff and regular Mailbag guest, for a cracking Feeney Files sans Feeney.They cover:
Within the government, there's quiet confidence the battery boom will continue to gather pace and help shield Australia from both global shocks and domestic demand surges, driving prices even lower.
It was a tough week for the government after entrepreneurs and business owners took to social media to vent their outrage over proposed capital gains tax changes.
In an already difficult post-budget week, Labor isn't being helped by some of its "friends". But it has won an important endorsement from one powerful voice.