Latest Episodes
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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+% of what we find is sitting in front of everybody. It’s…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: Nick Xenophon on media reform
As the 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 (NXT) 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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 it put the wheels in motion for its second-best plan: a postal survey. Since announcing that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) would be responsible for carrying out the postal survey, Acting Special Minister of State Mathias Cormann has had no shortage of questions from journalists and on social…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: Tiernan Brady on the 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” campaign for same-sex marriage in Ireland, has been working with activists in Australia to get marriage…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: Peter Jennings on the home affairs department
The new home affairs ministry announced by Malcolm Turnbull on Tuesday is considered by some experts to be unnecessary and potentially dangerous. The director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: Gladys Berejiklian on the need to reform federal-state partnerships
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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. Resources Minister 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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. He tells The Conversation its “one-size-fits-all” approach will put pressure on families and the…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: Mathias Cormann and Anna Bligh on the new bank tax
Despite the hefty tax imposts in Tuesday’s budget, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann still insists the fiscal problem was a spending rather than a revenue one. Cornman says the problem was clearly “on the spending side”, but while the government had made significant progress it couldn’t get all the savings measures through the Senate. “We’ve made some judgements that to the extent that we couldn’t…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: John Hewson on the budget climate
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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan