Latest Episodes
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. Labor is pitching for a fifth term in South Australia, with former senator Nick Xenophon's SA-Best party injecting a high element of unpredictability into the result. Jobs and power prices are at the front of voters’ minds, while the gambling industry is investing heavily to try to fend off the…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: Jacinda Ardern on her political life
Ahead of her second visit to Australia, 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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 is 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: Mark Dreyfus on changing the government's foreign interference bill
Introduced in the final hours of parliament sitting last year, the government's foreign interference legislation has been criticised for being draconian and too broad. 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
2 Hosts: Michelle Grattan and John Blaxland
Politics podcast: 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 talk, while at a federal level it has emboldened the Nationals to take a more independent line. Nationals 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: the 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 gained their seats 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.
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: swinging into the Sunshine State's election
The pundits are reluctant to place bets on who will win Queensland's November 25 election. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls both carry 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 holding the balance of power in the new parliament. The Adani coal mine project has been centre-stage…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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 publicity circuit. Rudd now spends much of his time in the US, 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: Energy Security Board chair Kerry Schott on a national energy plan
The government's long-awaited energy plan rejected Chief Scientist Alan Finkel's clean energy target, which focused on subsidies for renewables, in favour of a National Energy Guarantee. 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
Politics podcast: 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 University of Canberra Chancellor Tom Calma in collaboration with ANU. Evans talks with Michelle Grattan about his…
1 Host: Michelle Grattan
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