Current Affairs Club

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Anthony Vassiliadis and Sam Fox of the ANU Classical Liberal Society. It was interesting to hear them describe their group's unique place in the youth politics landscape and lay out their vision for a classical liberal (it could even be described as 'progressive capitalist') future. Enjoy the interview, and let me know your feedback down below!The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Current Affairs Club team. We pride ourselves on being unaffiliated with any political entity or activist organisation, and this episode is presented strictly for informational and entertainment purposes.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with “Al” (pseudonym) from The Eureka Initiative, a newly-formed Australian group advocating socialism, anti-imperialism, and republicanism. Our discussion was a fascinating glimpse into the state of left-wing politics in our country. Enjoy, and as always, share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Current Affairs Club team. We pride ourselves on being unaffiliated with any political entity or activist organisation, and this episode is presented strictly for informational and entertainment purposes.

In this episode I had the pleasure of talking with Angus Smith, 2024 Wagga Wagga Young Citizen of the Year, youth parliament member, and currently a research assistant at the ANU National Security College in Canberra. We discussed growing up in Wagga, his civic engagement, national security issues, and the future of the Liberal Party.

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Current Affairs Club #3

Host: Max McLeod

Co-directors: Holly van Niekerk, Joshua Rimmer

Editor: Holly van Niekerk

Camera operator: Maryia Merkulava

Lighting: Claire Bright

Extras: Joshua Lewis

Timestamps

0:00 Who is Angus Smith?

2:42 Wagga Wagga

6:35 Australia Day Committee and inclusiveness

10:14 Kurrajong and disability awareness

14:18 Youth Parliament

20:20 Wagga Wagga Young Citizen of the Year

22:44 Civic engagement

26:48 Research assistant at ANU NSC

33:07 Australia’s national security environment

54:17 Israel and Gaza

1:03:37 US strikes on Iran

1:08:29 Australia and Trump

1:18:13 Politics and the Liberal Party

1:29:25 Credits

The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Current Affairs Club team. We pride ourselves on being unaffiliated with any politician, political entity, or activist/lobbyist organisation, and this episode is presented strictly for informational and entertainment purposes.

The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Current Affairs Club team. We pride ourselves on being unaffiliated with any political entity or activist organisation, and this episode is presented strictly for informational and entertainment purposes.

Drew Pavlou is a 25-year-old activist from Brisbane, Australia who first came to prominence after organising a protest against the Chinese government at the University of Queensland (UQ) in July 2019. In this episode we discussed the UQ protest, China, Trump, Ukraine, and more.

Host: Max McLeod

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:43 - Being named by Chinese state media

00:04:57 - UQ protest saga

00:12:50 - Public profile

00:15:15 - Hardship & what drives Drew

00:24:27 - Dealing with criticism

00:29:04 - Intentions of the Trump Administration

00:33:30 - US-Australia alliance

00:35:26 - What Drew saw in Ukraine

00:37:10 - New media and Australian politics

00:39:38 - Outro

The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or Current Affairs Club team. We pride ourselves on being unaffiliated with any political entity or activist organisation, and this episode is presented strictly for informational and entertainment purposes.

For my inaugural episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Will Shackel, the 18 year old founder of Nuclear for Australia, which campaigns to lift Australia’s nuclear energy bans. We discussed a range of topics, including the basics of nuclear energy, safety and waste management, how Will got interested in nuclear energy and started NFA, his travels and media appearances, and the politicisation of the nuclear debate in Australia.

My goal with this channel is to host the most in-depth, nuanced, and non-partisan conversations possible. I’m keen to interview guests on all sides of the Australian energy debate, and from all across the political spectrum on a variety of current affairs issues.

Discussing current affairs and personal stories is all part of my mission to encourage young people to be civically engaged and ambitious, and to try to better understand the world, bit by bit.

Thank you for joining me in this mission.

Max McLeod:

Instagram: @MaxMcLeodPublic

X: ⁠@MaxMcLeodPublic⁠

Spotify: The Max McLeod Podcast

Apple Podcasts: The Max McLeod Podcast

Will Shackel:

Instagram: @will_shackel

X: @ShackelWill

Nuclear for Australia:

Instagram: @nuclearforaustralia

X: @nuclearforaus

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/nuclearforaustralia/⁠

Grace Stanke tour tickets: ⁠https://www.nuclearforaustralia.com/tour⁠

Website: ⁠https://www.nuclearforaustralia.com/⁠

Recommended readings:

US Dept. Energy Advanced Nuclear Liftoff Report: ⁠https://liftoff.energy.gov/advanced-nuclear-2/⁠

The Rickover Effect: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Rickover-Effect-How-Made-Difference/dp/0595252702⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:42) What is nuclear energy?

(00:08:43) Safety and waste management

(00:21:14) The Simpsons

(00:24:13) How Will got interested in nuclear energy

(00:25:37) Australia’s nuclear bans

(00:28:18) Starting Nuclear for Australia

(00:29:56) Senate committee and Dick Smith

(00:33:20) COP28 in Dubai, interviewing Macron

(00:36:32) Visiting Britain

(00:41:48) Visiting the US

(00:45:25) The future of energy

(00:49:29) Media appearances and online abuse

(00:55:30) Will’s non-partisanship and the politicisation of the nuclear debate

(00:57:33) Regional communities and jobs

(01:05:43) Everyday radiation exposure

(01:08:55) The Coalition’s nuclear policy

(01:13:13) Nuclear costings compared

(01:18:30) SMRs and other reactor models

(01:28:23) What it’s like being a teenage public figure

(01:38:05) Will the Labor or the Greens go pro-nuclear?

(01:41:27) Global nuclear bipartisanship

(01:43:10) Does a Coalition defeat in 2025 kill nuclear energy here?

(01:46:42) NFA’s Grace Stanke tour

(01:52:44) Reading recommendations

(01:53:50) Advice for young people

(01:55:19) Outro