Cut Through

In a special Q&A episode of Cut Through, Rachel puts your questions to long-time Crikey contributors, climate analyst Ketan Joshi and Dr Ben Eltham, about the unfortunate topic de jour: the rapid proliferation of data centres. What are they? Do we actually need them? And what is the benefit — if any — of having them operate on Australian soil?

Plus, the AI wins we’ve had so far, and how this is a critical time in the battle against the normalisation of energy-guzzling, slop-producing data warehouses.

Today’s episode covers:

• What exactly is a data centre and do we need them?
• Artificial intelligence, energy use and personal responsibility
• Does Australia actually benefit from housing data centres?
• “Sovereignty-washing” and the lie of frontier models
• How the rest of the world is dealing with data centres
• The best-case scenario

Read the transcript here, watch or listen to the episode above.

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Read more:

Canberra is ‘drinking the Kool-Aid’ on AI. Where will it take us?

Doomsday AI cultists aren’t just good marketers — they’re capturing governments

What Ireland’s cautionary tale on data centres can teach Australia

NVIDIA’S AI Climate hoax

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It’s been a busy month for our tips hog, Cochon Truffier. The intrepid pig snooped out some internal discussions between NACC staffers which probably should have been had at the pub, investigated the backlash to Mia Freedman’s comments about the Ed Sheeran/Macklemore saga, and dug into why student politicians at Sydney Uni were getting their knickers in a knot over allegations involving horse meat and bribery in Kazakhstan.

Plus, we take you behind the scenes of Barnaby Joyce’s run-in with a neo-Nazi at Canberra Casino, and look at how One Nation candidates in Victoria just can’t get their resumes right.

Today’s episode covers:

• Why Barnaby went to “friendly” media rather than respond to Crikey over casino saga
• One Nation candidates and their sometimes inaccurate bios
• Mia Freedman feels the heat from Mamamia’s Facebook fans over Palestine
• Locker room chat at the NACC
• The saga of Sydney Uni politics, horse meat and Kazakh bribes

Read more:

• Crikey asked Barnaby Joyce about a neo-Nazi encounter at a casino. His response shows how politics and media work
• A star One Nation candidate said he was a criminal lawyer. There’s no record of that
• The Snoop: News24’s unfortunate uniform, Mamamia’s audience backlash on Gaza, and more
• The Snoop: NACC’s internal messages revealed, 7.30’s foreign policy ‘bias’, and more
• The Snoop: One Nation candidate claims ‘witch hunt’, NFL’s play for Blinky Bill, and more

Want to ask us a question? Send an email to [email protected] or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/

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Paul Keating was prime minister of a very different Australia, in a very different geopolitical environment from that of today. How does his ambition for Australia hold up 30 years later? Crikey politics editor Bernard Keane and Professor James Curran from the University of Sydney discuss Keating’s legacy, and whether his approach to foreign policy suffered from the curse of being “right, but too early”.

Today’s episode covers:

• Shaping foreign policy in a post-Cold War world
• Winston Churchill’s influence on Keating
• Australia and Asia under Keating
• Indonesian President Suharto’s impact on Keating
• Reimagining Australia’s national identity
• Keating’s view of the US alliance: then and now
• Sliding doors: The 1996 election loss

Read more:

• Grand Ambition: Paul Keating's global vision for Australia by James Curran
• Paul Keating and a very present past raise hard questions for a country of decidedly modest ambition

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Worms on the uterus, chatbots soliciting photos of women’s breasts, and AI-generated podcasts shilling supplements: welcome to the weird, dark and dangerous world of AI “Mum Slop”, a genre of content targeting the health anxieties of pregnant people and new mothers. 

Crikey contributor Madison Griffiths joins the podcast to expand on her recent article exploring the intersection of AI and women’s health, for good, bad and worse. 

Today’s episode covers:

• What is “Mum Slop”?
• Why new mothers are susceptible to AI exploitation
• Why slop doesn’t have to look realistic to shill products
• Sexism and the “certainty gap” in women’s health
• Can the “Digital Duty of Care” legislation help curb the harms of Mum Slop?
• How the “free birth” movement leveraged social media

Read more:

• Welcome to the dark and dangerous world of Mum Slop
• Madison Griffiths’ Labour Relations essay series
• First-time mother scared to feed her daughter after varying advice from multiple practitioners

Want to ask us a question? Send an email to [email protected] or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/ 

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After conducting 10 days of public hearings and receiving almost 800 written submissions, the independent AUKUS public inquiry is moving into its final phase. It will soon prepare a report to answer the question: will AUKUS keep us safe, and at what cost?

In today’s special episode, the inquiry’s lead commissioner Peter Garrett and former submariner and independent senator Rex Patrick join Cut Through to answer your burning questions about the AUKUS deal and what the inquiry can practically achieve without government buy-in.

Today’s episode covers:

Peter Garrett (listen from 01:00):

• The lack of government – and Labor party – interest
• The US use of HMAS Stirling naval base in WA
• Weighing up informed vs uninformed submissions
• Impact on Australian sovereignty and foreign policy
• Can the inquiry have practical outcomes?

Rex Patrick (listen from 30:10): 

• Cost and opportunity-cost of AUKUS
• Government secrecy over handling of nuclear waste
• Will technological advancement make AUKUS submarines obsolete too soon?
• What if the submarines are never delivered?
• The merits of AUKUS
• Public inquiries vs parliamentary inquiries

Read more:

• AUKUS Public Inquiry
• The anti-AUKUS campaign needs to turn into an effective political movement
• In the fantasyland of AUKUS, even the good news shows how badly things are going
• AUKUS waste is a toxic topic. The Albanese government wants it kept quiet
• Undersea drones are a welcome addition. But as with everything AUKUS, details are scant

Want to ask us a question? Send an email to [email protected] or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/ 

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Why the eSafety Commissioner is arguing it should be allowed to keep some secrets relating to the under-16 social media ban, WA Labor’s gas lobbyist candidate for the Secret Harbour by-election does a runner, and former NACC commissioner Paul Brereton gets exposed by FOIs... again! 

Charlie Lewis and Crystal Andrews recap these stories and many more compelling, illuminating and absurd items from The Snoop, our daily roundup of tips, treasures and titbits from news and politics in Australia and around the world.

This episode covers:

• Paul Brereton’s redacted conflicts of interest declaration
• Analysis by Rex Patrick: The government’s poor performance on FOIs
• Hit rate and secrets of the eSafety Commissioner 
• Labor’s decision to ignore former gambling addict Luke Bateman
• PointsBet CEO calls for more regulation
• Who wins WA Secret Harbour by-election: Labor or One Nation?
• RFK Jr’s ridiculous ringtone

Want to ask us a question? Send an email to [email protected] or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/ 

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Crikey’s independent journalism is supported by readers — 98% of our revenue comes from our subscribers. We’re not accountable to billionaires; we’re accountable to you.

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Two major bills passed parliament this week, with Labor and the Coalition coming together to get the job done on gambling advertising reforms and the NDIS overhaul.

Crikey’s politics writer Rachel Withers joins readers’ editor Crystal Andrews and media reporter Daanyal Saeed to bring you up to speed on which MPs crossed the floor to vote against their party, the important details buried within both sets of legislation, and whether the optics of a Labor and Liberal duopoly will turn voters off. 

Plus, the anti-abortion bill — and accompanying stunt by the Australian Christian Lobby — you might have missed. 

This episode covers:

• What’s in the final gambling ad ban
• Coalition MPs crossing the floor
• NDIS cuts pass in the Senate
• What does the Coalition get out of this?
• Do voters like major party deal-making?
• Australian Christian Lobby’s “Born Alive” anti-abortion bill
• Tip: More One Nation Victoria candidates
• Tip: Is Clive Palmer returning to politics again?

Want to ask us a question? Send an email to [email protected] or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/ 

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When it comes to what some call Australia's "epidemic" of men's violence against women, the media plays a significant role – as evidenced by the reporting on the trial of convicted rapist, Melbourne talent manager Ralph Carr. After a decade of media reform advocacy, Jane Gilmore says news headlines are still littered with rape myths, the villainisation of victims and favourable descriptions of perpetrators.

She joins the podcast to discuss what drives sensationalist media coverage of men’s violence and why AI is about to make matters even worse.

This episode covers:

• Media reporting on the rape trial of Ralph Carr
• Why headlines continue to demonise victims and downplay the acts of perpetrators
• The end of the “good guy” narrative for male perpetrators of violence
• The role of social media in driving the gender divide
• Gilmore’s “Groundhog Day” experience in advocacy and policy spaces
• Labelling female journalists “activists”
• Tip: The media and court suppression orders

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If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault or violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

For counselling, advice and support for men in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania who have anger, relationship or parenting issues, call the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491. Men in WA can contact the Men’s Domestic Violence Helpline on 1800 000 599.

Read more:

• $1.3 million was spent to improve media reporting on male violence. Twelve years later, I fear little has changed
• Rape myths in the media reporting of the High-Profile Melbourne Man’s rape trial
• Pledge to change suppression order law is small progress that smacks of lip service – The Age editorial

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Immigration is one of the most dominant and heated political topics of the moment, with the media extensively covering an apparent surge in anti-immigration sentiment among Australian voters. Everything from housing shortages to unemployment is blamed on overseas arrivals, while the care economy is more reliant than ever on foreign workers.

Bernard Keane joins the podcast to discuss the role of immigration in today’s Australia – which now has more to do with economics than it does with culture – and explain what good migration policy should look like in the years to come.

Want to ask us a question? Send an email to [email protected] or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/ 

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Read more:

• Seize the Moment by Bernard Keane
• Chapter excerpt: Immigration is a huge opportunity for Australia, but there are obstacles to overcome
• Australian Bureau of Statistics, Overseas Migration 2024-2025

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Crikey’s independent journalism is supported by readers — 98% of our revenue comes from our subscribers. We’re not accountable to billionaires; we’re accountable to you.

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Internal emails exposing the National Anti-Corruption Commission trying to evade one journalist’s questions, Tony Abbott making a very strange mistake in his political commentary, and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas enjoying an intimate dinner with a top News Corp journalist.

Daanyal Saeed and Crystal Andrews recap these stories, and many more compelling, illuminating and absurd items from The Snoop, our daily roundup of tips, treasures and titbits from news and politics in Australia and around the world.

In today’s episode we catch listeners up on:

• NACC emails from Paul Brereton, Kylie Kilgour revealed
• Built to fail? NACC: the integrity body undermined from the start on The Point
• NACC inspector drops investigation into Brereton
• Peter Malinauskas’ meetings with News Corp journalist Peter Starick
• Back-Scratching. Premier Malinauskus’ love-in with Newscorp exposed on Michael West Media
• Mamamia’s Luca Lavigne is not the only Australian media nepo baby
• AEC changes Tasmania federal electorates
• Tony Abbott’s confusion about “Truganini”
• Labor MP Josh Wilson “striking” ban from over-45s soccer

Want to ask us a question? Send an email to [email protected] or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/ 

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Crikey’s independent journalism is supported by readers — 98% of our revenue comes from our subscribers. We’re not accountable to billionaires; we’re accountable to you.

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