Why is everyone talking about a gas tax? The idea has caught the attention of some pretty important people across the political spectrum. But does that mean it will actually work. The Australia Institute's CEO Dr Richard Denniss has been leading the conversation on the gas tax and now he joins me to break it down.

How We Got Here:

Host: David Thom

Music: Anya Haywood

We are living through a crisis of loneliness. As more money than ever flows in and out of our economy we seem to be missing those essential things that make us human. At the same time politicians seem to believe in less and less and aren't even bothering to solve the issues we face.

Sean Kelly is the author of the recent Quarterly Essay: The Good Fight and The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison. He's a columnist for the SMH & Age and a former adviser to Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd.

How We Got Here:

Host: David Thom

Music: Anya Haywood

Australia is a nation defined by its sport. But there is more to our sporting past then many know. On this episode of How We Got Here David Thom sits down with Daryl Adair Associate Professor of Sport Management in the Business School at University of Technology Sydney to discuss.

How We Got Here:

Host: David Thom

Music: Anya Haywood

Australian history as we know it didn't just happen, it was delicately crafted. Which perspectives were heard and who's stories we told have shaped us a nation.

On this episode of How We Got Here, I'm joined by historian Anna Clark and author of 'Making Austalian History' to discuss all of this and more.

How We Got Here:

Host: David Thom

Music: Anya Haywood

Bruce Pascoe is one of the most exciting and controversial minds in Australia. His book Dark Emu broke open the idea the Aboriginal civilisations were primitive nomadic societies. I brought him on to talk about one fascinating question: Over 60,000 years of uninterupted cultural development, can you perfect society?

On this episode of How We Got Here, David Thom and Bruce Pascoe discuss time, agriculture and law throughout all of Australian history.

How We Got Here:

Host: David Thom

Music: Anya Haywood

In 1982 Goanna released Solid Rock, a song that changed the way Australia talked about it's relationship to it's Indigenous people. So where did it come from and where does it still stand?

On this episode of How We Got Here I sit down with Shane Howard, the lead singer of Goanna to discuss.

How We Got Here:

Host: David Thom

Music: Anya Haywood, Goanna

John Howard is one of Australia's most important prime ministers. But as many look back on his tenure with rose tinted glasses, Amy Remeikis' new book 'Where It All Went Wrong: The Case Against John Howard' paints a different picture.

On this weeks episode of 'How We Got Here' I'm joined by Amy to discuss her book and Howard's legacy.

Host: David Thom

Music: Anya Haywood

Warwick Thornton is one of Australia's most exciting filmmakers. Sydney Morning Herald named his 2009 film Samson & Delilah the greatest Australian film of all time.

But his depiction of Australia's frontier history in 2017's Sweet Country and now in 2026's Wolfram makes him one of the most interesting chroniclers of Australian history.

On this episode of How We Got Here, I sat down with Warwick to discuss his ideas on Australian progress and his new film Wolfram, in cinemas now!

How We Got Here:

Host: David Thom

Music: Anya Haywood

What does it mean to be Australian? 

On this weeks episode David is joined by Julianne Shultz, emeritus professor at Griffith University of media and culture. She was the founding editor of the Australian literary and current affairs journal Griffith Review. She has been an academic, a journalist, an author, and columnist for the Guardian. In 2022 she wrote a book called The Idea of Australia: A search for the soul of the nation, which SBS later turned into a TV show. Together we will try answer that exact question

Host: David Thom

Music: Anya Haywood