Saturday Magazine

Tom and Kenny talk to Melbourne Comedian Alex Ward.

Alex Ward is a comedian, writer, and presenter, best known for her whip-smart punchlines and regular appearances on Network Ten’s Have You Been Paying Attention? As a QLD’er living in Melbourne, Alex is always cold, which makes the warmth she brings to the stage all the more impressive. Alex is known for her personal, engaging and punch-line heavy comedy.

Alex has appeared on Have You Been Paying Attention?, The Project, Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala, Upfront, ABC Comedy’s Up-late, Audible’s 2019 live stand-up series, Tonightly with Tom Ballard, Triple J’s Good Az Friday, and performed at Splendour In The Grass.

Alex has written for various TV shows including The Project, Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee, Monday’s Experts and more.

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/literally-anyone/?return=%2Fbrowse-shows%2F%3Fpage%3D2

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Kenny and Tom are joined live on air by Nicholas Reece, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Latest from Melbourne Town Hall

First elected as a Councillor in 2016, re-elected as Deputy Lord Mayor in 2020 and then elected Lord Mayor in 2024.

As of March 2026, Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece is championing the retail resurgence in Melbourne’s CBD, reporting a 40% increase in Bourke Street Mall foot traffic in 2025. Key initiatives include strengthening city safety, supporting the new “Make Room” homelessness project, and driving renewable energy for data centres. 

Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece is the portfolio head for Infrastructure and portfolio deputy for Finance, Governance and Risk and Aboriginal Melbourne.

He is Council’s representative on the following committees and external bodies:

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Kenny and Tom are joined live in the studio by Aiv Puglieli, MP Greens Nth Eastern Metro.

The Victorian Greens are calling on the Allan Government to make public transport in Melbourne free for the next month to provide immediate relief from cost of living pressures as petrol prices soar.

The Greens say this petrol price spike is exactly why the government should be helping people shift away from expensive petrol cars by making public transport cheaper and more accessible, investing in bike lane infrastructure, updating bus networks, running more frequent public transport services and helping people switch to electric vehicles.

The Greens say that making public transport free for the next month is something the government could do right now to provide immediate cost-of-living relief, while working on longer term measures.

According to a PBO costing, making public transport free for a month would cost the government approximately $79.4 million but could save a commuter household up to $500 from their family budget for the month.

Public transport has continued to get more expensive in Victoria.  In other places like New Zealand and Western Australia, public transport fares have been slashed significantly and Queensland offers 50c fares.

https://greens.org.au/vic/news/media-release/greens-call-government-make-public-transport-free-next-month-fuel-prices

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Kenny is hosting this week with Australian and International, Melbourne based comedian, Tom Ballard as they discuss the news, views and reviews of the week that was.

Tom Ballard is returning to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) in 2026 with a new stand-up show, “Be Funny Challenge (Impossible)”, running from March 26 to April 19, 2026, at Trades Hall. 

After a year away, Ballard’s new 2026 show is described as a “relentless whirl of opinion, silliness, and increasingly bad-taste jokes,” focusing on politics, social issues, and current events. 

Nominee 2023 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award for Most Outstanding Show

Nominee Best Comedy 2023 Melbourne Fringe

As seen on Fisk, Deadloch, Tonightly, Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee and Deal Or No Deal (for some reason). As heard on podcast Serious Danger.

After a year away from touring, doing nothing but being very nice and uncontroversial, Australia’s Special Envoy For Comedy Tom Ballard returns in 2026 with a new show packed with heaps of jokes about all the stuff.

https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/be-funny-challenge-impossible/

The post Sat, 28th, March, 2026: Weekend Wrap Up with Kenny Hill and Tom Ballard appeared first on Saturday Magazine.

Our last guest today,  John Cook, Senior Research Fellow, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne

Do Middle‑earth and Westeros make sense? Climate scientists modelled them to find out….

https://theconversation.com/do-middle-earth-and-westeros-make-sense-climate-scientists-modelled-them-to-find-out-277232

“For a world to be truly immersive and believable, readers apply what is known as the “principle of minimal departure”. This assumes anything not explicitly magical, such as a planet’s weather or gravity, must adhere to the laws of the real world.

In this spirit of rigorous worldbuilding, we just published a new study where we merged the disparate disciplines of literary worldbuilding and climate modelling.

We used complex computer programs – the same ones used to forecast Earth’s future warming scenarios – to simulate the climates of famous fantasy settings such as Tolkien’s Middle-earth, the continents of Westeros in the Game of Thrones, and the far-future Earth in The Wheel of Time series. We also built a model for a fictional world developed by one of us.”

John Cook is a research assistant professor at the Centre for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University. He has a PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Western Australia. He founded Skeptical Science, a website which won the 2011 Australian Museum Eureka Prize for the Advancement of Climate Change Knowledge and 2016 Friend of the Planet Award from the National Centre for Science Education. J

ohn co-authored the college textbooks Climate Change: Examining the Facts with Weber State University professor Daniel Bedford. He was also a co-author of the textbook Climate Change Science: A Modern Synthesis and the book Climate Change Denial: Heads in the Sand. In 2013, he published a paper analysing the scientific consensus on climate change that has been highlighted by President Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron. In 2015, he developed a Massive Open Online Course at the University of Queensland on climate science denial, that has received over 25,000 enrolments.

He currently co-hosts a podcast Evidence Squared on the science of science communication

The post Sat, 21st March, 2026: John Cook, Snr Research Fellow, School of Psychological Sciences, MelbUni; Do Middle‑earth and Westeros Make Sense? appeared first on Saturday Magazine.

Sean Kelly, Amy Remeikis, Don Watson with Brendan Donohoe  

At a time when political pundits are questioning the Liberal -National Party alliance and its capacity to win government, our panel dissects the past, present and future of conservative politics in Australia.

http://From Menzies To Pauline, Turnbull To Taylor: What is an Australian conservative?

The post Sat, 21st March, 2026: Brendan Donohoe, Fmr State Political Editor, 7 News Melbourne; From Menzies To Pauline, Turnbull To Taylor: What is an Australian Conservative? appeared first on Saturday Magazine.

Nevena and John talk to Guy Morrow, Assoc Prof, Arts & Cultural Management, Uni of Meb, Is Spotify’s AI ‘killing’ Australian music?

Guy Morrow is an Associate Professor of Arts and Cultural Management at the University of Melbourne, Australia. His research interests include artist‑centred approaches to cultural management and the impact of digitalisation, datafication and artificial intelligence on music artists within music ecosystems. His work combines academic rigour with arts sector collaboration to develop actionable insights for artists, managers and cultural organisations. He is also the current president of the International Music Business Research Association (IMBRA).

Guy’s current contract research project is examining digital platform interactions to assess the performance of Australian artists on Spotify’s algorithmic playlists for the Victorian Music Development Office. One of his previous research contracts explored the shifting ground beneath music artist manager remuneration for the Association of Artist Managers in Australia while another developed an impact framework for the Science Gallery Network. Guy is also part of a project that has received AU$100,000 in proof-of-concept funding from Research, Innovation and Commercialisation at the University of Melbourne, ArtCert, which is developing an innovative response to shortcomings in current artwork authentication practices. The project aims to use blockchain and computational methods to validate the authenticity of painting collections.

Guy also has a vast record of achievement in the creative and cultural industries and has worked with many of Australia’s best-known musicians within various popular music scenes through direct management, and also through music and design work. Guy was the founding co-manager of the band Boy & Bear and in this capacity received five Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards, as well as Gold and Platinum Awards from ARIA.

https://theconversation.com/is-spotifys-ai-killing-australian-music-what-we-found-from-analysing-more-than-2-million-tracks-276984

“The objective of streaming platforms is to maximise user engagement. Spotify does this by allowing users to discover new music in various ways, including through manual search and exploration, editorial (human-made) playlists, and AI-recommended playlists.

Algorithms have been criticised for amplifying the influence of superstars – and the corporate interests that support them – while also potentially narrowing listeners’ musical preferences.

Spotify’s AI does have a significant influence on the listening habits of its subscribers. But is this a problem?”

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Nevena and John talk to Chris Doyle, Assistant Professor, Medieval History in the School of History and Philosophy at the University of Galway, about the mystery of the ‘second’ Saint Patrick.

Chris Doyle is an Assistant Professor (Lecturer Above the Bar) in Medieval History in the School of History and Philosophy at the University of Galway.

His interests are varied and include the cultural and social history and material culture of early medieval Ireland, Europe, North Africa and the Near East.

https://theconversation.com/saint-patricks-day-and-the-mystery-of-the-second-patrick-277404

“Celebrated every year with swathes of green and pints of Guinness, Saint Patrick is the most famous of Ireland’s trio of patron saints (the others are Brigid and Colm Cille, aka Columba).

Saint Patrick’s story is well known. Not just because of the annual global phenomenon his feast day has become, but also thanks to a considerable body of original written evidence. Chief among this are his personal writings – the Confession and Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus. But there are also many others – annals, biographies, hymns, poems – written centuries after his lifetime”.

“One of the earliest references to two Patricks is Saint Fiacc’s Hymn on the Life of Patrick. It was written in the 5th or 6th century but survives in an 8th-century manuscript. Fiacc, a professional royal poet turned bishop, wrote: “When Patrick departed [died], he went to visit the other Patrick and together they ascended to Jesus Son of Mary.”

The post Sat, 21st March, 2026: The Mystery of the Second, St. Patrick, Chris Doyle, Asst. Prof. Medieval History, School of History and Philosophy, Uni of Galway. appeared first on Saturday Magazine.

Nevena and John are joined live on air by Bill Shorten, the current Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Canberra (UC). He assumed the role on 14 February 2025, following a 17-year career in federal politics.

The Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme, reporting in July 2023, delivered a damning assessment of the former Coalition government’s automated debt recovery program, describing it as a “shameful,” “crude and cruel” mechanism that was neither fair nor legal. As Minister for Government Services, Shorten played a central role in driving the inquiry and pursuing accountability, labelling it a “war on the poor” and a massive failure in public administration.

 In August 2023, Shorten moved a motion in the House of Representatives to accept the report’s findings, expressing deep regret and apologizing to victims and frontline Centrelink staff.

 Shorten accused the previous government of “gaslighting” victims and the public by defending the scheme even after its illegality became known.

Shorten has consistently criticised opposition leader Peter Dutton for a “deafening” lack of remorse and for defending former colleagues involved in the scheme.

 Following the report, Shorten announced the government’s acceptance of all 57 recommendations, focusing on ending the use of external debt collectors and strengthening the public service.

Shorten has continued to urge for the “sealed section” of the report to be unsealed to ensure transparency, arguing it is not sustainable for it to remain secret forever. 

In 2021, the Federal Court approved a final settlement of $1.8 billion, which involved dropping debt claims and refunding unlawful debts. As of 2025, a new settlement, deemed the largest in Australian legal history at $548.5 million, is under consideration to provide further compensation, with NACC investigations into the referrals ongoing. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-11/anti-corruption-investigation-into-robodebt-findings/106440278

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First up this week we have Peter Khalil – MP for Wills & Asst Min. for Defence; Nevena and John discuss with Peter, where  Where are things heading with Iran?  Are facing a 70’s style fuel crisis? And some updates from his electorate.

As of March 2026, Peter Khalil, the MP for Wills and Assistant Minister for Defence, views the situation with Iran as extremely volatile, characterized by aggressive actions from the Iranian regime, including attacks on regional neighbours and the targeting of civilian.

Khalil has emphasized that Iran is a “destabilising force” through its missile programs, support for proxies, and acts of intimidation. In his role as Assistant Minister for Defence, he noted that Australia has provided defensive support to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) against missile attacks, including deploying E-7A Wedgetail aircraft and air-to-air missiles.

Khalil has defended Australia’s involvement in the Middle East, stating it is “purely defensive” to protect lives and not an act of aggressive war, while acknowledging the conflict is a “fluid dynamic”.

Khalil has strongly condemned the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for attempting to harm Australian citizens and engaging in acts of violence. He has supported designating the IRGC as a terrorist organisation.

He has expressed solidarity with the Iranian-Australian community in Melbourne and their anxiety for families in Iran, noting his hope for a shift away from the “oppressive” Iranian regime.

Regarding demands for further military involvement, Khalil has stated he is not aware of a specific request for Australian warships to assist in the Strait of Hormuz, maintaining that operational decisions are made by the National Security Committee.

Khalil’s position aligns with the broader Australian government stance, which involves implementing targeted sanctions against the Iranian regime and supporting diplomatic pressure against its actions.

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