In theory, robodebt is a good idea: clawing back money that shouldn't have been paid out to welfare recipients. But the government's cack-handed approach has been a disaster and taxpayers will suffer ... why ScoMo's Liu defence is loved in Beijing ... and a man and a woman have a baby in Canberra.

Today on the Breakdown: Sam Dastyari's masterclass in media manipulation, the ACT Government's low-carbon vision that'll hit you, too, and why Australian coal is freakin' awesome!

A new survey from business group CEDA says Australians want corporate Australia to speak out on social issues. Sure ... if they agree with us! The corporate boycotts are proof of that. Safer for corporate Australia to stick to what they should know best - asking for handouts.

Gladys Liu is ScoMo's totem. She won against the odds in Chisolm and her triumphant arrival in parliament has linked them together forever. But his defence of her yesterday (playing the race card no less) was a low act of a desperate man. It was the worst of political correctness.

Gladys Liu's career is toast after she realised she was involved with Chinese Communist Party front groups. But had Labor's Jennifer Yang won the seat instead of Liu, the same questions would now be asked of her, such is the reach of the CCP groups like United Front in Australia.

While the new Member for Warringah, Zali Steggall, was grandstanding in parliament over climate change and launching a garbage survey from The Australia Institute, the man she replaced, Tony Abbott, was fighting the fires at Drake in NSW. And the Canadian Cancer Society urges transwomen to get Pap smears. (There was an editing error in the first posted podcast - my apologies for the error. this has been corrected.)

You should never play chess with a pigeon because it'll poop on the board and strut like it won. The same goes with bogans. And Waleed found out last night and ScoMo is about to discover with Senator Jacquie Lambie

ScoMo calls his plan for a cashless welfare card and drug-testing Newstart recipients "compassionate conservatism" - it's also a mighty wedge that's proving irresistible for Albanese.

We're expected to listen and learn from every second-rate celebrity dingaling or 16-year-old Swede whenever they spew about politics or climate change, but heaven forbid a bloke like Shane Warne having an opinion about Brexit (and still the elites wonder why we laugh at them). And a politician tells a baby to shut up.

Due to climate change (what else?), a Swedish researcher says we must "awaken the idea" of eating human flesh to combat the effects of diminishing food production, Boris Johnson gets whacked over Brexit and Australia's less than awesome national accounts.