The Fifth Estate

The prime minister’s chief of staff has a unique role in Australian political culture. With immeasurable influence – some much more than others – as confidantes, mediators, gatekeepers and advisors, the chief of staff steers the prime minister through the challenges and landmines of leadership, fine tuning and coordinating the things that matter to help win the support of cabinet, caucus and country.

What makes a great chief of staff? What are the challenges, pressures and principles that occupy their time? And what matters most in this powerful behind-the-scenes role? Prime Minister Tony Abbott calls his chief of staff, Peta Credlin, ‘the boss’. Kevin Rudd’s chief of staff, Alister Jordan, was referred to as ‘the wunderkind’, not always kindly.

Join Fifth Estate host Sally Warhaft with Anne Tiernan, associate professor at the Centre for Governance and Public Policy at Griffith University, and David Epstein, the first chief of staff to Prime Minister Rudd, to discuss the chiefs, past and present, and this singular job in the national capital.

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Join host Sally Warhaft for this Fifth Estate spotlight interview with Greg Combet, where they discuss the Australian labour movement, the state of our democracy and parliament, the future of the ALP and life after politics for a man many thought a good chance as a future prime minister.

Greg Combet is one of the most influential public figures of his generation. A former leader of the ACTU, and parliamentary secretary and senior minister in the Rudd-Gillard Labor governments, Combet has been at the centre of some of the biggest battles and dramas in recent political history. He led the 2007 campaign against John Howard’s Work Choices and was Minister for Climate Change in Julia Gillard’s second ministry, before surprising many by resigning after the last ALP leadership showdown and retiring from politics in 2013.

Join host Sally Warhaft for this Fifth Estate spotlight interview with Greg Combet, where they discuss the Australian labour movement, the state of our democracy and parliament, the future of the ALP and life after politics for a man many thought a good chance as a future prime minister.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sally Warhaft asks former Treasurer Wayne Swan about managing the economy, the challenges and compromises of a minority government, and wrangling legislation through parliament in the face of bitter opposition from vested interests.

Sally Warhaft asks Swan about managing the economy, the challenges and compromises of a minority government, and wrangling legislation through parliament in the face of bitter opposition from vested interests (including the mining, banking and hotel industries).

Wayne Swan was treasurer of Australia during an extraordinary period of our politics.

He was at the financial helm when the world recession hit, and steered our economy through a time of unprecedented international economic challenges. Meanwhile, on the home front, the ALP was divided by leadership battles – whilst ruling on a knife-edge, as a minority government.

Sally Warhaft asks Swan about managing the economy, the challenges and compromises of a minority government, and wrangling legislation through parliament in the face of bitter opposition from vested interests (including the mining, banking and hotel industries). They also talk about Australia’s economic past, present and future.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wayne Swan was treasurer of Australia during an extraordinary period of our politics.

He was at the financial helm when the world recession hit, and steered our economy through a time of unprecedented international economic challenges. Meanwhile, on the home front, the ALP was divided by leadership battles – whilst ruling on a knife-edge, as a minority government.

Sally Warhaft asks Swan about managing the economy, the challenges and compromises of a minority government, and wrangling legislation through parliament in the face of bitter opposition from vested interests (including the mining, banking and hotel industries). They also talk about Australia’s economic past, present and future.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to be a whistleblower in the 21st century?

What does it mean to be a whistleblower in the 21st century?

When Edward Snowden released thousands of classified documents in June last year, information he acquired while working as an NSA contractor, he could not have foreseen it would be the biggest intelligence leak since the Pentagon Papers, affecting governments all over the world.

While he remains busy in an undisclosed location somewhere in Russia, one of his lawyers, Jesselyn Radack, and former NSA crypto-linguist, Thomas Drake, are visiting Australia to discuss the issues which surround the Snowden case. What does it tell us about freedom, the individual and the state? And what do we need to understand about privacy, free speech and security in our times?

Join host Sally Warhaft with Thomas Drake, whose own story inspired Edward Snowden to act on his conscience, and Jesselyn Radack, Director of National Security and Human Rights with the Government Accountability Project (GAP), for this special edition of the Fifth Estate in partnership with Blueprint for Free Speech and the Centre for Advancing Journalism.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Was WWI the beginning of globalisation, or simply a precursor to a second global conflict that changed the face of the planet? Christopher Clark and Joan Beaumont explore the origins and impacts of WWI, and question what historical lessons we have learned.