As COVID 19 tests key institutions like the WHO, the panel asks whether rate cuts and stimulus packages just further reveal that our central bankers and policy makers have no ideas what our economy really needs? (0:57-19:52) It’s the issue that made the IPA’s Evan Mulholland Twitter famous, so is the push for four-bins recycling and plastics obsessions scheme pushing Australia forward or back? (19:52- 33:17) Taxpayers are funding the ABC while its so-called Media Watch acts as the enforcement arm fighting critics like the IPA to protect its rivers of gold. (33:17-44:50)

Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Dara Macdonald and Evan Mulholland to answer these questions and share their culture picks including Helena Rosenblatt’s The Lost History of Liberalism, Yasmine Mohammed’s Unveiled, the Academy Award winner Parasite and the ABC’s podcast The Eleventh  presented by Alex Mann. (44:50-1:02:10)

Show Notes

Speech, National Plastics Summit- Australian Parliament House, ACT; Prime Minister

https://www.pm.gov.au/media/speech-national-plastics-summit-australian-parliament-house-act

Environmentalists Make Good Movie Villains Because They Want to Make your Real Life Worse; Sonny Bunch

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/01/03/environmentalists-make-good-movie-villains-because-they-want-make-your-real-life-worse/

The Perverse Panic over Plastic; John Tierney

https://www.city-journal.org/needless-panic-over-disposable-plastic

Scott Morrison’s Recycling Strategy to Grow Green Jobs; Geoff Chambers

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/scott-morrisons-recycling-strategy-to-grow-green-jobs/news-story/8826aaa48b7df0b2c402e9141842bcc9

IPA v ABC; Media Watch

https://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/episodes/ipa/12016756

Culture Picks

The Lost History of Liberalism; Helena Rosenblatt

https://www.amazon.com.au/Lost-History-Liberalism-Ancient-Twenty-First/dp/0691170703

Unveiled; Yasmine Mohammed

https://www.booktopia.com.au/unveiled-yasmine-mohammed/book/9781999240530.html?msclkid=092088e103a9198ba951d6bd33ddb277&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=!%20Shopping%2090c&utm_term=4585169650599087&utm_content=All%20Custom%20Label

Parasite; Bong Joon Ho

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6751668/

The Eleventh; Alex Mann

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/the-eleventh/

Scott Morrison’s religious freedom bill has been labelled confusing, inappropriate, unfair and unloved; so is it finally dead? (1:34-20:07) When Bernie Sanders has a lock on the Democrat nomination, is his support for Castro’s Cuba just the tip of a communist iceberg ? (20:07-34:10) Looking Forward was at the Senate inquiry into nationhood, national identity and democracy, and asks if the High Court hasn’t hijacked the proces? (34:10-50:00) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Morgan Begg and RMIT University’s Dr Aaron Lane to answer these questions and dive into their culture picks including Marielle Heller’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, the podcast Verdict with Ted Cruz, Victor Kravchenko’s I Chose Freedom and Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewel. (50:00-1:09:24)

Show Notes

Unions and employers join forces to oppose religious freedom bill; Dana McCauley

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/unions-and-employers-join-forces-to-oppose-religious-freedom-bill-20200224-p543tf.html

At Cross Purposes; Morgan Begg

https://ipa.org.au/ipa-review-articles/at-cross-purposes

Saunders defends comments praising Castro’s Cuba: ‘The truth is the truth’; Paul LeBlanc

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/24/politics/sanders-defends-castro-cuba-comments-cnntv/index.html

Australian Values and the Enduring Importance of the Nation-State; Daniel Wild, Zachary Gorman and Andrew Bushnell

https://ipa.org.au/research-areas/ideas-and-liberty/australian-values-and-the-enduring-importance-of-the-nation-state

Culture Picks

A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood; Marielle Heller

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3224458/

Verdict with Ted Cruz; Ted Cruz

https://www.podcastrepublic.net/podcast/1495601614

I Chose Freedom; Victor Kravchenko

https://www.amazon.com/Chose-Freedom-Personal-Political-Official/dp/B0006AQTT0

Richard Jewel; Clint Eastwood

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3513548/

What does the demise of Holden say about tariff protection and perennial dreams of a domestic manufacturing base? (1:53-25:40) What is the future of Australian identity now that the High Court has decided to make a third category of Australian? (25:40-45:43) Boris Johnson’s Government is looking at taking the BBC to a subscription model, so why not with the ABC and SBS? (45:43-55:14) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Andrew Bushnell and Dara Macdonald to answer these questions and share their culture picks including the award winning 2018 film Jojo Rabbit, Eric Weinstein’s podcast The Portal, William Dalrymple’s The Anarchy, and the 1957 film Sweet Smell of Success.

Show Notes

Holden closing down, to be axed from Australia by the end of 2021

https://www.9news.com.au/national/holden-axed-from-australia-in-2020-ending-72-years-of-car-making/29ba88b5-3061-4839-921d-b2fea77dcd21

ScoMo Yet to Learn His ABC’s; Justinian the Great

http://catallaxyfiles.com/2020/02/17/scomo-yet-to-learn-his-abcs/

Insane Obsession: Australia’s Auto Industry Waste; Chris Berg

http://chrisberg.org/2013/05/insane-obsession-australias-auto-industry-waste/

No 10 could scrap BBC licence fee in favour of a subscription model

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/feb/16/no-10-launches-attack-on-bbc-as-licence-fee-comes-under-threat

Against Public Broadcasting; Chris Berg and Sinclair Davidson

https://www.connorcourtpublishing.com.au/Against-Public-Broadcasting-Why-and-how-we-should-privatise-the-ABC--Chris-Berg-and-Sinclair-Davidson_p_177.html

Culture Picks

Jojo Rabbit; Taika Waititi

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2584384/

The Portal; Eric Weinstein

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-portal/id1469999563

The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company; William Dalrymple

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-anarchy-william-dalrymple/book/9781408864388.html

Sweet Smell of Success (1957); Alexander Mackendrick

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051036/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

How does the wreckage left by the High Court’s decision to create a new category of Australian affect our nation’s political and social future? (2:20-22:33) In the new age of money, what are the consequences of a digital currency amidst a public backlash over cash bans? (22:33-36:57) The MAdE Establishment group of George Calombaris has gone under taking 400 jobs with it, and the panel asks how much the  longer hospitality sector can last as an award system of obscene complexity and a relentless union campaign on ‘wage theft’ poison the well? (36:57-50:20) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Gideon Rozner and Kurt Wallace to answer these questions as they celebrate the Looking Forward Podcast’s 50th episode! They then explore their culture picks for the week including the dramedy series Succession, Milton Friedman’s classic Capitalism and Freedom, Wilhelm Ropke’s The Humane Economist, and David Brooks’ landmark essay from The Atlantic,  The Nuclear Family Was A Mistake. (50:20-1:18:42)

Show Notes:

Love v Commonwealth of Australia; Thoms v Commonwealth of Australia [2020] HCA 3 (11 February 2020)

http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/cth/HCA//2020/3.html

Radical High Court Divides Australia By Race; Morgan Begg

https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/media-releases/radical-high-court-divides-australia-by-race

Age of Currency Disruption is Here; Chris Berg

http://chrisberg.org/2020/02/age-of-currency-disruption-is-here/ 

George Calombaris: Unions Under Fire Over Empire Collapse; Ewin Hannan

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/parts-of-george-calombariss-food-empire-may-reopen-under-different-ownership/news-story/4efda45709c4ea25199b7604cddbe2b1

George Calombaris: now all too many of those underpaid workers will also soon be unemployed; Charles Pier

https://www.spectator.com.au/2020/02/george-calombaris-now-all-too-many-of-those-underpaid-workers-will-also-soon-be-unemployed/

Culture Picks:

Succession; HBO

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7660850/

Capitalism and Freedom; Milton Friedman

https://www.amazon.com.au/Capitalism-Freedom-Anniversary-Milton-Friedman-ebook/dp/B006JP11HQ

The Humane Economist; Wilhelm Röpke

https://shop.acton.org/products/the-humane-economist

The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake; David Brooks

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/03/the-nuclear-family-was-a-mistake/605536/

This week the panel tackles the latest victories for unelected bureaucrats, as Bridget McKenzie takes a hit for the sin of ignoring Departmental advice, and the failed Foreign Interference laws licence snooping and partisan point scoring. Meanwhile the panel wonders how the federal government comes to be funding footy club change rooms in the first place (federalism anybody)? (1:50-10:55) And how Shadow Attorney-General seems to be the only one in Canberra who can get the bureaucracy to act with alacrity (10:55-25:15) And where do the Ministerial changes leave the National Party? (25:15-33:00) Also Scott Morrison shutting the border with China has economic implications for our massive tourism and education sectors; even as the Leninist state in China struggles to contain the crisis. (33:00-46:03) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Morgan Begg and Zachary Gorman to answer these questions and dive into their culture picks. This week’s picks include the horror film Doctor Sleep, Peter Seamer’s Breaking Point, Netflix’s new docuseries on the NFL star Aaron Hernandez, Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, as well as Amanda Hollis-Brusky’s novel on The Federalist Society’s modern American political history movement, Ideas with Consequences: The Federalist Society and the Conservative. (46:03-1:09:07)

Breaking Point; Peter Seamer

The Looking Forward Podcast welcomes the new year with the first show of 2020! In the Books and Culture segment the panel discusses the legacy of the late great British Conservative Philosopher, Sir Roger Scruton, who addressed a symposium of the IPA's Foundations of Western Civilisation Program in 2014. Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Andrew Bushnell and Dr Bella d’Abrera to explore Scruton's Uses of Pessimism, his commitment to the ideals of truth and beauty, and his place in the conservative pantheon. (54:07-1:03:00) At the top of the show the panel examines whether the nation has locked in behind Australia Day, as the left rebels against Tanya Plibersek's idea for schoolchildren to recite the pledge of citizenship (1:35-19:58) Also, the factors that contributed to the disasters of the fire season and why even the greens should be focussed on adaptation and prevention. (19:58-35:11) And finally, China has released a stream of misleading information regarding the coronavirus. What can we trust and what does it mean for Australians? (35:11-43:51). The other staff picks are the contemporary novel Fleishman is in Trouble, and the science fiction film Ad Astra starring Brad Pit (spoiler alert) (43:51-54:07).

Show Notes:

Tanya Plibersek calls for Australian children to take pledge of allegiance; SBS News

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/tanya-plibersek-calls-for-australian-children-to-take-pledge-of-allegiance

Roger Scruton on Liberty and Democracy in Western Civilisation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INKsy_vujTg&feature=youtu.be

Left Behind; IPA Review

https://ipa.org.au/ipa-review-articles/left-behind

Culture Picks:

Fleishman Is in Trouble; Taffy Brodesser-Akner

https://www.amazon.com.au/Fleishman-Trouble-Taffy-Brodesser-akner/dp/0525510877

 Ad Astra; James Gray

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2935510/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

 Uses of Pessimism; Roger Scruton

https://www.amazon.com/Uses-Pessimism-Danger-False-Hope/dp/0199968977

This week continues The Looking Forward Podcast’s Christmas Special! IPA staff discuss their favourite books of the year with Chris and Scott, giving the titles you cannot miss. Today’s podcast features Zachary Gorman and Renee Gorman as they discuss The American Counter Revolution (3:06-20:52) and The Madness of Crowds (20:52-33:02), followed by Gideon Rozner and Daniel Wild on Corkscrewed (33:41-44:22) and The Rise of Victimhood Culture (44:22-58:49). The episode then finishes with Scott Hargreaves and Chris Berg reviews of Escape from Rome (59:05-1:16:16) and Rebooting AI (1:16:16- 1:26:47). Chris Berg also recommends Understanding the Blockchain Economy (1:27:11-1:27:27) and Cryptodemocracy (1:27:27-1:27:40).

Books discussed:

The American Counter Revolution

https://www.amazon.com/American-Counter-Revolution-Favor-Liberty-Americans/dp/3030037320

The Madness of Crowds

https://www.amazon.com.au/Madness-Crowds-Gender-Race-Identity/dp/1472959973/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3098XX7VHW9JN&keywords=the+madness+of+crowds+douglas+murray&qid=1576476850&s=books&sprefix=the+madness%2Cstripbooks%2C340&sr=1-1

Corkscrewed

https://www.amazon.com.au/Corkscrewed/dp/1925642127

The Rise of Victimhood Culture

https://www.amazon.com.au/Rise-Victimhood-Culture-Microaggressions-Spaces/dp/3319703285/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+rise+of+victimhood+culture&qid=1576476871&s=books&sr=1-1

Escape from Rome

https://www.amazon.com.au/Escape-Rome-Failure-Empire-Prosperity/dp/0691172188/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=escape+from+rome&qid=1576476891&s=books&sr=1-1

Rebooting AI

https://www.amazon.com.au/Rebooting-AI-Building-Artificial-Intelligence-ebook/dp/B07MYLGQLB/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rebooting+AI&qid=1576476918&s=books&sr=1-1

Understanding the Blockchain Economy

https://www.amazon.com.au/Understanding-Blockchain-Economy-Institutional-Cryptoeconomics/dp/1788974999/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=understanding+the+blockchain+economy&qid=1576476946&s=books&sr=1-1

Cryptodemocracy

https://www.amazon.com.au/Cryptodemocracy-Blockchain-Democratic-Polycentricity-Institutional-ebook/dp/B07W6XVYW5/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=cryptodemocracy&qid=1576476968&s=books&sr=1-1

It’s The Looking Forward Podcast’s Christmas special! For the next two weeks IPA staff will be sharing their must-read book recommendations of the year for your summer reading with Chris and Scott. Today’s podcast has Andrew Bushnell and Dr Bella d’Abrera discuss Madame Bovary and Serotonin (1:46-25:08), followed by James Bolt and Peter Gregory on Catch & Kill and 12 Rules For Life (25:08-44:48), and then Theodora Pantelich and Kurt Wallace finish with The House of Government and My Father Left Me Ireland (44:48-1:11:13). We apologise for the delay of this week’s episode as we fell victim to nationwide internet outages.

Books discussed:

Madame Bovary

https://www.amazon.com/Madame-Bovary-Classics-Gustave-Flaubert/dp/0553213415

Serotonin

https://www.amazon.com/Serotonin-Novel-Michel-Houellebecq/dp/0374261024

Catch & Kill

https://www.amazon.com/Catch-Kill-Conspiracy-Protect-Predators-ebook/dp/B07TD413RV

12 Rules For Life

https://www.amazon.com.au/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/0345816021

The House of Government

https://www.amazon.com/House-Government-Saga-Russian-Revolution/dp/0691176949

My Father Left Me Ireland

https://www.amazon.com/My-Father-Left-Me-Ireland/dp/0525538658

Why did Pauline Hanson sink the bill to crack down on unions, and what good would it have done? (1:48-15:29) Ten years on since Tony Abbott rolled Malcom Turnbull over climate change, are we still being haunted by his political ghost? (15:29-27:51) Do the worrying signs in our economy justify calls for stimulus, or is it time to get back to the basics of wealth creation? (27:51-44:03) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by the IPA’s Director of Policy, Gideon Rozner and Research Fellow Kurt Wallace to answer these questions as well as dive into their culture picks including Ted Gioia’s Music: A Subversive History, Llewelllyn Rockwell’s Against the Left, the late Clive James’ collection of essays Cultural Amnesia and the right-wing self-help book You Are the Message (44:03-1:06:02).

Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Ensuring Integrity) Bill 2019

https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/billsdgs/7040245/upload_binary/7040245.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22legislation/billsdgs/7040245%22

Anatomy of a defeat: how a thaw between unions and One Nation doomed the 'integrity' bill; The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/30/anatomy-of-a-defeat-how-a-thaw-between-unions-and-one-nation-doomed-the-integrity-bill

Statement on the Conduct of Monetary Policy (1996)

https://www.rba.gov.au/monetary-policy/framework/stmt-conduct-mp-1-14081996.html

Culture Picks:

Music: A Subversive History; Ted Gioia

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43886050-music

Against the Left: A Rothbardian Libertarianism; Llewellyn H Rockwell Jr

https://www.amazon.com/Against-Left-Libertarianism-Llewellyn-Rockwell/dp/099046315X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1A4CLF0BIO2TT&keywords=against+the+left+lew+rockwell&qid=1575353266&sprefix=against+the+left+%2Caps%2C355&sr=8-1

Cultural Amnesia – Necessary Memories from History and the Arts; Clive James

https://www.amazon.com.au/Cultural-Amnesia-Necessary-Memories-History/dp/0393061167/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=clive+james+cultural+amnesia&qid=1575355472&sr=8-2

You Are the Message: Getting What You Want by Being Who You Are; Roger Ailes

https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Message-Getting-Being/dp/0385265425

The Federal Attorney General has proposed we treat social media companies as publishers. Will this punish Silicon Valley lefties or silence Australia’s conservative voices for fear of our crazy defamation laws? (1:59-24:04) As the CEO of our wokest bank, Westpac, taps the mat, what should we make of its bruising encounter with regulator Austrac’s over money-laundering claims? (24:04-37:12) Political parties are declining as social institutions so what does this mean for our democracy? (37:12-48:57) Your hosts Scott Hargreaves and Dr Chris Berg are joined by IPA Research Fellow, Andrew Bushnell and National Manager of Generation Liberty, Renee Gorman to discuss these questions as well as divulge their culture picks including the new documentary Rise of Jordan Peterson, a new book on the sorry state of our Universities, Season 3 of The Crown and the movie that launched film director Michael Mann (48:57-1:05:21).

Show Notes:

Christian Porter's defamation reform would be a catastrophic mistake; Dr Chris Berg and Dr Aaron Lane, Sydney Morning Herald

https://www.smh.com.au/national/christian-porter-s-defamation-reform-would-be-a-catastrophic-mistake-20191123-p53dg4.html

The Woke Bank Asleep at The Wheel; John Roskam, IPA Executive Director

https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/the-woke-bank-asleep-at-the-wheel

Get out of your own way, Unleashing productivity; Deloitte

https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/building-lucky-country/articles/get-out-of-your-own-way.html

Regulatory Dark Matter; Kurt Wallace, IPA Research Fellow

https://ipa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IPA-Report-Regulatory-Dark-Matter-How-Unaccountable-Regulators-Subvert-Democracy-by-Imposing-Red-Tape-without-Transparency.pdf

John Howard warns of 'existential challenges' for Liberals and Nationals; Sydney Morning Herald

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/john-howard-warns-of-existential-challenges-for-liberals-and-nationals-20191121-p53cyn.html

Culture Picks:

The Rise of Jordan Peterson; Patricia Marcoccia

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10469384/

Melbourne screening of the Rise of Jordan Peterson

https://ipapeterson.eventbrite.com.au/

CAMPUS MELTDOWN The Deepening Crisis in Australian Universities; William O. Coleman

https://www.connorcourtpublishing.com.au/CAMPUS-MELTDOWN-The-Deepening-Crisis-in-Australian-Universities--William-O-Coleman-editor_p_288.html

The Crown Season 3; Peter Morgan

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4786824/

Thief; Michael Mann

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083190/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_8