The National Conservatism Institute of Australia Podcast

My guest today is Alexandre Lefebvre, professor of politics and philosophy at the University of Sydney.

Alex is a staunch defender of liberalism but is also very familiar and engages with prominent thinkers in the national conservative, post-liberal, and "new right" movements globally.

Today we discuss:

- What makes him a liberal and what he has learnt from the critics of liberalism

- Why he thinks the liberal consensus is coming under stress

- Whether liberalism is inherently hostile to religion and the nation state

- And where he sees the nationalist and post-liberal political movements going in the years ahead

And much more

https://www.alexlefebvre.com/

My guest today is Robert Forsyth, a fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney and host of the podcast "Liberalism in Question". Rob also a former Anglican Bishop.

Today we discuss:

• The new book from the CIS called "Resilient Liberalism: Classical Liberal Thought in Australia" and I ask why liberalism in his view is coming under criticism
• We have a spirited debate on trade policy and whether there is need for reassessment
• We also discuss the relationship between Christianity and liberalism, whether they are in conflict with each other, and the extent to which Christian values are liberal values
• Whether political conservatism is properly understood in Australia and the extent to which the Hawke-Keating-Howard era policy framework needs to change

And much much more

https://www.connorcourtpublishing.com.au/Resilient-Liberalism-Classical-Liberal-Thought-in-Australia-edited-by-Robert-Forsyth_p_684.html

https://www.cis.org.au/person/robert-forsyth/

My guest today is Robert Gregory, CEO and President of the Australian Jewish Association (AJA)

Today we discuss:

• The AJA's recent submission to Australia's Royal Commission on AntiSemitism and Social Cohesion and why he has low expectations regarding its recommendations
• What exactly explains the rise of antisemitism in Australia?
• Why is not in favour of hate speech laws
• What he makes of the monocultural vs multiculturalism debate and how it applies to the jewish community
• How much Israeli government lobbying there actually is in Australia?

And much more

https://asc.royalcommission.gov.au/

https://jewishassociation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Submission-Australian-Jewish-Association-Royal-Commission.pdf

My guest today is Dr Bella D'Abrera a well-known Australian academic who was for many years Director of the Foundations of Western Civilisation Program at the Institute of Public Affairs.

Amongst other things she is now on the Advisory Committee for the Australian National Archives and a regular contributor to The Spectator Australia, the Herald Sun, the Daily Telegraph and The Australian, and appears regularly on Sky News.

Today we discuss:

• How she describes the ideology which is being taught to our children and whether it is correct to describe it as Marxist
• How exactly did this ideology come to seize the commanding heights of our education system
• How to push back against the argument that modern education is simply being kind and tolerant?
• What solutions are there for parents looking to protect their kids?

And much much more.

https://x.com/belladabrera?s=20

https://www.amazon.com.au/Mindless-Education-Indoctrinating-Destroying-Civilisation/dp/1764484908?ref_=Oct_d_otopr_d_4897353051_0&pd_rd_w=uVpan&content-id=amzn1.sym.69547269-75b4-4a51-b300-2e4234beacb4&pf_rd_p=69547269-75b4-4a51-b300-2e4234beacb4&pf_rd_r=6DQ8Q5PY5GQJNTMFRVK0&pd_rd_wg=GxDpP&pd_rd_r=65983723-8174-41f3-856c-d54838afb71a&pd_rd_i=1764484908

My guest today is former deputy Prime Minister of Australia and now One Nation MP, Barnaby Joyce .

Today we discuss:

• How he explains his new party's meteoric rise in the polls over the last 12 months
• Is One Nation just a protest party? If not, what is the governing philosophy of One Nation and how does it differ from The Liberal Party and The National Party
• Why the traditional centre-right parties adopting some of One Nation positions hasn’t improved their polls
• What positions he has rethought over the last 10 years and how things have changed since the Howard era
• Where he thinks it all ends

And much much more https://barnabyjoyce.com.au/

Parnell is an insights and advocacy strategist and a senior fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies, an Australian classical market think tank. She also writes a weekly column for the Sun-Herald and the Sunday Age on politics, policy and culture.

Today we discuss:

• Her well-known columnist father, his political transformation, and whether her views have changed over the years
• Whether there needs to be an update to the Howard era right thinking on trade and immigration
• How young people (25-34) in Australia are feeling about the economy based on her recent research
• Whether AI is going to kill journalism and all white collar jobs within 18 months as the head of Microsoft AI recently claimed

And much more

https://www.cis.org.au/person/parnell-palme-mcguinness/

James L. Nuzzo, PhD, is an exercise scientist and men’s health researcher. Dr. Nuzzo has published over 80 research articles in peer-reviewed journals.

He writes regularly about exercise, men’s health, and academia at The Nuzzo Letter, with additional writings appearing at Reality’s Last Stand and Australians for Science & Freedom. In 2025, Dr. Nuzzo documented his academic cancellation using a freedom of information request.

Today we discuss:

1. His termination from his position at an Australian university and how the end of “woke” and cancellation politics has been greatly exaggerated
2. How he got involved in the gender politics and how his research reveals data that is often very different to what is presented in the mainstream press
3. The radicalisation of young women in the West and what should be done about it
4. What he understands by the term “feminism” and how gender issues should be discussed
5. Whether there are any causes for optimism

And much much more.

James L. Nuzzo, PhD, CSCS

The Nuzzo Letter (Substack)

ResearchGate Google Scholar

Twitter (X) LinkedIn

jameslnuzzo.com

Go Fund Me (Research Support)

My guest today is David Goodhart, a British journalist who is the author of several influential books including “The Road to Somewhere”, "Head, Hand, and Heart", and most recently “The Care Dilemma”.

Today we discuss:

1. Whether there has been any bridging of the divide between the “Somewheres” and the “Anywheres” since he wrote his book

2. The extent to which his work has parallels with Disraeli’s criticisms of liberalism and the cosmopolitan class?

3. Whether centre-right parties really understand “one nation” conservatism

4. Whether AI has changed the respect power of the “Anywheres” and the cognitive class

5. What the Care Dilemma is, how we need a better way of accounting for the true costs that have arisen due to female entry in to the workforce, and what we should do about this

6. His plans for the future including a potential play on the Bretton Woods conference

And much much more

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Goodhart

My guest today is Peter Varghese AO who amongst other things served as the former head of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and who currently serves as the Chancellor of the University of Queensland. Today we discuss:

• How to determine what is important and not in foreign affairs
• How diplomats generally missed the rise of Donald Trump and failed to properly understand the pressures that propelled him to the Presidency
• Whether our trade relationship with China needs to be readjusted
• Why did Australia get involved in many of the foreign interventions over the last 30+ years and whether places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere should be considered successes?
• Whether foreign student numbers are too high in Australia
• Whether he is optimistic for the future

And much much more

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Varghese

My guest today is Drew Hutton, who was one of the founders of the Australian Greens political party.

Today we discuss:

• The origins of the Green political party in Australia and how it has changed over the years
• His current dispute with the Greens regarding gender ideology and what explains the differences between baby boomers and younger generations on this issue
• Whether there are potential commonalities between a particular type of traditional "crunchy con" conservatism and the anti-corporate left
• Where he sees the Greens going in the years ahead both in Australia and elsewhere in the West

And much more

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Hutton