Ben Davison, voice croaky from celebrating the Matildas win, breaks down why the leader of the Nationals, and senior member of the Coalition, would go on Insiders and advocate for the most expensive, least safe, unproven energy technologies and for increasing the cost of medicines.
The answer is the same reason why he, Peter Dutton and the Coalition oppose The Voice and Unions.
Lobbyists.
From mining and energy to pharmaceuticals, post offices and private education the Coalition is captured by lobbyists.  Their policies reflect the interests of lobby groups and corporate lobbyists.
Democratic groups with democratic mandates, like the Voice and Unions, threaten to make democracy a participation sport instead of the pay to play game that the Coalition like to play.
If you want democracy to be more than just casting a ballot on election day join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow and get involved in the Yes campaign, the price gouging inquiry or a local campaign like the one to Save Glenroy post office

Weekend Wrap 13 August 2023: Littleproud on Insiders exposes how much Coalition policy is driven by lobbyists

Join notorious Guardian columnist Van Badham and her labour activist co-host (and partner!) Ben Davison. As they deep-dive into the big news themes of the week and provide fresh, irreverent analysis about what's really going on in Australia and around the world.

Comedy

News

Politics

News Commentary

Van Badham and Ben Davison journey into the heart of Australia's Federal Budget 2024.
Our hosts dissect Dr Jim’s reintroduction of nation building into macroeconomic management in a discussion that spans the breadth of the budget from fun nuance to big-picture policy decision and rejects the screaming-banana response of the Murdoch media.
Join our hosts as they examine how the media has been conditioned since Howard to expect budgets that are little more than lists of marginal seat give aways and how Jim Chalmers has delivered a truly Keynesian budget that seeks to manage the economy not just tax and spend it for votes.
From tax cuts to cost-of-living relief, education to housing, we unpack complexities and implications of each policy decision on your household, your wallet and the Australian future to come.
Also, the dog barks, cutely.

Episode 161: Dr Chalmers Keynesian budget remedy

Van Badham and Ben Davison have rescheduled Wednesday to a Monday this week, to delve into the labyrinth of policy complexities surrounding the fight to end violence against women and children, highlighting the frustrations and challenges faced and dissecting the terrifying implications of a private school’s latest misconduct scandal.
As the Albanese government makes a string of announcements wiping student debt, funding practical placements and increasing fee free TAFE, we discuss why funding public schools to the minimum resource standard is imperative for Australia's future.
We also find hope in a heartening good news story about renewable batteries revitalizing old coal country. 
Be part of the change for better by listening to our gentle exhortations to JOIN YOUR UNION: you can do it right now at www.australianunions.org.au/wow
And if you want to support us directly, come visit us at www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday.

Episode 160: Stopping male violence, the education budget we have to have and big batteries

Van Badham and Ben Davison start their Wednesday on a Thursday with discussion of the federal government’s “Future Made in Australia” policy suite, and just what a policy dedicated to local jobs exposes about the people who criticises it and why unions are supporting it.  Join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
SPOILER ALERT: trickle down economics gets the rightful kicking from Ben that it deserves. 
Next, Van’s horror at the massacre in Bondi Junction, turns to rage about the carnage opportunism of online disinformation influencers exploiting the tragedy. 
The good news, though, is about solar cars! 
If you'd like to become a supporter and make a contribution go to www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday Remember all our Extend the Reach and Cadre supporters get acknowledged by Van every episode

Episode 159: A future made in Australia, the disinformation wonderland & solar cars

Baby, we are BACK! Van and Ben return after a super frustrating hiatus to discuss the issues of the day in their inimitable style. 
The recent Tasmanian election has thrown up a complex and divided result, delivering more crossbenchers to the parliament than opposition members, and the Liberals forming minority government with nothing to guarantee the passage of legislation but wild hope. Ben and Van discuss this in the context of Tasmania’s unusual electoral system and the politics of independent representation more broadly.
The analysis continues as Ben breaks down the ongoing good news about the Australian economy, with the unsurprising if excellent news that union members are seeing significant pay increases as the result of the newly legislated frameworks for improved collective bargaining. (If you want in, join your union right now via www.australianunions.org.au/wow  
Ben peeling back the obfuscations of the Liberals and works through why Labor’s successes aren’t more broadly known. The distraction politics of Peter Dutton and the Amazing Modular Nuclear Reactors That Don’t Actually Exist is placed in the context it so duly deserves. 
Finally, the good news is about airships. This is at least the third time this show has celebrated airship initiatives, as Van is obviously obsessed with them, everyone should Be, they are the jewels of the air and the future of all humanity! (It is possible that Van wrote this).
We’d like to thank all of our listeners for their continued support and solidarity with us over this period of Ben’s illness. It means more to this household than you could possibly know.  You can become a supporter and leave us a message at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday

Episode 158: Tasmanian election lessons, narrative wars, its the economy and good news about airships

Ben Davison returns to take a look at a week in parliament that saw the Closing Loopholes bill pass the lower house, the greens and coalition team up to block the new shared home equity scheme, the mess that Labor is trying to clean up from Dutton's unlawful immigration detention scheme and Julian Hill's inquiry into Employment services.
The Employment services inquiry has found a huge amount of waste, an ideological system that punishes people and fails to actually help people get work.
Ben takes a look at the report, Van Badham's latest Guardian article on the topic and the insights of Per Capita CEO Emma Dawson as the Labor government considers changes that Dutton's Coalition has already said they will oppose.
The Labor government's reform agenda is starting to face multiple fronts of inertia, vested interest and a media more interested in a fight and "who's winning" than in the impact that governing can actually have in people's lives.  Ben take a look at why we need to cut through the noise and keep the debate focused on the billions of dollars and millions of lives that are improved by reform.

Weekend Wrap 13 August 2023: Littleproud on Insiders exposes how much Coalition policy is driven by lobbyists

Download our free app to listen on your phone