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Left-Right politics in Australia is dead
49:28|Originally labels for a person’s economic perspective, “left” and “right” have been transformed into social markers that are not only wielded as weapons in political discourse, but actually tell us very little about how someone will vote. In fact, most Australians prefer to call themselves “centrist” regardless of their beliefs. So does the left-right political spectrum still apply to Australian politics in 2026?That’s the question debated in today’s episode by Crikey politics editor Bernard Keane and RedBridge Senior Insights Adviser Alex Fein. We cover the generational divides, economic transformation and total erosion of trust that has almost all voters, from orange to blue to red, united against the “ruling class”.So, what’s the alternative? And does it even matter? N.B.: The quote at 44:36 is by Nobel Prize winning economist Robert Lucas.Read more:Are ‘left’ and ‘right’ useful anymore or do we need a new political alignment?Left and right, forward and back, in and out: labels for a new political worldThe Political CompassAlex Fein: Polarisation is a Myth
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Do we actually need to panic about fuel?
32:58|It’s been one month since the US began its war on Iran, which means one month that the critical oil passageway the Strait of Hormuz has been closed. As a result, the price of crude oil has shot up, taking the price of fuel with it. At petrol stations across Australia diesel is more than $3 per litre, with unleaded creeping up to $2.50 in metro areas and well beyond that in regional areas.Economics correspondent Jason Murphy joins the podcast to answer some crucial questions: is the rising cost due to price gouging? What can the government do to keep the price of essentials, like groceries, from spiralling out of control? And is Australia actually at risk of running out of fuel altogether?Read more:Do we actually need to panic about fuel?With petrol prices rising, so is Australia’s interest in EVs. We should strike while the iron is hotThe Iran War is costing a lot more than higher petrol pricesPainful as it is, the rate rise was the easy part. Trump has turned economic policy into a lottery
Rick Morton unpacks the NACC robodebt report
36:19|After 10 years, more than 470,000 wrongly-issued debts, six separate investigations and $2.4 billion in compensation to victims, the National Anti-Corruption Commission handed down its final report into the unlawful debt recovery scheme known as robodebt. Two public servants were found to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct, but will not face criminal investigation. The other four individuals – including Scott Morrison – were cleared.The reaction from victims, their families and the advocates campaigning for accountability was one of disappointment and frustration. Rick Morton, the journalist who has followed robodebt most closely, says he was “shocked, but not surprised" by the NACC report. Morton joins the podcast to unpack the NACC’s robodebt report, what the saga reveals about the public service, and why covering this story has changed him forever. Read more:The NACC robodebt report: A heartbreaking work of staggering incompetenceNACC’s robodebt investigation conjures offensive and stupid excuses for letting Scott Morrison offNot ‘newsworthy’: Why the NACC decided not to update the media for 63 daysDoes the NACC have any hope of regaining public trust?Exclusive: Robodebt architect remains employed in a senior governance role in the public service
Does power always corrupt in Australian politics?
33:02|Can “good people” make change in Australia’s political system, or will power always corrupt? That’s the question that Jo Tarnawsky — former diplomat and chief of staff to Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles — is answering with her series exploring how power protects itself.Tarnawsky joins the podcast to discuss what it’s like to be “in the room” when big decisions are made, how power is maintained by either weaponising or rewarding silence with gag orders, NDAs and party rules, and the biggest obstacles faced by independent voices attempting to challenge the major parties. Plus, in light of the robodebt corruption report, how do institutions like the National Anti-Corruption Commission hold us back from good governance? Read more:Swimming with narcissists: What power looks like up closeWhy good people leave politics — and what it costs usSetting the standard? Parliament still doesn’t take workplace harm seriouslyPower and silence: The strategy of saying nothingLabor MPs quietly alarmed by Albanese government’s response to US-Israel strikes on IranNACC’s robodebt investigation conjures offensive and stupid excuses for letting Scott Morrison off
An Iranian perspective on the US-Israel attack
26:27|On February 28 the US and Israel launched an unprovoked missile strike on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several Islamic Republic officials and sparking further strikes across the Middle East. The Strait of Hormuz, the pivotal oil shipping route, is closed. Washington’s claim of attacking to provoke “regime change” in Iran is dubious at best.But the Iranian people have been largely left out of the geopolitical discourse. Just last month, huge revolutionary protests saw the regime massacre up to 40,000 people. So when the Iranian diaspora shared their mixed feelings about this week’s strikes, why were they shouted down as “US propaganda agents”?Writer and doctor Hessom Razavi joins the podcast to give his take on the complicated feelings of many Iranians, his own family’s story of persecution in Iran, and explain why calls for adherence to the “rules-based order” are meaningless right now.Read more:US intervention in Iran is not benevolent. But Iranians do not have the privilege of choiceI’m an Iranian doctor in Australia. The eyewitness accounts sent to me of medical brutality in Iran are chillingAs in Iraq, America wants regime change in Iran. It’s a smokescreen for US hegemonyIf you can’t get online in Iran, do you still count as human?The Art of War, with Donald Trump
A political primer on the South Australia election
27:32|Campaigning has officially begun for the South Australia state election set for March 21. Peter Malinauskas’ already-dominant Labor government will be returned and increase their representation – the only question is how many more seats will they win?Jo Dyer joins the podcast to give the political background to the election, including how the SA Liberals collapse differs from the federal Libs, and why they’ll be fighting off One Nation for their existing lower house seats. Plus, Dyer gives her hot tip for two independent challengers to watch. Read more:Malinauskas faces a landslide win in SA. But cracks are appearing in his ‘good-time agenda’The Liberals face a drubbing at South Australia’s election next month. But what of One Nation?A South Australian Handmaid’s Tale: Inside the room where a Trumpian abortion bill was narrowly defeatedSouth Australia is now the battleground for the forced-birth movement
Meet Big Brother: Palantir’s Australian expansion
34:09|Palantir is in the business of data and surveillance. It is run by key members of the “tech right”, builds the technology that has powered violent and illegal ICE raids in the US, and is accused of providing the AI-assisted autonomous weapons the Israeli military deployed on Palestinians in Gaza.So why does the Australian Future Fund hold a $100 million stake in Palantir? And how has the company secured multimillion-dollar contracts and top security clearance from government departments and agencies?Associate editor Cam Wilson joins the podcast to unpack his reporting on the growing Australian footprint of “the world’s most controversial SaaS company”.Read more:Revealed: Australia’s $100 million investment in controversial tech giant PalantirDefence signs biggest ever contract with Palantir for department’s ‘Cyber Warfare Division’‘Effectively passive’: Future Fund says it didn’t choose to buy its $100m Palantir stakeFrom ICE to Coles: Controversial US tech company Palantir’s links to Australia spark backlashAs top AUKUS official joins Palantir, ethics watchdog warns of lobbying ‘risks’Why do right-wing figures name their companies after Lord of the Rings?