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...

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...

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...

Van Badham and Ben Davison give and update on the For Every Child public school funding campaign (www.foreverychild.au/postcard) , the Maritime Union campaign to stop wage theft in shipping and take a deeper dive into the progress on Closing the Loopholes for labour hire, casual and gig workers. it is Go Home on Time Day!  Workers are losing billions in unpaid overtime and through the corporate exploitation of loopholes. Van and Ben discuss how the union movement is tackling this problem and...

Ben Davison returns with the weekend wrap to look at how corporate share buy backs are further evidence of profiteering driving inflation and why the Closing the Loopholes legislation is needed asap. You can join your union at www.australianunions.org.au/wow to add your voice to the millions calling for wage increases instead of profit payouts. The Australian Education Union has released new research that shows our public schools are underfunded by the almost the same amount as the share buy...

Van Badham and Ben Davison dig into the best wage rise numbers in more than 20 years, discuss why many people will still be going backwards and, as the ACTU Price Gouging Inquiry wraps up, what we can do to help stop the profiteering.  The union movement wins on minimum wage, awards, for aged care workers and improved collective agreements are lifting wages so if you want to see your pay get above the cost of living join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow  Peter Dutton is back on the...

Van Badham and Ben Davison dish the latest on the Optus outage chaos that has swept across Australia - and argue why key national infrastructure should be in public hands. They discuss why another interest rate rise is yet another painful example of an economy outgrowing the neoliberal zealots who insist on running it, and they take a tour into the history of abusive welfare policy. The good news is from America - with key victories for Democrats (and the rights of women) in Ohio, Virginia...

Van Badham and Ben Davison shine on a spotlight on the attempts by corporate giants BHP, Qantas and Doordash to keep the labour hire, forced casualisation and sham contracting loopholes open at this week's senate committee hearings. Van lays out what is wrong with capitalism in Australia and why being in your union, join at australianunions.org.au/wow, has never been more important with over $9,000,000,000 that could become wages if the loopholes close. Jason Clare, federal Education...

Ben Davison gives a breakdown of Anthony Albanese's successful state visit to the United States and places it in the context of what has been happening in the US, the Biden administration demonstrating the "imperial presidency" while the Republican bicker over the speakership and some of the tangible positives for Australia. Insiders seemed unable to grasp how international politics and domestic politics actually interact so Ben explains what being a "middle power" actually means and why the...

Van Badham and Ben Davison are back with a new podcast episode that tackles why anyone would want to keep making a product that kills the workers who create it, how corporations have done just fine during high inflation and why they are spending millions to stop the government closing the loopholes that let them pay people less than their entitlements. The union movement has said it will ban the use and transport of engineered stone if the government does not act and it has called for...

Ben Davison takes a look at some of the stories form this week that Insiders missed given their focus on the Middle East.  While the situation in Israel and Gaza is horrendous, Ben gives a brief synopsis, there is lots happening in Australia. The new National Skills Agreement is a win for the Australian Education Union, workers and employers who will benefit from the $30 billion investment in TAFE including another 300,000 fee free places in 2024. 1,400 United Workers Union diary workers took...

Van Badham joins Ben Davison for this post referendum special edition of the Weekend Wrap.   Our co-hosts look at what the results of the referendum tell us so far, why there is such sadness, how we can respond and what it might mean for the future. The rise of misinformation in the referendum is examined, how electoral politics and referendums are different, why we need to be kind and how we can reengage with solidarity. Send your message of solidarity to Aboriginal and Torres Strait...

Van Badham and Ben Davison take a deep dive into the murky waters of American politics as the Republican Party conspires to unseat one of its own from the role of Speaker.  It is the first time in history that a Speaker of the House of Representatives has been deposed.  Van breaks down why it has happened, what it means for American politics and the kind of markers we need to watch for in our own political system. Prepoll voting has opened around Australia for the referendum with recent polls...

Ben Davison looks at the established research which shows the NO campaign is leveraging misinformation and a global network of disinformation campaigners.  In a shock admission Ben admits that he agrees with Phil Coorey and Chris Kenny that the No campaign has become a grab bag of grievances. The disability royal commission report has been handed down with 222 recommendations from over 10,000 submissions.  Ben looks at how it intersects with the current NDIS review and why reform will take...

Van Badham and Ben Davison open by congratulating the workers who won their struggle with Inghams chicken, the artists in NSW who won restored funding and by sending international solidarity to the writers, screen actors and auto workers in the USA, who were joined on the picket line by Joe Biden.  Making Biden the first ever sitting President to join a picket.  You can win better pay, better conditions and better management by joining your union at australianunions.org.au/wow Dan Andrews...

Ben Davison RETURNS with his weekend wrap! Instead of breaking down Insiders he compares and contrasts the difference the Walk for YES last weekend and the far right rallies for NO this weekend. Ben also reads a message from a listener in Arnhem Land who is talking with local first nations people about the referendum. With less than three weeks until the referendum and a week until pre-poll Ben is urging people to get involved at yes23.com.au The Alan Fels price gouging inquiry kicked off...

Van Badham and Ben Davison are BACK! Having, almost, recovered from their illnesses Van and Ben dissect the disinformation that is swamping the Voice referendum.  They break down what the Voice is, why the disinformation is happening, where it is coming from and what we can all do to make sure it doesn't taint our democracy. The Labor government in NSW has handed down its first budget following a range of wins by workers in unions there are pay increases, more teachers, more healthcare and...

Ben Davison takes a look at Noel Pearson's Insiders interview and how he managed to cut through the misinformation, fear mongering and misdirection to remind Australia that the referendum is an opportunity to accept the hand of friendship by recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as our first people and embrace the opportunity of reconciliation by guaranteeing an advisory body.  Nothing more, nothing less. The crossbench teamed up with Peter Dutton's Noalition to delay the closing...

Van Badham and Ben Davison examine the government's bill to close the loopholes that are letting corporations take $9 billion from workers through forced casualisation, sham contracting, gig exploitation and legal chicanery. With $9 billion on the line corporations are fighting back with some of the weirdest and most easily disprovable lies imaginable.  Van and Ben breakdown why the corporate bosses are investing millions in ads to attack the improvements for workers. Workers are fighting...

Ben Davison dives into the detail of the new workplace reforms that will give more rights to everyday working people who are casuals, gig workers or engaged as labour hire by setting some minimum standards. Tony Burke went on Insiders to explain how the new approach will work and David Speers still hasn't wrapped his mind around the idea that Labor is governing from a people first perspective as opposed to a corporate first approach. Qantas, the company that has unlawfully sacked workers,...

Van Badham and Ben Davison discuss the official announcement of the Voice referendum date, October 14th, while taking a look at the campaigns, the messages and why Albo's message of hope has gained the support of such a broad cross section of Australia. The union movement is campaigning for YES and you can get involved with your union at australianunions.org.au/wow and the campaign at yes23.com.au  A listener wrote in with a question about Andrew Tate's influence over young men so Van and Ben...

Ben Davison is BACK from a week off with the latest Weekend Wrap.  Insiders discussed productivity, taxes, industrial relations and education with most of the debates missing the point. Ben breaks down how the points raised on Insiders show we need full funding for public schools, Qantas demonstrates the need for both workplace reforms and a focus on capital productivity and that if we want more skilled migrants following the lead of Belize and Somalia probably isn't the solution. The union...

Van Badham and Ben Davison take a look at how the release of NAPLAN results highlights the need for our public schools to get the MINIMUM FUNDING that 98% of them are currently being denied. The Australia Education Union is running a campaign at foreverychild.au calling for every public school to get the funds they need for every child to get the education they deserve.   The American CPAC event was held in Sydney last weekend and Van Badham gives a breakdown of how this piece of American...

Van Badham and Ben Davison are all in with the Matildas, Till its done, so take a look at the cultural phenomena that has become the Australian Women's Football team, what it means for sport, our society and why their unionism is an inspiration for so many others to stand up for what's right. Join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow While Australia is having a sport led cultural moment the United States is again mired in the muck of its political system and the disgrace that is Donald...