Episodes

  • Kristy McBain on natural disaster preparation and ambitious climate targets

    Kristy McBain on natural disaster preparation and ambitious climate targets
    Sep 5 2025
    While many Australians are feeling relieved about the end of a cold winter, the minister for emergency management and regional development is already eyeing the upcoming summer bushfire season. Kristy McBain talks to chief political correspondent Tom McIlroy about the importance of social license for renewables and climate action in regional Australia, and shares her latest audiobook playlist for long drives to weekend sport
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    20 mins
  • Andrew Giles on how to fix Australia’s skill shortage

    Andrew Giles on how to fix Australia’s skill shortage
    Aug 29 2025
    Fresh off the government’s reform roundtable and an address to the press club on skilling Australia’s future, the minister for skills and training, Andrew Giles, says he’s focused on making sure every Australian is able to reach their full potential in the workforce. He talks to Tom McIlroy about how to solve Australia’s skill shortage, the importance of skills recognition in the economy, why fairness is so important to the skills sector and the key to growing the economy
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    21 mins
  • Guardian Essential report: the paradox of recognition, why do Australians back Palestine but doubt its impact?

    Guardian Essential report: the paradox of recognition, why do Australians back Palestine but doubt its impact?
    Aug 28 2025
    Why do most Australians back recognising a Palestinian state, yet nearly half dismiss it as merely symbolic? The executive director of Essential Media, Peter Lewis, shares the latest poll findings with the Canberra chief of staff, Josh Butler, about Palestine, as well as fears of AI-driven job losses fuelling strong calls for regulation, a four-day work week and the need for bold reform
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    21 mins
  • Allegra Spender on why tax reform will make young people’s lives better

    Allegra Spender on why tax reform will make young people’s lives better
    Aug 22 2025
    Fresh from the government’s economic roundtable, the independent Wentworth MP Allegra Spender is optimistic about the future of tax reform in Australia. Talking to chief political correspondent Tom McIlroy, she argues Labor must speed up approvals for housing and clean energy, shift the tax mix to ease pressure on young people and boost investment, and responsibly embrace the ‘freight train’ that is AI
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    21 mins
  • Dr Mohammed Mustafa on why we need more than recognition to end the crisis in Gaza - podcast

    Dr Mohammed Mustafa on why we need more than recognition to end the crisis in Gaza - podcast
    Aug 15 2025
    British-Australian doctor Mohammed Mustafa has seen first-hand the horrors occurring daily in Gaza from his time working in hospitals across the region. Speaking to chief political correspondent Tom McIlroy, he describes life on the ground in the war zone, says that Australian politicians are clinging to talking points while children die, and warns that recognition of Palestinian statehood must be matched by real action to end the humanitarian crisis
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    22 mins
  • Andrew Bragg on AI, housing and what the Coalition got wrong

    Andrew Bragg on AI, housing and what the Coalition got wrong
    Aug 8 2025
    Two weeks out from Labor’s economic roundtable, the Coalition’s shadow minister for productivity, housing and homelessness, Andrew Bragg, joins us to talk about the biggest challenges facing the economy. Speaking to chief political correspondent Tom McIlroy, he cautions against over-regulating artificial intelligence, reflects on the Coalition’s missteps with migrant communities, and reveals how he still carves out time for long runs and audiobooks amid the chaos of federal politics
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    20 mins
  • From Palestine to jobseeker and keeping children safe online: Tanya Plibersek on Labor’s tough calls – Australian Politics podcast

    From Palestine to jobseeker and keeping children safe online: Tanya Plibersek on Labor’s tough calls – Australian Politics podcast
    Aug 1 2025
    Tanya Plibersek, one of Labor’s most recognisable political figures and the minister for social services, joins us as the government faces big decisions at home and abroad. Chief political correspondent Tom McIlroy speaks to her about the push to recognise Palestinian statehood, the jobseeker rate and the urgent fight to keep children safe online
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    28 mins
  • Guardian Essential report:​ Albanese starts second term with solid approval, but Trump presidency looms – Australian Politics podcast

    Guardian Essential report:​ Albanese starts second term with solid approval, but Trump presidency looms – Australian Politics podcast
    Jul 31 2025
    As Anthony Albanese readies his second‑term reform agenda, Guardian Australia’s Josh Butler speaks with Essential Media’s Peter Lewis about the elephant in the room: Australia’s dependence on the US and how its high‑stakes defence gambles could shape both his leadership and the nation’s strategic future
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    19 mins