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The Conditional Release Program

The Conditional Release Program

By: Jack the Insider and Joel Hill
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Welcome to The Conditional Release Program, a podcast that delves into the netherworld of cults, crims and con artists.

Who would have thought a spicy chest cough would turn everyone so completely mad?

Our weekly show covers the conspiracy theorists that created a 'shadow pandemic' of political idiocy and violent ideation within the fringe of politics.

From time to time we get our hands even dirtier with true crime deep dives. Jack is a seasoned expert in the true crime genre, having written and spoken extensively about Roger Rogerson, Stan 'the man' Smith and, of course, the Fine Cotton Fiasco. In various episodes he guides us through the dark underbelly of Australian crime in his trademark storytelling style.

The world is getting weird and we are getting weird with it. Let's watch as democracy crumbles into a smouldering heap - and take note of the kids carrying the matches and the metho.

Hosted by Jack the Insider and Joel Hill with an occasional rotation of guests that generally share our distaste toward the lunatic fringe.

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Political Science Politics & Government Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • UNLOCKED PREMIUM - Ep 32 - Antivaxxers Getting Bolder
    Dec 26 2025

    Here's another one! I don't know if it's any good but the blurb seems interesting. Merry Christmas y'all.


    We thought that around now would be the time the antivax movement died. The data is clear - vaccines work. Not only that, but side effects are incredibly rare. Despite this, antivaxxers have simply lied their way through it - claiming that every heart attack is a result of the vaccines and pushing conspiracy theories alongside any celebrity death they can.


    With the 'revelation' that Pfizer didn't test for transmission in the clinical trials (clinical trials that antivaxxers previously denied ever happened) we have seen yet another perceived victory for these idiots, with many of them expecting some form of apology.

    I'm sorry you're an idiot? Will that do?

    Jack looks at the data - and we discuss the bad faith argument put forward as a result of this honest answer from a pfizer exec being conned by an antivax snake.


    Published 28th Oct 2022.

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    52 mins
  • UNLOCKED PREMIUM - Balenciaga
    Dec 26 2025

    Merry Christmas ya filthy animals! Here's an xmas gift for y'all. Something from the premium vaults. This one is on the dumb Balenciaga outrage that happened back in the day when Q-Anon was a fringe thing and not a normal part of mainstream politics. Simpler times, somehow.

    Published 8th December 2022.


    Enjoy!


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    We were going to do this one on main but honestly heaps of shit has happened so let's swing this one to the patrons!


    We look at the absurdity of the Balenciaga scandal. I mean, they're not wrong - it's kinda fucked up. But are the right taking cancel culture as their own? Where's the line between art and fashion and which gulag should we throw them all into?


    The book burning right show their true colours with this one - but why do rich dickheads spend insane money commoditising children?!?


    Fuck knows...

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    59 mins
  • Two Jacks – Episode 139 - Guns, Hate Speech and the Bondi Massacre
    Dec 18 2025
    More slop but hey it's detailed. That's nice. 00:25 – Hanukkah, Bondi and a terror attackJoel (Jack the Insider) opens the Christmas‑eve episode by recounting the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach that turned into a mass‑shooting, with 16 dead including Holocaust survivor Alex Kleitman and 10‑year‑old Matilda.​He notes that one gunman, Sajid Akram, was killed and his son Naveed faces 59 charges including 15 murders and a terrorism offence, while funerals proceed under a cloud of grief.​02:05 – Anti‑Semitic threats and the rise of Jew hatredThe Jacks detail an anti‑Semitic threat on a Virgin Australia flight from Denpasar to Sydney, where a 19‑year‑old allegedly made violent gestures and threats toward a Jewish passenger.​They discuss how contemporary anti‑Semitism in Australia and the West feels broader and deeper than before, increasingly visible on progressive and left‑wing fringes as well as the far right.​04:55 – Jenny Leong’s “tentacles” remark and Greens politicsJoel quotes NSW Greens MLC Jenny Leong’s 2023 comments about the “Jewish lobby” and “Zionist lobby” having “tentacles” infiltrating community groups, likening the rhetoric to classic Nazi tropes in Der Stürmer.​Jack notes Leong is part of NSW’s hard‑left “watermelon” Greens and argues such language shows how anti‑Jewish narratives have crept into mainstream progressive politics in Australia, the UK and the US.​07:25 – Apologies, anti‑Zionism and the limits of definitionsThey note Leong apologised two months later for “poor choice of words” with anti‑Semitic implications, but Joel says the tentacle imagery hung “like a bad smell” over public debate.​The Jacks criticise semantic wrangling over definitions of anti‑Semitism and suggest calling much of it what it plainly is: old‑fashioned Jew hatred, often masked as anti‑Zionism.​10:25 – Who failed after 7 October? Government responses under fireJack argues federal and state leaders failed from “October 8th on” by not responding strongly enough to anti‑Jewish rhetoric and protests, suggesting Labor tried to balance Jewish concerns against Western Sydney Muslim votes.​Joel pushes back, citing Sean Carney’s column outlining how Naveed Akram’s jihadist associations, ASIO assessments and gun‑licence decisions date back to the Morrison/Dutton era and pre‑Albanese security failures.​13:55 – ASIO, gun licensing and unanswered questionsThe Jacks highlight ASIO’s prior knowledge of Naveed’s extremist links and question how Sajid Akram obtained a semi‑automatic shotgun with only an AB licence when B/C categories are needed for that weapon.​They call for frank explanations from ASIO and NSW firearms licensing about assessments, paper trails and whether bureaucratic or resourcing failures allowed Akram to amass an arsenal worth around $30,000.​17:55 – Under‑resourced counter‑terror units and a fearful Jewish communityJoel cites a retired AFP counter‑terror investigator who says counter‑terror units are stacked with officers fresh out of the academy instead of seasoned detectives.​Jack reflects on three decades of Jewish institutions in Sydney’s east needing armed guards, and shares conversations with Jewish friends who now quietly contemplate leaving Australia because they no longer feel safe.​20:35 – “Don’t bring your old hatreds here”The Jacks trace anti‑Jewish attacks in Sydney back to the 1982 Hakoah Club car bombing and the simultaneous attack on the Israeli consulate, arguing Jewish Australians have lived with this threat for over 40 years.​They say successive governments failed to hammer home a core Australian expectation: migrants must not import centuries‑old religious or ethnic hatreds into their new home.​23:05 – Segal anti‑Semitism strategy and hate‑speech lawsThey briefly canvass the Gillian Segal anti‑Semitism strategy; Jack dismisses it as “word salad” and window dressing, while Joel notes the government has been slow to act on its recommendations.​On hate‑speech laws, Jack argues bans on offensive political opinions tend to drive hatred underground and make it more dangerous, but both agree incitement to violence must remain a prosecutable offence, possibly with updated legislation.​26:00 – Policing protests and the limits of crowd controlThe Jacks explain why police sometimes tolerate ugly slogans at protests: wading in for arrests can inflame crowds that already vastly outnumber officers.​They stress the need to balance immediate public safety and officer safety with the longer‑term risk that demonstrators feel they can incite hatred with impunity.​29:00 – Bondi’s stain and its heroesJoel laments that Bondi Beach, an iconic Australian destination, will now always be associated with a massacre, describing a moment of nausea as the death toll climbed on that Sunday night.​Jack reminisces about Bondi’...
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    1 hr and 27 mins
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