Shows
"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 166: Housing, health and education: The debates we all have to have, and the bobcats we deserveVan Badham and Ben Davison are back - with new tech, new producer (welcome, Casper!), and a jam-packed episode on everything that matters. After three debates and polling momentum seeming to flow to Labor, Van and Ben pick apart three defining (and revealing) policy conversations of the election campaign: housing, health and education. From the ideological shockwaves of Dutton’s Trump-flavoured Coalition to Albo’s pitch for a Big Labor Legacy, it’s the election campaign Australians have to pay attention to. With the dog in Ben’s lap (an occasionally growling), Van and Ben break down the real differences b...2025-04-231h 11"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 22 October 2023: Middle East, Fee free TAFE, Worker actions, Parental leave, state tax bonfireBen 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 a 48 hour strike this week, AMWU members in Tasmania took action, NTEU workers took actions i...2023-10-2236 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 1 October 2023:the No misinformation campaign, disability royal commission report, Pezzullo and public serviceBen 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 time but is urgently needed.
Mike Pezzullo has stood aside while there is an investigation into his co...2023-10-0133 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 151: Dan departs as Allan ascends, a job for everyone who wants one, a referendum update and good news about kitesVan 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 departs politics as Labor's longest serving Victorian Premier. Ben and Van take a look at...2023-09-271h 07"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 145: Matildas and billion dollar Barbie recasting the role of girls, ACTU price gauging inquiry, Dutton diverted community safety funds and good news about QuollsVan Badham and Ben Davison discuss how the on and off-field success of The Matildas are making us rethink traditional limitations about the role of girls and how they behave.
Van and Ben discuss how the unionisation and professionalisation of the game is providing inspiration while at the same time the success of the billion dollar Barbie Movie is unifying women through a shared experience. You can be like the Matildas and Barbie star Margot Robbie by joining you union at australianunions.org.au/wow
The Australian Council of Trade Unions has launched a price ga...2023-08-091h 02"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 30 July 2023: Education, economic management, workplace reforms, housing, The VoiceBen Davison is BACK after a two week break with a deep dive on the FIVE big issues that should be dominating the national debate.
98% of our public schools don't have the resources they need. Ben reads out a message from a listener about how the failure to support every child has left class sizes too big, teachers overworked and kids missing out on the support they need.
Inflation is coming down. The spokesperson from the bosses pamphlet on Insiders continued to recite the neo-liberal mantras of higher rates, more unemployment and lower wages but Be...2023-07-3038 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 144: Murdoch and the NO campaign, inflation falls as neo-liberalism fails, the end of forced casualisation and good news about treesVan Badham and Ben Davison look at how actors, screen writers and even NRL players are getting organised because they need the power of standing together to get a fair deal. Remember to join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
With the NO campaign in full swing the Murdoch Empire has clearly identified its target market. Van and Ben discuss why a Royal Commission into the influence of the Murdoch Empire is a good idea, why it is NOT a "news" source and present examples of it pushing a narrative that undermines truth while backing in ra...2023-07-261h 00"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 143: Dan says no to Commonwealth Games blow out, time to fund public schools, NO campaign avoids truth and good news about plasticsVan Badham and Ben Davison congratulate the aged care workers who, by standing together in union, are starting to see their pay increases flow from this week and discuss how there is a union for everyone whether you're in aged care, ice cream making, acting or professional sport. Join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
Dan Andrews has said no to the Commonwealth Games cost blow out so Van and Ben explore the reaction, what it means for the legacy infrastructure and just why billionaire and corporate owned media is SO upset.
The official...2023-07-191h 17"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 142: No campaign goes MAGA, Robodebt fallout for Fadden, Albo at NATO and good news about solar glassVan Badham and Ben Davison start this special Thursday edition by tearing apart the ridiculous wage cutting ideologies of Jeff Kennet and exploring why a man who's devoted his life to cutting wages wanting to cut wages isn't news but it is bad for productivity, women and workers in general.
Which is why unions are campaigning for more flexibility to work from home and you can join them at australianunions.org.au/wow
The Guardian has exposed that the NO campaign has been importing American MAGA campaign tactics for the referendum with evidence that two c...2023-07-131h 06"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap July 9 2023: Robodebt Royal Commission exposes abuses of power, Health unions win better deal in NSW and teaching reforms but where’s the funding?Ben Davison spends some time looking at the Robodebt Royal Commission report, the scathing rebuke of the Morrison government, the potential crimes of former ministers and the culture of cooperation between corporate and billionaire owned media and the Coalition of treating people in need as less than human.
Ben explains why Robodebt was bad policy, how we avoid such policies in the future and why unions calling for a more secure public sector workforce are part of the solution.
Join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
The Health Services Union (HSU) in...2023-07-0939 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 2 July 2023: NAIDOC week kicks off YES campaign, Gladys is corrupt, NDIS turns 10 and the economy of LaborBen Davison, fresh from a Yes campaign launch event, talks about why he's voting YES at the referendum and how you can get involved through yes23.com.au or through your union at australianunions.org.au/wow to join and then follow the links.
ICAC has found Gladys Berejiklian engaged in serious corrupt conduct. Ben discusses why the bosses pamphlet was so very wrong about Glady's "saving Australia" and why corruption has no place in our democracy.
The NDIS is turning 10 and the former minister under Morrison decided to throw some grenades at the people t...2023-07-0237 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 140: Farm workers on strike, Greens housing fantasy, inflation falls, claytons mutiny in Russia and Victorias windy recordVan Badham and Ben Davison look at the context of the first farm strike in decades as United Workers Union member's stand firm against employer threats and take action for a decent pay rise, same job, same pay rules and the right to pick salads for Coles and Aldi under decent conditions.
There's a union for everyone and if you've got a boss you should be a member of your union, join at australianunions.org.au/wow
Van and Ben look at the latest in delusional thinking from the Greens political party on housing and...2023-06-281h 02"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 139: The RBA demands more unemployment, Greens delay action on housing, the referendum is coming and so is the dirt machine but The Voice is winning!Van Badham and Ben Davison explore the broken philosophy of The RBA that denies profiteering is a problem until everyone else has said it is, continues to believe in a wage-price spiral that doesn't exist and both simultaneously says people should get more work but we need less people employed.
Of course the union movement was among the first to point out the fallacies of the RBA's ideology and continues to win better pay and conditions so join at australianunions.org.au/wow
Ben and Van also examine how Japan's monetary policy is structured and th...2023-06-211h 16"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 137: Phil Lowe, The RBA and the ideology trying to keep the rich richer and the rest of us poorer, more Morrison era misery and Roger Cook is WA PremierVan Badham and Ben Davison discuss the latest of Phil Lowe's interest rate rises and the Reserve Bank's total ideological capture. We breakdown why they are happening, how ideological obsession is outweighing economic reality and wonder if Phil Lowe's own crisis about his position may be part of the reason that he gives wildly contradictory statements about the economy one day to the next.
The union movement has achieved reforms to bargaining laws which will give workers more power to negotiate better wages and conditions. To make sure you're getting what you're worth in the workplace join yo...2023-06-071h 14"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 4 June 2023: Minimum wage win, RBA gaffes, Green housing hocum and the Ben Roberts Smith verdictBen Davison gets under the hood of the minimum wage decision, the cuts the bosses wanted and how millions of Australian's will be better off as a result of the work of the Australian Union movement. If you're not already a member join now at australianunions.org.au/wow because unions have won an 8.6% increase in the minimum wage, a 5.75% in award wages and unionised workers get paid an average of 26% more!
The RBA governor said that we need more people to live in each "dwelling" during his senate estimates appearance and Ben breaks down why that's s...2023-06-0439 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 136: Tackling sham contracting and forced casualisation, Aussie content on Aussie screens, The Voice a step closer and good news about hydrogenVan Badham and Ben Davison are BACK and the struggle continues! Visy, Australia's largest private company, is still refusing to make a decent offer to workers after 20 weeks of action and bosses in the university sector are strategising together to cut pay and conditions while bosses unions are calling for cuts to the minimum wage and the right to keep exploiting sham contracting and labour hire loopholes.
Van and Ben take a look at how sham contracting in the gig economy, labour hire across multiple industries and forced casualisation has undermined wages and conditions. Ben and Van l...2023-05-311h 12"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 21 May 2023: A year of Albanese Labor government, media obsesses on the negative and Liberals in disarrayBen Davison looks at the first 12 months of the Albanese Labor government and some of the big changes ranging from the National Anti-Corruption Commission and Robo-debt royal commission to improvements in job security and wages to NDIS reforms and genuine action on climate change. The first year of Labor at a national level has achieved a lot.
The union movement has had successes on wages, women's participation in the workforce, job security, the energy transition authority and improvements to the social wage. join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
Ben also takes a look at...2023-05-2138 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap April 30 2023: Van Badham joins Ben to discuss Insiders, reforming jobseeker, YES on track to win and migration reformsVan Badham joins Ben Davison for a special weekend wrap! They dissect David Speers' on defence policy, consider Insiders' decision to ignore reforms to the pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS), ask whether Albo attending the Sandilands wedding was either good or bad politics and the dangers of mistaking online abuse for a real-world movement.
Our hosts discuss what real reforms to the social safety net would look like, and how media needs to be careful not to fall into the traps that right-wing media are now tangled in when reporting on policy reforms to the NDIS, unemployment and...2023-04-3058 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 132: Tucker taken down, Elon gives Twitter the blues, tackling the cost of living and good news about batteriesVan Badham and Ben Davison look at the threads behind the rise and fall of Murdoch star, Tucker Carlson. Why he was effective at what he did, why that wasn't making money, how the Murdoch empires remains focused on making money and how their political interference is just a means of more easily making money. Despite his sacking Tucker Carlson was, and remains, very focused on promulgating his view of what is good and what is evil. Spoiler: He would think we are evil.
Van and Ben also look at the other end of the capitalist spectrum as...2023-04-261h 07"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 131: Dutton tanks Liberal vote, NDIS reboot, Father Bob passes and good news about EVsVan Badham and Ben Davison look at the shocking collapse in support for the Coalition, the nose dive in Dutton's approval and how Labor has overtaken the Liberals as the party perceived as best to manage all aspects of the economy, jobs, wages and the delivery of services. Van and Ben explore Dutton's recent poor decisions and how taking shadow cabinet appointment advice from Pauline Hanson may be symptoms of a wider set of problems in the Liberal Party.
Bill Shorten has announced a reboot to the NDIS. Van and Ben look at what Bill announced at th...2023-04-191h 06"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 130: Duttons unelectable boofheads, Greens block more homes and a listener sends good news about batteriesVan Badham and Ben Davison discuss Dutton's "unelectable boofheads" and their response to the resignation of now former shadow minister for Indigenous Affairs and shadow Attorney General Julian Leeser which has swung wildly from "Albo should apologise" to their media mouth pieces calling him a "traitor" and "self indulgent". What does this mean for the ever "unelectable" Liberal Party? Van and Ben take a peek at the factional swamp that Dutton lords over and offer some ideas of what might be next.
Van and Ben remind everyone that if you worked over Easter you should be getting pe...2023-04-121h 11"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 129: Trump in court, Duttons Noalition, RBA says rates may rise again and the good news is the majority say YES to The VoiceVan Badham and Ben Davison break down why Donald Trump was arrested and in a Manhattan court this week, how the alternate reality of Donald Trump has infected American politics and what might happen next in the saga that is Donald Trump, the Republican Party and American politics.
Peter Dutton has announced he will be campaigning for the NO vote in this year's Voice referendum. Van and Ben analyse how Dutton has come to this point, what it says about the present state of the Liberal Party and, given the Aston byelection, NSW and Victorian elections, what D...2023-04-051h 04"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 2 April 2023: Labor wins Aston, Dutton’s train wreck on Insiders and Liberals circle the drainBen Davison breaks down the Aston by-election result which has seen Labor's Mary Doyle win a the formerly safe Liberal seat. The result is the first time in over 100 years a sitting government has won a seat away from the opposition at a by-election. The first time a woman has won Aston.
Ben looks at how a proud feminist, unionist, single mum was able to win such a "blue ribbon" Liberal seat against a conservative Liberal candidate who ticked all the usual boxes.
Peter Dutton fronted up to Insiders today and gave a train wreck of...2023-04-0245 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 128 Inflation slows, workers call for wages and just transition, Aston byelection, Liberal MPs injure worker and good news about Skinks!Van Badham and Ben Davison discuss what the latest inflation figures might mean for working people when the high priests of neo-liberal monetary policy at the Reserve Bank meet again. Van and Ben discuss how the bosses lobby groups think they can argue the RBA needs to raise interest rates to create more unemployment but also not that the Fair Work Commission shouldn't raise minimum wages because it would cause unemployment. Ultimately they're just fronting for more profits. Which is why unions are arguing for a wage rise that keeps up with the cost of living. You can join you...2023-03-291h 04"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 26 March 2023: Minns Labor wins NSW, media fails with call of tight election, Voice question and putting workers in the centre of debateBen Davison returns with the Weekend Wrap to breakdown the landslide Labor victory in NSW. With Labor set to win its biggest ever majority when coming into government from opposition. Labor's lower house performance was only bettered by its performance in the upper house where it has achieved a 9% swing and battered the Liberal/National coalition.
Ben breaks down some of the seats that Labor won, some of the seats where there is a genuine close contest and just why the media continues to be so out of touch.
Chris Minns will become the 47th Pre...2023-03-2633 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 12 March 2023: Insiders talks nonsense, two weeks until nswvotes, three weeks until Aston byelection and RBA has stuffed the economyBen Davison looks at (rants about?) how Insiders managed to spend three quarters of the show talking about submarines in the same week that the robodebt royal commission ended, the national reconstruction fund became law, the RBA put up interest rates for a record 10th consecutive time, the Aston by election is only three weeks away and the NSW election is only two weeks away!
Ben discusses how the unions in NSW that have been racking up wins across education, healthcare, transport as part of the campaign and the flow on effects for working people across the...2023-03-1227 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 125: International Women’s Day, Musk tells people to get off Twitter, The RBA puts bosses before reality and good news about oceans!Van Badham and Ben Davison LIVE from the Adelaide Fringe Yurt cover the broccolini boycott, Qantas refusing refuelling workers pay rises and the 10 big wins for women that unions have won in the last 12 months.
Van and Ben discuss the socialist foundations of International Women's Day, the struggles that are still to be won and Van's view of why being a woman shouldn't be an "economic class" but has been made one by men in grey suits.
Whatever industry you’re in you can join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
The ou...2023-03-0855 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap5 March 2023: Angus Taylor exposed on Insiders, Stuart Robert fronts robodebt royal commission, media a barrier to reform, NSW Labor and May Doyle launchBen Davison takes a look at Angus Taylor's dreadful performance on Insiders and the disproportionate focus on tax concessions for the wealthiest at a time when more people than ever are working multiple jobs and wages are making up less and less of our national income. Unions keep raising these issues and reminding us that superannuation is for retirement, not tax evasion, and you can join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
Stuart Robert is the opposition spokesperson for superannuation but was to busy avoiding media scrutiny over his time as the minister responsible for Robodebt t...2023-03-0534 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 124: Super tax reforms, Greedflation, the end of killer kitchen tops and good news about cute animalsVan Badham and Ben Davison are LIVE in the Yurt at Adelaide Fringe talking about how the week's news shows us that, for some bosses, if they can get away with it they will and that we need strong, democratic movements to curb the excesses that create greed-price spirals, shorten people's lives for the sake of a kitchen bench and funnel our commonwealth to the 0.5% richest people in the country at the expense of working people's retirements.
You can join you union at australianunions.org.au/wow to make sure your super is paid, your workplace is...2023-03-0154 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 26 February 2023: Super reforms to save billions, Insiders and the phantom arguments, the greed price spiral, YES launches and Tsarina Thorpe crashes Mardi GrasBen Davison wraps up a huge week where the scale of corporate profiteering, what Sally McManus calls the Greed-Price Spiral, has been exposed as driving 69% of inflation, the nation is debating whether 11,000 people who have more than $5M in super should get a tax concession or whether that money is better invested in the 24,000,000 other people struggling under a 4.5% real wage cut, record rises in interest rates and underfunding in our public schools.
The From the Heart YES campaign launched in Adelaide and Unions for YES launched online (you can join your union at australianunions.org.au...2023-02-2629 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 123: Not so perfect broccolini, Murdoch boycotts Fringe, YES to the Voice, Albo’s 2023 agenda and good news about batteries!Van Badham and Ben Davison deliver The Week on Wednesday LIVE! from the Adelaide Fringe! Live from the Yurt Van and Ben expose that "broccolini" is a trademarked term and that some of the agri-corp businesses, many around Adelaide, may not be all they seem. The United Workers Union are encouraging people to contact Coles and Woolworths to demand that exploitation doesn't make it on Australian tables. Don't forget you can join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
The Murdoch organisation has boycotted the Adelaide Fringe, Australia's largest arts festival, after a dispute about advertising. Van and...2023-02-2259 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 19 February 2023: Insiders press Greens on climate blockage, Labor passes signature policies, Voice campaign launches and NSW election heating upBen looks at the first two weeks of the parliamentary sitting for 2023 where Labor introduced housing policy, manufacturing policy and emissions reduction policy all of which were opposed by Dutton and the Greens. Plus our friend Mary Doyle is running for Aston following Tudge's retirement.
The bosses pamphlets have argued against working people being involved in the running of the country but you can have your say by joining your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
Adam Bandt went on Insiders and couldn't name one country that has banned new coal and gas, couldn't say h...2023-02-1937 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 122: Reserve bank puts profits before people, information wars exposed, good news about grass and we are COMING TO ADELAIDE!Van Badham and Ben Davison break down the ideological nonsense at the heart of the Reserve Bank Governor's decision to prioritise bank profits over employment, living standards and the well being of the Australian people.
With the Commonwealth Bank declaring a record profit and 20% increase in dividends Van and Ben breakdown the fallacies at the heart of the neo-liberal ideology.
Of course at the same time mega corporation Visy is trying to give workers real term pay cuts and Ben and Van send the workers who have joined their union, join yours at australianunions.org...2023-02-1558 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 12 February 2023: Insiders stays in neoliberal frame, Tudge quits in disgrace, bosses attacking workersBen Davison looks at the big stories at the end of the first sitting week of parliament in 2023 and neo-liberal skew that Insiders offered up to the ABC audience.
While mouth piece for the bosses pamphlet, Phil Coorey, was promoting his friends at the Mineral's council advertising campaign the hidden truth that profitable major corporations will be fighting to keep workers divided and wages low during 2023 was exposed. Join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
Jim Chalmer's delivered the good news that power prices won't be going up by as much as they were f...2023-02-1229 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 121: Thorpe leaves Greens in lurch, Dark Brandon rises and good news about the sea!Van Badham and Ben Davison examine former Greens Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe's announcement that she is no longer a Green Party member but is now leader of "a grassroots Blak sovereign movement."
They look at the commentary around her split from the Greens, events leading up to this moment, what "a grassroots Blak sovereign movement" might actually mean based on Thorpe's public statements and the implications for democracy and the Voice referendum.
Thorpe's announcement, made standing alone in a hallway, came on the first sitting day of parliament for 2023 where a large number of...2023-02-081h 10"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 5 February 2023: Insider’s returns to discuss The Voice, The Chifley Research Centre conference platforms new ideas and 1 in 10 cancers are work relatedBen Davison reviews the return of the ABC's flagship political discussion show, Insiders. As host David Speers manages to make incredibly dismissive off hand comment about the Robodebt Royal Commission and another panelist waves off the only first nations panellist's views about the situation in Alice Springs Professor Megan Davis patiently explains that The Voice referendum is about principles, not details.
No one knows where the offices will be or what colour the business cards might have on them but we do know that the launch of the YES campaign is happening while Ben and Van Badham wil...2023-02-0528 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 120: Cultural policy at last! Visy, Woodside and Mantle workers facing down corporate greed plus the robodebt royal commissionVan Badham and Ben Davison took a look at the Revive cultural policy launched by the Albanese Labor government and what it will mean for working people in the arts, in Australian audiences and to conversation about who we are as a nation.
Van share's some of her experiences as an artist and just what Revive will mean for the tens of thousands of people working in arts and culture across Australia.
After a decade, or more, of campaigning in union workers now have a right to paid family and domestic violence leave. Van and B...2023-02-011h 07"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 29 January 2023: Alice Springs, a complex story needing complex solutions, West Australian opposition shuffles deck chairs and stranded ship crewsBen Davison takes a closer look at the situation in Alice Springs and how the end of a 15 year ban on alcohol in some communities coincided with cuts to support services, a federal election and a Morrison government unable to think beyond the news cycle to create the slow moving storm that has now engulfed the community. And maybe provides the clearest example of why The Voice is needed.
Ben looks at how the West Australian opposition, with only six lower house members across two parties, has managed to find itself in disarray at the start of 2023.2023-01-2933 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 119: Whether Australia Day or Invasion Day January 26th needs to change, will the RBA cause a recession? Good news from the Mersey river!Ben Davison examines some of the history, the changing attitudes, the cultural impacts and the evolving community sentiment towards January 26th. Ben believes there is a need for change to "Australia Day"/"Invasion Day" if we are to have a day that celebrates modern Australia while recognising our complex and painful history. You can find more info on the views of First Nations Workers and how to become an ally at www.fnwa.org.au
Inflation has hit a new high, though lower than the 8% forecast, and Ben discusses what that means, what the policy options are and...2023-01-2550 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 22 January 2023: Labor leads in NSW, The Voice winning across the nation, Ardern retires and Qantas has been Joyced!Ben Davison looks at the recent polling showing a surge in support for Chris Minns and the NSW Labor party at the expense of Dom Perrottet's Liberal/National coalition government. Ben goes through why working people have had enough of the cuts, the costs and the waste during a decade of mismanagement by the Liberals. Also how unions are getting organised to win better pay, services and more secure jobs, join them at australianunions.org.au/wow. You can check out Van and Ben's interview with Labor leader Chris Minns from December 7th on Episode 114 of The Week on Wedn...2023-01-2224 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 118: Dutton playing politics with The Voice, Stoves new culture war front, is it time to end the free ride? And good news on plastics!Van Badham and Ben Davison look at how Dutton is playing politics over The Voice to parliament, why he's playing a politically dangerous game and just how easy it is to find "the detail" he claims he cannot find. (Ben reads it out if you're interested Peter)
Turns out gas appliances aren't great for our health, our environment or our wallets but, as culture war correspondent Van Badham reports, there's enough vested interests to keep American law makers and ridiculous sky news types ranting about why pumping gas that makes unwell directly into your home should be a...2023-01-181h 00"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 15 January 2023: Workers beat wage thieves at Mantle, Pell is gone and who is Perrottet really?Ben Davison explores how workers at the Mantle Group stood together in union against a sham agreement that saw hundreds of workers denied their proper wages. The Queensland and New South Wales based hospitality company continues to deny any wrong doing but the case is damning for the company (who might face criminal charges) and a win for workers. Join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
This week saw the death of George Pell. Ben, from Ballarat, talks about what this has meant for him, his community and how one man's indifference to the suffering of oth...2023-01-1528 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 117: Sunak’s anti-strike laws have Australian flavour, Republican supreme court could strip right to strike,Brazil’s far right storm their capitalVan Badham and Ben Davison take a look at some of the big issues facing working people in the UK and the USA and find that there's an Australian flavour in conservative moves to strip worker's of rights.
In the UK Rishi Sunak is trying to ban effective strikes and force people to cross picket lines with a law that one of his own MP's has called "shameful". The "protecting essential services" approach is one that is already law in Australia and has been used to stop industrial actions from train strikes to the release of exam r...2023-01-111h 10"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 115: Morrison fumbles at robodebt royal commission, Cookers turn to terrorism, Pampas workers strike for job security and good news for renewablesBen Davison looks at Scott Morrison's performance at the Robodebt Royal Commission and isn't surprised to learn that Morrison has not regrets, is still pitting groups of Australian's against each other and is avoiding answering the questions.
A terrible act of terrorism in Queensland have resulted in the deaths of three innocents and three suspected terrorists. Police were ambushed by conspiracy cultists at a property in Queensland. Ben does discuss what happened but more importantly why it happened and what we need to do to stop QAnon and other conspiracy cults from inciting violence. HINT: it involves a h...2022-12-1456 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 114: Chris Minns, NSW Labor Leader, joins Van and Ben to discuss the state of NSW, bad news about burritos and good news from GeorgiaVan Badham and Ben Davison sat down with NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns to discuss his campaign, why privatisation doesn't work, why his former school teacher dad inspires him to respect the power of education to change lives and what it will take to fix the gig economy, workers rights and local manufacturing.
Join Van, Ben and the NSW Labor leader as they discuss the need to put workers at the centre of reform, how each of us can improve our communities by talking with people about the issues we face and why being opposition leader is a...2022-12-0751 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 112: Workers asking Pocock which side are you on? Victoria heads to the polls, Musk burns billions for Twitter lols and good news on the NSW Super BatteryVan Badham and Ben Davison RETURN to the podcast following the sad passing of Van's mum, Barb. With the Secure Work, Better Pay laws before the senate and Barb being a lifelong unionist Van and Ben pay tribute to her life by examining why David Pocock needs to pass the whole package of laws to get wages moving. And just what the laws really mean for jobs, wages, climate action and social change.
Joining your union and being part of making this change happen is just a few clicks away at australianunions.org.au/wow
The...2022-11-231h 19"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 13 November 2022: Ben updates on mid terms, Victorian election, Secure Jobs, Better Pay laws and Van’s mumBen Davison gives a brief update on the situation with Van and her Mum, thanking all The Week on Wednesday listeners for their support and solidarity.
With Biden's Democrats set to retain the senate and pushing the house elections to the wire its been a good week for democracy.
Ben also takes a look at the debate on the Albanese Government’s Secure Work, Better Pay laws. Apparently some people on Insiders and on the cross bench thought "get wages moving again" was rhetoric not a promise to Australian's to get wage moving again. Ben encou...2022-11-1323 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 30 October 2022: Van Badham joins Ben to talk Insiders, budget and workplace law reformsVan Badham joins Ben Davison to discuss the issues that the October Budget has highlighted, how Insiders dealt with those issues and what is really happening with the Secure Jobs, Better Pay laws.
With 29 of 33 OECD nations in structural deficit the issue of how we invest in our commonwealth, how we generate revenue from our productivity and resources and who benefits from that is front and centre of debate in Australia and around the world.
Ben and Van breakdown the Secure Jobs, Better Pay bill. They look at the faux friend big business is pretending t...2022-10-3028 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 111: The dragon slaying budget, Secure Work Better Pay laws, Sunak is Britain’s billionaire PM and good news about batteriesVan Badham and Ben Davison look at the Albanese Labor government's first budget, handed down by Jim Chalmers. They explore the three themes of keeping election promises, targeted cost of living relief and putting downward pressure on inflation interact with each other.
They also take a look under the hood at some of the big six programs including some of the savings made by stopping the Morrison era rorts.
With inflation getting above 7% the need to "slay the dragon", as it was put at the national press club, has never been greater. This budget starts the...2022-10-261h 06"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 109: The Week on Wednesday LIVE at Melbourne Fringe! Van and Ben talk tax cuts, Putin, Musk and neo-Liberal nightmares with a LIVE audienceVan Badham and Ben Davison do the Week on Wednesday LIVE at Melbourne Fringe!
Complete with audience participation our hosts talk about tax cuts, neo-liberalism, Putin, Musk and good news about plastics coming out of the oceans!
Enjoy this very special episode of The Week on Wednesday.
2022-10-1248 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 2 October 2022: NACC will either be reform or knackered, Truss shows tax cut follies, COVID isolation to end but whats next?Ben Davison gives his view on Mark Dreyfus big week appointing the first female majority High Court in Australian history, introducing the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to parliament and appearing on Insiders to explain why he thinks they've got the balance right on public hearings.
Ben discusses the ups and downs of public hearings and how the union movement first passed a policy on a national anti-corruption Commission in 2015! You can join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
The RBA is likely to raise rates this week and Ben looks at how the unfunded t...2022-10-0221 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 107: Sally McManus calls for end to war on workers, Labor federal ICAC is NACC and Queensland to end reliance on coal by 2035Van Badham and Ben Davison are relieved by the huge agenda of the Labor commonwealth government and do a deep dive on the National Press Club speech by ACTU Secretary Sally McManus. Sally's speech explores how we came to the economic situation we are in, what we can do about it and why unions are naturally inclined to work with others to solve our shared problems. Van and Ben discuss the historical context, the values that drive economic justice or inequality and just what might happen next for Australia. You can join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
...2022-09-281h 01"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 106: Morrison a cabinet of one, Labor’s new budget and new approach, gig reforms ready for delivery and good news in WA AND QueenslandVan Badham and Ben Davison examine the revelations that Scott Morrison held 739 cabinet committee meetings where he was the only member of the committee to avoid public scrutiny over his lack of genuine policies.
Our hosts also offer solidarity to the workers who have been locked out, are taking action or have had to go on strike and encourage listeners to join their union at australianunions.org.au/wow and check out the funds to support locked out workers at https://knauf-lockout-fund.raisely.com/ and the NSW workers under attack from the Perrottet government at https://workers-fund...2022-09-211h 04"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 11th September 2022: SPECIAL Van Badham joins Ben to discuss parliament, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and what’s nextVan Badham and Ben Davison discuss the big issues from the week in parliament, including the first climate legislation in a decade, family and domestic violence leave and the scrapping of the the multi-million dollar grant program to the governor-general's pet foundation, before the historic passing of Queen Elizabeth.
Van and Ben - both republicans - discuss why the passing of the Queen is a historic moment, the differences in Australian and British reactions, why Prime Minister Albanese's nuanced understanding of this moment as Australia makes our own way towards recognition & reconciliation was so important on Insiders...2022-09-1135 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 104: Qantas Gets Joyced, the Economy, and Dutton Goes NuclearVan Badham and Ben Davison overcome their technology issues and meet online with Ben in Brisbane and Van back in Victoria. They discuss the ongoing corporate failure at Qantas, and a situation best described as an omnidirectional clusterJoyce. Meanwhile, Dutton's "Leftovers" on the Opposition benches have decided they now like workers, who themselves are having to take action to raise wages despite the nation experiencing full employment and rising productivity. Van and Ben dive into the murky waters used to cool the nuclear power stations seems to love so much, and the good news is about CRAB-POWERED BATTERIES!!!
2022-09-0857 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 103: The jobs summit, wages, unequal pay day and tax cutsVan Badham and Ben Davison devote a BUMPER EPISODE to talking through: the modern Australian workplace ahead of Labor's Jobs and Skills Summit, the leadership of Sally McManus, Australian unions AND small business to get multi-employer bargaining back into the national discussion, and the *insane* suggestion of sending 13-year-olds into the workforce, and the origins of such a dopey idea. Ben and Van also share the personal stories of three workers, Janene, Chris and Paul, who are making the case for change. Like Janene, Chris and Paul you can become a member of your union at australianunions.org.au/wo...2022-08-311h 07"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 28th August 2022: Morrison Inquiry announced, Robodebt royal commission, Sally McManus on InsidersBen Davison takes a look at the Morrison Inquiry's role in safeguarding our democracy, the Robodebt Royal Commission's role in safeguarding our social democracy and Sally McManus's ideas to get wages moving again. Start by joining your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
The government has announced an inquiry into Morrison's shredding of democratic convention to be conducted by a former High Court judge and Ben looks at why the Morrison supporters are squealing.
The Robodebt royal commission has been announced and Ben discusses why this needs to be a watershed moment for how we...2022-08-2823 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 102: Inquiry into Morrison’s power grab, ACTU Climate plan for jobs summit, neo-liberal higher ed and good news on PFASVan Badham and Ben Davison breakdown the solicitor general's findings about Scott Morrison's shadow government of one, himself. There will be an inquiry and Morrison says's he'll participate but looks to be imposing conditions. Van explains how Morrison's conditions are a Trump tactic to shift blame and stall any real progress.
As Labor's support surges ahead of the Jobs and Skills summit the ACTU, Australian Unions, has put out a discussion paper on how to create jobs while taking action on emissions reduction and climate change. Van and Ben discuss the difference having genuine stakeholder engagement and par...2022-08-241h 03"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 21 August 2022 Barnaby admits ignoring Morrison power grab to keep perks, gig economy ruling needs overturning and Morrison’s grants scamBen Davison dives into the Morrison Modern Manufacturing Initiative Scheme that saw $828M handed out, including in five announcements during the election.
Insiders had former Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce on for a car crash interview where between calling for modular nuclear power plants in every town he admitted he didn't confront or make public Morrison's secret portfolios because he had been given ministries the Nationals weren't entitled to, staff they weren't entitled to and was concerned they'd be taken away!
Plus the end of the week saw the devastating application of a high court decision...2022-08-2121 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 101: Morrison’s shadow government, unions launch skills and migration plan, wages cut as profits soarVan Badham and Ben Davison try to unpack the Morrison secret shadow government as the full extent of his additional portfolios is exposed.
While Morrison flatly denies any wrong doing most of the country thinks he should resign from parliament and that he has undermined democratic processes.
Van and Ben breakdown what happened, why it is a problem and what might happen next.
While the legacy of Morrison's Napoleonic power grab continues to be record cuts to wages and record increases in profits the union movement has put forward its 2nd pre jobs su...2022-08-171h 06"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 14 August 2022: Bowen’s masterclass on Insiders, Morrison’s COVID power grab and real economic reformsBen Davison reviews how Insiders failed to discuss one of the biggest political stories of the week; Scott Morrison SECRETLY making himself health and finance minister during the early stages of the COVID pandemic. Ben breaks down why Morrison might have done it, asks who knew and would Peter Dutton do the same if he gets the chance?
Chris Bowen gave a masterclass interview on Insiders where he outlined the complexity of the electricity market while providing assurance that real reforms are underway. Ben discusses how the interview also showed up the Insider panel's anti-union biases as th...2022-08-1424 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 31st July 2022: Albo announces Voice question, grim economic outlook inspires rapid Labor agenda and rebalancing workplace powerBen Davison looks at Prime Minister Albanese's Insiders interview from Garma where he outlined his plan for the constitutional referendum and the enshrinement of the indigenous Voice to parliament.
How the Voice comes into being will depend on winning the referendum and Ben analyses the approach Albo is taking to make sure he wins the debate.
The 1st week of the 47th parliament saw a flurry of legislation. Ben examines why aged care reforms, emission reduction targets scrapping the cashless debit card and childcare are both good social policy but will also improve productivity and l...2022-07-3122 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 98: The challenges facing Albo’s parliament, half of Australia has COVID, Morrison AWOL, Bison are BACK!Van Badham and Ben Davison take a look at why Anthony Albanese's government faces some significant challenges as the new parliament sits for the first time.
Van and Ben discuss the emotional opening of parliament and why Labor's time in government, particularly under the current circumstances, is so important.
With neo-liberal economic ideologues dominating the institutions of our economy the Labor government's drive for more secure work, better wages, paid family and domestic violence leave, the establishment of Skills Australia and a 43% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050 will rely on the...2022-07-2759 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 97: Barilaro busted, Corporations driving up inflation, Labor commits to 30:30 by 2030 to fix environment & COVID updateVan Badham and Ben Davison look at how John Barliaro has come totally unstuck as his former chief of staff testifies that the former NSW Nationals Deputy Premier created the New York trade position with every intention of taking the job himself.
Tanya Plibersek has released the previous Morrison government's environment report which has some damming facts and figures about the state of Australia's environment. Van and Ben discuss the Labor promise to establish an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and their commitment to protecting 30% of our land and water by 2030.
New research has confirmed what w...2022-07-201h 05"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 17 June 2022: Albo listens to workers on paid pandemic leave, Bandt threatens to vote with Dutton on Insiders & Van and Ben get MARRIED!Van Badham joins Ben Davison for a very special weekend wrap. Our hosts got married yesterday! In a small family ceremony at the beach where Van's father's ashes were put into Botany Bay, Van and Ben have tied the knot.
But the news waits for no one. Albo's decision to reinstate paid pandemic leave payments for worker's who have to isolate shows the power of working people raising their voice together and the willingness of a Labor government to listen to workers. The union movement (which you can join at australianunions.org.au/wow) worked hard to mak...2022-07-1725 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 96: Making the job summit work for workers, Bosses bumper bonuses, COVID update and good news about sandVan Badham and Ben Davison look at the Albanese Government's announcement of a jobs and skills summit, who might be going, who thinks they are going, what it is supposed to achieve and why the Liberal Party is totally confused about what is happening.
Australian Unions are positioning to have the summit fix our broken workplace laws, improve wages, job security, working conditions for women and access for all. To be part of the movement, like Steve (listen and you'll understand), go to australianunions.org.au/wow
Ben and Van examine a couple of case s...2022-07-131h 12"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 95: Albo visits floods, industrial action in New South Wales, COVID getting worse and good news about maritime parksVan Badham and Ben Davison break down how the Liberal Party and their right wing media allies have attacked Albo doing his job promoting Australia's interests in Europe while they simultaneously forgot that Dutton is literally on holiday.
Even NSW Liberal state Premier Dominic Perrottet has defended Albo saying the state and federal government had been working well on dealing with the current flooding disaster.
Van and Ben look at what is happening with the floods from a political perspective and the immediate relief being delivered.
While Dom Perrottet may be doing better w...2022-07-061h 09"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 3rd July 2022: Albo rebuilds Australia’s reputation, Per Capita shines a light on NDIS, grim COVID milestoneVan Badham joins Ben Davison for a special Weekend Wrap to discuss the rapid rebuilding of Australia's international reputation, the latest Per Capita report on systemic risks of contracting in the NDIS and Australia suffering our 10,000th COVID death.
Albo and the Labor government have rapidly rebuilt Australia's international reputation with allies in Europe and pacific embracing the new government. The results are tangible with new trade, regional security and bi-lateral relations that had been off the table under the Liberals all restarting.
Per Capita released a report that shines a light on the problems o...2022-07-0344 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 94: The boomer fantasy of wage spirals, the failed states of America and good news about Queensland coalVan Badham and Ben Davison emerge from their COVID isolation to breakdown the real story behind the wages debate in Australia.
The reality doesn't match the ideological chest beating from the business lobby who were quick to claim a Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) mandate for a wages cap (their isn't one) to stop a "wages spiral" and that Sally McManus, leader of Australian Unions, had called the RBA governor a "boomer". (She didn't).
Van and Ben look at the ways collective bargaining is failing, how it can/could work to lift wages, some innovations li...2022-06-291h 16"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 93: Morrison’s march through the institutions uncovered, we have COVID and Albo signs up for ambitious action on climate changeVan Badham and Ben Davison have COVID! But that doesn't stop them from examining how a decade of Liberal/National government gave Morrison the chance to stack out various Australian institutions, ranging from the ABC to the Reserve Bank.
While many appointments across government may have been on merit the uniform ideological background of people on the Reserve Bank Board have many people questioning the recent demands by the Governor of the RBA for workers to wear more pay cuts and suggesting a return to the board of a strong worker voice.
Just as Fraser, Ha...2022-06-2244 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 19th June with Van Badham! Albo’s agenda, Dutton on Insiders, early childhood reformsVan Badham joins Ben Davison for the Weekend Wrap and a look under the hood at the Victorian and New South Wales early childhood education announcements this week. While it was a joint announcement the details highlight the public sector vs private sector approaches of the respective Labor and Liberal governments. NSW has also announced "reforms" in education which are based on policies that have consistently proven a failure elsewhere.
Albo has outlined the first three items for parliament, along with a framework for the rest of 2022. Van and Ben discuss how these priorities, emissions reduction, women's safet...2022-06-1942 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 92: Workers win pay rises, how Labor won government, coal fails during snap and good news about energy transitions in WAVan Badham and Ben Davison celebrate Minimum Wage day as 2.7 Million low paid workers in Australia are set to receive at least a 4.6% and up to 5.2% increase in wages. We look at who will get what and when.
As well as the dollars and cents, Van and Ben break down the economic and socio-political realities of the minimum wage decision, what we need to do to help lift the wages of the other 75% of workers in Australia not on minimum awards (it starts by joining your union australianunions.org.au/wow) and how an Albanese Labor government f...2022-06-151h 13"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 12 June 2022: Shorten on Insiders talks NDIS fixes, Qantas, Merivale and toxic corporate culturesBen Davison looks at Bill Shorten's Insider's interview and his push to fix the NDIS. With 90% of NDIS providers now unregistered, organised crime infiltrated into the system & foreign private equity extracting profits Shorten has promised that if "you are delivering personal care you have to be registered" that people will be "paid the proper award" and we to "make sure people are qualified".
While every dollar invested in the NDIS returns $2.25 the lack of quality control, auditing and minimum levels of training in the unregistered sector is undermining those outcomes.
Ben discusses the issues around c...2022-06-1229 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 91: A decade of economic damage, minister making their mark, NSW workers face down wage cuts and good news about sea grassVan Badham and Ben Davison look at what's happening in our economy as the Reserve Bank raises rates, inflation spikes and wages continue to go backwards in real terms.
Van and Ben get underneath the headline figures to look at what's really driving inflation, who's profiting and why wage increases are exactly what we need to get the economy humming. You can get your wages moving by joining your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
They also examine how the Liberal/National policies of the last decade put more workers on minimum rates, forced more p...2022-06-081h 08"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap June 5 2022: Liberal energy policy bites, profits soar as wages crash, Labor makes movesBen Davison looks at Labor's moves to scrap the cashless debit card, end the outsourcing of Centrelink call centres and lift the minimum wage while acknowledging National reconciliation week and Mabo Day.
Insider's had National Party leader David Littleproud on who expressed "no regrets" over the policies of the last decade of Liberal-National misrule, lied about Labor's efforts to fix the energy crisis and doubled down on the Morrison era policy of supporting multi-national gas companies over the needs of the Australian people. There's also a quick look at the rogues gallery that's likely to be the s...2022-06-0526 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 90: Albo’s new Labor Ministry, Does the media have a class bias, and Dutton imports culture warsVan Badham and Ben Davison dive into the new Albanese Government Ministry with a look at some of the key changes as well as an explainer on how "factions" work and directly answer some direct listener questions.
Big appointments in defence, skills, education, environment, climate change, NDIS, government services, aged care, housing, Indigenous Australians, infrastructure, the arts and workplace relations all align with some key Labor priorities for this term of government. Many groups are already pointing out the passion and commitment the new ministers have for these portfolios, as well as the size of their bibles? It...2022-06-011h 12"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 89: PM Albo and the gang of four, Liberal Leader Dutton, Murdoch media fails and democracy sausagesVan Badham and Ben Davison examine the first few days of the Albanese Labor government as Albo and his gang of four are sworn in to start the transition after a decade of Liberal-National rule and so Albo can attend the regional security pact meeting known as "The Quad".
Van and Ben look at Labor's policy priorities between now and the end of the year, the make up of the parliament, the failure of the Liberal Party to hold any of the inner city Liberal "seat by rights" and what we will be looking for in the...2022-05-251h 06"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap: Post election special with Van Badham and Ben DavisonVan Badham and Ben Davison talk about election night 2022, the first openly left/centre left LIVE Election night broadcast and the current state of play for the Australian parliament.
With Albo's Labor Party winning a majority but the most independant MPs elected into parliament since before WWII Van and Ben look at what has happened from a macro perspective and how this election signals that Australia is still a Menzian/Hawke nation. A concept that Morrison's "Liberals" seem to have forgotten.
Van and Ben explore what that concept means, how it might influence an Albanese L...2022-05-2242 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 88: Morrison cuts wages, jobs and retirements, unions win domestic violence leave, election 2022Van Badham and Ben Davison break down Morrison's re-election platform of wage cuts, job cuts and raids on retirement on the very day the Morrison government has delivered the worst wage figures in more than 20 years.
With profits up, sales up, CEO pay up, the cost of living going up and Morrison demanding workers wear a $4,000 pay cut Van and Ben ask the question;
"How can Morrison be promising to cut wages, cut jobs and raid people's retirements but still be in with a chance of winning this election?"
Ben breaks down why...2022-05-181h 05"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 15th May 2022: Albo calls for wage rises on Insiders, Morrison promises to change and delivers more of the same and Dutton’s liesBen Davison looks at Albo's Insider's interview and the key point that Australians with jobs are now having to rely on food banks while Morrison argues for more pay cuts and against a $1 an hour wage increase.
Morrison ended the week promising to change but immediately doubled down on all the same old policy positions. The Liberal campaign launch shows a weakening grip on older voters and Dutton says things that are untrue about China and the USA.
While Ben attended a union organised choral protest against Morrison at a community centre where the staff...2022-05-1516 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 87: Morrison demands workers take pay cuts, voting has started and the 3rd leaders debateVan Badham and Ben Davison look at why Morrison is demanding that Australian's accept pay cuts of $2,000 each as he rails against the idea that wages should keep pace with inflation.
Since Morrison responded to Albo's question on whether or not every worker should be paid the minimum wage with "it depends" the focus of the election has been on wages.
Workers in aged care, hospitals and education have all recently taken action to lift wages, Australian Unions have increased their minimum wage claim (don't forget to join your union for better wages and more...2022-05-111h 03"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap May 8 2022: Waleed gets it wrong on Insiders, Tanya nails workplace reforms, Medicare scandal and 2nd debateBen Davison covers why Waleed was wrong to suggest we need more wage cuts to control inflation as Australian workers have already lifted productivity by more than 10% points since 2013 and Treasury tells us that for every 1.5% lift in productivity we can sustain 4% increases in wages WITHOUT impacting inflation.
And wages have been going backwards. Ben looks at why inflation is happening despite wage cuts and what can be done about it as he reviews Tanya Plibersek's Insider interview promises for workplace reform.
There's been a lot of coverage about discussing the NDIS so Ben looks a...2022-05-0823 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap: May Day 2022, James Campbell’s Insiders embarrassment, Labor’s campaign launch & Morrison’s campaign chaosThis May Day Ben Davison gives a 20 minute wrap up of James Campbell's embarrassingly fact free appearance on Insider's where he dismissed the democratic rights of two thirds of Australian's and everyone who has experienced wage cuts over the past two years.
Remember union member's have more secure jobs and earn more so join at australianunions.org.au/wow
Ben looks at Labor's promise to launch a RoboDebt royal commission and the justice it may bring for nearly 400,000 Australian families.
Labor launched their campaign in Perth. Ben looks at the big announcements and h...2022-05-0124 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 85: Morrison bungles the economy, Labor launches economic policy and chaos in the coalition campaignVan Badham and Ben Davison look at how Morrison has bungled the economy. Despite his many promises he is set to increase taxes for 10 million households, has overseen a 5% spike in inflation (just two months after promising it wouldn't go above 4.25%) and is delivering a $2,000 real wage CUT.
Van and Ben look at how the inflation spike, wages cuts, impending interest rate rise and ongoing job insecurity shows Morrison's economic ideology that "government can't do things" is built of false assumptions and the proven fallacy of trickle down economics.
With United Workers Union (UWU) member's se...2022-04-271h 03"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap: Morrison’s ”blessing” a curse on NDIS, Barnaby’s Insiders sell off plus wage theft & pork barrellingBen Davison looks at Morrison's explanation that his debate response to a mother who's child has had their NDIS support cut that he was "blessed to not have had to go through that" was about the difficulties in navigating the NDIS, rather than a comment about children with a disability. Even if we take Morrison at his word it is, at the very least, a condemnation of his own failure to properly deliver the NDIS.
Plans have been cut by an average of 4%, appeals to the AAT have doubled, foreign private equity backed unregistered and unregulated "platforms" th...2022-04-2426 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 84: Morrison promises wage cuts, Labor to reform NDIS, COVID rules changing and good news on solar storageVan Badham and Ben Davison look at Morrison's promises on workplace laws and what the real impact will be for working people. They also give a roundup on the changing COVID rules and election state of play.
Morrison's campaign continues to take place in workplaces where workers are being offshored, wages cut, temporary migrants exploited and former Liberal Minister's chair the board. The work of unions in exposing these travesties while also fighting for better wages, safer workplaces and more secure jobs might be why Morrison wants to double the fines on unions, it is certainly why y...2022-04-201h 06"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap Easter Election: Insiders calls out Morrison’s bigot strategy, Morrison dodges ICAC, a new health minister & disinformation warfareVan Badham joins Ben Davison for an election special weekend wrap. The end of the first week of the election campaign has seen a change in the way the media reports the campaigns, the topics that are being covered and the insights being offered.
On ABC's Insider's program the panel openly discussed Morrison's decision to install a bigot into a seat he does not expect to win in order to help gain communities in other seats. Meanwhile his own Foreign Affairs Minister refused to endorse the candidate during their interview on the program.
Van and B...2022-04-171h 08"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap with Van: Pre-Budget Insiders, Morrison’s Hillsong lies, Putin’s War and good environmental news about cows!Van Badham joins Ben Davison for a very special edition of the Weekend Wrap to bring you The Week on Wednesday, on a Sunday.
Van and Ben dive into the Morrison government's pre-budget leaks, analyse Insiders and Jim Chalmer's focus on wages and job security during his interview. The budget will benefit from rising commodity prices but Morrison's renouncement of old policies, leaking of cash hand outs and continued waste on rorts doesn't look like addressing the job insecurity, real wage cuts and increasing living costs that are smashing Australian households. Australian Unions are taking action in wo...2022-03-271h 03"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 79: Morrison’s cost of living crisis can’t wait until budget night, Malinauskas on path to victory in South Australia, Putin’s War and good news about solar powered waterVan Badham and Ben Davison dive into the cost of living crisis that is smashing Australian households with some people going backwards by as much as $1,500 a year. Morrison may be trumpeting low unemployment but more and more Australians are in lower paid, casual work and having to work more than one job just to survive. Australian Unions are achieving better outcomes in workplaces with more union members both for job security and wage increases.
Van shares her own story of going to work in hospitality while extremely sick in London just to make the rent.
...2022-03-161h 08"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 13 March 2022: Morrison’s defence waste exposed on Insiders, Flood fundraiser highlights Liberal failures, Eureka ban a symbol of skewed prioritiesBen Davison breaks down Labor shadow defence minister, Brendan O'Connor's, Insiders interview in which he exposes the wastefulness of the Morrison-Dutton government. Billions spent on equipment that doesn't work, given to Liberal donor companies that have no staff and on contracts that will never be delivered. All in pursuit of an arbitrary "Spending as a percentage of GDP target" while Dutton fails to effectively deploy the defence forces we have to support covid controls and flood relief.
The nation dug deep to support a flood relief telethon overnight but with the insurance bills likely to top $1 BILLION Be...2022-03-1318 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 76: Morrison attacks workers and children, real wages cut, billionaires are not the answer to climate changeVan Badham and Ben Davison look at how the diverging political fortunes of Morrison and Albo are driving Morrison into ever more desperate acts of political theatre at the expense of working people and children.
On Monday the NSW Liberal's effectively conspired to shut down the train system by locking out the workers and then spent the entire day using a decision, made by their management team (some who had played the same role locking out workers at Qantas), to attack workers, union leaders and the Labor Party.
From Prime Minister Morrison and his industrial...2022-02-231h 04"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 20 February 2022: Morrison gets desperate on national security while welding his own face, South Australia off to the poll and WA set to reopenBen Davison is back on the Weekend Wrap following Van Badham's stint filling in last week and he takes a look at the South Australian election. Labor has a good chance of winning back government from Marshall's chaotic Liberals on March 19th with only four seats needing to swing Labor's way.
Western Australia is due to reopen on March 3rd with nearly 99% of people over the age of 12 vaccinated.
Ben dives into why Morrison launched, what Nikki Savva on Insiders called, a desperate attempt to tarnish the reputation of the opposition leader. How James Paterson was...2022-02-2018 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 6 February 2022: ”We need to get him out” Morrison minister flaps on Insiders, Barnaby and Colbeck show Morrison priority is image over lives, the bigot bill and around the states"We need to get him out."
Ben Davison dives into the latest revelations about how much Morrison's own Deputy PM, Ministers, Liberal Premiers, Former Liberal Prime Ministers and his own members don't trust the "horrible, horrible person", who puts "politics before people", is a "liar", a "fraud" and "a hypocrite". Barnaby Joyce was due to appear on Insiders but due to his own text messages where he revealed he feels the same way about Morrison he dropped out of the show and left Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews to pick up the pieces.
The interview is...2022-02-0617 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 72: Grace Tame channels Australian women, COVID deaths spiking, Australia and Survival Day plus good news on riversVan Badham and Ben Davison analyse the final day of Grace Tame's tenure as Australian of the Year, that handshake, that look, that photo, Morrison's failures on policy issues, Morrison entrenchment of unsafe cultural attitudes, the conservative response to Tame doing her duty and what it tells us about the state of politics and the status of women in Australia.
Van and Ben also remind people they can get active to support better safety for women at work, and in society, through their union at australianunions.org.au/wow with the We Won't Wait campaign and the...2022-01-261h 06"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap16th January 2022 Morrison’s blunders see corporations trying to send COVID positive workers back to work, Djokovic exposing the flaws at immigration & WA prepares for OmicronBen Davison gives a wrap up on the COVID figures for the week and looks at how "mild" Omicron has been able to bring much of Australia into an undeclared lockdown.
Ben looks at the situation in WA as they learn from the failures of the NSW Liberal Party and prepare for re-opening to the rest of Australia on the 5th of February.
Morrison has opened the flood gates to corporations forcing COVID positive workers back into the workplace with Teys abattoir instructing its 140 covid infected staff to come to work in different coloured hairnets. T...2022-01-1625 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 70: Morrison let it rip now the shelves are bare, ideology vs policy vs politics on COVID and were Djokovic’s COVID test results altered?Van Badham and Ben Davison dive into the mess of Scott Morrison's ideology and the Boy Prince Dom's unenforceable COVID policies as the politics of material reality, that is millions of Australian's having COVID, being exposed to COVID and being too sick to go to work, starts to bite into both NSW based Liberal Party leaders. Shelves are bare, businesses cannot function, economic activity is collapsing and the truism is being proved: To have a healthy economy you need healthy people.
With workers being sick and exposed to COVID Morrison intends to use national cabinet to try a...2022-01-121h 06"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 5th December 2021: Morrison ends 2021 in a shambles, Albo launches Powering Australia and skills training while transport workers win and teachers prepare for strikeBen Davison looks at the shambles that is the Morrison government as it failed to create a federal ICAC, failed to increase people's super, failed to pass its Trumpian voter ID laws, failed to pass its religious discrimination laws and saw its member's cross the floor to vote for Qanon motions, hold up the senate and possibly mislead Morrison (and Australian's) about their vaccination status.
And that's all before the "retirement" of Christian Porter and Greg, I don't take calls from Pfizer, Hunt. To pile further shambles into the cess pit of the Morrison government Alan Tudge w...2021-12-0527 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonWeekend Wrap 28 November 2021: Morrison‘s attempt to censor the internet and other intrusions into people‘s lives to distract from economic failure plus a new COVID variantBen Davison looks at the Morrison government's latest announcement on Insiders that they will try to police comments on the internet and how it fits into Morrison's strategy of government "stepping back" on economic issues while simultaneously starting culture wars and stepping in to protect corporations.
Ben looks at Morrison's attempts to stop class action lawsuits, like the one that ended robodebt, his attempt to protect aged care companies from prosecution while delaying the implementation of the Aged Care Royal Commission recommendations, Morrison's NDIS Minister calling the scheme welfare that people need to "get off" and Morrison's a...2021-11-2824 min"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 65: Morrison wants more migrant workers, Lambie takes on One Nation, Morrison chooses chaos over leadership and Washington turning waste into goldVan Badham and Ben Davison look at Scott Morrison's plan to import 200,000 temporary migrant workers into Australia over December and January as new polling shows 58% of Australian's want to decrease from our pre-pandemic levels of 160,000.
Van and Ben discuss how there are 200,000 workers already in Australia who can't get the support for their child, elder or family member with a disability that they need to take up a job and how the Morrison government's "can do capitalism" has failed to deliver for them, the two million other unemployed and underemployed Australians and our suburbs and towns that ne...2021-11-241h 07"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben DavisonEpisode 61: Morrison ”the weakest link” on climate action, Morrison gives Telstra billions to block China and the good news is solar powered steelVan Badham and Ben Davison celebrate being reunited after four months separated by COVID lockdowns by exploring Morrison's New Plan using current policies to tackle climate change in "The Australian Way" with a pamphlet written by a global consulting company.
We need real cuts to emissions to avoid temperatures increasing by 2.7 degrees. but there is no roadmap for tech led change just a do nothing government hoping Australia will simply get swept along as capitalists, investors and corporations invest in future profits.
Van and Ben ask the question; If the Morrison plan is to just l...2021-10-2753 min