"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben Davison

Episode 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 water

Van 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.

With the Victorian government stepping in to offer a sick pay guarantee to casuals to help stop the spread of illness and address the symptoms of insecure work Morrison has chosen to attack the Victorian government and unions.

Albo is promising that Labor will address the insecure work, systemic low wages and rising costs of early education and childcare that are driving the cost of living crisis.

Morrison's solution?  Cheaper beer, from taps, in pubs.  Not even Andrew Bolt supports the idea.  Even the mainstream media seems to have finally had enough of Morrison's opportunist politics.

Peter Malinauskas looks set to topple a one term Liberal government in South Australia this weekend, in what Ben and Van are calling a microcosm of the national mood, the chaotic, ineffective and mismanaging Liberal government looks set to be punished by the public.  And Steven Marshall isn't even as unpopular as Scott Morrison!

Putin's War in Ukraine is failing.  Van looks at how his autocratic rule of Russia allowed Putin to build a fantasy world where he only hears what he wants to hear.  Now Russian forces are stuck in the mud, Putin is running out of money and the world is laughing at his "retaliatory sanctions" against American officials who have no dealings with or in Russia.  But, as Ben points out, sanctions can cut two ways with the oil situation in India a development worth watching.

And the good news is that scientists have developed the kind of technology that might allow us to build "moisture farms" like on the Star Wars plant of Tatooine using solar panels and hydrogels!

Plus we thank all of our Cadre and Extend the Reach supporters.  To become a supporter check out our www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday page.    

 

Weekend Wrap 13 March 2022: Morrison’s defence waste exposed on Insiders, Flood fundraiser highlights Liberal failures, Eureka ban a symbol of skewed priorities

Ben 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 Ben asks the question; is this the Liberal party just once again trying to deflect from its failings and push the role of government onto the people?  

Morrison was on the Today show this morning rejecting that very claim and calling it a "Labor narrative".  The 865,000+ Australian's having to work two or more jobs, millions who've had a pay cut, tens of thousands who were abandoned during fires and floods and thousands who's loved ones have needlessly suffered and died in aged care might disagree.

Morrison has banned the flying of the Eureka flag on construction sites.  Despite failing to implement the recommendations of a review of workplace health and safety laws and standing to one side while two major construction companies have gone under Morrison's Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) have spent two years getting a ban upheld by the federal court.  The Eureka flag, flown by our first diggers, remains a powerful symbol of grass roots democracy and is a part of union iconography while also being a key part of Ballarat's cultural identity.

Van and Ben will be proudly marching under the Eureka Flag at the Ballarat Labour Day march tomorrow.  Don't forget to join you union and check out our supporter page!

Episode 78: Morrison’s flood disaster and the crisis of small government, Putin’s War and energy in the West plus solar panel flowers

Van Badham and Ben Davison look at how the Morrison government's current failures around the floods are deeply rooted in their obsessive small government ideology.  From defence readiness to aged care, from the NDIS to flood relief the ideological obsession of Morrison, Dutton and the Liberals has seen billions collected in taxes then doled out in rorts and dodgy deals while the sovereign capacity Australians need to keep us safe, employed and prosperous has been eroded.

Morrison has flown to Lismore to declare a national emergency in a photo-op but refuses to acknowledge that the undermining of the public sector, the sell offs, favours for mates and dodgy grant schemes, coupled with a refusal to acknowledge the science of climate change, is the root cause of the problem.

With people hiring helicopters, setting up their own field hospitals and Chris Hemsworth donating tonnes of food people are rightly asking "isn't this the role of government?"

Putin's War in Ukraine hasn't gone to plan with high casualties, equipment failures and stubborn Ukrainian resistance throwing his "special operation" into a chaotic second week.

The West has responded by imposing sanctions, the latest of which strikes at the rivers of black gold that Russia has been selling to Europe, the UK and USA.  Bans and rapid transitions away from Russian oil, coal and gas by the Western nations will cripple the Russian economy and speed up the global transition to renewable energy.

The good news is that South Korea has floated giant flower shaped solar farms that not only provide renewable energy but are also beautiful tourist attractions.

As always we thank our Cadre and Extending the Reach supporters, check out https://www.buymeacoffee.com/WeekOnWednesday, for how you can help us keep making The Week on Wednesday.

Weekend Wrap 6th March 2022: Dutton’s incompetence shines through poor Insiders interview, Morrison fails flood victims, profits soar as wages fall

Ben, live from the Adelaide Writers Week, breaks down the Peter Dutton Insiders interview that failed to ask a single question about his involvement with a Queensland business man, who he has made commercials for in the past, which FriendlyJordies has exposed as having been involved in questionable behaviour.  Dutton sabre rattled about China, made up defence policy on the run, refused to be accountable for his failure to properly deploy defence personnel to assist with the floods and in aged care.

While people in Queensland and Northern New South Wales are forming a "mud army" to deal with the disaster Dutton railed against suggestions his government hadn't done enough to support the people.  Despite even NSW Liberal Premier Perrottet admitting they had failed to do enough.

Ben looks at how this part of a broader picture of failure by the Morrison government on everything from a federal ICAC to un-needed car parks and how this weeks economic figures show that failure is being paid for by working people with wages FALLING while profits SKYROCKET.

We round out with a shoutout for the International Women's day events happening this week, including the big union rally in Melbourne this TUESDAY.

Plus there's a shout out to our supporters who've said hello while in Adelaide and made a contribution at www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday

Episode 77: Morrison missing for women and elders, Putin’s war, flood disasters in Queensland and NSW

Van Badham and Ben Davison take a long look into whats happened in aged care now that Morrison has had the Aged Care Royal Commission findings for over a year.  Hundreds have died, minister Colbeck cannot guarantee that funding for nutrition was spent on food, nursing homes don't always have a nurse, minimum care times are not being met and the workers need a 25% pay increase just to get a liveable hourly wage. 

But unions have taken up the issue with a claim to lift wages to $30 an hour, have nurses in nursing homes, have staff to resident ratios and ensure people are feed more than $6 a day worth of slop.

The Australian Union movement also released a report this week called "Morrison Missing: A record of his failure for working women".  The report shows how under the Morrison government 2 out 3 working women have faced sexual harassment at work, women are paid nearly $500 a week less than men, retire with half as much as men and are more likely to experience insecure work, unemployment and homelessness.

The report coincided with the union movement bringing a case for paid family and domestic violence leave in the workplace commission.  While employer lobby groups were happy to contest the claim no employer was willing to put their face to opposing a paid day off for the victims of family and domestic violence.

While the Australia Services Union has asked Qantas to get rid of some outdated gender bias uniform laws, Tony Abbott has been spouting American right wing talking points that "gender whispering" is basically why Putin has invaded Ukraine.

It is not.  Putin has invaded Ukraine because he believes in a fascist ideology espoused by one of his advisors and praised by people like Steve Bannon.

Putin's War in Ukraine has highlighted how his far right ideology has been supported by bad faith actors in the west and is based on a written doctrine of fascism, "Greater Russian" rule over large parts of Europe and the "destruction" of "liberalism"

While the war is not going to plan for Putin it has unified democracies against his authoritarianism in some interesting and unexpected ways while also having devastating economic consequences for Putin and his cabal of oligarchs.

The flooding disaster in south east Queensland and northern NSW has claimed 10 lives and left over 50,000 properties without power.  Van and Ben rail against the failure of Morrison and Dutton to understand the role of government in supporting people in a time of crisis while praising the selflessness of the volunteers and community members on the front line.

Plus there is good news about Guinness and carbon capture! 

And as always we give a shout out to our supporters, you can check out the supporter page at www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday

Weekend Wrap: Putin’s war in Ukraine and floods in Queensland

Ben opens the podcast with the Ukrainian national anthem and a call for peace. 

The Week on Wednesday focusses on issues that impact working people, whether in work, looking for work, unable to work or retired for work, and Putin's war will impact working people in Ukraine, Russia and around the world.

While giving a breakdown of how Putin has misjudged the resistance of the Ukrainian people, and their President, Ben explores how Putin used his puppet Trump to deny Ukraine weapons, his pawns to spread division and chaos in our democracies during the US election, Brexit and through the Qanon Cult.

Ben gives a rapid summary of the sanctions, military situation, international pressure and domestic unease that surrounds Putin's war. 

Here in Australia floods have claimed at least six lives in Queensland with flooding rains expected to continue in the days to come.  Emergency services are receiving as many as 1,000 calls an hour for assistance.

Ben rounds out the wrap with a call for peace, a hope for the safe return of AWU National Assistant Secretary Misha Zelinsky who is in Kyiv and a thank you to all those who are helping protect people from the floods in Australia.

 

Episode 76: Morrison attacks workers and children, real wages cut, billionaires are not the answer to climate change

Van 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 relations Minister Michaelia Cash to the boy prince Premier Perrottet and his Transport Minister David "I don't answer my phone after dark" Elliot the full weight of the Liberal Party was focused on blaming the workers for stopping the trains when the truth is that it was the NSW Liberal government and their hand picked underlings who threw the state into chaos.

Tuesday saw no apology but did see Morrison move onto his other favourite target group; trans children.  On the same day that we received a copy of "This is me", a heart warming picture book written by a teacher and AEU member about sporty young people coming out to their family the Prime Minister of Australia was supporting banning trans children from playing sport.

Van and Ben discuss how this behaviour by Morrison is about his desperate attempts to revive his political fortunes in the face of news today that real wages are going backwards, living costs are going up, insecure employment rampant and his ideologically driven leadership has made things worse.

The news that billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and Canadian private equity fund Brookfield want to buy AGL has been greeted by some as the arrival of climate change Batman but Van and Ben breakdown why the low ball offer was never likely to succeed and what it tells us about the battles between billionaires for power and money.  Never simp for a billionaire.

Plus there is good news about carbon capturing soft drinks in The Netherlands!  

And as always we pay tribute to our contributors.  You can become a Cadre, Extending the Reach or Buck a Week contributor at www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday or you can just make a once off contribution.  

Weekend 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 reopen

Ben 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 unable to provide any evidence for the accusations Morrison has thrown at Labor and what it all actually means for the state of Australian politics. 

Plus Morrison's campaign circus is on the road again with the ringmaster himself very nearly welding his own face

Also Ben thanks our www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday supporters and reminds people to join their union, because Morrison isn't going to be lifting wages.

Episode 75: Morrison plays the ukulele while Liberals burn Australia, Dyson Heydon and the Liberal problem with women plus good news about clean energy & trees

Van Badham and Ben Davison dive into the politics of the week - and what it tells us about the broader state of the nation.

Morrison appeared on 60 Minutes playing the ukulele while his NSW Liberal Party colleagues were being resoundingly spanked in by-elections across the state.  With nurses going on strike about a lack of staff at over 150 hospitals (during a pandemic) - and rolling industrial actions across the train network - it is easy to see why.

At the federal level, the Morrison Liberals aren't doing any better.  The aged care crisis is now exposing the dire state of our sovereign capacity with only 106 of the promised 1,500 defence personnel actually in aged care facilities.  The government's own committee has stated the NDIS will need another 83,000 full-time workers in the next two years - yet the sector is "overworked, underpaid, undervalued and poorly trained".  And total "payroll" wages in the economy dropped nearly 9% in January on the back of the total number of "payroll jobs" (a measure of jobs that are sometimes more secure) dropping nearly 6%.

Even on COVID Morrison is still failing, with January 2022 costing more lives than any month in 2021.

Van and Ben also look at the Dyson Heydon sexual harassment case settlement and draw together the strands of how the Liberal party treats the powerful - like Heydon - vs how they attack the disempowered and the vulnerable, like Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins. 

Plus TWO good news stories.  The first on clean energy from ammonia and the second on reforestation in India that includes an improvement in the social conditions for women.

Don't forget to join our supporter page www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday

Weekend Wrap 13 February 2022: Van gives a special breakdown of how ”get Albo” week got turned on it head with Labor beating Morrison on religious discrimination and more!

Van Badham fills in for Ben Davison, who has lost his voice, and gives a full break down of how Morrison's "get Albo" week in parliament turned into one of the worst weeks in Morrison's parliamentary career.

The divisive "religious discrimination" bill, a centre piece of Morrison's promises to the Australian Christian Lobby, was effectively gutted by a Labor party, very much in the minority, who was able to tactically navigate amendments, small "L" liberalism and the weaknesses of Morrison's leadership to put forward a genuine religious freedom bill that didn't allow discrimination against the LGBTIQA+ community. Morrison, wanting the wedge and hate more than the freedom, killed the bill in the senate and now it seems unlikely to happen before the election.

Morrison's hunt for friends and slices of the electoral pie has led to him blaming the states for vaccine mandates and tip toeing around the "Carnival of Crank" currently in Canberra that is stopping Lifeline fundraisers and generally causing a nuisance while also acting as the Australian chapter of the "Brownshirts without borders".

Van also gives some analysis of Morrison's desperate attempt to regain "daggy dad" status with his 60 Minutes piece.  If you can watch Scott Morrison play a ukulele and not think of him abandoning Australian's to horrific bushfires then you haven't been paying attention.

And if you'd like to support The Week on Wednesday and the Weekend Wrap you can check out our supporter page www.buymeacoffee.com/WeekOnWednesday