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

Episode 43: Workers strike for better wages as Morrison era cuts pay packets, Barnaby is back dragging us down into the darkness, NSW enters its COVID Winter and good news about bees!

Van Badham and Ben Davison discuss the workers who are taking action at General Mills and how everyone can support them by boycotting Old El Paso & Latina Fresh products.  They explore new research which shows average working people are $254 a week WORSE off under the Morrison government, how ANZ and Macquarie Banks are taking money out of worker's pockets and what we can do to lift wages in Australia. 

HINT: Join your union

Barnaby Joyce is back in the Deputy PM chair and both Van and Ben share the outrage felt by most of the nation.  But what does his return mean for Australia and what can we do to limit the damage Gina's pet does to Australia this time around?

NSW is experiencing a COVID Winter outbreak, as sadly predicted on this show.  With the vaccines rollout moving from strollout to failout we discuss what people can do to stay safe, keep infections down and keep our heads up.

There is good news on vaccines...for bees! With a new vaccine set to help save bee populations.

Ben and Van share a story about the time they met former British Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn and Germanicus climbs on all the equipment!

Weekend Wrap Jun 20, 2021

COVID Update: QLD has a case, NSW has more cases, Morrison rejected 40 million Pfizer doses -Changes to Super target industry funds while letting rip off bank funds continue -World Refugee Day -Minimum Wage changes & exploitation of temporary migrant workers -Nationals bicker over leadership

Episode 42: Morrison and his QAnon friends, Barilaro isn't so friendly to Jordy, Minimum wage to increase, Biloela family update & good news!

Van Badham and Ben Davison examine Scott Morrison's QAnon friendships as exposed by 4Corners.  Van puts her expertise on internet conspiracy theories to good use as she and Ben discuss what this might mean for democracy, the Morrison government and our society.

John Barilaro has made accusations that have resulted in the arrest of the producer for FriendlyJordies.  Van and Ben talk about Barilaro, the work of Jordan Shanks, what these events might mean for freedom of speech, freedom of satire and what they add to our knowledge of the NSW Deputy Premier.

The Minimum wage is set to go up by 2.5%  on July 1 for most of Australia's 2.2 million minimum wage workers but not for those in retail, restaurants, airlines or hair styling with delays ranging from 1 September to 1 November for workers in those industries.

The Biloela family have been reunited but the Morrison ministers still can't quite bring themselves to let them go home to Bilo.

Good news about support for more women to get into trades in Victoria and bottle bricks in Nigeria!

Weekend wrap Jun 13, 2021

-Pressure grows on Morrison to let them go #HomeToBilo -G7 meets but Morrison does photo op instead of policy work -IR update on wages, 2nd jobs & vaccination leave Plus Morrison wants to gag charities

Episode 41: Medicare cuts slammed by doctors, Biloela family left to rot, Morrison looking to cut wages AGAIN and good news about trees and bees

Van Badham and Ben Davison look at the Medicare cuts that have been slammed by doctors and have inspired action from Australian Unions to save Medicare from Greg Hunt's dream of an American style, privatised healthcare system.

A family from Biloela has been left to rot on an island for 1000 days, a toddler is a preventable blood infection and a community wants the family to come home.  So why is Morrison spending $6 million keeping them in a 400 bed detention centre?  And how do we get things back on track?

Morrison reanimates the ministerial career of Michaelia Cash to help cut wages for the workers in Australia's "most profitable sector" while also trying to drive down the minimum wage for millions of our pandemic heroes.

The good news is about Trees and Bees

Plus Germanicus joins as we record from a new location.

WeekendWrap Jun 6, 2021

-85 cases of Covid in Victoria but hope ahead l -Morrison finally agrees to fund a quarantine centre but can’t tell us how many aged care workers have been vaccinated -Morrison passes super laws that are a punishment looking for a crime as cross bench cuts ministerial powers -Merivale empire grows on the back of stolen wages as Morrison’s I.R. Minister poses with the CEO, attends his fundraiser & scraps wage theft laws

Episode 40: Scovid lockdown continues in Victoria, Harvey Norman as the face of corporate greed, economic growth for the few not the many and good news about airships!

Van Badham & Ben Davison look at how Scott Morrison's failure to rollout the COVID vaccine has created the #Scovid hashtag, left 98% of people in supported disability care accomodation unvaccinated and brought Australians a world of confusion. Meanwhile, a Morrison minister called aged care workers "dregs", another minister told locked-down casual workers to "go to Centrelink" and the Deputy PM thinks "a week isn't a long time to go without pay". Gerry Harvey volunteers to be the face of corporate greed by demanding wage suppression while economic growth leads to massive profits (hey, everyone, JOIN YOUR UNION), Van has a problem with capitalism, Ben restrains himself on the subject of convicted wage thief, Justin Hemmes, the dog tries to get out of the garage on his own and the good news involves Iron Maiden and the return of THE AIRSHIP! What a bumper week! Share this programme!

Weekend wrap May 30, 2021

Scovid outbreak locks down Victoria for seven days A mystery case in an aged care facility And Morrison’s ministers tell Victorians to go to Centrelink, where they won’t be eligible for any support at all!

Episode 39: Morrison's vaccine strollout puts Victoria under lockdown cloud, Canberra cover up culture continues & good news about plastic waste

Van Badham and Ben Davison look at how Morrison's failure on COVID vaccinations and quarantine might have blown Australia's head start and left Victoria facing another lockdown.

The Canberra cover-up culture continues as Morrison's three seperate investigations into the Brittany Higgins allegations devolve into farce, outright sabotage and total misdirection.  Meanwhile the senate estimates processes is being obfuscated by Liberal appointed senators trying to help Michaelia Cash and security advisors pretending that Morrison's QAnon mates being used as a pipeline for misinformation for Russia, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia isn't really a problem.

It is Sorry Day and we say sorry to first nations Australians for their mistreatment at the hands of successive Australian governments.

The good news is about a combined ANZAC effort on plastic waste.

Germanicus is super excited to have us back in the shed and we once again thank our show sponsor, Australian Unions. 

Weekend Wrap May 23, 2021

Ben Davison looks at: Gerry Harvey complains about being made to pay the taxes he asked for, Victoria makes big business pay for mental health Unemployment is down but there are fewer jobs Labor will scrap the privatised INDUE card Upper Hunter stays national and maybe there’s a deeper message about regional communities.