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

Episode 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 the outcomes that can be achieved when the high priests of Milton Friedman are no longer in charge.

The Greens have delayed the Housing Affordability Future Fund until at least October.  Ben and Van look at the arguments, break down the math and try to get a better understanding whether it is politicking or ignorance that is driving The Greens to upend millions of dollars in social housing funding.

The referendum legislation has passed parliament meaning that the government must call a referendum within six months.  Van and Ben discuss the campaign so far, the work being done for a big national YES day on July 2nd and offer solidarity to those being attacked by the billionaire and corporate owned media for daring to have a Voice.

The good news is that despite the misinformation and vast corporate media NO machine the YES vote is ahead.  Ben and Van look at some polling, some analysis and give their views.

All this is made possible through the contributions of supporters.  You can become a supporter at www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday and while you're there send us a question for Ben to answer on the Weekend Wrap this Sunday. 

Weekend Wrap 18 June 2023: Liberal at centre of misconduct allegations quits party, Labor delivers housing and we answer YOUR questions

Ben Davison takes a look at the horrendous week in federal parliament, the ABC's continued use of billionaire funded journalists on Insiders, the grim reality that women's safety in the workplace is a question of solidarity whether that's in parliament or in a factory.

The Liberal's "flood the zone" strategy failed and has exposed, on Insiders, that the Coalition was aware they had a Senator who was subject to sexual misconduct allegations.

Remember that, thanks to unions, every workplace MUST proactively protect you against sexual harassment and assault.  Join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow

PM Albanese announced a $2,000,000,000 increase to an existing $5.5Billion housing program which the Greens have both claimed credit for and said is not enough.  Ben discusses what's really happening with the various housing policies and programs and why the Housing Affordability Future Fund should pass the Senate this week.

Plus Ben answers listener questions on The Reserve Bank losing billions of dollars, what tools should the RBA have to control inflation, whether or not inflation is happening because companies are just trying to make up losses from the pandemic and what "increasing productivity" really means vs what the media and bosses try to make it mean. 

Send your questions and we will try to answer them next week!

Don't forget you can help grow the podcast by becoming a supporter at www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday

Episode 138 Brittany Higgins targeted as Liberals flood the zone, pay rises for CEOs but not so much for you and good news about waste reduction

Van Badham and Ben Davison look at what's happening in Canberra, how Brittany Higgins is again being targeted, why the Liberal's are "flooding the zone" and what it has to do with recent polls that show Labor is the most trusted party on economic management. Warning there is some discussion of violence and assault.

Van and Ben discuss the recent data showing CEO's getting 15% pay rises while their lobby groups make ads, that are definitely classist and possibly racist, to argue against workers getting pay rises.

The boss will always give himself a pay rise but your pay rises come from standing together in union, so join at australianunions.org.au/wow

If you think that Dutton and the Murdoch media's interest in who knew what/when/about what did or didn't happen in Linda Reynolds' office is unrelated to the economic reforms that Labor and the union movement are trying to achieve then listen closely as Van and Ben explain the connection.

The good news is that Tanya Plibersek and the state environment ministers are taking action on plastic waste.

Van also gives a shout out to all our Cadre and Extend the Reach supporters who have gone to www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday to help us grow the audience and spread the message.

Episode 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 Premier

Van 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 your union at australianunions.org.au/wow

Van and Ben also look at yet another Morrison era scandal that has been exposed.  This time $2,000,000,000 of tax payer money was funnelled to projects which ranged from barely suitable to an organisation practicing exorcisms and conversion therapy.  An organisation that Morrison said had "completely, completely captured" his heart.  And our wallets, apparently.

Western Australia has a new Premier so Ben and Van take a quick look at Roger Cook and his new cabinet, while Van tells an embarrassing story about Ben.

The good news is about renewable energy transmission.

And we shout out to our supporters who've gone to www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday and become part of our Cadre and Extend the Reach crew.

Also we will be starting a NEW SEGMENT on The Weekend Wrap from Sunday the 18th of June.  You'll have to listen for the details of how you can be part of the show!

Weekend Wrap 4 June 2023: Minimum wage win, RBA gaffes, Green housing hocum and the Ben Roberts Smith verdict

Ben 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 such a gaffe and how The Greens Party spokesperson against Labor's housing policy used his appearance on Insiders today to effectively double down on the conditions that lead economists to the idea that the housing crisis won't be solved with more housing anytime soon.

Ben Roberts Smith lost his defamation trial this week.  Ben explores what the trial was about, what it means Ben Roberts Smith probably did, why it impacts our view of the defence force and how this demonstrates that billionaire and corporate owned media fuels, feeds and festers toxicity for its own purposes.   

Episode 136: Tackling sham contracting and forced casualisation, Aussie content on Aussie screens, The Voice a step closer and good news about hydrogen

Van 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 look at how workers, in union, are campaigning for same job, same pay laws, rights for platform based workers in the NDIS, aged care and transport sectors as well as an end to the loopholes that allow BHP to own a labour hire company it then uses to engage workers in their mines to do the same work but for LESS pay.  You can stand up for your job and your wages by joining your union at australianunions.org.au/wow 

Ben hits a classic rant about the greedflation spiral, Phil Lowe's high priests of Monetary Policy and why it is time to stop listening to incompetent Australian executives and start believing our own eyes when it comes to economics. 

The Albanese Labor government wants to see more Australian content on Australian screens with proposed laws to make sure streaming services invest here, where they are making their profits.  Van talks about why Aussie stories on Aussie screens is so important.

Plus The Voice is a step closer, despite the misinformation campaigns online.

And good news from one of our staunch supporters about the CSIRO and Hydrogen!

Van shouts out to our Cadre and Extend the Reach supporters who have gone to www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday and signed up to help grow the audience and get every episode delivered to their inbox along with extra content.

Weekend Wrap 28 May 2023: Insiders opens gates for Murdoch, Liberals flail in senate, gig reform and Australia is Proud to be Public

Ben admits he couldn't bring himself to watch Insiders as he gives a scathing critique of the Murdoch infiltration of the ABC.  On a week where Stan Grant was hounded out of QandA by Murdoch's dogs, the Uluru statement from the Heart had its anniversary and The Australian admitted to doctoring a letter to the editor about Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson there was an Australian journalist on the Insiders panel.  Who didn't talk about ANY of those issues.

Lidia Thorpe continues to not understand how a referendum works by no claiming she'll abstain from the binary YES or NO vote on the Voice.

Liberals in the senate used their time to continue to platform ideas from Steve Bannon, anti-vaxers, the nuclear lobby and far right "fathers" groups while wasting time on the fashion choices of public servants.  In NSW they chose between the loser of Gilmore and the loser of Parramatta to fill a casual senate vacancy.  The loser of Parramatta was chosen.

Meanwhile in the real world more Australian's are trapped in sham contracting and its costing thousands of dollars per worker per year and millions in retirement.  Australian Unions and The Centre for Future Work have research that shows in the NDIS, Aged Care and transport platforms are being used to make people into sham contractors but that it doesn't have to be that way.  join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow to find out how to protect your employment conditions.

And we had Public Education Day this week with Ben reflecting on why so many of us are #ProudToBePublic.  You can have your say on the importance of giving our schools the resources they need at https://www.education.gov.au/review-inform-better-and-fairer-education-system/consultations/review-inform-better-and-fairer-education-system-consultation

 

Weekend Wrap 21 May 2023: A year of Albanese Labor government, media obsesses on the negative and Liberals in disarray

Ben 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 why media is obsessed with the negatives.  The Voice is a classic example where two polls released in the same week get very different treatment by the media.  Ben explains how this empowers the fringe elements and the impact that has on people, such as Stan Grant's announcement, and our political system.

The Liberal's in Victoria continue to want a party leader that will embrace hatred and defend Nazism with the state conference in Bendigo marred by walkouts, booing and cries of "shame" as Menzian Liberal leader John Pesutto took the stage.

Ben asks the question, if we want more progress on education, healthcare, NDIS, tax reform and climate change do we really think the Liberals will deliver it better than Labor?

There's no Week on Wednesday this week but you can catch up on old episodes and extra links via our supporter page www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday

Episode 135: Housing policy or why the Greens and Dutton are wrong, wages vs profit prices spirals and good news about national parks

Van Badham and Ben Davison take a closer look at Labor's proposed housing fund, why the Green opposition doesn't stack up and why the Dutton position remains the worst of all possible outcomes.

With debate still raging about "the best" housing policies Labor's policy achieves some core outcomes.  More homes, a mechanism that Dutton can't easily scrap and an acknowledgement of the physical limitation imposed by supply chains and the availability of skilled workers.

The Green "Build all the homes now, just not in our backyard" policy lacks the pre-requisite of being based in reality.

Today is IDAHOBIT and Van and Ben discuss how communities have done the work to make progress on LGBTQIA+ rights and the difference between changes that need symbolic or small resource shifts but large cultural shifts and issues that need large scale resource reallocation.

The union movement campaigned for and won protections for trans, intersex and gender diverse workers in the Fairwork Act, has helped raise wages by the largest amount since 2013 and is currently campaigning for a 7% minimum wage increase.  You can join these campaigns at australianunions.org.au/wow

Van and Ben discuss how the bosses lobby continues to fight against wage increases and even denies the role of profits in raising inflation. 

The good news is about a new national park the size of Bali in Western Australia and we acknowledge our supporters who have gone to www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday to make a contribution towards growing the podcast.

Weekend Wrap 14 May 2023: Insiders lacks insight, we know who Dutton is and Greens blocking homes

Ben Davison takes apart Insiders for the lack of insight, the lack of economic understanding and the soft rehabilitation job on Peter Dutton.

The budget this week was a step change towards Keynesian economic frameworks that support employment, wages growth and a social wage that keeps inflation under control and provides opportunity for people.

The Insiders analysis and questions of Jim Chalmers showed a lack of understanding, an entrenchment in outdated Morrison-era politics and a commitment to supporting Dutton that was shocking to witness.

Dutton actively opposes wage increases and more job security, even for our lowest paid, for women and for jobseekers. Australian Unions have been campaigning for improvements in wages and working conditions for all, particularly women, and you can join at australianunions.org.au/wow

As the Liberals implode in Victoria and Tasmania Ben looks at the very different reasons why both they and the Greens are opposing more homes for working people.

The question is asked will they push it to a double dissolution or will we get to see another budget with more investment in education and the next stages of Labor's Keynesian economic model?

Happy Mothers day!