Join notorious Guardian columnist Van Badham and her labour activist co-host (and partner!) Ben Davison. As they deep-dive into the big news themes of the week and provide fresh, irreverent analysis about what's really going on in Australia and around the world.
Episodes
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
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!
Sunday Jun 04, 2023
Sunday Jun 04, 2023
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.
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Wednesday May 31, 2023
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.
Sunday May 28, 2023
Sunday May 28, 2023
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
Sunday May 21, 2023
Sunday May 21, 2023
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
Wednesday May 17, 2023
Wednesday May 17, 2023
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.
Sunday May 14, 2023
Sunday May 14, 2023
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!
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Wednesday May 10, 2023
Van Badham and Ben Davison take a deep dive on the ideological frameworks that have crafted the first Commonwealth budget surplus in 15 years while also delivering increases to wages, Jobseeker, parenting payments, rent assistance and massive investments in health, Medicare and aged care.
The budget doesn't deliver everything everyone wants and Ben and Van explain how and why some of the decisions, both popular and unpopular, have their roots in Keynesian economics which, after 40 years of neoliberalism, is not something everyone instantly recognises.
The union movement has made some big wins in this budget for jobs, wages, energy transition, TAFE and much more. You can join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
There is also great news for the environment with the establishment of an Environmental Protection Agency and big investments in our national parks and waterways. Plus real commitments to the arts, the Voice, breaking the artificial "caps" imposed under Morrisonism and beginning to rebuild our public services, needs based education and NDIS.
As always we give shout outs to our amazing Cadre and Extend the Reach supporters from www.buymeacoffee.com/WeekOnWednesday
Sunday May 07, 2023
Sunday May 07, 2023
Ben Davison looks Angus "Inflation" Taylor's terrible Insiders performance, the increases to Jobseeker, gas company taxes, energy bill relief and why a surplus budget is needed when the RBA is obsessed with increasing interest rates.
Ben also looks at how effective the union movement has been in securing pay increase for aged care workers, an energy transition authority and ended the sham contracting in the public sector that was costing $21,000,000,000 under Morrison. You can join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
As the budget approaches we expect that many people will be dissatisfied so Ben dives into how the various elements of the social wage, what it is and how it interacts to support people out of work, unable to work and in low wage employment.
Wednesday May 03, 2023
Wednesday May 03, 2023
Van Badham and Ben Davison discuss the Reserve Bank's guerrilla interest rate rise, budget leaks and what they might mean for you as well as the minimum wage and why unions are taking action against the people who'd pay you nothing if they could get away with it. So join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow
Ben breaks down the incoherence of the reserve banks ideological attack on working people and the government we all elected.
Van looks at how targeted budget programs can improve living standards and why it is a good thing to tax fossil fuel companies.
Plus there's a look at some key news for working people involving universities, Qantas and the minimum wage.
The good news is about electric roads!
We also give our Cadre and Extend the Reach supporters from our www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday page a shoutout.