Advertise on podcast: "The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben Davison

This week on The Week on Wednesday, Van Badham engages a lively and timely discussion about modern British politics and its resonance for Australia with recently elected councillor and UK Labour activist, Peter Marshall. Together, they pick through the wreckage of a smashed and unpopular local conservative movement and examine how billionaire money, chutzpah and social media manipulation have been weaponised to drag a right-wing, fringe-dwelling opportunist into the centre of national political life. SOUNDS A BIT FAMILIAR, DOESN’T IT? Van and Peter examine how economic powerlessness is converted into culture-war rage, why Keir Starmer’s substantial achievements could not protect him from algorithmically cultivated hatred… and what ordinary people can still do when the plutocrats get to play politics on easy. In a wide-ranging conversation that visits Billy Bragg, Barnaby Joyce, a man arguing with a bin and the democratic necessity of talking to your neighbours, they include some very important advice about helping thirsty bees. Enjoy!

Van Badham is joined this week by Australian Writers’ Guild CEO Claire Pullen for a SPECIAL EPISODE on the artificial intelligence invasion. Who owns AI? Who profits from it? Who gets to write the rules? From the challenge of copyright theft to the transformative impact of new technology on your job, my job and everyone’s job, Van and Claire go deep into sovereign capability, workplace automation and the political power of The Worst People in the World. They explore why the fight over AI is really a fight over democracy, grappling with the implications for future of work and the basic viability of human creativity. Along the way, they celebrate Australia’s scepticism, argue that the robots should be doing the laundry instead of writing TV… and finish with some super good news about puffins off the Isle of Man. Happy Week on Wednesday!

Van Badham reunites with Emma Dawson of the Chifley Research Centre to discuss the sudden poll dive of the not-so-inevitable One Nation Party, and they speculate on its causes. Are Australians just fickle? Are we fiercely proud of our multiculturalism? Just bigger fans of Paul Hogan than Karl Stefanovic? Or does the Australian citizen expect more from a political party than an "economic policy" that consists of a nine-minute YouTube clip of That Time the Leader Went on Sky? (I swear, I am not making this up). Emma and Van rightly take the organised movement of orange-flavoured pretenders to task, extending their analysis beyond the immediate fantasies of "monoculture" and launching at the destructive neoliberal economic beliefs they're designed to shield and carry. They also swing at the NEFARIOUS INTERNET SHENANIGANS in service to the "right wing populist" project, because Van just cannot help herself. Then they have a lovely talk about trees.  If you enjoy this episode of The Week on Wednesday, please do share it with someone who likes their politics, economics and DEEP CULTURAL ANALYSIS with evidence, context, history... because those are cool and useful things, we really should have more of them. xx

Van Badham and Ben Davison rip into Pauline Hanson’s National Press Club appearance, stripping the grievance from the reality that no, actually, one-in-five Australians DO NOT eat from bins. In this emotionally-charged episode, they unravel the politics of migration, housing, wages, economic anxiety and national identity woven into One Nation's well-funded magic carpet, while exploring why Hanson’s brand of populism remains politically potent despite repeatedly colliding with the facts. There's a wade through the puddle of trickle-down economics in Australian celebrity culture, a discussion of who really benefits from Australia’s economic settings and a reminder that being loudly confident is not the same thing as being right. Bonus content includes an unexpected history lesson on language wars in Francoist Spain, and unusually subdued dog... and if you’ve ever wanted a practical guide to answering Hanson-style talking points at the family barbecue, HERE IT IS. Enjoy!

Van Badham is reunited with Ben Davison for an episode tackling the politics of inflation, the failures of Australia’s regime of "mutual obligations" and the economic challenges posed by an Australian economy organised around extraction rather than participation. Pluckily, our pair unpick the ideological legacy of trickle-down economics, lambast housing speculation, explore labour market distortions and decry the punitive culture surrounding unemployment... before closing with an unexpectedly hopeful environmental story from the Yangtze River in China. Bonus content includes Germanicus the dachshund licking the microphone, accidental lessons in audio engineering and at least one attempt to explain why “a sudden outbreak of laziness” is not a thing. The Week on Wednesday is BACK, baby! Enjoy it!

Van Badham is joined by the articulate an impassioned Emma Dawson of the Chifley Research Centre to get down and dirty in the "earthquake" aftermath of the Albanese Labor government's nation-changing 2026 Budget. Van and Emma think that Dr Jim Chalmer's has got the right mix of ambition, pragmatism and sweet, sweet tax reform... but what are the opposition parties and online commentariat saying and does it match any reality whatsoever? Emma says "nonsense", Van considers the parallels with how economics is fought as a culture war front in the United States... and, fortunately, the words "tortoise guardians" come into being before the episode is over. Cunning ploys and badly-behaving richkids find their moment, but Van and Emma are bringing truth bombs to a schoolyard dust-up. Hey, kids - enjoy the show!

Van Badham and Ben Davison pack a bumper 90 minute episode with the deep explanations you need to understand the Alabanese Labor government's 2026 Australian budget delivered by Dr Jim Chalmers. Get some clarity amidst the aaaaabsolute nonsense being spread by OH, YOU WOULD NEVER GUESS WHO in the media and online as Germanicus the dachshund snores sweetly in the background. Not only will you hear in this episode literally everything you ever wanted to know about negative gearing and capital gains tax (like, "what, uh, actually are they? how do they affect my life?") but there's also some fantastic news about Trump on the Gold Coast. Maybe not great news for him... but certainly happy times for the rest of us! Enjoy!

Van Badham is in Sydney and Ben Davison’s in Ballarat, but they’re brought together by the miracle of technology and sheer force of will to discuss the Albanese government’s reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, gassing about taxes ahead of the budget, and some truly amazing news - about the environment - out of Ukraine. There’s lots of union news relevant to, well, everyone who works - and you can also help the good concrete workers of Hytec here: https://tinyurl.com/48Blitz-Hytec (https://tinyurl.com/48Blitz-Hytec)

This week, Van Badham and Ben Davison juggle a chaotic dog incident while discussing multi‑employer bargaining and planned industrial action by local government workers in Victoria. The dogs calm down enough for Van and Ben to get into the details of the spike in fuel prices driven by Middle East and Ukraine conflicts - and the related misinformation about this online. The discussion around Australia’s fuel reserves and policy responses naturally escalates into critiques of U.S. military action in Iran and its global geopolitical fallout. The good news is that it’s Easter, and bilbies are involved! TASTY, TASTY bilbies! Enjoy!

In robust form, Van and Ben discuss South Australian election - Labor’s emphatic win, One Nation’s vote versus their actual seats and how Liberal collapse is about a specifically right‑wing fragmentation, whatever fantasy alternative scenario the online and offline commentariat prefers to entertain. They get into the meaty detail of the new Australia-EU trade agreement (good news for wine lovers AND people who love democracy) and Van gets excited about a British “megahedge” while new dachshund puppy Miccius brings some, uh, aural texture to discussion. It may be a Thursday but it will always be the Week on Wednesday!

Van Badham (on her own while Ben’s away!) explores Australia’s new parliament, a record-breaking Labor majority, and freshly shuffled cabinet - but the real news? Susssssan Ley may be the Liberals’ new leader, but is she flying the Liberal plane straight into the glass cliff? Meanwhile, the Greens are fighting amongst themselves (again) about putting the “landlord” into “leadership” and Captain Carry On - aka, Andrew Hastie - role plays as the Aussie Pete Buttigieg… if Pete were right-wing, allergic to universities and not very fun at a party. Van also asks: if a National Party leadership challenge is taking place, does it make a sound? And the answer appears to be no. No, it does not.    Meanwhile, there’s a surge in diversity on Labor’s benches worth celebrating as well as - YES, OMG - real wage growth that’s outpacing inflation as the actual business of government somehow manages to roll on. And if that weren’t enough good news, there’s been a breakthrough in the breakdown of forever chemicals, by jiminy!   It may be one woman talking to herself for 45 minutes, but we hope you enjoy it!

Van Badham and Ben Davison deliver an unmissable post-election edition of The Week on Wednesday, unpacking one of the most extraordinary federal election results in Australian history. With Anthony Albanese securing Labor’s biggest win since WWII, defeating not just Peter Dutton but also Greens leader Adam Bandt, Van and Ben bring deep analysis, biting wit, and raw insight into: - What led to Labor’s sweeping mandate - Why the Coalition suffered such a brutal collapse - The spectacular fall of the Greens’ lower house ambitions - How union campaigning and party discipline shaped the outcome - The Trump effect—and how Australian voters emphatically rejected it - The nuclear fantasy and the cost of out-of-touch ideology - Why the "parliament of independents" myth finally imploded Their signature candid discussion takes on democratic responsibility political fantasy and hope hope hope, this episode is a must-listen for anyone who cares about where Australia is headed next.

Van Badham and Ben Davison launch into analysis of the Australian election campaign so far, with Ben barely emerged from a three-day strategy lockdown at his job but happily reunited with faithful hound, Germanicus.  Van has been keeping an eye on the election, and a couple of perturbing recent twists: parents from Catholic schools in key marginal seats received thinly-veiled “We’re not saying vote Liberal, but…” letters from the Catholic education authorities and publishing them on the internet, with horror. Van, a Catholic herself, delivers a righteous takedown: Just when you thought it couldn’t get weirder—enter the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (aka Exclusive Brethren). Members of this secretive sect are popping up en masse at pre-poll booths as Liberal volunteers, particularly in teal and Labor marginals. Uniformly dressed, slogan-repeating, and cagey about their affiliations, Van explains their ultra-conservative, anti-worldly ethos: “No pets, no pop music, no pants for women—but apparently, private jets are fine.” The vibes, friends - are sus. Ben gives a summary of the polling data this far, and what it’s telling us - but we end with liquid gold. Companies Peequal and NPK Recovery collected 1,000 litres of female runners’ pee at the London Marathon and turned it into fertiliser for wheat—enough for 3,000 loaves of bread. Quote of the day: “It’s brilliant to think that the nervous wees of thousands of women are helping a good cause.” Enjoy the show!

Van 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 between policies (hint: one builds houses, the other is more of a vibe), unpack the return of old Liberal tricks, and even find time to celebrate bobcats roaming free in New Jersey. It’s fierce, funny, forensic - and not to be missed.

On her own today (yes, poor Ben is STILL unwell), Van takes you through some highlights of Dr Jim's 2025-26 Australian budget, the insane, almost-unbelievable story of the Trump administration's "group chat" scandal, and some good news for African penguins. Yes, the budget includes actual money for women's health (hello menopause clinics!), green iron, and schools. Yes, a real journalist got added to a U.S. government Signal chat where they were planning airstrikes. And YES — for once — something good has happened for penguins. It's a bananas world, but Van is here to help you make sense of it! Please light candles and sing songs of magic that Ben can be back next week; we must not let the bananas prevail.