Keep the Bastards Honest

Martin Bella and The Gherk

We are thrilled to welcome Martin Bella of the Sensible Centre and The Gherk of Snarky Gherkin fame to Keep the Bastards Honest! Show Notes: Want more of Martin Bella? Like and subscribe to him on Facebook and Instagram. Want more of The Gherk? Like and subscribe to him on Facebook, Instagram and Substack. Want to know more about the Australian Democrats? See what we value, what we stand for, and what our policy positions are at our website. Join us, donate to us, or check out our Substack Radically Sensible.

41. All things Victoria

Join National Vice President Elana Mitchell and Victorian Vice President Heath McKenzie as we whip off the dust covers on the podcast and crank up the commentary engine once more. On this episode we cover all things Victoria in the lead up to the Victorian state election and the Democrats' fight to be registered so we can contest it. Show Notes: Support the team in Victoria Not from Victoria? Support your state division Back to Back Barries: Fallout from a Victorian Coup Democracy Sausage: You Win You Lose More Australian Democrats policy on gambling reform

Seasons Greetings 2025

At this point in the year, just past the solstice – a turning point recognised across cultures – we are reminded that light does endure, and that seasons do change. It is a time for reflection: on who we are, what we stand for, and the kind of country we continue to believe Australia can be and will be. In the spirit that has guided the Australian Democrats since 1977, may we meet difference with respect, hold fast to fairness and compassion, take on challenges together and find better ways forward, and carry those values with us into the year ...

40. An election result for the ages

Well… no one was expecting that result, not even the Labor Party. Join Elana, Steve and a rehabilitated former Liberal as they consider the immediate aftermath of the election, while they wait for the very complicated count to be completed and the results finalised. Show Notes That final YouGov MRP that every sensible election watcher guffawed at and immediately dismissed as wildly overstated, but ultimately proved to be slightly understated for Labor, but overstated for the Greens, Coalition and Independents… The two party preferred poll trend that Elana referred to as the reason why every sensible election watcher guffawed at ...

39. The education election

Education is possibly the third pillar of the cost of living crisis, in that it impacts young people and their families at almost every stage of life before the age of 30. Elana going to take you through the suite of policies we’ve developed for each stage of education, and then, because she's nothing if not a completionist, she's going to add art, science, and civics to the curriculum. Show notes Our early childhood education and care platform Our schooling platform Our higher education platform Our arts platform Our science platform Our platform on reforming the constitution Article on the S44 problems a Greens candidate ran into in Tasmania Our platform on lowering the voting age to 16 6 News Australia WA Senate Debate

38. The health election

Picking up from our last episode, Elana will take you through what is essentially the other half of the cost of living crisis - health, and access to healthcare. The growing inequality in Australia is exacerbated by the increasingly difficult access to quality healthcare that the electorate is experiencing. Poor physical, mental and dental health has profound impacts on people’s economic security and ability to live productive and fulfilling lives. So let’s explore the suite of policies that the Australian Democrats have developed to address these increasingly urgent issues facing Australia. Content warning: several of the policies in this episode reference suicide, anxiety, depression, and violence. Listener discretion advised. You can contact LIfeline on 13 11 14. Show Notes Our good health policy platform Our youth mental health platform Our platform to reduce gambling harm Our platform to address family violence.

37. The cost of living election

The first in a series of episodes where Elana takes listeners through the logical groupings of 30+ Australian Democrats policy platforms. This episode covers the cost of living crisis – cost of living and a fair economy, income support, and housing security. Credit to the redoubtable @gomichild on X for the episode quote. Show notes Our policy platforms on the cost of living and a fair economy Income support Housing security Subscribe to our substack, Radically Sensible. See how to vote for us in this election

36. The election budget we had to have

Elana is back, and is joined by co-host Steve Baty and Victorian Senate candidate Heath McKenzie to review the 2025 budget, in the wake of the 2025 federal election finally being called. Thanks to the election rendering the budget yesterday's news, there's a fair bit of reviewing the budget through an election lens, which is unavoidable with one previous and two current candidates having the discussion. Show Notes "A deficit is just money the government has invested in the economy that they haven't taxed back yet." The TikTok on the US economy that Elana referred to. Our policy platforms on income support and housing security, in the wake of Elana's rants on both issues. Greg Jericho’s excellent Dollars and Sense episode on Australia’s sick housing joke. The Democracy Sausage podcast episode with Marija Taflaga’s housing renovation analogy.

35. The state of... everything

After an accidental hiatus, Elana is back to discuss her very excellent, totally accurate, very good prediction about the US election. Oh wait, we’re getting an update… Show notes: The very disappointing fact check about the Danish Government’s response to Donald Trump’s offer to buy Greenland The current iteration of our defence platform, which thanks to current events is now in need of an update. Keep the Bastards Honest is one of the top 100 accountability podcasts for 2025, according to Million Podcasts! The Australian Democrats now have a Substack: subscribe to Radically Sensible for free.

Seasons Greetings 2024

Wishing all of our listeners are safe and happy holiday season, and a merry Christmas for those who celebrate. Show Notes The Australian Democrats’ submission to the Senate inquiry into the Online Safety bill, which was referenced in the inquiry’s final report.

34. The State of the Union

Elana conducts a wellness check on the United States. At the time of publishing this episode the US election is a week away, and to say that it’s one of the most consequential elections the world has ever seen is something of an understatement. Rather than trying to understand US politics through the lenses of either the US or Australian media, Elana asks an average American voter living in Trump country how it’s going. Show Notes: For context on the 1968 DNC, the ABC’s If You’re Listening podcast does a brilliant deep dive into this event, in podcast and video ...

Bonus: Census 2026

The Prime Ministerial captain’s call on the 2026 census and the multiple excuses and backlfips required to ensure that the government ended up in almost the same position as they were in prior to Anthony Albanese’s intervention. You couldn’t make this up. Show Notes: The Daily Aus podcast on the Census backlash and backflip Sign the Equality Australia Count Us In petition to ensure everyone is represented in the 2026 CensusSupport Wear It Purple Laura Tingle reveals the Census questionsAlbanese vents his frustration in CabinetRoss Gittins on why Albanese tried to pre-empt a culture warHow this blew up in Albanese’s ...

33. Nuclear Fantasies

In June Peter Dutton finally unveiled the Coalition’s widely spruiked and much anticipated policy on nuclear energy for Australia. But is it a feasible solution to Australia’s energy woes, or is it just a climate change denying fantasy? Steve and Elana review the Coalition’s plans against the current state of the energy transition, and the regulatory, technical, commercial and political hurdles that Dutton needs to overcome to realise his nuclear powered vision. Show Notes National Vice President Dr Grahame Elder’s drill down into SMRs, plus Elana’s podcast of the Drill, with added commentary and context An article on the estimated ...

Bonus: Robodebt Officers off the Hook

Elana is back with an article she wrote in response to the recent decision by the National Anti Corruption Commission (NACC) not to open an investigation into the referrals made to it by the Robodebt Royal Commission of six officials involved in the Robodebt scheme. This story continued to unfold after our article was published, so Elana has additional updates and commentary on this story. Show Notes:Robodebt Officers off the Hook articleThe NACC’s decision on RobodebtThe NACC regulator’s decision to investigateGeoffrey Watson interviewed by Philip Adams on the NACC’s decisionThe Dutch child care rebate scandal

32. Budget 2024: No Bravery

Rejoice budget nerds, it’s that time of year again! An episode in which Elana is cranky about what not’s in the budget, Leonie is in search of a narrative for the budget, Steve does a better job of selling the budget than Jim Chalmers did, and all three lament the budget’s missed opportunities. Show Notes Podcasts featured in this episode:Dollars and Sense: The Budget and Why Your Wages are Lagging 14 Years Behind7AM Podcast: The Jim Chalmers InterviewThe Guardian’s Politics Live: Jim Chalmers on his Budget Balancing Act Additional coverage:Dollars and Sense: Poverty is a Policy ChoiceFollow the Money: Jess ...

31. Post Dunkley By Election Debrief

It took a little while for Heath, Leonie and the rest of the campaign team to crawl out from under all the life admin that piled up while they were contesting the Dunkley by election, but Elana managed to sit down with Heath and Leonie and have a chat about the results and their experiences on the campaign trail.

The Drill: Nuclear SMRs

Are you wondering just what a small modular nuclear reactor is, and why we’re having a ‘debate’ on nuclear power? Dr Grahame Elder has you covered. He’s done the research so you don’t have to. In this first instalment of The Drill, Dr Elder does a deep dive into the questions of: what are small modular nuclear reactors, are SMRs being used successfully elsewhere, and if so, do they have a future in Australia’s energy transition and mix? Host Elana Mitchell provides context and commentary as we drill into the issue of SMRs. Show Notes The Drill with all of ...

30. Dunkley by election - meet our candidate!

The by election in the Victorian electorate of Dunkley was triggered by the very sad passing of Labor MP Peta Murphy in December of 2023. We pay our respects to Peta, and extend our condolences to her family and friends on what must be a devastating loss. Our parliament, and Dunkley, are poorer for her absence. Heath McKenzie is a long time resident of Seaford, situated in the electorate of Dunkley. He is a qualified landscape gardener, has managed a large client portfolio for a major paint manufacturer and is now a business development manager for a major producer of ...

29. The year that was 2023

Elana and Steve are back, with lots to catch up on as they look back at the year that was 2023, and look forward to the year that will be 2024. Show Notes Listen to Greg Jericho’s Dollars and Sense podcast, where he explains how the Australian economy works. Elana recommends his episode on the Reserve Bank

Seasons Greetings for 2023