The Hoot

The Hoot's taking a short break, but keep checking your pod feed. We will be back! It's a big year, after all. Look after yourselves over the winter. Rug up. Stay safe. And hoot, hoot! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Hoot, we're all about the money, money, money. We start with the ACT Budget (stop yawning; this is important), and then we get to the baffling pay rise for our new Governor General, Sam Mostyn. How big is the pay rise? How does 43 per cent sound? That's 43 per cent on a salary already nudging $500,000. (Let that sink in for a minute ...) What's more remarkable about the extra $200...

Join David Murtagh and newly minted Riotact Editor Claire Fenwicke as they tackle the big issues of the week: Dutton's nuclear policy , when public consultation goes off the rails and fans turning on the home team . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Hoot, the owls take a hard look at the ACT Government's 20-year plan to cull the number of poker machines in local clubs. Under the initiative, the number of poker machines in the ACT will be slashed to just 1000 by 2045 if Labor is re-elected in October (there are currently 3790). The primary goal is to reduce gambling harm. ACT Labor says it will legislate to force clubs to give...

Good news! Claire Fenwicke is back, meaning Murtagh's evil reign has come to an end. And just in the nick of time. This week, the owl's talk about where to next for voluntary assisted dying now that it's been passed, which inevitably brings us to slippery slopes. And all was going well until Murtagh decided to mention Zed (you remember him?) Murtagh's argument is basically that if you think a law...

You've heard about CSIRO's analysis of nuclear power, right? And you remember when the ACT Government told you how great the next stages of light rail would be (although not the cost ... which is odd ... but we digress). And you saw the Treasurer deliver the Budget (gee, you really are a sucker for punishment, aren't you!) How reliable are the figures and their 'analysis'? Do you really trust them...

This week on The Hoot, David Murtagh and Claire Fenwicke delve deep into Jack's Law, a move by the Canberra Liberals to combat knife crime. Hard to disagree with, right? But there's a problem. The law would allow police to use metal detection wands on people "without reasonable suspicion in designated areas". And that's where it gets complicated because it could result in profiling some marginal g...

How about that Budget?! Thrilling, eh! Yep, we're in the 'meh' boat, too. Talk about a nothing burger . There's not much to get excited about - until you start looking under the bonnet at the tricks. Like, if inflation is too much money and not enough stuff, how can throwing $300 at households by 'lowering' bills be anti-inflationary when it's really putting more money into people's pockets? Surel...

This week on The Hoot, David Murtagh is joined by Assembly reporter Claire Fenwicke to discuss the growing debt in the ACT (are we that far off being Victoria?), the myriad failures in public housing, and one of the reasons the Barr Government is so keen on light rail is that we are projected to have a population of 780,000 in 2060. A question for you: is this what we want in Canberra? And if so,...

This week on The Hoot, David Murtagh is joined by Assembly reporter Claire Fenwicke to discuss the latest efforts to improve system responses to sexual crime, the growing daylight between the Greens and Labor on transport policy, and bike riders. Why do cyclists make Canberrans so very, very angry?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Hoot, we ask the hard questions about who has the right to exercise control. Can we limit social media, even when it's harmful? Is it OK to work on Anzac Day? And in a big transition, a founding owl flies the nest. It's the news you need from Ngunnawal country, with a light touch.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Hoot this week, David and Genevieve solve some mysteries (or at least ask a few tough questions). Should we ban lobbyists? Where are the government's electric buses? And has Canberra ever been cool? It's all the news you need from Ngunnawal country, with a light touch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on The Hoot, David Murtagh and Genevieve Jacobs ask who will save Canberra United, whatever happened to the Greens' big housing brainwave and we tackle poo joggers! It's all the news you need to know (and some you don't want to think about) from Ngunnawal country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Hoot Genevieve Jacobs and David Murtagh ask what dual Labor governments have delivered for Canberra, what's really wrong with the economy and what this world is coming to when we have Easter trees. It's all the news you need from Ngunnawal country, with a light touch.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you want political power, do you need any actual policies? Does that help or hinder your election? This week on the Hoot we ask what Canberrans actually want from their pollies - and what's wrong with Monopoly. A lot, says Mr Murtagh. It's all the news you need from Ngunnawal country, with a light touch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on the Hoot, David and Genevieve ask what's in the water and could you measure the state of the ACT economy by the levels of cocaine usage? We wonder whether the rich should pay more for aged care - if you can decide who is actually rich - and if you'd be happy flying alongside a dog, a cat, perhaps a cockatoo? It's all the news you need from Ngunnawal country, with a light touch.  See o...

The halls of Parliament are all a-twitter as politicians wonder who the spy in their midst was. This week on the Hoot David and Genevieve wisely don't attempt to guess, in case we get sued (like almost everyone in the Drumgold matter). And how would you stop a robbery in progress? How about with a chip stand? It's the news you need to know with a light touch from Ngunnawal country. See omnystudio....

It's election season - who would have guessed? This week on The Hoot, David and Genevieve discuss political wedges and tricky questions, a debacle in foreign investment funding and just what random booze testing in Parliament House would actually achieve. It's all the news you need to know from Ngunnawal country, with a light touch.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Motorsports v light rail, the ACT's spiralling debt and why the Queensland premier should get back in his box (cos the Sunshine State ain't that great). We've got it all on this week's Hoot podcast with Genevieve Jacobs and David Murtagh. It's all the news you need from Ngunnawal country with a light touch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hoot, hoot podpeople - we're back for another Genevieve-less week of analysis. Don't fret, she'll be back up the Clyde in no time. On the agenda this week: we recap Valentine's Day and the brilliant advice from Claire Fenwicke and the less-than-great advice from Murtagh. The ACT Government is finally going to start issuing fines for mobile phone offences detected by cameras - well, on 20 February....

Hoot hoot, Canberra! On this week's episode, David Murtagh is joined by Assembly reporter Claire Fenwicke - and the timing couldn't be better! Do you get the feeling the election's already underway? Andrew Barr has had some big infrastructure announcements already so get set for a hi-vis election.  The Johnathan Davis saga continues and has exposed some frayed edges in the governing coalition, and...

When is a promise broken, when is a lie not really a lie? This week on the Hoot, David Murtagh and Genevieve Jacobs ponder the big questions about who is a serious person any more in this mad world (including former judges). And are you sitting on a million dollars, if only you could find that lottery ticket? It's all the news you need from Ngunnawal country with a light touch. See omnystudio.com/...

It's January 26 - so how are you marking the day? What defines patriotism? David Murtagh and Genevieve Jacobs weigh in on the national day debate, Labor pre-selection shenanigans and another great debate - the best way to get down the coast. It's the news you need from Ngunnawal country with a light touch.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're back for 2024 as Genevieve Jacobs and David Murtagh dig deep into local news, big ideas and how darn difficult it is to avoid hitting a light rail vehicle. Join us for a Summernats solution, a supermarkets stoush and the news you need with a light touch from Ngunnawal country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's our final episode for the year as David Murtagh and Genevieve Jacobs dissect politics and the public service. And who is running away from Christmas? It's the news you need from Ngunnawal country, with a light touch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.