Serious Danger

Predictions of stormy weather at The Bureau. Emerald and Tom then devote the whole episode to the biggest story in the country (for about 3-6 hours till Liz Truss resigned) - the revelation that Senator Lidia Thorpe had an undisclosed relationship with a former bikie boss (8:21). How bad is it? Is it a stitch-up or are us Greenies all big hypocrites? What next? Finally, a call to action (47:48). F...

The AFR list of the top 10 most influential Australians - did you make the cut? Emerald and Tom are joined for a big chat with their big crush, Senator for Greensland, Larissa Waters! (15:40) They chat about the recent election wins and thoughts on the new government, the recent threats to abortion rights (30:22), and how we can fix the state of our democracy (42:32). Finally, a call to action (1:...

We check in on all the action and politics from Australia’s CPAC (the Conservative Political Action Conference) 2022 with Crikey Associate Editor Cam Wilson, who fully went there and looked at all these freaks up close.  What is CPAC for? What were the big themes? What do these weirdos believe? Where did Cam go to the toilet? What funny jokes were told about Greens voters dying?  All these questio...

The only good backflip in politics. Emerald and Tom wonder if the government is setting up to do a backflip on the stage 3 tax cuts (5:23), which leads to the question - how should we best respond when the government does the right thing (26:51)? Finally, a call to action (1:04:59). Full video version of this episode available on https://www.youtube.com/c/SeriousDangerAU   Subscribe on Patreon to...

Bob “Robin Hood” Katter is stealing from the policy-rich (Greens) to give to the policy-poor. 420 blaze it! Tom and straight-edge Emerald look at the new Greens moves to legalise marijuana in Australia (9:31), and what is standing in the way? Then two stories of messy drama this week (37:00) - Mehreen Faruqi pushing back against racist attacks from Pauline Hanson, and Lidia Thorpe accused of abusi...

The Queen never took a day off in her life! (From her gruelling work of attending a succession of parties thrown in her honour.) So we’ve taken the week off - it’s what she would have wanted. Instead, we’ve unlocked one of our favourite Patreon bonus episodes. Emerald and Tom speak for the whole hour with comedian and host of The Glass House, Gruen, Question Everything and Wilosophy - Wil Anderson...

McFlags at half mast. Emerald and Tom round up all the good-nice-dead-Queen / bad-angry-pen-King news over the last week (4:39). Then Lulu from Respect Inc joins (37:01) to talk about Sex Worker Pride, and the sometimes bizarre challenges facing the industry and its workers. Finally, a call to action (58:56). Full video version of this episode available on https://www.youtube.com/c/SeriousDangerAU...

In this 82-minute* bonus episode for Patreon subscribers, Tom gets into superannuation with Robert Lechte ( @djrobstep ), who has written on the topic for Jacobin, and likely at some point in your Twitter feed. Is super theft? Does it enshrine generational inequality? And how would you fix it? Is Paul Keating a smart financial genius or a stupid neo-lib dummy? * Tom has a chapter on super in his b...

Some old lady died. Emerald and Tom watched Lidia Thorpe’s “Labor Is Gammin” speech (14:03) and use it to launch into a recap some of the government’s recent crappy moves - the fake welfare increase, stage 3 tax cuts, new coal and gas, making jokes about public housing while living in a mansion, and finally refusing to renationalise Qantas. Phew. Then it’s Australian politics’ night of nights as t...

Red flags about the lack of Greens flags. Emerald and Tom discuss the Greens’ proposed National Energy Transition Authority (7:15) and what we can learn from failed transitions in America. Then Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam joins us  (34:44) to chat about the upcoming state election and the murk that is Victorian politics. Finally, a call to action (1:09:10). Full video version of this e...

In a new Patreon exclusive episode for subscribers, Tom Tanuki joins us to pull apart Sammy J’s recent Greens “comedy” sketch and discuss the state of Aussie comedy that takes the piss out of lefties. Why does it suck so much? Was Sammy J specifically making fun of Emerald? Is Tonightly bad? Can Tom (Ballard) navigate this convo without insulting his comedy mates?  Full episode along with all our...

Robo-justice! Emerald and Tom talk about the state of renting, and the new Greens’ proposal for a rent freeze to make it less totally cooked (4:47). And speaking of being cooked, our cooker correspondent Tom Tanuki returns (36:39) to update us on a SovCit child abduction, the freedumb folks, and Avi Yemini’s visa troubles. Finally, a call to action (1:14:20). Bonus Patreon full episode with Tom Ta...

Scotty From Multitasking has so many jobs! Emerald and Tom are joined by Elizabeth Humphrys (12:02), author of How Labour Built Neoliberalism: Australia’s Accord, The Labour Movement and the Neoliberal Project . What is neoliberalism and when did it take over Australia? Is Paul Keating actually bad? Will the upcoming Jobs & Skills Summit be the Accord 2.0? Finally, a call to action (1:00:59)....

The Members of the 47th Parliament have begun disclosing their interests, and they’re… interesting. In this bonus Patreon ep Emerald takes Tom through the few things no politician can apparently live without, who’s a landlord and who has crypto, before our hosts disclose their own interests. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU   Subscribe to our Patreon to help keep the show alive and listen t...

Adam Bandt’s fake drug tweet is based. Emerald and Tom react to Terri Butler’s accusations that the Greens are populist (7:41) and delve into a chat about what populism means, whether it is a good or bad thing, and whether the Greens are doing it.  Finally, a call to action (45:59). New Patreon bonus episode out! Emerald and Tom go through MPs’ register of interests and all the cooked stuff they’v...

Tom’s back! And he’s VERY TALL? Our hosts discuss their alarming size discrepancy, Max Chandler-Mather’s dress code faux pas (4:06) and Lidia Thorpe dissing the Queen (13:37), then get into a juicy chat about the big on the Government’s climate bill and whether it represents a win or a cowardly failure for the Greens (16:15).   Plus a bonus excerpt from our chat with comedian and ABC host Wil Ande...

What would you say during your first speech to the nation? Emerald’s guest co-host this week is Jim Malo, Deputy Editor at Pedestrian and “prolific poster.” They talk about some great speeches from the new Greens MPs and get into the bizarre pomp and circumstance of parliament (2:29), before making predictions for how this new one will go (26:47). Next, they delve into the Manly pride jersey contr...

Julie Bishop (“J.Bish”) is putting the gas in gaslighting. Emerald is joined by guest host Cam Wilson, associate editor for Crikey. They start by talking TikTok, digital surveillance and the ethics of big tech (8:11). Then the big question - why is the Australian media so cooked? (28:24) Finally, a call to action (1:01:17). New Patreon bonus ep now out! Play Rusted-On Bingo with its creator, carto...

In this special Patreon subscriber-only episode Tom and Emerald play Rusted On Bingo - the game for Labor Hacks who are terminally online - with the game’s creator himself, cartoonist Jon Kudelka.  Can we get 4 squares in a row and avert 10 years of climate inaction?! Subscribe on Patreon to access the full hour-long episode and help pay our producer Mike: https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU  ...

Queenslander, QUEENSLANDER! Emerald and Tom learn that COVID isn’t actually over yet, even if government support payments soon will be (5:58). Then, the LNP don’t even know who they are any more since Australia broke up with them (33:53). But they sound an awful lot like the ALP? Finally, a call to action (56:47). Full video version of this episode available on https://www.youtube.com/c/SeriousDan...

Emerald’s back! And she’s brought a reading list! It’s 2009 all over again as the difficult Greens are facing criticism for threatening not to wave in Labor’s dogshit climate policy (7:14). Are targets important or a distraction? Then it’s quizmaster Emerald’s favourite time of the half-decade as census results are out. Can you beat Tom’s knowledge of weird census data? (39:57) Why does religion s...

Trudeau forgot “Tony” Albanese’s name. New member for the seat of Brisbane, Stephen Bates joins Tom as co-host. Stephen fills us in on his month as a member-elect (2:48) and this week’s “Parliament School” in Canberra (9:15), before giving his take on the government’s crossbench staffer cuts (12:52). Then they discuss the recent Blockade Australia actions in Sydney and if protest is the only way t...

Tom, Alison and Emerald run their flag takes up the flag pole. This week Tom is joined by co-host Alison Pennington, Senior Economist at the Centre for Future Work. Alison gives her read on the Greens (13:55), before they delve into the economy (22:35) - inflation, recession, wages, interest rates, and just how screwed are we? Finally, a call to action (1:15:42). Links - Follow Alison Pennington o...

It’s our first ever live episode, recorded at Greens National Conference 2022! Drunk on power after the Greenslide, Tom gives a rousing call to arms (2:40). He’s then joined by former Young Greens co-convenor Elizabeth Thompson (14:02) who age-shames Tom then talks about the young energy in the party and the trans culture wars of the recent election. Finally the member for The Gabba in...

This bonus episode for Patreon subscribers sees Emerald and Tom (and Tom’s whisky) get into Greens party politics - What are the four pillars? Should the Greens have factions? Is Left Renewal more than a meme page? Was Richard DiNatalie a centrist? Did Bob Brown shake George W. Bush’s hand? And do the Greens use hypnotism to win over voters?  Subscribe to Patreon to access the ful...