Socially Democratic

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly handed the mics over to three incredible women who are currently running in Victorian local government elections this month for a special episode.  Amy Muratore from the Yarra Ranges, Ismene Thiveos - standing in the People’s Republic of Moreland, and Wesa Chau who is Labor’s Deputy Lord Mayor candidate for the City of Melbourne share their experiences running...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined by former Obama Organizer and fan favourite Sam Schneidman to discuss the “dumpster fire” that was the first presidential debate between Democratic nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.  From the constant interruptions, to Trump’s refusal to denounce white supremacy, there is plenty to unpack from what has been dubbed the worst presidential d...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined by NSW Labor’s Shadow spokesperson for the Environment and Member for Port Stephens, Kate Washington.  Kate has been campaigning against the NSW Government’s poor environmental policies, in particular, stopping the expansion of the Brandy Hill Quarry, which is set to wipe out 52 hectares of koala habitat.  Kate unpacks the week in parliament where NS...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined by Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service CEO, Nerita Waight to discuss the Raise the Age campaign.  Around 600 Australian children aged 10 to 13 are sent to prison each year, 65% of them being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. The Raise the Age campaign aims to raise the age of legal responsibility from 10 to 14, and promote services and programs th...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined by former Field Director for New Zealand Labour’s Community Action Network and current Political Organiser for Ettu (E tū) trade union - Anaru Ryall.  Anaru recalls the journey to establishing Labour’s national field program and its critical role in the election of Jacinda Arden’s in the lead up to the 2017 campaign. He also unpacks the role trade un...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined by Gunditjmara woman and Managing Director of Clothing the Gap, Laura Thompson, and Peter Francis one of Australia’s pre-eminent lawyers on technology commercialisation and intellectual property.  They discuss the current ownership dispute around the Aboriginal flag and return this historical and cultural emblem to the people. Find out how you can sh...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined by Katie Connolly, Democratic pollster and strategist at the Benenson Strategy Group. As a former lead pollster for Obama in 2012, Hillary in 2016 and adviser to Mayor Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign, Katie brings a wealth of insider campaign experience to the 2020 presidential campaign conversation. Fresh off the Buttigieg campaign,...

Dunn Street Founder Stephen Donnelly was joined by our US Correspondant and former Obama for America organizer - Sam Schneidman. Sam and Stephen unpack the 4 day Democratic National Convention that launched the historic Biden-Harris presidential campaign. They discuss what the virtual convention landed, what didn’t, and how serious an impact the changes to the United States Postal Service will hav...

Dunn Street Founder Stephen Donnelly was joined by Kent Rowe to discuss the upcoming election in the Northern Territory. Kent is the former Secretary and Campaign Director for Territory Labor. With Territorians going to the polls on Saturday 22 August, Kent and Stephen preview Michael Gunner and Labor’s re-election prospects, the critical seats to watch on election night and why you need to campai...

Dunn Street Founder Stephen Donnelly was joined by Richard Marles MP - Deputy Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party and shadow spokesperson for Defence. Richard came on to discuss Australia’s COVID response and the role of opposition during a global crisis. Richard also touches on the importance of sport during times of crisis and the relationship between Australia and China. The present...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined by national Co-Convenor for Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN), Felicity Wade to respond to Labor's federal member for Hunter, Joel Fitzgibbon following his remarks on SkyNews this week that resurrected the timeless brown v green debate inside the Labor Party. Felicity outlined the important role green politics can play in building a broade...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line by former Chief of Staff to New Zealand Labour leaders, Jacinda Ardern and Andrew Little - Neale Jones. Neale and Stephen discuss New Zealand's successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the leadership of Jacinda Ardern, governing in coalition with the Greens Party and NZ First, and they unpack Labour's prospects in the upcom...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line by former Obama organiser and regular US politics correspondent - Sam Schneidman for our monthly catch up. Sam and Stephen broke down the past month in US politics including the impact COVID-19 is having on the November elections, the strong polling numbers for Joe Biden, senate races to watch, why Sam doesn’t want to talk about the Linco...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line by Labor’s Josh Burns, federal member for MacNamara. Josh spoke about life as a public official, broke down Kristy McBain’s win for Labor in the Eden-Monaro by-election, how federal Labor remains relevant in the midst of a global crisis, holding the Morrison government accountable, reforming the Labor Party, and even managed time to fit i...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line by Shannon Talbert - Deputy Senior Political Director for Color of Change - the largest online racial justice organisation in the United States. Shannon spoke on how Color of Change responded, developed and got organised during COVID-19 and their rapid response to the death's Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Shannon un...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line by two former Victorian Labor State Secretaries, David Feeney and Erik Locke. Following the 60 Minutes/The Age report into systemic branch stacking inside the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party, David and Erik discuss the fallout from the story, Premier Dan Andrews swift response and how Steve Bracks and Jenny Macklin can use...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line by policy expert and author Andrew Wear. Andrew has published a new book - " Solved! How other countries have cracked the world's biggest problems and we can to ". He discusses successful examples of countries that have adopted game changing policies how Australia should follow these key examples. Today's episode was p...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line by former Obama organiser and our regular US politics guest, Sam Schneidman. Sam and Stephen consider the impact the BLM protests will have on the 2020 race, discuss the shift in polling around public sentiment against systematic racism in the United States, GOP voter suppression tactics, and assess Biden's campaign since April. Toda...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly handed over the podcast microphone to two Aboriginal leaders – First People’s Assembly member Uncle Mookeye and artist and activist Laura Thompson for this week’s episode of Socially Democratic.  In the shadow of this weekend’s Black Lives Matter’s Australia protests, Laura and Uncle Mookeye hold an honest and insightful conversation about racial justice, the s...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line by Molly Willmott – President of the National Union of students. Molly is a passionate activist at Melbourne University, and has been involved for around 5 years now. She spoke about the challenges that 2020 has brought for students and how NUS have adapted to these changes. Although Covid-19 throw a spanner in the works for the NUS, she...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line by Kate Thwaites MP - Federal Labor Member for Jagajaga Before being elected to Parliament, Kate was a journalist at the ABC, learning the ropes of Australian media. She spoke about how the media landscape has significantly changed and how fundamental it is to our democracy.  Today's episode was produced by Pam Kiriakidis. Download o...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line by Dr Michelle Lim - Senior Lecturer and Clinical Psychologist at the Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute, and Centre for Mental Health at Swinburne University of Technology. Dr Lim's specific area of study is in loneliness and how it can negatively impact social functioning. She spoke about her research, the challenges peop...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line by former Obama alumni organizer - Sam Schneidman. With the Democratic primary season now concluded and the party unifying around former Vice-President Joe Biden, Sam and Stephen turn their attention to the general in November. They discuss which battleground states will be the key to securing 270 electoral college votes, how Biden should...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly was joined on the line from San Francisco, CA with former White House press secretary for President Obama’s re-election campaign - Ben Labolt. Ben spoke about the American Coronavirus experience, the Trump Administration’s negligent response to the global pandemic, and considered the political implications for the general election in November.   Download on you...

Dunn Street founder Stephen Donnelly spoke with Amit Singh - senior advisor at economic consultancy firm Alpha-Beta, and former economic advisor to the Rudd and Gillard governments.  On this week's episode, Amit and Stephen discuss the economic impact COVID-19 is having on global markets and the Australian economy, has the federal government adopted the right approach, and what are the next s...