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John Anderson: Conversations

John Anderson: Conversations

John Anderson 255 Episodes Jul 24, 2026

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia John Anderson hosts in-depth conversations with leading historians, economists, politicians, and thinkers about the ideas shaping society. The podcast covers topics such as Australia's political future, faith, freedom, and the fragility of Western democracy. It aims to provide thoughtful, rigorous, and independent discussions that mainstream media often avoids.

Episodes

Treasury Insider: How Ideology Beat Common Sense in Australia | David Pearl
Treasury Insider: How Ideology Beat Common Sense in Australia | David Pearl Jul 24, 2026 01:22:53 Former senior Treasury official David Pearl argues that Australia's decline is not fate but the product of bad choices made by the people running our institutions.He contends that Treasury, once feared for its razor-sharp scrutiny of policy, has been captured from above by secretaries who treat emissions reduction as a moral imperative rather than a trade-off, and who withhold the true cost of
Iran, Trump, And The Weakening Of The West | Melanie Phillips
Iran, Trump, And The Weakening Of The West | Melanie Phillips Jul 17, 2026 01:33:07 In this conversation, Melanie Phillips joins John Anderson to discuss the crisis of Western resolve and moral decline. Drawing on her decades as a commentator, Phillips argues that Iran's perceived strength reflects Western weakness and hesitation. She also explores how anti-Zionism and elite failure have hollowed out Western valuesA pre-eminent voice in British public discourse, Melanie Phill
“Climate Change Is NOT An Existential Threat” | Steven Koonin
“Climate Change Is NOT An Existential Threat” | Steven Koonin Jul 3, 2026 00:43:25 Steven Koonin joins John Anderson for an in-depth conversation exploring the science, engineering and economics behind today's climate debate. Drawing on decades of experience in physics, energy research and public policy, Koonin argues that while climate change is real, many public discussions fail to capture the uncertainty, nuance and trade-offs contained within the scientific evidence. Tog
Why Modern Education Is Producing Activists, Not Thinkers | Prof. Simon Haines and Dr. Fiona Mueller
Why Modern Education Is Producing Activists, Not Thinkers | Prof. Simon Haines and Dr. Fiona Mueller Jun 19, 2026 01:18:35 In this conversation, John Anderson sits down with Prof. Simon Haines and Dr. Fiona Mueller to examine how Australia's schools and universities stopped teaching children how to think, and what a genuine restoration of education would look like. The results are measurable in falling literacy, rising school refusal, and a curriculum that has prioritised ideological formation at the expense of kn
The Renewable Lie: How Australia Was Sold a False Promise | Aidan Morrison & Chris Uhlmann
The Renewable Lie: How Australia Was Sold a False Promise | Aidan Morrison & Chris Uhlmann Jun 12, 2026 01:40:35 John Anderson joins energy analyst Aidan Morrison and journalist Chris Uhlmann for a forensic examination of Australia's energy crisis. Together, they expose the broken promises behind the renewable transition, the CSIRO modelling built on figures no operating wind farm has achieved, and the legislative blunder that turned the New England Renewable Energy Zone into a multi-billion dollar infra
How the State Became the Enemy of the English People | Carl Benjamin
How the State Became the Enemy of the English People | Carl Benjamin May 29, 2026 01:22:36 In this interview, podcaster and political commentator Carl Benjamin joins John to explore the accelerating collapse of English identity and the political crisis that has followed.Carl argues that Britain has sleepwalked into a civilisational emergency: mass immigration without a vote, a bureaucratic state that has outgrown democratic accountability, and a native population that has been deliberat
How Universal Childcare Could Destroy a Generation | Erica Komisar
How Universal Childcare Could Destroy a Generation | Erica Komisar May 25, 2026 01:05:45 Psychotherapist and author Erica Komisar joins John to make the case that what happens in a child's first 3 years shapes their emotional security for life, and that current childcare policy is built on a dangerous ignorance of child development.They also discuss why ADHD is better understood as a stress response than a disorder, what the evidence tells us about cortisol levels in babies separa
Suicidal Empathy Is Destroying The West | Gad Saad
Suicidal Empathy Is Destroying The West | Gad Saad May 15, 2026 01:16:09 Professor Gad Saad argues that empathy directed at the wrong targets becomes a tool of civilisational self-destruction, and that every idea enabling this collapse was spawned on a university campus. Drawing on his own experience fleeing Lebanon as a Jewish child, Saad examines Britain's grooming gang scandal, the pathologisation of masculinity, and the incoherence of Queers for Palestine, noti
Suicide of a Nation: Britain on the Brink of Collapse | Matt Goodwin
Suicide of a Nation: Britain on the Brink of Collapse | Matt Goodwin May 11, 2026 01:03:20 In this interview, author, political commentator and Reform UK candidate, Matt Goodwin joins John to unpack the impending collapse of the United Kingdom.Matt explains how a managerial class of politicians have embraced a worldview of 'suicidal empathy' resulting in mass migration.This unelected decision has increasingly come at the cost of English culture, economic security and ultimately
Beauty, Law and the Lies of Post-Modernism | Mark Fowler & Ian Callinan
Beauty, Law and the Lies of Post-Modernism | Mark Fowler & Ian Callinan Apr 24, 2026 01:05:57 What makes Australia’s Constitution so effective, and why do so few people understand it? In this interview, Ian Callinan and Mark Fowler unpack the origins of our legal system, the role of philosophy in shaping law, and the importance of keeping power accountable.They also tackle modern challenges: the push for a Human Rights Act, the rise of postmodern thinking, and the growing tension between i
Betting The Farm On Renewables Will Ruin Australia | Derek Bush and Aidan Morrison
Betting The Farm On Renewables Will Ruin Australia | Derek Bush and Aidan Morrison Apr 17, 2026 01:11:44 Aidan Morrison and Derek Bush join John for a frank conversation about Australia's cumbersome renewable energy transition, and the real costs being borne by the communities expected to host it. They make the case that rural Australians are being overrun by a policy conceived in cities and imposed on regional areas, exposing the considerable gap between the government's 2030 targets and wha
Former Japanese Ambassador: "Placating China Is A Recipe For Disaster" | Shingo Yamagami
Former Japanese Ambassador: "Placating China Is A Recipe For Disaster" | Shingo Yamagami Apr 10, 2026 00:58:22 Former Japanese Ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami joins John for a frank conversation about the bilateral relationship between Japan and Australia. Yamagami makes the case that this relationship is essential to the stability of the Indo-Pacific region, especially in light of an assertive and expansionist China. The discussion calls for a refusal to cower beneath China’s authoritarian demands

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