Emma Dawson is an ALP member and a former adviser to the Rudd and Gillard governments on public broadcasting policy. These days she’s the Executive Director of the think tank Per Capita, “an independent, progressive think tank, dedicated to fighting inequality in Australia”.
After very kindly providing me with a nice lunch, Emma explains where her politics come from, the Labor Party's neoliberal legacy, the role of markets in society and her passion for social democracy. She lays out the policy complexities with the #80ADay JobSeeker campaign and the tensions between idealistic, activist politics and brutal electoral math.
(Note: at one point I think Emma accidentally said Linda Reynolds when she was referring to Linda Burney.)
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You can see my show WE ARE ALL IN THIS at the Newcastle Comedy Festival this weekend
WE ARE ALL IN THIS will be at the Brisbane Comedy Festival in August
ARTICLE: Unemployment doesn't just happen to "other people". It can happen to you by Emma Dawson
ARTICLE: Centrist Joe is precisely the president America needs by Emma Dawson
ARTICLE: Income support 'not the only lever': Labor's plan to tackle disadvantage
The 2021 Per Capita Tax Survey
What Happens Next? edited by Emma Dawson & Janet McCalman
Cause of the Week: The Australian Unemployed Workers' Union (unemployedworkersunion.com)