Oh hello.
As the title suggests, this is my little way of letting you know that I'm wrapping up Like I'm A Six-Year-Old once and for all. I've loved doing it - and thanks so much for listening to it and supporting it over the years! Bloody hell! - but I feel like after eight years, hundreds of conversations, a bunch of live shows, a pandemic and a book, it's time for me to move on and focus my energies on other things.
If you haven't already, please do check out my other weekly pod about the Greens and green politics with my friend Emerald Moon, Serious Danger - that's here to stay, and I'm excited to grow that show as much as possible in the coming years.
The LIASYO back catalogue will remain up and available for the foreseeable future, but I'll stop cheekily taking people's money via Patreon effective immediately.
You can always come see me live if you like; I'm in Sydney with show "IT IS I" RIGHT NOW - then I head to Cairns, Toowoomba and Brisbane.
Thanks again, team. I love you all! Endlessly! xx
Ben Abbatangelo is a proud Gunaikurnai and Wotjobaluk man and a social commentator. He’s the former deputy CEO of global non-profit AIME, has appeared regularly on The Project and the ABC and has written for The Guardian and The Saturday Paper.
Based on some of his recent work, I’ve sensed that Ben’s been going through something of a political shift of late, towards somewhere a bit more radical, and I was keen to talk him about it. In this conversation we discuss what that shift has involved, the naivety he’s left behind and what it means for his politics now. Ben also tells me about the legacy of the Northern Territory Intervention, explains the situation in Alice Springs and lays out the questions he’s asking about the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum and his sympathy for a progressive No vote.
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I’m currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: SYDNEY (this week!) | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE
To get discounted tickets to Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST
For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here
Later in the year I’ll be coming back to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival!
Ben's piece on The Project about First Nations people's response to the Queen's death
BEN'S ARTICLES: Reconciliation action plans let settlers take up more space, not relinquish it
Inside the Northern Territory Intervention
How to solve the real problems in Alice Springs
Cause of the Week: The Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council (martuwarra.org)
Larissa Baldwin-Roberts is a proud Widjabul Wia-bal woman from the Bundjalung Nations and has been a progressive activist since forever. She's a co-founder of the First Nations climate pressure group SEED Mob and is the current CEO of GetUp!.
In this conversation I ask Larissa about where her politics come from and how she thinks about political ideology. She outlines how she views GetUp!'s role under a Labor government, her unique perspective on climate politics and how she thinks (/hopes) the Voice referendum debate is going to play out.
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If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I’m currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: SYDNEY | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE
To get discounted tickets to Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST
For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here
Later in the year I'll be coming back to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival!
WATCH: Larissa Baldwin-Roberts delivers the 2022 Dr. Charlie Perkins Oration
John Quiggin is a widely-respected economist and professor at the University of Queensland. He's a former member of the Australian Government's Climate Change Authority, and he's written widely about the scourge of neoliberalism and privatisation.
I wanted to get John on the show to discuss the essay written by Treasurer Jim Chalmers for The Monthly back in February, "Capitalism After The Crises", in which he laid out his vision for "values-based capitalism". In this conversation we discuss what the hell that actually means, whether or not it's a hollow idea, and just how much this Labor government is prepared to deliver anything like it.
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If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I’m currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: MELBOURNE (now!) | SYDNEY | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE
To get discounted tickets to Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST
For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here
I’m performing my comedy lecture YES/NO at the Melbourne Comedy Festival – BOOK HERE
She's back! Economist, comrade and now author Alison Pennington returns to the show to discuss her debut book Gen F'ed? How Young Australians Can Reclaim Their Uncertain Futures.
We discuss how all the good jobs disappeared, our massively cooked housing market, replacing intergenerational warfare with class warfare and how young people can build political power under this "progressive (?)" Labor government.
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My show IT IS I is on at the Adelaide Fringe right now!
Then IT IS I heads to: | GOLD COAST | CANBERRA | MELBOURNE | SYDNEY | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE
To get discounted tickets to Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST
For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here
I’m doing just 2 shows of my comedy lecture YES/NO at the Melbourne Comedy Festival – BOOK HERE
This week's episode brings you the conversation I had with some other generational voices at a live event at the public library in my home town, Warrnambool.
Alongside Zoomer and journalist Sharna Rogers, Xer and psychologist Dr. Jodie Fleming and Baby Boomer and celebrated aid worker Bob Handby AO, I discussed three big topics I explore in my book I, Millennial: housing, work and the climate crisis, and how these issues play out for Australians of different ages. The conversation was moderated by the brilliant Ailiche Goddard-Clegg, and it was a bloody great chat, with plenty of insights and laughs.
Thanks to Collins Booksellers and the Warrnambool Library for making it happen, and to everyone who came along, including my mum and dad.
Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you
If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I’m currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: ADELAIDE | GOLD COAST | CANBERRA | MELBOURNE | SYDNEY | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE
To get discounted tickets to Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST
For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here
I’m doing just 2 shows of my comedy lecture YES/NO at the Melbourne Comedy Festival – BOOK HERE
ARTICLE: Read my interview with Jacobin about Millennial socialiast RAGE
Polly Hemming is a Senior Researcher at The Australia Institute's Climate & Energy Program.
Just this week she was giving evidence to a Parliamentary committee on the Labor Party's signature climate policy, the "Safeguard Mechanism" - which, I'm sorry to say, stinks. It stinks real bad.
Here Polly lays out exactly just how much of a mess this policy is: how it's not designed to reduce emissions that are cooking the planet, but rather protect the profits and interests of the fossil fuel lobby. We also discuss the DEEPLY dodgy world of carbon offsets and the marketisation of the natural world, and wonder how this whole thing is going to play out politically.
Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you
If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I’m currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: ADELAIDE | GOLD COAST | CANBERRA | MELBOURNE | SYDNEY | CAIRNS | TOOWOOMBA | BRISBANE
To get discounted tickets to Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST
For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here
I’m doing just 2 shows of my comedy lecture YES/NO at the Melbourne Comedy Festival – BOOK HERE
Oh hello. I am back again. Look at us.
This week I’m bringing you another taste of my debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake’s Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else, which is now out and about in the world. This is an extract from the chapter on privatisation - "From Our Warm, Public Hands" - which lays out just how much of our public shit has been flogged off, goddammit.
You can find out more about the book - and order it as an audiobook, ebook or hardcopy - here.
I'm doing some book-based events across the country; all the details are here.
ALSO:
To get discounted tickets to Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney, use the promo code PODCAST
For discounted tickets to my shows in Brisbane, click here
I'm doing just 2 shows of my comedy lecture YES/NO at the Melbourne Comedy Festival - BOOK HERE
Craig "Fozzy" Foster is a former Socceroo who has become not only one of Australia’s most respected sports commentators and broadcasters, but also one of our most respected social justice advocates and human rights campaigners.
This episode is Craig's keynote speech at the 2022 Refugee Legal Annual Dinner, which I happened to MC online. It's followed by a brief Q&A between Craig, myself, and Refugee Legal's Executive Director (and former LIASYO guest) David Manne.
Fozzy is extremely dedicated and clear-sighted when it comes to the fight for human rights - for refugees, for women, for workers, for sportspeople, for everyone - and this speech was a great reflection on the various campaigns he's been involved with, and the state of human rights on Australia and across the world right now. It was especially enlightening to hear Craig discuss the human rights issues surrounding the World Cup in Qatar, and how massive sporting events can sometimes provide massive opportunities to advocate for greater human rights protections.
Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you
If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake’s Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out now!!!
I'm touring my new stand-up show IT IS I all over the country in 2023
ARTICLE: Craig Foster lashes out at FIFA over 'gutless' move at World Cup
Cause of the Week: Refugee Legal (refugeelegal.org.au)
My book I, Millennial: One Snowflake’s Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out in the world! Gosh.
We launched it in Melbourne with a lovely event at the Easey Street Concert Hall in Collingwood, featuring me in conversation with my mate Osman Faruqi. Oz and I discussed the guts of the book and why I wrote it, and I read some bits out and took questions and we all had a great time. I hope you enjoy listening back to our conversation.
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If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I'm doing some big fun shows at Just For Laughs Sydney this weekend, too
This week I'm bringing you a taste of my debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake's Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else. You'll hear the full prologue from the audiobook that sets the whole thing up and talks about me doing drugs.
The book comes out next week - you can pre-order it here.
I'm having book launches in MELBOURNE, SYDNEY and BRISBANE - check out the details and book tickets here.
Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you
If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
Come see the 2022 Yearly Wrap show I’m hosting at Comedy Republic in Melbourne in December
I’m doing a Work in Progress show at the very cool Brunswick Picture House in January
Ben Schneiders is an award-winning investigate journalist at The Age and author of the new book, Hard Labour: Wage Theft in the Age of Inequality.
Over the past eight years, Ben's reporting has exposed the scourge of wage theft and worker exploitation in Australian hospitality, fast food, retail and agriculture. In Hard Labour, Ben summarises just how widespread and serious this problem is in Australian capitalism today, and lays out exactly what's been happening over the past 50 years that's seen workers' power dwindle so much.
This was a great conversation, in which Ben and I discussed the enraging specifics of the wage theft cases, why the SDA sucks, how much we should blame the ALP for all this and where we might find some hope in the future for Australian workers.
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If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I'm launching the book with events in Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane
Come see the 2022 Yearly Wrap show I'm hosting at Comedy Republic in Melbourne in December
I'm doing a Work in Progress show at the very cool Brunswick Picture House in January
Hard Labour: Wage Theft in the Age of Inequality is published through Scribe
ARTICLE: Shopped Out: SDA & Fair Work Commissions by Ben & Royce Millar
Cause of the Week: Join your union (australianunions.org.au)
IF YOU WORK IN RETAIL PLEASE JOIN RAFFWU NOT THE SDA (raffwu.org.au)
I'm back! Again! Sorry about the big gap between episodes. I am bad.
Leo Puglisi is a digital journalist who just so happens to be 14 years old. He founded what would eventually become the online news service 6 News Australia when he was just 11, and he's since grown it into a respectable independent media outlet that does pretty great journalism, and regularly puts mainstream "adult" media outlets to shame. During the 2022 election, Leo even managed to secure and conduct insightful interviews with Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese.
Here Leo talks to me about starting a media outlet so young, what he sees as the mission behind 6 News, the kind of criticism and trolling he's had to face online, his dedicated to fact checking and what he thinks makes for a great political interview.
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Cause of the Week: Sponsor me in the ASRC's KMs of Compassion here
As he gears up to run for Greens preselection to be an upper-house candidate in the 2023 NSW state election, Jim took some time to talk to me about his time leading the Fire Brigade Employees Union, the state of the Australian labour movement, his theories on why real political power lies outside of parliament and the controversies he ran into when taking on "Albo".
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If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
My special "ENOUGH" is out on Paramount+ this Friday
ARTICLE: We've Never Seen Conditions As Bad As This by Jim Casey
ARTICLE: Anthony Albanese: Labor heavyweight's Greens rival Jim Casey defends "Trotskyist" speech
Cause of the Week: Rachael Jacobs, Greens Candidate for Grayndler (support her here)
In this conversation I discuss with Georgia Kelly's bizarro mind and political career, why she thinks the people of Hughes deserves better, the issues that she's campaigning on, her rejection of political ideology and her thoughts on why the two-party system is failing.
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I’m coming to The Clubhouse in Hobart March 17th
I'm making a cool TV show in lutruwita with Kates McLennan & McCartney
Cause of the Week: The Family Co (thefamilyco.org.au)
In 2022 he's running to pick up another NSW Senate seat for the Greens (and it's actually possible!).
In this conversation I ask David about NSW politics' love of corruption, how he developed his radical politics, what the Greens could achieve in balance of power and whether Greens MPs should have anything to do with investment properties.
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If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I'm coming to The Clubhouse in Hobart March 17th
The Greens' Balance of Power pitch
Cause of the Week: David Shoebridge's Senate campaign (nsw.greens.org.au)
This week I'm bringing you the audio of a panel I appeared on, discussing the reason behind and ideas around the recent boycott of the 2022 Sydney Festival.
I joined dozens of other artists in withdrawing from the Festival to protest its acceptance of $20k in sponsorship money from the Israeli embassy; a sponsorship which guaranteed Israel the honour of being a "star partner" of the festival.
Here I'm in conversation with academic Dr. Jumana Bayeh, the Executive Director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy Salem Barahmeh and my fellow boycotters Dr. Mohammed Ahmad (founding director of Western Sydney literacy outfit Sweatshop) and Maissa Alameddine (the Artist Director of the Ensemble Dandana, which is part of the Arab Theatre Studio).
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"Artists Against Apartheid Sydney Festival" petition
ARTICLE: Sydney Festival acts boycott over Israel by Farid Farid
ARTICLE: Why I'm helping to organise a boycott of this year's Sydney Festival by Jennine Khalik
ARTICLE:Boycotts are an essential and necessary part of public life by Osman Faruqi
Cause of the Week: Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Australia bdsaustralia.net.au
Writer and journalist Johann Hari has returned to the show to discuss why our brains have melted.
His new book is called Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention and it is a fascinating, depressing and insightful look at the "attention crisis" we're facing as a society. Johann tells me about just how bad this situation is, how much social media and technology is responsible for it, its social and political implications and what the fuck we can do about it - as individuals, and as a collective.
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Johann's first appearance on the show was back at Ep #73
You can order Johann's latest book Stolen Focus here: stolenfocusbook.com
Van Badham is a playwright, author and activist, and she's returned to the show to discuss her latest book, QAnon: A Short and Shocking History of Internet Conspiracy Cults.
Here Van lays out precisely what the QAnon conspiracy theory actually is, how it came into existence and how much it has shaped - and continues to shape - politics in the US and here in Australia. We discuss the most bonkers beliefs involved in all this and what the theory's success tells us about the internet and the failures of the modern Left, and we disagree about what happened to JFK.
Merry Xmas everyone! See you in 2022, when everything will be fixed forever xx
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Van's book QAnon and On: A Short and Shocking History of Internet Conspiracy Cults
Van's podcast is The Week on Wednesday
Cause of the Week: Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (asrc.org.au)
James Button is a freelance journalist, ALP member and former speechwriter for the former prime minister Kevin Rudd. He recently wrote a three-part, in-depth series for Nine/Fairfax on "cancel culture": what it is, why it exists and what it means for the Australian Left.
In this conversation James and I go deep into his argument and the three pieces and try to clarify how this social phenomenon manifests itself when it comes to issues of race, gender, art and politics. On some fronts we agree, on others I try to push back and challenge some of the common arguments that are wheeled out on this stuff.
It's long, but (I hope) really worthwhile. TL:DR - class politics is GOOD and we need MORE OF IT PLEASE.
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@JamesButton49 (though he rarely tweets!)
Read James' three-part series on cancel culture:
ARTICLE: The Failure of Occupy is Almost Complete by Freddie deBoer
ARTICLE: Woke politics and power by Waleed Aly
Cause(s) of the Week: Savannah Pride (savannahpride.com.au); Marrin Weejali Aboriginal Corporation (marrinweejali.org.au)
Nyadol Nyuon is a former refugee, lawyer and passionate advocate for human rights and anti-racism.
This is her keynote address at the 2021 Refugee Legal "Not The Annual Dinner" (held via Zoom), which I MC'ed, followed by a Q&A session with Nyadol and Refugee Legal Executive Director David Manne.
It's a passionate address about why human rights are important to her (and why they should be important to you), the realities of race in this country and the ongoing legacy of the War on Terror on our society and politics.
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If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I’m recording a stand up special at Chapel Off Chapel THIS WEEK! Two shows only
Nyadol's address at the National Press Club, "Australia Reimagined"
Cause of the Week: Please support Refugee Legal's work (refugeelegal.org.au)
NEWS: I have a brand new podcast to share with youse.
It’s called Serious Danger, it’s about the Australian Greens and green politics in Australia generally and I’m doing it with my cool friend Emerald Moon.
Also it’s going to fix everything.
Have a listen to hear the trailer and find out why I wanted to make the show in the first place.
(Also don’t stress: I’ll still be posting episodes of LIASYO for the time being.)
Find out more and subscribe to the show by heading to seriousdangerpod.com
Find us on twitter, Instagram, Patreon and YouTube on @SeriousDangerAU
Get to know Emerald more by catching up on our conversation together from last year.
<3 u
Luke Hilakari has been the Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council since 2014. He's been a Labor member since he turned 18 and has played a key role in electing (and re-electing) the Andrew Labor government and fighting for marriage equality and workers' rights.
In light of all the BATSHIT anti-vax protesting that's been going on in Melbourne of late, I wanted to ask Luke about the presence of anti-vax organising within the labour movement, why some workers might be attracted to this ideology and what can be done about it.
We also discuss the class war that the pandemic has shone a light on, solidarity, why strikes are beautiful, spanking the Labor Party and how the union movement will be approaching the upcoming election.
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If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I’m recording a stand up special at Chapel Off Chapel in early December
ARTICLE: We need a royal commission into the organised far-right in Australia by Luke Hilakari
ARTICLE: Has solidarity succumbed to the rise of rage? by Waleed Aly
Labor's policy's on workers' rights for the upcoming election
Trades Hall's Sticking Together book
Cause of the Week: Australians For A Murdoch Royal Commission (murdochroyalcommission.org.au)
Professor Megan Davis is a Cobble Cobble woman from Queensland and is the current pro Vice-Chancellor and Balnaves Chair in constitutional law at the University of New South Wales. She's worked for the United Nations and has been intimately involved in the campaign for meaningful constitutional recognition for Australia's First Nations people, and had the honour of first reading out the Uluru Statement From the Heart publicly in 2017.
Four years on from the creation of the Statement - with its call for Voice, Treaty & Truth - Megan updates me on where the campaign for a constitutional First Nations Voice to Parliament is at, the roadblocks that remain, designing a model and searching for bipartisanship ahead of a possible referendum.
Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you
If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I’m recording a stand up special at Chapel Off Chapel in early December
I’m doing Easey Comedy in Collingwood on Thursday November 11th with Dave Hughes
ARTICLE: The Uluru Statement, four years on by Professor Megan Davis
INTERVIEW: The Uluru Statement - where to from here? on ABC Overnights with Rod Quinn
Cause of the Week: Uluru Statement From The Heart Campaign (ulurustatement.org)
Sean Kelly is a writer and journalist, who's a former adviser to Prime Ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.
His new book is The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison and it's great/scary/infuriating. With great insight and wit, Sean really tries to get at who our Prime Minister is, what drives, what (if anything) he believes in and what his political success says about us a country. We discuss how Morrison plays the "game" of politics, why he won in 2019 and whether he can be beaten again by the ALP in its current state.
Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you
If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron
I’m recording a stand up special at Chapel Off Chapel in early December
I’m doing Easey Comedy in Collingwood on Thursday November 11th with Dave Hughes
The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison by Sean Kelly at Black Inc
Sean's writing for Nine Fairfax Media
ARTICLE: Morrison sees votes in anti-Muslim strategy by Lenore Taylor (2011)
Cause of the Week: The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au)