Since 2011, Jay Weatherill has served as the premier of South Australia – a state where the Labor Party has been in power for the past 14 years.

He’s been attracting some headlines over the past few months as he’s spoken out in favour of raising the GST and offered his state as sanctuary for vulnerable people seeking asylum who are in danger of being returned to Nauru.

I was allowed into the Premier’s (very nice) office to discuss what his thinking was here, as well as his journey into politics (as inspired by his father George), the number of lawyers in our parliaments, cynicism, the political history of SA, making submarines, the Bulmer-Rizi case and marriage equality and how he sees 2016 turning out.

Watch back the 2016 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras on SBS Demand

The World Keeps Happening is coming to Brisbane, Melbourne & Sydney

Boundless Plains To Share at MICF 2016 

@jayweatherill

premier.sa.gov.au

Article: Premier apologises to Marco Bulmer-Rizi

Cause of the Week: Catherine House (catherinehouse.org.au)

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I saw Irish comedian Aidan Killian performing at the Adelaide Fringe and knew that he’d be good value for a chat.

The former Bear Stearns investment banker is currently touring The Holy Trinity of Whistleblowers around Australia and the world and sat down to tell me about his karate his experience, why he opposed marriage equality, why he doesn’t vote, his attraction to conspiracy theories and why Assange, Snowden and Manning matter.

The World Keeps Happening is coming to Brisbane, Melbourne & Sydney

Boundless Plains To Share at MICF 2016 

I’m co-hosting SBS’s coverage of the 2016 Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras this Sunday night, 8:30pm

aidankillian.com

Aidan’s tour dates

@aidankillian

Aidan on YouTube

callmeluckymovie.com

Cause of the Week: Wikileaks (wikileaks.org)

Brad Chilcott is a highly-principled pragmatist. A progressive pastor, political activist and founder of super-cool outfit Welcome To Australia, I’ve come to know Brad over the last couple of years and find him to be an extremely inspiring dude.

Here we have a big fat yarn about how his faith has informed his life and his activism, what he’s learnt from his son Harrison’s battles with ill health, the luxury of dismissing things as “politics”, his criticisms of the progressive left and the story of and idea behind WTA.

The World Keeps Happening is in Adelaide now, coming to Brisbane, Melbourne & Sydney

Boundless Plains To Share at MICF 2016

My tour blog for TheMusic.com.au

Me and my fellow hosts covering the 2016 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras for SBS

@bradchilcott

Activate Life Church

Campaign For Australian Aid  

Article: I Donated A Kidney To My Son – Don’t Tell Me Not To Make It Political

Article: Fighting Hatred With Hatred At Reclaim Australia Rallies Is A Failure Of Progressive Politics

Article on Brad and boat turnbacks at the Labor conference

Cause of the Week: Food 4 Education (food4education.org)

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You probably know Corinne Grant best from her comedic work on Rove, skitHOUSE or The Glass House. She’s been passionate about social justice and politics all her life but has recently made the decision to get her law degree and get her hands dirty for what she believes in.

Here we discuss Sophie Mirabella, unions, how she tried (and failed) to marry her comedy with her politics, the Glass House and ABC bias, the disappointments of Labor, writing speeches for Julia Gillard, Australians and their apathy and refugee rights. We also reflected on a difference of opinion we had a few years ago surrounding gay male comedians and misogyny.

The World Keeps Happening is in Adelaide now, coming to Brisbane, Melbourne & Sydney

Boundless Plains To Share at MICF 2016

Minus 18’s 2016 Same Sex Formal & Gender Diverse Formal

Mums4Refugees sing “Age Of Reason” to say #LetThemStay

@corinne_grant

corinnegrant.com.au

Article: Let Them Stay Thousands Turn Up To Rallies But Millions Turn Their Backs

I’m Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-Up Comedy’s Golden Era

Corinne’s piece on gay male comedians and misogyny; my response

Cause of the Week: The Fitzroy Legal Service (fitzroy-legal.org.au), on Facebook here

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It’s episode 50 you guys!

Senator Scott Ludlam is a Greens Senator for Western Australia. He’s co-deputy leader for the party and its spokesperson for issues such as communications, housing, mining and nuclear power.

Whilst in Perth I chatted with Scott about everything from DJing to his viral hit speech to the cult of personality to his journey into politics to why he’s a “Senate nerd”. Plus the issues that drive his passions: nuclear disarmament, digital rights, Julian Assange, our shitty foreign policies, the TPP, the NBN and the possibility of a Greens government.

The World Keeps Happening coming to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne AND NOW SYDNEY!

Boundless Plains To Share at MICF 2016

Gimme Shelter: a fundraiser for Road to Refuge

#LetThemStay

No Shame: Why Most Australians Feel Okay About Tormenting Asylum Seekers

Ep 48: Jim Coad

@SenatorLudlam

scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au

Scott’s blog: fieldnotes.org.au

Julian Assange found to be unlawfully detained by UN

Article: Foreign policy that blindly follows the US isn’t in our national interest

CAUSE OF THE WEEK: Save Beeliar Wetlands (savebeeliarwetlands.com), Rethink The Link (rethinkthelink.com.au)

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January 26th is upon us again!

To reflect on the issues of blind nationalism and patriotism that Australia/Invasion/Survival Day (of Mourning) throws up, here’s a slice of Stan Grant‘s speech on racism and my conversation with artist Jim Coad, the man behind the Castlemaine civil event named “Chuck another flag on the barbie?”.

The World Keeps Happening at Perth Fringeworld

Boundless Plains To Share at MICF

Stan Grant’s speech

IQ2 Debate: Racism is destroying the Australian Dream

Australia Day is a time for mourning, not celebration by Nakkiah Lui

The problem with Australia Day by Martin Flanagan

@jim_coad

Chuck another flag on the barbie? on Facebook

ABC article on Jim’s event

#proudest100 

proudest100.com

Cause of the Week: Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (asrc.org.au)

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Mohammad Ali Baqiri is a former refugee who came to Australia by sea as a child. He spent three years in Australian immigration detention on Nauru.

Here he kindly shares his story with me and explains what it’s really like to be a “boat person”.

The World Keeps Happening at Perth Fringeworld

Boundless Plains To Share at MICF

@AliBaqiri

Mohammad on Facebook

Article: Burning the Stakeholders 

Cause of the Week: Road to Refuge (roadtorefuge.com)

Gimme Shelter! A Road To Refuge Fundraiser

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Fiona Patten is a former lobbyist for the sex industry, she’s the founder and leader of the Australian Sex Party and she was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council in 2014 as the member for the Northern Metropolitan Region.

Fiona is passionate about civil liberties and honest conversations about everything from sex to drugs to voluntary euthanasia. We had a great ol’ time talking and laughing about sex work (and her personal experience with it), porn, the history of Fyshwick, abortion clinic buffer zones and more.

Midsumma Hypothetical – 2022: A Queer Odyssey

The World Keeps Happening at Perth Fringeworld

Boundless Plains To Share at MICF

@fionapattenMLC

fionapatten.com

sexparty.org.au

Guardian profile on Fiona

Cause of the Week: Harm Reduction Victoria (hrvic.org.au) 

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Paul Farrell is a Guardian Australia journalist who writes about juicy stuff like national security, privacy and immigration. He’s concerned with what our government does and doesn’t let us know.

In this conversation Paul and I discuss Freedom Of Information, data retention, whistle-blowing, what’s happening inside Australia’s detention centres and the shocking truth behind Channel Nine’s Border Security.

The World Keeps Happening at Perth Fringeworld

Boundless Plains To Share at MICF

@FarrellPF

Paul’s writings at Guardian Australia

The Detention Logs

Episode 34 with Freya Newman

Cause of the Week: Open Australia Foundation (openaustraliafoundation.org.au)

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My chat with the Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby continues.

Things get heated as Lyle and I discuss the ACL’s objections to the Safe Schools program and how we educate young people about sexual and gender diversity.

My Radio National documentary, How I Stopped Worrying And Learned To Love The Gay Bomb

The World Keeps Happening tour 2016

My chat with Lyle (Part One)

@LyleShelton

acl.org.au

The Safe Schools Coalition

Lyle talks with Walt Heyer

minus18

Cause of the Week: Alliance for Gambling Reform (pokiesplayyou.org.au)

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