Socially Democratic

👉 Todd Pinkerton, Director for Campaigns and Strategy at Unions New South Wales, and 👉 Lissie Ratcliff, former Chief of Staff to Daniel Andrews and managing partner at FMRS Advisory - join Stephen Donnelly to answer all your burning questions - and there were plenty.

They cover:

🌀 The complex and evolving relationship between government ministers and the public servants who advise them.

🔎 The leadersh...

In this episode of Socially Democratic, Stephen Donnelly sits down with Chris Hipkins, the 41st Prime Minister of New Zealand, to talk about his journey from the Hutt Valley to the halls of power. ​

They dive into the highs and lows of leadership, lessons learned from nine years in opposition, and the challenges of rebuilding the Labour Party after a tough election loss.

Chris also shares his thoughts on the complexities of tax refor...

Did the Socially Democratic hiatus week leave you feeling politically deprived?

Not to worry. Stephen, Jessie, and David are back with a full episode covering all the major (and some minor) stories in politics for the month of September. 

Here’s what’s on the agenda:

• Albanese’s upcoming visit with Trump. What will it look like, and what is the aim, exactly?
• Jacinta Allan’s visit to China. Talking tunnels and making friends.
• Are the ...

On August 31st, March for Australia spilled across the streets and into the headlines. 

But who organised it? And if not the neo-Nazis of Australia’s far-right National Socialist Network (NSN), then why did their notorious leader Thomas Sewell take the main stage in Melbourne?

Victorian State Correspondent Benita Kolovos sits down with Stephen to explore:

📣 the complexities behind the rally’s messaging, 

🔍 myths and lies about immigr...

When Sarah Witty de-throned Adam Bandt as the Member for Melbourne, it came as a surprise to many - none more than Adam Bandt.

“He wouldn’t have been surprised if he was out talking to people like I was,” said Sarah. “There was a definite swing.”

The newly-minted Melbourne MP joins Socially Democratic to talk about the core values that guided her - even when she didn’t know what she wanted to be when she grew up. 

She shares her journ...

💰In June, Keir Starmer’s Labour government proposed significant cuts to disability benefits for the UK's most vulnerable citizens. 

🟢 With his party holding a clear majority in Parliament,  there should have been no issue getting it done.

💥 But in a surprise move, 126 Labour backbenchers rebelled - refusing to vote for the cuts,  which had no basis in any real vision beyond saving money, or a bald “cash grab” as Starmer’s det...

Welcome back to Socially Democratic!

This week, we’ve got planes, trains, and ornery Teals.

The Transport Workers’ Union wins a landmark case against Qantas. Where to from here?

The Economic Reform Roundtable took place in Canberra last week. Journalists tried to spice it up with a Chalmers vs. Albo angle, but we think construction codes are more exciting!

The Albanese Government moves to recognise the State of Palestine. Where do the ...

🤔 How much do you really know about Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan ?

She joins us in the Socially Democratic office for a special episode with Stephen Donnelly.

📺 You can also watch the full interview on Youtube: https://youtu.be/gm-AP9OcHUw

While “some” people have their knickers in a twist over her government’s Work From Home announcement, and the Suburban Rail Loop remains hotly contested, at least by one newspaper - 

🔥Jacinta A...

Dive into the latest episode of Socially Democratic as Stephen Donnelly and Chicago-based Democratic strategist Katie Parsons unpack the whirlwind first six months of the Trump administration. ​ 

From record-breaking executive orders to controversial immigration policies, the duo explores the political landscape, the Democrats' response, and what’s next for the American left.

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New episodes every Friday.

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📣Attention all shoppers - the Mailbag Episode is here! 📫

Our listeners have thoughts. Lots of thoughts. They wanted to hear more about:

🖊️Labor’s agenda. Will it be bold this term? Is now the time to act on tax reform?

♟️Without support of the crossbenches, how long with the Rockliff Tasmanian government last?

📹FriendlyJordies - why is he supposedly persona non grata with many in the Labor Party?

🇬🇧With cross-cultural tension...

Federal Labor Minister Chris Bowen wants Australia to be on the frontlines of the fight against climate change.

And he’s in a hurry. 

Stephen Donnelly sits down with him for a fact-packed half-hour to discuss Australia’s most urgent energy challenges. 

They cover:

🇦🇺 COP31: Why he’s pushing to bring the world’s largest climate summit to Australia. 

🎯 Labor’s bold target of 82% renewables by 2030.

🌳 Advice for climate activists when w...

It’s the end of the month and Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone is back.

We’ve got a lot to cover this month, including:

✈️ Albanese's trip to China. Did he bring enough treats back for all of us?

🟢 The Greens Party’s internal fracas.  What hill are they prepared to die on and why are they so bad at dissent?

🚄 The Age’s single-handed crusade against the Suburban Rail Loop. Why so mad?

🗳️ The Tasmanian election results. In keeping...

“If not us, then who? And the answer is no one. So you kind of find the other gear that you didn't know you had and you just keep going no matter how hard it gets.”

This week, Stephen Donnelly sat down for an exclusive with Lissie Ratcliff, former Chief of Staff to Daniel Andrews, for her first-ever public interview. 

With 14 years of experience in Labor government and opposition, Lissie shares her candid reflections on politica...

Meet the man challenging the Libs for the leadership of Tasmania: Dean Winter.

It’s been only 15 months since Jeremy Rockliff was re-elected the Premier of Tasmania, but last month a nail-biting, nearly-tied no-confidence vote in the government threw the state into political uncertainty. 

Opposition Leader Dean Winter was behind that motion. Now Tasmanians are returning to the polls on Saturday 19 July. This week he speaks to us abou...

On May 8, 2025, Vatican reporter Colleen Dulle was in Rome, covering the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor. Her days were long, spent trawling through international coverage, meeting with sources inside the Vatican and other journalists, as well as attending daily Vatican press conferences. 

But once the conclave began, the flow of information screeched to a halt. Millions of eyes watched their only source: the...

Changes are afoot at Socially Democratic HQ - namely, the addition of Jessie McCrone as a regular guest to the Feeney Files.

Which does mean we need a new name. If you have any brilliant suggestions, let us know in the comments. 

This month: 

Why is serious policy reform so difficult in Australia? We ponder the frenzied reaction to Labor’s relatively modest super tax reforms. 

Clare O’Neil thinks we could solve the housing crisis by ma...

Between 😷Covid, 💸cost of living pressures and the 🤖 proliferation of AI, life as a university student looks a lot different than it did even six years ago.  

✊ The National Union of Students [NUS] is the peak body representing around 1 million students in Australia in all areas of education, policy, and student welfare. It’s also a training ground for the future leaders of Australia. 

☀️ NUS President Ashlyn Horton joins Stephen D...

You’ve probably seen it on the news - a shakeup in the Tasmanian Parliament. So what’s really going down in the Apple Isle?

Jack Milroy joins Stephen Donnelly to unpack the events and actors surrounding the no-confidence vote in Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff. 

Was it the new AFL Stadium, the budget, or simply the Opposition spotting an opportunity? 

And in a system where major parties increasingly cede ground to crossbenchers - are ...

At the end of all our exploring, we arrive back where we started and know the place for the first time.*

Jessie McCrone and Stephen Donnelly cover the last marginal seats of the election - some of which they did not even know were marginal - in their home state of Victoria. 

What went down in Kooyong? Why are the Liberals losing the Eastern suburbs? What went wrong for the Greens in the seat of Melbourne?

We cover this and more, plus ...