Episodes

  • 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.

    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: 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!

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake’s Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out now

    @BenAbbatangelo

    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)

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  • 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.

    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: 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!

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake’s Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out now

    @Riss_Bundjalung

    getup.org.au

    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.

    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: 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

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    @JohnQuiggin

    johnquiggin.com

    Check out John's Substack

    John's response to Chalmer's essay in The Conversation

    Joseph Stiglitz's response

    Steve Hamilton's response

  • 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.

    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

    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

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    @ak_pennington

    Alison's last appearance on the show in 2020

  • 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

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    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

    My debut book I, Millennial: One Snowflake’s Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else is out now

    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

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    @PollyJHemming

    @TheAusInstitute

    AustraliaInstitute.org

    Polly's speech, "What is Climate Integrity?"

    Labor’s Safeguard policy is a mirror image of fossil industry greenwashing by Ketan Joshi for RenewEconomy.com.au

    The Great Stock'n'Coal Swindle by Nick Feik

  • 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:

    I'm currently touring my new stand up show IT IS I all over the country: PERTH | HOBART | LAUNCESTON | 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

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

  • 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

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    @Craig_Foster

    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.

    If you're in Sydney, you can come along to the launch at Better Read Than Dead tonight where I'll be chatting to Jan Fran; or if you're in Brisbane, come along to Avid Reader on Tuesday night to hear me chatting with my Serious Danger comrade, Emerald Moon.

    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 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

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

  • 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.

    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 November 30th – pre-order it now

    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

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    @BenSchneiders

    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.

    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 November 30th - pre-order it now

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    @Leo_Puglisi6

    @6NewsAU

    6newsau.com

    patreon.com/6newsau

    Cause of the Week: Sponsor me in the ASRC's KMs of Compassion here

  • Jim Casey is a firefighting unionist, socialist and co-founder of the Australian Firefighters Climate Alliance. He is an anti-capitalist GREENS EXTREMIST who has twice run as a candidate against Anthony Albanese in the seat of Grayndler.

    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".

    Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

    If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    My special "ENOUGH" is out on Paramount+ this Friday

    @JimCaseyGreens

    jimcasey.online

    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)

  • Georgia Steele is a former corporate litigator and now independent candidate running in the NSW seat of Hughes at the upcoming federal election. (The seat's currently held by former Liberal MP, now United Australia Party TRUTH-TELLER Craig Kelly.)

    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.

    Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

    If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    I’m coming to The Clubhouse in Hobart March 17th

    I'm making a cool TV show in lutruwita with Kates McLennan & McCartney

    @Steele4Hughes

    georgiasteele.com.au

    ARTICLE: Ex-lawyer Georgia Steele to run as independent in Craig Kelly's seat during federal election

    LISTEN: Our Serious Danger episode on the "teal wave" of independents running in the upcoming election

    Cause of the Week: The Family Co (thefamilyco.org.au)

  • David Shoebridge MLC has served in the NSW upper house since 2010, and has been the Greens spokesperson for workers' rights, energy and Aboriginal justice.

    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.

    Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

    If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    I'm coming to The Clubhouse in Hobart March 17th

    @ShoebridgeMLC

    David's Facebook page

    David's instagram

    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).

    Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

    If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    @PalestineRising

    "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

    ARTICLE: From Safsaf to Sydney: Palestinian resistance and the festival boycott by Jeanine Hourani, Rihab Charida & Matt Chun

    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.

    Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

    If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    @johannhari101

    johannhari.com

    Johann's first appearance on the show was back at Ep #73

    You can order Johann's latest book Stolen Focus here: stolenfocusbook.com

    Read an extract of the book here

  • 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

    Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

    If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

    Catch me (and a crazy good line-up) performing at Just For Laughs Australia at the Malthouse Theatre in January

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    @vanbadham

    Van's book QAnon and On: A Short and Shocking History of Internet Conspiracy Cults

    Van's podcast is The Week on Wednesday

    ARTICLE: If your friends or family have fallen for an internet conspiracy cult, here's what you should do by Van Badham

    AN EDITED EXTRACT OF VAN'S BOOK: QAnon: how the far-right cult took Australians down a 'rabbit hole' of extremism

    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.

    Join the LIASYO Facebook group here please and thank you

    If you’ve got the means please support this show by becoming a Patron

    Check out with my other podcast about the Greens and green politics with Emerald Moon, Serious Danger

    @JamesButton49 (though he rarely tweets!)

    Read James' three-part series on cancel culture:

    "They cancelled me as a human": what nearly killed Logie winner Hugh Sheridan Gender, sex and power: the debate dividing universities Is identity politics killing the left?

    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)