Neil Mitchell Asks Why

In this episode, I dive into the unexpected, unassuming world of fungi - and what I've found is astounding.  I speak to Mycologist Dr.Teresa Lebel and discover fungi has the potential to change, save and shape the world like you wouldn't believe.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who controls space will control the Earth. What happens up there impacts every aspect of modern life: Satellites, GPS, power grids. And there are some weird things going on.  What's happing in space today could help save the world - but it could also help destroy it.  In this episode I speak to Rebecca Shrimpton, director of Defence and National Security at ASPI, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. She has a warning of what we stand to gain, and what stands to be lostSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After ten years as the Victorian Ombudsman, Deborah Glass is now free to explain how the systems designed to keep the bastards honest are working, when they are failing, and WHY they are so important.  In one of her last interviews as Ombudsman, Deborah Glass opens up on the personal side of a life spent battling bureaucracy, and standing up for the little guy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They say it's inevitable. But what sort of world are we heading into with legalised cannabis?  In this episode, former head of the AFP, barrister and advocate for cannabis reform Mick Palmer, and adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, discuss the PROS and CONS of an Australia where cannabis is legal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For more than 20 years, David Koch had one of the most recognisable faces in Australian show biz. But very little is known about Kochie since he stepped down from his role as host of Sunrise in 2023, and what he’s planning for the future. In this episode, David Koch tells Neil Mitchell WHY finding fame was an accident, and why the future of small business is so important to him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you were terminally ill, what would you pay to survive? It's an ugly question, but life is always above money.  In this episode, multiple myeloma patient Geoff Nyssen and Professor Miles Prince, explain how Geoff's CART T cell treatment in the US saved his life, after he was told he'd only have 10 years to live.  Neil finds out WHY Australian lives are being lost, because they can't access this treatment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Rule and John 'Sly' Silvester are the odd couple of crime. One can write, the other can talk. They've built their careers writing, and talking, about the most unpleasant things in life. Murder. Armed robbery. Gang wars. They revolutionised the way journalists wrote about crime, and they're responsible for bringing one of Australia's most notorious, and now infamous criminals, into public consciousness: Chopper Read.  In this episode, Andrew Rule and Sly explain why they write, and why some cases still haunt them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immigration is one of the greatest policy failures of the past 20 years. It's also one of the least understood. In this episode, Victorian Chamber of Commerce boss Paul Guerra and former Deputy Secretary for the Department of Immigration, Abul Rizvi, explain how it works, how it's failing, and what it all means for Australia.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Richard Scolyer is the world's leading melanoma pathologist, and along with his colleague Professor Georgina Long, has been named co-Australian of the year. Thanks to them, Australia's national cancer, melanoma, has become a curable disease.  Now Richard is on a journey to beat another cancer. His own.  In this episode, professor Richard Scolyer tells Neil why he's become a human guinea pig.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harry Garside surged into the public consciousness at the Tokyo Olympics. He won a lightweight bronze boxing medal, Australia's first for 33 years, and now he's chasing gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But he's not your average jock.  In this episode, Harry Garside and his mum Kate, tell Neil Mitchell why:   Fame is a blessing and a curse He loves to wear dresses and pain his nail Harry got into mischief as a kid  Kate's cancer diagnosis brought their family closer together Withdrawn domestic violence charges drove Harry to an incredibly dark place  Writing poetry helps Harry make sense of it all  This episode discusses sensitive issues around suicide. If you or someone you know needs support, please seek help from a mental health professional, or contact the Lifeline helpline: 13 11 14See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.