Serious Danger

In honour of this strange week between Christmas and New Years, where nothing makes sense, what better time to talk centrism? In this unlock of a favourite Patreon bonus ep, Emerald and Tom are joined again by economist and Executive Director of The Australia Institute Dr Richard Denniss, to discuss his new essay ‘Dead Centre: How Political Pragmatism is Killing Us.’ This one is a cracker, almost an hour of insightful takes from your favourite progressive economist boyfriend. Enjoy, sickos! Video version - https://youtu.be/1431cfUUwDg ---------- The show can only exist because of our wonderful Patreon subscriber’s support. Subscribe for $3/month to get access to our fortnightly subscriber-only full episode, and unlock our complete library of over SEVENTY-FIVE past bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU ---------- Follow Richard Denniss - https://australiainstitute.org.au/expert/richard-denniss/https://bsky.app/profile/richarddenniss.bsky.social  Read ‘Dead Centre: How Political Pragmatism is Killing Us’ out now in Vantage Point - https://australiainstitute.org.au/store/dead-centre-vantage-point-issue-2  Produced by Michael Griffin https://www.instagram.com/mikeskillz  Follow us on https://twitter.com/SeriousDangerAU https://www.instagram.com/seriousdangerau  https://www.tiktok.com/@seriousdangerauSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Merry Christmas (?), as in this bonus episode for Patreon subscribers, we celebrate with Emerald and Tom by recapping Annabel Crabb’s latest frothy dive into Auspol, this time with Civic Duty, an ABC three-part series about the story of Australia’s voting system. Is Tom wrong to want it to go deeper? How can Penny Wong show her face in public after putting a dumb political party ahead of her own rights as a gay woman? What did we learn?---------- The show can only exist because of our wonderful Patreon subscriber’s support. Subscribe for $3/month to get access to our fortnightly subscriber-only full episode, and unlock our complete library of over EIGHTY past bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU  ---------- Links - Watch Civic Duty - https://iview.abc.net.au/show/annabel-crabb-s-civic-duty  Produced by Michael Griffin Follow us on https://twitter.com/SeriousDangerAU https://www.instagram.com/seriousdangerau  https://www.tiktok.com/@seriousdangerauSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Video version - https://youtu.be/6VAHTndYDWg Emerald joins Tom to take a look at the aftermath of the horrific Bondi massacre (4:14), the community’s shock and the ways bad actors are exploiting it to push agendas. Then, a look at the year ahead and Emerald’s vibes for the Greens in 2025 (51:14). ---------- Just released on Patreon - Inside the Greens #11: DiNatale’s black skivvy & Senate voting reform The show can only exist because of our wonderful Patreon subscriber’s support. Subscribe for $3/month to get access to our fortnightly subscriber-only full episode, and unlock our complete library of over EIGHTY past bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU  ---------- Support Bondi victims - https://www.gofundme.com/en-au/c/act/bondi-beach-shooting-fundraisers Give blood -  https://www.allegraspender.com.au/bondi_attack  Greens National Supporters Survey - https://greens.org.au/magazine/your-survey-results-shaping-next-three-years  See Tom live on tour in Melbourne Fringe and Geelong - https://comedy.com.au/tour/tom-ballard/  Theme by Kye HughesProduced by Michael Griffin https://www.instagram.com/mikeskillz  Listen to Floodcast for more left green discussion about Aussie politics produced by The Griff -https://linktr.ee/floodcastau  Follow us on https://twitter.com/SeriousDangerAU https://www.instagram.com/seriousdangerau  https://www.tiktok.com/@seriousdangerauSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

City councils vs cartoon watermelons. Tom is joined by guest host Alex McKinnon, co-founder of Deepcut News! First up, a politician expenses scandal has hit (23:52). Are these just distractions running from a template? And are Greens just as bad as the majors? Then, the under-16s social media ban hits (50:21). Will kids just instantly get around it? Why does breakfast radio continue to set the agenda in Aussie politics? Finally, a call to action (1:12:50). ---------- Just released on Patreon - Inside the Greens #11: DiNatale’s black skivvy & Senate voting reform The show can only exist because of our wonderful Patreon subscriber’s support. Subscribe for $3/month to get access to our fortnightly subscriber-only full episode, and unlock our complete library of over EIGHTY past bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU  ---------- Follow Alex and subscribe to Deepcut News -  https://www.deepcutnews.com/  Attend A Gathering for Gaza - https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/ed4a6b6c-2edc-4b3a-86f8-59fa6d09fcb3  See Tom live on tour in Melbourne Fringe and Geelong - https://comedy.com.au/tour/tom-ballard/  Theme by Kye HughesProduced by Michael Griffin https://www.instagram.com/mikeskillz  Listen to Floodcast for more left green discussion about Aussie politics produced by The Griff -https://linktr.ee/floodcastau  Follow us on https://twitter.com/SeriousDangerAU https://www.instagram.com/seriousdangerau  https://www.tiktok.com/@seriousdangerauSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this bonus series for Patreon subscribers, Tom and Emerald continue chapter 11 of author Paddy Manning’s epic history of the Australian Greens movement, “Inside The Greens: The Origins and Future of the Party, the People and the Politics.”In this instalment - Richard DiNatalie flirts with the mainstream, reform of Group Voting Tickets in the Senate, the 2006 election, Turnbull as PM, Batman and Grayndler, and left renewal renewal renewal renewal renewal. ---------- The show can only exist because of our wonderful Patreon subscriber’s support. Subscribe for $3/month to get access to our fortnightly subscriber-only full episode, and unlock our complete library of over EIGHTY past bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU  ---------- Links - Buy Inside The Greens - https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/inside-greens  Paddy Manning - https://twitter.com/gpaddymanning  Inside Inside The Greens - a rebuttal - https://www.inside-insidethegreens.com.au/  Produced by Michael Griffin Follow us on https://twitter.com/SeriousDangerAU https://www.instagram.com/seriousdangerau  https://www.tiktok.com/@seriousdangerauSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New theme song! Tom is joined by guest host, Greens candidate and activist, Hannah Thomas! First, an update on her health and the legal proceedings following her assault by a police officer during a pro-Palestinian protest (2:48). Then, Rising Tide is back for another year and plenty of legends have been arrested for blocking coal ships (25:52). Finally, a look at the recent results from the Australian Election Survey for the 2025 federal election (38:06). What can we learn? Why has Hannah not lost faith? ---------- Just released on Patreon - Sean Kelly asks ‘What Does Labor Stand For?’ The show can only exist because of our wonderful Patreon subscriber’s support. Subscribe for $3/month to get access to our fortnightly subscriber-only full episode, and unlock our complete library of over EIGHTY past bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU  ---------- Follow Hannah -https://greens.org.au/nsw/person/hannah-thomas  See Tom live on tour in Melbourne Fringe and Geelong - https://comedy.com.au/tour/tom-ballard/  Theme by Kye HughesProduced by Michael Griffin https://www.instagram.com/mikeskillz  Listen to Floodcast for more left green discussion about Aussie politics produced by The Griff -https://linktr.ee/floodcastau  Follow us on https://twitter.com/SeriousDangerAU https://www.instagram.com/seriousdangerau  https://www.tiktok.com/@seriousdangerauSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pauline’s back with another attempt to woo MAGA, aka a burqa for a berko. Tom is joined by guest host Osman Faruqi, as he prepares to present Lamestream’s Ls of the Year Awards. First up, the Greens have agreed to pass the Environment Protection Reform Bills (19:11). Was this a capitulation by a Greens party cowed into submission, or a pragmatic move to take the best they could get? Then, the Greens held a National Members Survey about the future of the party, and Os-mum Mehreen Faruqi’s gave a viral speech about the need to move towards eco-socialism (57:24). What can we learn, and how should it affect strategy going forward? And what can we take from Os?  Video version - https://youtu.be/WQmFewZvwLs ---------- Just released on Patreon - Sean Kelly asks ‘What Does Labor Stand For?’ The show can only exist because of our wonderful Patreon subscriber’s support. Subscribe for $3/month to get access to our fortnightly subscriber-only full episode, and unlock our complete library of over EIGHTY past bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU  ---------- Check out Osman at the Lamestream site and podcast -https://www.lamestream.com.au/  “National Supporter Survey” of Greens members - https://greens.org.au/magazine/your-survey-results-shaping-next-three-years  Mehreen Faruqi speech about where to from here at National Conference - https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ2hG-pkw8E/  See Tom live on tour in Melbourne Fringe and Geelong - https://comedy.com.au/tour/tom-ballard/  Produced by Michael Griffin https://www.instagram.com/mikeskillz  Listen to Floodcast for more left green discussion about Aussie politics produced by The Griff -https://linktr.ee/floodcastau  Follow us on https://twitter.com/SeriousDangerAU https://www.instagram.com/seriousdangerau  https://www.tiktok.com/@seriousdangerauSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this sample of the new bonus episode for Patreon subscribers, Emerald is back! And joined by Tom to meet Sean Kelly, former Labor staffer and current journalist, to discuss his new Quarterly Essay, “The Good Fight: What Does Labor Stand For?” Are Labor cowardly cowards, or clever pragmatists who know how to play the game? What is Anthony Albanese actually up to? How can the Australian left movement get our own “Mamdani At Home”? ---------- The show can only exist because of our wonderful Patreon subscriber’s support. Subscribe for $3/month to get access to our fortnightly subscriber-only full episode, and unlock our complete library of over EIGHTY past bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU  ---------- Read Sean’s Quarterly Essay - https://www.quarterlyessay.com.au/essay/2025/11/the-good-fight  Follow us on https://twitter.com/SeriousDangerAU https://www.instagram.com/seriousdangerau  https://www.tiktok.com/@seriousdangerauSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Griff needs your help! Tom is joined by returning favourite Amy Remeikis, one of the few good journalists. First up a bit of Trump Epstein emails chat as a little treat (8:40). Then, the Coalition dumped net zero and all it does is provide cover for Labor to be 99% as bad (15:43). Next up a mixed-bag of the government being a bag of shit (45:10). Did you know the new CSIRO cuts are worse than Tony Abbott did? But it’s Labor so shh it’s fine, stop being hysterical. Meanwhile the government asked people in the states to stop needing the hospital so much please, and then bravely decided to be total cowards and abandon proper gambling advertising reform. But stick around to the end for some positive suggestions for the future! (1:08:20) ---------- Just released on Patreon - “Making fun of political ads with Wil Anderson, live at Comedy Republic” The show can only exist because of our wonderful Patreon subscriber’s support. Subscribe for $3/month to get access to our fortnightly subscriber-only full episode, and unlock our complete library of over EIGHTY past bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU  ---------- Follow Amy’s liveblog of parliament this week - https://live.australiainstitute.org.au/   Read Amy at New Daily -  https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/author/amy-remeikis   Amy on social media - https://bsky.app/profile/amyremeikis.bsky.social   https://x.com/AmyRemeikis  https://www.instagram.com/pyjamapolitics/  Please let us know if you have ideas to help Griff’s friend find a house for her and her kidsEmail hello@seriousdangerpod.com  See Tom live on tour in Melbourne Fringe and Geelong - https://comedy.com.au/tour/tom-ballard/  Produced by Michael Griffin https://www.instagram.com/mikeskillz  Listen to Floodcast for more left green discussion about Aussie politics produced by The Griff -https://linktr.ee/floodcastau  Follow us on https://twitter.com/SeriousDangerAU https://www.instagram.com/seriousdangerau  https://www.tiktok.com/@seriousdangerauSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom and The Griff marvel at Max Chandler-Mather getting a fair run in an Australian newspaper!? Next, Tom is joined by Sarah-Hanson Young, Greens senator for South Australia! First up, the state of play and then a look at a recent Crikey article featuring unhappy Greens staffers (19:01). Then, with the LNP ditching net zero, and the country seemingly unbothered that Labor has effectively ditched it, what is going on? (38:39) ---------- Just released on Patreon - “Making fun of political ads with Wil Anderson, live at Comedy Republic” The show can only exist because of our wonderful Patreon subscriber’s support. Subscribe for $3/month to get access to our fortnightly subscriber-only full episode, and unlock our complete library of over EIGHTY past bonus episodes. https://www.patreon.com/SeriousDangerAU  ---------- Max Chandler-Mather article - https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/max-chandler-mather-on-the-greens-his-election-loss-and-his-return-to-politics-20251105-p5n82t.html  Crikey staffer article -https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/11/07/the-greens-australia-climate-environment-gaza-cost-of-living/Meanjin/Brisbane people come see Tom at GoodChat this Thursday November 20th -https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/tom-ballard-live-tickets-1471601372319  See Tom live on tour in Melbourne Fringe and Geelong - https://comedy.com.au/tour/tom-ballard/  Produced by Michael Griffin https://www.instagram.com/mikeskillz  Listen to Floodcast for more left green discussion about Aussie politics produced by The Griff -https://linktr.ee/floodcastau  Follow us on https://twitter.com/SeriousDangerAU https://www.instagram.com/seriousdangerau  https://www.tiktok.com/@seriousdangerauSupport the show: http://patreon.com/seriousdangerauSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.