
On The Job
The way we work, how work is changing, how it used to be and what it might look like in the future.
It’s about who we work with, and who we work for.
It’s a discussion about the conditions in which we work and the demands of a job.
It’s talking about how it can be the best thing in our lives and also the worst.
Work can give us meaning and satisfaction, it can be the most challenging thing we’ve ever done and the most soul destroying days of our lives.
And that can all be in the same week!
Above all, we want to talk about work in a way that helps make work better for everyonewho listens.Authorised by Sally McManus, Australian Council of Trade Unions, Melbourne.
Latest episodes

Jun 26, 2022 • 16min
How your Super savings are shaping the economy
Australia's industry super funds have become one of the country's biggest and most powerful forces in determining investment decisions and the shape and nature of our economy.How are industry super funds using their market power? What shapes their decision making about how and where they invest workers' retirement savings?Sam Trobe is head of Corporate and External Affairs at one of Australia's biggest industry funds, Australian Super.He's our guest on this week's podcast. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 19, 2022 • 31min
Politics not as usual with Lech Blaine
In the short few weeks since the election of the Albanese Labor government, Australia feels.... different.Changing governments always has an impact on the tone of the times, but with the recent election, it feels somehow more pronounced.Journalist and friend of the pod, Lech Blaine, has written a brilliant essay in the latest edition of The Monthly magazine from the eye of the election campaign trail.He explores the true essence of contemporary Australian attitudes to politics, economics and democracy.And there's no doubt Australians have undergone a major shift in attitudes towards, workers, jobs, wages, climate and what "the fair go" should look like in the 21st Century.Lech joins Francis and Sally on this week's pod. Read Lech Blaine's latest essay Teal and loathing: On the campaign trail _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 13, 2022 • 23min
What 'Forgotten Australians'?
It hasn't taken long for the defeated Liberal Party to give their tired old jukebox of classic Tory hits a swift kick to get it playing a familiar tune.Less than a week into his tenure as Liberal leader, Peter Dutton had already begun banging on about a mythical group of Australians who are forever carrying an unfair burden on behalf of the rest of us - the mythical "forgotten Australians".Just who are the 'forgotten people' who loom so large in the Liberals' imagination? And why is Dutton starting his time as leader making a pitch in their direction?The ACTU's resident labour historian, Dr. Liam Byrne, is our guest this week as we go in search of the "forgotten Australians". _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 5, 2022 • 27min
Elon Musk, Twitter, and why billionaires are a bad idea
When the world was in the depths of this gruesome pandemic, the world's billionaires were carrying on like it wasn't happening.The likes of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos were pursuing their pet projects, firing themselves into space, titling crypto-currency markets off their axis at a whim, and acting like they didn't have a care in the world.Recently, Musk has stepped up his narcissistic indulgences, launching a hostile takeover bid for one of the world's biggest and most influential social media platforms, Twitter. At the same time, the Tesla founder has been playing footsy with the libertarian/alt-right, blabbing on about freedom of speech, and promising to unleash the dogs of hate speech and misinformation back onto the platform.Is it healthy that one individual can amass such outsized wealth and influence whilst tens of millions of people struggle to make a living? What is the danger that the billionaire class poses to the health of our societies?John L. Campbell is a sociologist and economist at Dartmouth University in New Hampshire in the United States. He's been writing about these very issues. John joins us on this week's pod. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 29, 2022 • 12min
Michele O'Neil on what an Albanese Labor Government means for workers.
It's a week since the election of the new Albanese Labor government and the appetite and expectation for change is huge.What should workers expect from the new Labor government and how do they ensure that promises made about improving the lives of working Australians are kept? _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 22, 2022 • 15min
Change the government, change the country.
It's a couple of days after polling day and Francis and Sally are here with their reactions to the election of an Albanese Labor Government. And Pumpkin the tabby cat is here to give his two bobs worth as well! _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 15, 2022 • 30min
Barrie Cassidy on election 2022
After nearly four decades as one of Australia's foremost political journalists, Barrie Cassidy is enjoying his first election in years as just another voter with opinions of his own that he can share when and how he likes.The legendary founder and long-time host of the ABC's flagship Sunday morning political gabfest Insiders" joins Francis and Sally on the pod to discuss the 2022 federal election campaign. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 8, 2022 • 30min
When Francis met Sally, again!
In between their bouts of COVID, various travel and work commitments, and the time/space continuum being utterly shredded by the madness of modern living, Francis and Sally haven't been together on the pod for a while.That all changes here as they reassemble to assess the state of the 2022 Federal Election campaign. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 1, 2022 • 24min
The big lie about good government
How much government is too much government?If the neo-liberal politicians and commentariat had their way, Australia would be shrinking its government footprint even at a time in our history where massive crisis like climate change and the COVID19 pandemic has shown that there is a major role for strong, effective, and substantial government action.In his latest essay entitled "Big: The Role of The State in the Modern Economy", Professor Richard Denniss argues that Australians have been sold a lie about the role of government and its ability to improve the quality of our lives.Richard Denniss is Chief Economist at the independent think tank, The Australia Institute and he's our guest on tis week's pod. Click here to visit The Australia Institute online _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 25, 2022 • 18min
Sally McManus on why this election matters.
As 2022 Federal Election campaign gathers steam, it's clear that there is plenty on the line for workers.ACTU Secretary, Sally McManus joins Francis to discuss why this election is so important to the working lives of millions of Australians. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.