
Defending Democracy with Malcolm Turnbull
Join a trusted and insightful guide, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to walk though one of the most vexed and consequential questions of our time. Are we witnessing the decline of western/liberal democracy?
External threats to our democracies have not gone away - as Vladimir Putin has demonstrated in Ukraine, but we are now realising that the greatest threats to our democracies are not from without but from within.
Latest episodes

Jul 31, 2023 • 25min
Will killer robots save or destroy us?
How is artificial intelligence reshaping the battlefield? As a teenager, Palmer Luckey designed the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset he then founded Oculus VR and sold it to Facebook for $2.3b. Now he is bringing the ingenuity of Silicon Valley to defence technology. Founder of Anduril Industries Palmer is on a mission to reshape our defence forces. Find out how his technologies are helping Ukrainians fight against Vladimir Putin. In this episode, Malcolm and Palmer discuss if killer robots will save or destroy us.Available on ListnrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 24, 2023 • 23min
Can we tame AI?
Even the founders of generative AI ChatGPT say they are “super nervous” about how autocrats will use the platform. This new release of artificial intelligence has the potential to unleash disinformation at a pace and scale that is unprecedented. We won’t be able to fact-check ourselves of this problem. Malcolm Turnbull talks to one of the world's leading voices on AI Toby Walsh, Author of Machines Behaving Badly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 17, 2023 • 25min
Should we ban Tik Tok?
Should Tik Tok be banned for Australian users? Is our social media data safe? How much power do foreign-owned apps have in a free and open society?Last year the Australian government banned TikTok from staff devices over security concerns, while many experts say it should be banned full-stop. Still, over seven million Australians log on each month. Justin Bassi is the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He was also Malcolm Turnbull's national security advisor when he was prime minister. In this episode, he explains why Tik Tok poses such a great threat. Available now on Listnr.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 13, 2023 • 3min
Trailer: Season 2 of Defending Democracy with Malcolm Turnbull
Democracy around the world is being challenged from forces within and afar. Autocrats are gaining momentum and the release of generative AI models like ChatGPT could play to their advantage. Join Malcolm Turnbull in his podcast, Defending Democracy as we open up a discussion about the future of democracy. Hear how insiders are thinking about the challenges and ultimately how we chart a pathway to a more secure and peaceful world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 26, 2023 • 31min
Dominion wins, Tucker Carlson fired: What's next for Rupert Murdoch empire?
Rupert Murdoch's Fox News has settled with Dominion for $787.5 USD; he's also fired the network's most popular host Tucker Carlson. Former Guardian newspaper editor, Alan Rusbridger and Malcolm Turnbull have both known Rupert Murdoch for decades. In this episode, they unpack the chaos inside the network and evaluate the carnage wrought by the reckless embrace of Donald Trump’s big lie. Alan Rusbridger was the editor of the Guardian for over 20 years and during that time he took on Rupert Murdoch when no one else would. Journalists at the Guardian uncovered the infamous phone hacking scandal in the United Kingdom that led to the Leveson Inquiry and the closure of one of Rupert Murdoch’s flagship properties News of the World.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 6, 2023 • 17min
Brad Raffensperger and that infamous Trump call
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger took the infamous phone call from Donald Trump in which he repeatedly urged him to alter the outcome of the 2020 presidential vote.A fellow Republican, Secretary Raffensperger stood up to Trump but after the call he was doxxed and his family received death threats.A grand jury is now considering whether to charge Trump for crimes against Georgia’s electoral laws. Malcolm Turnbull and Brad Raffensperger discuss elections, politics and Trump. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 18, 2023 • 33min
Theresa May: Democracy in a time of war
In a rare interview, former British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks with Malcolm Turnbull about the state of democracy in Europe. As British Prime Minister at the time of the successful Brexit referendum, it fell to Theresa May to lead her country out of the European Union. When her own Conservative Party voted against the withdrawal deal for the third time she resigned as PM. May reflects on the Brexit vote and speculates on what Putin will mean for the future of democracy in Europe. Available now on LiSTNR.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 18, 2023 • 20min
Why Brazil is losing its grip on democracy (and why we should care)
Almost exactly two years on from the January 6 attacks in the U.S., a similar attack took place in Brazil. Brazil shares some of Australia’s electoral mechanics including compulsory voting and an independent electoral commission. So why has Australia moved to the centre while Brazil has shifted so dramatically to the right? What’s the future of democracy in the South American nation? And what does it mean for us here in Australia? Available now on LiSTNR.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 11, 2023 • 24min
Maria Ressa: the Filipino journalist who stood up to a dictator
Drug wars, death threats and disinformation. This is the story of how journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Maria Ressa, stood up to a dictator, the Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. Maria’s reporting on the Philippines’’ war on drugs and killings has seen her on the receiving end of death threats and legal cases designed to silence her. But she won’t stop. Why? Maria talks with Malcolm Turnbull about what it takes to fight back. Audio clips from this podcast were from Ramona Diaz's Frontline documentary 'A Thousand Cuts’. Available now on LiSTNR.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 11, 2023 • 22min
Who’s telling the truth: the US government vs the internet
The majority of Republicans in the U.S. still don’t believe Joe Biden won the 2020 election.Can the United States find a way out of the lies and anger-tainment chaos? And is anyone safe from the online mob? Nina Jankowicz briefly led President Biden’s newly established Disinformation Governance Board before an online disinformation attack forced her out of the job. Veteran Homeland Security official John Cohen says the language we’re seeing today isn’t too dissimilar to that used by Hitler. Available now on LiSTNR.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.