Episode 180: Fascist Versus Bin, Britain Has a New PM… and How to Feed a Thirsty Bee”
This week on The Week on Wednesday, Van Badham engages a lively and timely discussion about modern British politics and its resonance for Au...
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"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben Davison
Join notorious Guardian columnist Van Badham and her labour activist co-host (and partner!) Ben Davison. As they deep-dive into the big news themes of the week and provide fresh, irreverent...
Episodes
20 of 207 episodesEPISODE 179: An AI Invasion SPECIAL EPISODE, with extra good news about puffins.
Van Badham is joined this week by Australian Writers’ Guild CEO Claire Pullen for a SPECIAL EPISODE on the artificial intelligence invasion....
Episode 178: Poll dive for One Nation, the Online Information War... and Italian Forests
Van Badham reunites with Emma Dawson of the Chifley Research Centre to discuss the sudden poll dive of the not-so-inevitable One Nation Part...
Episode 177: The Fryer is a Liar, the Online Orange Disinformation Bomb and Soil-Powered Batteries
Van Badham and Ben Davison rip into Pauline Hanson’s National Press Club appearance, stripping the grievance from the reality that no, actua...
Episode 176: The Imaginary Inflation Bomb, Not-So-Mutual Obligations and Chinese Fish
Van Badham is reunited with Ben Davison for an episode tackling the politics of inflation, the failures of Australia’s regime of "mutual obl...
Episode 175: Busting Budget Myths and Saving Giant Tortoises
Van Badham is joined by the articulate an impassioned Emma Dawson of the Chifley Research Centre to get down and dirty in the "earthquake" a...
Episode 174: 2026 Budget Special and - OMG! - this Budget IS special!
Van Badham and Ben Davison pack a bumper 90 minute episode with the deep explanations you need to understand the Alabanese Labor government'...
Episode 173: An NDIS for communities, not for cowboys; let’s talk about tax it’s a gas gas gas… and good news about renewables - from a war zone…
Van Badham is in Sydney and Ben Davison’s in Ballarat, but they’re brought together by the miracle of technology and sheer force of will to...
Episode 172: War against Iran, Culture War against the Vatican, War Crimes... and good news about British Beavers
Van Badham and Ben Davison survive Trump’s threat of nuclear was to discuss the Hungarian election and Viktor Orbán’s illiberal rule and its...
Episode 171: The Fuel Crisis, Trump's new forever war and the good news is about bilbies, this is the Week on Wednesday
This week, Van Badham and Ben Davison juggle a chaotic dog incident while discussing multi‑employer bargaining and planned industrial action...
Episode 170: The South Australian election and its discontents, America brings Australia and Europe closer together… and the good news is about a Mega Hedge.
In robust form, Van and Ben discuss South Australian election - Labor’s emphatic win, One Nation’s vote versus their actual seats and how Li...
Episode 169: New Cabinets, Old Wounds, and Wacky Ted: This Week on Wednesday
Van Badham (on her own while Ben’s away!) explores Australia’s new parliament, a record-breaking Labor majority, and freshly shuffled cabine...
Episode 168: Landslide! Labor's Historic Victory and the Lessons for the Right
Van Badham and Ben Davison deliver an unmissable post-election edition of The Week on Wednesday, unpacking one of the most extraordinary fed...
Episode 167: Brethren, Robes, and Ballot Box Shenanigans
Van Badham and Ben Davison launch into analysis of the Australian election campaign so far, with Ben barely emerged from a three-day strateg...
Episode 166: Housing, health and education: The debates we all have to have, and the bobcats we deserve
Van Badham and Ben Davison are back - with new tech, new producer (welcome, Casper!), and a jam-packed episode on everything that matters. A...
Episode 165: Dr Jim's Australian budget box of delights, Donald Trump's group chat gone wild and African penguins forever
On her own today (yes, poor Ben is STILL unwell), Van takes you through some highlights of Dr Jim's 2025-26 Australian budget, the insane, a...
Episode 164: Dutton plays at being Temu Trump to avoid explaining his policies for the election and good news about electric cars
Van Badham and Ben Davison devote an episode to pulling apart the world’s most uncharismatic populist, Peter Dutton, as well as his energeti...
Episode 163: Auspol in 2025, Australia's economic position, disinformation and good news about renewables
Van Badham and Ben Davison are FINALLY back! Today, they take "Auspol 2025" head-on. As a federal election looms, the episode explores reali...
Episode 162: Trump's Debate Meltdown and the Scourge of Disinformation
Van Badham and Ben Davison (and Germanicus the dog) HAVE RETURNED! As Ben recovers from twelve months of illness, this long overdue return t...
Episode 161: Dr Chalmers Keynesian budget remedy
Van Badham and Ben Davison journey into the heart of Australia's Federal Budget 2024. Our hosts dissect Dr Jim’s reintroduction of nation bu...