In this episode of Socially Democratic:

📊 Another landslide Labor victory in South Australia for Peter Malinauskas. What can the rest of us learn from it?

🗞️ Rumours of a leadership challenge in Victoria. The news in Victoria is rife with speculation on the future of the Allan government. Jessie, David, and Stephen break it down.

⚠️ The fragmentation on the right and the rise of One Nation is not a one-off. What can Victorian Labor do to shore up their base in the 2026 election?

🔥 Plus, a robust debate on the Kos Samaras article: The Death of the Brahmin Left. Did he get the diagnosis right?

And much more from David Feeney and Jessie McCrone. 

Socially Democratic is a Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests and new episodes every Friday.

It's time for the annual Socially Democratic mic handover! 

This episode features the return of our favourite stand-in host, Rebecca Thistleton (Executive Director Victoria, The McKell Institute) along with special guests Melissa Donnelly (National Secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union), and Benita Kolovos (Victorian State Correspondent, Guardian Australia). 

Together they unpack:

📢  The highs and lows of this year's International Women’s Day: a day which advances meaningful conversation, but also traffics in empty symbolism.

🏛️ How the Federal Government and the Opposition are approaching women’s policy, and why structural challenges don’t get solved overnight.

🧠 This Victorian State election, all the major party leaders are women. What will it mean for campaign commitments and messaging?

👶 Plus, "just have more babies", the minefield of social media, and the year's best policy reforms.

Socially Democratic is a Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests and new episodes every Friday.

In this episode of Socially Democratic:

📉 Are the Liberals about to finish THIRD? They remain stuck below 20% primary vote, with One Nation moving into second place.

📊 New polling shows Labor holding a commanding lead, but are the figures even underselling it?

🧨 Ashton Hurn stumbles on a net zero question in the Leaders debate. But does this matter to voters?

🗳️ Plus, we break down the key seats to watch on election night.

Socially Democratic is a Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests and new episodes every Friday.

In this episode of Socially Democratic:

🫥 How will the Liberals respond to the findings of their 2025 Election Review? Or will they just hide it in a drawer?

💸 If we address the housing crisis by favouring owner-occupiers over investors, where will that investment money go? Does Australia have other attractive assets to keep that money in the lucky country?

🌴 The ACTU is campaigning for 5 week annual leave for all workers, nationwide. Do they stand a chance? 

Plus, we ask: which work perk would you prefer?

🌎 “Social Cohesion” has entered the chat once more, this time on The Rest is Politics. That conversation prompted our listener Paul to ask: 

Should we be concerned that our representatives are taking foreign policy positions based on their constituents, rather than Australia’s best interest?

👔 Finally we discuss Kos Samaras’s latest essay: ‘The Death of the Brahmin Left’. Did Australian Labor intentionally drift away from the working-class outer suburbs in favour of inner-city knowledge workers? The hosts discuss.

Socially Democratic is an Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests. 

In this episode of Socially Democratic:

🍎 Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas announces a policy of 150 minutes per week of ‘Active Learning’ for school aged children, plus free school camp and an expansion of sports vouchers.

🧩 South Australia Liberals struggle to get airtime and squander their opportunities with scattered policy announcements. Plus, how is Ashton Hurn’s leadership holding up?

🚑 A man’s tragic death brings renewed attention to the problem of long waits during ambulance ramping. How will it impact the remainder of the campaign?

🫣 How To Vote preferences deals were announced - and we ask, did the Liberals deal away metro Adelaide seats?

🔮 Will we ever see the end of AusPol’s corflute obsession?

🤡 Carston Woodhouse’s outrageous comments on feminism and homosexuality surfaced from a podcast last year, leading Hannah to question - do Liberals even bother to vet their candidates?

Plus all the category nomination you know and love.

Hey Social Democrats. We are back with our first of the 4-part series on the South Australia state elections.

Stephen Donnelly, along with special guests Hannah MacLeod and Matt Clemow, analyse the state of the race, including: 

✅ Peter Malinauskas's record as Premier, 

✅ Political messaging from the major parties, 

✅  The three cornered contests between independents, One Nation, and the Liberals in the crucial regional seats.

✅ The new campaign finance laws that are shaking up the election,

✅  and how South Australian Labor is adapting their strategy to this new climate. 

Plus all the categories you know and love. 

Socially Democratic is a Labor politics and campaigns podcast with expert guests and new episodes every Friday. 

📊 February brought fresh polling, a Liberal leadership shake-up, and renewed questions about where the conservative movement goes next.

With the opposition searching for economic credibility and flirting once again with culture-war politics, what does the path back to government actually look like for the Liberal Party of Australia?

🏗️ We also unpack the CFMEU controversy — including the media’s rush to amplify a back-of-the-envelope $15 billion figure — and what it means politically for the Victorian Allan Labor government. How can Labor get back on the front foot and tell a powerful, persuasive story about the infrastructure Big Build that resonates with voters?

All that, plus the month’s biggest narratives and category nominations.

This week on Socially Democratic, Stephen is joined by policy expert and Executive Director of the Chifley Research Centre, Emma Dawson.

Emma joins the show to talk about what Labor's clear majority actually means, what they can still achieve in their second term, and whether this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for structural reform.

Emma brings her wealth of knowledge to the vital questions of 2026, including:

📈 Can we ease the cost-of-living crisis without spiking inflation?

🤏  What is the difference between incremental reform and timid reform?

🧩 How has the fragmented media environment affected our ability to make lasting change?

🍎 🍊  What is the difference between “popular” policy and “populist” politics?

🥸 Does the Albanese government have a coherent political identity, and if so, what is it?

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