Burning Platforms

Burning Platforms

Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. Join Peter Lewis, Lizzie O’Shea (Digital Rights Watch), Dan Stinton (HealthEngine CEO), and guests, fortnightly for analysis of the politics of technology from some of Australia’s leading digital campaigners and industry experts. Brought to you by the Centre of the Public Square - an initiative of Per Capita.

Episodes

November 16, 2025 68 mins

How much energy will AI really burn? Climate writer and activist Ketan Joshi joins Burning Platforms to chat AI and Climate: what we know, what we don’t know and what data centres have to do with yogurt tubs.

 

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Is Big Tech’s domination of AI inevitable or are there different ways of organising our data to shift the power the dynamic? We discuss the RadicalXChange project with its new director, Jess Scully.

 

Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also discuss:

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AI is transforming our world at rapid speed, raising urgent questions about who benefits, who loses, and how we keep control of the future. 

Panellists from the Burning Platforms podcast and guests, explore the promises and pitfalls of AI - and what’s at stake for all Australians.

Panellists include:

  •  Lizzie O’Shea: Human Rights Lawyer & Chairperson, Digital Rights Watch
  •  Peter Lewis: Executive Director, Essential Media &a...
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October 6, 2025 65 mins

Is the rise of AI inevitable or just the latest cycle of hype for a sector that thrives on the vibes? The author of “Resisting AI’, Professor Dan McQuillan, joins the show to argue for a more fundamental response to Big Tech.

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September 28, 2025 68 mins

The co-author of ‘Conspiracy Nation’ takes us on his journey into the world of anti-vaxxers, wellness influencers and sovereign citizens.

 

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September 8, 2025 65 mins

The tech industry is pitching data mining and new infrastructure as the key to national prosperity. But will it deliver? And if so, for whom?

 

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August 17, 2025 58 mins

“I’m concerned that AI and big tech – well, big tech with AI – has gone into a full-court press… particularly on the federal system...I’m concerned that without thinking it through clearly enough, policy makers won’t essentially subject the slogans to sufficient ...

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August 6, 2025 52 mins

New Federal industry and science minister Tim Ayres shares his take on industry policy, AI's opportunities and risks, and how we could steer through the latest wave of tech change.

With regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton, and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis

To discuss the issues raised in this episode join us in the Democracy Sandpit - https://civility.bettermode.io/welcome

 

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July 30, 2025 62 mins
Can Australia play a leading role in imagining a tech future that isn’t controlled by either the US or China? Johanna Weaver from the Tech Policy Design Institute expands on her recent essay ‘System Update - An Australian-led new deal for tech’ - https://www.australianforeignaffairs.com/essay/2025/06/tech-wars

 

Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis ...
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July 16, 2025 64 mins

The Large Language Models are powered by stolen data but there are new and innovative ways to make the thieves pay. Professor Toby Walsh explains the tech-driven resistance to Big AI from data poisoning to responsible cloud computing.

With panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Editor of the Sizzle Cam Wilson, and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis we also discuss:

  • Qant...

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July 1, 2025 65 mins

"I thought old people got scammed. And actually young people are at greater risk because they have more confidence in dealing [with things] online."

This week on Burning Platforms, the team learns how the financial scam industry has become an enthusiastic early adapter of AI and how the banks are working around the clock to ensure they aren’t the ones liable for the ensuing harm. 

With our regular panelists Digital Rights Watch Cha...

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June 23, 2025 65 mins
"What could things have become? You could imagine if the baton had been passed from the Obama administration to a Clinton administration... an American public much more ready... for the turns in AI that we are facing now."   On this week's Burning Platforms, our panel spends some quality time with the architect of the Biden Administration’s AI executive order, Dr Alondra Nelson.   With regular panelists Digital Rights Watch chair ...
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May 27, 2025 64 mins
 

Burning Platforms struggles to make sense of white genocide, design unicorns and the all-seeing Apple Eye.

E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant joins regular panellists Digital Rights Watch founder Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis for our regular dive into the world of tech and politics.

Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public...

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May 14, 2025 65 mins

Good things come in threes and this week’s Burning Platforms looks at the inspiration behind the new Pope’s decision to name himself Leo, the critical changes to the Labor Government’s front bench and Mark Zuckerberg maximum number of friends.

 

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With a federal election within days, Burning Platforms looks at the lack of discussion about tech and whether that is a good or bad thing.   With Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Per Capita’s Peter Lewis and special guests, Editor of The Sizzle, Cam Wilson and Dr Rys Farthing from Reset Australia.   Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platform...
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April 13, 2025 60 mins
As the world teeters on the brink of whatever comes after globalisation we dive deep into the way AI is transforming film-making with the director of the iconic Australian film Kenny, Clay Jacobson.   Our regular panel of Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also discuss:
  • The theory that the Trump Tariffs were cooked up by a chatbot
  • The growing chance that the FT...
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March 24, 2025 56 mins

On this week's episode of Burning Platforms, the gang looks at global efforts to force Big Tech to pay their share of tax with special guest Dr Mark Zirnsak from the Tax Justice Network.

 

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March 18, 2025 61 mins
 

This week on Burning Platforms, we dive deep into a new initiative to understand the role of Trust in the relationship between society and technology with special guest, Professor Terry Flew.

 

With regular panelists Per Capita’s Peter Lewis,  Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea and Health Engine Dan Stinton, we'll also look at: 

  • Data Centre Diplomacy
  • will Google’s AI search eat itself?
  • and Digg’s reboot

 

Don'...

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March 3, 2025 51 mins

Burning Platforms is back for 2025.

With the tech overlords in the ascendant, particularly following the US election, we take stock of the impending inferno with our regular panel Per Capita’s Peter Lewis, Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine Dan Stinton, and special guest, fresh from the Paris AI Summit, Professor Nick Davis from UTS’ Human Technology Institute.

Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the o...

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December 16, 2024 63 mins

In our final episode of 2024 we unpack the recent Senate Report into the Adoption of AI in Australia with Committee Chair Senator Tony Sheldon.

 

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