The Pub Test
Australian politics, minus the spin. Neil Pharaoh and Erin Watson put the week's biggest political stories through the pub test - does it make sense, is it fair, and what does it really mean? New episodes weekly.
Episodes
Australia’s university debt system, Victoria’s work-from-home debate and Argentina’s economic experiment all raise the same question: when does government intervention stop helping and start distorting the system?
HECS, TAFE, gendered work, flexible workplaces and the lessons Australia can draw from one of the world’s most politically fascinating economies.
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The latest Redbridge opinion poll has dropped a absolute bombshell: One Nation has surged to become the country's most popular primary vote political party, outpolling both Labor and the Coalition. As a massive political disruption looms over upcoming state and federal elections, the center-left and center-right are being completely hollowed out.
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Australia’s water crisis is becoming one of the biggest political and economic issues of the decade. Neil Pharaoh and Erin Watson break down why water may become more valuable than oil, how regulation is slowing Australia down and what Cuba reveals about modern geopolitics.
This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & York
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Produced by Keehlan...
*This episode was recorded before the 2026 Federal Budget*
This week on The Pub Test, we sit down with legendary election analyst Antony Green to unpack what the recent Farrer by-election reveals about the future of Australian politics. From political fragmentation and regional decline to compulsory voting, generational frustration and the changing political mainstream.
This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & Yorkhttps://ta...
Australia’s childcare system is under pressure, federal and state governments are increasingly trapped in blame-shifting, and Nepal is attempting major reform without the institutions to fully support it.
This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & York
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https://www.bakerandyork.com/https://www.thepubtestpodcast.com/
Produced by Keehlan Ferrari-Brown
The Nepean by-election and what it reveals about shifting voter behaviour, a confronting case in the Northern Territory and the questions it raises about national attention and response. We also look beyond Australia, as Japan’s Prime Minister visits and signals a deeper shift in the Indo-Pacific.
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This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & York
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https://www.bakerandyork.com/
https:/...
Australia is facing a growing insurance crisis that could reshape where people can live, while debates over gas profits and taxation raise deeper questions about who really benefits from the country’s natural resources. The episode also explores Rwanda, one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, and whether its model of governance offers lessons for the rest of the world.
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This episode was powered by Tanck a...
Sydney is often seen as Australia’s global city but is it still working for the people who live there? Neil and Erin break down the reality behind rising housing costs, urban planning decisions, and does the Sydney still pass the Pub Test?
Then joined by Bec Strating the Director of the Centre for Global Security at La Trobe University to unpack what’s happening in one of the world’s most critical trade routes and why it matters far...
Australia’s healthcare squeeze is no longer abstract. This week, Neil Pharoh and Erin Watson unpack why seeing a GP has become harder and more expensive, why public systems feel less capable of delivering basic services and what New Zealand’s political system reveals about voting, coalition rule, and democratic stability.
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Australians are being told not to worry about fuel supply, but is the truth getting in the way of a good story?
Why Albanese’s address to the nation may have been more than reassurance.
& whether NATO is starting to crack under pressure.
Ed Mason is a Jet Zero biofuel project developer.
https://jetzero.com.au/
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This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & York
https://tanck.com.au/
https://www.bakerandyor...
Big events. Hard questions. No spin.
What Victoria’s free fares can’t actually fix.
Why Australia’s tax system no longer rewards work.
& how Sri Lanka’s strategic position suddenly matters again
This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & York
https://tanck.com.au/
https://www.bakerandyork.com/
https://www.thepubtestpodcast.com/
Produced by Keehlan Ferrari-Brown
Big events. Hard questions. No spin.
What South Australia’s election result really says about One Nation and the Liberal vote.
Why petrol prices keep rising and how Australia left itself so exposed.
& what instability in the Middle East could mean for the region and for Australia.
This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & Yorkhttps://tanck.com.au/https://www.bakerandyork.com/https://www.thepubtestpodcast.com/Produced by...
Big events. Hard questions. No spin.
The parliament that voted to abolish itself and why Canberra runs the way it does.
The gap in Australia's gun laws that thirty years on, nobody has fixed.
& Why Nigel Farage is a symptom of a class system the UK can't escape.
This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & York
https://tanck.com.au/
https://www.bakerandyork.com/
https://www.thepubtestpodcast.com/
Produced by Keehlan Ferrari-Brown
Big events. Hard questions. No spin.
Victoria’s growing debt and how it could shape the upcoming state election.
The political pension debate and whether the system still makes sense in modern politics.
& Greenland’s growing strategic value and why it has become a geopolitical prize.
This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & Yorkhttps://tanck.com.au/https://www.bakerandyork.com/Produced by Keehlan Ferrari-Brown
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Big events. Hard questions. No spin.
Albo’s rough week. One Nation rising, the Grace Tame backlash and a bomb scare at the Lodge.
The ISIS brides debate, national security, child protection and the hard choice no one wants to own.
What the hell is happening in the Middle East and what it means for Australia.
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Mat Tinkler is Group CEO of Save the Children Australia.
https://www.savethechildren.org.au
This episode ...
Big events. Hard questions. No spin.
Prince Andrew’s arrest and what it means for the monarchy.
Is the Liberal Party collapsing in South Australia?
& What Australia still doesn’t understand about India.
This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & York
https://tanck.com.au/
https://www.bakerandyork.com/
Produced by Keehlan Ferrari-Brown
0:00Prince Andrew Arrested
17:05 South Australian Election
30:23 Why Aus...
Big events. Hard questions. No spin.
What Sussan Ley’s departure and the Liberal spill mean for Farrer and the future of the Coalition.
Why a four-year federal term might be more achievable and less controversial than you think.
& Could North Korea be preparing the world’s first female dictator and what would that really change?
0:00 Start
1:21 Liberal Spill and Focus on Farrer
25:08 Four Year Terms
46:24 North Korea and the firs...
Big events. Hard questions. No spin.
Australian Housing Policy: Who broke the Australian Dream?
What Western Australia’s mining identity says about the rest of the country.
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and what it means for the Horn of Africa.
0:00 Start
19:34 Australia's Housing Crisis
30:00 Israel’s recognition of Somaliland & The Horn of Africa
This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & Yorkhttps://tanck.com.au/https:...
Big events. Hard questions. No spin.
What One Nation’s surge says about the state of Australian politics.
Mark Carney’s Davos speech: How can middle powers navigate the global rupture?
How social media is shaping Victorian Politics.
0:00 Start
2:25 Mark Carney & Canada
19:36 Pauline Hanson's One Nation Surge
37:22 Victorian Politics and Social Media
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This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & York
https...
Big events. Hard questions. No spin.
How the Liberals are helping Pauline Hanson rise.
Australia Day and whether there’s a way through the endless debate.
Ukraine at war and how global leadership is measuring up.
0:00 Start 0:00
15:00 Quick Recap of the week
25:43 Queensland Politics
43:08 Australia Day Debate
51:51 Ukraine at War
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This episode was powered by Tanck and Baker & York
https://tanck.com.au/
https://www.bakerandyork.com...
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