November 12, 2025 • 33 mins
A fast, clear walkthrough of the “Cooker Wars” timeline, from a viral march brand to four competing groups, collapsing turnouts, and a movement that sells outrage without outcomes. We map the players, the optics problem, and why economic pain makes people vulnerable to grifters.
• Gaza protest optics triggering a copycat “March for Australia” wave
• NSN claiming involvement and the credibility collapse that followed
• Monica Smith’s rebrand to Put Australia First and calls for sponsorship
• Infighting over footage, branding, and who gets the microphone
• August march fiasco and Nazi presence damaging legitimacy
• October “do‑over” with an 85% attendance drop
• Fragmentation into Australia Marches and Save Australia
• Monetising outrage through flags, EMF gear, and funnels
• The missing policy: housing, migration skills, construction capacity
• How to keep perspective and resist conspiracy pipelines
And don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast and share it with your fellow smart women and allies
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
You are listening to the wide smartphone.
Smart one, we choose fifty days.
(00:44):
I acknowledge the traditionalowners of the land on which I'm
recording and you are listeningon this day.
Always was, always will be,Aboriginal land.
So here is um the Snake Gherkin.
Hello, Snakey Gherkin, how areyou?
Hello.
Yeah, great.
How are you?
Very well, thank you.
I wanted to talk today about theCooker Wars.
(01:05):
Can you give me some chronologyon what happened and how we've
had a splintering of the uh thecooker community, please?
SPEAKER_00 (01:13):
Yes, I'm I'm standing in front of my massive
corkboard here with red stringthat I've had to sort of I've
because I'm struggling to keepup with it myself.
SPEAKER_01 (01:22):
So I yeah, it's complex.
SPEAKER_00 (01:32):
I've got one of those.
Just trying to for those who areDo you know who that was?
SPEAKER_01 (01:35):
That was Casey Briggs.
SPEAKER_00 (01:37):
Legend.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:38):
He was a legend and he would talk about the rise and
fall of the uh the the pan ofthe um of the covert numbers.
So you're gonna talk about therise and fall as well.
SPEAKER_00 (01:47):
If I borrowed Casey Briggs' screen, right, you can't
see it because this is it'saudio only, but I'm standing in
front of a big screen and I'mgonna zoom in and out, and and
there might be some fumblingalong the way.
SPEAKER_01 (01:58):
But I've had to try to write all this down.
SPEAKER_00 (02:01):
Um sort of I'm strapped in and ready.
SPEAKER_01 (02:04):
Strapped in and ready.
SPEAKER_00 (02:05):
So let's go.
So in July 2025, uh there was Ithink this was in the wake of
there was some anti um uh therewas there was anti-war protests
across Sydney Harbour across thebridge.
SPEAKER_01 (02:20):
Like it was Oh yeah, the anti-Gaza the Gaza, the Gaza
situation.
SPEAKER_00 (02:24):
That's right, that's right.
And so the the and the imagerywas stunning.
Like there was I I don't know,but it looked there was there
was tens of thousands, probablymore, 50,000.
SPEAKER_01 (02:33):
Very, very, very well.
I reckon there was 300,000.
SPEAKER_00 (02:36):
300, yeah, incredible.
And it was pretty broad, like itwas a like pretty broadly across
the spectrum of of people thatwere there.
So it wasn't necessarily a um,you know, like it wasn't, yeah,
but it was per se whether for inthe wake of that, uh I I think
some far right people basicallyshit themselves because they're
like, oh dang, like, you know,what are all these scary flags
(02:57):
that we're not aware of andthings like that.
So in in response to that, um,some young kid genuinely don't
know who it is, although the themythos is is is the according to
um the the founding myth of ofof the the latest cooker group,
um, is some young grassroots kidsat up and thought, wouldn't it
be great if we could have anAustralian flag marching across
(03:19):
the Sydney Harbour?
So they started a group March,March for Australia.
Uh we'll call it MFA for thesake of the podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (03:29):
Um March for Australia, meaning March for
Australia.
SPEAKER_00 (03:33):
Meaning what whatever you want it to mean,
okay.
What it means to you, like aMarch for Australia and and so
well I think think the originalum the original premise was an
anti-immigration march andanti-corruption march and a
anti-insert the thing that Idon't like march to to get me to
(03:56):
come along.
SPEAKER_01 (03:56):
So yeah, so if I'm just if I'm generally feeling
disenfranchised and unhappy withsomething because somebody got a
job that I went for, or I saw aman with a turban at the
supermarket, or I I don't know,I didn't like the house, I
didn't like the my last powerbill.
I I can join the um March forAustralia and I can waive a
(04:19):
Chinese made Australian flag.
SPEAKER_00 (04:21):
Australian flag, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (04:22):
And so within that's it.
SPEAKER_00 (04:25):
So within within a couple of days, I've had about a
hundred thousand followers, andthere was an insistence, it was
it was a lot of followers reallyquickly.
SPEAKER_01 (04:33):
Truly was there, really?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (04:36):
I'm not talking not talking people actually like
this is just a like on aFacebook page, it's not it's not
a big, big thing, but it's umthere there was a sudden
following in in groups, and sothat exploded within the cooker
verse.
Like a lot of people who've beendormant for a long time suddenly
sprung up.
There's a lot of speculation asto who it was, and there still
(04:56):
is to some extent, butapparently the kid that started
it had panicked with it hedidn't expect the attention and
and for it to blow up as much asit did.
So um he handed it over tosomeone who goes by Beck
Freedom.
SPEAKER_01 (05:10):
Oh, yeah, I know Beck Freedom.
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
So just anti-lockdown reheated leftovers
of of the anti-lockdown sort ofmovements.
SPEAKER_01 (05:19):
Um why are we still talking about anti-lockdown when
it was like four years ago?
SPEAKER_00 (05:24):
Well, because it's the same, it's the same groups,
they've just they've just re-they've just come out of
dormancy, a lot of them.
They never stopped, they juststarted just finding other
things, become a little bit morevocal.
Yeah, yeah, that's it.
So yeah, they yeah, so there wasa bit of a conflict.
So at the same time, BeckFreedom had had claimed that
this chap had um passed thereins over to her.
(05:47):
A group called the NationalSocialist Network, who we've
spoken about in this podcast.
They the literal Nazis.
Like I I do cringe when peoplecall other people Nazis because
it's like, well, they're notreally these people are actual
neo-Nazis.
They're national.
So they on Telegram, theysimultaneously claimed to be
(06:09):
involved in in the organizationof the MFA as well.
Yeah, and so there was a bit ofa um there's a bit of a raised
eyebrow.
So we did a few few posts aboutit to highlight, hey, this is
not what it seems.
A lot of the old sort of the oldchest nuts from the
anti-lockdown days are involvedin this, and so's the NSN as
well.
SPEAKER_01 (06:29):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:30):
And so there was, you know, Beck Freedom had
insisted that no, that's not thecase, but she is very incestuous
with with that group.
And so uh, you know, a lot ofthe same kind of rhetoric.
Uh, and so yeah, it it justsimmered and and continued.
So um we then had uh that sortof comp on on our board moving
(06:52):
to the next sort of um first wegot a group called RDA.
Most domestic listeners wouldknow of Monica Schmidt.
So Monica Schmidt sort ofsuddenly like Mariah Carey, sort
of in the lead up to Christmas,appears.
So that you know, as soon as aanti anti-suppling group comes
(07:13):
in, she's anti, then so she'scurrently grifting at the
moment.
SPEAKER_01 (07:18):
She's trying to sell um all the flags that she bought
for the March.
So the flags that were made inChina, and the other thing she's
selling it this old chestnut,you'll love it, is the EMF
protection thing so you don'tdie from your phone.
I know, which she's doing whileshe's got a microphone plugged
into her ear talking.
(07:39):
It's like so nuts.
SPEAKER_00 (07:40):
Yeah, that's it.
It's she was gutted as wellbecause she was going on a on a
social media detox for like amonth or something.
They can never do it though.
So they can never do it.
And there was she but shepre-recorded all these like
infomercials about like tallowand and all these other beef
things.
And so whilst all this waskicking off, um like everyone
(08:01):
sort of like what and so shereappeared and suddenly, and so
she really she first of all sheencouraged her supporters to to
go for it, but you could tellthat like they all want a piece
of the pie and she wasn'tinvolved.
So then suddenly she thenflipped and said no don't.
She then flopped and said no doit, and then flipped again and
said no don't because of the NSNconnection.
(08:23):
And fair play, like she her ownaudience just went absolute
batshit crazy over her likeflip-flopping insistence on not
being involved with NSN.
So their logic would be the theonly like molecule of tiny bit
of credit I'd give her is thatit would have just been a lot
easier for her to say, yeah, youknow what, just let's all just
(08:44):
jump on the bandwagon sort ofthing.
But she stuck her ground on thatand even march next to the
Nazis.
SPEAKER_01 (08:49):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (08:49):
No, no, didn't didn't.
So that was her her one shred ofintegrity, yeah, was that that
she she maintained that no, I'mnot gonna they they stunk too
much even for her.
Like it was you know, she canshe can march beside flat
earthers and yeah um, you know,anti-vaxxers, yeah.
Anti-vaxxers and you know, callfor nurses to be hung and you
(09:11):
know whatnot.
But yeah, in in her mind uh thatNSM were even too well, you
know, um too.
So it's like a dumpster firekind of arguing with with
itself.
But anyway, so she she but thatjust so more confusion within
the group.
She did I mean she was ratioedin her own posts about you know
calling her a traitor and andthis and that because her own
(09:32):
follower base wanted her to geton board.
SPEAKER_01 (09:34):
How big would you say these follower bases are?
So take Beck Friedham or MonicaSmith, what do you reckon?
How many followers would be?
SPEAKER_00 (09:48):
So I reckon with Monica Smith, let's say um there
could be I don't know how manyfollowers, let's say she has a
hundred thousand followers on onFacebook, but she'd be lucky to
have have a couple of dozenreactions on on any given post.
So maybe on a popular post shemight get 2,000 likes with with
(10:09):
a few hundred comments.
SPEAKER_01 (10:11):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (10:11):
But I would they're they're not I'm I I we use the
term follower very looselybecause it's they I think I mean
we uh we all follow her page,just for like because I I
consider a bit of a uh the notnot just her, but um you know
these these personalities likewhat I call lol cow, so they're
just just like they you you'remilking the uh the laughs out of
(10:35):
them, so or content.
So there's a lot of people thatfollow them that aren't
followers.
Um but same with Beckford.
I don't actually know, haven'tlooked at at how many people
follow them, but based onengagement, they get a few
hundred sort of reactions, maybea few thousand if the algorithms
have kind of right.
SPEAKER_01 (10:51):
What drives them to keep sort of turning up um and
involving themselves in thissort of um internecine wars is
uh a need for identity, is thatright?
SPEAKER_00 (11:06):
Yeah, identity, money, uh it's you know, uh, you
know, they've there's anaudience, they've they've got an
algorithm to placate, they'vegot um engagement, they need to
sort of keep to stay relevantand just feel a part of that
they're doing something.
SPEAKER_01 (11:22):
So yeah, so to find something, right?
To find something that they cansay, this is not right.
Um, we need to protest aboutthis, and also while we're
protesting, buy some of my beeftallow or my EMF protection so
you don't get canceled to yourphone, right?
SPEAKER_00 (11:40):
Sign up to my newsletter so I can, you know,
use your data for other things.
And it there's always somethingat the end of it.
Um, so what then happened withuh Monica Smith?
So she then decided stuff it,I'm gonna create my own group
because it's there's clearlysome sentiment out there in
terms of wanting to protest.
Um, I won't go so it was calledput Australia First, PFA.
(12:03):
Now they haven't had a marchyet.
This is going back if we thinkthis was all happening in sort
of June, July.
SPEAKER_01 (12:09):
So that's different to March for Australia.
This is put Australia first.
SPEAKER_00 (12:13):
This is put Australia first, and it's a
more, I'd say not necessarilyit's a more sanitized or more
professional setup.
And so that there's definitelysome marketing material, I
wouldn't call expertise, butexperience behind it.
And they're trying to make itlook like more of a slick
professional operation.
SPEAKER_01 (12:33):
Hang on, this isn't the one with those terrible AI
generated women in sort of metalbreasts.
SPEAKER_00 (12:40):
No, no, that was that's MFA.
That's that's the um the the theJoan De Bogen uh videos, as we
call them.
Um they're just AI slop stuff.
SPEAKER_01 (12:52):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (12:53):
But no, the the the put Australia, the PFA, yeah,
they are more yeah, I know it'sgonna get worse, trust me.
Uh yeah, so she so they they aremore um they've they they've got
sort of cleaner looking andclearer, crisper looking
messaging.
Uh but they the speakers forthem, I'm probably not even
(13:16):
worth mentioning their namesbecause they've they've been
pretty non in non-consequentialat all or influential in in it.
But so she appointed a couple ofspeakers who have got very
sketchy backgrounds.
I've done done some posts onthem before.
They're kind of American, uhthey're Australian, but they're
kind of American, sort ofwannabe, kind of, you know,
minutemen sort of yeah.
(13:37):
I I don't know what what yeah,but so they're they're they're
again they're all just they werearound during the anti-lockdown
protests and they've they've alljust re-emerged.
SPEAKER_01 (13:46):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (13:46):
So there was a little bit of back and forth.
The irony was is in in some ofthe um content advertising for
PFA, they've used the footagefrom the MFA, no, sorry.
Sorry, put Australia first, soPAF.
Put Australia first, make putAustralia first, and then um
(14:10):
yeah, put Australia first.
So they've been using footage inMarch first from March from
Australia's um like marches, butthey've condemned those marches,
so it's like there's been a bitof infighting between like Beck
and Monica Smith.
So there's and and you know, thethe the people in the comments
are just like cats and dogs onit.
(14:30):
Some people just don't care,they're just rocking up to all
of them.
They're like, you know what,it's it's a sense of community
and identity and whatnot.
Don't care who's organizing it.
But to a lot of others, there'sit it's really caused drama.
So there's a second group that'snow created.
So then in August, the MFA marchhappens.
(14:52):
The turnout, I'd say it's prettywas pretty underwhelming.
I think they were expecting alot more.
SPEAKER_01 (14:56):
They were that's where they tried to get the
bridge, right?
SPEAKER_00 (15:00):
Uh that's right.
And it all there's a bit ofcontroversy about the bridge.
I'm not quite sure how thatapparently they had the bridge,
and then it was to con like thethe messaging was the government
said no to it, but theapplication for the bridge was
apparently withdrawnvoluntarily.
So really don't I think that wassensible of them?
Yeah, I don't understand thoughabout that.
(15:21):
So there was all I just saw somechitter chatter about that, and
you know, that they'd beenportrayed and and all this
within their own ranks, etc.
So the we we spoke about theAugust March previously, about
the the shit show that was, andthen the NSN or front and center
of that, the the air Nazi group,um, and then the attack on on
camp sovereignty.
(15:42):
So I won't go too much into thatbecause we've we've we went to
pretty great lengths about thatpreviously.
Um but then in in response tothat, like there was there was a
lot of even within the groups,like um, yeah, there was uh like
it was a PR disaster, even forCooker Standards, like they all
(16:03):
a lot of people just weren'thappy with it.
And there was some footage ofsome people booing and and
stuff.
That's right.
Some some weren't.
Not not a lot, but but therewere there were grumblings
within within the group, likethere, you know, when when Anna
Sen had taken centre stage thenew NRT group.
SPEAKER_01 (16:25):
Yeah, um they weren't.
SPEAKER_00 (16:26):
And so there was a bit of a that's right.
So it was a bit of a the opticswere bad, you know, for for
March for Australia.
And so immediately they thendeclared no, there's gonna be a
second march in October.
Great, great, which was gonna bea do-over, it's gonna be a
course correction, there's notgonna be NSN there, we promise
we're gonna have a march againststuff we're just not quite too
(16:47):
sure what, but there's gonna beno Nazis.
That's it.
That's it, and you know,meanwhile, all this happening,
nothing about the messaging thatwas for the purposes of the
marches is is even beingconsidered because it's just
it's all just been caught up inin the chaos that that erupted.
So there was all thisinfighting, different admins,
influencers, organisers, um,they all kicked off because of
(17:10):
NSN's involvement, um, and itall just kind of went to shit.
So then the October March forAustralia came around.
SPEAKER_01 (17:18):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (17:19):
And the numbers were there was like an 85% drop in
attendance.
SPEAKER_01 (17:23):
85% drop.
SPEAKER_00 (17:25):
Yeah, it was it was tiny.
Like I think they've I don'tthink anyone even rocked up in
Adelaide, so they've justdropped Adelaide for any further
marches.
SPEAKER_01 (17:33):
Wasn't there like seven people in Hobart or
something?
SPEAKER_00 (17:35):
Something really something like that.
Um they've they've bookedanother one for Australia Day in
January, but they've not evenannounced sort of half the
country because it's just I Ithink they've just dropped it.
So it it but then it it's it'snow cannibalizing itself because
um now the the the big the bignews yesterday was the March for
(17:57):
Australia Queensland hasannounced they're breaking away
and they're they're rebrandingthemselves Australia Marches.
SPEAKER_01 (18:05):
What?
SPEAKER_00 (18:06):
And then whilst all this chaos is happening, there's
now a fourth group called SaveAustralia, and they'll be
marching on the 15th ofNovember, and they're they're
basically just hoovering up,they're like, hey, anyone's
welcome, whatever.
They're just hoovering up allthe rounds.
We have crumbs, yeah.
And so we've got two, we've gottwo now coming up.
This save Australia for 15th,which is like next week, I
(18:29):
think.
Which I there's no buzz aboutthat at all in any anywhere that
I even even in the the thedredges of of Telegram, there's
there's nothing about it.
SPEAKER_01 (18:39):
So we've got Save Australia, um put Australia
first, yeah.
March for Australia, March forAustralia, and what else?
So much, so much, um, so muchjust how to start that again.
And now Australia march yes,you've got Australia marches,
you got to hang on Australiamarches, put Australia first,
march for Australia, and whatelse?
SPEAKER_00 (19:01):
And then save Australia.
SPEAKER_01 (19:04):
Save Australia.
And what what do you okay?
SPEAKER_00 (19:07):
So they've all splintered and they're all
arguing and four competinggroups within well, they're not
good, there's four competingmarches, all broadly sort of uh
saying the same generic thingslike stop migration, stop
corruption, stop corruption,stop it, just stop the
corruption, just stop it.
Yeah, right to corruption andask them to stop.
(19:29):
Um I love corruption, butanyway, yeah, apparently they
don't the slick the slick thingabout about Monica Smith of of
Put Australia First is thatshe's always got business at
front and and and centre.
And how can we monetize this?
So she's put out a call forsponsorship, and they can even
(19:49):
be anonymous if they want, butthey need they need$25,000 per
capital city to help pay forwhat stuff.
Pay for what I don't know, likea pay for oh that's it.
So she has a bit of a dig here,so she said not they want
security, but not just blokes inhigh V's jackets, no, they want
(20:10):
proper speakers and and andmicrophones and water and and
stuff like that.
SPEAKER_01 (20:15):
So uh yeah, but I mean you never yeah, I mean the
and let's just say let's justsay they've they do the march
and then people roam about withwith um the Australian flag,
cheap null and Australian plaflag made in China on their
back, and they roam about andthey yell and and then you have
(20:37):
people speaking.
I noticed that um one of themthey had Bob Catter, is that
right?
SPEAKER_00 (20:41):
Yeah, they did.
SPEAKER_01 (20:42):
Yeah, and also Cullaton.
Was it cut no, not Cullatin,Rennick.
So we've had yes, yeah, we'vehad a couple of our our our more
um interesting um Queensland isRennick um Queensland?
SPEAKER_00 (20:56):
I think so.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (20:57):
Yeah, because of course they they then jump on
the um the um racist bandwagon,they love it.
They they love that racistbandwagon.
So let's just say they have themarch and everyone roams about
and goes off and has a Chineseafterwards or whatever.
What what are they what what arethey hoping is going to happen?
Is there any clarity on whatwhat outcome they would like
(21:19):
from any of them?
SPEAKER_00 (21:20):
I think they yeah, I there's a couple.
I I don't think I thinkconsciously I don't think any of
them really know.
I think from a logicalperspective, you I would think
what they hope comes out of itis is a public discourse or it
at least um an acknowledgementfrom the government on certain
(21:42):
critiques that they want.
Some are just blatantly justidiotic.
Like I think out of one of themarches came a petition to um
for for the existing primeminister to step down through no
confidence.
And you know, so they're hopingthat that's what and and for
those overseas.
I mean, we had an election thisyear, and the Labour government
absolutely trounced like youknow, the the opposition.
(22:05):
And so it's gonna be a longthree years for a lot of these
conservatives that are just sobitter and upset.
They they won't they won't go asfar as like as American like um
cookers will and and claim thatit was wreaked.
Like we've got pretty like theAustralian Electoral
Commission's pretty decent here.
I don't think even the wildestcookers don't I don't think they
(22:29):
I don't see much rhetoric aboutelection fraud or it being
stolen in the world.
SPEAKER_01 (22:32):
Clive Palmer had a shot.
Clive Palmer had a shot at it.
SPEAKER_00 (22:36):
Very weak.
Yeah, very weak.
He was a very reluctant sort of,well just I remember that.
He was like, I think we shouldjust look into it.
And but he never he didn'tclarify like what look into what
exactly what you know it's justbut he was trying to dog whistle
a bit, but he it was half-assed,like he yeah.
So I I think I think even eventhe the cookers accept in
(22:58):
Australia that that that yeahthe elections are pretty it's
pretty um but they still don'tunderstand that yeah yeah that
that you don't know they justdon't want to wait for the next
one.
SPEAKER_01 (23:08):
You can't just go we call for the resignation of the
prime minister.
I mean uh they don't seem tounderstand the electoral
process.
SPEAKER_00 (23:19):
They don't and what what's just what's what's
interesting is they don't seemto think that if that was
successful that that wouldn't beused against them at a future
point anyway.
So like like and that's that'sthe danger with the like let's
say they they did they did forcethe you know the governor
general to you know step in andthis and that, like what yeah
like what's they don't have theforesight to think like it's
(23:41):
very just two-dimensional, theydon't have the foresight to
think, well, actually this mightyeah, yeah, then what a yeah,
who would actually be in chargeC or B, um, you know, actually
could this happen on theopposite side then at a later
point.
So yeah, yeah.
They don't think that far ahead,they don't think about
preservation in that same way.
(24:02):
Um yeah, they just want to beable to do that.
SPEAKER_01 (24:03):
It's sort of quite immediate and sort of it's
immediate and sort ofincendiary, isn't it?
We just want this to happenbecause that gives us it's it's
all around power.
It's all around power andcontrol.
And and there's just very littleforesight into well, what is
that what does that actuallywhat does that mean?
(24:24):
What's going to happen?
How would that happen?
What is the problem?
What would we actually like doneabout it?
Where is the corruption?
Where's it occurring?
In which section of government?
There's just absolutely it's solight on deep, yeah, and so
light on detail.
SPEAKER_00 (24:38):
The irony is as well, like if they looked into
like certain politicians that doyou look at you look at some
like Labour politicians and andeven Greens, etc.
They they're calling out genuinesort of areas that need inquiry
and and things, and they they'dbe the first to say, like, oh,
you know, socialists or youknow, and just dismiss it based
(24:58):
on their political leanings.
But yeah, some of my I I gen mymy 3 a.m.
thought is that they probablysome of these people, what they
claim they want, probab uhactually aligns more with like
um what they would call likeleftist like kind of ideology.
It's like it it's already but uha very cringe tastic thing
happened um following the seconduh march is that did you say
(25:21):
cringe tastic?
It's cringe tastic because it'sjust um I just have to just just
sneak it in.
Is that just sneak, sneak,sneak, go away?
SPEAKER_01 (25:29):
Because you're sneaking, yep.
SPEAKER_00 (25:31):
That's it.
The the the flop of the secondum march.
I saw some chatter on BeckFreedom's page where um someone
had asked, so this was it wasthe weekend before um Albanese
was to be meeting with withTrump doing on the minerals
deal, right?
So um whole other conversationmight go into that.
(25:51):
But um someone actually asked,Does anyone have any connections
in the White House so they cantell Trump to give Albanese a
dressing down?
On on they thought it was gonnabe like a a Zelensky moment
almost where where Albanesewould walk in and um some of
these cookers who who areobviously in American Q groups
(26:14):
and various things, they theythink they have the year of
Trump and we're gonna um youknow give give Albanese a
dressing down because of youknow just this sense of like the
universe evolves around then.
Yeah, I know it's this yeah.
It broke their little heartswhen Trump was like Hi, it's a
(26:36):
it was a funny moment.
Well, even more than that, is isTrump's like, I think he's an
excellent Australia has a greatprime minister, you've got a
great leader here, and evenAlbert Easy's like, I'm gonna
use this in my my 2028 campaign,you know, this in the videos
like it it just broke theirbrains that that this sort of
this this narrative that thatno, like Trump was meant to to
(26:57):
scold him and tell him off.
And my connection on Telegram,who said he's worked in the
White House, told me that, youknow, so it's just I just have
to add that in.
SPEAKER_01 (27:06):
It's just I know I think I I actually saw that as
well.
Um this notion, it is thisincredibly sort of psychopathic,
pumped up sense of relevance,isn't it?
SPEAKER_00 (27:19):
That that's right.
SPEAKER_01 (27:20):
That I where we we are the ones who know, and you
know, we've got we've got theear of the the president of the
United States, and we've gotinfluence, and of course they've
got absolutely none.
SPEAKER_00 (27:32):
That's right.
SPEAKER_01 (27:33):
They're flailing around like salmon, right?
SPEAKER_00 (27:36):
That's correct.
Yeah, it's um yeah, it it'syeah, so that's I mean, there's
there's probably a lot more Icould say.
There's definitely a lot morethat's gonna happen.
Um, yeah, it's it's it's we justhave to make fun of it at the
moment as we as we watch itunfold.
SPEAKER_01 (27:53):
Um I I think we do.
We have to make fun of it whenwe're gonna be able to do that.
Yeah, I and I think we have tokeep it out there because as we
know, um there is there is aportion of the you know, a large
portion of the Australianpopulation that is struggling at
the moment.
Um housing is very expensive,um, groceries are very
(28:13):
expensive, there's a big issuewith housing, etc.
etc.
Power is expensive.
And so people when they arevulnerable and feeling
disenfranchised and feelingforgotten, then these are the
people that are going to bevulnerable to these broad stroke
messages of sort of rebellion,yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (28:35):
Yeah, yeah.
And the the the thing is, like,not going into like solution
mode necessarily, but you know,you think back to recent
elections, like Bill Shortenalmost pretty much lost the
election because was going toroll out negative gearing
reforms, you know.
Yeah.
Um like when when Victoria'sintroduced additional taxes on
(28:57):
investment properties, likethese same conservative groups,
like calling them, oh, it'ssocialist and it's you know,
it's this and that.
So it's like when whenever thegovernment tries to roll out
genuine solutions to theseproblems, very real problems,
yeah, uh, they they they arc upagainst that anyway.
Like it's it's it's bizarre.
(29:17):
Um and and and as I've touchedon a previous thing, like, yeah,
maybe the skilled migrationsituation um needs to be
revamped and and making surethat we're like having the right
skills coming into Australia forthe shortages of things.
I think when I I read recentlythat last year out of um several
hundred thousand um or a hundredthousand working um skilled
(29:40):
visas to Australia, like onlyfour thousand of those were
construction workers.
Yeah, I'd say we probably need aa massive influx, yeah,
absolutely of that.
Like I um I I love Melbourne'sum barista culture and and you
know, I love everything aboutMelbourne, but it's like um I
don't know.
Like if like I don't knowthere's there's certain skills
(30:03):
on there that that perhaps wecould um forego for the moment
in order to make sure we'regetting the right skills in for
you know what we need and andand stuff.
So um yeah, I don't know.
I just think yeah, g genuinegenuine critique and genuine
sort of genuine analysis, justthey do get railroaded by
cleaners and it's they're notthey're not doing any favors.
SPEAKER_01 (30:27):
So we need to keep our eye on the the cooker wars,
um see what they're saying nowand keep keep you know keep up
with the refutation and keep upwith the debunking because we
don't want vulnerable people umto be caught up in this.
There is never any solution.
It is never a solution to join agroup of conspiracy theorists.
(30:51):
They never they are never evergoing to have the answer because
everything they say, nothing isgrounded in reality or truth,
correct?
SPEAKER_00 (30:59):
It's a road to misery.
It's a road to misery.
You stare into it at your ownperil.
SPEAKER_01 (31:05):
Yeah, yeah.
You stare into the abyss of theconspiracy theorists or up at
the sky at the at the contrails.
What do they call them?
The chemtrails, the madness ofthat.
Well, that was a delight, SnakeyGherkin.
Thank you very much.
Now I know that you're superbusy and you have a family and
you have a very important jobbeing a spy.
I know that.
Um but will you come back onagain and let's report on the
(31:27):
next round?
SPEAKER_00 (31:28):
I'd love to.
Yeah, let's do um, I think the15th one's gonna be a bit of a
bit of a fizzle.
Uh but let's let's let's wrapthem both up after the 30th of
November, perhaps.
And we'll we can we can do that.
And um yeah, for sure.
Happy to be on.
SPEAKER_01 (31:43):
Um sorry I've I've got a bit of it hard to get a
hold of lately, but I know it'sbecause of your extensive spy
work, and I understand it.
Yeah, it's hot.
The gherkin is busy.
Yeah, yeah, the the gherkin isis is very caught up in the uh
in this in the spy world.
All right, it's been lovelytalking to you.
Thank you.
Um thank you so much, and thankyou so much, listeners, for
(32:05):
tuning in.
Um, as always, stay safe, staywell, keep your critical
thinking hats on.
See you later.
Bye.
Thanks for tuning in to WhySmart Women with me, Annie
McCubbin.
I hope today's episode hasignited your curiosity and left
you feeling inspired by myanti-motivational style.
(32:27):
Join me next time as we continueto unravel the fascinating
layers of our brains and developways to sort out the fact from
the fiction and the over 6,000thoughts we have in the course
of every day.
Remember, intelligence isn'tenough.
You can be as smart as paint,but it's not just about what you
know, it's about how you think.
(32:48):
And in all this talk of whetheror not you can trust your gut.
If you ever feel unsafe, whetherit's in the street, work, car
park, in a bar, or in your ownhome, please, please respect
that gut feeling.
Staying safe needs to be ourprimary objective.
We can build better lives, butwe have to stay safe to do that.
(33:10):
And don't forget to subscribe,rate, and review the podcast and
share it with your fellow smartwomen and allies.
Together we're hopefullyreshaping the narrative around
women and making betterdecisions.
So until next time, stay sharp,stay savvy, and keep your
critical thinking hat shiny.
This is Annie McCubbin signingoff from White Smart Women.
(33:32):
See you later.
This episode was produced byHarrison Hest.
It was executive produced andwritten by me, Annie McCubbin.
You are listening to the wide smartphone.
Smart one, we choose fifty days.
(00:44):
I acknowledge the traditionalowners of the land on which I'm
recording and you are listeningon this day.
Always was, always will be,Aboriginal land.
So here is um the Snake Gherkin.
Hello, Snakey Gherkin, how areyou?
Hello.
Yeah, great.
How are you?
Very well, thank you.
I wanted to talk today about theCooker Wars.
(01:05):
Can you give me some chronologyon what happened and how we've
had a splintering of the uh thecooker community, please?
SPEAKER_00 (01:13):
Yes, I'm I'm standing in front of my massive
corkboard here with red stringthat I've had to sort of I've
because I'm struggling to keepup with it myself.
SPEAKER_01 (01:22):
So I yeah, it's complex.
SPEAKER_00 (01:32):
I've got one of those.
Just trying to for those who areDo you know who that was?
SPEAKER_01 (01:35):
That was Casey Briggs.
SPEAKER_00 (01:37):
Legend.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (01:38):
He was a legend and he would talk about the rise and
fall of the uh the the pan ofthe um of the covert numbers.
So you're gonna talk about therise and fall as well.
SPEAKER_00 (01:47):
If I borrowed Casey Briggs' screen, right, you can't
see it because this is it'saudio only, but I'm standing in
front of a big screen and I'mgonna zoom in and out, and and
there might be some fumblingalong the way.
SPEAKER_01 (01:58):
But I've had to try to write all this down.
SPEAKER_00 (02:01):
Um sort of I'm strapped in and ready.
SPEAKER_01 (02:04):
Strapped in and ready.
SPEAKER_00 (02:05):
So let's go.
So in July 2025, uh there was Ithink this was in the wake of
there was some anti um uh therewas there was anti-war protests
across Sydney Harbour across thebridge.
SPEAKER_01 (02:20):
Like it was Oh yeah, the anti-Gaza the Gaza, the Gaza
situation.
SPEAKER_00 (02:24):
That's right, that's right.
And so the the and the imagerywas stunning.
Like there was I I don't know,but it looked there was there
was tens of thousands, probablymore, 50,000.
SPEAKER_01 (02:33):
Very, very, very well.
I reckon there was 300,000.
SPEAKER_00 (02:36):
300, yeah, incredible.
And it was pretty broad, like itwas a like pretty broadly across
the spectrum of of people thatwere there.
So it wasn't necessarily a um,you know, like it wasn't, yeah,
but it was per se whether for inthe wake of that, uh I I think
some far right people basicallyshit themselves because they're
like, oh dang, like, you know,what are all these scary flags
(02:57):
that we're not aware of andthings like that.
So in in response to that, um,some young kid genuinely don't
know who it is, although the themythos is is is the according to
um the the founding myth of ofof the the latest cooker group,
um, is some young grassroots kidsat up and thought, wouldn't it
be great if we could have anAustralian flag marching across
(03:19):
the Sydney Harbour?
So they started a group March,March for Australia.
Uh we'll call it MFA for thesake of the podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (03:29):
Um March for Australia, meaning March for
Australia.
SPEAKER_00 (03:33):
Meaning what whatever you want it to mean,
okay.
What it means to you, like aMarch for Australia and and so
well I think think the originalum the original premise was an
anti-immigration march andanti-corruption march and a
anti-insert the thing that Idon't like march to to get me to
(03:56):
come along.
SPEAKER_01 (03:56):
So yeah, so if I'm just if I'm generally feeling
disenfranchised and unhappy withsomething because somebody got a
job that I went for, or I saw aman with a turban at the
supermarket, or I I don't know,I didn't like the house, I
didn't like the my last powerbill.
I I can join the um March forAustralia and I can waive a
(04:19):
Chinese made Australian flag.
SPEAKER_00 (04:21):
Australian flag, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (04:22):
And so within that's it.
SPEAKER_00 (04:25):
So within within a couple of days, I've had about a
hundred thousand followers, andthere was an insistence, it was
it was a lot of followers reallyquickly.
SPEAKER_01 (04:33):
Truly was there, really?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (04:36):
I'm not talking not talking people actually like
this is just a like on aFacebook page, it's not it's not
a big, big thing, but it's umthere there was a sudden
following in in groups, and sothat exploded within the cooker
verse.
Like a lot of people who've beendormant for a long time suddenly
sprung up.
There's a lot of speculation asto who it was, and there still
(04:56):
is to some extent, butapparently the kid that started
it had panicked with it hedidn't expect the attention and
and for it to blow up as much asit did.
So um he handed it over tosomeone who goes by Beck
Freedom.
SPEAKER_01 (05:10):
Oh, yeah, I know Beck Freedom.
SPEAKER_00 (05:12):
So just anti-lockdown reheated leftovers
of of the anti-lockdown sort ofmovements.
SPEAKER_01 (05:19):
Um why are we still talking about anti-lockdown when
it was like four years ago?
SPEAKER_00 (05:24):
Well, because it's the same, it's the same groups,
they've just they've just re-they've just come out of
dormancy, a lot of them.
They never stopped, they juststarted just finding other
things, become a little bit morevocal.
Yeah, yeah, that's it.
So yeah, they yeah, so there wasa bit of a conflict.
So at the same time, BeckFreedom had had claimed that
this chap had um passed thereins over to her.
(05:47):
A group called the NationalSocialist Network, who we've
spoken about in this podcast.
They the literal Nazis.
Like I I do cringe when peoplecall other people Nazis because
it's like, well, they're notreally these people are actual
neo-Nazis.
They're national.
So they on Telegram, theysimultaneously claimed to be
(06:09):
involved in in the organizationof the MFA as well.
Yeah, and so there was a bit ofa um there's a bit of a raised
eyebrow.
So we did a few few posts aboutit to highlight, hey, this is
not what it seems.
A lot of the old sort of the oldchest nuts from the
anti-lockdown days are involvedin this, and so's the NSN as
well.
SPEAKER_01 (06:29):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:30):
And so there was, you know, Beck Freedom had
insisted that no, that's not thecase, but she is very incestuous
with with that group.
And so uh, you know, a lot ofthe same kind of rhetoric.
Uh, and so yeah, it it justsimmered and and continued.
So um we then had uh that sortof comp on on our board moving
(06:52):
to the next sort of um first wegot a group called RDA.
Most domestic listeners wouldknow of Monica Schmidt.
So Monica Schmidt sort ofsuddenly like Mariah Carey, sort
of in the lead up to Christmas,appears.
So that you know, as soon as aanti anti-suppling group comes
(07:13):
in, she's anti, then so she'scurrently grifting at the
moment.
SPEAKER_01 (07:18):
She's trying to sell um all the flags that she bought
for the March.
So the flags that were made inChina, and the other thing she's
selling it this old chestnut,you'll love it, is the EMF
protection thing so you don'tdie from your phone.
I know, which she's doing whileshe's got a microphone plugged
into her ear talking.
(07:39):
It's like so nuts.
SPEAKER_00 (07:40):
Yeah, that's it.
It's she was gutted as wellbecause she was going on a on a
social media detox for like amonth or something.
They can never do it though.
So they can never do it.
And there was she but shepre-recorded all these like
infomercials about like tallowand and all these other beef
things.
And so whilst all this waskicking off, um like everyone
(08:01):
sort of like what and so shereappeared and suddenly, and so
she really she first of all sheencouraged her supporters to to
go for it, but you could tellthat like they all want a piece
of the pie and she wasn'tinvolved.
So then suddenly she thenflipped and said no don't.
She then flopped and said no doit, and then flipped again and
said no don't because of the NSNconnection.
(08:23):
And fair play, like she her ownaudience just went absolute
batshit crazy over her likeflip-flopping insistence on not
being involved with NSN.
So their logic would be the theonly like molecule of tiny bit
of credit I'd give her is thatit would have just been a lot
easier for her to say, yeah, youknow what, just let's all just
(08:44):
jump on the bandwagon sort ofthing.
But she stuck her ground on thatand even march next to the
Nazis.
SPEAKER_01 (08:49):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (08:49):
No, no, didn't didn't.
So that was her her one shred ofintegrity, yeah, was that that
she she maintained that no, I'mnot gonna they they stunk too
much even for her.
Like it was you know, she canshe can march beside flat
earthers and yeah um, you know,anti-vaxxers, yeah.
Anti-vaxxers and you know, callfor nurses to be hung and you
(09:11):
know whatnot.
But yeah, in in her mind uh thatNSM were even too well, you
know, um too.
So it's like a dumpster firekind of arguing with with
itself.
But anyway, so she she but thatjust so more confusion within
the group.
She did I mean she was ratioedin her own posts about you know
calling her a traitor and andthis and that because her own
(09:32):
follower base wanted her to geton board.
SPEAKER_01 (09:34):
How big would you say these follower bases are?
So take Beck Friedham or MonicaSmith, what do you reckon?
How many followers would be?
SPEAKER_00 (09:48):
So I reckon with Monica Smith, let's say um there
could be I don't know how manyfollowers, let's say she has a
hundred thousand followers on onFacebook, but she'd be lucky to
have have a couple of dozenreactions on on any given post.
So maybe on a popular post shemight get 2,000 likes with with
(10:09):
a few hundred comments.
SPEAKER_01 (10:11):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (10:11):
But I would they're they're not I'm I I we use the
term follower very looselybecause it's they I think I mean
we uh we all follow her page,just for like because I I
consider a bit of a uh the notnot just her, but um you know
these these personalities likewhat I call lol cow, so they're
just just like they you you'remilking the uh the laughs out of
(10:35):
them, so or content.
So there's a lot of people thatfollow them that aren't
followers.
Um but same with Beckford.
I don't actually know, haven'tlooked at at how many people
follow them, but based onengagement, they get a few
hundred sort of reactions, maybea few thousand if the algorithms
have kind of right.
SPEAKER_01 (10:51):
What drives them to keep sort of turning up um and
involving themselves in thissort of um internecine wars is
uh a need for identity, is thatright?
SPEAKER_00 (11:06):
Yeah, identity, money, uh it's you know, uh, you
know, they've there's anaudience, they've they've got an
algorithm to placate, they'vegot um engagement, they need to
sort of keep to stay relevantand just feel a part of that
they're doing something.
SPEAKER_01 (11:22):
So yeah, so to find something, right?
To find something that they cansay, this is not right.
Um, we need to protest aboutthis, and also while we're
protesting, buy some of my beeftallow or my EMF protection so
you don't get canceled to yourphone, right?
SPEAKER_00 (11:40):
Sign up to my newsletter so I can, you know,
use your data for other things.
And it there's always somethingat the end of it.
Um, so what then happened withuh Monica Smith?
So she then decided stuff it,I'm gonna create my own group
because it's there's clearlysome sentiment out there in
terms of wanting to protest.
Um, I won't go so it was calledput Australia First, PFA.
(12:03):
Now they haven't had a marchyet.
This is going back if we thinkthis was all happening in sort
of June, July.
SPEAKER_01 (12:09):
So that's different to March for Australia.
This is put Australia first.
SPEAKER_00 (12:13):
This is put Australia first, and it's a
more, I'd say not necessarilyit's a more sanitized or more
professional setup.
And so that there's definitelysome marketing material, I
wouldn't call expertise, butexperience behind it.
And they're trying to make itlook like more of a slick
professional operation.
SPEAKER_01 (12:33):
Hang on, this isn't the one with those terrible AI
generated women in sort of metalbreasts.
SPEAKER_00 (12:40):
No, no, that was that's MFA.
That's that's the um the the theJoan De Bogen uh videos, as we
call them.
Um they're just AI slop stuff.
SPEAKER_01 (12:52):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (12:53):
But no, the the the put Australia, the PFA, yeah,
they are more yeah, I know it'sgonna get worse, trust me.
Uh yeah, so she so they they aremore um they've they they've got
sort of cleaner looking andclearer, crisper looking
messaging.
Uh but they the speakers forthem, I'm probably not even
(13:16):
worth mentioning their namesbecause they've they've been
pretty non in non-consequentialat all or influential in in it.
But so she appointed a couple ofspeakers who have got very
sketchy backgrounds.
I've done done some posts onthem before.
They're kind of American, uhthey're Australian, but they're
kind of American, sort ofwannabe, kind of, you know,
minutemen sort of yeah.
(13:37):
I I don't know what what yeah,but so they're they're they're
again they're all just they werearound during the anti-lockdown
protests and they've they've alljust re-emerged.
SPEAKER_01 (13:46):
Right.
SPEAKER_00 (13:46):
So there was a little bit of back and forth.
The irony was is in in some ofthe um content advertising for
PFA, they've used the footagefrom the MFA, no, sorry.
Sorry, put Australia first, soPAF.
Put Australia first, make putAustralia first, and then um
(14:10):
yeah, put Australia first.
So they've been using footage inMarch first from March from
Australia's um like marches, butthey've condemned those marches,
so it's like there's been a bitof infighting between like Beck
and Monica Smith.
So there's and and you know, thethe the people in the comments
are just like cats and dogs onit.
(14:30):
Some people just don't care,they're just rocking up to all
of them.
They're like, you know what,it's it's a sense of community
and identity and whatnot.
Don't care who's organizing it.
But to a lot of others, there'sit it's really caused drama.
So there's a second group that'snow created.
So then in August, the MFA marchhappens.
(14:52):
The turnout, I'd say it's prettywas pretty underwhelming.
I think they were expecting alot more.
SPEAKER_01 (14:56):
They were that's where they tried to get the
bridge, right?
SPEAKER_00 (15:00):
Uh that's right.
And it all there's a bit ofcontroversy about the bridge.
I'm not quite sure how thatapparently they had the bridge,
and then it was to con like thethe messaging was the government
said no to it, but theapplication for the bridge was
apparently withdrawnvoluntarily.
So really don't I think that wassensible of them?
Yeah, I don't understand thoughabout that.
(15:21):
So there was all I just saw somechitter chatter about that, and
you know, that they'd beenportrayed and and all this
within their own ranks, etc.
So the we we spoke about theAugust March previously, about
the the shit show that was, andthen the NSN or front and center
of that, the the air Nazi group,um, and then the attack on on
camp sovereignty.
(15:42):
So I won't go too much into thatbecause we've we've we went to
pretty great lengths about thatpreviously.
Um but then in in response tothat, like there was there was a
lot of even within the groups,like um, yeah, there was uh like
it was a PR disaster, even forCooker Standards, like they all
(16:03):
a lot of people just weren'thappy with it.
And there was some footage ofsome people booing and and
stuff.
That's right.
Some some weren't.
Not not a lot, but but therewere there were grumblings
within within the group, likethere, you know, when when Anna
Sen had taken centre stage thenew NRT group.
SPEAKER_01 (16:25):
Yeah, um they weren't.
SPEAKER_00 (16:26):
And so there was a bit of a that's right.
So it was a bit of a the opticswere bad, you know, for for
March for Australia.
And so immediately they thendeclared no, there's gonna be a
second march in October.
Great, great, which was gonna bea do-over, it's gonna be a
course correction, there's notgonna be NSN there, we promise
we're gonna have a march againststuff we're just not quite too
(16:47):
sure what, but there's gonna beno Nazis.
That's it.
That's it, and you know,meanwhile, all this happening,
nothing about the messaging thatwas for the purposes of the
marches is is even beingconsidered because it's just
it's all just been caught up inin the chaos that that erupted.
So there was all thisinfighting, different admins,
influencers, organisers, um,they all kicked off because of
(17:10):
NSN's involvement, um, and itall just kind of went to shit.
So then the October March forAustralia came around.
SPEAKER_01 (17:18):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (17:19):
And the numbers were there was like an 85% drop in
attendance.
SPEAKER_01 (17:23):
85% drop.
SPEAKER_00 (17:25):
Yeah, it was it was tiny.
Like I think they've I don'tthink anyone even rocked up in
Adelaide, so they've justdropped Adelaide for any further
marches.
SPEAKER_01 (17:33):
Wasn't there like seven people in Hobart or
something?
SPEAKER_00 (17:35):
Something really something like that.
Um they've they've bookedanother one for Australia Day in
January, but they've not evenannounced sort of half the
country because it's just I Ithink they've just dropped it.
So it it but then it it's it'snow cannibalizing itself because
um now the the the big the bignews yesterday was the March for
(17:57):
Australia Queensland hasannounced they're breaking away
and they're they're rebrandingthemselves Australia Marches.
SPEAKER_01 (18:05):
What?
SPEAKER_00 (18:06):
And then whilst all this chaos is happening, there's
now a fourth group called SaveAustralia, and they'll be
marching on the 15th ofNovember, and they're they're
basically just hoovering up,they're like, hey, anyone's
welcome, whatever.
They're just hoovering up allthe rounds.
We have crumbs, yeah.
And so we've got two, we've gottwo now coming up.
This save Australia for 15th,which is like next week, I
(18:29):
think.
Which I there's no buzz aboutthat at all in any anywhere that
I even even in the the thedredges of of Telegram, there's
there's nothing about it.
SPEAKER_01 (18:39):
So we've got Save Australia, um put Australia
first, yeah.
March for Australia, March forAustralia, and what else?
So much, so much, um, so muchjust how to start that again.
And now Australia march yes,you've got Australia marches,
you got to hang on Australiamarches, put Australia first,
march for Australia, and whatelse?
SPEAKER_00 (19:01):
And then save Australia.
SPEAKER_01 (19:04):
Save Australia.
And what what do you okay?
SPEAKER_00 (19:07):
So they've all splintered and they're all
arguing and four competinggroups within well, they're not
good, there's four competingmarches, all broadly sort of uh
saying the same generic thingslike stop migration, stop
corruption, stop corruption,stop it, just stop the
corruption, just stop it.
Yeah, right to corruption andask them to stop.
(19:29):
Um I love corruption, butanyway, yeah, apparently they
don't the slick the slick thingabout about Monica Smith of of
Put Australia First is thatshe's always got business at
front and and and centre.
And how can we monetize this?
So she's put out a call forsponsorship, and they can even
(19:49):
be anonymous if they want, butthey need they need$25,000 per
capital city to help pay forwhat stuff.
Pay for what I don't know, likea pay for oh that's it.
So she has a bit of a dig here,so she said not they want
security, but not just blokes inhigh V's jackets, no, they want
(20:10):
proper speakers and and andmicrophones and water and and
stuff like that.
SPEAKER_01 (20:15):
So uh yeah, but I mean you never yeah, I mean the
and let's just say let's justsay they've they do the march
and then people roam about withwith um the Australian flag,
cheap null and Australian plaflag made in China on their
back, and they roam about andthey yell and and then you have
(20:37):
people speaking.
I noticed that um one of themthey had Bob Catter, is that
right?
SPEAKER_00 (20:41):
Yeah, they did.
SPEAKER_01 (20:42):
Yeah, and also Cullaton.
Was it cut no, not Cullatin,Rennick.
So we've had yes, yeah, we'vehad a couple of our our our more
um interesting um Queensland isRennick um Queensland?
SPEAKER_00 (20:56):
I think so.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (20:57):
Yeah, because of course they they then jump on
the um the um racist bandwagon,they love it.
They they love that racistbandwagon.
So let's just say they have themarch and everyone roams about
and goes off and has a Chineseafterwards or whatever.
What what are they what what arethey hoping is going to happen?
Is there any clarity on whatwhat outcome they would like
(21:19):
from any of them?
SPEAKER_00 (21:20):
I think they yeah, I there's a couple.
I I don't think I thinkconsciously I don't think any of
them really know.
I think from a logicalperspective, you I would think
what they hope comes out of itis is a public discourse or it
at least um an acknowledgementfrom the government on certain
(21:42):
critiques that they want.
Some are just blatantly justidiotic.
Like I think out of one of themarches came a petition to um
for for the existing primeminister to step down through no
confidence.
And you know, so they're hopingthat that's what and and for
those overseas.
I mean, we had an election thisyear, and the Labour government
absolutely trounced like youknow, the the opposition.
(22:05):
And so it's gonna be a longthree years for a lot of these
conservatives that are just sobitter and upset.
They they won't they won't go asfar as like as American like um
cookers will and and claim thatit was wreaked.
Like we've got pretty like theAustralian Electoral
Commission's pretty decent here.
I don't think even the wildestcookers don't I don't think they
(22:29):
I don't see much rhetoric aboutelection fraud or it being
stolen in the world.
SPEAKER_01 (22:32):
Clive Palmer had a shot.
Clive Palmer had a shot at it.
SPEAKER_00 (22:36):
Very weak.
Yeah, very weak.
He was a very reluctant sort of,well just I remember that.
He was like, I think we shouldjust look into it.
And but he never he didn'tclarify like what look into what
exactly what you know it's justbut he was trying to dog whistle
a bit, but he it was half-assed,like he yeah.
So I I think I think even eventhe the cookers accept in
(22:58):
Australia that that that yeahthe elections are pretty it's
pretty um but they still don'tunderstand that yeah yeah that
that you don't know they justdon't want to wait for the next
one.
SPEAKER_01 (23:08):
You can't just go we call for the resignation of the
prime minister.
I mean uh they don't seem tounderstand the electoral
process.
SPEAKER_00 (23:19):
They don't and what what's just what's what's
interesting is they don't seemto think that if that was
successful that that wouldn't beused against them at a future
point anyway.
So like like and that's that'sthe danger with the like let's
say they they did they did forcethe you know the governor
general to you know step in andthis and that, like what yeah
like what's they don't have theforesight to think like it's
(23:41):
very just two-dimensional, theydon't have the foresight to
think, well, actually this mightyeah, yeah, then what a yeah,
who would actually be in chargeC or B, um, you know, actually
could this happen on theopposite side then at a later
point.
So yeah, yeah.
They don't think that far ahead,they don't think about
preservation in that same way.
(24:02):
Um yeah, they just want to beable to do that.
SPEAKER_01 (24:03):
It's sort of quite immediate and sort of it's
immediate and sort ofincendiary, isn't it?
We just want this to happenbecause that gives us it's it's
all around power.
It's all around power andcontrol.
And and there's just very littleforesight into well, what is
that what does that actuallywhat does that mean?
(24:24):
What's going to happen?
How would that happen?
What is the problem?
What would we actually like doneabout it?
Where is the corruption?
Where's it occurring?
In which section of government?
There's just absolutely it's solight on deep, yeah, and so
light on detail.
SPEAKER_00 (24:38):
The irony is as well, like if they looked into
like certain politicians that doyou look at you look at some
like Labour politicians and andeven Greens, etc.
They they're calling out genuinesort of areas that need inquiry
and and things, and they they'dbe the first to say, like, oh,
you know, socialists or youknow, and just dismiss it based
(24:58):
on their political leanings.
But yeah, some of my I I gen mymy 3 a.m.
thought is that they probablysome of these people, what they
claim they want, probab uhactually aligns more with like
um what they would call likeleftist like kind of ideology.
It's like it it's already but uha very cringe tastic thing
happened um following the seconduh march is that did you say
(25:21):
cringe tastic?
It's cringe tastic because it'sjust um I just have to just just
sneak it in.
Is that just sneak, sneak,sneak, go away?
SPEAKER_01 (25:29):
Because you're sneaking, yep.
SPEAKER_00 (25:31):
That's it.
The the the flop of the secondum march.
I saw some chatter on BeckFreedom's page where um someone
had asked, so this was it wasthe weekend before um Albanese
was to be meeting with withTrump doing on the minerals
deal, right?
So um whole other conversationmight go into that.
(25:51):
But um someone actually asked,Does anyone have any connections
in the White House so they cantell Trump to give Albanese a
dressing down?
On on they thought it was gonnabe like a a Zelensky moment
almost where where Albanesewould walk in and um some of
these cookers who who areobviously in American Q groups
(26:14):
and various things, they theythink they have the year of
Trump and we're gonna um youknow give give Albanese a
dressing down because of youknow just this sense of like the
universe evolves around then.
Yeah, I know it's this yeah.
It broke their little heartswhen Trump was like Hi, it's a
(26:36):
it was a funny moment.
Well, even more than that, is isTrump's like, I think he's an
excellent Australia has a greatprime minister, you've got a
great leader here, and evenAlbert Easy's like, I'm gonna
use this in my my 2028 campaign,you know, this in the videos
like it it just broke theirbrains that that this sort of
this this narrative that thatno, like Trump was meant to to
(26:57):
scold him and tell him off.
And my connection on Telegram,who said he's worked in the
White House, told me that, youknow, so it's just I just have
to add that in.
SPEAKER_01 (27:06):
It's just I know I think I I actually saw that as
well.
Um this notion, it is thisincredibly sort of psychopathic,
pumped up sense of relevance,isn't it?
SPEAKER_00 (27:19):
That that's right.
SPEAKER_01 (27:20):
That I where we we are the ones who know, and you
know, we've got we've got theear of the the president of the
United States, and we've gotinfluence, and of course they've
got absolutely none.
SPEAKER_00 (27:32):
That's right.
SPEAKER_01 (27:33):
They're flailing around like salmon, right?
SPEAKER_00 (27:36):
That's correct.
Yeah, it's um yeah, it it'syeah, so that's I mean, there's
there's probably a lot more Icould say.
There's definitely a lot morethat's gonna happen.
Um, yeah, it's it's it's we justhave to make fun of it at the
moment as we as we watch itunfold.
SPEAKER_01 (27:53):
Um I I think we do.
We have to make fun of it whenwe're gonna be able to do that.
Yeah, I and I think we have tokeep it out there because as we
know, um there is there is aportion of the you know, a large
portion of the Australianpopulation that is struggling at
the moment.
Um housing is very expensive,um, groceries are very
(28:13):
expensive, there's a big issuewith housing, etc.
etc.
Power is expensive.
And so people when they arevulnerable and feeling
disenfranchised and feelingforgotten, then these are the
people that are going to bevulnerable to these broad stroke
messages of sort of rebellion,yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (28:35):
Yeah, yeah.
And the the the thing is, like,not going into like solution
mode necessarily, but you know,you think back to recent
elections, like Bill Shortenalmost pretty much lost the
election because was going toroll out negative gearing
reforms, you know.
Yeah.
Um like when when Victoria'sintroduced additional taxes on
(28:57):
investment properties, likethese same conservative groups,
like calling them, oh, it'ssocialist and it's you know,
it's this and that.
So it's like when whenever thegovernment tries to roll out
genuine solutions to theseproblems, very real problems,
yeah, uh, they they they arc upagainst that anyway.
Like it's it's it's bizarre.
(29:17):
Um and and and as I've touchedon a previous thing, like, yeah,
maybe the skilled migrationsituation um needs to be
revamped and and making surethat we're like having the right
skills coming into Australia forthe shortages of things.
I think when I I read recentlythat last year out of um several
hundred thousand um or a hundredthousand working um skilled
(29:40):
visas to Australia, like onlyfour thousand of those were
construction workers.
Yeah, I'd say we probably need aa massive influx, yeah,
absolutely of that.
Like I um I I love Melbourne'sum barista culture and and you
know, I love everything aboutMelbourne, but it's like um I
don't know.
Like if like I don't knowthere's there's certain skills
(30:03):
on there that that perhaps wecould um forego for the moment
in order to make sure we'regetting the right skills in for
you know what we need and andand stuff.
So um yeah, I don't know.
I just think yeah, g genuinegenuine critique and genuine
sort of genuine analysis, justthey do get railroaded by
cleaners and it's they're notthey're not doing any favors.
SPEAKER_01 (30:27):
So we need to keep our eye on the the cooker wars,
um see what they're saying nowand keep keep you know keep up
with the refutation and keep upwith the debunking because we
don't want vulnerable people umto be caught up in this.
There is never any solution.
It is never a solution to join agroup of conspiracy theorists.
(30:51):
They never they are never evergoing to have the answer because
everything they say, nothing isgrounded in reality or truth,
correct?
SPEAKER_00 (30:59):
It's a road to misery.
It's a road to misery.
You stare into it at your ownperil.
SPEAKER_01 (31:05):
Yeah, yeah.
You stare into the abyss of theconspiracy theorists or up at
the sky at the at the contrails.
What do they call them?
The chemtrails, the madness ofthat.
Well, that was a delight, SnakeyGherkin.
Thank you very much.
Now I know that you're superbusy and you have a family and
you have a very important jobbeing a spy.
I know that.
Um but will you come back onagain and let's report on the
(31:27):
next round?
SPEAKER_00 (31:28):
I'd love to.
Yeah, let's do um, I think the15th one's gonna be a bit of a
bit of a fizzle.
Uh but let's let's let's wrapthem both up after the 30th of
November, perhaps.
And we'll we can we can do that.
And um yeah, for sure.
Happy to be on.
SPEAKER_01 (31:43):
Um sorry I've I've got a bit of it hard to get a
hold of lately, but I know it'sbecause of your extensive spy
work, and I understand it.
Yeah, it's hot.
The gherkin is busy.
Yeah, yeah, the the gherkin isis is very caught up in the uh
in this in the spy world.
All right, it's been lovelytalking to you.
Thank you.
Um thank you so much, and thankyou so much, listeners, for
(32:05):
tuning in.
Um, as always, stay safe, staywell, keep your critical
thinking hats on.
See you later.
Bye.
Thanks for tuning in to WhySmart Women with me, Annie
McCubbin.
I hope today's episode hasignited your curiosity and left
you feeling inspired by myanti-motivational style.
(32:27):
Join me next time as we continueto unravel the fascinating
layers of our brains and developways to sort out the fact from
the fiction and the over 6,000thoughts we have in the course
of every day.
Remember, intelligence isn'tenough.
You can be as smart as paint,but it's not just about what you
know, it's about how you think.
(32:48):
And in all this talk of whetheror not you can trust your gut.
If you ever feel unsafe, whetherit's in the street, work, car
park, in a bar, or in your ownhome, please, please respect
that gut feeling.
Staying safe needs to be ourprimary objective.
We can build better lives, butwe have to stay safe to do that.
(33:10):
And don't forget to subscribe,rate, and review the podcast and
share it with your fellow smartwomen and allies.
Together we're hopefullyreshaping the narrative around
women and making betterdecisions.
So until next time, stay sharp,stay savvy, and keep your
critical thinking hat shiny.
This is Annie McCubbin signingoff from White Smart Women.
(33:32):
See you later.
This episode was produced byHarrison Hest.
It was executive produced andwritten by me, Annie McCubbin.
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