"The Week on Wednesday" with Van Badham & Ben Davison

Van Badham is joined by the articulate an impassioned Emma Dawson of the Chifley Research Centre to get down and dirty in the "earthquake" aftermath of the Albanese Labor government's nation-changing 2026 Budget. Van and Emma think that Dr Jim Chalmer's has got the right mix of ambition, pragmatism and sweet, sweet tax reform... but what are the opposition parties and online commentariat saying and does it match any reality whatsoe...

Van Badham and Ben Davison pack a bumper 90 minute episode with the deep explanations you need to understand the Alabanese Labor government's 2026 Australian budget delivered by Dr Jim Chalmers. Get some clarity amidst the aaaaabsolute nonsense being spread by OH, YOU WOULD NEVER GUESS WHO in the media and online as Germanicus the dachshund snores sweetly in the background. Not only will you hear in this episode literally everythin...

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 discuss the Albanese government’s reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, gassing about taxes ahead of the budget, and some truly amazing news - about the environment - out of Ukraine. There’s lots of union news relevant to, well, everyone who works - and you can also help the good...

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 EU/Ukraine implications. They then explore Trump’s escalation with Iran, chaotic U.S. decision-making, international peace efforts, and whether it was wise for Trump to declare a culture war against the actual Vatican. How does this relate to the Ben Roberts‑Smith civil and criminal proceeding...

This week, Van Badham and Ben Davison juggle a chaotic dog incident while discussing multi‑employer bargaining and planned industrial action by local government workers in Victoria. The dogs calm down enough for Van and Ben to get into the details of the spike in fuel prices driven by Middle East and Ukraine conflicts - and the related misinformation about this online. The discussion around Australia’s fuel reserves and policy resp...

In robust form, Van and Ben discuss South Australian election - Labor’s emphatic win, One Nation’s vote versus their actual seats and how Liberal collapse is about a specifically right‑wing fragmentation, whatever fantasy alternative scenario the online and offline commentariat prefers to entertain. They get into the meaty detail of the new Australia-EU trade agreement (good news for wine lovers AND people who love democracy) and V...

Van Badham (on her own while Ben’s away!) explores Australia’s new parliament, a record-breaking Labor majority, and freshly shuffled cabinet - but the real news? Susssssan Ley may be the Liberals’ new leader, but is she flying the Liberal plane straight into the glass cliff? Meanwhile, the Greens are fighting amongst themselves (again) about putting the “landlord” into “leadership” and Captain Carry On - aka, Andrew Hastie - role ...

Van Badham and Ben Davison deliver an unmissable post-election edition of The Week on Wednesday, unpacking one of the most extraordinary federal election results in Australian history. With Anthony Albanese securing Labor’s biggest win since WWII, defeating not just Peter Dutton but also Greens leader Adam Bandt, Van and Ben bring deep analysis, biting wit, and raw insight into:

- What led to Labor’s sweeping mandate - Why the Coal...

Van Badham and Ben Davison launch into analysis of the Australian election campaign so far, with Ben barely emerged from a three-day strategy lockdown at his job but happily reunited with faithful hound, Germanicus. 

Van has been keeping an eye on the election, and a couple of perturbing recent twists: parents from Catholic schools in key marginal seats received thinly-veiled “We’re not saying vote Liberal, but…” letters from the C...

Van Badham and Ben Davison are back - with new tech, new producer (welcome, Casper!), and a jam-packed episode on everything that matters. After three debates and polling momentum seeming to flow to Labor, Van and Ben pick apart three defining (and revealing) policy conversations of the election campaign: housing, health and education. From the ideological shockwaves of Dutton’s Trump-flavoured Coalition to Albo’s pitch for a Big L...

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, almost-unbelievable story of the Trump administration's "group chat" scandal, and some good news for African penguins.

Yes, the budget includes actual money for women's health (hello menopause clinics!), green iron, and schools. Yes, a real journalist got added to a U.S. government Signal chat w...

Van Badham and Ben Davison devote an episode to pulling apart the world’s most uncharismatic populist, Peter Dutton, as well as his energetic attempt to make Australia as dysfunctional as it was last time he was in government: with plans to reduce workplace pay and safety gains, sack 38,000 public servants, end fee-free TAFE, strip universal childcare provisions and dance for Gina Rinehart and the fossil fuel industry like an audit...

Van Badham and Ben Davison are FINALLY back! Today, they take "Auspol 2025" head-on. As a federal election looms, the episode explores reality versus hyperbole around the Australian economy and considers the role of disinformation warping the view. The good news is about the growth of Australia's renewables infrastructure set to energise MILLIONS of homes.

Ben shares his expert insights on the economic landscape, highlighting the s...

Van Badham and Ben Davison (and Germanicus the dog) HAVE RETURNED!

As Ben recovers from twelve months of illness, this long overdue return to The Week on Wednesday begins with heartfelt gratitude for the Medicare system, as you’d expect. Our delighted duo then analyze the first U.S. presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, highlighting Harris's effective preparation and Trump's off-cho...

Van Badham and Ben Davison journey into the heart of Australia's Federal Budget 2024.

Our hosts dissect Dr Jim’s reintroduction of nation building into macroeconomic management in a discussion that spans the breadth of the budget from fun nuance to big-picture policy decision and rejects the screaming-banana response of the Murdoch media.

Join our hosts as they examine how the media has bee...

Van Badham and Ben Davison have rescheduled Wednesday to a Monday this week, to delve into the labyrinth of policy complexities surrounding the fight to end violence against women and children, highlighting the frustrations and challenges faced and dissecting the terrifying implications of a private school’s latest misconduct scandal.

As the Albanese government makes a string of announcements wiping stud...

Van Badham and Ben Davison start their Wednesday on a Thursday with discussion of the federal government’s “Future Made in Australia” policy suite, and just what a policy dedicated to local jobs exposes about the people who criticises it and why unions are supporting it.  Join your union at australianunions.org.au/wow

SPOILER ALERT: trickle down economics gets the rightful kicking from Ben that it deserv...

Baby, we are BACK! Van and Ben return after a super frustrating hiatus to discuss the issues of the day in their inimitable style. 

The recent Tasmanian election has thrown up a complex and divided result, delivering more crossbenchers to the parliament than opposition members, and the Liberals forming minority government with nothing to guarantee the passage of legislation but wild hope. Ben and Van discuss this in the context of ...

Ben Davison returns to take a look at a week in parliament that saw the Closing Loopholes bill pass the lower house, the greens and coalition team up to block the new shared home equity scheme, the mess that Labor is trying to clean up from Dutton's unlawful immigration detention scheme and Julian Hill's inquiry into Employment services.

The Employment services inquiry has found a huge amount of waste, an ideological system that pu...