Socially Democratic

On Monday afternoon, independent federal member for Indi, Helen Haines, was struck by a vehicle outside her office in Wangaratta. She was flown to the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where she remains in a critical condition.

Whatever the circumstances, Monday’s events in Wangaratta have shone a spotlight on something that that many of us have been watching with growing concern - threats against elected representatives are rising, offices are being attacked, and violent language is more common in the political discourse.

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Labor member for Macnamara, Josh Burns MP, fo...

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with the October Mailbag, and with the Victorian state election just weeks away, this one’s a cracker.

Former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and two-time election-winning Labor leader Michael Gunner joins the ever-reliable Lissie Ratcliff and host Stephen Donnelly to answer your questions.

Three big threads this month: the Nationals and whether they have any idea how to fight One Nation on their own turf. How to hand over power in a Westminster system without handing your party a disaster. And whether minority governments are re...

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic continues 'The Recount', our month-by-month journey through every federal election since 1972.

On the 18th of May 1974, just 17 months after Labor's historic It's Time victory, Gough Whitlam was forced back to the polls. He hadn't chosen to go early. He'd been pushed by a Senate that refused to pass his legislation, a Country Party senator kept drunk on Townsville prawns, and a Queensland premier who moved faster than his own government.

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Dr. Stephen Mills, journalist and former speechwriter in Bob Hawke's office, to examine...

Socially Democratic turns its attention to one of the most consequential elections in Israeli history.

On the 27th of October, Israel goes to the polls. Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Will Cubbison, political consultant based in Israel and holder of a PhD in political science from George Washington University, to unpack the complexities of Israeli electoral politics ahead of what could be a historic vote.

We break down:

🗳️ How the Knesset works, and why Israel's fully closed list proportional system produces such volatile and fragmented results

🔵 The opposition bloc, the Democrat...

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with the Feeney (McCrone) Files, with Lissie Ratcliff subbing in for David Feeney. 

This month's episode covers three big threads: the media's campaign to blame the Andrews government for Victorian Labor's current polling slump, the Albanese government's immigration announcement and what it means for One Nation's vote, and what it means to be authentic in modern politics.

We cover:

🏛️ The Andrews legacy. Did eleven years of Labor government neglect the West and the North, or is the media rewriting history 67 days out from a state electi...

On the 2nd of December 1972, after 23 years of Coalition government, Gough Whitlam led Labor to victory with one of the most celebrated campaigns in Australian political history. 

But how effective was it at the time? 

And what does the story of that campaign reveal about how elections are actually won?

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Dr Stephen Mills (journalist, former speechwriter in Bob Hawke's office, and author of multiple books on elections) for a deep dive into the 1972 federal election.

They cover the Labor split of the 1950s and how it...

Secret Harbour, Labor's Longevity, and other Mailbag Questions with Lissie Ratcliff and Michael Gunner | Australia's Labor Podcast

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with the September Mailbag. 

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by regular guest Lissie Ratcliff, as well as former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Michael Gunner.

They cover:

🤔 Is Labor building a genuine generational realignment, or just winning on preferential voting and Liberal collapse? 

🌊 A 22% primary swing against Labor in Secret Harbour, a One Nation winner on 40% of the vote, and what it tells us about...

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is launching something new.

Starting next month, we're embarking on a two-year series called The Recount: a month-by-month deep dive into every single federal election since 1972. That's 21 elections, one per episode, all the way from Gough Whitlam's 'It's Time' to Labor's historic 2025 victory. 

No one has ever done long-form analysis of Australian federal campaigns quite like this. We're going to speak to the people who were in the room, examine what actually happened, from the strategy, the technology, and the seminal moments that turned each election. We ask the q...

This special episode of Socially Democratic was recorded live at the Victorian Trades Hall Council, as a fundraiser for four Labor women fighting battleground seats in November: Michaela Settle (Eureka), Daniela De Martino (Monbulk), Pauline Richards (Cranbourne) and Belinda Wilson (Narre Warren North).

🙏 A huge thank you to Trades Hall for hosting us. 🙏

Alongside our Labor MPs, host Stephen Donnelly is joined by David Feeney and Jessie McCrone. They cover:

📊 The polling: what Labor's 23-25% primary actually means in a three-party race

🏛️ Why this election is existential for the Liberal Party, and potentiall...

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic returns to one of the most important and difficult conversations in Australian public life. In December last year, following the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach that killed 15 Jewish Australians on the first night of Hanukkah, we spoke about the rise of antisemitism in Australia and the Left's role in allowing it to fester. We promised to follow up.

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is now in its sixth month of hearings. Over 20,000 submissions have been made in the largest community response to any Royal Commission in Australian history...

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with the August Mailbag. It's just Stephen and Lissie this month, with Todd Pinkerton away temporarily. 

Lissie Ratcliff joins host Stephen Donnelly for a packed episode covering teacher strikes in Victoria, the Suburban Rail Loop saga, gambling reform, UK Politics, and a deep dive into the US Democratic primaries.

They cover:

📚 The AEU teacher strikes. The union's own leadership had a deal voted down by its members - so how do the AEU and the Carroll government get this over the line before the election?

Socially Democratic goes live at the 50th ALP National Conference Fringe in Adelaide for a special panel on one of the Labor Party's most important and least discussed challenges: how do we grow our membership, and how do we keep people once they join?

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Todd Pinkerton, Director of Campaigns and Strategy at Unions NSW; Bisma Asif, Member for Sandgate in the Queensland Parliament; and Hannah MacLeod, Executive Director SA/NT at the McKell Institute.

They cover:

🧩 Why there's no coordinated national strategy for Labor Party recruitment, and wha...

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic goes live at the 50th ALP National Conference in Adelaide.

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by David Feeney and Jessie McCrone for a wide-ranging night of conference trivia, half-year report cards, and hot takes.

They cover:

🏛️ Conference democracy. Has expanding the ALP National Conference to 400 delegates made it more powerful or less?

🌟 South Australia's golden era. Penny Wong, Don Farrell, Mark Butler, Peter Malinauskas, and why the SA branch is punching well above its weight

Plus,

📊 Half-year report cards. 

🍺 Conference triv...

Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with a snap episode. Victoria has a new Premier.

On Monday and Tuesday, in a matter of 48 hours, Jacinta Allan was replaced by Ben Carroll, who is now the 50th Premier of Victoria.

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by two people who know Victorian Labor politics from the inside: former Victorian State Secretary and MP David Feeney, and former Chief of Staff to the Daniel Andrews - Lissie Ratcliff.

They unpack:

🏛️ The plot. Sunday night's factional conveners meeting, Monday's delegation, the cabinet meeting, the l...

This episode of Socially Democratic is a special two-parter recorded on the eve of the ALP National Conference in Adelaide.

Part one: pollster John Armitage from Qdos Research joins Stephen for a mid-year federal check-in. One Nation is at 30% in Newspoll. The Liberals have collapsed to 19%. And the swing is coming from women.

Part two: Priya Brown from GRA Partners breaks down the Secret Harbour by-election in WA: a long winter campaign in a mortgage-belt seat that One Nation has firmly in its sights.

📊 One Nation at 30%: what it means on two-party preferred, and...

Socially Democratic is back with the July Mailbag, and we're here to answer your questions on AI regulation, nationalising critical infrastructure, and whether Victorians should be nervous about the state election.

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by former Chief of Staff to Daniel Andrews and Managing Partner at FMRS Advisory Lissie Ratcliff, and the Director of Campaigns and Strategy at Unions NSW, Todd Pinkerton.

They cover:

🤖 Albanese's big AI speech. Is it a fundamental shift in the government's position, or just a step in the right direction?

🏭 The recent Telstra outage prompt...

Socially Democratic goes live at the New South Wales Labor State Conference Fringe for a special episode recorded in front of a live audience at Sydney Town Hall.

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by regular guest and Unions NSW Director of Campaigns and Strategy Todd Pinkerton, Federal Member for Cunningham Alison Byrnes, and ALP National Assistant Secretary Rosie Ryan.

They cover:

🏛️ What makes the NSW Labor Conference unlike any other political event in Australia

🗳️ How the McKell Model keeps Labor's three pillars (rank and file, parliamentary party, and unions) working together

⚖...

Apologies to our listeners for the technical difficulties this week. 

Socially Democratic heads to Victorian Trades Hall for a special episode with two of the most important figures in the Victorian trade union movement.

Luke Hilakari, Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, and Wil Stracke, Assistant Secretary, join host Stephen Donnelly to talk organising, digital campaigning, the rise of One Nation, and what happens to working people when AI reshapes the economy.

This is a rare inside look at how Trades Hall went from a place that passed resolutions to one of t...

This episode of Socially Democratic covers a massive month in Australian politics: One Nation's rise, Pauline at the National Press Club, and a Victorian Labor leadership non-challenge that fizzled before it started.

David Feeney is back on the Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone and host Stephen Donnelly.

They cover:

💰 $4 million in 48 hours? One Nation's digital fundraising machine and what it signals.

🎤 Pauline at the Press Club: What she got right, what she got wrong, and the GetUp stunt.

🏛️ The Victorian leadership non-challenge: Why it fizzled and what it means for Novembe...

Host Stephen Donnelly sits down with NSW ALP General Secretary Dom Ofner ahead of the NSW Labor Conference, July 4–5 at Sydney Town Hall.

They cover:

🏛️ Why the NSW Conference is unlike any other political event in Australia, and why it has to be at Town Hall

📜 The McKell Model: how NSW Labor keeps government and party in balance

🎯 Safe seats aren't safe anymore. Rethinking the target seat strategy in five-party politics

🤖 NSW's nation-leading reforms on AI-generated campaign content

📅 What this conference sets up as the last one before March 2027<...

This episode of Socially Democratic is the June Mailbag. Todd Pinkerton and Lissie Ratcliff answer your questions on AI, the budget, progressive media, and the future of cheap beer.

🤖 Is Labor seriously game-planning for an AI-driven jobs crisis? 

🏠 A month on from the budget, has it landed with people, and why is One Nation still rising? 

📱 Does Labor need its own media ecosystem, or do we already have one? 

📺 Why authentic, unpolished content beats polished TV ads every time, and why we still can't let go 

📖 The watch list: Tony Blair's big es...

In this episode of Socially Democratic, your Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast, host Stephen Donnelly is joined by senior Democratic consultant and former Obama field organiser Katie Parsons for a deep dive into the state of the Democratic Party.

The DNC finally released its post-mortem of the 2024 Harris presidential campaign. It was, to put it diplomatically, not great. Neither the campaign, nor the post-mortem. So what do we actually know about what went wrong, and is the party any closer to having answers?

With the US midterms six months away and the 2028 presidential primary...

This episode of Socially Democratic covers the May federal budget: the politics, the comms, and what it means for Labor heading into the next Victorian election.

David Feeney is away, so Stephen Donnelly and Jessie McCrone are joined this month by Lissie Ratcliff, former Andrews Chief of Staff and regular Mailbag guest, for a cracking Feeney Files sans Feeney.

They cover: 

🏠 Whether the budget's political reception actually matters, and why it's a three-budget plan. 

📱 The influencer lockup strategy: right call, mixed execution. 

🏛️ NSW Labor's budget pushback: tactical positioning or unhelpful nois...

This episode of Socially Democratic discusses the UK local, Scottish, and Welsh election results, and what Labour's historic collapse means for social democracy.

Reform UK surged across England, Scotland, and Wales. Labour lost its 115-year dominance in Wales. And inside the Parliamentary Labour Party, calls for Keir Starmer to stand down are growing louder.

Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by two insiders who know British Labour politics intimately:

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 John McTernan, former senior advisor to Tony Blair and Former Director of Communications for Julia Gillard.

🇦🇺 David Feeney, former federal MP and State Labor Campaign Director.

This episode of Socially Democratic discusses the 2026 Federal Budget — Jim Chalmers' most ambitious yet — with Emma Dawson, Executive Director of the Chifley Research Centre, and economist Adam Triggs, Partner at Mandala. 

Is this really the most significant tax reform package in a quarter of a century? Stephen, Emma, and Adam think so. Here's why.

💰 Negative gearing reform and capital gains tax — what's actually changing, who it targets, and why the grandfathering provisions matter more than the headlines suggest

🏡 Housing affordability — how the modelling behind 75,000 new homeowners works, and what the reforms could realistically do to property...

In this topical, fully-loaded episode of Socially Democratic , Stephen, Todd, and Lissie convene to answer our most pressing Mailbag questions - and add a few thoughts of their own. 

Our listeners asked:

🏡 If the Treasury scraps or reduces negative gearing and capital gains tax benefits in the next federal budget - will it actually help younger generations? 

🤑In focusing almost exclusively on concrete gains like worker protections and cost-of-living relief, is the ALP missing an opportunity to speak to the broader disaffection of Australian workers with an economy that appears to be leaving them beh...

This episode of Socially Democratic brings Stephen, David, and Jessie back together to discuss Labor news and politics over the past month - and envision what’s to come.

They cover:

💰The May Federal Budget announcement: What sort of scenarios must be planned for with the ongoing fuel crisis? Which potential cost-of-living reforms are likely to unfold, and how should the government communicate those decisions to the Australian public?

⚖️ The High Court Decision on Election Donations: How this decision to strike down Victoria’s donation cap laws has national implications, and how this might open...

How did the well-oiled machine that built the historic Obama campaign in 2008 fail so catastrophically in 2024?

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This week on Socially Democratic, Stephen speaks with Josh Cook and Greta Carnes about their report ‘The Future of Democratic Organizing’.

Greta is a political campaigner and researcher, while Josh is an expert in digital strategy and engagement. Both are U.S.-based ‘Obama for America’ alums with over a decade of experience in national campaigns.

We ask:

🤝 What is “relational organising” and why is it so critical now?

📐 How do we measure impa...

This week on Socially Democratic, Stephen speaks with John Armitage, one of the most respected social researchers and communication strategists on the Australian left.

As recent polls have shown, the political landscape in Australia is rapidly shifting. So what's next? Where to now for the Labor Party, the Liberal Party and One Nation?

They cover:

🔴 How should State Labor and the ALP position themselves if they want to continue being seen as the natural party of government?

🔵 What will become of the Liberal Party? Who are they today, and why have they s...

Todd Pinkerton, Campaign Director for Unions NSW, and Lissie Ratcliff, Managing Partner at FMRS Advisory and fmr Chief of Staff to Premier Daniel Andrews, are back this month to answer your burning mailbag questions.

This episode of Socially Democratic discusses:

📺Prime Minister Albanese’s National Address. What did he do right, and how could he have used that time to bring the nation together in a time of crisis?

⛽Despite the ceasefire, the war in Iran and the resulting fuel crisis aren’t going away any time soon. How are states responding to ease the...

Happy long weekend, Social Democrats!

In this episode of Socially Democratic, Stephen sits down with economist Adam Triggs, a Partner at Mandala and Non-Resident Fellow at The Brookings Institution and ANU.

They discuss the issues that are top-of-mind for many Australians, including:

⛽The Fuel Crisis - How does the war in Iran impact things like GDP, inflation, and unemployment? What can we do to reduce the demand for oil in Australia?

😫Inflation - Why the Reserve Bank of Australia should not be the first port of call for keeping inflation under contr...

This week on Australia's favourite Labor politics and campaigns podcast:

🎉 Congratulations to Premier Peter Malinauskas, the entire SA Labor campaign, and the people of South Australia!

🧩 Matt, Hannah, and Stephen analyse the party's historic win, seat by seat.

📈 Plus, we look at the benefits of winning with such a large margin, particularly with regard to campaign funding and the "freedom to lead".

⚠️ But - One Nation has a strong showing, even winning a seat in the lower house. How can Labor ensure they don't gain more ground?

📉 The Liberal Vote sees large...

In this episode of Socially Democratic:

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

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

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

🔥 Plus, a robust debate on the Kos Samaras article: The Death of th...

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

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

Together they unpack:

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

🏛️ How the Federal Government and the Opposition are approaching women’s policy, and why structural challenges don’...

In this episode of Socially Democratic:

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

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

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

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

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

Mentioned...

In this episode of Socially Democratic:

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

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

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

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

🌎 “Social Cohesion” has entered the chat once more, t...

In this episode of Socially Democratic:

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

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

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

🫣 How To Vote preferences deals were announced - and we ask, did th...

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

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

✅ Peter Malinauskas's record as Premier, 

✅ Political messaging from the major parties, 

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

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

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

Hey Social Democrats. It's that time again!

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

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

🏗️ We also unpack the CFMEU controversy — including the media’s rush to amplify a back-of-the-envelope $15 billion figure — and what it means politically for the Victorian Allan Labor government. How can Labor get back on the front foot and tell a powerfu...

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

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

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

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

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

🧩 How has the fragmented media environmen...