Best Andrew Holden Podcasts (2025)

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Luke McNamara on Hate Speech and the Law 27:16

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3h ago27:16

27:16

As state and federal governments move to criminalise forms of hate speech, it's time to look at what evidence shows about the effect that laws can have on hate speech and its victims, with legal expert Luke McNamara. This event was presented by the Sydney Writers' Festival and supported by UNSW Sydney. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform…

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Fair Work in the Age of AI 9:54

5d ago9:54

9:54

On 3 September 2025, I spoke on “Fair Work in the Age of AI” at the ACTU’s Seizing the Opportunities of AI While Protecting the Fair Go Symposium in Canberra. The transcript is available here:https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2025/speeches/address-seizing-opportunities-ai-while-protecting-fair-go…

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Kerrie Davies on Miles Franklin’s Little Known Years 30:37

5d ago30:37

30:37

Not two years after making Australian literary history with My Brilliant Career, Miles Franklin fell into obscurity – and when publishers rejected her subsequent novels, she left Australia for Chicago. Uncover the mysteries of the legend’s life with Kerrie Davies, whose Miles Franklin Undercover focuses on those lost years. It’s a real-life sequel …

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Toby Walsh on the Six Ideas You Need to Understand AI 24:37

13d ago24:37

24:37

As one of the world’s leading researchers in artificial intelligence, Toby Walsh has been awarded the Humbolt Research Award and elected as a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of AI. In The Shortest History of AI, Toby outlines the six key ideas for understanding artificial intelligence today. Hear Toby trace the origins of artificial i…

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Donna Strickland: Laser Jock 1:01:04

20d ago1:01:04

1:01:04

In 2018 Donna Strickland became the first woman in over 50 years to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, and only the third woman in history. Her award-winning work however began decades earlier. While undertaking her PhD Donna developed chirped pulse amplification – a unique way to amplify ultrashort laser pulses. This breakthrough paved not only the w…

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Adam Bayes on Mind-Altering Mental Health 28:41

29d ago28:41

28:41

Adam Bayes is leader in the field of mental health, working as a clinical academic psychologist at UNSW Sydney and a senior research fellow at the Black Dog Institute specialising in mood disorders including depressive and bipolar disorders. In this podcast Adam shares his cutting-edge research and clinical experience such as using ketamine to trea…

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Open Trade: Australia’s Strength 17:03

1M ago17:03

17:03

On 8 August 2025, I spoke at the Asialink Leaders Summit in Canberra on the value of free trade to Australia, and the case against tariffs. Transcript: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2025/speeches/address-asialink-leaders-summit-canberraBy Andrew Leigh MP

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Launching “Heads and Tales”, a history of coins 8:15

1M ago8:15

8:15

On 6 August 2025, I launched Granville Allen Mawer’s delightful book “Heads and Tales” at the Royal Australian Mint. The text of the speech is available at: https://www.andrewleigh.com/speech_the_heads_we_know_the_tales_we_didntBy Andrew Leigh MP

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Business Behaving Badly 56:58

1M ago56:58

56:58

Soaring and crashing stock prices, resigning CEOs and out of control labour practices: what is going on with Australian businesses? Award-winning labour relations lawyer and author of Working for the Brand: how corporations are destroying free speech, Josh Bornstein and award-winning senior business writer and investigative journalist Adele Ferguso…

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Anne Summers: 50 Years of Damned Whores and God's Police 55:55

2M ago55:55

55:55

Anne Summers’s Damned Whores and God’s Police was first published 50 years ago – a time when sexual harassment, domestic violence and date rape were unnamed and often ignored experiences for women in Australia. It would be another nine years before the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984. Hear Anne as the bestselling and multi-award-win…

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Government as a Learning Machine: Using Randomised Trials to Improve Productivity 22:40

2M ago22:40

22:40

On 29 July 2025, I spoke at the AFR Government Services Summit on the topic “Government as a Learning Machine: Using Randomised Trials to Improve Productivity”. The speech transcript is available at: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2025/speeches/address-afr-government-services-summit-canberra…

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The Shortest Histories of Everything: Andrew Ford and Andrew Leigh in conversation 51:02

2M ago51:02

51:02

Recorded live at the Sydney Writers’ Festival on 23 May 2025, I sat down with composer and writer Andrew Ford to discuss our latest books — The Shortest History of Music (Ford) and The Shortest History of Economics (Leigh). We explored how to distil complex subjects without losing their essence and why brevity can still hold truth.…

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Andrew Leigh and Richard Holden on Inequality 49:27

2M ago49:27

49:27

Economics Professor at UNSW Sydney Richard Holden (Money in the Twenty First Century) and Parliamentarian Andrew Leigh (The Shortest History of Economics) unpack economics as a global force that impacts wars, technological innovation and social change. In our contemporary world, what are the causes and consequences of economic inequality? And can e…

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How economics underpins change for the worse and the better: Conversation with Richard Holden 49:40

2M ago49:40

49:40

On 23 May 2025, I spoke with Economics Professor at UNSW Sydney, Richard Holden at the Sydney Writers' Festival where we unpack the causes and consequences of economic inequality.By Andrew Leigh MP

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Vanishing Histories 57:38

2M ago57:38

57:38

Miles Franklin is a literary legend now, but her story, and those of women like her, were nearly lost to the passage of time. Kerrie Davies unwinds the mysteries of Miles Franklin’s lost years in Miles Franklin Undercover: The little-known years when she created her own brilliant career, constructing a real-life sequel to My Brilliant Career using …

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Climate Warriors 59:42

2M ago59:42

59:42

The climate crisis is vast, complex and often feels both imminent and frustratingly out of our control. With global systems slow to change and the scale of the challenge immense, it’s easy to wonder if individual action could ever be enough. On World Environment Day, Climate Warriors brought together four transformative voices; renewable energy exp…

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The Art and Science of AI 55:41

2M ago55:41

55:41

Artificial intelligence’s collision with human creativity is one of the most important stories of our time. With the accelerating impact of AI, so much of what we understand about being human is being re-written. Acclaimed writer Jeanette Winterson (12 Bytes: How artificial intelligence will change the way we live and love) sees AI changing our liv…

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Consumer Trust in a Fast-Changing Australia 14:26

2M ago14:26

14:26

On 27 June 2025, I gave a keynote address at the National Consumer Congress in Melbourne, titled ‘Fair Go, Fair Markets: Consumer Trust in a Fast-Changing Australia’. The transcript is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2025/speeches/address-2025-national-consumer-congress-melbourne…

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The Progressive Productivity Agenda 32:26

3M ago32:26

32:26

On 25 June 2025, I spoke at a McKell Institute event in Sydney, setting out the Progressive Productivity Agenda. A transcript is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2025/speeches/address-mckell-institute-sydneyBy Andrew Leigh MP

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Queer Life, Love & Identity 1:09:55

3M ago1:09:55

1:09:55

Acclaimed Indonesian author Norman Erikson Pasaribu and award-winning Australian writer Dylin Hardcastle explore the joy, tenderness and triumphs of queer storytelling. Norman, best known for Happy Stories, Mostly, and their latest book My Dream Job, crafts tender yet sharp narratives about identity, faith and belonging, challenging the expectation…

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Colum McCann: The Truth Disconnect 50:59

3M ago50:59

50:59

Beneath the ocean’s surface, fibre-optic cables pulse with the entirety of our human existence – memes and messages, stock trades and state secrets. But when these fragile threads break, so too can the connections that bind us. Hear award-winning author Colum McCann join The Daily Aus’ Sam Koslowski to explore truth, misinformation and human connec…

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The Abundance Agenda for Australia 38:11

3M ago38:11

38:11

On 3 June 2025, I gave a speech at the Chifley Research Centre in Melbourne titled “The Abundance Agenda for Australia”. The transcript is available here: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2025/speeches/address-chifley-research-centre-melbourneBy Andrew Leigh MP

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Molten Ambitions: Building a Low-Carbon Future, One Tonne at a Time 11:37

4M ago11:37

11:37

On 26 May 2025, I launched the Superpower Institute’s report “A Green Iron Plan for Australia”. The text of the speech is here: https://www.andrewleigh.com/molten_ambitions_building_a_low_carbon_future_one_tonne_at_a_timeBy Andrew Leigh MP

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The Housing Crisis with Alan Kohler 46:04

4M ago46:04

46:04

Richard Holden | Alan Kohler Australia, a land of sweeping plains, has one of the lowest population densities on the planet. So, how did we end up with a housing shortage? In conversation with economist and author Richard Holden, veteran finance journalist Alan Kohler’s new Quarterly Essay, The Great Divide: Australia’s Housing Crisis and How to Fi…

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Dark Technologies 47:08

4M ago47:08

47:08

Machines lead the charge on today’s battlefields, but what does this mean for the people caught in the crossfire? Learn from journalist Antony Loewenstein, whose Walkley Award-winning investigation, The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World, uncovered the widespread commercialisation and global deplo…

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History of Sex 50:28

4M ago50:28

50:28

How did sex begin? How did it evolve to become so varied and complex in humans? And what could sex look like for future generations? Hosted by evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks, this blush-worthy panel discussion features sex historian Esmé Louise James and historian David Baker. Esmé adapted her wildly popular TikTok series into a book, Kinky Hist…

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The Fading Dream 57:07

4M ago57:07

57:07

Economist John N. Friedman has made a career researching the causes of inequality and its long-term consequences for children in the US. His findings are grim. Social mobility is in sharp decline. Where you live and go to school increasingly determines your success and future. Joining fellow economist, Richard Holden, Friedman will explore how poli…

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Ending the 'Tyranny' of Pregnancy 58:23

5M ago58:23

58:23

Brigitte Gerstl | Luara Ferracioli | Mianna Lotz | Chaired by Kathryn MacKay Is the emergence of artificial wombs and womb transplants a ‘boon’ or a ‘bane’ for women? Listen now to explore the transformative possibilities for reproductive autonomy that could redefine the very essence of motherhood. This session is presented as part of the Festival …

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Counterfeit People 57:16

5M ago57:16

57:16

The late philosopher and scientist, Daniel Dennett talked about ‘counterfeit people’ as one of the great dangers of AI – but are we now willing to court the same dangers through our adoption of multiple identities across the metaverse. Moving from the confinement of physical reality to the landscape of the metaverse, where looks, preferences, and g…

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Deborah Lawrie: The Fight to Fly 51:16

5M ago51:16

51:16

Over 40 years ago, Deborah Lawrie broke barriers to become Australia’s first female commercial airline pilot. Her path wasn’t easy — she battled a landmark High Court case to challenge gender discrimination in employment and prevailed, all while facing blatant prejudice and unapologetic misogyny. Deborah’s determination didn’t just open cockpit doo…

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Pankaj Mishra: Global Conflicts, Competing Narratives 56:32

5M ago56:32

56:32

In a timely and thought-provoking discussion, essayist and author of the recently released The World After Gaza, Pankaj Mishra reflects on the ongoing war in Gaza, examining how competing narratives of colonialism, national identity and justice collide with tragic consequences for all. In a conversation with philosopher and Executive Director of Th…

1
Silenced Women 1:04:16

6M ago1:04:16

1:04:16

More than one in four women in Australia have experienced domestic or family violence, and one in five have experienced sexual violence. Yet, despite survivors increasingly speaking out, systemic barriers to addressing gender-based violence persist. In a powerful and necessary conversation, internationally acclaimed lawyer Jennifer Robinson, NSW’s …

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Stronger Together: How Co-operatives Build a Fairer Economy 12:54

6M ago12:54

12:54

On 20 March 2025, I delivered an opening address at the Co-Op Federation Assembly titled “Stronger Together: How Co-operatives Build a Fairer Economy”. Transcript: https://www.andrewleigh.com/speech_stronger_together_how_co_operatives_build_a_fairer_economyBy Andrew Leigh MP

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The Least of These: Dignity, Justice, and the Fight Against Inequality 17:35

6M ago17:35

17:35

On 19 March, I spoke to the Catholic Social Services Australia Conference on the topic “The Least of These: Dignity, Justice, and the Fight Against Inequality“. Transcript: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-catholic-social-services-australia-conference-sydney…

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From Monopoly to Lego: Building a More Competitive Economy From the Ground Up 17:31

6M ago17:31

17:31

On 19 March 2025, I spoke at a Corones’ Law Competition Reform event on the topic “From Monopoly to Lego: Building a More Competitive Economy From the Ground Up”. Transcript: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-corones-law-competition-reform-event-sydneyBy Andrew Leigh MP

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Arian Prabowo | AI and Urban Progress 27:08

6M ago27:08

27:08

In a world where urban congestion and traffic delays plague our daily lives, Arian Prabowo examines how artificial intelligence can transform urban progress. He delves into practical solutions like improving traffic flow through AI-powered traffic lights and real-time navigation systems that adapt to changing conditions. Prabowo also tackles the cr…

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Understanding Evidence: Can we face the truth about the truth? – 2025 Fenner Lecture with Brian Schmidt 56:14

6M ago56:14

56:14

Every year I host the Fenner Lecture to encourage more young Canberrans to get excited by a career in science. 2025's lecture is titled, "Understanding Evidence: Can we face the truth about the truth?" presented by former ANU Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt. Brian Schmidt AC FAA FRS FTSE is Distinguished Professor of Astronomy at the Australian Natio…

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Why Competition Reform Is More Fun Than It Looks and More Significant Than You Thought 23:13

6M ago23:13

23:13

On 11 March 2025, I spoke to the Economic Society of Australia WA Branch’s ‘Economics on the Swan’ speaker series on ‘Why Competition Reform Is More Fun Than It Looks and More Significant Than You Thought’. Transcript: https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/andrew-leigh-2022/speeches/address-economics-swan-economic-society-australia-wa-branch…

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Leah Lui-Chivizhe | Why Ancestors Can’t Stay in Museums 25:39

6M ago25:39

25:39

In a stirring exploration of history and justice, Leah Lui-Chivizhe delves into the profound impact of colonial practices on Indigenous communities. She unravels the poignant narrative of Ancestral Remains taken from their lands and stored in museums—far from their people. Through her personal journey and research, Lui-Chivizhe illuminates the ongo…

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Nevena Krups | The Hidden Power of Friendship 32:15

6M ago32:15

32:15

Despite the rush of technological breakthroughs, we find ourselves drifting into a crisis of connection—profound loneliness and division. Nevena Krups takes us on a heartfelt journey, revealing how the ancient and seemingly simple art of friendship can serve as a powerful source to bridge divides and heal a fragmented society. Drawing from her poig…

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Matt O’Kane | Cyber Education: Progress or Peril? 30:52

7M ago30:52

30:52

Cyberattacks are fast becoming our biggest global threat - so why aren’t we better prepared? Matt O’Kane takes us on an inspiring journey from overcoming blindness to leading a cybersecurity business, shining a light on the evolving landscape of cyber threats. He critiques current cyber education methods, revealing how they often prepare students f…

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Kate Brady | Disasters are Awful: What Comes After Doesn't Have To Be 28:43

7M ago28:43

28:43

In a world increasingly besieged by disasters, Kate Brady addresses whether we are ready for what comes after. She paints a stark picture of the escalating frequency and intensity of calamities, from bushfires to cyclones. Brady challenges us to consider whether our current strategies are sufficient and calls for a radical shift in how we approach …

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David Mahon: China, a country 'full of DeepSeeks,' now sees NZ as 'a country of diplomatic infidelity' 37:58

7M ago37:58

37:58

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visiting India before China could be seen as an insult in China, Beijing-based New Zealander David Mahon says. But he says China's recently announced strategic partnership with the Cook Islands, through which NZ was kept in the dark, shouldn't be viewed as insult to, or provocation of, NZ. Mahon, who is Managing Dir…

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Kate Poole | How Can We Better Prepare Our Astronauts For Space Travel? 25:04

7M ago25:04

25:04

Have you ever wondered why astronauts return from the space station weak and struggling to walk? Kate Poole dives into the physiological challenges faced by astronauts during and after their missions. She explores the effects of microgravity on the human body, including muscle atrophy and bone density loss. Poole highlights the cutting-edge researc…

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Sebastian Sequoiah-Grayson | Australia and Asia: Working Together for a Prosperous Future 26:50

7M ago26:50

26:50

In a reflection that spans centuries, Sebastian Sequoiah-Grayson recounts the tumultuous history and promising future of Australia. He draws us into the dramatic events of the Lambing Flat Riots and their lasting impact on anti-Chinese sentiment, weaving in personal anecdotes of his great-grandfather’s compassionate actions. Sequoiah-Grayson challe…

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S1 E4 - Divina Rita van den Berg 55:19

9M ago55:19

55:19

Divina Rita van den Berg is a spiritual teacher with a passion for natural healing. She has a firm belief in the power of self healing, balancing her career between conventional and alternative medicine. Divina Rita is an International Instructor with the Modern Mystery School; Professionally Certified Healer, Teacher, Guide, Kabbalist, and a 3rd S…

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Nicola Willis: Growing the economy without spending 29:10

9M ago29:10

29:10

Stats NZ’s final data release for the year revealed the economy has been shrinking at its fastest rate in three decades. While this may not be a very Merry Christmas, there is still hope for a Happy New Year. Treasury, the Reserve Bank, and most economists expect growth to resume in 2025 as interest rates fall. Consumer spending should pick back up…

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Jennifer Doudna: The Gene Editing Revolution 1:24:23

9M ago1:24:23

1:24:23

Join a full house at the Sydney Opera House with Nobel winning scientist Jennifer Doudna and Big Ideas' host Natasha Mitchell to discuss the huge social, ethical, and scientific implications of the CRISPR gene editing revolution. From curative therapies to gene edited babies - will we use it to hack our own evolution? Presented by Sydney Opera Hous…

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Democracy Reimagined: New Thinking for the 21st Century 42:37

9M ago42:37

42:37

Cooperation is our superpower, and democracy is a foundation of human progress. But we take them for granted at our peril. In some of the strongest democracies, democratic principles are being undermined while many voices are ignored. In this conversation Nobel Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman tells her story of her determination to bring peace and d…

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Facts, Fictions and Critical Thinking 41:42

9M ago41:42

41:42

Facts matter. The scientific process matters. The ability to think critically is essential to navigate our world, to make good decisions and to solve some of the world’s most intractable problems. Nobel Prize laureate Saul Perlmutter believes everyone can learn the skills scientists use to think critically so that they don’t fool themselves. Saul i…