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Cut Through

Crikey
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91 episodes

  • Cut Through

    Inside the Herzog protest inquiry police wanted kept secret

    05/11/2026 | 30 mins.
    After a protest in Sydney against a visit from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, social media was flooded with videos of police pushing, punching and pepper-spraying protesters. Months later, those same protesters are still waiting for answers from NSW Police as the force is subject to an investigation by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

    Charlie Lewis speaks to Tina Quinn about her interviews with those protesters, how the police tried to prevent some evidence from going public, and what this means for the future of protest policing in NSW and across Australia.

    Today’s episode covers:

    Recap: What happened at the Isaac Herzog protest
    How the NSW Police commissioner tried to limit scrutiny
    The ‘draconian’ crackdown on protest in Australia
    Stories from the protesters
    Hannah Thomas: “It felt like they were at war with us”
    Will the “Permanent Armed Response” team be used at demonstrations?
    What’s next for the protesters and the commission?

    Read the transcript here, watch or listen to the episode above.

    READ MORE:
    "Has changed my life irrevocably": The Herzog protesters are still waiting for answers

    Want to ask us a question? Send an email to letters@crikey.com.au or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/

    Subscribe to Crikey now to get 60% off your annual subscription! https://campaigns.crikey.com.au/subscribe
    Sign up to Crikey’s free newsletter: https://bit.ly/crikey-newsletter

    Crikey’s independent journalism is supported by readers — 98% of our revenue comes from our subscribers. We’re not accountable to billionaires; we’re accountable to you.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Cut Through

    Can One Nation clean up in Victoria? Antony Green gives his verdict

    28/10/2026 | 36 mins.
    With Victorians going to the ballot box in just a few weeks, the story of this state election is already being written. One Nation, the Coalition and Labor are neck and neck in some polls, so is a change of government inevitable?

    This week on Cut Through, Antony Green, ABC election legend and Crikey contributor joins our politics editor Bernard Keane and Rachel Withers to talk about the most significant state election in decades, the key seats to watch – and what One Nation’s chances really are of scooping up major party losses.

    Plus, are predictions of a Labor wipe-out unfounded?

    Today’s episode covers:
    How significant is the Victorian state election?
    Ones to watch: the biggest contests on November 28
    Problems One Nation will face at the ballot box
    Jess Wilson’s chances of scooping up key seats
    Lessons from South Australia
    Why independents will struggle this time round
    Will Labor’s red wall in Melbourne’s west fall to One Nation?
    The Greens chances of going double-digits

    Read the transcript here, watch or listen to the episode above.

    READ MORE:
    Could the Greens flip these ‘sleeper’ seats in Victoria?
    Where the teals at? Independents face a tough battle in Victoria — but don’t count them out
    Can this new party win seats off Labor in Melbourne’s neglected western suburbs?

    Want to ask us a question? Send an email to letters@crikey.com.au or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/
    Subscribe to Crikey now to get 60% off your annual subscription! https://campaigns.crikey.com.au/subscribe
    Want to ask us a question? Send an email to letters@crikey.com.au or contact us using the secure methods detailed here.
    Subscribe to Crikey now to get 60% off your annual subscription!
    Sign up to Crikey’s free newsletter: https://bit.ly/crikey-newsletter

    Crikey’s independent journalism is supported by readers — 98% of our revenue comes from our subscribers. We’re not accountable to billionaires; we’re accountable to you.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Cut Through

    Why liberalism is worth saving

    21/10/2026 | 36 mins.
    With the fragmentation and loss of belief in the Liberal Party, the future of liberalism itself these days doesn’t look bright. But what would a “post-liberal” world look like?

    This week on Cut Through, Tim Dean, resident philosopher at The Ethics Centre, joins Rachel Withers to talk about why liberalism is worth fighting for despite its flaws, and the ways that the left and the right can join together to fight disillusion, division and dismay. Plus, the moral erosion of the Trump administration’s short-lived promise of a livestreamed execution.

    Today’s episode covers:
    The threats to liberalism
    What are the problems with liberalism today?
    What should the left be doing differently?
    What should the right be doing differently?
    The perversions of neoliberalism
    The immorality of public executions
    What does public execution signal to a population?
    How technology disseminates violence

    Read the transcript here, watch or listen to the episode above.
    Want to ask us a question? Send an email to letters@crikey.com.au or contact us using the secure methods detailed here.

    Read more:
    The only thing worse than liberalism is everything else
    What’s wrong with public executions?

    Want to ask us a question? Send an email to letters@crikey.com.au or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/

    Subscribe to Crikey now to get 60% off your annual subscription!
    Sign up to Crikey’s free newsletter: https://bit.ly/crikey-newsletter

    Crikey’s independent journalism is supported by readers — 98% of our revenue comes from our subscribers. We’re not accountable to billionaires; we’re accountable to you.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Cut Through

    A new Green stone in Albo's Shoe(Bridge)

    15/10/2026 | 37 mins.
    Parliament is back in session, and there’s a new Greens leader on the scene to cause trouble for Anthony Albanese. Crikey’s politics reporter Anton Nilsson and journalist Tina Quinn discuss how Labor’s agenda is holding up against attacks from all sides.

    Plus, Josh Frydenberg’s incredible comeback story gets better every time, and how the scourge of “drops” to favourable journalists weakens the media and lets politicians off scot-free.

    Today’s episode covers:
    Digital Duty of Care bill and the Liberal Party’s picky relationship with “free speech”
    America’s “extraordinary” intervention in Australian tech legislation
    Can Labor and David Shoebridge get along?
    Will Angus Taylor’s “war on small business” attack lay a glove on Labor?
    (Another) great Josh Frydenberg comeback story
    The scourge of political drops and “horse race journalism”

    Read the transcript here, watch or listen to the episode above.
    Want to ask us a question? Send an email to letters@crikey.com.au or contact us using the secure methods detailed here.

    Read more:
    ‘Addicted to drops’: Insiders spill on why Australian media is silent on One Nation’s press ban

    ‘People are human’: David Shoebridge on leadership rival tensions, a Labor alliance, and the Greens’ future

    Debt-king Josh Frydenberg was a terrible treasurer — but he’s right on GST

    Want to ask us a question? Send an email to letters@crikey.com.au or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/

    Subscribe to Crikey now to get 60% off your annual subscription!
    Sign up to Crikey’s free newsletter: https://bit.ly/crikey-newsletter

    Crikey’s independent journalism is supported by readers — 98% of our revenue comes from our subscribers. We’re not accountable to billionaires; we’re accountable to you.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Cut Through

    Is the ‘Nerd Reich’ gaslighting Australia on data centres?

    08/10/2026 | 36 mins.
    In a special Q&A episode of Cut Through, Rachel puts your questions to long-time Crikey contributors, climate analyst Ketan Joshi and Dr Ben Eltham, about the unfortunate topic de jour: the rapid proliferation of data centres. What are they? Do we actually need them? And what is the benefit — if any — of having them operate on Australian soil?

    Plus, the AI wins we’ve had so far, and how this is a critical time in the battle against the normalisation of energy-guzzling, slop-producing data warehouses.

    Today’s episode covers:
    What exactly is a data centre and do we need them?
    Artificial intelligence, energy use and personal responsibility
    Does Australia actually benefit from housing data centres?
    “Sovereignty-washing” and the lie of frontier models
    How the rest of the world is dealing with data centres
    The best-case scenario

    Read the transcript here, watch or listen to the episode above.
    Want to ask us a question? Send an email to letters@crikey.com.au or contact us using the secure methods detailed here.

    Read more:
    Canberra is ‘drinking the Kool-Aid’ on AI. Where will it take us?
    Doomsday AI cultists aren’t just good marketers — they’re capturing governments
    What Ireland’s cautionary tale on data centres can teach Australia
    NVIDIA’S AI Climate hoax

    Want to ask us a question? Send an email to letters@crikey.com.au or contact us using the secure methods detailed here: https://www.crikey.com.au/tip-off-crikey/
    Subscribe to Crikey now to get 60% off your annual subscription!
    Sign up to Crikey’s free newsletter: https://bit.ly/crikey-newsletter

    Crikey’s independent journalism is supported by readers — 98% of our revenue comes from our subscribers. We’re not accountable to billionaires; we’re accountable to you.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About Cut Through
Cut Through is Crikey’s spin-free analysis of Australian news, politics and power. Each week we break down the biggest news stories, stripping away the noise to bring you the information that really matters. Join us every Friday to get your talking points delivered the Crikey way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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