Socially Democratic (2025)

10/07/2025

Ep. 306: The Man Who Would Be Premier is Out Now!!

Listen here: https://linktr.ee/sociallydemocratic

Meet the man challenging the Libs for the leadership of Tasmania: Dean Winter of Tasmanian Labor .

It’s been only 15 months since Jeremy Rockliff was re-elected the Premier of Tasmania, but last month a nail-biting, nearly-tied no-confidence vote in the government threw the state into political uncertainty.

Opposition Leader Dean Winter was behind that motion. Now Tasmanians are returning to the polls on Saturday 19 July. This week he speaks to us about why he did it, how the Liberals have bungled the budget, and what he envisions for the future of Tasmania.

Donate here: https://taslabor.org.au/donate/donate/
Volunteer here: https://taslabor.org.au/get-involved/volunteer/

New episodes every Friday.

03/07/2025

Ep. 305: Progress and Politics in the Catholic Church is Out Now!

Listen here: https://linktr.ee/sociallydemocratic

On May 8, 2025, Vatican reporter Colleen Dulle was in Rome, covering the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor. Her days were long, spent trawling through international coverage, meeting with sources inside the Vatican and other journalists, as well as attending daily Vatican press conferences.

But once the conclave began, the flow of information screeched to a halt. Millions of eyes watched their only source: the chimney on the Sistine Chapel.

In this stillness, the air hung with anticipation, Colleen thought she had time for a quick bathroom break in the press office. That’s when she heard the shouts: “Bianca! Bianca!” White smoke! White smoke!

Follow this story and more in our latest episode with the captivating Colleen Dulle. And congratulations to her on her new promotion to Vatican Correspondent at America Media!

Colleen’s Book 'Struck Down, Not Destroyed' - Available on Pre-Order:
https://tr.ee/fGRsgN

Colleen at America Magazine
https://tr.ee/e7q3r6

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The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

26/06/2025

Ep. # 304: Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone is Out Now!

Listen here: https://linktr.ee/sociallydemocratic

Changes are afoot at Socially Democratic HQ - namely, the addition of Jessie McCrone as a regular guest to the Feeney Files.

Which does mean we need a new name. If you have any brilliant suggestions, let us know in the comments.

This month:

Why is serious policy reform so difficult in Australia? We ponder the frenzied reaction to Labor’s relatively modest super tax reforms.

Clare O’Neil thinks we could solve the housing crisis by making it easier to build new homes. Is she being too optimistic?

And of course, we can’t have an episode without talking about Iran. Definitely not with David on the show.

If you’ve had your fill of election coverage and are keen for some policy and foreign affairs chat - this wide-ranging conversation is for you.

Mentioned in the episode:
Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson https://tr.ee/5oSsjK

New episodes every Friday.

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The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

26/06/2025

Hey Social Democrats! Help us settle an internal debate at Socially Democratic HQ.

If we added t-shirts to our range of merch, which one would you be most likely to buy?

Option A, B, or C? Let us know in the comments. 👇

20/06/2025

In case you missed it! We talk to campaign expert Jack Milroy on the snap election in Tasmania.

Listen here: https://linktr.ee/sociallydemocratic
--

You’ve probably seen it on the news - a shakeup in the Tasmanian Parliament. So what’s really going down in the Apple Isle?

Jack Milroy joins Stephen Donnelly to unpack the events and actors surrounding the no-confidence vote in Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff.

Was it the new AFL Stadium, the budget, or simply the Opposition spotting an opportunity?

And in a system where major parties increasingly cede ground to crossbenchers - are snap elections the new normal?

Since recording, an election has been called for July 19 (https://tr.ee/HUojYH), and Michelle O’Byrne has announced that she will retire from politics at the next election (https://tr.ee/7DZ9UF).

Mentioned in the show:
The Hare Clark System (https://tr.ee/61j2Uo)

New episodes every Friday.

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19/06/2025

Episode 303: State of the Student Union is Out Now!

Listen here: https://linktr.ee/sociallydemocratic

Between 😷Covid, 💸cost of living pressures and the 🤖 proliferation of AI, life as a university student looks a lot different than it did even six years ago.

✊ The National Union of Students [NUS] is the peak body representing around 1 million students in Australia in all areas of education, policy, and student welfare. It’s also a training ground for the future leaders of Australia.

☀️ NUS President Ashlyn Horton joins Stephen Donnelly to discuss the organisation’s biggest concerns, the necessity of student consultation in university governance, and a few time-honoured traditions which take Stephen down memory lane.

📸 Stay updated with the National Union of Students by following their Instagram

Mentioned in the episode:
NUS EdCon 2025 (https://tr.ee/RuB0lh)

New episodes every Friday.

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The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

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09/06/2025

Ep. 301: Final Election Recap - Victoria is Out Now!

Listen Here: https://lnkd.in/gUSk9Qqp

At the end of all our exploring, we arrive back where we started and know the place for the first time.*

Jessie McCrone and Stephen Donnelly cover the last marginal seats of the election - some of which they did not even know were marginal - in their home state of Victoria.

What went down in Kooyong? Why are the Liberals losing the Eastern suburbs? What went wrong for the Greens in the seat of Melbourne?

We cover this and more, plus turn our eyes toward the Victorian state election, where we reflect on lessons learned from the federal results. Because once again, demographics are not destiny, and campaigns matter.

Enjoy.

*Apologies to T.S. Eliot

New episodes every Friday.

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The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

06/06/2025

Ep. 300 - LIVE in Melbourne - Celebrating Labor’s Victory is Out Now!

Listen here: https://linktr.ee/sociallydemocratic

What better way to celebrate our 300th episode than in front of a LIVE audience?

Stephen Donnelly, Jessie McCrone, David Feeney, Benita Kolovos and Reed Fleming all bring their A-game - and a few iconic media grabs - to this celebration of Labor’s cracking campaign and decisive victory.

Between the witty repartee and a bit of tea-spilling from these campaign veterans, the live show panel covers key topics like:

🔥 The Australian Labor Party’s dramatic turnaround after a narrow victory and a late-term slump in the polls.

🟢 The Greens’ reaction after being walloped on the national stage - and how they have seemed reluctant to engage in self-reflection.

🥶 How the Coalition fumbled the ball - over and over again - and what they could learn from this.

🙋 Tales from the trail - what it’s really like being a journo on the campaign bus, plus some highlights of star reporting.

👉 Looking ahead - what to expect from the next three years of an ALP Government.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://linktr.ee/sociallydemocratic

New episodes every Friday.

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The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

30/05/2025

🙌 Thank you Melbourne!🍻

We had a blast last night - celebrating and analysing the federal election to a full room of Socially Democratic listeners. ✨

🤩 You guys really brought the vibes. Thanks for participating in our Category Noms and laughing at our jokes.

If you couldn’t make it, you can still tune in.

👉 Episode #300: Live in Melbourne is out next week, featuring Jessie McCrone, David Feeney, Benita Kolovos and Reed Fleming.

With bonus content from comedians Rapha Manajem and Fergus Neal.

Thanks again. Let’s do it again sometime.

Stage snaps 📸 Lissie Ratcliff

30/05/2025

Ep. 299: Election Recap - Queensland and SA is Out Now

This week, Stephen Donnelly covers election results in Queensland and South Australia.

In Queensland, Evan Moorhead covers the massive shakeup in Brisbane, where key seats were snatched from both the Greens AND the Coalition. Including, of course, Peter Dutton’s long-held seat of Dickson.

In South Australia, Matt Clemow breaks down where Labor made inroads to win the traditional blue ribbon Liberal seat of Sturt. After touching on other battleground seats, they wrap up with a broader reflection on Labor’s evolving voter base and what that means for the future of the party in the Festival state.

Our tour of the state by state battleground seats is nearly at an end - but it ain’t over yet.

Keep an ear out for next week’s LIVE Show episode, coming to you from The Toff in Melbourne!

New episodes every Friday.

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The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

28/05/2025

Socially Democratic LIVE is now Sold Out!!

Thank you to everyone who bought tickets.

Some key details:

📅Thursday 29 May
🚪Doors: 6:30pm
🕖Start: 7:00pm
📍The Toff, 2nd Floor, Curtin House
252 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000

📋 There is a waitlist, so if you bought tickets but are now unable to go - let us know!

If you missed out on tickets, not to worry. Our live show will be recorded and released as an episode the following week.

Finally, whether you’re attending or not, send us your Category Nominations here: https://www.dunnstreet.com.au/live-show-categories

Selected nominations and questions will be read aloud during the show.

See you soon Melbourne!!!

23/05/2025

This week, Stephen Donnelly covers election results in the ACT, the NT, and Western Australia.

First-time guest Louise Crossman is a Canberra based political strategist and former president of ACT Labor. She and Stephen discuss the ACT results, including the rise of independents and how Labor almost lost the seat of Bean.

In the Northern Territory Ryan Neve explains how turnout for Labor in remote communities ensured big swings in Lingiari, and the impact a popular CLP Chief Minister had on the race in Solomon.

Finally in Western Australia Priya Brown revisits her original predictions and wagers - Bullwinkel’s surprising swing to Labor did indeed signal a nationwide triumph for Labor - even if it hurt Priya in the pocket.

Join us for this joyful episode - and don’t forget to book tickets for our live show if you live near Melbourne!

7pm, May 29
The Toff in Town
252 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Book Tickets Here: https://tr.ee/qwstyV

New episodes every Friday.

Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/SociallyDemocratic

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The presenting sponsor of the Socially Democratic podcast is Dunn Street. For more information on how Dunn Street can help you organise to build winning campaigns in your community, business or organisation, and make the world a better place, look us up at: dunnstreet.com.au

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