Show Notes
This week, Nick Dyrenfurth and Kos Samaras are joined by arguably Australia’s finest historian and public intellectual, Professor Frank Bongiorno, for our landmark 50th episode — and a big question at the heart of Australian politics: Is Bob Hawke really the “gold standard”… or a myth we can’t escape? Our conversation is anchored in the new book Gold Standard? Remembering the Hawke Government, edited by Frank, Carolyn Holbrook and Joshua Black — a major reassessment of Hawke’s record and reputation. We unpack: ▪️ Why Hawke still dominates how we judge governments▪️ What actually made the Hawke model work▪️ Why reform feels harder today▪️ Whether Labor is misreading its own history What matters now is what Albanese Labor can realistically learn from Hawke — and what his record tells students of Australian politics about the limits and possibilities of reform today.
More from Curtin’s Cast
Has political hate become a business model? And is Australia importing the toxic political culture of the United States? In a special one-on-one edition of Curtin’s Cast, John Curtin Research Centre head honcho Nick Dyrenfurth and RedBridge director Kos Samaras confront the disturbing deterioration of Australian political debate. The shocking attack on independent MP Helen Haines, whose motive remains under investigation, and Pauline Hanson's One Nation cartoon cruelly mocking Senator Jacqui Lambie's intimate medical condition raise confronting questions about political violence, personal abuse and toxification of public debate. From Australia's own history of political violence to assassinations overseas, Nick and Kos examine the growing personal risks facing politicians — especially female MPs – and whether Australia's democratic traditions are under threat. They also explore the monetisation of hate: social media algorithms that reward anger, influencers who turn outrage into income, and politicians who discover that cruelty generates clicks. Do ordinary voters really want this kind of politics? Plus, a quick Victorian election check-in: abortion politics, Labor's forgotten free dental promise, the latest polling and Kos's updated prediction for November 28. Curtin's Cast is brought to you by the John Curtin Research Centre, proudly supported by RedBridge. Subscribe, like, comment and share.
Three Shocks: The Australia Politics Hasn’t Caught Up With One of Australia's finest political journalists and authors, "demography whisperer" George Megalogenis, joins Nick Dyrenfurth and Kos Samaras to discuss the three forces reshaping Australia: migration, the changing workforce and a more uncertain international order. In Three Shocks: Who We Are Becoming in the 21st Century, George argues that Labor adapted more successfully to these changes while the Coalition remained attached to assumptions inherited from the Howard era. The conversation explores what these shifts mean for Australian identity, the changing electoral map and the future of both major parties. 📘 Buy George’s book: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/three-shocks-9780143789994
Labor has hit record-low favourability ratings as One Nation again tops the primary vote in the latest RedBridge/Accent poll. Nick Dyrenfurth and Kos Samaras unpack what the numbers really mean, whether the “Albo Derangement Reflex” obscures genuine voter anger, and why the Coalition’s dramatic immigration cuts may simply pour more fuel on the One Nation bonfire. Plus: One Nation’s Victorian campaign launch, the promise to have Dan Andrews and Jacinta Allan “in prison by Christmas”, and whether Australia is importing a more Trumpian style of politics.
India’s Gen Z Revolt: Meet the Cockroach Janta Party India’s young people are increasingly questioning whether education, hard work and competitive exams will deliver the secure future they were promised. Out of that frustration has emerged one of the world’s most unusual youth movements: the satirical Cockroach Janta Party. Kos Samaras speaks with Viren Naidu, journalist and author of the New Statesman feature The facts of India’s Gen-Z revolt, about the movement’s origins, India’s youth unemployment crisis, the NEET scandal and the growing postponement of home ownership, marriage and family formation. They discuss whether it makes sense to speak of a distinct Indian “Gen Z” across vast differences of class, caste, religion, gender and region; how memes and deliberately unserious language can carry serious political anger; and whether online mobilisation can develop into durable political organisation. The conversation also explores why established parties have struggled to represent younger Indians, how economic disillusionment can coexist with support for Narendra Modi and the BJP, and what India’s generational revolt might tell us about Gen Z politics elsewhere — including Australia and its large Indian diaspora. Read Viren Naidu’s New Statesman article ($): https://www.newstatesman.com/international-politics/2026/07/the-facts-of-indias-gen-z-revolt
Can Labor Hold Back the Orange Tide? Emma Dawson and Kos Samaras talk Vic and NSW elections, Gen Z and Australia’s AI Future With Nick away, Kos is joined by Curtin’s Cast veteran Emma Dawson, Executive Director of the Chifley Research Centre, to take the pulse of Australian politics. They check in on the Victorian election campaign before taking a first look at the 2027 NSW election, where another One Nation orange tsunami threatens both major parties. Then Kos and Emma unpack Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ new Intergenerational Report and its vision of Australia in 2066: a population of 39.3 million, record-low fertility, deaths overtaking births, an ageing population and mounting pressure on health and aged care. Does a report promising future prosperity offer Generation Z anything now—particularly on housing, wealth and economic security? Finally, they tackle the immense opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence and the data-centre boom. Does Labor’s historic mission now require it to ensure that AI serves working people rather than allowing working people to serve the machines? Listen now to Episode 70 of Curtin’s Cast.