Perth Dialogues

Perth Dialogues

Perth Dialogues is a long-form interview podcast exploring the issues shaping Australian life — housing, healthcare, tax, democracy, identity, and community. Host Nirmal Singh brings together policymakers, advocates, entrepreneurs, and everyday Australians for honest, unfiltered conversations. New episodes every Monday.

  1. Sep 14

    Are They Elected — Or Selected For Us? | Metin Pekin on Breaking Democracy's Chains E48

    With one average salary in 2005, you could buy 2.5kg of gold. In 2025, half a kilogram. 90% of the UK's printed press is owned by three companies. 40% of American voters identify with neither major party. Author Metin Pekin (Breaking Democracy's Chains: Freeing and Fortifying Democracy Against Hidden Capture) joins Perth Dialogues to make the case that it isn't any one party letting voters down — it's the party system itself. We push back hard on it: can independents actually govern without collapsing into gridlock? Don't they just get bought the same way parties do? What actually stops them re-forming into new factions? In this conversation: - Why the party "whip" system means your MP may answer to their party before their voters - Money in politics — from union funding to billionaire donors - Metin's proposed "No-Party" model: independent MPs, a directly elected leader and shadow leader, and issue-by-issue voting - A real stress-test: Australia's Teal independents and Climate 200 funding - The corruption risk when independents replace parties - Two-party vs multi-party systems — the Netherlands and Israel compared - Why Metin himself stopped voting for major parties after the Iraq War About the guest: Metin Pekin holds a degree in Political Economy from the University of Greenwich and spent 30 years as an entrepreneur before writing Breaking Democracy's Chains. Find the book and his socials at metinpekin.com, or on Amazon. Book 🔗 https://www.amazon.com.au/Breaking-Democracys-Chains-Fortifying-Democracy-ebook/dp/B0G1TY9MCP Disclaimer: This conversation covers contested historical and political claims. These are the guest's own arguments and interpretations, not positions endorsed by this show — we'd encourage viewers to weigh them against other sources. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Cold open 01:31 Welcome & introducing Metin Pekin 02:20 Metin's background — business, and why he wrote the book 06:25 Defining democracy — and where it breaks down 09:00 The party whip system (Boris Johnson and the 21 MPs) 11:04 Money in politics — Reform UK's billionaire donor 13:49 Donor influence, Trump, and the Jerusalem embassy 15:23 Julian Assange and media capture 22:24 The green grocer: performing belief in a broken system 27:14 Why don't people see the chains? (Maslow, political apathy) 33:44 The werewolf game — how a small minority controls the majority 36:20 Metin's three-step solution 41:22 How to "break the chains" without banning parties 50:59 Devil's advocate: why do we need parties at all? 53:11 Who really funds parties — unions vs billionaires 56:38 Should power be decentralised to the states instead? 01:00:14 Won't independents just re-form into factions? The Teal MPs test 01:09:44 Can independents be bought too? The corruption question 01:16:00 Two-party vs multi-party — Netherlands and Israel 01:22:38 Could 150 independent MPs actually govern? 01:35:07 Voter turnout and apathy — Metin's own voting story 01:44:30 Long-term policy without party continuity — China vs India 01:52:51 The one thing every voter should take away 01:55:29 The pushback Metin actually gets 01:57:15 Where to find the book -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join and Subscribe to Perth Dialogues on our channels 👇 Support us Here: https://perthdialogues.au/ Join on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Youtube Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Spotify Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/PD-ApplePodcasts Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/PD-AmazonMusic -------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow our host, Nirmal Singh, at Website: https://nirmalsingh.au/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/nirmalsingh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nirmalsingh.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nirmalsingh.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/psknirmal/

    Are They Elected — Or Selected For Us? | Metin Pekin on Breaking Democracy's Chains E48

  2. Sep 8

    "The State Hasn't Given You Rights Yet" — Should WA Scrap the Lord's Prayer? | Matthew Ogilvie #E47

    "The state has not given them those rights yet." That's what Deng Xiaoping reportedly told a reporter after Tiananmen Square — and it's the moment that shapes how today's guest thinks about where human rights actually come from. WA Parliament has opened every sitting day with the Lord's Prayer since 1928. A WA Labor MP now wants to replace it with a moment of silent reflection. Returning guest Prof. Matthew Ogilvie (Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame Australia) makes the case for keeping it. In this conversation: - The strongest argument for scrapping the prayer, steel-manned in full Genesis, human dignity, and where Matthew traces the roots of Western human rights - Tiananmen Square, Deng Xiaoping, and what happens when the state becomes the only reference point - Would a Sikh, Muslim or Buddhist prayer do the same job as a Christian one? - The Acknowledgement of Country as a parallel case — Matthew calls it "lighting a fuse" - A live controversy in the 2026 Census: some faiths get several tick-boxes, others get none - Christian affiliation is down to around 44% of Australia — does the heritage argument still hold? Disclaimer: Perth Dialogues doesn't take a party-political position — the job here is to ask the hard questions on behalf of everyone listening, whatever their faith or none. Views expressed are of individual speakers and must be interpreted in the context of the bigger discussion in which they have been expressed. Referenced in this episode Matthew Ogilvie article in The Spectator Australia: https://www.spectator.com.au/2026/08/wa-parliament-should-keep-the-lords-prayer/ WA Parliament Inquiry: https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/Parliament/commit.nsf/(EvidenceOnly)/2952D1C29D83B7E648258E67002FF956?opendocument#details TIMESTAMPS 00:00 "The State Always Misuses That Power" 01:32 What Is the Lord's Prayer, and Why Does It Matter Now? 02:51 The Prayer as a Building Block of Civilisation 04:14 Genesis, Human Dignity, and the Roots of Western Rights 10:12 Is Australia a Christian Country? Multiculturalism vs "No-Culturalism" 14:47 Steelmanning the Case to Scrap the Prayer 17:37 "No Other Workplace Does This" — and the Premier's Response 22:52 Church, State, and Section 116 27:17 Can Human Rights Exist Without God? 29:03 Tiananmen Square and Deng Xiaoping's Chilling Answer 35:41 "Chopping Down the Tree While Demanding Its Fruit" 40:24 Acknowledgement of Country: The Parallel Debate 45:04 Would a Sikh, Muslim or Buddhist Prayer Do the Same Job? 46:50 Australian Values, Identity, and the COVID Test 50:36 Christians Are No Longer the Majority 55:59 The Census, Denominations, and a Flawed Question 58:43 The Kirpan, 9/11, and What Ignorance Breeds 01:01:15 A Hindu Neighbour, Halloween, and Learning to Laugh 01:03:45 Should Canberra Be the Model? 01:04:49 Designing Parliament From Scratch 01:07:58 Closing Message: Assume Good Faith -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join and Subscribe to Perth Dialogues on our channels 👇 Support us Here: https://perthdialogues.au/ Join on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Youtube Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Spotify Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/PD-ApplePodcasts Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/PD-AmazonMusic -------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow our host, Nirmal Singh, at Website: https://nirmalsingh.au/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/nirmalsingh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nirmalsingh.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nirmalsingh.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/psknirmal/

    "The State Hasn't Given You Rights Yet" — Should WA Scrap the Lord's Prayer? | Matthew Ogilvie #E47

  3. Aug 24

    "There Are 15 UN Days For Women And Girls. Zero For Men." | David Maywald #E46

    The United Nations calendar has 15 days dedicated to women and girls. It has zero for men and boys. That, says David Maywald, is where this conversation starts — not with grievance, but with an audit. In Australia he points to six times more public spending on women's medical research than men's, almost one million children growing up without an actively involved father, and male teachers now making up less than one in five primary school staff. David Maywald is the author of "The Relentless War on Masculinity" and has made a submission to Australia's current parliamentary inquiry into educational attainment. JOIN DAVID MAYWALD LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmaywald/ Substack: https://celebratingmasculinity.substack.com/ ICMB: https://www.menandboys.net/ Book: "The Relentless War on Masculinity" — https://books2read.com/trwom TIMESTAMPS 00:01:33 Why "father" comes before every other title 00:05:51 Missionary parents, a feminist mother 00:06:38 Women overtook men at university in 1987 00:07:55 What made him start speaking up 00:10:55 The six waves of the men's movement 00:14:11 What he tells his own son and daughter 00:17:48 Is advocating for men anti-feminist? 00:19:43 "Six times more spent on women's medical research" 00:20:26 The $990m suicide prevention audit 00:21:17 Divorce, custody, and children's outcomes 00:23:14 What is the ICMB? 00:23:49 The 12 disparities: education and health 00:25:26 False allegations, violence and partner abuse 00:27:56 Homelessness, workplace deaths, media 00:29:58 Which disparity is most ignored? 00:30:59 India's Section 498A: "legal terrorism" 00:33:10 Why the male suicide ratio keeps climbing 00:34:24 Did no-fault divorce change the numbers? 00:37:22 "But men dominate the boardrooms" 00:38:02 "Sixty times more health funding to women" 00:39:11 What he means by male disposability 00:42:52 Gynocentrism defined 00:46:44 Inside Australia's boys' education inquiry 00:49:40 The ten groups of boys being left behind 00:51:07 Programs that actually work 00:54:32 What can parents actually do? 01:00:53 Why are male teachers disappearing? 01:01:23 A million kids with no involved father 01:05:37 Advice for the parent of a disengaged son 01:07:07 Rites of passage and the bridge of adolescence 01:10:11 Men's health envoys: real change or symbolism? 01:12:10 Saving a quarter of a million lives 01:14:12 Why men die by suicide 01:18:09 What Finland did differently 01:21:42 Reaching migrant men who won't talk 01:25:45 110 countries now mark International Men's Day 01:29:42 What women and mothers of sons can do 01:32:50 One thing to change today 01:35:13 Where to find David Maywald ⚠️ This episode discusses suicide and mental health. If you or someone you know needs support in Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78 In an emergency call 000. #MenAndBoys #BoysEducation #MensHealth #AustralianPolitics #Perth #MaleSuicide #Fatherhood #PerthDialogues -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join and Subscribe to Perth Dialogues on our channels 👇 Support us Here: https://perthdialogues.au/ Join on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Youtube Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Spotify Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/PD-ApplePodcasts Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/PD-AmazonMusic -------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow our host, Nirmal Singh, at Website: https://nirmalsingh.au/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/nirmalsingh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nirmalsingh.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nirmalsingh.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/psknirmal/

    "There Are 15 UN Days For Women And Girls. Zero For Men." | David Maywald #E46

  4. Aug 17

    "Filing a Dowry Case Is Easier Than Ordering a Pizza" | Wasif Ali - Men Welfare Trust #45

    In 2018, the Australian Senate ran an inquiry into dowry abuse. Among the submissions was one from an organisation based 8,000km away in New Delhi — arguing Australia should not introduce a dowry law at all. Wasif Ali co-founded that organisation. In this conversation he explains why. WHAT WE COVER - How an engineer became a men's rights activist after his own marriage broke down - What Men Welfare Trust actually does — the helpline, the counselling, the advocacy - Section 498A: what the law is, and why he argues it is misused - The Arnesh Kumar judgment and what changed after it - Why India's 2023 criminal law overhaul (BNS) changed less than it appears - The marital rape exception, the split Delhi High Court verdict, and the pending Supreme Court appeal - Why a Delhi NGO made a submission to Australia's 2018 Senate dowry inquiry - NRI cases — impounded passports and men caught between two legal systems - Male suicide in India, and the case for a National Commission for Men CHAPTERS 00:00 "In India, a bad marriage is a recipe for disaster" 02:12 Why an Australian podcast is asking about Indian dowry law 04:23 From engineer to activist: what happened to his own marriage 08:33 The first man he helped — and what these calls sound like 10:47 What is Men Welfare Trust, and what does it actually do? 14:55 Why they intervened in the marital rape case 16:38 Who calls the helpline? "12,000 calls in one month" 18:24 Did India's new criminal code (BNS) change anything? 20:42 "Legal terrorism" — the Supreme Court's 2005 remark 23:03 The Arnesh Kumar judgment and the drop in arrests 24:48 The conviction-rate argument — and the counter-argument 28:04 What reforms does he actually want? 29:49 Why an Indian NGO wrote to the Australian Senate 32:53 Australia said no to a dowry law. What does that signal? 34:23 "What about the woman in Perth who says it happened to her?" 35:26 NRI cases: impounded passports, two countries, no way out 39:05 What do most people get wrong about dowry law? 40:46 The marital rape case — what it was about 43:18 The split verdict and where it stands now 45:33 Consent, and why he says rape law can't apply inside marriage 49:18 Male suicide and the case for a National Commission for Men 54:08 Where to find his organisation Men Welfare Trust: https://www.menwelfare.in/ Save Indian Family: https://www.saveindianfamily.org/ Australian Senate Report on 'Practice of dowry and the incidence of dowry abuse in Australia': https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/DowryAbuse/~/media/Committees/legcon_ctte/DowryAbuse/report.pdf SUPPORT This episode discusses domestic violence, legal distress and suicide. - Lifeline Australia — 13 11 14 - 1800RESPECT (family and sexual violence) — 1800 737 732 - MensLine Australia — 1300 78 99 78 - In India: Tele-MANAS — 14416 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join and Subscribe to Perth Dialogues on our channels 👇 Support us Here: https://perthdialogues.au/ Join on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Youtube Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Spotify Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/PD-ApplePodcasts Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/PD-AmazonMusic -------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow our host, Nirmal Singh, at Website: https://nirmalsingh.au/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/nirmalsingh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nirmalsingh.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nirmalsingh.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/psknirmal/ #PerthDialogues #DowryLaw #498A #IndianDiaspora #AustralianPolitics #MensRights #FamilyLaw #India #Australia

    "Filing a Dowry Case Is Easier Than Ordering a Pizza" | Wasif Ali - Men Welfare Trust #45

  5. Aug 10

    Why Australians Never Learned to Invest Beyond Property? | Mihir bhatt #E44

    $50,000 invested in 2011 could be worth $9.4 million today. Almost no Australian would have made that bet. Mihir Bhatt is the founder of Artha Academy, a Perth-based share-market education platform. In this conversation he makes the case — as one voice among many, not as personal financial advice — for why Australians, and migrant communities in particular, tend to put everything into one asset class, and what a more diversified approach could look like. In this episode: - Why Australia is one of the most property-concentrated economies in the developed world - The "asset rich, cash poor" trap — and how families end up there - Why migrant communities lean so heavily on property, in Mihir's experience - Diversifying beyond the family home: shares, ETFs, gold, and self-managed super - Investment vs speculation — and the psychology of market timing - How to spot share-tip and "signal-selling" schemes - What Mihir would tell his own son about the road to a first home Guest links: Artha Academy: https://arthaacademy.ai Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:50 Who Is Mihir Bhatt? From Banker to Founder 03:08 Why Trust a Share Market Educator? (The Disclaimer) 04:07 The Father Who Built a Portfolio in Secret 06:34 Why a $100K Salary Still Can't Buy a Perth House 07:40 Don't Get Asset Rich, Cash Poor 08:38 Inside Artha Academy's Four Pillars 10:51 Why Doesn't Australia Build Its Own Apple or Nvidia? 13:10 The Leverage Argument: Property vs Shares 16:44 Already Got a Mortgage? Here's How You Still Invest 17:52 Why Do Migrant Families Only Ever Buy Property? 20:19 What Schools Get Wrong About Money 22:03 Investing vs Speculating: The 50% Rule 25:14 Can Anyone Actually Time the Market? 26:33 Bitcoin, FOMO, and the Psychology of Fear and Greed 27:55 How Do You Spot a Share-Tip Scam? 31:19 Why Is Artha Academy Free (Mostly)? 33:19 Mihir's Final Message: Learn Before You Invest -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join and Subscribe to Perth Dialogues on our channels 👇 Support us Here: https://perthdialogues.au/ Join on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Youtube Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Spotify Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/PD-ApplePodcasts Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/PD-AmazonMusic -------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow our host, Nirmal Singh, at Website: https://nirmalsingh.au/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/nirmalsingh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nirmalsingh.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nirmalsingh.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/psknirmal/

    Why Australians Never Learned to Invest Beyond Property? | Mihir bhatt #E44

  6. Jul 26

    "'That Was Assault': Inside Australia's Landmark Childbirth Consent Case" | Dr Marian Dover E43

    A Victorian court recently ruled that a vaginal examination performed without consent during labour was assault and battery. Dr Marian Dover says it's the most important case in her specialty in years — and she has strong views on why it happened. She was also told, as a child, that she was "less worthy as a human." Dr Marian Dover's family fled religious persecution in Egypt when she was young. She's now a rural generalist working in one of the most remote parts of Australia — 827km from Darwin — delivering babies, running emergency departments, and flying in specialist care by air because the roads are too far. In this conversation, Dr Dover talks with host Nirmal Singh about: - Growing up in Egypt's persecuted Coptic Christian minority, and arriving in Australia as a child - The extra hurdles overseas-trained doctors face to practise in Australia — and the everyday racism that comes with it - Choosing one of the remotest postings in the country as a "second migration" - Inside Gawthrop v Bendigo Health — what the ruling means for consent in childbirth across Australia - Why rural maternity units have halved since 1990 while births have doubled - Her frank, personal perspective on Closing the Gap and First Nations health outcomes - Doctor burnout, vicarious trauma, and why she thinks mental health leave should be built into medical contracts, not optional Disclaimer: This conversation touches on legal and medical matters. Nothing in this episode is legal or medical advice — views expressed are Dr Dover's own professional perspective and experience. Read full Gawthrop v Bendigo Health [2026] VSC 157 judgement here: https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/vic/VSC/2026/157.html Follow the conversation: 02:51 Who Is Dr Marian Dover? 03:00 Fleeing Religious Persecution In Egypt 04:47 A Migrant Interviewing A Migrant: What Do You Remember? 06:02 Arriving In Australia: "This Government Must Really Care" 07:43 Honouring Her Parents' Sacrifice 09:19 How Her Childhood Shapes The Care She Gives Today 11:34 Do Migrant Doctors Have To Perform At A Higher Standard? 13:19 Why Australia Makes It So Hard For Overseas-Trained Doctors 15:36 Migrating Again — Choosing One Of Australia's Remotest Towns 17:31 Convincing Everyone She Could Do This As A Woman 20:04 Her Advice To Young Female Professionals 22:22 Moving To The Kimberley: Childcare, Family And Community 24:49 A Day In The Life Of A Rural Generalist 27:00 Why Rural Hospitals Keep Going "On Bypass" 30:21 The Gawthrop Case: "That Was Assault" 34:00 What Needs To Change In Maternity Policy 35:54 Rural Maternity Units Have Halved Since 1990 — Why? 38:14 Her Unfiltered Take On Closing The Gap 43:39 Western Medicine vs Traditional Healing 45:36 Living With Life-And-Death Pressure 47:44 Why Doctors Are Their Own Worst Critics 50:03 How She Manages Her Own Mental Health 53:04 What Would Get More People Into Rural Medicine? 54:52 Her Legacy: "Every Postcode Deserves The Birth They're Owed" 56:28 A Message To Her Younger Self 57:54 How She Wants To Be Remembered -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join and Subscribe to Perth Dialogues on our channels 👇 Support us Here: https://perthdialogues.au/ Join on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Youtube Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Spotify Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/PD-ApplePodcasts Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/PD-AmazonMusic -------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow our host, Nirmal Singh, at Website: https://nirmalsingh.au/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/nirmalsingh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nirmalsingh.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nirmalsingh.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/psknirmal/

    "'That Was Assault': Inside Australia's Landmark Childbirth Consent Case" | Dr Marian Dover E43

  7. Jul 19

    Prosecuted for Planting Trees — Why He Built a Shadow Council | Gavin Waugh #E42

    A West Australian council spent an estimated $180,000 a year on disputes it never actually resolved. One ratepayer was prosecuted for pulling weeds and planting native trees — then billed for his own prosecution. Gavin Waugh is the founder of the Melville Shadow Council, a volunteer-run "council in waiting" set up to hold the City of Melville accountable between elections. In this conversation, Gavin walks Nirmal through what pushed him to act after more than a decade of unresolved disputes, how local government oversight bodies actually work, and what he calls "crimes of participation" — the pattern he says councils use against residents who speak up. A candid, occasionally uncomfortable look at how one of Perth's local councils operates, and what genuine community engagement could look like instead. 🔗 Melville Shadow Council: melville.shadowcouncil.org Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open: "I Pay for My Own Prosecution" 00:28 Welcome: Gavin Waugh, Melville Shadow Council 01:07 What Is Local Government Actually For? 03:00 Enter the Shadow Council: Bridging the Gap 04:26 One Volunteer, No Pay, No Access — How Does He Cope? 06:01 Are the Watchdogs Actually Independent? 07:12 12 Years in the Making: Why He Finally Acted 08:30 Answering the Mayor's "We're Already Transparent" Claim 11:04 The "Double Whammy": Paying to Be Prosecuted 12:09 Prosecuted for Planting Native Trees 14:02 What Is a Shadow Council, in Plain English? 14:59 Charged for Information the Law Says Is Free 15:43 What Does "Council in Waiting" Mean? 16:42 Why He Launched on April Fools' Day 17:19 Staying Motivated With Zero Funding 20:16 The "Revolving Door" of Local Government Oversight 22:38 Auditing the Auditors: Conflicts on the ARIC Committee 23:59 50+ "Council Failures" — and Counting 26:29 Volunteers: 1% on the Books, 30% in Reality 31:12 What New Migrants Should Know About Local Councils 33:06 What Real Community Engagement Should Look Like 36:49 Are Decisions Already Made Before You Speak? 37:46 What Are "Crimes of Participation"? 39:11 Is This Just Melville — or Every Council? 40:47 Why State Government Reforms Keep Failing 44:31 Two Changes He Wants to See in Two Years 45:57 The Personal Cost of Fighting City Hall 48:06 You're Convinced. Where Do You Start? 51:06 How to Contact the Melville Shadow Council -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join and Subscribe to Perth Dialogues on our channels 👇 Support us Here: https://perthdialogues.au/ Join on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Youtube Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Spotify Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/PD-ApplePodcasts Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/PD-AmazonMusic -------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow our host, Nirmal Singh, at Website: https://nirmalsingh.au/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/nirmalsingh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nirmalsingh.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nirmalsingh.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/psknirmal/

    Prosecuted for Planting Trees — Why He Built a Shadow Council | Gavin Waugh #E42

  8. Jul 12

    Free Speech, Censorship & Who Controls the Conversation | John Ruddick MLC #E41

    His maiden speech in Parliament became the first in Australian history banned from YouTube. Then it hit three million views. John Ruddick — NSW Legislative Council MLC, Sky News regular, and free speech absolutist — joins Perth Dialogues to talk about what actually got him banned, the High Court challenge he's leading against the government's under-16 social media ban, and his answer to a bigger question: who actually controls public conversation in Australia today? John's maiden speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw1zPTDEVxA In this conversation: - How a mortgage broker became a Libertarian Party MLC after the COVID lockdowns - The maiden speech that became the first in Australian parliamentary history banned from YouTube - Leading the High Court challenge against the under-16 social media ban - His view on what the ban is really about — and why he doesn't believe it's about child safety - Who he believes actually controls public conversation today- His opposition to NSW's hate speech laws - Where he believes the real limits of free speech should sit - His message to anyone who finds his views confronting Follow the conversation:00:00 The Maiden Speech That Got Banned From YouTube 01:45 How Did John Ruddick Get Into Politics? 02:17 Why He Left the Liberal Party for the Libertarians 04:43 What Actually Got His Maiden Speech Banned? 07:43 Was He Always a Free Speech Absolutist? 16:13 What Is the High Court Challenge Against the Social Media Ban? 22:01 Do Kids Need Protecting Online — or Is This About Control? 33:43 So Who Actually Controls the Conversation Today? 40:47 Why Does He Oppose NSW's Hate Speech Laws? 45:16 Where Should the Line on Free Speech Actually Be? 48:28 His Message to Anyone Who Finds His Views Unsettling --------------------------------------------------------------------Join and Subscribe to Perth Dialogues on our channels 👇Support us Here: https://perthdialogues.au/ Join on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Youtube Listen on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/PD-Spotify Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/PD-ApplePodcasts Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/PD-AmazonMusic --------------------------------------------------------------------Follow our host, Nirmal Singh, at Website: https://nirmalsingh.au/ X (Twitter): https://x.com/nirmalsingh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nirmalsingh.au Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nirmalsingh.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/psknirmal/

    Free Speech, Censorship & Who Controls the Conversation | John Ruddick MLC #E41
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About

Perth Dialogues is a long-form interview podcast exploring the issues shaping Australian life — housing, healthcare, tax, democracy, identity, and community. Host Nirmal Singh brings together policymakers, advocates, entrepreneurs, and everyday Australians for honest, unfiltered conversations. New episodes every Monday.

Information

  • Creator
    Perth Dialogues
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    48
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Perth Dialogues
  • Show Website
    Perth Dialogues