Chamber Sessions

Episode 009 - Nick McKim by Fairfax Tasmania

The Legislative Council elections are nearly upon us. The popular image of the upper house would have us believe it isn’t as glamourous as “the other place”. But the Legislative Council is just as important as the lower house – it’s the final frontier for legislation, where all the bills that shape our state are either approved or disapproved. This year, Launceston and Murchison are two of three electorates – the other being the Southern division of Rumney - that will decide on who is going to represent them in the upper house for the next six years. On this week’s episode of Fairfax Tasmania’s state politics podcast, political commentator Kevin Bonham joins us to delve into the backgrounds of all the candidates and discuss the most pressing issues facing both Launceston and Murchison.

David Marr has had a long career as a journalist. He has undertaken forensic studies of political figures like Tony Abbott, Kevin Rudd and Bill Shorten, all of which were published as issues of the Quarterly Essay. His latest subject is One Nation leader Pauline Hanson. 'The White Queen: One Nation and the Politics of Race' examines the appeal of Ms Hanson and who exactly her followers are. Mr Marr joined the Chamber Sessions podcast to discuss One Nation’s plans to expand into Tasmania.

Parliament might not have been sitting this week, but that didn’t mean Fairfax Tasmania’s state politics podcast was out of action. Chamber Sessions endeavours to bring you the insider information on what’s happening in Tasmania’s political landscape. And if politics doesn’t sleep, rarely can this podcast afford to either. Renewable energy seemed to be all any politician could talk about over the past few days. The Prime Minister paid a visit to the state’s North, making some significant announcements regarding Tasmania’s future contributions to the national energy market. Meanwhile, Tasmanian Labor got a free hit when a group of peak health bodies gathered together to make a public statement.

With the 2016 energy crisis behind him, Energy Minister Matthew Groom is endeavouring to forge a path to a renewable future for Tasmania. As the federal debate around renewable energy grows ever more fractious, Mr Groom wants to highlight the strengths of Tasmania's hydro-electric projects. In this mid-week episode of our state politics podcast Chamber Sessions, Rob Inglis sits down with the Minister to discuss what lies ahead for the Hodgman government in 2017.

With another Saturday comes another episode of Fairfax Media’s Chamber Sessions – Tasmania’s only state politics podcast. This past week has been a colourful one in Parliament House. The government fended off accusations it had been leaking sensitive information to the media. There were moments when Question Time resembled a surreal comedy skit. And then the week ended with a sincere and heartfelt apology. It was quintessential political theatre. Who doesn’t love that?

Politics is overwhelming at the best of times. But nearly all of us agree that it’s an integral component of our society. It can, however, be a frustrating process trying to decipher how the big decisions actually get made in our state. Sometimes it’s difficult to conjure the patience to sit through hours of parliamentary debates just in order to comprehend what’s going on in Tasmania. If only there was some way of breaking politics down into bite-sized chunks, stripped of all its gristle. Well, look no further than our new podcast: Chamber Sessions. Each week, political reporter Rob Inglis will be sharing with you a no-nonsense recap of the week in Parliament, as well as an interview with a notable public figure. Look out for interviews on Thursday nights and recaps on Saturday mornings. We can’t wait for you to join us in the halls of Parliament.

This week, Rob Inglis is joined by Opposition Leader Rebecca White. The Lyons MHA reveals how her upbringing informed her politics, and responds to claims the Labor caucus is divided.

On the first episode of Fairfax Media's Chamber Sessions, host Rob Inglis chats to former Greens leader Bob Brown about the enduring influence of the Tarkine (tarkayna) Forest Reserve in the state's north-west.