EPISODE · Jun 11, 2026 · 27 MIN
I Never Planned to Be a Politician - Steph Cooke
from The Open Tab · host The Open Tab
No studio. No script. Just a plastic table on the street in Grenfell, and a completely honest hour with Steph Cooke, the Member for Cootamundra.Steph never planned to go into politics. She put her hand up for a brutal 2017 by-election, didn't expect to win… and then she did. In this unscripted conversation we get into the 4:35am starts, what it actually takes to serve 177 towns across an area the size of Switzerland, why she solves problems WITH people instead of FOR them, and the moment it all nearly didn't happen.It's raw, it's real, and somewhere in the middle of a festival with the microphones sliding off the table, it gets genuinely emotional.This is The Open Tab. Real conversations with everyday people about life, work, and what gets them up in the morning.🎧 New episodes regularly. Follow so you don't miss one.
What this episode covers
No studio. No script. Just a plastic table on the street in Grenfell, and a completely honest hour with Steph Cooke, the Member for Cootamundra.Steph never planned to go into politics. She put her hand up for a brutal 2017 by-election, didn't expect to win… and then she did. In this unscripted conversation we get into the 4:35am starts, what it actually takes to serve 177 towns across an area the size of Switzerland, why she solves problems WITH people instead of FOR them, and the moment it all nearly didn't happen.It's raw, it's real, and somewhere in the middle of a festival with the microphones sliding off the table, it gets genuinely emotional.This is The Open Tab. Real conversations with everyday people about life, work, and what gets them up in the morning.🎧 New episodes regularly. Follow so you don't miss one.
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I Never Planned to Be a Politician - Steph Cooke
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