PODCAST · technology
Burning Platforms
by Per Capita Australia
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. Join Peter Lewis, Lizzie O’Shea (Digital Rights Watch), Dan Stinton (HealthEngine CEO), and guests, fortnightly for analysis of the politics of technology from some of Australia’s leading digital campaigners and industry experts. Brought to you by the Centre of the Public Square - an initiative of Per Capita.
Episodes
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Digging for Truth with Craig Silverman
The co-founder of Indicator on how lies have taken over the internet and what we can all do to build a better information ecosystem. Also this week: Culture wars over digital duty of care AI as an intellectual hot dog and what the Firmus flop could mean for datacentres For show notes go to:...
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Open Season with Simon Kriss
As Open AI apologises to Australia the CEO of Sovereign AI takes us through the relative merits of open weight, open source and closed AI models. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinong and Pert Capita’s peter Lewis also discuss the downsides of...
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Rearview Mirror with Matt Finch
As Australia confronts the Open AI hack on Medicare we are joined by an expert in strategic foresight to explore how we can confront the AI revolution with the benefit of hindsight. Panellists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, ABC national AI reporter Cam Wilson and Per Capita’s Peter…
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Tame Your Feed with Agata Stepnik
The Sydney University scholar explains how people can train their algorithms to get a better online experience and what it means to the Digital Duty of Care. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also discuss:...
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Care Package with Sarah Davies
The CEO of the Alannah and Madeline Foundation gives her verdict on the government’s new Digital Duty of care laws. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also discuss: the AI hyperscaler’ cry for help Apple’s creepy...
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Making Sausages with Kate Chaney
The independent MP on her community-driven plan for AI, working with government from the cross-bench and pushing the pace of reform. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also discuss: GetUp’s big Palantir win Rogue...
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Perv Glass Half Full with Ed Santow
As privacy reforms gather momentum, the co-director of the Human Technology Institute walks us through the proposed changes and their implications for the digital world. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also...
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Duty of Care with Zoe Hawkins
The co-founder of the Tech Policy Design Centre on the development of new laws to hold tech companies to account for the harms of their products. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also dig into: The new salt mines of…
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Heaps Normal with Nicholas Davis
The co-founder of the Human Technology lays down his megapixel provocation and challenges us to stop thinking about AI as being so different that we can’t control it. Panellists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, ABC National AI Reporter Cam Wilson and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also discuss...
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Mind Craft with Dr Miah Hammond-Errey
The national security expert on the strategic risks of cognitive readiness and information is the new theatre of conflict. Panellists Australian Writers Guild CEO Claire Pullen, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also discuss: Pornography as harbinger of digital doom Mark...
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Roll Your Own with Beth Noveck
The author of 'Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy' on how citizens must seize new technology to ensure it works for them. Regular panelists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O'Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita's Peter Lewis also discuss Anthropic's rare book-breaking binge...
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Fair AI at the ALP Conference 2026 - Burning Platforms LIVE
Burning Platforms is back for another live show, this time recorded at the 2026 ALP Conference in Adelaide where we launched the "FairAI Initiative" with Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Human technology Institute co-director Ed Santow and Senator Tony Sheldon. Join the Burning Platforms...
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Believe it or not: Navigating the Misinformation Age LIVE
In a world of relative facts and filter bubbles how do we build a common base of reality to anchor democracy? Burning Platforms will bring themes from the ABC series ‘A Matter of Facts’ to life in a fun and interactive live event that will challenge you to pick the truth from the lies. Featuring:...
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The Palantir Primer
Burning Platform is back from its brief hiatus for a special live Virtual Town Hall, convened on July 6th, looking at the growing fight to resist the US tech behemoth, in partnership with Digital Rights Watch and GetUp! Hosted by Per Capita's Peter Lewis, with speakers: * DRW chair Lizzie O'Shea…
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Little Voices with Clare Stutchbery
This week on Burning Platforms, we're joined by the head of the Local and Independent News Association, Clare Stutchbery, to get her insights on the importance of media diversity in an age of information hierarchies. Panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Australian Writers Guild…
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BeNICE with Ed Coper
The political strategist and author of ‘Angertainement', Ed Coper, joins the Burning Platform this week to discuss how social media outrage ruined everything and outlines his blueprint for harnessing the toxic information ecosystem. Panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health…
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Magnifica Humanitas
This week on Burning Platforms we dive deep into Pope Leo’s XIV’s encyclical with Dr Michael Walker from the Justice and Peace Office at the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney . Our panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, ABC AI reporter Cam Wilson and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve...
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Deep Tech with George Tulloch
The founder of start-up Noizend on the challenges of scaling tech in Australia and how the real innovation is not running on the back of LLMs. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into: Why is Meta...
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The Kids are Alright with Tama Leaver
Internet academic Tama Leaver on the lines between regulating and equipping children to navigate the AI revolution. Panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, ABC AI reporter Cam Wilson and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into: Students Jeer AI Inspiration Palantir’s Surveillance...
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The Devil’s Playground with Claire Pullen
The Australian Writer’s Guild CEO Claire Pullen updates us on the fight to protect Australian creators from the industrial-scale thrift of their work. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into: The wild...
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Kids’ Gloves with Carly Kind
The Privacy Commissioner takes us through the new code to to give children greater control over their data and how this could open the door for less surveillance for all of us. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis...
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Hyperscaling with Ed Husic
The Labor MP and former Industry Minister on how the power of the global tech giants and why tech sovereignty is non-negotiable. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into: Who is enabling the Nudify…
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Popular Front with Cam Wilson
The Sizzle editor (and freshly minted ABC AI reporter) joins us to make sense of the spate of attacks on CEO leaders. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into: What role should AI play in Aged Care? Is...
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War Crimes with Prof Toby Walsh
On this week's Burning Platforms, Australia’s leading AI scientist, Prof Toby Walsh, takes us through the failing efforts to place limits around the automation of military conflict. Regular panelists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter...
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Industrial Revolution with Joseph Mitchell
The ACTU’s Assistant Secretary takes us through the multiple challenges AI poses workers and the pressure points where unions are pushing back. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into: Anthropic’s…
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Muting The Manosphere with Chanel Contos
The founder of Teach Us Consent on her campaign to give young people control over their social media feeds. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Per Capita’s Peter Lewis and Cam Wilson from The Sizzle also delve into: The release of a new privacy code for children...
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One Battle After Another with Alix Dunn
The Host of the ‘Computer Says Maybe’ podcast joins us to give a global take on the power and influence of Big Tech. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into: the federal government’s green data centre...
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Just Asking with Prof Daniel Angus
The Director of QUT’S Digital Media Research Centre outlines how different chatbots take users down different wormholes when they research conspiracy theories. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea and The Sizzle’s Cam Wilson also dig into: How AI is creating new modes of...
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Trust Mark with Alan Finkel
The former Chief Scientist outlines his new venture, ‘Proudly Human to allow creators to verify their work in the ocean of slop. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also discuss: The Australian Government’s…
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World on Fire
The Burning Platforms panel kick around the carcass of this week when the White House went to war with AI, bosses found new ways to snoop on workers, and the market was moved by a bit of fan fiction. Per Capita’s Peter Lewis joins Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan...
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Orgy of Opportunity with Prof Nicholas Davis
On this week's episode of Burning Platforms, the team look at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi with first-hand accounts from UTS’s Human Technology Institute co-director and regular panelist Digital Rights Chair Lizzie O’Shea. They join Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis to...
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Plumbing with Sir Geoff Mulgan
Governments may campaign in poetry and govern in prose, but what about the engineering that keeps our democracy flowing? The pioneer of public innovation and Professor of Collective Intelligence at University College London, Sir Geoff Mulgan, believes it’s time to get the boring bits right.…
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Long Game with Greg Sadler
Burning Platforms is BACK for 2026. The panels returns this week to unpack the existential risks AI presents with the Good Ancestors CEO, Greg Sadler. Spoiler: it's not just AGI. With our regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s...
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End of Days - 2025 in Review
As 2025 crashes out we survey the highs and lows of the year in tech with long-time platform burner Human Technology Institute co-director Ed Santow. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis discuss: the Government’s…
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Ground Game with Cory Alpert
While the vested interests wrestle with the intricacies of AI regulation, are community library conversations the best bet for shaping our tech future? On this week's episode of Burning Platforms, we meet the academic who is fighting the algorithm with words. Regular panellists Digital Rights…
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Carbon Footprints with Ketan Joshi
How much energy will AI really burn? Climate writer and activist Ketan Joshi joins Burning Platforms to chat AI and Climate: what we know, what we don’t know and what data centres have to do with yogurt tubs. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan…
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RadicalXChange with Jess Scully
Is Big Tech’s domination of AI inevitable or are there different ways of organising our data to shift the power the dynamic? We discuss the RadicalXChange project with its new director, Jess Scully. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per...
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How Can Democracy Survive AI? LIVE IN PERTH
AI is transforming our world at rapid speed, raising urgent questions about who benefits, who loses, and how we keep control of the future. Panellists from the Burning Platforms podcast and guests, explore the promises and pitfalls of AI - and what’s at stake for all Australians. Panellists...
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Bursting Bubbles with Dan McQuillan
Is the rise of AI inevitable or just the latest cycle of hype for a sector that thrives on the vibes? The author of “Resisting AI’, Professor Dan McQuillan, joins the show to argue for a more fundamental response to Big Tech. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health...
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Cooking with Cam Wilson
The co-author of ‘Conspiracy Nation’ takes us on his journey into the world of anti-vaxxers, wellness influencers and sovereign citizens. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also discuss: The call for AI Red Lines...
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Tech Check with Damian Kassabgi
The tech industry is pitching data mining and new infrastructure as the key to national prosperity. But will it deliver? And if so, for whom? Tech Council of Australia CEO, Damian Kassabgi joins regular panelists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per...
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Stolen Property with Peter Garrett
“I’m concerned that AI and big tech – well, big tech with AI – has gone into a full-court press… particularly on the federal system...I’m concerned that without thinking it through clearly enough, policy makers won’t essentially subject the slogans to sufficient scrutiny.” This week on Burning...
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Industrial Base with Minister Tim Ayres
New Federal industry and science minister Tim Ayres shares his take on industry policy, AI's opportunities and risks, and how we could steer through the latest wave of tech change. With regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton, and Per Capita’s...
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Digital New Deal with Johanna Weaver
Can Australia play a leading role in imagining a tech future that isn’t controlled by either the US or China? Johanna Weaver from the Tech Policy Design Institute expands on her recent essay ‘System Update - An Australian-led new deal for tech’ -...
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Poisoning AI with Prof Toby Walsh
The Large Language Models are powered by stolen data but there are new and innovative ways to make the thieves pay. Professor Toby Walsh explains the tech-driven resistance to Big AI from data poisoning to responsible cloud computing. With panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea…
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Scammed! With Alex Brooks
"I thought old people got scammed. And actually young people are at greater risk because they have more confidence in dealing [with things] online." This week on Burning Platforms, the team learns how the financial scam industry has become an enthusiastic early adapter of AI and how the banks are...
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Dr Alondra Nelson’s Intelligence
"What could things have become? You could imagine if the baton had been passed from the Obama administration to a Clinton administration... an American public much more ready... for the turns in AI that we are facing now." On this week's Burning Platforms, our panel spends some quality time with...
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Grok-ing Out with Julie Inman-Grant
Burning Platforms struggles to make sense of white genocide, design unicorns and the all-seeing Apple Eye. E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant joins regular panellists Digital Rights Watch founder Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis for our regular dive...
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The Holy Trinity Edition
Good things come in threes and this week’s Burning Platforms looks at the inspiration behind the new Pope’s decision to name himself Leo, the critical changes to the Labor Government’s front bench and Mark Zuckerberg maximum number of friends. Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie...
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2025 Federal Election Special (or Much Ado About Nothing)
With a federal election within days, Burning Platforms looks at the lack of discussion about tech and whether that is a good or bad thing. With Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Per Capita’s Peter Lewis and special guests, Editor of The Sizzle, Cam Wilson and Dr Rys Farthing from Reset...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech.
Join Peter Lewis, Lizzie O’Shea (Digital Rights Watch), Dan Stinton (HealthEngine CEO), and guests, fortnightly for analysis of the politics of technology from some of Australia’s leading digital campaigners and industry experts.
Brought to you by the Centre of the Public Square - an initiative of Per Capita.
HOSTED BY
Per Capita Australia
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Burning Platforms have?
Burning Platforms currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Burning Platforms about?
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. Join Peter Lewis, Lizzie O’Shea (Digital Rights Watch), Dan Stinton (HealthEngine CEO), and guests, fortnightly for analysis of the politics of technology from some of Australia’s leading digital campaigners and industry...
How often does Burning Platforms release new episodes?
Burning Platforms has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Burning Platforms?
You can listen to Burning Platforms on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Burning Platforms?
Burning Platforms is created and hosted by Per Capita Australia.
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