City Limits

Climate researcher David Spratt discusses the calamities of gas extraction and data centres with host Kevin Healy.Kevin then gives us the news roundup, including strange happenings in Malta, and why the super rich might have to take up canoeing.

Kevin considers the purchase of a 50 million dollar car.Kevin then speaks with Max Costello about developments around the legal recognition of refugee rights in Australia. MusicDon't Smoke in Bed, by Dan Tuffy & Song Crew

Kevin begins with his usual weekly news roundup, from immigration policy to law enforcement.Kevin then speaks with Loukas Kakogiannis, Secretary, Retail and Fast Food Workers Union (RAFFWU).Retail and Fast Food Workers Union (RAFFWU) Music Now Is The Time Of Emotion by Prince Rama

Kevin shows his usual concerns for the challenges faced by CEOs and the billionaire class.Kevin speaks with Sean Tyrol about accessible transport, and his experience as a blind commuter and dealing with the communication about changes to the schedules.The conversation about public transport continues with John Mcpherson.

Kevin and Antimony discuss the threatened privatisation of Melbourne Water and U.S. army testosterone levels, over cups of Vietnamese green tea.Dave Sweeney then joins the conversation to discuss Australia's double standards when it comes to nuclear threats and international security.The show pays tribute to Bevan Ramsden, a long time peace activist and comrade of Kevin and Dave.

Kevin shows his usual concern for the challenges faced by Liberal politicians, and the CEOs of fossil fuel companies.Helen van den Berg reminds us that without water there is no life. We kick of the conversation with a new Victorian law that recognises the personhood of rivers.

Content Warning: For discussion of suicide. Call Lifeline 13 11 14 if this episode affects you. Kevin and Antimony discuss UK's Nigel Farage v. Count Binface, billionaire summer camp and more. Guest Dr Kate Shaw discusses 50 years of housing in Australia - marked by a precipitous decline in housing conditions as neoliberalism took hold. Shane McGrath joins later in the show to bring updates from Housing for the Aged Action Group. Upcoming documentary film screening:https://www.oldertenants.org.au/events/views-from-the-bay-homelessness-week-documentary-screening Draft code of conduct for retirement villages open for comment:https://engage.vic.gov.au/retirementvillagesamendmentregs Four Corners episode: 'Unaffordable: Australia's Broken Housing Promise'https://iview.abc.net.au/show/four-corners

Kevin looks into organising by the billionaire class, and tries to sell Anne a $500,000 watch. Kevin then reminisces with climate researcher David Spratt, about 50 years of activism, including travel to the Middle East, and 50 years of 3CR radical radio.

Rebel who are not rebels and money that is not money. Kevin takes us through the topsy-turvy news of the week.Max Costello joins us to talk about the latest viscious assault on migrants and refugees, reminding us that threats to individual human life is deemed "irrelevant" in Australian law.

Kate Shaw takes a deep dive into how the recent federal budget with its tax changes to negative gearing and capital gains will impact the housing crisis. Kevin takes a look at the impact of the federal budget on capitalist investments.

Kevin keeps us entertained with his news roundup, including how companies protect their bottom line. Seasoned energy campaigner, Freya Leonard, gives us the bad news which is priced in the billions of dollars, and which overshadows the good news in the federal budget. Freya reminds us that Australia has not been measuring its methane emissions which pose a much bigger problem than carbon emissions. music:Don't Need To Be Cool by Ajak Kwai

Kevin takes us through the creative accounting of large corporations, and throws in a little war profiteering. Jack Howard reminds us how the demise of the union movement began under the Hawke Labor government.

Kevin gives us the weekly roundup of news from the industrial action up north to the inaction of the Minister for the Environment. Jack and Shane take us through the upcoming events and ongoing developments in public housing.

Kevin brings us the news roundup with his usual appreciation of the contradictions in the system -- from birthday parties, to city closures, to data centres and more.Public Transport expert, John McPherson, contemplates the fuel crisis, electrification, and Victoria's free public transport. MusicStoney End (1971) by Barbra Streisand

Kevin brings us the news of the week from A.I. to the Avalon Airshow to the shopping habits of Australia's central bank governor.Kevin then speaks with David Sweeney, anti-nuclear campaigner with the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Kevin brings us the news with his usual appreciation of the absurd - from AI and water usage, to the health benefits of Arnott's bikkies.Public Transport expert, John McPherson, contemplates the new metro tunnel in Melbourne, and Victoria's complex ticketing system.

Kevin provides his unique take on the news of the day. What does Australia's highest earning CEO, Australia's owner of the largest agricultural holdings, and the most disappointed past Labor premier all have in common? They are all women.We speak with Kate Shaw about the amazing array of speakers at the public housing forum: ENOUGH! Standing together for Victoria’s public housing held at The Capitol theatre on Thursday, October 23, 2025.Why are we set on demolishing the towers when it is more efficient, more humane, and more environmentally friendly to follow international practice, and retro-fit them?!

Kevin puts his own twist on the anniversary of the Dismissal.As ever Helen van den Berg is a font of information about how we could all be better stewards of that most precious resource - water! More information: Maribyrnong River and Waterways Association (MRWA) a community-based organisation that advocates for the health of rivers and creeks in the Maribyrnong catchment.

Speaking with Julia Stockigt from Save Westernport about yet another development proposal the local community demands to see ethically and safely executed: this time a Windfarm Terminal proposed by the Port of Hastings on behalf of Victorian Government.Julis discusses the proposed dredging of Western Port (Bay) to facilitate passage of large ships with turbines and pylons twice as tall as the MCG towers, to make way for an offshore wind energy project.Building this shipping channel will disturb the marine environment and rare species in water and on land, in this internationally recognised Ramsar site of significance.

Kevin and Zeb get the latest updates on our waterways from Friends of Steele Creek's  Helen van den Berg.

Public Housing Rally details: Saturday August 2nd 2025, 11am - 1pm at the State Library.The Victorian Labor Government plans to demolish and privatize public housing and sell off public land to private developers.Over 10,000 residents are set to be displaced, and 6,660 homes are set to be demolished.

We chat with regular guest John McPherson about Naarm/Melbourne's public transport planning woes. John provides sage advice to build infrastructure for the timetable you need - not the other way round!Find out more about the Sydney Road Accessible Tram Stops Campaign: https://www.facebook.com/SATScampaign/

We catch up with our regular housing guests for their view on the recent election and Victorian State Budget.

Kevin and Zeb catch up with John to talk all things transport in and around Naarm.A new accessible transport rally will be held on Saturday 10/05 at 10am at the Brunswick Rd/Sydney Rd tram stop, demanding all tram stops be made accessible. Come along!Petition to ban Israel from competing in Eurovision: https://secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/eurovision_no_stage_for_war_crimes_loc/?

Kevin and Zeb interview Jessica Harrison, presenter on Breadline (Mondays 6:00pm to 6:30pm - https://www.3cr.org.au/breadline) and long-standing activist in Gippsland.

Kevin and Zeb interview Nasser Mashni, president of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) and presenter on 3CR's Palestine Remembered (9.30am on Saturdays).The next Free Palestine rallies coming up are a snap action on Friday 28th 5.30pm at Parliament House and on April 13 12pm at the State Library.We also hear an audio clip from the Tuesday Brekkie show: Juliette interviews Cath Rouse from the 'NO Northern Incinerator Wollert' Campaign about some of the background and updates with what's happening in the north of the city.

Web Forum on the risks of nuclear to Far North Queensland, Wed 12/03/25 6.30pm AEST, 7.30pm Melbourne time: https://www.foefnq.org.au/the_risks_of_nuclear_for_fnq_forum?splash=1 Check out interactive mapping showing how a Fukushima-scale nuclear disaster could contaminate different areas depending on proposed reactor sites by the Liberals:https://nuclearplume.au/

This week Kevin goes on holiday and Karina and Zeb go rogue and drink coffee instead of tea! We interview socialist activist Dimitri Tafidis regarding the train disaster in Tempi, Greece 2 years ago which claimed 57 lives, and the general strike that is planned in Greece on the anniversary of this terrible collision.'Greece remains gripped by unanswered questions, systemic failures and institutional malpractice.' Details of the rally at the consulate: https://happeningnext.com/event/justice-for-the-victims-of-tempi-eid3a0c8kffmeRally to fight for tunnel filters on West Gate Tunnel: Organised by the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (MTAG) the ‘Clean our air – filter the stacks’ rally will take place at Yarraville Gardens on Sunday, March 2 11am-12pm, calling to have filtration devices installed in the tunnel’s ventilation stacks which are currently under construction.

Kevin and Zeb are joined by Freja Leonard, No More Gas Campaign Coordinator for Friends of the Earth Melbourne (and Scourge of the Gas Industry in Victoria) regarding the latest on this polluting and climate destroying fossil fuel.We play an audio excerpt from Radio Ecoshock, a weekly environment bulleting from Canada hosted and produces by Alex Smith (listen to their program 6am Sundays/10pm Mondays). Dr Timothee Parrique, economist at the faculty of Lausanne in Switzerland, speaks on the problem of economic growth on a finite planet. This is in tribute to Professor Paddy Moriarty, longtime guest of the show, who was a proponent of the need to not only transition our energy production to renewables but to decrease our energy consumption overall.Event on Thu, 13 Feb, 6:30pm - 8pm: Who Owns the Holy Land? Muslim, Jewish and Christian voices share their stories and visions for peace:https://events.humanitix.com/who-owns-the-holy-landNo Rig Decommissioning in Corner Inlet - Exxon Out! Petition: https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/environmental-effects-statement-for-the-decommissioning-of-oil-and-gas-at-barry-beach-marine-terminal/More info: https://www.melbournefoe.org.au/no_rig_decommissioning_in_corner_inlet_exxon_out

City Limits' monthly housing update with Shane McGrath from Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) and Jack Verdins from Friends of Public Housing Victoria.In the top half of the show, Keving mentions the event at Coburg Town Hall on Saturday 23 November: Voices from the Frontline of the Climate Crisis – an urgent call from the NTShane McGrath comes on the show to discuss retirement villages. HAAG featured recently on a 7.30 Report's investigation on Retirement Villages' prioritise profit over their residents. Also discussed were the upcoming rental reforms and their shortcomings as well as the long waiting lists for aged care packages. You can give HAAG a call on 1300 765 178 if you're looking for help accessing aged care services. Upcoming HAAG AGM: 28th Nov 11am-1pm Ross House. RSVP online or call 96547389. Updates provided by Jack Verdins: CLASS ACTION UPDATE FROM INNER MELBOURNE COMMUNITY LEGALPublic housing class action against the Victorian Government The Victorian Government made the decision to ‘retire and redevelop’ all public housing towers across Melbourne by 2051 on 18 September 2023.  Inner Melbourne Community Legal ("IMCL") filed a class action on behalf of public housing residents in North Melbourne and Flemington against Homes Victoria over the decision. What happened in the class action trial?IMCL argued in the Supreme Court of Victoria that Homes Victoria's decision to demolish the public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne was made without regard to the policies and procedures it is required to follow.  It was also argued and that Homes Victoria did not properly consider the residents’ human rights before it made the decision and compatible with the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic). Homes Victoria said its proposal for the redevelopment of 44 public housing towers across Melbourne was based on the understanding that the towers could not be refurbished. They said the decision was based on documents that cannot be shared with the Court because they are Cabinet documents and therefore cannot be released.  The Judge has paused the trial to decide whether the documents should be produced in Court and considered as evidence in the matter. The class action documents can be found on the Supreme Court of Victoria's website. What happens next and what do you need to do?IMCL will return to Court before the end of the year to argue the documents the decision was based on should be included as evidence in the trial. Once this issue is decided, the trial can resume. This means the timeline for the trial has been extended and we will not have a final decision until next year.Residents do not need to leave their home for now.The Judge has ordered Homes Victoria to not send residents eviction notices to make them leave their homes because the trial is still underway. Public housing residents can contact IMCL for free legal advice on (03) 9328 1885 or by email at [email protected] overwhelmed as 3 million at risk of becoming unhoused, says Homelessness Australia report - Monday 18 NovemberA new Homelessness Australia report has found more than a 60 per cent increase in risk of homelessness since 2016. The Impact Economics modelling estimates that between 2016 and 2022, the number of Australians at risk of homelessness increased by 63 per cent, representing between 2.7 and 3.2 million people.due to increasing rental stress and low incomesservice providers say they are having to shut their doors to new clients due to poor resourcing.Homelessness Australia has commissioned modelling of the number of Australians struggling with complicating factors such as low income, rental stress or low social resources, and says people with two or more of those factors are 'at risk' of becoming homeless. "People who could have afforded private rentals just a few years ago are now resorting to couch surfing, sleeping in cars or pitching a tent."Victoria and Queensland the fastest growersA state-by-state breakdown found Victoria and Queensland had seen the greatest growth in people at risk of homelessness, due to rental stress.In Victoria, 987,405 people were at risk of losing their home, the report found, after the state saw a 23.1 per cent increase in rental stress.The ACT was the only state to see a decrease in homelessness risk.Homelessness Australia acknowledged the Albanese government's increase investment in social housing, but said those homes would take some time to be built and there was still a shortfall of 640,000 social homes.

In this week’s food-based episode, Kevin and Zeb chat with dumpster diver and academic Willow Ross as well as Josh Cullinan, Secretary of the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union.Find out more about some of the topics covered:George Mann: https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/george-mann-keeping-union-history-alive-songPrevious episode with Willow: https://www.3cr.org.au/citylimits/episode/serrated-tussock-grass-and-dumpster-divingSong: There's No Such Thing As Waste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V7AbD-RuxMKing Charles' Aston Martin: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/11/prince-charles-car-runs-on-cheese-wine-byproductsLidia Thorpe's truth-telling to King Charles: https://www.instagram.com/p/DBX2oGMT4UG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==More on the campaign against youth and trainee rates in fast food and retail:https://raffwu.org.au/campaigns/industry/living-wages/

This housing week, Karina reads some news prepared by our regular Public Housing commentator Jack Verdins, then plays an interview recorded during national homelessness week with Jeremy Poxon, welfare rights advocate and officer with the Australian Unemployed Workers Union - check out the AUWU's new 3CR program, Breadline. Later we listen to a talk by Darebin Vic Socialists candidate Steph Price entitled A Socialist Response to the Housing Crisis, Originally broadcast on this week's edition of Solidarity Breakfast - thanks to Annie for the audio! Song: Happy Home by Siouxie and the Banshees To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

General news items and our usual rave with Kevin calling in on the phone, followed by a piece released during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games called NOlympics, translated and produced for 3CR by Karina with permission from the Cuellilargo team, Barcelona.  You can support their work here. Zeb also references an analysis on trans sportswomen you can check out here. Later, we go to some audio from the Say NO to Lara Big Incinerator Public Rally from Sunday 4th August at Austin Park Lara. Charles Street (retired biochemist and President & Secretary of the new organising group - group ‘No Waste Incinerators in Lara & Greater Geelong’) delivering a speech to take us through the bad science behind the project.  Thanks to 3CR's Amy Ciara for the audio; listen to more of Amy's recordings from the rally on this episode of Solidarity Breakfast. Special thanks also to local musician Abe Dunovits for providing the music for the English-language NOlympics piece. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

Kevin and Zeb start the show with a current affairs update, touching on:the disastrous oil spill in the Philippines cause by Typhoon Gaemi;raging fires in California;the impressive win for the Mirarr people in stopping uranium mining at Jabiluka;commentary on the allegations against the CFMEU; andWestpac's gag order on court dispute Helen van den Berg joins the conversation to provide insight into the fire at the ACB Group factory and its potentially severe and longlasting effects on the environment. What can we do to reduce the risk of these fires and mitigate their impact into the future? Check out the Australian Services Union’s petition against the privatisation of the City of Melbourne’s waste services: To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

Kevin Healy and Karina Aedo-Aguilera host a 'Transport Week' May Day special, focusing on our Union History, and featuring Merri-bek Councillor and community activist Monica Harte. She discusses her previous work life as a bus driver and president of the Tramways Union (ATMOEA) during the Melbourne 1990 tram strike. Later, Jack Howard, social activist who has done history research for the Rail, Tram & Bus Union (RTBU) Victoria, joins the conversation with an abridged history of our transport unions from the early 1900s to present. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

Shane McGrath from Raise the Roof  provided an update on the State enquiry into Public Housing. Shane also spoke about the Departrment of Consumer Affairs Task Force into Landlords. It is so under-resourced to be effective when it comes to dealing resident complaints.Would replacing negative gearing with rent tax and rent controls free up enough housing? Jack Verdins spoke about the Housing Justice Campaign, an Australia-wide campaign and petition calling unions to help lead green-bans and campaign with the community to offer these solutions to the housing crisis: 1. Preservation of Public Housing: Ensure that existing public housing structures are preserved and maintained, protecting the rights and homes of current residents.2. Public Housing as Solution: Promote the development of additional public housing to solve the housing crisis across the country. 3. Community Participation: Enact an inclusive and democratic process of community meetings (ie Citizen's Assemblies) where the input of the community genuinely informs any refit, refurbishment and redevelopment plans. If you want to get involved with HAAG, you can listen to Raise the Roof 5:30-6pm, on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month on 3CR, you can head to www.oldertenants.org, or give them a call on (03) 9654 7389. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

Kevin and Karina speak with regular transport commentator John McPherson about all things transport, in particular a recent report on NO2 pollution in southern cross station - 1,200 parts per billion averaged for 24 hours over the last 12 years - 3.5 times worse than 'extremely poor air quality' levels. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

This week on City Limits, we speak with our usual suspects when it comes to housing issues. Shane McGrath from Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) comes in first to give us all the HAAG news, including information about issues in 'residential parks', and the unprotected industrial action (a walk-out for Palestine) that ASU workers in the social and community services sector have planned for 1pm Thursday 22nd Feb at 128 Exhibition St, Melbourne (Victorian Council of Social Service building).  Later, public housing activist and advocate Jack Verdins joins us for a discussion on the recently released internal council documents with new info on evictions of Techno Park Estate residents in Williamstown, rising rents and government policy pandering to private housing sector, Victoria's pitiful lack of investment in the public housing sector, and more. If you want to get involved with HAAG, you can listen to Raise the Roof 5:30-6pm, on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month on 3CR, you can head to www.oldertenants.org, or give them a call on (03) 9654 7389. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

This Energy Week on City Limits, we speak with Freja Leonard from the No More Gas Collective (Friends of the Earth Melbourne) about Australian gas companies and their lobby groups, who are spinning a desperate PR campaign to maintain relevance, plus our usual news items and more on the energy sector.  To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

Kevin and Karina start the year with a recap on the good and the bad events of the past months, and later talk to regular transport commentator John McPherson about admissions of the city's bus networks, disputes over the long held-up rail links, the state government's financial pressures, and much more. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

This Transport Week we speak with regular transport commentator John McPherson, and also with Friends of the Earth's Sustainable Cities Campaign Coordinator Elyse Cunningham about their Better Buses Campaign in the wake of 2023 Transport Equity Week, and why a comprehensive overhaul of our bus networks is necessary for sustainability and reliable accessibility to all services and spaces for those living in our city's most ill-resourced local government areas. To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits

After a 2-week cold-induced hiatus, Kevin and Karina return to the program for a belated housing week, catching up on the big news items we missed on the break, then later speaking to Shane McGrath from Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) and housing activist Jack Verdins.  Discussing Daniel Andrews' shameful final announcement as premier to demolish all PH towers and why; we finish on previously successful campaigns and how the community has mobilised in response, with more direct actions around the corner. HAAG invites you to their Housing Justice Quilting Bee;11am-2pm,Thursday 26th of OctoberLevel 1, Ross House, Flinders Lane Melbourne You can call (03) 9654 7389 to register your attendance, or just show up! To access all previous podcasts and any extra links in our podcast descriptions, visit 3cr.org.au/citylimits