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Socially Democratic
by Stephen Donnelly
Socially Democratic is your weekly centre-left politics and campaign podcast hosted by Stephen Donnelly, founder of Dunn Street - a campaign agency bringing change by organising from the ground up. Each Friday, Stephen and guests breakdown the issues shaping Australia and the rest of the world and the social democrats leading them. Follow on Instagram at @dunn.street Facebook at @dunnstreetaustralia Twitter at @Dunn_Street_LinkedIn at Dunn Street Website at dunnstreet.com.au
Episodes
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Ep. 369: Secret Harbour, Labor's Longevity, and other Mailbag Questions with Lissie Ratcliff and Michael Gunner | Australia's Labor Podcast
Secret Harbour, Labor's Longevity, and other Mailbag Questions with Lissie Ratcliff and Michael Gunner | Australia's Labor Podcast Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with the September Mailbag. Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by regular guest Lissie Ratcliff, as well as...
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Ep. 368: Introducing The Recount: 21 Federal Elections, One Epic Campaign Journey with Dr Stephen Mills | Australia's Labor Podcast
Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is launching something new. Starting next month, we're embarking on a two-year series called The Recount: a month-by-month deep dive into every single federal election since 1972. That's 21 elections, one per episode, all the way from Gough...
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Ep 367: Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone LIVE at Trades Hall | Australia's Labor Podcast
This special episode of Socially Democratic was recorded live at the Victorian Trades Hall Council, as a fundraiser for four Labor women fighting battleground seats in November: Michaela Settle (Eureka), Daniela De Martino (Monbulk), Pauline Richards (Cranbourne) and Belinda Wilson (Narre Warren...
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Ep. 366: The Royal Commission on Antisemitism: What We're Learning with Lisa Mittelman | Australia's Labor Podcast
Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic returns to one of the most important and difficult conversations in Australian public life. In December last year, following the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach that killed 15 Jewish Australians on the first night of Hanukkah, we spoke about…
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Ep. 365: Teacher Strikes, Gambling Reform, the Democratic Primaries and Other Mailbag Questions with Lissie Ratcliff | Australia's Labor Podcast
Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with the August Mailbag. It's just Stephen and Lissie this month, with Todd Pinkerton away temporarily. Lissie Ratcliff joins host Stephen Donnelly for a packed episode covering teacher strikes in Victoria, the Suburban Rail Loop saga,...
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Ep. 364: Growing the Labor Party: Membership, Recruitment and Retention - LIVE at the ALP National Conference Fringe | Australia's Labor Podcast
Socially Democratic goes live at the 50th ALP National Conference Fringe in Adelaide for a special panel on one of the Labor Party's most important and least discussed challenges: how do we grow our membership, and how do we keep people once they join? Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by Todd...
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Ep. 363: Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone LIVE at the ALP National Conference | Australia's Labor Podcast
Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic goes live at the 50th ALP National Conference in Adelaide. Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by David Feeney and Jessie McCrone for a wide-ranging night of conference trivia, half-year report cards, and hot takes. They cover: 🏛️ Conference...
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Ep. 362: Emergency Episode: The Victorian Labor Leadership Spill with David Feeney and Lissie Ratcliff | Australia's Labor Podcast
Australian Labor politics podcast Socially Democratic is back with a snap episode. Victoria has a new Premier. On Monday and Tuesday, in a matter of 48 hours, Jacinta Allan was replaced by Ben Carroll, who is now the 50th Premier of Victoria. Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by two people who know...
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Ep. 361: One Nation's Soft Vote and the Secret Harbour By-Election | Australia's Labor Podcast
This episode of Socially Democratic is a special two-parter recorded on the eve of the ALP National Conference in Adelaide. Part one: pollster John Armitage from Qdos Research joins Stephen for a mid-year federal check-in. One Nation is at 30% in Newspoll. The Liberals have collapsed to 19%. And...
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Ep. 360: AI Guardrails, Lessons from Telstra, and Other Mailbag Questions with Lissie Ratcliff and Todd Pinkerton | Australia's Labor Podcast
Socially Democratic is back with the July Mailbag, and we're here to answer your questions on AI regulation, nationalising critical infrastructure, and whether Victorians should be nervous about the state election. Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by former Chief of Staff to Daniel Andrews and...
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Ep 359: Democracy, Dissent, and the Fight Ahead with Alison Byrnes, Rosie Ryan and Todd Pinkerton | Australia's Labor Podcast
Socially Democratic goes live at the New South Wales Labor State Conference Fringe for a special episode recorded in front of a live audience at Sydney Town Hall. Host Stephen Donnelly is joined by regular guest and Unions NSW Director of Campaigns and Strategy Todd Pinkerton, Federal Member for...
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Ep. 358: Showing the Work: Trade Unions and the Labor Party
Apologies to our listeners for the technical difficulties this week. Socially Democratic heads to Victorian Trades Hall for a special episode with two of the most important figures in the Victorian trade union movement. Luke Hilakari, Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council, and Wil…
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Ep. 357: Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone - June | Australia's Labor Podcast
This episode of Socially Democratic covers a massive month in Australian politics: One Nation's rise, Pauline at the National Press Club, and a Victorian Labor leadership non-challenge that fizzled before it started. David Feeney is back on the Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone and host Stephen...
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Ep. 356: The NSW Labor Conference with Dom Ofner, NSW ALP General Secretary | Australia's Labor Podcast
Host Stephen Donnelly sits down with NSW ALP General Secretary Dom Ofner ahead of the NSW Labor Conference, July 4–5 at Sydney Town Hall. They cover: 🏛️ Why the NSW Conference is unlike any other political event in Australia, and why it has to be at Town Hall 📜 The McKell Model: how NSW Labor...
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Ep. 355: AI, Authenticity, and Other Mailbag Questions with Todd Pinkerton and Lissie Ratcliff | Australia's Labor Podcast
This episode of Socially Democratic is the June Mailbag. Todd Pinkerton and Lissie Ratcliff answer your questions on AI, the budget, progressive media, and the future of cheap beer. 🤖 Is Labor seriously game-planning for an AI-driven jobs crisis? 🏠 A month on from the budget, has it landed with...
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Ep. 354: The U.S. Midterms and Beyond with Katie Parsons | Australia's Labor Podcast
In this episode of Socially Democratic, your Australian Labor politics and campaigns podcast, host Stephen Donnelly is joined by senior Democratic consultant and former Obama field organiser Katie Parsons for a deep dive into the state of the Democratic Party. The DNC finally released its...
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Ep. 353: The Feeney (McCrone) Files with Lissie Ratcliff | Australia's Labor Podcast
This episode of Socially Democratic covers the May federal budget: the politics, the comms, and what it means for Labor heading into the next Victorian election. David Feeney is away, so Stephen Donnelly and Jessie McCrone are joined this month by Lissie Ratcliff, former Andrews Chief of Staff…
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Ep. 352: UK Election Fallout with John McTernan and David Feeney | Australia's Labor Podcast
This episode of Socially Democratic discusses the UK local, Scottish, and Welsh election results, and what Labour's historic collapse means for social democracy. Reform UK surged across England, Scotland, and Wales. Labour lost its 115-year dominance in Wales. And inside the Parliamentary Labour...
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Ep. 351: The Federal Budget 2026 Unpacked with Emma Dawson and Adam Triggs | Australia's Labor Podcast
This episode of Socially Democratic discusses the 2026 Federal Budget — Jim Chalmers' most ambitious yet — with Emma Dawson, Executive Director of the Chifley Research Centre, and economist Adam Triggs, Partner at Mandala. Is this really the most significant tax reform package in a quarter of a...
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Ep. 350: Tax Reform, Energy Sovereignty and Other Mailbag Questions with Lissie Ratcliff and Todd Pinkerton | Australia’s Labor Podcast
In this topical, fully-loaded episode of Socially Democratic , Stephen, Todd, and Lissie convene to answer our most pressing Mailbag questions - and add a few thoughts of their own. Our listeners asked: 🏡 If the Treasury scraps or reduces negative gearing and capital gains tax benefits in the…
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Ep. 349: April Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone | Australia’s Labor Podcast
This episode of Socially Democratic brings Stephen, David, and Jessie back together to discuss Labor news and politics over the past month - and envision what’s to come. They cover: 💰The May Federal Budget announcement: What sort of scenarios must be planned for with the ongoing fuel crisis?…
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Ep. 348: The Future of Organising with Greta Carnes and Josh Cook | Australia’s Labor Podcast
How did the well-oiled machine that built the historic Obama campaign in 2008 fail so catastrophically in 2024? -- This week on Socially Democratic, Stephen speaks with Josh Cook and Greta Carnes about their report ‘The Future of Democratic Organizing’. Greta is a political campaigner and...
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Ep. 347: “We’re an Economic Justice Movement” with John Armitage | Australia’s Labor Podcast
This week on Socially Democratic, Stephen speaks with John Armitage, one of the most respected social researchers and communication strategists on the Australian left. As recent polls have shown, the political landscape in Australia is rapidly shifting. So what's next? Where to now for the Labor...
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Ep. 346: How to Talk About a Global Crisis & Other Mailbag Questions with Todd Pinkerton and Lissie Ratcliff | Australia’s Labor Podcast
Todd Pinkerton, Campaign Director for Unions NSW, and Lissie Ratcliff, Managing Partner at FMRS Advisory and fmr Chief of Staff to Premier Daniel Andrews, are back this month to answer your burning mailbag questions. This episode of Socially Democratic discusses: 📺Prime Minister Albanese’s...
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Ep. 345: The Australian Economy with Adam Triggs | Australia’s Labor Podcast
Happy long weekend, Social Democrats! In this episode of Socially Democratic, Stephen sits down with economist Adam Triggs, a Partner at Mandala and Non-Resident Fellow at The Brookings Institution and ANU. They discuss the issues that are top-of-mind for many Australians, including: ⛽The Fuel...
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Ep. 344: South Australia Election - Final Recap with Matt Clemow and Hannah MacLeod
This week on Australia's favourite Labor politics and campaigns podcast: 🎉 Congratulations to Premier Peter Malinauskas, the entire SA Labor campaign, and the people of South Australia! 🧩 Matt, Hannah, and Stephen analyse the party's historic win, seat by seat. 📈 Plus, we look at the benefits…
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Ep. 343: Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone | Australia’s Labor Podcast
In this episode of Socially Democratic: 📊 Another landslide Labor victory in South Australia for Peter Malinauskas. What can the rest of us learn from it? 🗞️ Rumours of a leadership challenge in Victoria. The news in Victoria is rife with speculation on the future of the Allan government.…
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Ep. 342: Retrospective on International Women’s Day 2026 – What’s Actually Changed?
It's time for the annual Socially Democratic mic handover! This episode features the return of our favourite stand-in host, Rebecca Thistleton (Executive Director Victoria, The McKell Institute) along with special guests Melissa Donnelly (National Secretary of the Community and Public Sector...
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Ep. 341: South Australia Election – 1 Day to Go with Matt Clemow and Hannah MacLeod | Australia’s Labor Podcast
In this episode of Socially Democratic: 📉 Are the Liberals about to finish THIRD? They remain stuck below 20% primary vote, with One Nation moving into second place. 📊 New polling shows Labor holding a commanding lead, but are the figures even underselling it? 🧨 Ashton Hurn stumbles on a net...
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Ep. 340: Social Cohesion, Working Conditions, and Other Mailbag Questions with Todd Pinkerton and Lissie Ratcliff | Australia’s Labor Podcast
In this episode of Socially Democratic: 🫥 How will the Liberals respond to the findings of their 2025 Election Review? Or will they just hide it in a drawer? 💸 If we address the housing crisis by favouring owner-occupiers over investors, where will that investment money go? Does Australia have...
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Ep. 339 South Australia Election Weekly Recap - 8 Days to Go with Hannah MacLeod and Matt Clemow | Australia’s Labor Podcast
In this episode of Socially Democratic: 🍎 Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas announces a policy of 150 minutes per week of ‘Active Learning’ for school aged children, plus free school camp and an expansion of sports vouchers. 🧩 South Australia Liberals struggle to get airtime and squander their...
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Ep. 338: The South Australian Election Weekly Recap - 15 Days to Go!
Hey Social Democrats. We are back with our first of the 4-part series on the South Australia state elections. Stephen Donnelly, along with special guests Hannah MacLeod and Matt Clemow, analyse the state of the race, including: ✅ Peter Malinauskas's record as Premier, ✅ Political messaging from…
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Ep. 337 Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone - February 2026
Hey Social Democrats. It's that time again! 📊 February brought fresh polling, a Liberal leadership shake-up, and renewed questions about where the conservative movement goes next. With the opposition searching for economic credibility and flirting once again with culture-war politics, what does...
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Ep. 336: Is This Labor’s “Now or Never” Moment? with Emma Dawson
This week on Socially Democratic, Stephen is joined by policy expert and Executive Director of the Chifley Research Centre, Emma Dawson. Emma joins the show to talk about what Labor's clear majority actually means, what they can still achieve in their second term, and whether this is a...
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Ep. 335: Capital Gains Tax, The Epstein Files and Other Mailbag Questions with Lissie Ratcliff and Todd Pinkerton
"Politics is about choices—who do you stand with and for, and who are you against?" ⭐ The debate over the capital gains tax discount is here to stay. Many Gen Z's and Millennials are fully aware that they will be unable to afford a home without major tax reform - and that's only the start. But…
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Ep. 334: Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone - January 2026
Hey Social Democrats, Happy 'Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone' Day! 🧐 One Nation leads the Coalition in the polls, and even the recent acquisition of Barnaby Joyce can't fully explain it... 🤪 ... sending the Coalition into internal tatters days later. 🔥 So gather 'round the campfire while we...
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Ep. 333: How Long will Keir Starmer Last? with John Mcternan
Note: This month’s Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone will come out next week, due to a scheduling conflict (a.k.a Stephen's globetrotting). But not to worry, we have an equally formidable guest for you this week. John Mcternan is back! He shares his expert analysis of UK politics and the health of...
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Ep. 332: The Mailbag Episode with Lissie Ratcliff and Todd Pinkerton
This week, regular guests Lissie and Todd answer listener questions from Patreon: ⭐ What has the Federal Labor Government done well? Our pro-Labor bonafides are called into question! 💪 Is the Victorian Government in good shape for this election year? 🥊 What 'inevitable tensions' arise between…
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Ep. 331: Courage Under Fire: Iran’s Tipping Point with Zahra Amanpour
Hey Social Democrats. Welcome to a new season of Socially Democratic. Mass protests in Iran are entering their third week. Go behind the headlines with Iranian-American entrepreneur Zahra Amanpour. Born during the Iranian revolution of 1979 and hailing from a family of anti-authoritarian…
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Ep. 330: Pop Culture Year in Review 2025 with Tess Farrell
Happy New Year Social Democrats! This week, Stephen and resident pop culture expert Tess Farrell discuss the Netflix political thriller, 'The Diplomat'. Stay tuned for some non-political recommendations for what to watch and read in 2026. Mentioned in the show: 'The Diplomat' starring Keri…
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Ep. 329: State Politics Year in Review 2025 with Minister Harriet Shing
Another year in The Garden State has come to an end. In keeping with tradition, Minister Harriet Shing is here to help us review the past 12 months. 💜Drawing from her own family’s experiences, Harriet brings warmth and clarity to the fight against hate speech, and stresses the need to create a...
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Ep. 328: After Bondi: Has the Left Failed Jewish Australians?
Socially Democratic is an opinion-based political and campaign podcast that facilitates discussion on a range of topical issues. The opinions of guests are not an endorsement and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff at Dunn Street and Socially Democratic. -- After the horrific events...
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Ep. 327: International Politics Wrap with Katie Parsons
Viktor Orbán, Hungary Netherlands, the PVV Sanae Takaichi, Japan and the LDP Canada is quoting Reagan UK Labour’s badly shaken Germany. AFD. What’s wrong with democracy? We didn’t start the fire, But Katie’s here, she’s going to make it clear We didn’t start the fire, But our episode will help…
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Ep. 326: What Does Labor Believe In? with Sean Kelly
Sean Kelly started with a basic question: What does Labor believe? Drawing on his experience as a former press secretary for both Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, and over a decade covering politics, he pursues the question through the lens of our not so-distant-past - from the Cold War to Whitlam,...
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Ep. 325 Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone: Tory Story
Seven months post-election, Federal Labor is still going strong, while the Liberals seem hopelessly mired in conflict. 🤔 Sussan Ley’s decision to dump net zero targets aren’t doing them any favours with suburban voters. And, Labor is polling better than the Libs in 9 out of 10 policy areas,...
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Ep. 324: The Mailbag Episode with Lissie Ratcliff and Todd Pinkerton
This week, Lissie Ratcliff and Todd Pinkerton are back to answer more questions from Patreon. If you’re not a Patreon member, not to worry - this episode is for everyone. In this conversation: ❓With flagging party membership across both the Liberals and the ALP, we ask: do these numbers really...
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Ep. 323: Serving Justice: The Fight for Fair Work at Macca's with Josh Peak
"You wouldn't know the half of it." 🍔 What happens when McDonald's - a corporate behemoth so vast, so rich, so omnipresent that its logo is synonymous with globalisation and capitalism - is asked to compensate hourly workers for unpaid wages? It screams. That's where the SDA (Shop, Distributive...
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Ep. 322: How to Capture a Prime Minister with Filmmaker Gary Newman
⚡ Don't miss your chance to watch 'How to Capture a Prime Minister' online - Nov 11th only at howtocaptureapm.com⚡ ⌛ 11 November 2025, is the 50th anniversary of Governor-General Sir John Kerr's historic dismissal of Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. 👑 This remains the only time in...
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Ep. 321: Feeney Files with Jessie McCrone: October
Happy Halloween! 🎃🎃🎃 Stephen, Jessie, and David gather around the campfire to discuss the spookiest stories of the month, including: 🤝Albanese’s meeting with Trump and the run-in with Rudd. 🗽Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral run in New York City. 📵Anika Wells’s response to Optus outage. And more!...
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Ep. 320: People Power, Change with Marshall Ganz
In this special overseas episode, Stephen Donnelly sits down with Harvard Senior Lecturer and veteran organiser Marshall Ganz to discuss his legendary work, and his thoughts on how we build power in the current environment. You can also watch the interview on Youtube. Mentioned in the episode:...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Socially Democratic is your weekly centre-left politics and campaign podcast hosted by Stephen Donnelly, founder of Dunn Street - a campaign agency bringing change by organising from the ground up. Each Friday, Stephen and guests breakdown the issues shaping Australia and the rest of the world and the social democrats leading them. Follow on Instagram at @dunn.street Facebook at @dunnstreetaustralia Twitter at @Dunn_Street_LinkedIn at Dunn Street Website at dunnstreet.com.au
HOSTED BY
Stephen Donnelly
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How many episodes does Socially Democratic have?
Socially Democratic currently has 372 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Socially Democratic about?
Socially Democratic is your weekly centre-left politics and campaign podcast hosted by Stephen Donnelly, founder of Dunn Street - a campaign agency bringing change by organising from the ground up. Each Friday, Stephen and guests breakdown the issues shaping Australia and the rest of the world and...
How often does Socially Democratic release new episodes?
Socially Democratic publishes regularly with 372 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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You can listen to Socially Democratic 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 Socially Democratic?
Socially Democratic is created and hosted by Stephen Donnelly.
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