Intro + acknowledgement of country

Cory Bernadi has split from the Liberal party. The Q society are holding an Islamophobia fest tonight with Bernadi and fellow far right Liberal MP George Christiansen in attendance; a counter protest organised bythe Campaign Against Racism and Fascism is happening.

New Melbourne council by-laws banning homeless persons from ‘camping’ in the city. Homelessness is not a choice, it is a product of systemic issues like unemployment, the housing affordability crisis, and cuts to mental health services and domestic violence shelters. Homeless Persons Union Victoria and others are fighting the crackdown on vulnerable people in the city.

The Tory government in the UK is bringing in pension and welfare cuts, and there are distinct similarities to the welfare cuts and robo-debt agenda being pursued in Australia.

There is a resurgence of the March in March movement that kicked off in 2014 in response to the Abbott government’s grotesque first budget full of cuts and austerity.

The one day inFremantle event on Jan 28, which was counterposed to Australia day / invasion day on Jan 26, was a resounding success and has helped push forward the debate about changing the date across the land.

Jacob and Zane interview Graham Wells, Principal Lawyer and Clinical Supervisor at Social Security Rights Victoria regarding the Centrelink robo-debt scandal. Graham has been assisting other legal firms in assessing the legality of the robo-debt system, which he describes as a ‘scam’. Listen here.

Jacob and Zane interview Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) Victorian Secretary Luba Grigorovitch about the union’s campaign to take the Victorian rail and tram system back into public ownership. Listen here. In the past 7 years, the private operators of the system have taken $350million in profit out of Victoria. The campaign has the support of Victoria Trades Hall council and the Australian Council of Trade Unions. Sign the petition at publictransportpublichands.com

Update on the #NODAPL campaign to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Trump has overturned a ban on the pipeline implemented in the dying days of the Obama administration.