The National Conservatism Institute of Australia Podcast

by Dan Ryan

Louise Clegg - Is An American-style First Amendment Necessary To Protect Free Speech in Australia?

My guest today is Louise Clegg, a lawyer, a political commentator, and someone who has also been critic of the national conservative movement. Today we discuss: - The state of freedom of speech in Australia. - Her views on whether we should introduce a US-style 1st amendment here - Her views on the constitutional validity of burning the Australian flag, banning statements like “from the river to the sea”, restrictions on nationalist political parties - Whether Pauline Hanson will succeed in her High Court challenge against 18C And much much more https://www.spectator.com.au/author/louise-cleggexample-com/ https://www.ussc.edu.au/louise-clegg

E139

Sep 2, 2026

1:07:01

Dr Mathew A Frith - "America's Neglected Protectionist Tradition: The Economics That Forged A Nation"

My guest today is Dr Mathew A Frith who is a lecturer at the University of New England where he specialises in the history of economic thought. Today we discuss: His new book “America's Neglected Protectionist Tradition: The Economics That Forged a Nation” and how it builds on his award-winning PhD thesis that we discussed previously The sophisticated and humane moral philosophy of the protectionists Why Abraham Lincoln called the work they were doing the “beautiful science”? We speculate how a debate between Milton Friedman and Alexander Hamilton would have gone and what common ground they might share What the response has been from other economic historians in the field And much more https://www.une.edu.au/staff-profiles/business/mathew-frith https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1839999268 https://www.mathewfrith.com/book

E138

Sep 1, 2026

56:52

Prof Frank Bongiorno - What History Can Teach Us About The Crisis On The Australian Right

My guest today is Frank Bongiorno, Professor of History and Vice-Chancellor's Centre of Public Ideas at the University of Canberra and one of Australia's most well-known historians. Today we discuss: - The recent articles in Australian Historical Studies Journal to which he contributed concerning the so-called "Crisis of The Australian Right" and what parallels exist in our history to what is occurring now - How he understands the terms "left" and "right", "liberal" and "conservative" and how various parties in the the past have used these terms - Whether any member of pre-Whitlam ALP would be welcome in Albanese's cabinet and if there is even any common link between the party of old and today - Whether politicians from the Federation age and before the age of open borders liberalism have something to teach us. And much more https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Bongiorno https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-bongiorno-b9122214/ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1031461X.2026.2694425

E137

Aug 27, 2026

56:39

Craig Tindale - The Case for Australian Economic Nationalism and Re-Industrialization

My guest today is Craig Tindale, an Australian private investor who spent nearly four decades working software development, business strategy, mining, and infrastructure and now runs a successful Substack which is read by senior officials in the White House and the Pentagon. Today we discuss: Today we how his thinking has changed over the years about matters such as economics, geopolitics and sovereignty. The need for re-industrialising Australia and how to compete with China’s refining capacity How the Trump administration thinks about our mining sector and Australia more generally? What the next 10 years will look like in the West if we do not change course. And much much more https://ctindale.substack.com/ https://x.com/ctindale?lang=en

E136

Aug 25, 2026

56:51

Peter Brimelow, Editor of VDARE - The State of Immigration Policy Across the West

My guest today is Peter Brimelow, long-time journalist and most recently editor of VDARE an immigration restrictionist website. Today we discuss: What he knows of Australia and the relationship between immigration policy in the United States and here How he would describe the ideology which has promoted ethnic diversity in Western nations What the status is of VDARE and whether there is hope for its resurrection What can be done to reforge a common people in Anglosphere countries and likely scenarios for the future And much much more https://www.peterbrimelow.com/

E135

Aug 19, 2026

57:28

Shane Jones MP, Deputy Leader NZ First - The Nationalist Wave in New Zealand

My guest today is Hon Shane Jones MP, Deputy Leader of New Zealand First. He is also Minister for Oceans and Fisheries in the Christopher Luxon Government. Today we discuss: What New Zealand First is and what it shares in common with other national populist parties across the West. His explanation for why such parties are rising in the polls globally. His story and what motivated him to move from the NZ Labour Party to NZ First Whether NZ First has a realistic chance of one day displacing the National Party and becoming the dominant party on the right in New Zealand And much, much, more

E134

Aug 17, 2026

49:38

Paul Kelly, editor-at-large, The Australian newspaper - The Twilight of Australian Exceptionalism

My guest today is Paul Kelly, editor-at-large of The Australian newspaper and author of the recently published book: "The Twilight of Exceptionalism: The Liberal and Conservative Era 2013 - 2022". Today we discuss: Why, of the many books he has authored, he found this one the most difficult to write Why the traditional Australian centre-right is in crisis Whether we over-mythologize the Hawke-Keating-Howard-Costello era in Australia and what he makes of the critiques of people like Andrew Hastie and Matt Canavan His view on Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter / X in 2022 and what responsibility journalism has for he problems the west faces And how we can make Australia exceptional again? And much, much, more https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Kelly_(journalist) https://www.mup.com.au/books/the-twilight-of-exceptionalism/9780522882339

E133

Aug 5, 2026

1:01:36

Prof Alan Gamlen - The Politics of Immigration, National Identity, and Demographic Transformation

My guest today is Alan Gamlen who among other things a Professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance at Australian National University and Founding Director of the ANU Migration Hub. Today we discuss: - How he became interested in the topic of immigration and why he thinks immigration has become such a hot button topic in recent times - How the universalist left and the free market right have similar views on immigration and the nation state - Why we need immigration at all and whether he thinks the UK deserves the criticism it has received - How he thinks this will all play out politically in the years ahead https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/persons/alan-gamlen/

E132

Aug 3, 2026

1:09:39

Chetna Mahadik - "Immigration and Multiculturalism: The Past, Present, and Future"

My guest today is Chetna Mahadik, who is general manager of the Robert Menzies Institute and editor of the recent published book "Immigration and Multiculturalism: The Past, The Present, and The Future". Today we discuss: - Recent conference she organised in Melbourne and some of the key issues discussed such as the current rationale for immigration - Dual citizenship, whether it is really possible to love and have allegiance to two countries - What she understands by multiculturalism - And whether the citizenship process she went though is adequate And much much more https://www.linkedin.com/in/chetna-mahadik-0306902/ https://www.connorcourtpublishing.com.au/Immigration-Multiculturalism-The-Past-the-Present-and-the-Future-edited-by-Chetna-Mahadik_p_681.html

E131

Aug 3, 2026

58:57

Prof Alexandre Lefebvre - Defending Liberalism from the New Right

My guest today is Alexandre Lefebvre, professor of politics and philosophy at the University of Sydney. Alex is a staunch defender of liberalism but is also very familiar and engages with prominent thinkers in the national conservative, post-liberal, and "new right" movements globally. Today we discuss: - What makes him a liberal and what he has learnt from the critics of liberalism - Why he thinks the liberal consensus is coming under stress - Whether liberalism is inherently hostile to religion and the nation state - And where he sees the nationalist and post-liberal political movements going in the years ahead And much more https://www.alexlefebvre.com/

E130

Jul 28, 2026

55:23

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