All The Best is for new Australian storytelling. Hear from a Melbourne-based cannibal, how the Australian Wallabies used theatre workshops to improve their game, anxiety attacks in a Tantric sex class, and what the shopping centre Santa Claus is really thinking, all on All The Best. We're a weekly radio show and podcast produced at FBi Radio in Sydney in association with SYN and Triple R in Melbourne, and broadcast nationally via the Community Radio Network. We’ve been telling stories in a v ...
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Australian perspectives on the week's neglected social aspects of life, too often ignored by economics-driven priorities. These undermine our options for good societies, not just growth. Eva Cox is a well-known sociologist and public feminist commentator with a long involvement in advocacy for more civil societies. Julie Macken has a wealth of experience as a journalist for AFR and New Matilda and has worked with a variety of non-profit organisations. Produced for community radio stations ac ...
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So, what actually goes on in Parliament House? Two journalists new to the Canberra press gallery chat about the week in politics, breaking down what happens in the nation’s Parliament for people who don’t live inside ‘the Canberra bubble’. Join Amanda Copp and Sarah Ison for a 30-minute chat as they pop the coded language to tell you what's really going on.
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In 2020, the first series of From the Embers premiered, focusing on communities across Australia who had faced fire and smoke and homes destroyed in what was one of the most difficult summers has ever seen, the 2019-20 bushfire season. In 2022, From the Embers 2: Phoenix returns to several places featured in the first series, including Mallacoota, Kangaroo Island, and the forests of the Far north of New South Wales to explore how communities are recovering from the fires and the issues that ...
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This week’s episode takes us through a war and typhoons in South East Asia and the Asia Pacific. This week’s episode takes us through a war and typhoons in South East Asia and the Asia Pacific. We learn what a typhoon looks like through the eyes of a child and how even a story of war can be used to talk about the ones we love. Tubig Lang The first …
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This week’s episode asks us to pause. To pay attention to the world around us and to think of the power that nature has to heal damaged and abandoned spaces. Would they survive without humans? The first story is about resilience. Not human resilience, but about the persistence of trees growing in places that you might not expect. Raihanah takes us …
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Our stories this week look at this dissonance between thinking of COVID-19 in the past tense, while also knowing that it is still a very real threat to many vulnerable people in our community. Just becasue it isn't in the news isn’t giving us a count of Covid infections anymore doesn’t mean that it's gone away. Hug In our first story, Cristina talk…
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Michael Walker examines how fear-driven politics have led powerful nations down self-destructive paths. Drawing on the words of the Roman historian Livy, Walker reflects on the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza and their human and economic toll, arguing that a desire for security has led to policies that ultimately weaken the state. He compares …
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This week, we get outside and get our hands dirty as we take a closer look at the world around us, whether that involves rethinking the uses of the land or trying to protect it. This week's stories don't just call on us to pay attention to the environment around us. It's also a cautionary tale of what can happen when we don't. The Weedy One Are wee…
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War, Power, and No Debate - With Julie Macken (rpt)
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5:00In this powerful episode, Julie Macken delivers a scathing critique of global warmongering and questions Australia's undemocratic war powers. She urges listeners to hold their leaders accountable before we're dragged into yet another foreign conflict. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…
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In this week’s episode, we continue with stories from the students at the University of Melbourne and explore the idea of having a sustainability mindset – not just when it comes to the environment around us, but also when it comes to activities that bring communities together or online platforms that try to divide us. What if nothing matters? With…
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Reckoning and Resistance - With Julie Macken
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5:00This week on The Five Minute Advocate Julie Macken reflects on a week of seismic national revelations — from findings of systemic racism and genocide against First Nations people to questions surrounding the timing and motivations behind Gillian Segal’s controversial antisemitism report. She also warns of the dangerous implications of Australia mil…
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This week, we’re hearing about climate crises and what we can do about them, from students at the University of Melbourne. All of them challenge us to rethink our relationship to the land, plants and animals around us. It also asks us to consider the impact that the changing climate is having on our health. Water Is More Than a Resource Dr Clint Ha…
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This week, we are celebrating NAIDOC Week with an audio drama originally written as a short story by Marcus Woolombi Waters, titled 'No Going Home'. It's a story set in early colonial Australia that explores the disruption caused by invasion and family conflict. Content Warning: This drama includes themes of mass murder and genocide. Please listen …
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In this episode of The Five Minute Advocate, Michael Walker unpacks the rising global backlash against overtourism—from Everest traffic jams to angry locals in Europe and Japan. With environmental damage and housing crises mounting, he asks: is it time to rethink how, and where, we travel? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…
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With renewable energy surviving Australia’s election, in this episode of The Five Minute Advocate Michael Walker explores the challenges ahead—including the environmental cost of lithium mining on Indigenous land. Michael also highlights the little-known First Nations Clean Energy Strategy as a rare chance to shift power and ownership to Indigenous…
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This week's story is streaked with the glittering rainbow of magical realism. Atul Joshi queers the fabric of reality in Sydney on the 40th anniversary of Mardis Gras by opening portals and cruising paradise for another state of being. That story was written and performed by Atul Joshi, with sound design by Ramon Briant and production assistance by…
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War, Power, and No Debate - With Julie Macken
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5:00In this powerful episode, Julie Macken delivers a scathing critique of global warmongering and questions Australia's undemocratic war powers. She urges listeners to hold their leaders accountable before we're dragged into yet another foreign conflict. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…
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This week, we dive into the All the Best archives, we march alongside the largest lesbian football club in the world, learn about the not-so-secret lives of drag kings, and … and hear about the challenges of living with … fake gay clout? Secrets and Confessions In our first story Jared challenges our assumptions by confessing a shocking secret. Tha…
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Michael Walker explores how Australia's car-dependent suburbs are failing residents—driving up costs, limiting mobility, and eroding health. He makes the case for better public and active transport options that reconnect communities and reduce our reliance on cars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…
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We continue our celebration of June as Pride month with more live performances from Maeve Marsden's Queerstories. This week’s continued celebration of queer stories is about finding love … or realising that you just want to be loved … whether that’s through a niche television show and a whale obsession or being the only trans woman at a straight se…
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It's June! Which means that for Pride Month we are celebrating queer stories and queer storymakers! In this episode, we tackle the gender binary and explore gender identity. One of da boiiz How far did you go to fit in when you were in high school? Nico takes us all back to those awkward moments of high school when we might have faked it just to fi…
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King’s Birthday Reflections – Have We Really Progressed? - With Eva Cox
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5:00In this episode of A Five Minute Advocate, Eva Cox reflects on the significance of the King’s birthday honours — and uses the moment to ask broader questions about the state of the world. Drawing on her own experience as a Jewish refugee born before World War II, Eva examines the erosion of postwar optimism, the impact of power and technology, and …
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Sydney is full of hidden stories. Lindsey Vassallo guides us to one of those stories hidden under Hyde Park in the Sydney CBD and investigates the mystery of the Travellator. Travelator Lindsey takes a deep dive into Sydney’s most forgotten and strangest landmark, hidden right under the grounds of Hyde Park. The travelator spans almost 700ft and is…
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Courage, Cowardice, and Palestine - With Julie Macken
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5:00Julie Macken reflects on moral courage in the face of Australia’s muted response to the crisis in Gaza. Drawing on legal commentary and historical parallels, she argues that ignoring international law erodes national trust, damages our global standing, and inflicts deep moral injury. In just five minutes, she makes a compelling case for why silence…
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Welcome to a very special episode of All The Best. Today, we delve into the surreal and cinematic world of Corpse 5—a dark, sci-fi-tinged journey through sound, story, and imagination. This piece is part of The Exquisite Audio Corpse, an ambitious international collaboration between 75 audio makers from around the globe run by Audio Club, creating …
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With renewable energy surviving Australia’s election, in this episode of The Five Minute Advocate Michael Walker explores the challenges ahead—including the environmental cost of lithium mining on Indigenous land. Michael also highlights the little-known First Nations Clean Energy Strategy as a rare chance to shift power and ownership to Indigenous…
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The thing about op shops is that they're filled with stories. In this week's episode to mark National Volunteer Week, Ramon Briant joins us in the studio to share his tale of the op-shop thief, The Second Hand Bandit. The Second Hand Bandit When a local op shop becomes the target of a string of mysterious burglaries, the shop’s community is pushed …
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In this episode of the Five Minute Advocate, Eva Cox takes a sharp look at the post-election landscape: Labor’s win in the House, their lack of control in the Senate, and what that means for getting things done. With new faces in power, shifting party dynamics, and some unexpected moves, Eva unpacks the political puzzle and asks—what kind of change…
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Content Warning: This week's stories contain references to a war zone and to gambling. This week, stories that explore how we find joy in dark and challenging times. Acidic Cuts During her trip to Ukraine, Kiera searches for the harmony of the tradition, and tries to avoid the discordance of fear and air raid sirens. Written and performed by Kiera …
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In this episode of The Five Minute Advocate, Julie Macken unpacks the aftermath of the election. Labor may have won big on paper — 92 seats — but Julie asks: what does that win really mean? As the second phase kicks off, it’s no longer about votes — it’s about narrative. Julie dives into how the Albanese government is framing their victory, from pi…
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The 2025 federal election is done and dusted but the full extent of the fallout from Labor’s landslide victory still remains to be seen. Join Julie Macken and Michael Walker as they return for the final installment of ‘This Is Not A Horse Race’ to unpack what exactly transpired along the election trail, what issues were explored and ignored and ask…
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There is nothing that compares to making that decision to leave everything you know behind. To choose to make a home in a foreign place. And while you might have some pre-conceived ideas … you might even have done your research…none of it will quite compare to the experience itself. In our story this week, Michael’s journey is more than about movin…
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Maintaining hope for change - With Michael Walker
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5:00In this episode of the Five Minute Advocate Michael Walker unpacks the meaning behind Australia’s recent election results, highlighting public disillusionment and the silence on foreign policy. Drawing on the “Stockdale Paradox,” he calls for clear-eyed advocacy grounded in hope and realism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…
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This week, stories of democracy, dreams, and things happening in and out of the ballot box. Elections Elsewhere by Phoebe Adler-Ryan Have you ever wondered how elections operate in other corners around the world? In our first story, ATB takes you on a ‘election tour’ of different countries as our volunteers - from China, Vietnam, some with connecti…
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In this episode of The Five Minute Advocate, host Eva Cox explores how politics often overlooks the unpaid labor—especially by women—that sustains our communities. With the election approaching, Eva challenges us to rethink progress, focusing on care, connection, and equity over monetary measures See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…
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Calling A Spade, A Spade - With Julie Macken
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5:00This week on the Five Minute Advocate Julie Macken explores how our society has collectively normalised human rights abuses — so much so, they barely register as atrocities anymore. From Trump’s praise for El Salvador’s brutal prisons to Australia’s own offshore detention regime, she shares the harrowing story of refugee Benham Sattar and connects …
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