Episode 79: Morrison’s cost of living crisis can’t wait until budget night, Malinauskas on path to victory in South Australia, Putin’s War and good news about solar powered water

Van Badham and Ben Davison dive into the cost of living crisis
that is smashing Australian households with some people going
backwards by as much as $1,500 a year.  Morrison may be
trumpeting low unemployment but more and more Australians are in
lower paid, casual work and having to work more than one job just
to survive.  Australian Unions are achieving better outcomes
in workplaces with more union members both for job security and
wage increases.


Van shares her own story of going to work in hospitality while
extremely sick in London just to make the rent.


With the Victorian government stepping in to offer a sick pay
guarantee to casuals to help stop the spread of illness and
address the symptoms of insecure work Morrison has chosen to
attack the Victorian government and unions.


Albo is promising that Labor will address the insecure work,
systemic low wages and rising costs of early education and
childcare that are driving the cost of living crisis.


Morrison's solution?  Cheaper beer, from taps, in
pubs.  Not even Andrew Bolt supports the idea.  Even
the mainstream media seems to have finally had enough of
Morrison's opportunist politics.


Peter Malinauskas looks set to topple a one term Liberal
government in South Australia this weekend, in what Ben and Van
are calling a microcosm of the national mood, the chaotic,
ineffective and mismanaging Liberal government looks set to be
punished by the public.  And Steven Marshall isn't even as
unpopular as Scott Morrison!


Putin's War in Ukraine is failing.  Van looks at how his
autocratic rule of Russia allowed Putin to build a fantasy world
where he only hears what he wants to hear.  Now Russian
forces are stuck in the mud, Putin is running out of money and
the world is laughing at his "retaliatory sanctions" against
American officials who have no dealings with or in Russia. 
But, as Ben points out, sanctions can cut two ways with the oil
situation in India a development worth watching.


And the good news is that scientists have developed the kind of
technology that might allow us to build "moisture farms" like on
the Star Wars plant of Tatooine using solar panels and hydrogels!


Plus we thank all of our Cadre and Extend the Reach
supporters.  To become a supporter check out our
www.buymeacoffee.com/weekonwednesday page.