2 April 2024

PODCAST: The Hoot on Liberal ideas, political stars and what's wrong with Canberra Monopoly

| Genevieve Jacobs
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Senator David Pocock has won the McKinnon Prize, but will his efforts be rewarded with long-term political success? Photo: Facebook.

This week on the podcast, Genevieve Jacobs and David Murtagh are girding themselves for an Easter weekend and weighing up the rights and wrongs of the news, starting with local politics.

Question: do the Canberra Liberals have any policies? Well, of course, they have policies, but can you name them?

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Or, a better question: does it matter if you can recall them or articulate them beyond their aversion to light rail and motherhood statements about hospitals? Or is it that once you strip back the argy-bargy and cat-calling in the Assembly and even on the Hill, most Australian politicians actually agree with each other on the big issues—bar one or two disagreements—and really are arguing at the margins?

READ ALSO Detail-free zone, as wily Lee positions Liberals for run to the polls

This brings us to the next political question: what do we actually want from our politicians?

Senator David Pocock has just been awarded the McKinnon Prize for best emerging political talent.

The prize was established “to recognise political leaders from all levels of government who have driven positive impact through their vision, collaboration, courage and ethical behaviour”.

Senator Pocock has taken an interesting approach to his role as senator, one usually characterised by floating above many local issues and getting deeply involved in others that, realistically, have nothing to do with him, such as the tender for the Green Shed.

Will it guarantee his future?

READ ALSO Canberra’s very own Monopoly is here! Check what icons made the spaces

And finally, there have been howls of outrage about the Canberra version of Monopoly. (Isn’t there always outrage with Monopoly?)

Sure, it has the Belco Owl. Even Brodburger made the cut. But the makers missed some golden opportunities to make it even more local.

But Mr Murtagh has profound observations about why people stop playing Monopoly, and they have nothing to do with who lands on Cockington Green.

The Hoot appears every week on Riotact and wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple and Spotify. Have a listen, tell us what you think and rate us.

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Fiona Carrick1:47 pm 31 Mar 24

Canberra Monopoly – interesting, nothing in Woden, Weston Creek, Molonglo or Tuggeranong. Why is that?

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