For nearly a decade Jarrod Watt has been the “Australia affairs” reporter on RTHK3 radio in Hong Kong, delivering a weekly summary of significant events in Australia's politics, economy, culture and society, often focusing on the historic and contemporary geopolitical and economic relationships between Australia, Hong Kong and mainland China, including the deeper influence of Cantonese language and culture that began in the goldfields of Ballarat and Bendigo in the 1850s.
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jarrodwatt.substack.com (https://jarrodwatt.substack.com/s/dear-australia-from-hong-kong-china?utm_medium=podcast)
Analysing #auspol in 2025: beyond the Trump narrative, how Chinese Australians voted, how Australia has changed
Nevermind the "Trump effect" on the 2025 Australian election: Australia now has more Australians with Chinese ancestry elected to Federal Parliament than ever before, and more women elected to Parliament for independent and the Australian Labor Party than ever before. 2025 has seen the end of the two party system and the confirmation of the role of independents in the federal Parliament, with near-equal number of independents and Liberals in the House of Representatives, as well as the end of the reign of Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan over political influence exerted through print and electronic media.
Meanwhile there is the ongoing vote count in crucial electorates such as Goldstein and Kooyong, and the implications of the Senate results that promise a smoother legislative path for the Albanese government. Hear about the cultural and political narratives that shaped the campaign, including the rejection of divisive culture wars and Murdoch media influence, and how the so-called “Trump effect” narrative misses the mark in explaining Australian voters’ decisions.
The episode also highlights the growing influence of women and Chinese-Australian candidates reshaping the political landscape, with historic wins in seats long held by conservatives. Plus, get insights into the future direction of the Albanese government, including upcoming international diplomacy and domestic policy priorities.
Songs played on RTHK3
INXS - The Swing
The Angels - Am I Ever Going to See Your face Again
Surprise Chef - Consulate Case
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30 Apr 2025
Dutton sides with Nazis on Welcome to Country, preferences One (White) Nation; Hong Kong votes for Australia
Australia's annual commemoration of its war dead on ANZAC Day interrupted by modern-day Nazis, and LNP leader Peter Dutton gets on board for a culture war in the last week of a disastrous election campaign; explaining why Welcome to Country ceremonies are a basic part of a living 60,000 year old culture in Australia; how Chinese-Australian voters are responding on WeChat to news Dutton's Liberal National Party coalition are preferencing the white supremacist One Nation party of Pauline Hanson, three years after Dutton used an ANZAC Day speech to call on Australians to prepare for war with mainland China; how Donald Trump's effect on the Canadian election is echoed in Australia's, and how Dutton's idea to label certain news organisations as "hate media" echoes Trump's "enemies of the state" rhetoric in the US. How the big issues - GenY and GenZ becoming the dominant voting demographic, Australia's ongoing military relationship with Trump's White House, and climate change making large swathes of Australia uninsurable - are being lost in the daily minutiae of election coverage... and the campaign continues to get a barbie set up and some democracy sausages served in Australia's second largest overseas electorate in Hong Kong.
Songs played on RTHK3
The Golden Gaytimes - Cozzi Livs
Goanna - Solid Rock (2023 remix)
Cranky - Australia Don't Become America
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8 Apr 2025
Dutton's dodgy drop-punt, Trump's beef with Australia hurts McDonalds, and Easter ready to rock
With only 14 days left until early voting begins in the Australian Federal election, the reality of suburban and regional Australia going into the Easter break versus voter attention and campaign strategies - it’s all about junior sports tournaments for every ball and bat or otherwise athletic sporting codes, and camping or music festivals for those who don’t play sport, so who has time for listening to Dutton and Albanese?
A quick look at how implications of Trump’s recent tariff announcements managed a 23% tariff on Norfolk island north east of the Australian mainland but 10% on the actual Australians buying American goods (won't someone think of the PENGUINS?) Exposing the outright lie pushed by Trump of an Australian “ban” on American beef exports, when the reality is rules on sourcing of meat agreed to by South Korea and Japan which the US refuses. The real victims? Trump’s “base” and anyone else in the USA who eats McDonald's burgers, made palatable with quality Aussie beef.
Analysis of how a dodgy drop-punt from Dutton (and his comments apportioning blame afterwards) are more than symbolic for the Aussie Rules electorate in Australia, and how Dutton’s latest micro-target of hatred and a “crackdown” - international students - will play out for families from Hong Kong wishing their children to study in Australia as well as the other Chinese students who help contribute $10 billion HKD to Australia’s top universities. The bonus? Dutton's few remaining policies include jacking up the visa application fee for Hongkongers, mainlanders and anyone else wanting to study in Australia - which are already the highest in the world - to about 25,000 HKD.
Songs played on RTHK3
Jimmy Barnes - New Day
The Delvenes - Orange Clowns
Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Waterhole
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Podcast Authority Score: 23 / 100
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