Rampart Talks

About Rampart Talks

Rampart Talks - exclusive interviews with the most intriguing businesspeople Australia has going for it. Listen as Joe Aston interviews billionaire James Packer; Tabcorp chief executive, and former AFL boss, Gillon McLachlan; Afterpay co-founder, and now Block Inc’s sales and marketing lead Nick Molnar; and former Woolworths CEO (and now Ticketek chief) Brad Banducci. And more guests to be announced. Rampart Talks is brought to you by RESOLVE Forensic, BHP and Ray White Commercial.

Publisher

Rampart

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

18 Nov 2025

Latest episode

9 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

5 of 14 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   9 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The $20 Billion Data Centre Boss You've Never Heard Of | Greg Boorer

   Joe Aston interviews Greg Boorer, the low-profile founder of a $20 billion data centre business, about Australia's AI infrastructure boom and its future.

2. 

   29 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Lehrmann, Qantas and Star: The trials of Justice Michael Lee

   Host Joe Aston interviews Justice Michael Lee about presiding over major Australian trials, the erosion of trust in institutions, and managing AI.

3. 

   25 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Qantas chair John Mullen on life after Alan Joyce and rebuilding the airline

   Host Joe Aston interviews Qantas Chair John Mullen about rebuilding the airline's culture and performance after a challenging period.

4. 

   19 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Todd Greenberg: The Fight to Future-Proof Australian Cricket

   Joe Aston interviews Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg about future-proofing Australian cricket through Big Bash League privatization and addressing leadership challenges.

5. 

   30 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Ruthie Rogers: From River Cafe to Podcast Queen

   Joe Aston interviews restaurant legend Ruthie Rogers about her iconic River Cafe, the evolution of dining, and her successful podcasting career.

6. 

   18 Apr 2026

   Rampart Talks: Hamish Douglass

   This is just an excerpt. The full interview with HAMISH DOUGLASS is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now. The co-founder of Magellan Financial Group Hamish Douglass is Joe Aston's guest on this month's Rampart Talks interview series. In his first major interview since disappearing abruptly from public life in February 2022, Douglass speaks candidly about the extraordinary events that brought him to his knees. We explore the huge changes in his personal life and identity; the disturbing rumours about him that survive to this day; the mental breakdown that left him a shadow of his former self; and his message of hope, having made a full recovery. Joe and Hamish discuss all things Magellan, including packing out ballrooms of financial advisers; his much-analysed relationship with co-founder Chris Mackay; the company's near-fatal key man risk exposure; and the seeding of the new investment bank Barrenjoey which he claims as his idea. They also discuss Magellan's controversial loan-funded employee share scheme and his decision to sell down his own shares in the company. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠ (https://resolveforensic.com.au)⁠BHP⁠ (https://bhp.com), Generation Life (https://genlife.com.au)and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠ (https://www.raywhitecommercial.com/). About Joe Aston: Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics. For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column. In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out. And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠ (https://rampart.news), a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjoeaston/) and ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/mrjoeaston). Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/rampart-news/), ⁠Instagram⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/rampart.news), ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/rampart_news), ⁠YouTube⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@rampart-news). Rampart Talks Producer: Eliza Harvey Production/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media

7. 

   20 Mar 2026

   From Prison to an ASX IPO: Oliver Curtis and the Bet on Australia's AI Future

   This is just an excerpt. The full interview with Oliver Curtis is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now. What happens when a man with everything to prove builds a company that Nvidia, Meta and Blackstone can't ignore? Oliver Curtis – a convicted insider trader and now aspiring ASX-listed company CEO – sits down with Joe Aston for one of the most candid conversations in Australian business. This is a story about second chances, big bets, and a technology race that could reshape Australia's economy for generations. Curtis makes the case that AI token production is Australia's next commodity boom, arguing it could be as big as the country's iron ore industry. He claims that Firmus' cost of production, plus its distinctive chip cooling technology, is well positioned to lead it. But how does a neocloud operator that started life as a Bitcoin miner end up as a strategic partner to Nvidia, the world's most valuable company? We get into all of it: why hyperscalers like Meta are a customer (well, not that Curtis will confirm that just yet) and how Firmus plans to deploy more than $70 billion (yes, you read that right) of capital expenditure in the three years to 2028. Curtis doesn't dodge the hard questions – it's his first interview since he left Cooma Correctional Centre in 2017 after spending a year in jail for insider trading. When asked by Aston about his co-conspirator turned Crown witness John Hartman (now CEO at Andrew Forrest's Tattarang) Curtis is loath to engage, arguing that it's in the past and he's focused on the future. Curtis also reflects that while people may have made judgements about him based on glimpses on his famous wife Roxy Jacenko's social media account, they're often wide of the mark. Undoubtedly, Curtis is a man on the hard sell, but this interview dispels any notion that he lacks substance. You don't want to miss it. Rampart Talks is brought to you by BHP, Generation Life and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠ (https://www.raywhitecommercial.com/). About Joe Aston: Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics. For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column. In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out. And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠ (https://rampart.news), a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjoeaston/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mrjoeaston/) and ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/mrjoeaston). Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/rampart-news/), ⁠Instagram⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/rampart.news), ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/rampart_news), ⁠YouTube⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@rampart-news). Rampart Talks Executive Producer: Eliza Harvey Production/Editing: Mentored Studios Sales: Squiz Media

8. 

   14 Feb 2026

   Matt Comyn: Leading Australia’s Biggest Bank Through Crisis and AI Disruption

   This is just an excerpt. The full interview with Matt Comyn is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now. Commonwealth Bank CEO Matt Comyn sits down for a candid conversation with Rampart’s Joe Aston. From the very restaurant where he landed his first CBA job in 1999, Comyn opens up about being the unlikely choice as CEO, his two days in the witness box at the Banking Royal Commission and the subsequent challenge of restoring public trust in the company. What makes this episode unmissable: The world's most expensive bank: How he runs the bank which trades at 26 times forward earnings, while also overseeing a healthy corporate culture. The Royal Commission: Comyn reveals what it was like spending 8.5 hours in the witness box, including the explosive moment when his notes about being told to "temper your sense of justice" became headline news. AI's real impact: Comyn likens the impact of AI and its consequences to changes brought by the industrial revolution and notes that there’s no “island or moat” that will protect Australian industry from these changes. Housing affordability's impossible equation: Comyn notes the challenges for ordinary Australians to enter the housing market who don’t have access to the “Bank of Mum and Dad”. Comyn says supply-side solutions are needed to ease the housing crisis. Resilience forged through personal hardship: Comyn shares how traumatic events in his childhood fortified him against professional challenges as an adult. He notes that psychological and physiological resilience are just as important as elite banking skills. From Canberra power dynamics to multi-billion-dollar investments in CBA’s technology, from the loss of sponsorship of the Australian cricket teams to measuring sleep and staying fit —this is a rare interview where one of Australia’s leading CEOs discusses the importance of having good judgement and knowing when to walk away. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠RESOLVE Forensic⁠ (https://resolveforensic.com.au), ⁠BHP⁠ (https://bhp.com) and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠ (https://www.raywhitecommercial.com/). About Joe Aston: Joe Aston is one of Australia’s most influential commentators on business, finance and politics. For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation’s political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window into the nation’s premier daily column. In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out. And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠ (https://rampart.news), a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjoeaston/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mrjoeaston/) and ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/mrjoeaston). Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/rampart-news/), ⁠Instagram⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/rampart.news), ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/rampart_news), ⁠YouTube⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@rampart-news). Rampart Talks Producer: Eliza Harvey Production/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media

9. 

   31 Jan 2026

   Nick Molnar: Building and Selling Afterpay for $39 Billion, and joining Block

   This is just an excerpt. The full interview with Nick Molnar is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now. In this episode of Rampart Talks, Joe Aston sits down with Afterpay co-founder Nick Molnar in Los Angeles to discuss his remarkable journey from selling jewellery on eBay as a teenager to creating one of Australia's most successful tech exports. Molnar opens up about the origins of Afterpay, revealing how a casual conversation with his neighbour Anthony Eisen while moving furniture sparked the idea that would disrupt consumer lending. He shares candid insights about the company's early days, including the intense pressure of rapid growth that saw Afterpay's market cap surge from $2 billion to $40 billion in just 10 months during the pandemic. The conversation explores Afterpay's early negotiations with regulators, with Molnar defending the company's position that traditional consumer credit laws weren't designed for their short-duration, merchant-funded model. He discusses threading the regulatory needle before Australia's credit laws eventually caught up with the buy now, pay later industry. Molnar reflects on maintaining normalcy despite becoming a self-made billionaire before the age of 30, crediting his wife, family, and partnership with Eisen for keeping him grounded. He talks about the decision to sell Afterpay to Jack Dorsey's Block (formerly Square) for $39 billion and why he chose to join the company rather than venture into another startup, viewing it as stepping up to a bigger sandbox. Now leading Block's revenue line, Molnar discusses the potential of Cash App to transform how Americans - particularly hourly workers and independent earners - interact with money and operate outside the traditional banking system. He shares his perspective on using Bitcoin as everyday money and offers insights into working with Jack Dorsey, describing him as a visionary who sees the future better than anyone else. The episode concludes with Molnar's thoughts on the Australian startup ecosystem, his advice for founders looking to go global, and his optimism/confidence that Australia will produce ten Afterpays over the next decade. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠RESOLVE Forensic⁠ (https://resolveforensic.com.au), ⁠BHP⁠ (https://bhp.com) and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠ (https://www.raywhitecommercial.com/). About Joe Aston: Joe Aston is one of Australia’s most influential commentators on business, finance and politics. For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation’s political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window into the nation’s premier daily column. In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out. And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠ (https://rampart.news), a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjoeaston/) and ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/mrjoeaston). Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/rampart-news/), ⁠Instagram⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/rampart.news), ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/rampart_news), ⁠YouTube⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@rampart-news). Rampart Talks Producer: Eliza Harvey Production/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media

10. 

    17 Jan 2026

    Jayne Hrdlicka: From Virgin Australia CEO to Endeavour Group

    This is just an excerpt. The full interview with Jayne Hrdlicka is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now. Former Jetstar and Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka has built a reputation as one of Australia's toughest corporate operators. Now she's taking on her biggest challenge yet: turning around the Endeavour Group, the $7 billion pokies and liquor business struggling with declining sales and a 35% share price collapse since demerging from Woolworths. This interview with Jayne is a candid conversation about resilience, ambition, and the personal cost of corporate leadership. Topics covered: Career moves: why she's taking on another brutal turnaround job in her sixties after making a paper fortune at Virgin. Corporate leadership: including what made Alan Joyce such an extraordinary CEO and whether he had changed by the end. Virgin Australia's resurrection: how she rebuilt an insolvent airline during a pandemic with absolute conviction travel would return, as well as the the irony of Qatar Airways' blocked air rights leading to a better outcome for Virgin (and her opinion on whether Alan Joyce convinced Anthony Albanese to block Qatar's expansion). Gender and leadership: how language gets weaponised against female CEOs differently than their male counterparts, and why being called "abrasive" and "driven" bothers her more than being compared to Cruella de Vil. Personal tragedy: working under enormous pressure while her husband Jason was dying of cancer, and then losing her beloved father a year later and deciding she couldn't take Virgin public. She also touches on her father's extraordinary childhood escaping communist Czechoslovakia at age 16 and how that’s shaped her. Tennis and power: the networking power of prime courtside seats at the Australian Open finals, and what it's like sitting in the Wimbledon royal box with the Beckhams. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠RESOLVE Forensic⁠ (https://resolveforensic.com.au), ⁠BHP⁠ (https://bhp.com) and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠ (https://www.raywhitecommercial.com/). About Joe Aston: Joe Aston is one of Australia’s most influential commentators on business, finance and politics. For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation’s political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window into the nation’s premier daily column. In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out. And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠ (https://rampart.news), a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjoeaston/) and ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/mrjoeaston). Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/rampart-news/), ⁠Instagram⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/rampart.news), ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/rampart_news), ⁠YouTube⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@rampart-news). Rampart Talks Producer: Eliza Harvey Production/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media

11. 

    3 Jan 2026

    Brad Banducci: From Woolies chief to Ticketek CEO

    This is Brad Banducci’s first major interview since that infamous "walkout" (a term he disputes) on Four Corners. Subscribe to ⁠Rampart⁠ (https://www.rampart.news/rampart-talks) to unlock the full hour-long interview. When Banducci took the helm of Woolies in 2016, the company was a market pariah following its disastrous foray into hardware via Masters. On his watch, Woolworths regained, and for many years maintained, its ascendancy over arch-rival Coles. He was certainly, in Joe Aston’s view, one of the outstanding major company CEOs of the last decade. Yet his final year was marred by controversy, as Woolworths (and Coles) became a convenient villain for politicians over so-called "price-gouging" in an inflation outbreak and a legitimate target of the competition regulator over tricky advertising tactics; and as Woolworths was caught in the political crossfire over its advocacy for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament and its refusal to sell Australian flag paraphernalia on Australia Day. The full interview with Brad Banducci is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news (https://www.rampart.news/rampart-talks/) to watch now. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠RESOLVE Forensic⁠ (https://resolveforensic.com.au), ⁠BHP⁠ (https://bhp.com) and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠ (https://www.raywhitecommercial.com/). About Joe Aston: Joe Aston is one of Australia’s most influential commentators on business, finance and politics. For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation’s political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window into the nation’s premier daily column. In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out. And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠ (https://rampart.news), a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjoeaston/) and ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/mrjoeaston). Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/rampart-news/), ⁠Instagram⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/rampart.news), ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/rampart_news), ⁠YouTube⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@rampart-news). Rampart Talks Producer: Eliza Harvey Production/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media

12. 

    13 Dec 2025

    Gillon McLachlan: From leading the AFL to Tabcorp

    The full interview with Gil McLachlan is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news (https://www.rampart.news/rampart-talks/rampart-talks-gillon-mclachlan/) to watch now. In this second episode of Rampart Talks, Joe Aston sits down with Gil McLachlan, former CEO of the AFL and now chief executive at Tabcorp. The conversation is wide-ranging, covering his footy legacy, from his regrets over the handling of the Adam Goodes racism scandal to the blockbuster commercial growth of Aussie rules (now comfortably the richest sport in the country) to the messy succession to Gil’s lieutenant Andrew Dillon led by the AFL Commission in 2022 and 2023. Joe also presses Gil on the normalisation, on his watch, of gambling advertising in sport, a natural segue to his new job at Tabcorp, where he was very frank about his belief in the renaissance of racing and the resonance of the Tabcorp brand with young consumers, and his plans to catch up with digital market leader Sportsbet. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠RESOLVE Forensic⁠ (https://resolveforensic.com.au), ⁠BHP⁠ (https://bhp.com) and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠ (https://www.raywhitecommercial.com/). About Joe Aston: Joe Aston is one of Australia’s most influential commentators on business, finance and politics. For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation’s political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window into the nation’s premier daily column. In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out. And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠ (https://rampart.news), a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjoeaston/) and ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/mrjoeaston). Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/rampart-news/), ⁠Instagram⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/rampart.news), ⁠X⁠ (https://x.com/rampart_news), ⁠YouTube⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@rampart-news). Rampart Talks Producer: Eliza Harvey Production/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media

13. 

    22 Nov 2025

    James Packer: From Media Mogul to an Actively Passive Investor

    An interview series brought to you by Joe Aston. The full interview with James Packer is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news (https://rampart.news) to watch now. In this first episode of the Rampart Talks series, Joe Aston sat down with James for a conversation that spans Crown, the Murdochs, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, mental health and his profound dislike of the former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews. Rampart Talks is brought to you by RESOLVE Forensic (https://resolveforensic.com.au), BHP (https://bhp.com) and Ray White Commercial (https://www.raywhitecommercial.com/). About Joe Aston: Joe Aston is one of Australia’s most influential commentators on business, finance and politics. For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation’s political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window into the nation’s premier daily column. In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out. And in 2025, he launched Rampart (https://rampart.news), a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjoeaston/) and X (https://x.com/mrjoeaston). Follow Rampart on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/rampart-news/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/rampart.news), X (https://x.com/rampart_news), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@rampart-news). Rampart Talks Producer: Eliza Harvey Production/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media

14. 

    18 Nov 2025

    Rampart Talks: Trailer

    Joe Aston sits down with some of Australia's most accomplished and fascinating business leaders, like billionaire James Packer, former AFL CEO turned Tabcorp boss Gil McLachlan, ex-Woolworths chief Brad Banducci, Afterpay co-founder Nick Molnar and more to be announced. If you want to know how money and power works in Australia - and what makes these leaders tick - you won't want to miss this. Rampart Talks. Go to rampart.news (https://rampart.news) to find out more. Rampart Talks is brought to you by RESOLVE Forensic, BHP and Ray White Commercial.

Inside a recent episode

The $20 Billion Data Centre Boss You've Never Heard Of | Greg Boorer

Published 9 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] The data center industry has traditionally been flying under the radar. And there's lots of reasons for that. Security and the digital infrastructure that runs the country, people are trying to protect that often. But as a result of that, we probably weren't on the front foot with regards to how important we are to the functioning of economic security and national security over the last period. But we're slowly but surely starting to, you know, get out there and change the narrative. And it's all about education. And we find when we actually spend the time to educate communities, councils, state governments, and indeed the federal government, they actually do realise how important data centres are. […]

Who has been a guest on Rampart Talks

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Greg Boorer
• Michael Lee
• John Mullen
• Todd Greenberg
• Ruthie Rogers

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

3.4 / 5

12 ratings

Contact Rampart Talks

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about Rampart Talks