
Max Chandler-Mather on a hopeful progressive populism
From Australian Politics by The Guardian
May 29, 2026 · 32 min
About this episode
Max Chandler-Mather discusses the limitations of policy debate in Australian politics and advocates for progressive alternatives.
In his new role as director of the Greens’ think-tank, Max Chandler-Mather argues that the major political parties and parts of the media often limit policy debate – which, on issues such as housing and wealth inequality, shuts down real alternatives to the status quo. The former Greens MP and housing spokesperson speaks to political editor Tom McIlroy about returning to policies that improve the lives of Australians in material ways – and why he thinks political nihilism defines One Nation
People in this episode
Host: Tom McIlroy
Guest: Max Chandler-Mather
Topics covered
- progressive populism
- housing policy
- wealth inequality
- political debate
- Australian politics
Keywords
- Max Chandler-Mather
- Greens
- housing
- wealth inequality
- political nihilism
- One Nation
- policy debate
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Greens, One Nation, The Guardian
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