Insights from recent episode analysis
Audience Interest
Podcast Focus
Publishing Consistency
Platform Reach
Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
Total monthly reach
Estimated from 2 chart positions in 2 markets.
By chart position
- 🇦🇺AU · Earth Sciences#40100K to 300K
- 🇳🇿NZ · Earth Sciences#2510K to 30K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
55K to 165K🎙 ~2x weekly·41 episodes·Last published 4d ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
110K to 330K🇦🇺91%🇳🇿9% - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
44K to 132K
Market Insights
Platform Distribution
Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly
Total Followers
—
Total Plays
—
Total Reviews
—
* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
On the show
Recent episodes
#45 The Disclaimer
Jun 26, 2026
56m 08s
#44 The Duplicate Pushback
Jun 5, 2026
1h 14m 58s
#43 The Negotiator
May 15, 2026
1h 03m 33s
#42 The Basics: Microplastics
Apr 24, 2026
53m 07s
#41 The AI Revolution
Apr 2, 2026
58m 52s
Social Links & Contact
Official channels & resources
Official Website
Login
RSS Feed
Login
| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/26/26 |  #45 The Disclaimer | Disclaimers in our reports. Useless fluff or necessary ass covering? Who better to discuss this than Sarah Mansfield (LinkedIn) who is returning to Below the Surface and almost immediately raises the bar for all future lawyer and engineer jokes. Sarah, Gunnar and Hammond tackle P&O cruise insults, ALGA glory, puppies, and why a useful “How to Read This Report” section may be better than hiding AI created legal fog at the back. Other subjects: Report reliance, executive summaries, co... | 56m 08s | ||||||
| 6/5/26 |  #44 The Duplicate Pushback | In Episode #30 The Duplicate, Gunnar famously declared that duplicate soil samples in heterogeneous fill are useless. Risk assessor Belle Casement of Terravale Consulting heard the episode… and decided Gunnar needed correcting. 😲 In this nerd-out episode, they discuss QA/QC, dodgy duplicates, lab uncertainty, conservative risk assessments, and whether the typical QC sections in contaminated land reports are actually science or just expensive pseudo scientific fluff we do to please regulators.... | 1h 14m 58s | ||||||
| 5/15/26 |  #43 The Negotiator | Hammond relives his time as a representative for Australia in international biodiversity negotiations at COP13 of the Convention on Biological Diversity. But before that a few updates, a hint for auditors and Gunnar almost completely loses it while talking about one of the latest EPA announcements leading to a most epic Gu-rant. Links: Clarence Coal mine penalty Constitutional heads of power. 'Getting to Yes'. Never Split the Difference. Rapport - The Four Ways to Read People. Sam Harris | #1... | 1h 03m 33s | ||||||
| 4/24/26 |  #42 The Basics: Microplastics | Microplastics: The Invisible Problem (or is it?) Brooke Kelly from Reditus joins Gunnar and James to unpack microplastics. From penguin carcasses and seal scat (that's science code for poo) to human exposure, they explore where microplastics come from, how they are measured, and why they are everywhere. There is a lot of hype surrounding microplastics and some evidence of ecological harm exists, but human health impacts remain largely observational. They tackle analytical limitations, media-d... | 53m 07s | ||||||
| 4/2/26 |  #41 The AI Revolution | Artificial intelligence has gone from curiosity to daily tool almost overnight. In this episode, Gunnar and James sit down with AI consultant Alex Rankin who spent over 25 years in senior roles across the Australian Public Service before turning her focus to helping environmental consultancies figure out where AI actually fits into their workflows. Together they cut through the hype and talk about what AI can actually do for environmental professionals right now. In this episode: What L... | 58m 52s | ||||||
| 3/13/26 |  #40 The Risk Assessment | If you've ever stared at a lab result that exceeds your NEPM HIL and wondered "okay, but what does this actually mean?". This one's for you. Gunnar and James sit down with Dr Kylie Dodd, environmental toxicologist and risk assessor at GHD, to get into the science behind the numbers that so many of us lean on without fully understanding where they come from. Kylie has a great way of making this stuff click, and the conversation goes places that are genuinely useful for day-to-day practice. The... | 57m 49s | ||||||
| 2/20/26 |  #39 The Big ASS Questions | A deeper dive into Acid Sulfate Soils. In a slightly QLD centric episode, Gunnar and James are joined by all three main authors of the QLD ASS Management Guidelines, widely regarded as the best ASS guidelines in the world. Sue-Ellen Dear is a Senior Land Resource Officer with the QLD Department of Natural Resources and Mines and has contributed to acid sulfate soil policy and guidance since 1996. She is lead author of the QLD ASS Management Guidelines. Kristie Williams has spent nearly ... | 56m 28s | ||||||
| 1/30/26 |  #38 The Bioavailability | How much of any given contaminant is actually taken up into human bodies? If we think about it, that is one of the single most important things to consider as an environmental consultant when reporting on a site's contamination status, yet it is not something that is very often done. Gunnar and James are yet again soaring with an industry eagle as they set out to get better at that very aspect of consulting. They chat with Dr Albert Juhasz, a Research Professor at the Future Industries Instit... | 42m 03s | ||||||
| 12/19/25 |  #37 The 2025 Reflection | The 2025 Year in Review (That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen) What started as a neat 15-minute intro quietly turned into a full end-of-year wrap-up. Classic Below the Surface. Gunnar and James get side-tracked almost immediately and eventually realise they have recorded the accidental 2025 BTS year in review. They cover listener feedback, behind-the-scenes stats, favourite episodes and a special mention for Sandgate. Personal obsessions make an appearance, with both sharing their top five podcasts... | 42m 36s | ||||||
| 11/28/25 |  #36 The Client - TMA | What it's really like to be regulated? Regulators, take note - this one’s for you. We are shining the light on the third corner of the Regulator – Consultant – Client relationship: the Client. What’s it really like to be on the receiving end of regulation? Do operators of licensed facilities feel supported … or just scrutinised? Are those hefty licence fees worth it? And is there a fair playing field between the licensed and the “let’s-pretend-we-don’t-need-a-licence” crowd? Of co... | 43m 31s | ||||||
Want analysis for the episodes below?Free for Pro Submit a request, we'll have your selected episodes analyzed within an hour. Free, at no cost to you, for Pro users. | |||||||||
| 11/7/25 |  #35 The PFAS Heath Advice | The NSW Health PFAS Advice includes quite some statements: “The health effects of PFAS appear to be small.” “… there was definite evidence of increased psychological distress in … exposed communities, evidence for other adverse health outcomes from this study was limited.” “Interventions that reduce blood PFAS are of uncertain benefit and may cause harm.”These comments seem at odds with much of the mainstream media's presentation around PFAS. Or even the recently drastically reduced... | 55m 57s | ||||||
| 10/17/25 |  #34 The Stormwater Stirrer | Gunnar (without James this time) gives it a go to get to the bottom of the very basics of what we need to think of around stormwater on a site. There are few better suited to talk about the subject than our guest Mircea Stancu, the founder of Cleanstormwater. Mircea is a civil engineer, software engineer and, you guessed it, an expert in anything related to stormwater. He is also quite a flamboyant guest and he and Gunnar managed to put together a show case of the very best of (what Gun... | 48m 52s | ||||||
| 9/26/25 |  #33 The Waste Class Blues | James K (James Karagiannis) has personally completed a stack of waste classifications. And in addition, he has reviewed somewhere between 1,000 and 1,200 reports written by other consultants for our clients. That gives him a rare, panoramic view of what great looks like … and what misses the mark. Gunnar and Hammond, James Hammond, sit down with him to unpack what he sees when reviewing these reports. The original plan was to listen to James K. But with Gunnar’s well-known habit of let’... | 59m 15s | ||||||
| 9/5/25 |  #32 The EPA CEO | Tony Chappel, the CEO of the NSW EPA, is our guest today, so we are definitely back with a bang after the summer holidays. Gunnar and James are (surprisingly!) well-prepared and keep the conversation on track as they dive into Tony’s journey to leading the EPA, his early priorities, the role of politics in environmental regulation, and the importance of deep listening in leadership. They explore everything from the OCSE paper and the EPA's potential collaboration with industry bodies, t... | 52m 49s | ||||||
| 6/13/25 |  #31 The Half Price EV | Electric Vehicles are basically half price in Australia right now, thanks to some little-known government incentives. Gunnar and James decided it was the perfect time to talk… tax. Yes, tax. And you thought resource recovery was a boring subject, right? But before you judge, listen to this episodes. Gunnar and James have brought in the big guns: chartered accountant Paul Mills (paulybmills at gmail.com). It really sounds like the beginning of a bad joke: Two engineers and an accountant ... | 59m 45s | ||||||
| 5/23/25 |  #30 The Duplicate | Gunnar claims almost all duplicates we take serve close to no purpose. If you want to know why, have a listen and be entertained and informed at the same time. The OGs are back together in this episode, and quite an unusual one it is. This times it is James who goes on a few rants, quite to Gunnar's amusement. Of course, Gunnar has a few things to say as well and he will definitively ruffle some feathers with this episode. We start off with playing Wikileaks by talking about a letter th... | 1h 19m 26s | ||||||
| 5/2/25 |  #29 The New AS5370 Standard | Attention Asbestos in Soils Specialists, there is a new kid in town. The Australian Standard 4964-2004 Method for the qualitative identification of asbestos in bulk samples has been superseded with a new AS 5370. What's different? What's better, what's worse? Why are we reporting below the detection and below the reporting limit? Is NATA on board with it? What do all those different sub-categories the laboratories report actually mean? Gunnar is talking to Linda Apthorpe, a Certified O... | 35m 00s | ||||||
| 4/11/25 |  #28 The OCSE Odyssey | The Office of Chief Scientist and Engineer (OCSE) has issued recommendations concerning asbestos in waste and soil. Sarah Mansfield, Special Counsel (and environmental law superstar) at Norton Rose Fulbright, breaks down the key points and their legal implications. Given the focus on the PoEO Act and its handling of asbestos, you'd expect at least one of our hosts to go off the rails with a classic, epic rant. But, against all odds, age, wisdom, and a dash of professionalism took the reins—so... | 46m 09s | ||||||
| 3/21/25 |  #27 The Chronicles of an Auditor | Rod Harwood - do we need to say anything else? There are few who have had more influence on our industry and who have contributed more than Rod. Gunnar had a chat with Rod and while they reminisce about 'the good old days', Rod sprinkles in some anecdotes of his impressive career and shares gems of his incredible knowledge as an engineer and a business man. James was unfortunately unavailable (you know, work and stuff ...), but we promise, this is one everybody in our industry will enjo... | 42m 23s | ||||||
| 2/28/25 |  #26 The Quickie | Gunnar and James take a dive into all sorts of events that have happened in the past few weeks. 1 - The EIANZ announces the punishment of a member. 2 - A $30,000 fine issued by a Council 3 - MASSIVE NEWS: The Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer has released a recommendation to the NSW Government regarding the "Management of asbestos in recovered fines and recovered materials ...". Gunnar and James present the key points and almost find reasons to celebrate. We start o... | 32m 23s | ||||||
| 2/14/25 |  #25 The Duty to Report | The Duty To Report may seem like a peculiar law in our industry, yet it's just another one of the many quirky regulations that shape our environmental consulting world. As such, it was begging to be turned into a podcast episode. In fact, Gunnar and James are even joking about selling movie rights to this one—so send your offers quickly! In this episode, Gunnar and James sit down with Elizabeth Wild, a distinguished Partner at Jones Day, to unpack the nuances of this obligation. They delve in... | 45m 23s | ||||||
| 1/31/25 |  #24 The Recruiter | Daniel James is someone worth knowing when you are working in our industry. Is he a contaminated sites or resource recovery leader like many of our other guests? No, but he will put you in touch with such experts if you are looking to employ one. His decade long experience as a specialised environmental recruiter gives him a unique insight into the workings behind the scenes of our industry. He shares his experience, talks about how he sees our industry performing in 2025, and also giv... | 50m 55s | ||||||
| 12/20/24 |  #23 The Basics: Acid Sulfate Soils | Acid Sulfate Soils are a tricky subject. The second episode of our "The Basics" series is all about the ASS (oh this acronym is just endlessly amusing, isn't it?). Gunnar and James' guest is Laurie Fox, one of the most recognised and distinguished ASS experts not only in Australia, but globally. Aside from doing fantastic assessment and ASS management work on mind bogglingly big projects himself, Laurie is also committed to improving our industry's understanding of these soils. This im... | 55m 01s | ||||||
| 12/6/24 |  #22 The Basics: Planning | Everything you always wanted to know about planning, but were afraid to ask. If you don't get that movie reference, don't worry, it just means you are much younger than Gunnar, that's all. We are starting a new series called The Basics and we are kicking it off with town planning as the subject. Henry Burnett of DFP Planning is our expert guest. Henry and James go back many years and aside from discussing what town planning is all about, they relive their common past as sales clerks at an ou... | 50m 41s | ||||||
| 11/22/24 |  #21 The Forever Plates | Can eco-friendly plates and food containers made from sugarcane mulch sneak in some hidden PFAS? And can that PFAS end up in your compost, and eventually your garden soil? Cara Roberts and David Springer did the dirty work (literally) to find out. Gunnar and James couldn't wait for them to come onto the podcast and present the scoop. Tune in to hear what they uncovered! Oh, and this time there's no "Gunnar's gone rogue" segment. In fact, he's eating a slice of humble pie after a listen... | 43m 44s | ||||||
Showing 25 of 45
Pitch Fit is a Pro feature
See how bookable this show is for guests, which brands already advertise, the per-episode ad value, and the best-fit guest and sponsor profile. The numbers are blurred on the free plan.
How readily this show books outside guests like you.
How proven this show is for host-read sponsorships.
For Guests
ProFor Advertisers
ProUpgrade to Pro to unlock guest cadence, sponsor categories, fit scores, and per-episode ad value for this show.
Chart Positions
2 placements across 2 markets.
Chart Positions
2 placements across 2 markets.