Zoe Daniel with Thom Woodroofe on winning middle Australia in the climate wars

About this episode

Zoe Daniel and Thom Woodroofe discuss strategies to engage middle Australia in climate policy amidst competing concerns.

Has the Iran War got you thinking about changing to an electric vehicle? Did government subsidies help you go solar or install a home battery? When renewable energy makes good economic sense, and eases cost of living pressures, people want in. As the public's desire for action on climate change is eclipsed by other concerns, and beset by vested interests and mis and dis information, how does climate policy win back ordinary people to galvanise progress once again? This event was recorded at Readings bookshop on 20 May 2026. Speakers: Thom Woodroofe Senior International Fellow, Smart Energy Council Author, Power, Prosperity & Planet: Climate & Energy Policy for All (In the National Interest, Monash University Publishing)Principal Advisor to Kevin Rudd during his tenure as Australian Ambassador to the United States, and Chief of Staff during his tenure as the Asia Society's President in New YorkDiplomatic adviser to the Marshall Islands in the negotiations of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change Zoe Daniel Former Independent Member for GoldsteinFormer ABC journalist and foreign correspondentIndependent chair, Mental Health Victoria

People in this episode

Guests: Zoe Daniel, Thom Woodroofe

Topics covered

• climate change
• renewable energy
• public policy
• economic impact
• community engagement

Keywords

• climate wars
• electric vehicle
• government subsidies
• solar energy
• cost of living

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Smart Energy Council, Mental Health Victoria, ABC, Monash University Publishing

Books & works: Power, Prosperity & Planet: Climate & Energy Policy for All

Places: Iran

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