Who to blame for the Bondi Beach mass-shooting? Not Muslims, not Arabs, not peace protestors marching on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was the men who fired the bullets. In the aftermath of the Bondi attack, grief has quickly collided with misinformation and political point scoring. This episode examines what we know, what we do not yet know, and how tragedy is being used to inflame division before investigations are complete. We focus on responsibility, facts, and the real consequences of turning loss into a culture war. Butt Out, Netanyahu: https://michaelwest.com.au/butt-out-of-bondi-netanyahu/ Support us ❤️ patreon.com/thewestreport Our Journalism 📰 michaelwest.com.au Linktree 🌐 https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Flying cans of worms in Canberra, again. This week on Scam of the Week, we look at the expenses pile on, why Anika Wells became the headline, and the part the outrage merchants never say out loud, everyone’s in the trough, Labor, Liberals, Greens, just with different media friends.  Then we zoom out, because while Canberra’s arguing over ski trips, Trump is spruiking “gold cards”, and Australia’s debating censorship, surveillance, and who really benefits when the rules get written by the loudest lobbyists.  And for dessert, a “Tim Tam bailout”, where the government ends up propping up the notorious KKR private equity firm, because apparently Wall Street punters get a safety net too.  We also dig into the under 16s social media ban, gambling ads, and the quiet second round of the media bargaining code, the one where big legacy media lines up for another subsidy.  If you can, support what we do, and if you can’t, liking, sharing, and commenting still helps a lot.  Support us ❤️ patreon.com/thewestreport Our Journalism 📰 michaelwest.com.au Merch 👕 https://lonelykidsclub.com/collections/michael-west Linktree 🌐 https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Check out our QED Database: https://michaelwest.com.au/the-case-for-a-federal-icac/ Silver Sponsors, Island Optical, Optical Warehouse.  00:00 Politicians expenses 07:18 Gambling ads, social ban 08:30 Media code subsidy 09:25 NACC and Brereton 11:24 AUKUS nuclear subs 12:31 Trump gold card 13:41 Tim Tam bailout 15:08 Scam winner, wrap Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Governments say the under 16 social media ban is about protecting kids, but the biggest winners are the billionaires and media empires that have been campaigning for it. In this episode we break down what the ban really does, why the Murdoch machine pushed it, and how it quietly hands more control to corporate media while doing little to regulate the platforms causing the harm. We look at the censorship creep, the data grab baked into the new rules, and why children will still find ways around it. Plus, we go inside the global push toward surveillance, free speech crackdowns and platform control Some good may come from less toxicity online, but this is another step toward a world where governments and corporate giants decide what you can read, watch and say. https://michaelwest.com.au/social-media-age-ban-is-upon-us-what-does-it-really-mean/ Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Why are your energy bills so bloody high? Is it renewables, as the Coalition and fossil media claim? No. In this episode of The West Report, Michael follows the money through the entire grid, from generators to gentailers, to show that the real culprits are soaring coal and gas prices and corporate profiteering, not renewables.  We pull live data from the national electricity market to show how cheap rooftop solar and utility solar really are compared with coal and gas, and why renewables are already making up around half the grid while your bill still keeps climbing. Michael breaks down how privatisation created layer after layer of middlemen, why AGL, Origin and EnergyAustralia are raking it in, and how both major parties have let fossil fuel donors write the rules. Support us ❤️ patreon.com/thewestreport Our Journalism 📰 michaelwest.com.au Merch 👕 https://lonelykidsclub.com/collections/michael-west Linktree 🌐 https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Stories mentioned: https://michaelwest.com.au/renewable-energy-hits-half-the-grid-as-coalition-scaremongering-hits-overdrive/ 00:00 Why Your Power Bill Is So High 06:30 The Gas Cartel 08:07 re Renewables Really To Blame 12:10 Who Is Profiting From Your Energy Bill Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

We look to the rollicking Senate Estimates for our prestigious Scam of the Week. Who will it be, the world's most useless corruption commission, or the red Porsche at Home Affairs supremo, or the heroic 'terror granny'? Michael unpacks how a handful of very well paid public servants and political mates keep dodgy deals secret while ordinary Australians are told to just trust the system.  Support us ❤️ patreon.com/thewestreport Our Journalism 📰 michaelwest.com.au Merch 👕 https://lonelykidsclub.com/collections/michael-west Linktree 🌐 https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au 00:00 Intro, trust in government 00:37 Parliament wraps, Senate estimates explained 01:20 NACC, the useless anti corruption commission 02:56 Jobs for Mates report buried 04:03 Human rights envoy and Gaza hypocrisy 05:09 China flotilla scare and war drums 06:35 Fossil media blackout as renewables pass 50 percent 07:49 Senate estimates, enter Stephanie “the Winker” Foster 12:09 Secret Nauru asylum trust deed and FOI stonewall 14:28 Gold plated bureaucrats and Defence chief pay 17:03 Trump war cabinet and the AUKUS mega junket 18:22 Sky News terror granny scare campaign 19:00 Scam of the Week Winner, Stephanie Foster  Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Kids on souped up e bikes tearing down the footpath at fifty. Lithium batteries exploding in bedrooms. Politicians shrugging and saying it is a state issue. In this episode of The West Report we track how a quiet legal tweak by Barnaby Joyce helped turn Australia into the wild west of e bikes, and why kids are paying the price.  We break down • How Australia once followed strict European e bike standards, and why those rules were scrapped in 2021 • The explosion in cheap, overpowered imports and the rise in hospitalisations, deaths and lithium battery fires • Why Dirodie style bikes and easy mods make it simple for kids to bypass speed and power limits • The patchwork mess of state rules, and what Catherine King and Sophie Scamps are trying to fix • How we can get the best of e bikes, freedom and accessibility, without turning every main street into a crash site As an e bike owner, I am not here to blame kids popping wheelies on Boxing Day. The real story is a decade of bad regulation, weak enforcement and governments that waited for tragedy instead of acting when the warnings first came in. If you are looking at buying an e bike for yourself or your kids this Christmas, watch this before you tap buy now. Support us ❤️ patreon.com/thewestreport Our Journalism 📰 michaelwest.com.au Merch 👕 https://lonelykidsclub.com/collections/michael-west Linktree 🌐 https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The Zionist Federation of Australia has launched one of the most extraordinary legal actions we have ever seen, a sprawling 18C case against former SBS newsreader Mary Kostakidis over 61 tweets and retweets. This episode breaks down exactly what is being dragged into the Federal Court, from October 7 narratives and Gaza to Epstein, Mossad, Hezbollah, UK politics, CIA operations and even the history of Israel itself. A single lawsuit that could choke the courts for years and reshape free speech in Australia. Why is this happening, who benefits, and what precedent could it set for journalists, academics and anyone who posts online? We take you through the claim and Mary’s defence, including the argument that this case is part of a wider attempt to silence critics of Israel. Read the full story here: https://michaelwest.com.au/mary-kostakidis-forced-to-argue-against-israels-war-in-an-australian-court/ Support us ❤️ patreon.com/thewestreport Our journalism michaelwest.com.au Newscorpse T Shirt Merch lonelykidsclub.com/collections/michael-west Linktree linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au 00:00: The Mary Kostakidis Lawsuit 03:10: What the Court Will Now Litigate 10:45: Free Speech and the Chilling Effect 18:55: Why This Case Matters for Australia Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

We unpack the Nauru caper. Bigger than Pauline’s latest stunt. Two governments, including ours, exposed in the Senate for breaching international law, funding a corrupt regime and quietly signing off on a two point four billion dollar deal while bikie gangs and fraud swirl around it. Refugees and stateless people packed off for thirty years because it makes the government look tough on borders. This is not children overboard. This is decency overboard. Read our coverage at michaelwest.com.au. Pay to Deport, Australia’s Shameful Return of Penal Colonies https://michaelwest.com.au/pay-to-deport-australias-shameful-return-of-penal-colonies/ The Nauru Deal, How Much Worse Can It Get https://michaelwest.com.au/pay-to-deport-australias-shameful-return-of-penal-colonies/ Support Us ❤️ patreon.com/thewestreport Our Journalism 📰 michaelwest.com.au Merch 👕 https://lonelykidsclub.com/collections/michael-west Linktree 🌐 https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au 00:00 Nauru Caper Blows Open 04:32 Senate Enquiry 09:58 Decency Overboard, Politics Over People Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Journalists from Michael West Media have scooped the pool at the annual Walkey Awards ceremony for Excellence in Journalism. It's a clean sweep, a Grand Slam, a Triple Crown and a rout against Government subsidised fossil media. Thanks to subscribers for a big year! Check out the Big Night here and the dazzling line-up of Awards winners. https://michaelwest.com.au/michael-west-media-scoops-the-prize-pool-in-the-2025-walkey-awards/ Support Us here https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Consultants behaving badly, politicians behaving cavalierly - with our money. Australia’s weather website just cost you $96.5 million. Not a satellite, not a supercomputer ... a website. In this episode Josh digs into how a four million dollar BoM “refresh” blew out 24 times over, and how much of that money flowed straight to private consultants like Accenture and Deloitte. We look at Deloitte’s AI written report, PwC’s tax leak and Robodebt work, and new Greens data showing federal consulting spend is now just under a billion dollars a year, even as work shifts from the Big Four to a long tail of firms. Support us ❤️ patreon.com/thewestreport Our journalism 📰 michaelwest.com.au Merch 👕 https://lonelykidsclub.com/collections/michael-west Linktree 🌐 https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au https://linktr.ee/michaelwestmedia.com.au Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.