Dear Australia, from Hong Kong, China

March 10: One Country, Two Weather Systems — Floods, Festivals, and Fuel Fears in Australia

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 03:40:23 GMT

Australia’s split right down the middle this week — half underwater, half celebrating. In the north, floodwaters are rising fast in the Northern Territory and Queensland, with the Katherine River peaking at 19 metres and locals spotting crocodiles in their streets. In the south, Melbourne just wrapped up a sun-soaked Labour Day long weekend that featured F1 fans, footy crowds, massive gigs by international acts, and the iconic Moomba Festival’s Birdman Rally over the Yarra.

But amid all the fun, Australians face serious shocks — both economic and geopolitical. A spike in global oil prices is fuelling panic at the pumps as Sydney residents fill jerrycans ahead of a possible supply crunch. The local stock market tumbled in the wake of the Trump-Netanyahu conflict with Iran, wiping billions from the ASX. And with airfares skyrocketing, many families are swapping Berlin for Ballarat and Budapest for Bendigo.

We unpack how Australia’s fragile fuel reserves — just 21 days of diesel onshore — could trigger a major supply crisis. Plus, what it says about the country’s supermarket duopoly and fragile supply chains, where prawns caught in Far North Queensland go on a 5,000km detour before landing back in local stores.

It’s a tale of two weather systems, two economies, and one increasingly jittery nation — from the flooded Daly River to the crowded Yarra.

(Mostly) new Australian music played on RTHK3 radio:

Antenna - Come On Spring

The Hard-Ons - Getting Older

Jake Mason Trio - Sharks in a Paddock

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March 3: Albo & Trump & Iran; Canada's Carney flies in for middle-power meetings; massive AI-powered mortgage scam revealed

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 07:57:00 GMT

This week's episode begins with discussion of the some of the reasons Melbourne has so many magnificent bands with amazing brass sections - and some chit-chat about one of those bands, Jazzparty, who are in the process of delivering more quality Australian-made music on all your favourite listening platforms.

Trump bombs Iran, Albanese gets on board as Canada's PM Mark Carney flies in for some middle power broking

But we start in Melbourne’s CBD, where Iranians gathered on Bourke Street on Sunday in a spontaneous show of solidarity and slightly anxious-flavoured optimism at the end of the Ayatollah's rule in Iran as bombs continue dropping and missiles continue flying. After the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran that are illegal according to international law and the global "rules based order" as well as America's own Constitution requiring Congressional approval for wars, Australia’s government faces renewed scrutiny over its alliance with Washington — and a decades-long pattern of following U.S.-led wars without parliamentary debate.

As more and more scrutibny falls on Australia’s links to the American war machine via the Pine Gap satellite spy base and its role in the supply chain to build the stealth bombers and drones used in Israel's genocide of Gaza, Prime Minister Albanese also is receiving an official visit from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, on his tour through India, Australia and Japan to realign “middle powers” through new trade and defence partnerships. This week’s events show a shifting world order and Carney’s official visit to Canberra — his first in nearly 20 years for a Canadian leader — underscores a push for cooperation beyond the U.S. orbit.

Your free fun factoid of Australia-Canada relations: it was a Canadian named Charles Ross who died fighting the British redcoats at the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat in 1856 who designed the Southern Cross flag, the insignia included on the Australian flag as well as being tattooed on every bogan across Australia.

Massive AI scandal brewing: multimillion dollar mortgage fraud

Plus, a new front in Australia’s financial world: the Commonwealth Bank reports what could be one of the country’s largest-ever fraud cases — and the first major example of artificial intelligence used to commit large-scale banking crime. With fake mortgage documents built from stolen data, the case reveals both the promise and peril of AI-driven finance.

New Australian-made songs played on RTHK3

Mick Daley - Tangerine Believers

Jazzparty - Not Human

Birdsnake - Hydrostatic Pressure

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Feb 24: Albo asks to downgrade the ex-Prince; Upscrolled the new Aussie social platform; Trump on the Gold Coast?

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 07:29:46 GMT

The big low over the big red heart

Australia is bracing for its biggest rains in decades as a massive monsoonal low over central Australia threatens to dump up to 30 centimetres of rain across the country’s red heart — cutting off roads and towns in South Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales. After one of the driest summers in a century and multiple major bushfires, the shift to autumn brings flash flooding warnings across Victoria and beyond.

Downgrading relations with the disgraced former Royal Priince

In Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese makes world headlines by becoming the first Commonwealth leader to back moves to strip Prince Andrew of his succession rights — though many note deeper questions about the monarchy itself and the balance between Australia’s republican ambitions and its royal ties.

Trump Tower on the Gold Coast: spare us the cliche

Meanwhile, U.S. headlines ripple across the Pacific: Donald Trump reintroduces 15% tariffs amid a swirl of controversies linking him once again to the Epstein saga. And in unlikely real-estate news, plans for a $1.5 billion Trump Tower on the Gold Coast raise eyebrows — the developer behind the deal has a questionable track record, renewing questions about the Trump brand’s global footprint.

A new non-American social media platform

We talk about the Australian-Palestinian invented Upscrolled, a new social platform challenging Silicon Valley’s dominance.

Songs played on RTHK 3

Bumpy - Nan’s the Word

Kylie Auldist - One Time Offer

Glenys Rae Virus - One Heartache per Annum

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February 10: Herzog human rights horror ; Australia's solar era is here; nevermind gold, we have silver fever

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:26:05 GMT

Australia starts the week in that rarest of states in February — not on fire that much. The major bushfires in Victoria are mostly out, with only a stubborn blaze in the Otways left smouldering. Elsewhere, a Category 3 cyclone hovers off northern West Australia, storms roll across the country, and Melbourne is enjoying a fleeting run of days in the “low‑to‑mid‑20s” — the local definition of paradise.

The biggest heat this week, however, is political. In Sydney, police clashed with protesters demonstrating against the visit of Israeli president Isaac Herzog — a man whose photo‑ops and war record in the genocide in Gaza come trailing more controversy than diplomacy. The Albanese government’s decision to host him is being sold as a gesture of social cohesion, which is one way to describe widespread outrage. Meanwhile, an explosive ABC report suggests intelligence failures preceded December’s Bondi Beach attacks, adding more sparks to an already volatile national mood.

There’s at least one bright spot: Australia’s first large‑scale solar‑battery hybrid has gone live near Parkes, marking a milestone in the race to make renewable energy both affordable and useful after sundown. Big power companies are, predictably, not thrilled — especially as new rules will soon force them to offer free midday electricity. Somewhere, an accountant just burst into flames.

On the cultural side, the baby boomer generation has discovered a new way to avoid downsizing: installing home elevators. Because why sell when you can simply rise above it? And as gold and silver prices surge, Australians are raiding op shops for antique cutlery, hammering spoons into bullion, and proving that resourcefulness isn’t dead — it’s just being melted down.

A week where the fires cool, the protests flare, and the nation keeps finding new and ingenious ways to turn pressure into power — electrical and otherwise.

So here's a description of how the term bush doof became a thing in Australia - especially for those 90s kids in Melbourne.

Songs played

Touching the Untouchables - Men At Work (1981)

Back of My Hand - Bel Air Lip Bombs (2025)

Horatio Luna - Bush Doof (2025)

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January 27: actual Australian Day dates; Rob Hurst R.I.P

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:22:26 GMT

It (was) January 26 in Australia — that complicated national holiday where the nation commemorates a "national tradition" begun in 1994 by an elderly culture warrior Prime Minister with a black-armband view of the future, and arguing fiercely about what being Australian means in its remaining media by mostly Anglo Caucasians. There’s music to start (Christine Anu, the Warumpi Band, King Stingray), followed by a quick history of big events on January 26 (British flag‑planting hijinks from Hong Kong to Botany Bay), and a side serve of protest, because what’s more Australian than a chorus of “We’re all mates!” followed by nobody agreeing on why.

As temperatures climb past 45°C, Melbourne roasts, and the Otways are beginning to burn. This is a big deal for people who know their Australian pre-history as well as modern bushfire history: the Otways are the last of the ancient Gondwana-era cool temperate rainforests on the south end of the Australian mainland, and it only burns one way: catastrophically. Last time it burned was 1939. Now... many more people live there & (mostly) volunteers will try to save it.

The week closes on the loss of Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst: the drummer who gave Australia its most un‑editable drum solo and a rhythm that still won’t quit. A drummer whose legacy stretches far into the future as much as his prolific output was caught on video and captured in so many great recordings over more than 40 years.

A scorching, sweat‑stained week in which the nation wrestles with its past, its present, and its air conditioning — set, as always, to a truly great soundtrack.

Songs played:

Christine Anu - My Island Home (1994)

King Stingray - Down Under (2022)

Midnight Oil - Power and the Passion (live, 2017)

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January 20: cars floating off the Great Ocean Road; Sydney sewer sharks and tennis

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:15:07 GMT

In Australia, January decided subtlety was overrated. Along the Great Ocean Road, tents, caravans, and the nation’s collective sense of normal weather were swept to sea by a “freak storm” — which, given the last few years, seems less “freak” and more “standard operating procedure.” Meanwhile, Sydney offered its own natural spectacle: a chain reaction beginning with torrential rain, followed by sewage overflow, then baitfish, and finally sharks. It’s the food chain — with extra steps and worse PR.

In Parliament, Anthony Albanese has united the nation in disagreement by bundling gun reform and hate speech laws into one bill — a move greeted by the opposition with the enthusiasm usually reserved for a vegetarian sausage sizzle. Having demanded faster action, they are now furious that action has been taken quickly. A magnificent display of political physics: equal parts hypocrisy and conservation of outrage.

And in Melbourne, the Australian Open continues its noble mission to remind Australians that “Eala” is not pronounced “Eel-ah.” Filipina star Alexandra Eala became the first woman from her country to enter the top 50 — and although she lost, she left the court with dignity intact, which, for an Australian politician, would currently qualify as a major upset.

Music played:

Yara - Common Sense

Kylie Auldist - Get In the Game

The Black Cockatoos - Feelin' It

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Australia's empathy for Hong Kong; Hong Kong's influence on the energy transition and Melbourne's MTR-style expansion

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 07:50:23 GMT

This episode swerves from tragedy and solidarity to weddings, wind farms and wickets..

Australia’s response to the Tai Po fires: messages of condolence from the prime minister and 51,000 Victorian volunteer firefighters, plus a special nod to the Hong Kong crews on the front line. Anthony Albanese makes history as the first Aussie PM to get married in office, complete with dog ring‑bearer, obsessively analysed outfits and a soundtrack that’s more Vegas lounge than Canberra Question Time.

Wild weather and wild headlines

Day one of summer delivers 40 degrees in Perth and snow in Tasmania, which feels less like “weather” and more like a cry for help from the planet. While the climate loses the plot, Australia’s grid quietly hits more than 50% renewables in November and South Australia spends weeks running on more wind and sun than fossil fuels, as conservative politicians and Murdoch headlines insist this is all a dangerous fairytale.

Renewables, surfboards and CLP

There's more to talk about with the Hong Kong–Australia connection: with Hong Kong–owned CLP planning the end of a big Victorian coal plant and a future of gas, solar and giant batteries. Meanwhile, a pro surfer turns an old wind turbine blade into ten shiny new surfboards, proving that if you can’t ride the energy transition, you can at least ride something made out of it.

MTR goes to Melbourne

Hong Kong listeners get a home‑away‑from‑home update as Melbourne opens five cavernous new underground stations built and operated by a consortium that includes the MTR. Think platform doors, vast concourses and underground passages that finally let pedestrians dodge St Kilda Road traffic without needing a prayer and a high‑vis vest, all debuted in a “soft launch” with free public transport as a thank‑you for a decade of construction pain.

Bans, bats and Barmy Army

Finally, the news cycle limbers up for Australia’s looming social‑media ban for under‑16s and the second Ashes Test at the Gabba. The first Test in Perth was so brutally one‑sided that visiting England fans spent longer on the plane than watching competitive cricket, which may be the only time jet lag has been the best part of an overseas tour.

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AC/DC and Amy: the burning torch of Aussie rocknroll handed down at the MCG

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 07:38:13 GMT

Melbourne shook again as AC/DC rattled the MCG at a skull‑cracking 127dB, but the real story starts with a cancelled punk gig, 35,000 dollars’ worth of apology beers, and the greatest PR move since “free T‑shirt night” at the footy. Amyl and the Sniffers’ free Fed Square show was pulled over crowd‑crush fears, so Amy and the band turned heartbreak into a city‑wide bar shout and accidentally became patrons saint of live music and hangovers. From record‑breaking bagpipers blasting rock anthems, to Brian Johnson straining for the high notes while Angus Young refuses to act his age, it's a noisy love letter to Melbourne’s rock’n’roll soul. Then it’s a hard left turn into politics and prehistory: Trump’s tariffs on Aussie beef quietly vanish, green investment in Australia goes through the roof, and scientists unveil the stuff of truly cursed tourism ads – five‑metre “drop crocs” that may once have fallen out of trees onto their dinner. It’s guitars, gig economy stimulus, climate cash and killer crocodiles…

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Analysing #auspol election 2025: beyond the Trump narrative, how Chinese Australians voted, how Australia has changed

Tue, 06 May 2025 06:08:09 GMT

Nevermind the "Trump effect" on the 2025 Australian election: Australia now has more Australians with Chinese ancestry elected to Federal Parliament than ever before, and more women elected to Parliament as independents and for the Australian Labor Party than ever before. 2025 has seen the end of the two party system and the confirmation of the role of independents in the federal Parliament, with near-equal number of independents and Liberals in the House of Representatives. It has also marked the end of the reign of Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan over political influence exerted through print and electronic media.

Meanwhile there is the ongoing vote count in crucial electorates such as Goldstein and Kooyong, and the implications of the Senate results that promise a smoother legislative path for the Albanese government. Hear about the cultural and political narratives that shaped the campaign, including the rejection of divisive culture wars and Murdoch media influence, and how the so-called “Trump effect” narrative misses the mark in explaining Australian voters’ decisions.

The episode also highlights the growing influence of women and Chinese-Australian candidates reshaping the political landscape, with historic wins in seats long held by conservatives. Plus, get insights into the future direction of the Albanese government, including upcoming international diplomacy and domestic policy priorities.

Songs played on RTHK3

INXS - The Swing

The Angels - Am I Ever Going to See Your face Again

Surprise Chef - Consulate Case

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Dutton sides with Nazis on Welcome to Country, preferences One (White) Nation; Hong Kong votes for Australia

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 06:11:27 GMT

Australia's annual commemoration of its war dead on ANZAC Day interrupted by modern-day Nazis, and LNP leader Peter Dutton gets on board for a culture war in the last week of a disastrous election campaign; explaining why Welcome to Country ceremonies are a basic part of a living 60,000 year old culture in Australia; how Chinese-Australian voters are responding on WeChat to news Dutton's Liberal National Party coalition are preferencing the white supremacist One Nation party of Pauline Hanson, three years after Dutton used an ANZAC Day speech to call on Australians to prepare for war with mainland China; how Donald Trump's effect on the Canadian election is echoed in Australia's, and how Dutton's idea to label certain news organisations as "hate media" echoes Trump's "enemies of the state" rhetoric in the US. How the big issues - GenY and GenZ becoming the dominant voting demographic, Australia's ongoing military relationship with Trump's White House, and climate change making large swathes of Australia uninsurable - are being lost in the daily minutiae of election coverage... and the campaign continues to get a barbie set up and some democracy sausages served in Australia's second largest overseas electorate in Hong Kong.

Songs played on RTHK3

The Golden Gaytimes - Cozzi Livs

Goanna - Solid Rock (2023 remix)

Cranky - Australia Don't Become America

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Dutton's dodgy drop-punt, Trump's beef with Australia hurts McDonalds, and Easter ready to rock

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 06:22:04 GMT

With only 14 days left until early voting begins in the Australian Federal election, the reality of suburban and regional Australia going into the Easter break versus voter attention and campaign strategies - it’s all about junior sports tournaments for every ball and bat or otherwise athletic sporting codes, and camping or music festivals for those who don’t play sport, so who has time for listening to Dutton and Albanese?

A quick look at how implications of Trump’s recent tariff announcements managed a 23% tariff on Norfolk island north east of the Australian mainland but 10% on the actual Australians buying American goods (won't someone think of the PENGUINS?) Exposing the outright lie pushed by Trump of an Australian “ban” on American beef exports, when the reality is rules on sourcing of meat agreed to by South Korea and Japan which the US refuses. The real victims? Trump’s “base” and anyone else in the USA who eats McDonald's burgers, made palatable with quality Aussie beef.

Analysis of how a dodgy drop-punt from Dutton (and his comments apportioning blame afterwards) are more than symbolic for the Aussie Rules electorate in Australia, and how Dutton’s latest micro-target of hatred and a “crackdown” - international students - will play out for families from Hong Kong wishing their children to study in Australia as well as the other Chinese students who help contribute $10 billion HKD to Australia’s top universities. The bonus? Dutton's few remaining policies include jacking up the visa application fee for Hongkongers, mainlanders and anyone else wanting to study in Australia - which are already the highest in the world - to about 25,000 HKD.

Songs played on RTHK3

Jimmy Barnes - New Day

The Delvenes - Orange Clowns

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Waterhole

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Cyclone Alfred's aftermath; Albanese's new election equation; Turnbull vs Trump and the tale of Barry the Shearer

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 06:22:46 GMT

Talking about the ongoing situation of Cyclone Alfred, which is lingering over Queensland and has now morphed from a cyclone to a slow-moving heavy rain system. While some locals celebrated its fizzling out, others expressed frustration, likening it to a media-driven panic. With significant flooding and over 118,000 properties without power, the cyclone's impact is severe and continuing. Meanwhile there are questions: the strange blocking of search results for "Cyclone Alfred" on Facebook, which Meta later attributed to a technical glitch. But for those who remember Meta blocking Canada's national broadcaster the CBC during historic wildfires not long ago, is this really a "glitch"?

The cyclone has pushed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's election plans off course, and now there's another character complicating the narrative: former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has gone very public, very often in the last days to critique Donald Trump and his looming tariffs, and questioning the future of Australian-US relations. Hear also the remarkable story of heroism involving Barry the shearer, a man from Echuca now hailed as a national hero for thwarting an attempted hijacking on a Jetstar passenger airline flight, singlehandedly recasting the conversation about what is considered "terrorism" in Australia.

Songs played on RTHK3:

The Cruel Sea - Razorback

The Night Parrots - These Are My Co-Ordinates

The Wiggles and Dolly Parton - Friends

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AUKUS timing: Trump teases tariffs, turns to Russia, shatters US credibility; Neighbours axed

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 07:52:47 GMT

Anthony Albanese's government finds itself with a lovely set of economic numbers but a media narrative in lock-step declaring his government on track to lose the coming national election. As Trump and his cronies shatter relationships with Europe and the US sides with Russia in the United Nations against Ukraine, some serious thinking has begun in Australia about the future of its military alliance. A freshly purged US defence and foreign policy leadership with a new cohort of conspiracy theorists, podcasters and Fox presenters pose big questions when the US has been given so much of Australia's allegiance, resources and its reliance for security.

Meanwhile the influence of US media and politics continues to grow in Australia, with opposition leader Peter Dutton's embracing of the racist “Great Replacement Theory” pushed by Tucker Carlson and now Musk and Trump. This time, Dutton is claiming a secret migration plan to bring in refugees to vote in marginal electorates in Australia, with no evidence but plenty of support from useful idiots on national television. Meanwhile, the shattered landscape of Aussie soap operas has another victim with the axing of "Neighbours," after 40 years, contrary to the story of its salvation by Amazon two years ago.

Songs played on on RTHK3 today:

Geoff Achison - High Wire

Wrong Way Up - Hang On To Your Cool

Fairtrade Narcotics - Pivot

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Trump, tariffs, a telephone call; Aussie NFL history; Liam Leeson flogs a house in Mulgrave

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 07:26:20 GMT

A nation hangs on the words of a phone call… Aussie PM Anthony Albanese informs the nation he has called up Donald Trump to ask please, mate, alliance partner, international trading partner with trade surplus, maybe you could exempt Australia from a 25% tariff on all imports of steel and aluminum. Australian metal exports to the USA approx 240,000 tonnes of steel - HKD #2 billion worth - per year and around 167,000 tonnes of aluminum - worth HKD$4.9 billion HKD.

After the call Albanese said Trump would “consider an exemption”.

After the call Trump told his press pack there would be “no exceptions or exemptions.”

But this is White Potus series 2: in the last season back in 2018 Aussie PM Malcolm Turnbull made several calls to get a tariff exemption. In this series Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles yesterday handed over a cheque of US$700 million to newly installed US Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth, who reportedly honoured the occasion by declaring “the cheque had cleared” to the press. Also yesterday the unelected shadow president Elon Musk ordered his teenage Red Guard team of hackers into the Pentagon and the US defence and ship building departments.

Australian sports history news: Jordan Mailata from Bankstown in Sydney has become the first Australian player to play in a winning Super Bowl team. The first game he ever watched was in 2017, now he’s a lineman with the Philadelphia Eagles. His natural talent builds on his natural gifts of stature: 6'9" and 176 kg.

Coincidentally the NFL has announced plans for a multi-year commitment to hold regular season games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). While many Sydney fans express disappointment that their rectangular stadiums weren't chosen, others are laughing at the tiny proportions of the US American football field. A nice place for Aussie rules football, a cricket match or an event like a Rolling Stones gig, or Taylor Swift’s largest ever concert crowd - but the standard NFL rectangle field is only a third of the width of the MCG…

Meanwhile, the ancient forests of south western Tasmania are burning, and Liam Neeson is leasing his “Taken” voice for a real estate ad in Melbourne.

It’s a weird month.

Songs played on RTHK3:

Katalyst - Uprockin’

INXS - One X One

The Night Parrots - Winter Flowers

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February cyclones, floods and fires; Trump's impact on Australia, and Dutton as 'Temu Trump'

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 07:02:54 GMT

February is a turbulent time across Australia. Townsville hit with severe flooding after massive record-smashing rainfall, with power outages, no access to clean water and the problem of crocodiles now swimming along flooded streets. Meanwhile, a heatwave scorches the rest of the continent, with Melbourne aching after three consecutive days of extreme heat and multiple bushfires.

Trump's tariff scare sent the Australian dollar to a four-year low with concerns over tariffs affecting trade with China. This economic tension coincides with a troubling closure of USAID and a possible withdrawal from the Pacific, which could significantly impact Australia's relationships in the region.

On the political front, both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton attended Lunar New Year festivities in Box Hill, seen as the most Hong Kong city in Australia for its high concentration of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese people. Dutton, facing criticism for his past remarks on China, is now seen adopting a more conciliatory tone to the Chinese community while at the same time embracing a curated collection of Trump culture wars upon DEI policies, "efficiency" and "strength", earning him the nickname of "Temu Trump" on Australian social media .

As Parliament reconvenes, expect heated debates on issues like antisemitism and community diversity, as both leaders prepare for an upcoming election.

With a focus on legislation aimed at childcare and green energy, this session could shape the political landscape in the lead-up to crucial votes.

Songs played on RTHK3:

Floodlights - Cloud Away

The Cartridge Family - Grandpa Loved the Pixies

Smoked Salmon - Hey Hey Narcissus

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Australia's January 26 traditions; William Cooper's protest against Nazi attacks on Jews; Lunar New Year starts down under

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 07:49:19 GMT

Reporting on the three great traditions of January 26 since John Howard named it a holiday in 1994 - a long weekend, Invasion Day protests and Murdoch media culture wars. Upon the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz a discussion of William Cooper, Aboriginal leader who led the only public protest against the Nazi Kristallnacht in 1938, supporting the Jewish people of Germany. He also was part of the campaign begun in 1939 to make January 26th a day of mourning for Aboriginal people.

Here in 2025 on January 28th Australia begins Lunar New Year Festivals in all its major cities as well as many of its suburbs with prominent Chinese and Vietnamese communities. Hear of the big events planned in Sydney and Melbourne while in the north of Australia people face the rare occasion of five cyclones forming in the oceans from the north west of Western Australia all the way to the north east of Queensland.

Music played on RTHK3:

Thelma Plum - The Bown Snake

The Beefs - Red-Bellied Black Snake

Yothu Yindi - Jailbreak

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Aussie oligarchs and Trump; on-off court drama of the Australian Open; nuclear TikTok and GenZ

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 05:52:55 GMT

This week the Australian Federal government appointed two women as ministers and thus for the first time in Australian history its national government achieved gender parity in its Cabinet. Meanwhile in Washington, among the US tech broligarchy frotage there was West Australian billionaire mining oligarch Gina Rinehart, whose coal interests in Canada bely one of the reasons for her attendance and support of Trump. In Melbourne, the dull thud of tennis balls being whacked has been interrupted by all sorts of dramas involving players, a heavy drinking crowd and a TV reporter whose antics have been seen as an insult to the nation of Serbia. It's been a nice distraction from the usual culture war leading up to January 26...

Music played on RTHK3

Midnight Oil - US Forces

The Seven Ups - New World Monkeys

King Stingray - Cat 5

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Arson about in a viral video; Dutton launches “GABOT”, the Aussie MAGA; Albo pokes Musk, massive new funnel-web spider

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 08:25:31 GMT

Talking about the East Donnie video which went viral involving an arsonist charred with crime, and enquiries about whether this put arson hospital; opposition leader Peter Dutton launches his Australian version of MAGA, although this one spells GABOT. Phil points out this is Tagalog language for “ripped out/weeded out/pulled out”. Interestingly Peter Dutton launched his campaign in electorate stood for and lost by Hong Kong born Gladys Liu in the last election.

Meanwhile, scientists have identified three species of funnel-web spider, including one from the Newcastle region that is larger than them all, albeit with a not very creative name.

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Australia cabana drama; phony election campaign begins, end of two party system beckons; a gender reveal burnout

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 03:52:44 GMT

Just days before Australians are implored to celebrate British soldiers marching up a beach and planting a Union Jack flag in 1788, the nation is arguing over how to share space on its beaches. Is it unAustralian to set-up a cabana on a beach early in the morning, go away and then come back when you're read to use it? Or is it the foundation of Australian identity to simply claim a bit of land as yours? The 2025 Federal Election is yet to be announced but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in campaign mode, while analysts suggest electoral trends indicate this year's election will mark the end of the two party system and the beginning of a new era of minority governments. Meanwhile in Adelaide, a burnout 210 metres long was delivered by a Commodore as part of a gender reveal party while mulleted petrol-heads gathered in Canberra for the annual Summernats and national burnout competition.

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A political gamble: social media ban goes to parliament, Bluesky and Australia's word of the year

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 07:19:31 GMT

A year after a Federal Parliamentary inquiry into the impact and influence of gambling ads on Australian people, and having received 31 proposals for banning advertising and controlling its impact on young people, the Albanese government has decided to... spend three hours debating a social media ban for the under 16s after giving the public 24 hours notice of a 12 hour public submission period before introducing legislation... backed by Peter Dutton's Federal Opposition.

With two media oligarchs also making hundreds of millions of dollars each year from gambling advertising, it's plain to see the Albanese government is not going to start a fight just before an election... Meanwhile the rantings of Elon Musk are fading down under as millions of Australians join the X-odus from Twitter to BlueSky and media organisations set up new social media presences. All of this in a week where the Macquarie dictionary people have announced the Australian Word of the Year - coined by Cory Doctorow in 2022, the word "ensh**ification" received both the Macquarie and people's choice vote for 2024's word of the year.

Music played on RTHK3:

Ella Thompson - Jigsaw

King Stingray - What's the Hurry

Emily Wurramurra - Boom Biddy Bye

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Albo's social media ban; Trump's impact on Australian politics, Murdoch media and economy

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 12:32:20 GMT

Anthony Albanese has finally united Australia to one point of view: his plan for social media bans on under 16 year old is being panned at all levels of society while Albanese tries to tell Australian parents their kids should be riding bikes like the 1970s and not being educated about electronic media and responsibility. There's an important background to this policy idea, though: the deal forcing the owner of Facebook and Instagram (Meta) to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation to selected Australian media organizations, predominantly Murdoch-managed News Corp, ended after three years earlier this year. Meanwhile, the election of Donald Trump has lead to a) Australia's ambassador to the US Dr Kevin Rudd to delete a number undiplomatic tweets b) Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong to tweet their fealty to Trump c) News Corp to begin its campaign to remake Peter Dutton in the style of Donald Trump and d) at least one person to ask questions about Australia's $200 million dollar export market in vaccines to the US now that Robert F Kennedy Jr looks to be put in charge...

Songs played on RTHK3:

King Stingray - Light Up the Path

Night Parrots - you Tried To Let Me Down

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King Charles wasn't heckled: analyzing historical facts and the biscuit crime at a Royal reception

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 01:03:30 GMT

What really happened when a democratically elected Senator from Victoria with Aboriginal heritage shouted at the descendant of a European dynasty of Kings and Queens in Canberra? Hear how Senator Thorpe a) did not heckle and b) raised issues of fact in her short and loud serve delivered to King Charles III in the Great Hall of the Australian Parliament, including the tens of thousands of Aboriginal artefacts still not returned from museums across the UK, the King's refusal to issue a similar apology to that of Kevin Rudd in 2008, the facts of the Mabo decision in 1991 declaring no such thing as "Crown land" in Australia and the bigger issue of a "treaty" - promised in 1988 but yet to be delivered, making Australia the only nation one of few not to have one with its First Nations people.

But are we missing a bigger scandal? Keen-eyed observers have noticed an item on the canape menu for the Royal reception that might just be cause for a criminal investigation behalf of the ANZAC spirit...

Songs played on RTHK3

The Cruel Sea - Just a Man

The Angels - Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again

The Seven Ups - Machine Learning

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Shock as republicans unveil "last reign" merch for King Charlie down under - but why won't he visit the Big Tractor?

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 11:43:42 GMT

The BBC, the British/Murdoch press are up in arms about Aussie humour in advance of 75 year old King Charles the Third making his brief visit to Australia on his way to Samoa for CHOGM; PM Albanese's republican and working class credentials in doubt after the last referendum and a multimillion dollar property purchase; Aussies don't care about royalty - it's climate change, cyclones and snakes they're worried about; the West Australian town of Carnamah joins the pantheon of Aussie towns with Big Things with the unveiling of their Big Tractor.

Songs played on RTHK3

Midnight Oil - Stand in the Line

Gut Health - Uh Oh

Horns of Leroy - It’s About Time

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Australia marks October 7; Aussies plan to sell a new kind of tea to China; an NRL rugby opera in 3 tweets

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:28:08 GMT

Protestors turn out in their tens of thousands in Sydney and Melbourne to call for ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, while Australian mining billionaire Twiggy Forrest sends hundreds of millions in aid to the people of Gaza and Peter Dutton's Opposition flatly rejects a Parliamentary motion in favour of humanity; meanwhile a pair of Aussie women have developed a new kind of brewed tea drink to sell to Asia and GenZ who are favouring non-alcoholic drinks; the NRL rugby final brings one of the great Aussie operas told in three tweets, and what could possibly go wrong with a new Crocodile Dundee film?

Songs played on RTHK3

Hayley Mary - Primordial Glow

The Fauves - The UnAustralians

Cruel Sea - Straight Into the Sun

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Footy Grand Finals; Chalmers in Beijing, Barnaby says China might detonate EVs and solar cells

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 13:08:41 GMT

Looking back on the massive 10 goal victory in the AFL Grand Final, the French roots of the Lions' team song and wondering did the AFL management really pay HKD$20 million for each song Katy Perry performed in her pre-game set; Australian Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers comes back from a visit to Beijing unable to say when Aussie lobster exports will again resume, while reformed drunkard and clown politician Barnaby Joyce declares all Chinese-made EVs and solar cells are potential weapons, given Israel's use of booby-trapped pagers in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Sydney moves ahead with refurbishing new ferries for Sydney Harbour with electric motors - and wasn't Hong Kong supposed to be trialling electric ferries by now?

Songs played on RTHK

The Seduceaphones - Darkness

Watty Thompson =- Rock and Roll

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AFL Grand Final preview; Albo and Biden, Chalmers in Beijing; Rupert vs the Murdoch kids

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 07:24:13 GMT

With the AFL Grand Final coming up, a look at the historic match-up between two teams whose last Grand Final together was the year 1899, as well as the Cantonese connection of one of the Brisbane Lions' star players; Aussie PM Anthony Albanese meets with Biden for a Quad meeting which announces a "moon shot" to cure cervical cancer, and why Australia's experience eradicating HPV is important; Aussie Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers heads to Beijing this week, just as the US announces a plan to ban all Chinese-made navigation software from cars, which may be cause for concern in Australia where 80% of the booming EV market is made in China; and a look at the courtroom drama as Rupert Murdoch sues his children to crown his favorite son Lachlan Murdoch as sole shareholder of the Murdoch family trust in control of Fox News and News Corp, and why this may mean his ex-wife Wendi Deng might just call the lawyers and re-open negotiations for her divorce settlement.

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Melbourne protesters vs Land Forces 2024; Musk versus Albo (again); Aussies versus magpies

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 06:35:27 GMT

What happened when a weapons convention of American, British, South Korean and Israeli arms manufacturers was held in Melbourne, a city where thousands have protested against the Gaza "war" every weekend since early October; Elon Musk declares the Albanese government "fascist" for its planned legislation to force the removal of misinformation from social media platforms in Australia; why Aussies are preparing for the "swooping season" as the nation's magpies begin divebombing hapless cyclists and pedestrians.

Songs played on RTHK3:

Guy Blackman - Carlton North

Night Parrots - On Your way to Somewhere Else

The Seven Ups - Free Flying Birds

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AFL finals vs Katie Perry; Albanese's plan to restrict teens on social media; William Barton in Hong Kong

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 06:11:58 GMT

A historic Aussie rules finals season beckons with only one Melbourne-based team left, and questions over why Katie Perry was chosen for the pre-game entertainment for the AFL Grand Final on September 28. PM Anthony Albanese makes headlines with a policy to limit access to social media for teens, but how will it work? Meanwhile his government loses support for their lack of action on climate change or the huge amount of online gambling ads. Hear more about the special Hong Kong/Australian musical fusion of sheng and didgeridoo happening this weekend when composer and didj player William Barton takes to the stage with Hong Kong sheng master Loo Sze-wang for a unique program of music with the Hong Kong sinfonetta.

Music played on RTHK3:

King Stingray - Cat 5

TISM - 70s football

William Barton - Didge Fusion

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Stormy times for Australia; Hong Kong's Paul Chan in Melbourne; Shirley and Jimi

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 09:18:51 GMT

A 350 km/h jetstream through Bass Strait means floods, windstorms, bushfires - and weirdly, an historic week where more of Australia's electricity was generated from renewables than coal. Hong Kong finance secretary Paul Chan in Melbournf for a keynote speech in Melbourne calling for more investment while the Albanese government announces a crackdown on student numbers and Australia faces down a plunge in iron ore and coal demand from mainland China. Finally: remembering Australian music legend Judy Cannon and her work with Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page.

Songs played on RTHK3:

Waikiki - Here Comes September

A Swayze and the Ghosts - Anthropology

Judy Cannon - Hello Heartache

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Hong Kong to Mallacoota; Australia's right to disconnect; record breaking warm winter (August 27)

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 14:38:50 GMT

Talking in Cantonese in Mallacoota, a tiny fishing town on Victoria's far south eastern coastal tip and how one small brewery in Orbot is making beer from seaweed, sea urchin and oysters; the details and the realities of the new right to disconnect laws protecting Australian workers from forced unpaid overtime and how the pandemic and the history of Melbourne's involvement in the 8 hour work day campaigns of the 1880s are relevant; Sydney celebrates its new driverless train system, some 26 years after Hong Kong introduced the Airport Express; Australia's warmest winter temperature record and how climate change is changing the seasons, and flowering of native flora as well as breeding habits of kangaroos.

Songs played on RTHK3

Emily Wurramurra - Boom Biddy Bye

Jimmy Willing and the Real Gone Hick Ups - Cat Fish Fishin'

Luke Watt - Sell Papa Sell

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Reacting to Raygun; Australian women win the gold; Olympics BMX history (August 13)

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 14:22:11 GMT

Everyone from Australian PM Anthony Albanese to singer Adele and hip-hop legend Ice-T had something to say about Raygun and her zero score breakdance performance at the Olympics (and then there was the social media reaction...) - hear how she is fast becoming an Australian cultural and sporting legend; hear analysis of how Australian women dominated the gold medals in Australia's greatest Olympics outing to date, including 14 year old Arisa Trew in the BMX, and hear how the bull sharks in the Brisbane River might make for exciting triathlons in the 2032 Olympics.

Songs played on RTHK3:

Little River Band with John Farnham - Playing to Win

TZU - Back Up

Men At Work - Touching the Untouchable

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