Pearlcast

What really changed in 2025 – and what didn’t? In this special Year in Review episode of Pearlcast, host Catriona Jackson is joined by John Menadue, Karen Middleton and Greg Barns for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about the year’s biggest political moments in Australia and abroad, and what they tell us about the year ahead. The panel begins with the re-election of the Labor government and its unexpectedly large majority. Rather than celebrating a mandate for reform, the discussion quick...

In this third episode of Pearlcast from John Menadue’s Pearls and Irritations, we ask a confronting question: What role did foreign powers play in the dismissal of the Whitlam government in 1975? To help unpack this extraordinary dimension of the story, Pearls and Irritations Editor Catriona Jackson speaks to two guests: Brian Toohey, veteran journalist and former Australian Financial Review columnist and National Times editor who has reported on intelligence and national security for over 50...

In this second episode of Pearlcast from John Menadue’s Pearls and Irritations, we return to the dramatic events of 11 November 1975 – the day the Governor-General dismissed the Whitlam Labor government. Presenter and Pearls and Irritations Editor Catriona Jackson is joined again by two guests at the heart of the story: • Professor Jenny Hocking, historian and author of The Palace Letters • John Menadue, former head of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Whitlam, and Founder an...

Episode 1: Prof Jenny Hocking & John Menadue In this first episode of Pearlcast from Pearls and Irritations, we begin a powerful three-part series on one of the most consequential events in Australia’s political history: the dismissal of the Whitlam government in 1975. To mark the 50th anniversary of Gough Whitlam’s dismissal, Editor Catriona Jackson is joined by two guests who bring unparalleled insight and lived experience to the conversation: Professor Jenny Hocking, respected historia...

Pearls and Irritations Editor Catriona Jackson previews Pearlcast - The Dismissal - a new three part series looking at the dismissal of the Whitlam Government.