Curtin's Cast Episode 70 - 23 September 2026 - Emma Dawson (Chifley Research Centre)

Can Labor Hold Back the Orange Tide? Emma Dawson and Kos Samaras talk Vic and NSW elections, Gen Z and Australia’s AI Future

With Nick away, Kos is joined by Curtin’s Cast veteran Emma Dawson, Executive Director of the Chifley Research Centre, to take the pulse of Australian politics.

They check in on the Victorian election campaign before taking a first look at the 2027 NSW election, where another One Nation orange tsunami threatens both major parties.

Then Kos and Emma unpack Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ new Intergenerational Report and its vision of Australia in 2066: a population of 39.3 million, record-low fertility, deaths overtaking births, an ageing population and mounting pressure on health and aged care. Does a report promising future prosperity offer Generation Z anything now—particularly on housing, wealth and economic security?

Finally, they tackle the immense opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence and the data-centre boom. Does Labor’s historic mission now require it to ensure that AI serves working people rather than allowing working people to serve the machines?

Listen now to Episode 70 of Curtin’s Cast.