Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Monday 27 March
6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Tom Ballard’s interview podcast has a smart and deceptively simple premise. The comedian sits down with philosophers, journalists, political figures, activists, writers and fellow comedians and asks them to explain their guiding beliefs and motivations in basic terms – as though talking to a six-year-old.
The task is harder than it sounds. Six-year-olds don’t understand jargon, weasel words or airy obfuscations, and they have almost no experience on which to base assumptions.The formula has produced some fascinating and very funny conversations (if Ballard were truly a six-year-old, he’d be a terrifyingly astute one) with guests including Peter Reith, Alain de Botton, Arj Barker and Nur Warsame – Australia’s first openly gay imam.
Ballard will record his 100th episode live at the Wheeler Centre – with special guest Paul Oosting, National Director of GetUp. Expect a discussion that’s as curious as it is comical.
Featuring
Tom Ballard
Tom Ballard is a comedian, writer, broadcaster, actor, philanthropist and philanderer.
In 2009 he became the youngest person ever to win the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Best Newcomer Award. Since then he's co-hosted the Triple J breakfast show for four years, won an ARIA, supported the likes of Wil Anderson, Stephen Merchant and Danny Bhoy, roasted Jimmy Carr and even filled in for Tony Jones on ABC TV's Q&A .
While all that's very impressive, you should also know that Tom has quite bad eczema, is scared of going to the gym and can not cook anything at all.
Paul Oosting
Paul Oosting is the National Director of GetUp, a one million strong member-driven organisation that has campaigned for progressive policy in Australia for over a decade.
Paul has been with GetUp for six years, driving campaigns on renewable energy, consumer power and the Great Barrier Reef.
GetUp ran a successful 2016 election campaign headed by Paul, which targeted the far right blockers holding Australian politics back. The election campaign focused on multiple areas important to GetUp members such as, stopping funding cuts to local hospitals, and keeping climate action at the top of the agenda.
Before joining GetUp, Paul led the successful campaign to stop Gunns' proposed pulp mill in Tasmania. The campaign resulted in the protection of over 160,000 hectares of Tasmania's ancient forests.