Neil Mitchell Asks Why

We're four months into the year, so i'm roping in friends and colleagues Tony Jones and Heidi Murphy, 'The Jock and the Beast', to re-cap this years events so far, debate and discuss the big issues. 

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In this episode, I dive into the unexpected, unassuming world of fungi - and what I've found is astounding. 

I speak to Mycologist Dr.Teresa Lebel and discover fungi has the potential to change, save and shape the world like you wouldn't believe. 

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Who controls space will control the Earth. What happens up there impacts every aspect of modern life: Satellites, GPS, power grids. And there are some weird things going on. 

What's happing in space today could help save the world - but it could also help destroy it. 

In this episode I speak to Rebecca Shrimpton, director of Defence and National Security at ASPI, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. She has a warning of what we stand to gain, and what stands to be lost

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After ten years as the Victorian Ombudsman, Deborah Glass is now free to explain how the systems designed to keep the bastards honest are working, when they are failing, and WHY they are so important. 

In one of her last interviews as Ombudsman, Deborah Glass opens up on the personal side of a life spent battling bureaucracy, and standing up for the little guy. 

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They say it's inevitable. But what sort of world are we heading into with legalised cannabis? 

In this episode, former head of the AFP, barrister and advocate for cannabis reform Mick Palmer, and adolescent psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, discuss the PROS and CONS of an Australia where cannabis is legal. 

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For more than 20 years, David Koch had one of the most recognisable faces in Australian show biz. But very little is known about Kochie since he stepped down from his role as host of Sunrise in 2023, and what he’s planning for the future. 

In this episode, David Koch tells Neil Mitchell WHY finding fame was an accident, and why the future of small business is so important to him. 

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If you were terminally ill, what would you pay to survive? It's an ugly question, but life is always above money. 

In this episode, multiple myeloma patient Geoff Nyssen and Professor Miles Prince, explain how Geoff's CART T cell treatment in the US saved his life, after he was told he'd only have 10 years to live. 

Neil finds out WHY Australian lives are being lost, because they can't access this treatment. 

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Andrew Rule and John 'Sly' Silvester are the odd couple of crime. One can write, the other can talk. They've built their careers writing, and talking, about the most unpleasant things in life. Murder. Armed robbery. Gang wars.

They revolutionised the way journalists wrote about crime, and they're responsible for bringing one of Australia's most notorious, and now infamous criminals, into public consciousness: Chopper Read. 

In this episode, Andrew Rule and Sly explain why they write, and why some cases still haunt them. 

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Immigration is one of the greatest policy failures of the past 20 years. It's also one of the least understood.

In this episode, Victorian Chamber of Commerce boss Paul Guerra and former Deputy Secretary for the Department of Immigration, Abul Rizvi, explain how it works, how it's failing, and what it all means for Australia. 

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Professor Richard Scolyer is the world's leading melanoma pathologist, and along with his colleague Professor Georgina Long, has been named co-Australian of the year. Thanks to them, Australia's national cancer, melanoma, has become a curable disease. 

Now Richard is on a journey to beat another cancer. His own. 

In this episode, professor Richard Scolyer tells Neil why he's become a human guinea pig.

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Harry Garside surged into the public consciousness at the Tokyo Olympics. He won a lightweight bronze boxing medal, Australia's first for 33 years, and now he's chasing gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

But he's not your average jock. 

In this episode, Harry Garside and his mum Kate, tell Neil Mitchell why:  

This episode discusses sensitive issues around suicide. If you or someone you know needs support, please seek help from a mental health professional, or contact the Lifeline helpline: 13 11 14

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From making headlines with Eddie McGuire, debating protestors on the streets of Melbourne, to his last interview with former Premier Daniel Andrews, this episode is a compilation of some of the most memorable clashes of Neil Mitchell's radio career.

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Over his career, Neil has had his fair share of the weird, the whacky and the wonderful interviews. Perspectives from a different point of view, different ways of life and ways of thinking. 

From international superstar Jordan Peterson, to closer to home with Fiona Patten and Sam Newman, this episode is a compilation of some of the more unusual conversations, that stuck with Neil over the years. 

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Neil Mitchell has quit his day job. In this special episode, Neil sits down with two friends and colleagues, Heidi Murphy and Tony Jones, to look back at his radio career; The highs and lows, the behind the scenes chaos, the on air (and off-air) spats, the deadlines, the regrets and the editorial decisions that made Mornings with Neil Mitchell so successful. 

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Luke McLeod has put himself through a gruelling reality TV series, not once, but twice. Now, the former Bachelorette star turned meditation guide, opens up on the challenges of life in the public eye, finding enlightenment and fatherhood. 

In this episode, Luke McLeod tells Neil Mitchell Why:  

A recent medical scare turned his life upside down

Saying sorry is so hard for a parent

He desperately wants to be a father

Reality TV changed him

Social media is one of the biggest threats to happiness

He feared his life was on the line 

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Georgie Purcell and Joe McCracken are no ordinary politicians. Joe is a Liberal MP who came out as gay in his maiden speech to parliament. Animal Justice MP Georgie is a lawyer, a former stripper and covered head to toe in tattoos. They're both in their early 30s, opinionated and passionate. 

In this episode, Georgie Purcell and Joe McCracken tell Neil Why: 

The writing is on the wall for the Melbourne Cup

Shame is shaping public debate 

They don't agree on 'that' Jacinta Allan cartoon 

Politician's work "bloody hard"

They both suffer from anxiety

People don't care about politicians 

Also in this episode, Georgie and Joe switch places and ask Neil a couple of questions of their own...

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What you're about to hear sounds like science fiction. Professor Nicholas Opie is leading the world in developing a brain chip, capable of mind control. Through the company he co-founded, Synchron, Nick Opie is close to helping millions of people living with paralysis do things they never dreamed of doing.

Synchron may have been created in Melbourne, but it’s a big deal in Silicon Valley and it’s backed by some of the world's richest and most powerful men - Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos.  

But Nick Opie is not your average professor. He’s something of a genius. An inventor with an altruistic vision. 

In this episode, Professor Nicholas Opie tells Neil Mitchell Why... 

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Tony Abbott was Australia's 28th Prime Minister, but he was only in office for two years before the revolving door hit him on the way out. He was a divisive figure as a politician, and now as a conservative commentator and business person. 

In this episode, Tony Abbott tells Neil Mitchell Why:

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Ross Coulthart is a distinguished investigative journalist with a sparkling career. But, he's made an extraordinary pivot into the realm of UFOs and the extraterrestrial.

Coulthart has become the face of a growing, global fascination into the world of aliens. In this episode, he tells Neil Mitchell Why he's convinced we are not alone. 

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Associate Professor Monique Watts is a cardiologist and one of Australia's leading heart failure specialists. She's speaking up with an urgent message for women. 

In this episode, Dr Monique Watts tells Neil Mitchell Why:

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Betty Klimenko was abandoned by her drug addicted mother, then adopted by a billionaire. She is now one of the wealthiest women in Australia. Her story is not widely known, but should be the stuff of Australian folklore. 

In this episode, Betty Klimenko tells Neil Mitchell Why:

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It's a rare thing to interview a Prime Minister, uninterrupted, for an hour. In this episode, Anthony Albanese sits down with Neil Mitchell and reveals WHY: 

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Avi Yemini is a self described attention seeker. He's a loud mouth, opinionated and largely shunned by the media, but, he might surprise you. 

In this episode, Avi Yemini tells Neil Why...

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Shane Patton is Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, but beneath the bureaucracy, he's a frontline officer through and through. Over his 40 year career, Shane Patton has seen things that will stay with him for life. He's chosen now to reveal some of those stories. 

In this episode of Neil Mitchel asks Why, Shane Patton reveals...

The terrifying house call that still haunts him to this day.

The truth behind lockdown restrictions in Victoria.

The hardest, most thankless job every police officer has to faced.

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Mark Woodland is what you’d call an 'industry disruptor'. A self-made entrepreneur, millionaire and former soldier. He’s a young rich lister, with no business training to speak of. 

In this episode, Mark Woodland reveals WHY: 

He thinks national service is a good thing

Going to the doctor terrifies him 

Flashy cars are more trouble than they’re worth 

He's learnt to be ruthless

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Brain McNamee is one of Australia's most successful business people, but chances are you've never heard of him. Back in the 90s, Brian took a broken down government lab and turned it into a multi-billion dollar biotech company, called CSL. 

In this episode, Brian McNamee tells Neil WHY...

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Back in 2011, Neil interviewed Australia's three living Victoria Cross recipients at that time: Keith Payne, Mark Donaldson and Ben Roberts-Smith. Now, following Ben Roberts-Smith's highly public fall from grace, Neil is revisiting what the VC recipients had to say. 

In this episode, Neil Mitchell finds out Why... 

They don't consider themselves brave

You never forget a face from combat 

Mortality does not frighten them

Receiving a VC changes your life

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Sophie Matterson is restless. It's what makes her adventurous, and led her to being a world record holder. She's the first woman to walk the width of Australia, with a herd of camels. But why did she do it? And what did she learn on her own in the outback? 

In this episode of Neil Mitchell Asks Why, Sophie explains why:

She encountered the best of humanity in the outback 

She's a little bit weird

Camels are the best travel companions 

She thinks all women should find their own adventure

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Kerry O'Brien is a veteran journalist with a reputation as a hard-nosed political interviewer. Since quitting his job with the public broadcaster, Kerry has softened his tough exterior, and is free to express his own opinion.

In this episode of Neil Mitchell Asks Why, Kerry shares why:

He got kicked out of school and never made it to university

He's still passionate about Australian politics

He almost joined the army

Nelson Mandela was the greatest political leader of his time

Truth in journalism matters

There is still racism in Australia

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Matthew Guy has led the Victorian Liberal party to election defeat… twice. For the
first time since his 2022 loss, Matthew has chosen to talk about the trouble plagued
campaign... Why?

In this episode of Neil Mitchell Asks Why, Matthew explains why:

The Liberal Party is being undermined from the inside
He thinks democracy is under threat in Victoria
Politics is brutal and unforgiving

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Tim Baker was a freelance surf writer living a life of bliss, until one day all that changed. At just 50 years old, Tim was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. 

In this episode, Neil Mitchell finds out Why...

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It's been 11 years since the legendary Jim Stynes passed away from cancer. Neil reflects on one of the most memorable interviews of his broadcasting career with Jim, and another Australian icon, Olivia Newton-John. 

In this episode, Neil Mitchell finds out why..

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Leigh Matthews is one of the most famous names in the AFL. His entire life has revolved around football, but very little is known about him outside his career. 

In this episode of Neil Mitchell Asks Why, Leigh explains Why: 

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Mick Hughes is a former Victoria Police detective and at one point was head of the Homicide Squad. He's chosen now to openly talk about his long and at times painful career... why?

In this episode of Neil Mitchell Asks Why, Mick explains why...

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Georgie Purcell is the recently elected Member of the Legislative Council for the Animal Justice Party, and her first step is to tell all about her personal life... why?

In this episode of Neil Mitchell Asks Why, Georgie explains why:
She told off farmers at the age of five
She eats in the bath
She has a law degree but has never used it
Sex work is not dirty
You can be a vegan AND pro-choice

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Welcome to Neil Mitchell Asks Why,a podcast series where Neil interviews high profile and interesting guests to find out why they made the choices they made.

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