Brief: Conspiracies Down Under

Conspirituality

Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker

Spirituality, Social Sciences, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The recent killing of two police officers (and wounding of a third) in Porepunkah, Australia has highlighted the dangers of sovereign citizen-style conspiratorial beliefs. The alleged shooter is still at large, but his social media footprint shows anti-vaccine, COVID-contrarian, and even QAnon-aligned beliefs, as well as a long history of violent threats against police. Julian talks to journalists Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson, co-authors of an excellent new book, Conspiracy Nation: Exposing The Dangerous World of Australian Conspiracy Theories. As with everywhere else in the world, the pandemic poured gasoline on what would become a familiar set of incendiary false beliefs—but the sociopolitical and historical context down under has its own unique details. The conversation spans claims of government false-flag operations, real legacies of institutional abuse, and Australia’s most famous conspiracy export and celebrity chef, Pete Evans. Show Notes Conspiracy Nation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:59.4	conditions apply. Hello everyone. Welcome to Conspiruality where we investigate the intersections
1:06.5	of conspiracy theories and spiritual influence to uncover cults, pseudoscience, and authoritarian
1:12.2	extremism, I'm Julian Walker, and today on this brief titled Conspiracies Down Under,
1:19.1	I have a very special interview. It's with the authors of a new book called Conspiracy Nation
1:24.2	exposing the dangerous world of Australian conspiracy theories.
1:28.7	The authors of the book Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson are both accomplished and decorated
1:32.8	journalists who have published in the New York Times, The Guardian, the Atlantic, Gizmodo,
1:36.9	and other places they've been nominated for and have won awards.
1:40.9	Ariel Bogle is a reporter with a focus on technology, law, and the internet. Cam
1:45.5	Wilson's work covers the intersection between internet culture, online extremism, and politics.
1:51.1	This is my interview with them.
1:56.6	So welcome Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson. Hi, great to be here.
	...

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