SA Matters: Behind the Independent Campaign

Musical Pilgrimage

When Robert Godden joined us in 2018 for Episode 235, we read tea leaves to predict Steven Marshall’s election victory. Today, Robert returns with his tea expertise as we sit down with two Senate hopefuls – Dianah Walter and Dr. Rod Pearce AM – who are campaigning together under the “SA Matters” banner. While sipping tea, we explore how these candidates plan to navigate Canberra’s corridors while maintaining their commitment to South Australian priorities.

In a refreshing departure from party politics, Dianah and Rod share their journey from collaboration on women’s health initiatives to forming an unendorsed Senate ticket focused squarely on local issues. With Dianah’s background in regional advocacy and Rod’s decades of experience as a respected GP shaping national health policy, they present a compelling case for representation that transcends party loyalty.

There is no SA Drink Of The Week, this week.

And in the Musical Pilgrimage, we close the show with Swap Meet’s dreamy indie folk-rock track “Ceiling Fan” – an apt choice given the band’s own journey of rebranding from Sour Sob and striking out with a new identity, just as Dianah is doing with her political realignment.

You can navigate episodes using chapter markers in your podcast app. Not a fan of one segment? You can click next to jump to the next chapter in the show. We’re here to serve!

The Adelaide Show Podcast: Awarded Silver for Best Interview Podcast in Australia at the 2021 Australian Podcast Awards and named as Finalist for Best News and Current Affairs Podcast in the 2018 Australian Podcast Awards.

And please consider becoming part of our podcast by joining our Inner Circle. It’s an email list. Join it and you might get an email on a Sunday or Monday seeking question ideas, guest ideas and requests for other bits of feedback about YOUR podcast, The Adelaide Show. Email us directly and we’ll add you to the list: podcast@theadelaideshow.com.au

If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review in iTunes or other podcast sites, or buy some great merch from our Red Bubble store – The Adelaide Show Shop. We’d greatly appreciate it.

And please talk about us and share our episodes on social media, it really helps build our community. Oh, and here’s our index of all episode in one concise
page.

Running Sheet: SA Matters This Election

00:00:00 Intro

Introduction

00:00:00 SA Drink Of The Week

No South Australian Drink Of The Week, this week.

00:02:30 SA Matters: Behind the Independent Campaign

In a political landscape where party loyalty often overshadows regional advocacy, Dianah Walter and Dr. Rod Pearce have emerged as “SA Matters” – an unendorsed Senate ticket with a decidedly local focus. Dianah, fresh from her departure from the Legalised Cannabis Party, and Rod, a respected GP whose voice has shaped national health policy, have joined forces at a time when social media giants face increasing scrutiny for their influence on political discourse.

“South Australia does matter” isn’t just their campaign slogan – it’s the philosophy that brought them together through a shared history of advocacy that includes women’s health initiatives. Their promise is straightforward: representation that puts our state first, regardless of partisan pressure.

“Our loyalty is to the work we’ve done together in the past and to basically being an advocate for South Australia,” Rod explains, citing specific examples of how party senators might face conflicts between state interests and party priorities. This unwavering focus on South Australian priorities forms the cornerstone of their campaign.

Dianah’s recent encounter with caregivers of a disabled woman reveals their grassroots approach: “What can we do to help you?” she asked after a lengthy discussion. Their response was telling: “In all of the last two years they’ve been coming to that place, not once had anyone stopped to talk to them.” This approach reflects the StoryBrand framework where the voter is the hero and candidates are guides – something Dianah intuitively grasped at their campaign launch: “You are not here because of me… I believe you’re actually here because you’re here for you.”

For Rod, this connection to community has been central to his 40-year career as a GP: “You need to have that 15-minute, one-on-one conversation, which I have with 20 or 30 people every day… but that’s gotta translate into effective advocacy.”

Robert highlights how traditional media creates lasting trust: “I’ve been an avid listener to ABC radio since I was 18… I’ve just heard your voice so many times,” he tells Rod. “We don’t necessarily believe what we read on Facebook, but we certainly believe what we hear on the radio.”

Dianah shares radio’s crucial role during emergencies: “We recently lost power for nearly 24 hours on the YP. I’m a Country Fire Service volunteer… our mobile phone towers went down and we had no connection as emergency services volunteers. But I got me little transistor out that dad gave me, and I tuned into ABC and I knew what was going on.”

The darker side of modern media becomes apparent when Dianah describes setting up her campaign Facebook page: “Three seconds in my feed, I had Trump, Elon Musk, lots of right wing extremists in my feed!'”

Robert, a self-described “below the line voter, like 10% of the population,” offers perspective: “Australian democracy is based on the person who the least people have a problem with gets in… it’s not about who’s the best, it’s about who’s the least worst.”

This conversation reveals the complexity facing independent candidates – they must define themselves by values rather than party policies, building trust through personal connection rather than political shorthand.

01:03:30 Musical Pilgrimage

In the Musical Pilgrimage, we feature Murray Bridge’s own Swapmeet with Ceiling Fan.

Swapmeet began life as Sour Sob before a legal threat forced them to change their name. This journey of rebranding while maintaining artistic integrity mirrors our Senate hopefuls’ commitment to authentic representation.

The name “Swapmeet” carries special significance for lead singer Venus O’Broin, who got her current guitar at a swap meet – a grassroots connection that echoes our candidates’ approach to building their campaign from the ground up.

Swapmeet’s debut EP “Oxalis” (cheekily named after the genus of the sour sob plant) features today’s track “Ceiling Fan,” which captures the dreamy indie folk rock sound that earned them Best Song at last year’s SA Music Awards. Like our guests today, Swapmeet proved that sometimes starting fresh can be liberating while staying true to your roots.

When Robert Godden joined us in 2018 for Episode 235, we read tea leaves to predict Steven Marshall&rsquo;s election victory. Today, Robert returns with his tea expertise as we sit down with two Senate hopefuls &ndash; Dianah Walter and Dr. Rod Pearce AM &ndash; who are campaigning together under the &ldquo;SA Matters&rdquo; banner. While sipping tea, we explore how these candidates plan to navigate Canberra&rsquo;s corridors while maintaining their commitment to South Australian priorities.
In a refreshing departure from party politics, Dianah and Rod share their journey from collaboration on women&rsquo;s health initiatives to forming an unendorsed Senate ticket focused squarely on local issues. With Dianah&rsquo;s background in regional advocacy and Rod&rsquo;s decades of experience as a respected GP shaping national health policy, they present a compelling case for representation that transcends party loyalty.
There is no SA Drink Of The Week, this week.
And in the Musical Pilgrimage, we close the show with Swap Meet&rsquo;s dreamy indie folk-rock track &ldquo;Ceiling Fan&rdquo; &ndash; an apt choice given the band&rsquo;s own journey of rebranding from Sour Sob and striking out with a new identity, just as Dianah is doing with her political realignment.
You can navigate episodes using chapter markers in your podcast app. Not a fan of one segment? You can click next to jump to the next chapter in the show. We&rsquo;re here to serve!
The Adelaide Show Podcast: Awarded Silver for&nbsp;Best Interview Podcast in Australia&nbsp;at the 2021 Australian Podcast Awards and named as Finalist for&nbsp;Best News and Current Affairs Podcast&nbsp;in the 2018 Australian Podcast Awards.
And please consider becoming part of our podcast by joining our Inner Circle. It&rsquo;s an email list. Join it and you might get an email on a Sunday or Monday seeking question ideas, guest ideas and requests for other bits of feedback about YOUR podcast, The Adelaide Show. Email us directly and we&rsquo;ll add you to the list:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:podcast@theadelaideshow.com.au">podcast@theadelaideshow.com.au</a>
If you enjoy the show, please&nbsp;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/another-boring-thursday-night/id696302138">leave us a 5-star review&nbsp;</a>in iTunes or other podcast sites, or buy some great merch from our Red Bubble store &ndash;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/theadelaideshow/shop?asc=u">The Adelaide Show Shop</a>. We&rsquo;d greatly appreciate it.
And please talk about us and share our episodes on social media, it really helps build our community. Oh, and here&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="https://theadelaideshow.com.au/complete-list-adelaide-show-episodes/">our index of all episode in one concise page.</a>
Running Sheet: SA Matters This Election
00:00:00&nbsp;Intro
Introduction
00:00:00&nbsp;SA Drink Of The Week
No South Australian Drink Of The Week, this week.
00:02:30&nbsp;SA Matters: Behind the Independent Campaign
In a political landscape where party loyalty often overshadows regional advocacy, Dianah Walter and Dr. Rod Pearce have emerged as &ldquo;SA Matters&rdquo; &ndash; an unendorsed Senate ticket with a decidedly local focus. Dianah, fresh from her departure from the Legalised Cannabis Party, and Rod, a respected GP whose voice has shaped national health policy, have joined forces at a time when social media giants face increasing scrutiny for their influence on political discourse.
&ldquo;South Australia does matter&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t just their campaign slogan &ndash; it&rsquo;s the philosophy that brought them together through a shared history of advocacy that includes women&rsquo;s health initiatives. Their promise is straightforward: representation that puts our state first, regardless of partisan pressure.
&ldquo;Our loyalty is to the work we&rsquo;ve done together in the past and to basically being an advocate for South Australia,&rdquo; Rod explains, citing specific examples of how party senators might face conflicts between state interests and party priorities. This unwavering focus on South Australian priorities forms the cornerstone of their campaign.
Dianah&rsquo;s recent encounter with caregivers of a disabled woman reveals their grassroots approach: &ldquo;What can we do to help you?&rdquo; she asked after a lengthy discussion. Their response was telling: &ldquo;In all of the last two years they&rsquo;ve been coming to that place, not once had anyone stopped to talk to them.&rdquo; This approach reflects the StoryBrand framework where the voter is the hero and candidates are guides &ndash; something Dianah intuitively grasped at their campaign launch: &ldquo;You are not here because of me&hellip; I believe you&rsquo;re actually here because you&rsquo;re here for you.&rdquo;
For Rod, this connection to community has been central to his 40-year career as a GP: &ldquo;You need to have that 15-minute, one-on-one conversation, which I have with 20 or 30 people every day&hellip; but that&rsquo;s gotta translate into effective advocacy.&rdquo;
Robert highlights how traditional media creates lasting trust: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been an avid listener to ABC radio since I was 18&hellip; I&rsquo;ve just heard your voice so many times,&rdquo; he tells Rod. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t necessarily believe what we read on Facebook, but we certainly believe what we hear on the radio.&rdquo;
Dianah shares radio&rsquo;s crucial role during emergencies: &ldquo;We recently lost power for nearly 24 hours on the YP. I&rsquo;m a Country Fire Service volunteer&hellip; our mobile phone towers went down and we had no connection as emergency services volunteers. But I got me little transistor out that dad gave me, and I tuned into ABC and I knew what was going on.&rdquo;
The darker side of modern media becomes apparent when Dianah describes setting up her campaign Facebook page: &ldquo;Three seconds in my feed, I had Trump, Elon Musk, lots of right wing extremists in my feed!'&rdquo;
Robert, a self-described &ldquo;below the line voter, like 10% of the population,&rdquo; offers perspective: &ldquo;Australian democracy is based on the person who the least people have a problem with gets in&hellip; it&rsquo;s not about who&rsquo;s the best, it&rsquo;s about who&rsquo;s the least worst.&rdquo;
This conversation reveals the complexity facing independent candidates &ndash; they must define themselves by values rather than party policies, building trust through personal connection rather than political shorthand.
01:03:30&nbsp;Musical Pilgrimage
In the Musical Pilgrimage, we feature&nbsp;Murray Bridge&rsquo;s own Swapmeet with&nbsp;Ceiling Fan.
Swapmeet began life as Sour Sob before a legal threat forced them to change their name. This journey of rebranding while maintaining artistic integrity mirrors our Senate hopefuls&rsquo; commitment to authentic representation.
The name &ldquo;Swapmeet&rdquo; carries special significance for lead singer Venus O&rsquo;Broin, who got her current guitar at a swap meet &ndash; a grassroots connection that echoes our candidates&rsquo; approach to building their campaign from the ground up.
Swapmeet&rsquo;s debut EP &ldquo;Oxalis&rdquo; (cheekily named after the genus of the sour sob plant) features today&rsquo;s track &ldquo;Ceiling Fan,&rdquo; which captures the dreamy indie folk rock sound that earned them Best Song at last year&rsquo;s SA Music Awards. Like our guests today, Swapmeet proved that sometimes starting fresh can be liberating while staying true to your roots.

A weekly podcast recorded in Adelaide that puts South Australian passion on centre stage with a featured guest who joins us each week as a co-presenter to share how they're pursuing their passions. We venture across topics as diverse as history, wine, food, art, music, relationships, critical thinking, health, news, interviews, chat and quizzes. 

Every single interview, every single show, unlocks insights into what drives people to be doing what they're doing and what keeps them striving. 

The Adelaide Show is produced by Steve Davis and Nigel Dobson-Keeffe.

Please subscribe to our In Crowd list; you get an email each Friday (when we have published a new episode) with an overview of that week's show. Plus, consider joining our Inner Circle; a small group of passionate South Aussies who allow us to pick their brains and gain interviewee suggestions.

This podcast began life as Another Boring Thursday Night In Adelaide from episodes 1-79.

A podcast recorded in Adelaide that puts South Australian passion on centre stage with a featured guest who joins us each week as a co-presenter to share how they're pursuing their passions. We venture across topics as diverse as history, wine, ...

The Adelaide Show

A podcast recorded in Adelaide that puts South Australian passion on centre stage with a featured guest who joins us to share how they're pursuing their passions. We venture across topics as diverse as history, wine, food, art, music, relationships, critical thinking, health, and general news. Every single interview, every single show, unlocks insights into what drives people to be doing what they're doing and what keeps them striving. The Adelaide Show is produced by Steve Davis, and ends with an original song by a South Australian artist. Please subscribe to our In Crowd list; you get an email each Friday with an overview of that week's show. This podcast began life as Another Boring Thursday Night In Adelaide from episodes 1-79.

A podcast recorded in Adelaide that puts South Australian passion on centre stage with a featured guest who joins us to share how they're pursuing their passions. We venture across topics as diverse as history, wine, food, art, music, relationships, critical thinking, health, and general news. Every single interview, every single show, unlocks insights into what drives people to be doing what they're doing and what keeps them striving. The Adelaide Show is produced by Steve Davis, and ends with an original song by a South Australian artist. Please subscribe to our In Crowd list; you get an email each Friday with an overview of that week's show. This podcast began life as Another Boring Thursday Night In Adelaide from episodes 1-79.

From Tea Leaves to Ballot Papers: SA Matters Candidates Dianah Walter and Dr. Rod Pearce AM Chart an Independent Course for the Senate, While Political Analyst Robert Godden Brings His Expertise to the Table and Swap Meet’s Award-Winning “Ceiling Fan” Closes Our Show.

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