Some thoughts on Ross Fitzgerald and Ian McFadyen, Chalk and Cheese: A Fabrication (Hybrid Publishing Melbournre, $24.99)
 by Bridget Shapter  

Although I think it’s highly optimistic that a podcast could insight such a rapid change in the political system, I enjoyed immersing myself in a world where that was a reality. 

Conceptually, Chalk and Cheese is really brilliant – political enemies, unified by a failing government that is letting down all sides of the nation.  Ben and Bill are great leaders of their respective movements – Ben a much stronger voice, but Bill whose voice had far more reach through radio (rather the usual route for the right-wing ‘thought-leaders’). 

The disheartening realisation that the issues discussed on the podcast are not unique to this generation, and are in fact worsening under current political leadership that keeps weakening, carries throughout each new episode of The Lizards of Oz. The issues discussed aren’t unique to any class, race or even generation – they’re chillingly relatable and have been for many decades. 

Saying that, the enquiry into elder abuse this decade is one that feels increasingly pawned aside as a new nation-wide scandal overtakes it seemingly each month. Nurturing the young and the elderly should be a top priority for the leaders of this nation, and yet those are the spheres that get the least attention, regulation and oversight. Until of course, the systems collapse entirely and need to be re-built from scratch. 

Lily, Jai and Carl create a great backdrop for Bill and Ben to launch from; and Helen is a charming and magnetic grounding presence for them all. Her death was a shock for me. 

It’s also important to mention that the surrounding characters in the nursing home banding together makes this all the more impactful. Change occurs in small locales, and causes must gather momentum to be felt on a larger scale. 

It’s a great read, funny, wry and just cynical enough but with a strain of hope throughout that reflects reality. It really made me miss satirists like Clarke and Dawe, and it fills a gap in a current media that isn’t saying much about the effects of our current politics on the margins of the Australian public. 

Congratulations Ross and Ian. I really enjoyed it.

 Bridget Shapter, Sydney, 13 November 2025