Sean Jacobs

Sean Jacobs

Sean Jacobs is a Papua New Guinean-born Australian writer, and government relations and public policy specialist. He is a former Brisbane City Council election candidate, ministerial adviser, United Nations worker, international youth volunteer, and national water polo champion. Sean holds a BA (International Relations) from Griffith University and a Postgraduate Certificate in Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism from Macquarie University. He also holds qualifications from the Australian National Security College, the Australian Institute of Management and the University of New England. [READ MORE]

Latest Posts

Episode 26 – 2018 Year in Review

From bitcoin to Australian federalism, I like to think The Jacobs Podcast, which I started in early 2018, has been a very small contribution to good old fashioned ‘long form’ discussion. Jordan Shopov, Will Witheridge and I reflect on our favourite podcasters of the year, which includes heavies like Tyler Cowen and Russ Roberts to Dave Rubin and, of course, this year’s big sensation – Jordan Peterson. We also talk about our favourite books and our thoughts on 2019, where we predict the ‘values and capitalism’ debate will re-emerge as planet finance revolves back into earth’s orbit, laying bare the […]

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Best laid plans and the odd nature of ‘success’: What five months of being an author has taught me

I’m not the world’s greatest fan of the American musician and rapper Machine Gun Kelly. In fact, I couldn’t even tell you one of his songs. But, like many people, I do enjoy paying attention to success and ‘MGK’ – as the distinctively white Cleveland-born 28-year old is known – appears to have it in spades. His recent stoush with Eminem has dominated entertainment headlines for months, catapulting Kelly to mega-stardom, listens, views, likes and all the other instruments we attribute to modern day success. But it was in 2015, prior the rapper’s current fame, where I remember his response […]

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Episode 25 – Role Models and Anti-Role Models

Who are your role models? Who are your anti-role models? We all have both. Join Will Witheridge, Jordan Shopov and I as we discuss economists, politicians, writers, sports stars, financiers, military leaders and many others.  Sometimes the best role models are the people right in front of you. Let us know who yours are by dropping a comment below!

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Episode 23 – Safe As Houses

A dollar today, a dollar tomorrow. Join Whig Capital’s Jordan Shopov and economist Will Witheridge for a discussion on the state of housing in Australia. From lending practices to the Banking Royal Commission, and the difference between ‘value’ and ‘price’, we cover some pretty heavy terrain. Regardless of where you sit, it’s well worth a listen. The episode is based on Jordan’s recent memo, available from Whig Capital here.

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Episode 22 – The South Pacific with Ambassador James Batley

My guest is former Australian Ambassador and regional trouble-shooter James Batley, who has taken on some of our most challenging foreign policy roles – from Bougainville and East Timor to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). Batley now serves as a Distinguished Policy Fellow in the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University. The piece we mention in the podcast is titled “Getting realistic about the South Pacific”, which was recently published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Getting realistic about the South Pacific

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Address to Griffith University Mentoring Program, Brisbane and Gold Coast, Queensland

The Power of Varied Role Models Well, thank you Michael and Brooke. And thank you for the opportunity to very briefly reach out. My name is Sean Jacobs – the author of Winners Don’t Cheat: Advice for young Australians from a young Australian, which was released a few months ago. While the title of my book is “Winners Don’t Cheat” it is not a biography of the Australian cricket team! This is something I do get asked a lot. But the book covers topics on education versus employability, building skills, resilience, finding your aptitude, setting goals, how to properly look […]

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Episode 21 – Individuals, identity and the modern world with Dr Anthony Dillon

After meeting for the first time at the recent Liberty Fest 2018, Dr Dillon and I thought a podcast would be a good idea. We discuss a range of topics, from symbolism and Aboriginal history to building better capabilities and thriving in the modern world. We also get a chance to talk about some of our favourite figures, from Martin Luther King Jnr and Shelby Steele to Booker T Washington and Thomas Sowell. Anthony’s recent pieces I reference in the podcast are available here: Racism notes, The Spectator, 22 September 2018 Blind to their own racism, The Spectator, 16 June […]

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