Rampart Talks

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with ALEX VYNOKUR is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.When Alex Vynokur started Betashares in 2009, most Australians who heard of “ETFs” thought it was a reference to electronic fund transfers, rather than exchange-traded funds. Sixteen years later, the company holds about 20% of Australia’s ETF market, with $80 billion in assets under management for a million Australians. It’s second only to global behemoth Vanguard. In this episode of Rampart Talks, host Joe Aston traces Vynokur’s path from arriving in Bondi as a teenager from Soviet Ukraine, to a short stint at law firm Baker McKenzie, to working in asset management for Malcolm Turnbull.Vynokur explains how he concluded that index funds would be a competitive force in the funds management industry. He speaks to how Betashares grew from ETFs into a direct investing platform and superannuation, and the impact artificial intelligence could have on the industry.  He also explains why he wants Betashares to remain privately-owned, as opposed to being floated on the ASX.Vynokur also discusses the federal government’s new tax regime, why immigration matters to Australia and his efforts to assist the war effort in his native Ukraine. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠⁠BHP⁠, Generation Life and Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksProducer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with GREG BOORER is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.In 2007, Greg Boorer put his house on the line to build a data centre in Canberra, when the government's critical systems were still sitting in office basements. Nearly two decades later, CDC is a $20 billion business, and Greg is one of the most powerful (and least-known) figures in Australia's AI infrastructure boom.Joe Aston sits down with the low-profile founder to ask whether data centres are losing the public relations war, what ordinary Australians will actually get out of the AI boom, and about the future of CDC's partnership with Australian AI infrastructure company, Firmus.In May 2026, CDC landed a 555-megawatt deal with a US hyperscaler believed to be Amazon Web Services, which is equivalent to the size of every other deal combined that CDC had done in the previous 19 years.Joe and Greg share a love of cricket. As Chair of Cricket ACT, Boorer gives a candid take on the dysfunction in Australian cricket and the forced resignation of Mike Baird.Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠⁠BHP⁠, ⁠Evidentia and Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksProducer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with MICHAEL LEE is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.Justice Michael Lee has presided over some of the most important trials in recent Australian history:  Bruce Lehrmann v Network Ten and journalist Lisa Wilkinson; Qantas' illegal sacking of 1,820 ground workers and the corporate regulator ASIC's case against Star Entertainment's former board directors and company executives. He's also the judge who ruled against journalist Joe Aston and Nine Entertainment in a defamation trial taken by the former head of venture capital at Blue Sky Alternative Investments. In this entertaining and candid conversation, Justice Lee explains why he thinks it's important that judges speak out on matters that are relevant to the administration of justice, the erosion of trust in courts and institutions and how artificial intelligence should be managed by corporations and board directors. Justice Lee also discusses matters beyond the law, including his love of red ball cricket and disappointment about the state of the modern game. He's also writing a screenplay about Sydney in the Great Depression era and the former NSW Premier, Jack Lang. Don't miss it. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠⁠BHP⁠, ⁠Generation Life and Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksProducer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios Commercial support: Squiz Media

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with JOHN MULLEN is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.John Mullen is the chair of Qantas and one of Australia’s most respected business leaders.He took over as chair in February 2024 when the company was at a low ebb. Long time CEO Alan Joyce had resigned in disgrace the previous year and the company was broadly loathed by the Australian public.Two years later, Mullen says Qantas is in a much stronger position, both because of improved performance metrics like on-time performance but also a better corporate culture and “low ego” environment.As well as his duties at Qantas, Mullen chairs global logistics company Brambles, Treasury Wine Estates, professional services advisory Scyne and is a non-executive director of Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation.In this podcast interview, he speaks about his decades of leadership in the corporate sector, running the port and rail operator Asciano, negotiating with the union movement and working at TNT/Ansett under Rupert Murdoch and Australian corporate legend Sir Peter Abeles, who he calls a mentor.Mullen also discusses his deep passion for maritime history. He helped fund the search for the wreck of the Montevideo Maru, the Japanese warship that was sunk in World War Two carrying Australian prisoners of war, making it the greatest loss of life in the country’s history in one single incident. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠⁠BHP⁠, ⁠Evidentia Group and Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksProducer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios Commercial support: Squiz Media

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with TODD GREENBERG is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg joins Rampart’s Joe Aston for a conversation about the future of the sport and his attempt to privatise the domestic T20 Big Bash League.  Greenberg has been in sports administration for three decades, starting at the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs rugby league club. His leadership weathered many crises and scandals before his abrupt departure in the early days of the COVID crisis. Now at the helm of Cricket Australia, he faces a new challenge: convincing state-based cricket associations to sell off a minority stake of their T20 Big Bash League clubs to private capital. Greenberg maintains that privatisation in one form or another is inevitable, not only delivering hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenue but bringing new leadership into cricket. Greenberg says the proceeds of privatisation would go towards creating a “future fund” that would underwrite the game and player salaries before the next broadcast rights deal is struck in 2031.  He also addresses a scandal that rocked CA in May, when an executive was sacked after a governance breach. Also, the looming retirement of Australia's current crop of star players who drive bumper crowds and big sponsorship deals. Finally, Greenberg opens up about the personal challenges of leadership, his wife Lisa’s sobriety after a battle with alcohol, and his shock at seeing the rise of antisemitism in Australia.Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠⁠BHP⁠, ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠ and Generation Life.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksProducer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored StudiosCommercial support: Squiz Media

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with RUTHIE ROGERS is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.American-British restaurant legend Ruthie Rogers is Joe Aston’s guest on this month’s Rampart Talks. She’s the owner of the River Cafe, a Michelin starred Italian restaurant on the banks of the River Thames in London, about halfway between Harrods and Heathrow.This podcast explores the humble beginnings of the restaurant which has become a global phenomenon. In 1987, Rogers and her co-founder Rose Gray had a basic goal: to serve the kind of simple, delicious food they enjoyed eating in Italy.Four decades later, the restaurant is an important stop on the global food trail. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver was discovered as a young trainee in the restaurant’s kitchen, while over a million copies of The River Cafe Cookbook series have sold internationally. More recently, after the death of her famous architect husband Lord Richard Rogers, Ruthie embarked on a new professional endeavour. Her podcast, Ruthie’s Table 4, has gained a cult following off the back of interviews with celebrities like Paul McCartney and David Beckham, who discuss their memories and life experiences through the lens of food. In this interview with Joe Aston, Ruthie talks about balancing her desire to be in the kitchen with the realities of running a business, how technology has diminished the dining experience and what she reaches for when she needs some comfort food. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠⁠BHP⁠, Evidentia Group and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksProducer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with HAMISH DOUGLASS is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.The co-founder of Magellan Financial Group Hamish Douglass is Joe Aston's guest on this month's Rampart Talks interview series. In his first major interview since disappearing abruptly from public life in February 2022, Douglass speaks candidly about the extraordinary events that brought him to his knees. We explore the huge changes in his personal life and identity; the disturbing rumours about him that survive to this day; the mental breakdown that left him a shadow of his former self; and his message of hope, having made a full recovery.Joe and Hamish discuss all things Magellan, including packing out ballrooms of financial advisers; his much-analysed relationship with co-founder Chris Mackay; the company's near-fatal key man risk exposure; and the seeding of the new investment bank Barrenjoey which he claims as his idea.They also discuss Magellan's controversial loan-funded employee share scheme and his decision to sell down his own shares in the company. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠⁠BHP⁠, Generation Life and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksProducer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media 

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with Oliver Curtis is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.What happens when a man with everything to prove builds a company that Nvidia, Meta and Blackstone can't ignore?Oliver Curtis – a convicted insider trader and now aspiring ASX-listed company CEO – sits down with Joe Aston for one of the most candid conversations in Australian business. This is a story about second chances, big bets, and a technology race that could reshape Australia's economy for generations.​​Curtis makes the case that AI token production is Australia's next commodity boom, arguing it could be as big as the country's iron ore industry. He claims that Firmus' cost of production, plus its distinctive chip cooling technology, is well positioned to lead it. But how does a neocloud operator that started life as a Bitcoin miner end up as a strategic partner to Nvidia, the world's most valuable company?We get into all of it: why hyperscalers like Meta are a customer (well, not that Curtis will confirm that just yet) and how Firmus plans to deploy more than $70 billion (yes, you read that right) of capital expenditure in the three years to 2028. Curtis doesn't dodge the hard questions – it's his first interview since he left Cooma Correctional Centre in 2017 after spending a year in jail for insider trading. When asked by Aston about his co-conspirator turned Crown witness John Hartman (now CEO at Andrew Forrest's Tattarang) Curtis is loath to engage, arguing that it's in the past and he's focused on the future. Curtis also reflects that while people may have made judgements about him based on glimpses on his famous wife Roxy Jacenko's social media account, they're often wide of the mark. Undoubtedly, Curtis is a man on the hard sell, but this interview dispels any notion that he lacks substance.You don't want to miss it.Rampart Talks is brought to you by BHP, Generation Life and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, Instagram and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksExecutive Producer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios Sales: Squiz Media

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with Matt Comyn is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.Commonwealth Bank CEO Matt Comyn sits down for a candid conversation with Rampart’s Joe Aston. From the very restaurant where he landed his first CBA job in 1999, Comyn opens up about being the unlikely choice as CEO, his two days in the witness box at the Banking Royal Commission and the subsequent challenge of restoring public trust in the company. What makes this episode unmissable:The world's most expensive bank: How he runs the bank which trades at 26 times forward earnings, while also overseeing a healthy corporate culture.The Royal Commission: Comyn reveals what it was like spending 8.5 hours in the witness box, including the explosive moment when his notes about being told to "temper your sense of justice" became headline news.AI's real impact: Comyn likens the impact of AI and its consequences to changes brought by the industrial revolution and notes that there’s no “island or moat” that will protect Australian industry from these changes. Housing affordability's impossible equation: Comyn notes the challenges for ordinary Australians to enter the housing market who don’t have access to the “Bank of Mum and Dad”. Comyn says supply-side solutions are needed to ease the housing crisis.  Resilience forged through personal hardship: Comyn shares how traumatic events in his childhood fortified him against professional challenges as an adult. He notes that psychological and physiological resilience are just as important as elite banking skills. From Canberra power dynamics to multi-billion-dollar investments in CBA’s technology, from the loss of sponsorship of the Australian cricket teams to measuring sleep and staying fit —this is a rare interview where one of Australia’s leading CEOs discusses the importance of having good judgement and knowing when to walk away.  Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠RESOLVE Forensic⁠, ⁠BHP⁠ and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia’s most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation’s political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window into the nation’s premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, Instagram and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksProducer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with Nick Molnar is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.In this episode of Rampart Talks, Joe Aston sits down with Afterpay co-founder Nick Molnar in Los Angeles to discuss his remarkable journey from selling jewellery on eBay as a teenager to creating one of Australia's most successful tech exports.Molnar opens up about the origins of Afterpay, revealing how a casual conversation with his neighbour Anthony Eisen while moving furniture sparked the idea that would disrupt consumer lending. He shares candid insights about the company's early days, including the intense pressure of rapid growth that saw Afterpay's market cap surge from $2 billion to $40 billion in just 10 months during the pandemic.The conversation explores Afterpay's early negotiations with regulators, with Molnar defending the company's position that traditional consumer credit laws weren't designed for their short-duration, merchant-funded model. He discusses threading the regulatory needle before Australia's credit laws eventually caught up with the buy now, pay later industry.Molnar reflects on maintaining normalcy despite becoming a self-made billionaire before the age of 30, crediting his wife, family, and partnership with Eisen for keeping him grounded. He talks about the decision to sell Afterpay to Jack Dorsey's Block (formerly Square) for $39 billion and why he chose to join the company rather than venture into another startup, viewing it as stepping up to a bigger sandbox. Now leading Block's revenue line, Molnar discusses the potential of Cash App to transform how Americans - particularly hourly workers and independent earners - interact with money and operate outside the traditional banking system. He shares his perspective on using Bitcoin as everyday money and offers insights into working with Jack Dorsey, describing him as a visionary who sees the future better than anyone else.The episode concludes with Molnar's thoughts on the Australian startup ecosystem, his advice for founders looking to go global, and his optimism/confidence that Australia will produce ten Afterpays over the next decade.Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠RESOLVE Forensic⁠, ⁠BHP⁠ and ⁠Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia’s most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation’s political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review’s Rear Window into the nation’s premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman’s Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksProducer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios Technical and commercial support: Squiz Media