Gabriel Shipton: Digital ID, Free Speech & the Fight for Information Rights

Tonight on the Cardi-Girls podcast we welcome Gabriel Shipton — Australian filmmaker, human rights advocate, and brother of Julian Assange.

Gabriel joins us to discuss Australia’s Digital ID bill and what the expanding Digital ID system means for everyday people, privacy, and civil liberties.

We explore the official claims of a voluntary system versus the practical risks of greater state and corporate control over identity, access to services, and free expression.

Gabriel brings a unique perspective shaped by years of campaigning for his brother’s freedom and a deep commitment to protecting the right to publish and speak freely.

Join us for a timely conversation on Digital ID, free speech, and the continuing fight for information rights in Australia.

Six years on, we’re still here — and reaching between five and six million people a month. That number isn’t just interviews. It includes the rants, the posts, the conversations, and everything else that happens in this space.

In a purely commercial sense, the smart move would be to lock everything behind a paywall. Why do all this work and give it away for free?

Because we’re not a normal podcast. We’re closer to an online community — and a lot of people in this community are doing it really hard. Some of us are living in tents.

We simply can’t, in good conscience, cut those people off because they can’t afford a subscription.

So instead of going fully paid, we want to say this:

To everyone who already supports the work — thank you. You are the only reason we’re still able to keep going.

And if you regularly take something from what we put out, and you can comfortably afford to chip in, we’d be genuinely grateful if you did.

Your support doesn’t just keep the lights on. It keeps this space open for the people who need it most.

Thank you for being here.

Kelli and Michael

Cafe Locked Out