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BIG TALK: The Petrov Affair PART TWO

BIG TALK: The Petrov Affair PART TWO

Big Small Talk
27 min
28 Oct 25
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About the episode

In part two of our deep dive into the Petrov Affair, we unpack the political chaos that followed one of Australia’s biggest Cold War scandals. The defection of a Soviet spy didn’t just make headlines, it reshaped an election, launched a Royal Commission, and sent the Labor Party spiralling into accusations of communism. We look at how the opposition leader’s desperate attempt to clear his name became a full-blown witch hunt, how fear shaped the nation’s politics, and what life looked like for the Petrov's after the dust settled, trying to then live quietly in Australia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.