The new Lord Mayor of Melbourne Nick Reece made news this week for, extraordinarily, saying admiring things about Sydney. I talked to him on Wednesday.

Fitz: Thanks for your time, lord mayor and … how far you’ve come, Nick. You and I got to know each other years ago when we recognised each other as the only two sane commentators on Sky After Dark, before I went mad, and they had to shoot me. I gather you are still soldiering on. Why?

Nick Reece with Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who “has totally bucked the trend winning election after election”.

NR: I actually enjoy it, I love a good debate even if I don’t agree with the host or whoever I’m with. I often find I will get a new perspective on an issue. But don’t worry Fitz, I’m not about to catch the Sky News Mind Virus.

Fitz: [Laughter.] Fair enough. My assumption was that you were on Sky News because you were one of the very few Labor people who could bear to be there, but when I look at your resume, it’s seriously substantial. You were one of the original directors and driving forces of the newspaper The Big Issue?

NR: I was certainly involved from the earliest days. The original concept came from the UK. It’s a simple idea. It’s a magazine which has good journalism and it is sold on the streets of Australia by homeless and marginalised people, with half the cover price going to the vendors, while the other half goes to pay for the journalists and the production. It’s grown to be probably the most successful social enterprise in Australia, providing an income for thousands of people. But more than that it’s helped change perceptions about homelessness in Australia. Homelessness used to be something that was hidden away from society, but now people can put a face to it, and it is someone they are friendly with who sells The Big Issue.

Fitz: And you were also one of the original “mo-vers and shavers” for Movember? (Be my guest, you can patent that!)

NR: It was actually two good mates of mine, Trav and Luke, who started it. I was one of the original “Mo Bros” who grew a mo and came along for the ride. We were young and living in share houses in Fitzroy at the time. Again, such a simple idea. Ask your friends to sponsor your mo’ for a month and raise money for charity. One of the guys’ dads had prostate cancer and we’d also lost some mates to suicide. So the aim was to raise money for prostate cancer and for men’s mental health. Twenty-one years on, and what a hairy ride – Movember has raised $1.6 billion and is running in 20 countries around the world.

Fitz: Before we get to Sydney, you worked as a senior adviser for prime minister Julia Gillard, and were in the room when she made her

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