Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny

On this Democracy Sausage , our panel of distinguished scholars - Glyn Davis, Catherine Althaus and Andrew Podger - join Mark Kenny to discuss creating a more effective public service and celebrate the career of John Wanna. How can the bureaucracy and political system better serve the Australian people and rebuild trust? And with the importance of expertise front-of-mind during the COVID-19 crisis...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Chris Wallace and Marija Taflaga join Mark Kenny to discuss the 2024 tax cuts, how to be an effective opposition, and accountability in federal politics. Is the Australian Labor Party’s decision to retain tax cuts slated for 2024 a good political decision, an abandonment of core values, or both? What lessons does contemporary political history hold for how to...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , inaugural chief executive of the Grattan Institute John Daley joins Mark Kenny to discuss why policy reform in Australia has come grinding to a halt, and what policymakers can do to get things moving again. It’s said that the 1980s and 1990s were the ‘golden age’ of policy reform - but how productive were those years in reality? What impact is the corrosion o...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , London-based regular guests Bevan Shields and Elizabeth Ames join Mark Kenny to discuss the British Government’s decision to lift COVID-19 restrictions with the prime minister self-isolating and case numbers soaring. Is the United Kingdom’s decision to end COVID-19 restrictions in England a moment to celebrate or a dangerous experiment? With masks now optiona...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , eminent strategic studies expert Hugh White joins Mark Kenny to examine Australia’s strategy for dealing with rising tensions between the United States and China and the prospect of armed conflict in the region. For decades Australian leaders have said the country doesn’t need to choose between its history and its geography - between the United States and Chi...

After a week of finger pointing between the federal government and some of Australia’s states and territories over COVID-19 management and the vaccine rollout, Mark Kenny speaks with federalism scholar Tracy Beck Fenwick and media expert Margaret Simons about how the federation is functioning. Is the sense of national unity between the federal government and the states and territories, perhaps bes...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , China experts Yun Jiang and David Goodman join us to discuss the 100-year history of the Chinese Communist Party and what it might reveal about the country’s present and future. On 1 July 2021, China will mark 100 years of the Communist Party (CCP). So how has the party evolved from its formation through to the present day? Why is Chinese President Xi Jinping...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , academic and author Andrew Scott joins us to discuss the effective, progressive social and economic policies of the Nordic countries and how they might work in Australia. Australian policymakers tend to look to the United States and the United Kingdom as examples, but should they be looking further afield? Europe’s Nordic countries perform strongly on a wide...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , political correspondent Karen Middleton, diplomacy and Afghan politics expert William Maley, and gender equity advocate Virginia Haussegger join Mark Kenny to discuss Australia’s nearly two decades in Afghanistan. Two years into the war in Afghanistan, United States President George W Bush said it was “mission accomplished”. But nearly two decades after the S...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Scott Ludlam, former Greens Deputy Leader and author of the new book Full Circle: A search for the world that comes next , joins Mark Kenny to discuss what he learnt from his time in politics and Australian climate policy. What role do corporate and private interests play in shaping Australian policy-making? Will the country make changes to political donation...

On this special episode of Democracy Sausage for National Reconciliation Week, Virginia Marshall, Peter Swanton, and Tahlia King from The Australian National University join us to discuss why Australia needs to have uncomfortable conversations about its past in order to achieve genuine reconciliation. Are there examples internationally Australia can look to as it goes through its own truth-telling...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , former Surgeon General of the Australian Defence Force Tracy Smart and economist Quentin Grafton join Mark Kenny to discuss Australia’s vaccine strategy. The Australian Government messaging of ‘stay home, save lives’ in the early days of the pandemic proved to be highly effective, with Australians by-and-large complying with unprecedented nationwide lockdown...

Governance expert Mark Evans joins Mark Kenny this week at the Democracy Sausage hotplate to discuss achieving change in Australia’s policy and political landscape, plus Keir Starmer’s struggles as British opposition leader.  Has Australia missed an opportunity to adopt a more shared, decentralised decision-making structure through the National Cabinet? Why hasn’t the country seen a stronger...

On this special post-budget episode of Democracy Sausage , Mark Kenny speaks to former Federal Opposition Leader John Hewson and tax expert Miranda Stewart. Who are the winners and losers in the federal government’s new budget? What do its assumptions, especially around border closures and the COVID-19 pandemic, suggest about what the future might hold for Australia? And is this a budget that sets...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Peter Martin and Marija Taflaga join Mark Kenny to discuss religion, politics, and the upcoming federal budget. Should national leaders leave their faith ‘at the door’ when making decisions while in office, or is it more important that those leaders articulate how their faith influences their decision-making? What role has religious identity played in Austral...

On this special episode of Democracy Sausage , recorded live as part of the ANU/ Canberra Times Meet the Author series, academic, author, and journalist Peter van Onselen joins Mark Kenny to discuss the prime minister’s performance and his new book, How Good is Scott Morrison? What was life like behind the scenes in Australian politics in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis? How has the politica...

In the wake of the Biden climate summit, researchers Emma Aisbett and Frank Jotzo join Mark Kenny to discuss climate policy in Australia and around the world on this episode of Democracy Sausage . What does growing ambition to reduce carbon emissions in the United States and elsewhere mean for Australia? How concerned should Australian policymakers be about the prospect of the imposition of carbon...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , acclaimed journalist and author Stan Grant joins Mark Kenny live at The Australian National University to discuss the major challenges facing the world and his new book, With the Falling of the Dusk . What does China’s trajectory mean for Australia and other countries in the region? Will President Joe Biden be able to address the deep structural challenges fa...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , eminent economist Ross Garnaut joins Mark Kenny to discuss the choices facing Australian policymakers in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major shock to the Australian economy and, with the crisis dragging on, policymakers face key questions as they try to ensure continued prosperity. Would Australians benefit from the integra...

On this special episode of Democracy Sausage , former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull discusses the treatment of former Australia Post CEO Christine Holgate, the abandonment of the National Energy Guarantee, and special interests in Australian politics. Is Australia at risk of being seen as a ‘Trumpian government in exile’ because of its unwillingness to do more to reduce emissions? Are...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , North America correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age Matthew Knott joins Mark Kenny to discuss President Joe Biden’s initiatives on climate, COVID-19, and infrastructure, and what this means for the political landscape in the United States. After a traumatic period in American politics, a tone of relative calm has returned to the United State...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Mark Kenny is joined by epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws and head of ANU Australian Studies Institute Paul Pickering to discuss the pace of Australia’s vaccine rollout and how it can be improved. An international leader in infection control during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia now seems to be falling behind other nations in its vaccine r...

On this landmark episode of Democracy Sausage , Mark Kenny is joined by Marija Taflaga, Chris Wallace, and Sarah Ison to discuss the reshuffle of the Australian Cabinet and women in parliament. Will the Cabinet reshuffle lead to better outcomes for women in Australia? Why hasn’t the government re-introduced gender budgeting? And will the Coalition look to introduce gender quotas? On the 150th epis...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , researchers Rebecca Colvin and Jamie Pittock join Mark Kenny to discuss Australian attitudes to climate change, how they influence people’s voting patterns, and Australia’s increasingly severe weather events. Was the so-called climate election of 2019 lost, or simply never fought? Will a shock event like the recent floods in New South Wales, or Australia’s Bl...

On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Independent Member of Parliament Helen Haines joins Mark Kenny to discuss her plan for renewable energy in regional communities and integrity in Australia’s parliament. How can the Australian Government both harness and support the development of renewable energy for the benefit of regional communities? How can local communities be given a level of ownership...