Policy Forum Pod

From accidentally liking your own social media posts to celebrating in the wake of announcing a budget emergency, policy and political communication are challenging and when done badly can be catastrophic. On this week’s Policy Forum Pod we dig into the alchemy of policy communication – where it’s been done well, when it’s been done badly, and how it can be done better – with our expert panel Fran...

Many of the big challenges in Australian policy seem intractable. How the country responds – or doesn’t – will shape society for decades to come. In this live panel event, recorded on 30 April 2019, experts discuss how to tackle big issues the country faces and whether the election commitments made so far are likely to succeed in addressing them. This panel event is the second in the ANU federal e...

On this week’s Policy Forum Pod , our expert panel discusses how Timor-Leste has fared during the last two years of political discord, with its president refusing to appoint several of the prime minister’s nominations for executive positions. We hear from the panel – António Sampaio, Carmeneza dos Santos Monteiro, and Professor Michael Leach – on how Timor-Leste can tackle its policy problems, and...

On this week’s Policy Forum Pod , a panel of experts tackle how the region’s countries are finding the funding to build climate change resilience and how to turn international-level policy into positive local-level outcomes. The panel – Kirsty Anantharajah, Dr Abidah Setyowati, and Dr Kate Duggan – also discuss whether the growing pool of climate finance is supporting national governments deliver...

In this special Policy Forum Pod Extra , a panel of experts take a look at the start of the Australian election campaign. This podcast is a live event recorded as part of Policy Forum ’s Australia Votes coverage produced with The Australian National University. As we enter the 2019 election race, what is going on behind the scenes in Australian politics? With six different prime ministers in the p...

On this week’s Policy Forum Pod , Naila Kabeer discusses the gendered nature of poverty and inequality with host Sharon Bessell. Why are women affected differently from men? And how effective are the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals in addressing the issues? They discuss everything from poverty as both a state and a process, to how domestic violence and the patriarchy intersect,...

You asked, we answered! This week on Policy Forum Pod , we celebrate 100 episodes by responding to your questions with a bit of help from some of our friends around The Australian National University. The Pod tackles specific issues including climate change, the upcoming Australian election, and the electricity market. We also take a look at the viability of high-speed rail, the overcrowding of ci...

Can the Australian Public Service transform itself into the trusted and united bureaucracy it wants to be, or has creeping politicisation broken public trust and confidence in it as an institution? This week on Policy Forum Pod we take a look at the APS review and find out whether it really will make it fit for the future. Our expert panel – Helen Sullivan, Bob McMullan, and Harley Dennett – discu...

The devastating attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand shocked the world and claimed the lives of 50 people. In response, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern rushed through a new firearms policy and openly showed her solidarity with the Muslim community. Social media companies, however, were criticised for a sluggish response in removing footage of the attacks and questions have...

This week on Policy Forum Pod, we take a look at shocks to the system – from Trump to Brexit – and ask whether our institutions are up to the task of dealing with them. We take a close look at Brexit and ask whether the promoters and supporters of Brexit really understood what would be involved, how the European Union has – and should have – responded, and where it might all be headed as the UK hu...

Last week, the world celebrated International Women’s Day with an outpouring of inspiring stories and recognition of the female heroes in our families, communities, and politics. But it also saw a speech from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison where he said “we want to see women rise, but we don’t want to see women rise only on the basis of others doing worse.” This week on the pod, our pane...

Why do so many welfare systems end up punishing people rather than helping them, or doing more harm than good? How do these policies affect the lives of those who depend on welfare services? And what can policymakers do to remedy the situation - could a universal basic income help? Our guests John Falzon, Bob Gregory, and Sue Olney explore these questions and more. Our presenters Sharon Bessell an...

From Davos to Capitol Hill, there’s been a lot of talk recently about the mega-rich and whether they are paying their fair share in society. But are high taxes the best way to address disparity between billionaires and the rest of society? Our panel this week – Robert Breunig, Ida Kubiszewski, and Sharon Bessell – take a look at the roles and responsibilities of government and billionaires, tax sy...

On Policy Forum Pod this week, we talk about refugees and asylum seekers policy – both in a global context and in Australia – while also discussing the extreme politicisation of these issues and the consequences that this has brought. From the scale of the global refugee challenge to whether Australia has got its refugee policy settings right, this week, we take a look at refugee and asylum seeker...

Does Australia have its policy settings right when it comes to regulating drugs? Is it time to change direction and find a way to decriminalise or even legalise certain types of drugs? On this week’s Policy Forum Pod , we’re joined by three experts to take a look at the world’s ‘war against drugs’, the crucial difference between harm minimisation and harm reduction, and the example that Portugal h...

This week on the pod we take a look at regional cooperation amongst the Pacific Islands and the challenges they face in coordinating policy efforts. How can Pacific island nations work together better to tackle some of the big issues facing the region, and increase their clout on the global stage? On this week’s Policy Forum Pod , a panel of experts take a look at economic development, globalisati...

In the first episode of Policy Forum Pod of 2019, experts from the OECD discuss their new report looking at Australia’s environmental challenges and performance. With the release this week of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) new report looking at Australia’s environmental performance, we are joined by three of the report’s authors to take a look at a difficult dec...

What were the worst policies of the recent past? What were the policy highlights of 2018? What policies would help improve the world in 2019? We put these questions to more than 20 researchers at the Australian National University spanning an enormous range of policy issues, from foreign aid to fire prevention, drought policy to discrimination, social media to international security. This special...

Women face a considerable challenge getting into politics, and it doesn’t necessarily get any easier once they’re there. In Australia, the total number of women in parliament is just over 30 per cent, and their treatment by male colleagues at times leaves a lot to be desired. So what can Australia do to create more space for women in politics and policy-making? In her final episode as presenter of...

December 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the Genocide Convention, which emerged following the global outrage at the mass atrocities of World War Two. Yet despite the world’s determination to end genocide, the past seven decades have seen numerous mass killings – from Indonesia and Cambodia, Rwanda and Bosnia, to the crisis currently unfolding in Myanmar. So is the Genocide Convention still fit...

In this special Policy Forum Pod Extra, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet David Williamson discusses the Australian Public Service review and what it'll take to make the country's policy machinery fit for purpose. This podcast is a recording of an address given by Mr Williamson at Crawford School of Public Policy as part of the Institute of Public Administration Aust...

From a drought-stricken countryside to Murray-Darling mismanagement, Australia is facing a number of water-related issues. But it’s not just urban and agricultural water supplies that are under pressure. Also threatened are the many Indigenous Australians who depend on ailing waterways for their economic and cultural survival. On this week’s podcast, presenter Quentin Grafton hears from Virginia M...

An apparent terrorist attack in the heart of Melbourne has ignited a familiar debate over whether Australia has got its counter-terrorism policy settings right – and what proposed legislative changes might mean for civil liberties. On this week’s podcast, hosts Nicky Lovegrove and Sharon Bessell hear from a national security expert, a legal scholar and an ethicist about encrypted communication, de...

Far from being ‘rusted-on’ voters, rural Australians are deserting the major parties in greater numbers than their city counterparts. And they’re not just abandoning status-quo politics, but finding new ways of inspiring community action and taking policy change into their own hands. So what are urban policymakers getting wrong about rural voters? And what policy lessons should we be taking from t...

A government review of freedom of religion laws in Australia last month sparked outrage after it suggested that faith-based schools ought to have the right to turn away gay students and teachers. This week on  The Brief , Edwina Landale hears from Professor Margaret Thornton about Australia’s legal ambiguity when it comes to religion and discrimination. Topics discussed include what the proposed r...