Policy Forum Pod

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , Chief Executive Officer of Our Watch Patty Kinnersly joins us to discuss the role all Australians have in ending violence against women and their children. What are the drivers of men’s violence against women and their children? What key elements should be included in the new national plan to address the crisis? And what role can individuals, institutions and...

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , child psychiatrist Karen Gaunson and child protection scholar Tim Moore join us to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on children, both now and into the future. The COVID-19 pandemic is casting many shadows - for many individuals and families, livelihoods have been snatched away. One issue that was initially given very little attention is the impact on...

In the final episode of our Policy Forum Pod mini-series on work, Lyndall Strazdins and John Falzon join us to discuss time inequity and how to reimagine the world of work to create a happier and more sustainable society. Why does society still imagine work as distinct from everyday life? How can policymakers rethink how time is allocated to address gender inequity and improve population health? A...

On the penultimate episode of our Policy Forum Pod mini-series on work, we speak to President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions Michele O’Neil about workers’ rights and how to build a fairer, more equitable world of work. What are some of the major challenges facing Australian workers in terms of their access to fair pay and decent conditions? How can policymakers ensure people are safe at...

On this episode in our  Policy Forum Pod  mini-series on work, author and researcher Guy Standing joins Sharon Bessell and Arnagretta Hunter to discuss changing class structures and the universal basic income. Do policymakers need to stop worshipping the ‘false god’ of economic growth? Are changes in the world of work leading to disenfranchisement and the creation of a new underclass? An...

On the third episode in our Policy Forum Pod mini-series on work, Shahra Razavi from the International Labour Organization joins us to discuss the importance of universal social protection and how policymakers can do more to ensure people have access to decent work. What does decent work for all look like – and how far are governments around the world from achieving that? Is economic growth the pa...

On the second instalment in our Policy Forum Pod mini-series on work, principal founder of the field of feminist economics Marilyn Waring joins us to talk about what society values and why.  Gross domestic product (GDP) is often held up as the key metric of national economic performance, despite decades of criticism over the extractive, gendered model it represents. So how can policymakers be...

In the first episode of our Policy Forum Pod mini-series on work, anthropologist and author James Suzman joins us to look at the history of work and its profound impact on society. Understanding the role of work in our lives, the impact it has, and the inequities it often perpetuates may provide some of the solutions to the major challenges facing society - from environmental destruction to the un...

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , mental health researcher Luis Salvador-Carulla and Cassandra Goldie join us to look at the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and the importance of adequate financial support for people’s sense of dignity and wellbeing.  What impact has the COVID-19 crisis had on the mental health and wellbeing of Australians? What can policymakers do to improve access and th...

On the final episode in the Policy Forum Pod mini-series on leadership, author and former senator Scott Ludlam joins us to discuss challenging the political status quo and why more distributed forms of leadership might be an effective way to create change. What do Australia’s climate policy failures reveal about the country’s political system and leadership? Can a move to a more distributed, decen...

In the penultimate episode of our Policy Forum Pod mini-series on leadership and democracy, Natasha Stott Despoja - former Senator for South Australia and member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women - joins us to discuss women in leadership in Australia. Australia is still a long way from reaching gender parity in politics, with the country ranking 51s...

In the second episode of our mini-series on leadership and democracy, political scientist Carolyn Hendriks and community leader Denis Ginnivan join us to discuss political action at the local level and why Australia needs a process of democratic repair. Are governments losing touch with their constituents, particularly in regional areas? And in a society that’s becoming increasingly polarised arou...

In this first episode in our mini-series on leadership and democracy, historians Chris Wallace and Frank Bongiorno join us to examine the resistance to change among Australia’s political class and whether the country’s current crop of leaders are up to the task of providing good governance. In an increasingly uncertain world, the call for effective political leadership is a loud one. But are Austr...

It’s an experience no Australian wants to relive, but bushfire seasons like that of 2019/2020 are likely to increase in frequency due to climate change. On this Policy Forum Pod , defence expert Brendan Sargeant, emergency law scholar Michael Eburn, forestry academic Peter Kanowski, and health professional Arnagretta Hunter discuss the bushfire royal commission and how policymakers should be prepa...

It’s the glue that holds society together, but existing economic and policy systems find care so hard to place a value on. On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , social security researcher Elise Klein and community advocate Millie Rooney join us to discuss valuing care in public policy. How does Australian policy value different forms of care compared to what’s been considered to be ‘productive’ wo...

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , aged care expert Diane Gibson and social researcher Nicholas Biddle join us to discuss the impact of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and whether governments are on the right track to make the changes the sector desperately needs. Some of the most devastating images to come out of Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic so far have emerged...

On the new episode of Policy Forum Pod , experts Stephen Howes and Sally Moyle join Sharon Bessell to take a closer look at foreign aid in the recent federal budget and whether Australia is doing its part to assist communities in need beyond its borders.  In Australia, there has been a downward trend in the foreign aid budget since 2014-15 and aid spending per capita has dropped since 1995. S...

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , The Australian National University’s Assa Doron and Azad Singh Bali join Sharon Bessell to examine the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in India and the key lessons policymakers must learn so the country isn’t rocked by further waves of the virus. How did the COVID-19 crisis in India get so out of control? And what can policymakers in the country an...

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , Pacific experts Meg Keen and Henry Ivarature join Arnagretta Hunter to discuss how Papua New Guinea is dealing with its current COVID-19 outbreak, the region’s successes and setbacks during the pandemic, and some of the other key security issues facing the Pacific. What have been the successes and setbacks in the Pacific Island region’s management of the COVID...

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , sociologist John Falzon and Anglicare Australia head Kasy Chambers join Sharon Bessell and Arnagretta Hunter to discuss this year’s federal budget and what it means for social policy. This week, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced Australia’s 2021/22 federal budget, which included some significant spending on social services. But is this a budget seeking to dr...

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , experts in the social determinants of health Sharon Friel and Sandro Demaio join hosts Arnagretta Hunter and Sharon Bessell to discuss realising the vision of a healthy Australia by 2030. Has the COVID-19 pandemic forced Australian policymakers to address the social determinants of health? Instead of focusing on ‘vulnerable populations’, should the public deba...

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , our expert panel - Professor Mark Howden and Dr Imran Ahmad from The Australian National University and ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment Dr Sophie Lewis - join us to discuss the Biden climate summit and Australia’s climate policy debate.   How significant was the recent climate summit hosted by United States President Joe Biden? Wha...

In many countries around the world young people are turning away from democracy, but are young Australians following suit? On this Policy Forum Pod , researchers Intifar Chowdhury and Ariadne Vromen join us to discuss how young Australians are participating in Australian democracy. Why do fewer younger Australians believe democracy is important for them compared with the rest of the population? Wh...

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , economist Robert Breunig and gender, work, and employment expert Rae Cooper join Sharon Bessell to discuss the gender pay gap and disturbing new findings about domestic violence and gender income balance. New research shows that domestic violence is committed on female partners in heterosexual couples significantly more frequently when the woman earns more tha...

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , Quentin Grafton and Arnagretta Hunter join Sharon Bessell to discuss what governments need to do to protect Australia’s most vulnerable citizens amidst the threat of increasingly severe bushfires. In the summer of 2019/2020, Australia burned, temperatures soared, and smoke blanketed much of the southeast of the country. It was dubbed ‘unprecedented’, but as gl...