Policy Forum Pod

In this episode, we discuss what long-term changes the coronavirus crisis might bring about in healthcare, politics, and citizen engagement. Will the pandemic change how society values essential workers, especially in the healthcare sector? Rather than ‘snapping back’ to business as usual, will the Australian government persist with a selection of the ostensibly temporary interventions that are ai...

In part one of this special two-part episode we discuss Australia’s economic future after the coronavirus pandemic with former Federal Opposition Leader Dr John Hewson. It’s often said in politics that you ‘should never waste a good crisis’. But does the coronavirus crisis signal that it’s time to make major structural changes in the Australian economy? Should the government take a stake in busine...

This week we discuss whether Australia’s coronavirus prevention measures are fit for purpose and take a look at the challenges facing victims of family violence who are stuck at home due to the pandemic. Are Australia’s COVID-19 prevention measures sustainable? How can policymakers get the balance right in the coming months and maybe years while the world searches for a vaccine? And what has been...

This week we discuss how policymakers and individuals can manage uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic, plus how best to speak to children about the virus and its impacts. The COVID-19 pandemic has created huge amounts of uncertainty for people across the globe, in both their personal and professional lives. But how can governments and experts communicate effectively to reduce people’s anxie...

On this episode, we discuss how to care for mental health during an unprecedented period of community isolation due to the coronavirus. While the world is focused on tackling the immediate danger from COVID-19, the physical isolation required to stop the spread can have a significant impact on people’s mental health. Serious financial pressures, job losses, and anxiety about the future have made i...

The normalisation of gambling in Australian life has had devastating results for many people across the country. On this week’s pod, we talk to authors of new research on gambling harm in Australia and its impact on women. While as many as 200,000 Australians have a high-level problem with gambling, new research from The Australian National University shows that the impact of gambling harm goes we...

In light of the Australian government’s announcement to focus on technology – such as hydrogen and carbon capture – to mitigate the impacts of climate change, we talk to an innovation policy expert about what Australia could learn from the Netherlands’ Topsector approach. Following the dramatic bushfires, Australia’s policy is more than ever in need of grand transformations – but how can policymak...

In this episode, we mark International Women’s Day with a special pod looking at women in leadership, from the boardroom to the front bench.    From business to politics to higher education, women are still hugely under-represented in the upper echelons of a range of sectors. While many have made a clear case for the benefits of gender diversity in terms of organisational performance and...

In this episode of Policy Forum Pod , our expert panel counts the cost of inaction on climate change. In recent times, much attention has been paid to the costs of new climate change policies. From job losses, to higher electricity prices, to new taxes, these tolls have been touted far and wide. But what about the cost of inaction? On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , we’re joined by an expert pa...

On this week’s episode, we’re joined by Professor Patrick Dunleavy to talk about ‘robodebt’, department mergers, and why this very ‘Canberra’ issue has a big impact throughout the country. Will the government’s proposed departmental merger make the Australian Public Service more efficient? And as big data and artificial intelligence play a bigger role in the delivery of public services, are issues...

Join us at the pod squad members’ lounge as we field your questions on all sorts of issues, from how countries are performing on emissions reduction to which politician you’d least like to be stuck in conversation with at the annual Midwinter Ball. On the first episode of our special Ask Policy Forum series, regular hosts and special guests crack a beverage and chat about what you want to know. Le...

This week on  Policy Forum Pod , we tackle key questions about the novel coronavirus outbreak – what is the virus, how are countries responding, and how do we address the spread of misinformation when public tensions are running high. The coronavirus outbreak is rapidly evolving, with new information coming to light each day. With the level of uncertainty about the disease, misinformation is...

While hundreds of bushfires still burn throughout Australia, some communities are beginning the enormous task of rebuilding. While the fires didn’t discriminate as they tore through towns around the country, the recovery process is especially difficult for those who were already struggling even before the disaster. People on low incomes, those living with a disability, rough sleepers, and other ma...

Public interest in Indigenous fire management practices like ‘cool burning’ has grown significantly in the wake of Australia’s unprecedented bushfire crisis. But what is cool burning, and what does the attention it has received tell us about how Indigenous knowledge is valued in Australia? On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , Dr Virginia Marshall and Dr Annick Thomassin join us to talk about the...

Australia’s federal government is coming under increasing pressure to change course on its climate policies, but will it lead to tangible policy change? This week on Policy Forum Pod an expert panel - Professor Frank Jotzo, Professor Quentin Grafton, Dr Tayanah O’Donnell and Meegan Fitzharris – take a look at how the events of the last couple of months have shifted public views and how that might,...

On this second episode of our two-part podcast, our expert panel dive deeper into the physical and mental health impacts of the fires and discuss what lessons policymakers can really draw from a potential Royal Commission into the bushfires.  Having discussed the link between climate change and the bushfires and shared their personal experiences in part one, our expert panel – Dr Liz Hanna, Profes...

Stephen Dovers is Emeritus Professor with the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society and works on the policy of climate change adaptation, disasters, and sustainable development. Janette Lindesay is a climatologist, a Deputy Director of the ANU Climate Change Institute, and Emeritus Professor at the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society. Liz Hanna is an Honorary Fellow at ANU Fenner S...

Looking for a great podcast to keep you entertained on the drive home for Christmas dinner? Our joyful Policy Forum Pod team have got you covered. On this special end-of-year episode, from people power beyond the ballot box to an in-depth chat on poverty and climate change with Philip Alston, we present our favourite episodes for your listening pleasure, with a special appearance from some of our...

Despite the fact that more people are moving to cities globally, some places are increasingly struggling with slower population growth, lower incomes and higher unemployment rates. One example of such urban decline is Dandenong, a diverse multicultural suburb of Melbourne, that has been facing a number of social and economic challenges. On this episode, we talk to Crawford School Director Professo...

Amazing new technologies in the areas of artificial intelligence and genetics have benefitted societies and greatly rewarded their innovators, but access to resources that help people innovate is not equal. On this episode of Policy Forum Pod , we invited Andrew Leigh MP to the pod bridge to talk about his new book, find out why Australians seem to fear innovation failure, and how we can support t...

As the nation is ravaged by bushfire and drought, and as yet another political row breaks out over the role of climate change in all this, our Great Green Debate all-star team comes back for the second leg of the Great Green Debate cup clash. On this episode, Shane Rattenbury MLA, Dr Liz Hanna, and Dr Imran Ahmad take on a wide range of audience-submitted questions from our recent live event, look...

Trust in democracy is falling in Western countries – including Australia. On one side, we see growing protests about the government’s response to climate change, while at the other extreme people are feeling increasingly disengaged by politics. So on this week’s Policy Forum Pod we ask, how can we make sure that the voice of citizens is heard in policy? To tackle this question, we’re joined by Ass...

Australia’s illicit drug policies are complex and vary between states and territories. Despite recent pushes to decriminalise cannabis in the Australian Capital Territory or to minimise harm through pill-testing at festivals - both of which have been opposed by the federal government - attempts to regulate illicit drug use have mostly been pursued through prohibition. On this Policy Forum Pod , we...

Compared to its OECD peers, Australia has an above-average poverty rate, and couples this with rising rates of homelessness, an increasingly casualised workforce, and dole rates so low that a chorus of voices from across the political spectrum are calling for an increase in Newstart payment. But has the country really got the measure of poverty rates and their impacts? What’s life really like on t...

Our cities are changing rapidly giving rise to a plethora of sustainability challenges. On this Policy Forum Pod extra, we chat to Tayanah O’Donnell about what Future Earth does in the urban context, and why governments, industry, researchers, and citizens must work together to shape our future cities in a sustainable way. We also talk to Tayanah about the climate strike protests, and she shares h...