The Grapevine

On this episode of The Grapevine , PhD candidate at Melbourne University’s Law School Elizabeth Hicks discusses the implications of  her policy brief's  findings concerning the implementation of  increased executive powers during times of crisis  on Australia’s democratic future. Then, the world’s leading historian of fire, Professor Emeritus of Arizona State University, Stephan J Pyne, discusses...

On this episode of  The Grapevine , Dr Jessie Moritz, Lecturer in Middle East Studies, at ANU talks to Dylan and Kulja about her article in  The Conversation  that called for the Australia to do more to aid her friend and colleague Kylie Moore-Gilbert, whose condition is rapidly deteriorating. The Australian academic  was arrested by the Iranian government and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment  i...

On this episode of  The Grapevine ,  Dr Michael Jensen, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Canberra debunks 5G conspiracies and explains their impact on public policy that his article in The Conversation  explores in detail. Plus Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning at Melbourne University, Dave Nichols, gets on the line with Kulja and Dylan to breakdown the ‘downside...

Kulja Coulston flies solo on this week's episode of The Grapevine . She speaks with Tracee Hutchison, Partnerships & Projects Manager at the Community Broadcasting Foundation, about the  Trauma Literacy and Resilience program for community broadcasters in fire-affected communities; a joint project between the CBF and the DART centre for Journalism & Trauma. And Anthea Batsakis Deputy Energ...

On this episode of  The Grapevine , Heidi Lee, project lead for Beyond Zero Emissions’ ‘One Million Jobs Plan’ initiative gets on the line to discuss how job creation and industry modernisation can lead Australia out of a post-covid economy and into a carbon free future. And following an  interview by local musician Remi with Flemington Towers resident Najat Mussa , Executive Officer at Flemington...

On this episode of The Grapevine , Shane Dunlop  Channel 31  General Manager gives an update on the community broadcaster’s last minute licence extension at the 11th hour and discusses the future of the station and community television going forward.   Plus Dylan speaks to Associate Professor Laurie Berg, Co-director of Migrant Worker Justice Initiative, about their new report’s findings that syst...

As the National Cabinet is set to replace COAG as a forum for collective decision making, what do these changes mean for Australia’s democracy? Journalist George Meglogenis unpacks the impact of COVID-19 on Australian politics that his article discusses in The Age. And following the demolishing of the Hazelwood coal mine chimneys, Dylan speaks to author Tom Doig whose book ‘Hazelwood’ provides an...

On this episode of The Grapevine La Trobe University's Emeritus Professor Judith Brett, tells Kulja and Dylan how a nation can suffer from being rich in natural resources and explains how Australia can move away from its economic dependency on fossil fuels,  as explored in the Quarterly Essay ‘The Coal Curse: Resources, Climate, and Australia’s Future’ . And austerity or stimulus? Independent jour...

As the outrage over police brutality towards minorities and the call for accountability intensifies globally, Dylan and Kulja speak to journalist and documentary-filmmaker Santilla Chingaipe, about the current state of police conduct towards minorities in Australia she covers in her article published in  The Saturday Paper ‘Law Enforcement and Racial Profiling’ . Then, how will our lodging be affe...

On this episode of The Grapevine,  Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth gets on the line with Kulja and Dylan to discuss the likelihood of a  gas-lead recovery  from pandemic recession, Friends of the Earth remote  Stay In Paddle Out  action against off-shore drilling and  the brumby issue.  And why was Australia’s education system hit so hard by the pandemic? Professor John Quiggin from the Unive...

Kulja Coulston flies solo on this week's edition of the grapevine, chatting with Market Forces' Asset Management campaigner, Will Van De Pol about how companies like Rio Tinto have come under pressure for their “lackluster approach” to matching their business strategies with the Paris Climate Agreement’s emission reduction goal. Also on the line, the CEO of VACCA , Professor Muriel Bamblett, expla...

This week on The Grapevine , Co-President of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear (ICAN), Associate Professor Tilman Ruff, explains the global efforts towards global denuclearization in their report, ‘Enough is Enough: Global Nuclear Weapons Spending 2020’ . And NITV journalist, Rachel Hocking, jumps on the line to talk with Dylan and Kulja about a story she is working on followi...

This week on  The Grapevine,  professor Verity Burgmann, adjunct professor of politics in the School of Social Sciences at Monash University, talks to Dylan and Kulja about the life and influence of Jack Mundey, union leader and environmental activist, and the history of union movements and activism during the green bans.  Jack Mundey passed away earlier this month, age 90. Plus John Martinkus, jo...

This week on  The Grapevine , writer, researcher, and author, Peter Mares, gets on the line with Kulja and Dylan to explain Labor’s rhetoric shift on migration he explored in his article ‘ Labor’s mixed migration message ’ for  Inside Story. And Kate Robinson, Feminist in Residence at Queen Victoria Women’s Centre gives an insight into her practice as a community lawyer, supporting women through t...

This week on The Grapevine , award winning author Tony Birch reflects on his essay, ‘Things of Stone and Wood and Wool’, published in The Griffith Review and finding solace from grief in a collection of small but meaningful objects following his brother’s death. And will Australia use the economic recovery process following the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity for industry innovation? Editor of...

This week on The Grapevine, David Manne, Executive Director at Refugee Legal, discusses the legal challenge filed in the high court on behalf of a refugee at covid-19 risk in immigration detention and the plight of asylum seekers during the pandemic. And the question of how can Australia aid the Indonesian economy as it suffers from the pandemic is explored with Adam Triggs from the Asian Bureau o...

On this episode of The Grapevine, is the Federal Governments COVID-19 tracking app a step too far? Dr Suelette Dreyfus, Lecturer in School of Computing & Information Systems at the University of Melbourne discusses privacy concerns raised. And community activist and head cook and owner of the Moroccan Soup Bar Hana Assafiri phones in to talk about her project Feed The Frontline where she hopes...

On this episode of The Grapevine , Dylan speaks with executive officer of the Flemington Kensington Community Legal Centre, Anthony Kelly,  about the implications of the extra powers police have been granted in enforcing social distancing and how they’re monitoring police conduct through their  Policing Covid Initiative .  And as term two recommences across Victoria, Julie Sonneman, school educati...

On this episode of T he Grapevine , Gary Dickson from Public Interest Journalism Initiative discusses the closure of news rooms across Australia in the wake of COVID-19,an online resource mapping the changes in  media availability  and explores the question of whether the Federal Government should step in and subsidise media organisations struggling during COVID-19. And what does the government’s...

On this episode of  The Grapevine  Journalist George Megolagenis maintains social distancing by phoning in to discuss  his article  in  The Age  unpacking the politics of COVID-19 and the relationship between the States and Federal Government. And Cam Walker, Campaign Coordinator for Friends of the Earth talks Covid-19 and the environment:  how will the pandemic impact emissions reductions targets...

On this episode of The Grapevine Emma Dawson, Executive Director at Per Capita is back to discuss the Australian Federal Government effectively doubling the Jobseeker Allowance through “rescue packages” in response to the coronavirus crisis. And Tracee Hutchison, Partnerships and Projects Manager at the Community Broadcast Foundation explains community radio’s response to COVID-19 and what the CBF...

Despite threats of jail time, Bernard Collaery, representative of Witness K, has published his book Oil Over Troubled Water: Australia's Timor Sea Intrigue and phoned in to The Grapevine to unpack his legal battles with the government. And Dave Nichols, Associate Professor in Urban Planning at the University of Melbourne returns for his monthly segment to discuss the role of urban planning in dise...

On this episode of The Grapevine Judith Peppard fills in for Dylan Bird and Koujla Coulston James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania explains the political implications of the unexpected ascension of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin over Former Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad and why many Malaysians are in protest. And Dr Madeline Taylor, Academic Fellow at the Unive...

On this episode of The Grapevine Hannah Ryan from Buzzfeed News comes in to share what she’s learned about Clearview AI – controversial facial recognition software being used by Australia’s police forces and others globally. And Cam Walker, Campaigns Coordinator at Friends of the Earth discusses Equinor pulling out of drilling in the Bight, policy making surrounding climate change in Australia and...

Graham Hunter, National Co-Coordinator of the Climate Change Program at the United Nations Association of Australia, discusses the film Global Thermostat screening at Transitions Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia and what geo-engineering technologies can offer in terms of halting, and potentially reversing, the impacts of climate change. Also, political scientist Dr Mary C. Murphy from Univers...