The reMAKERs

So we’ve had this energy crisis. We’ve got this climate crisis. Now what? Look, we know what we want and it’s not that complicated: power that works for all of us — clean, safe, affordable and equitable. So how did we get into this mess, and what can we do about it besides nervously wait for our next energy bill to strike? On today’s episode, Lily and Millie defy the techno jargon and dive into so...

“There’s nothing that I like better than talking to kick-arse sassy women about politics!” -Ruth McGowan, the reMAKERS podcast We couldn’t agree more, which is why we’re so excited about this conversation with Ruth McGowan.  Ruth McGowan is an author, mentor, trainer and champion of community, democracy and women in politics. She’s been a Mayor and served on her local council, and in 2013 she...

Welcome to the Post-Election Therapeutic Celebratory Download Chat! How are you feeling post-election? Joyful? Weary? Cynical? Numb? Millie and Lily dig into it all. It’s a chat about what this election means for democracy, about ‘strategic joy’ and hope, and how to make the most of this page-turn in our country’s story. We also reflect on the mass shootings in America from Lily’s perspective as a...

So, we’ve got this election. What would you do if you became PM for a day? Join Lily and Millie for this and many other questions, as we talk about what reMAKERS really want for our country, and how we can start to reclaim our “why”. A great follow-up to our last episode, or enjoy as stand-alone chat. Again, this is a fairly nerdy episode, but nerds are our people and we’re good with that. It cove...

Not gonna lie, this is one for the nerds among us. Covid was a giant portal. There’s no going back to the old world. Add to that the climate disasters we’ve endured in Australia (hello fires, floods) and more and more Australians are questioning the role of government, what we really want as a country, and how we can best look after each other and thrive through scary and tumultuous times. Dr Mill...

The reMAKERS podcast is back, and just in time for the federal election! Dare we be excited about democracy, even when it’s at its most nauseating? Join Millie and Lily for a chat about what is actually exciting us this election, what we’re noticing from the people around us, and the mindset we need to be sane and useful citizens. You’re totally invited to join us in the ‘uncool joy club’. SHOW NO...

It’s the final episode of the year, and Millie and Lily are feeling reflective. What did we learn this year that we don’t actually want to forget over the delightful amnesia of holiday shut down? What were the good bits to hang onto out of covid, and where did things fall apart? What are the wild possibilities for the future? We made a list, talked it out, and now feel much better. If it feels lik...

We are living in uncertain and anxious times. Mental health is everywhere, but it’s also been largely ‘privatised’ — treated as a personal issue for individuals to address, rather than as a collective response to systemic conditions. This episode of the reMAKERS asks, ‘do we need therapy, or do we need structural change?’ (Or both.) We also talk about what it’s been like being a mental health prof...

Dr Millie Rooney is back! And she has a pond! On this episode the reMAKERS, Lily (pictured left) and Millie (on the right) dive into why things like wellbeing, rest and care are actually the hard work of remaking, rather than the fluff on the side. As writer Elizabeth Gilbert reportedly said, ‘show me a relaxed, rested woman! That’s the revolution I want’. Yet, the topic of wellbeing, rest or self...

What does it mean to live a good life, in the face of the climate emergency? Or as Hannah asks in this interview, ‘how are we meant to live a life that counters the world’s problems meaningfully, without being a sad mess, and still experience love and joy in our lives?’ Hannah Moloney is the co-founder of Good Life Permaculture at the bottom of Australia in Hobart/nipaluna, Tasmania/lutruwita. She...

Unity: it’s something Thomas Mayo has thought a lot about in his life and work as a unionist, advocate and writer. Thomas is a Torres Strait Islander man born on Larrakia country in Darwin. Gentle and softly-spoken, he has come to embody unity in his work and in his life — first finding his voice on the wharfs of Darwin with the union movement, then becoming an acclaimed writer and powerful advoca...

People power is a nice slogan, but how do we actually do it? And can we do it effectively, without adding to the combustible anger and division in the world today? There's some hard-won wisdom in our next episode of the reMAKERS — part two of our series on democracy and the new movie, Big Deal . Organisers David Barrow and Thuy Nguyen of the Sydney Alliance tell us it’s understandable to be cynica...

They say democracy is not a spectator sport, and the new film, Big Deal , will have you ready to get up off the couch. Directed by The Chaser’s Craig Reucassel and starring Bondi Hipster comedian Christiaan Van Vuuren, it follows everyman Christiaan as he tries to unravel the story of money in our politics. Or as ex-politician Sam Dastyari calls it, the system that’s ‘pay to play.’ Smart, funny, o...

Is 1.5 degrees of warming the cliff to the end of the world? Is everything falling part? Are we all to blame? Can we solve this problem, even without the federal government? It’s been a few weeks since latest IPCC report , the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, was released by the United Nations. It’s been called a ‘ code red ’ for humanity, or to borrow a phrase from REM, the end of the w...

Grace Williams is an emerging leader with a love of law, story-telling and ‘activism without resistance.’ She was born into a refugee camp in Ghana; her early life was spent in learning to speak different languages, befriending with other largely displaced peoples and not taking much of anything for granted. Today, she has degrees in political economy and philosophy, and she’s on the cusp of finis...

Is it really possible to build an economy that works better for people and planet? How? Few leaders understand this question from as grounded, practical and hopeful a perspective as Dr Amanda Cahill. In 2014, Dr Cahill was invited to help present to a regional community in Queensland, Australia, worried about their economic future amidst falling demand for their coal. At the time, she was doing ec...

Dan Ilic is a comedian for good trouble. He is one of the most prolific comedy voices in Australian media — with a resume that spans tv, radio, digital and live performances in Australia, the US and beyond. As the creator and host of A Rational Fear , winner of Best Comedy Podcast in 2020, Dan and his cohort of merry mischief-makers rip apart the news and drill down into climate change in particul...

Dr Emma Lee is a trawlwulwuy woman from tebrakunna country, north-east Tasmania. She is a leader, advisor and multi award-winning academic at the Center for Social Impact at the Swinburne University of Technology .  We first came across Dr Lee in 2019, reading her article, “ We love-bombed the Tasmanian government to win Indigenous rights .” In it, Dr Lee describes incredible advances in not...

‘The Rebellion will Prevail’ David Ritter has worn many hats: mischievous kid (“a real nuisance in class”), lawyer, author, husband, father and now CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific. In this brilliant, wise and deeply-hopeful conversation, he gives the best answer we’ve ever heard to the question, ‘but what can I do about climate change?’ We also discuss the changing role of business, his favour...

Show notes Here are some of the things we mention: Doing democracy differently in Australia — stories we’ve written “ From trepidation to transformation: democracy, Indi-style ” “ Uncommon victories: lessons from Warringah and Indi ” The decade-long community campaign that led to a constitutional ban against fracking: ‘ Always Look Up: Connecting Community for a Win Against Gas ’ Voices4Indi — the...

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