Policy Forum Pod

This year, Australia’s National Reconciliation Week theme is ‘Grounded in Truth: Walk Together with Courage’. But just how courageous has Australia’s Indigenous policy been, and what will it take to get it right? Will Ken Wyatt’s appointment as the first Indigenous minister for Indigenous Affairs bring the change that Australia needs? On this episode, we hear from Tony Dreise on the ups-and-downs of Indigenous policies past and present, and get his suggestions for policies for the future. We also consider government spending and whether it’s been proportionate to the levels of disadvantage felt across Indigenous communities.Tony Dreise is Professor of Indigenous Policy Research and Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR) at the Australian National University. He is nationally and internationally recognised as a First Nations leader in policy, evaluation, and research in the field of education.Our presenters – Sharon Bessell and Martyn Pearce – also chat about New Zealand’s recent wellbeing budget and how to measure societal success. What’s more, they also reveal a new way for our listeners to win Policy Forum’s highly coveted mugs – so listen up!Sharon Bessell is Director of the Children’s Policy Centre at Crawford School, the ANU lead on the Individual Deprivation Measure Project, and Editor of Policy Forum’s Poverty: In Focus section.Martyn Pearce is a presenter for Policy Forum Pod and the Editor of Policy Forum.Show notes | The following were mentioned in this podcast:New Zealand’s wellbeing budgetGross Happiness National Index Child poverty in New ZealandSocial Inclusion IndexReconciliation Week in AustraliaIndigenous communities and wellbeingThe Council for Aboriginal ReconciliationCentre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (ANU)The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Commission (ATSIC)Native Title ActRecognition of Aboriginal rights in the form of native titlesKevin Rudd’s national apology (2008)Uluru Statement from the HeartPaul Keating’s Redfern Park speechThe Whispering in Our Hearts – Henry ReynoldsMorrison Government’s budget allocation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australia’s election result took many by surprise. The polls may have been predicting a win for the Labor Party, but instead it is the Coalition led by Scott Morrison that was returned to government. But with Australia dealing with some of the most serious issues it’s faced in decades, will the Coalition’s policy platform be able to provide the reform the country needs?Our stellar panel – Liz Allen, Paul Burke, John Hewson, and Warwick McKibbin – give us their thoughts on the policy commitments and the challenges ahead for the nation. Will the government have to completely rethink its climate policy? How important is framing when it comes to conversations around migration policy? Can Australia’s economy balance revenue uncertainty with the certainty of the promised budget cuts? Tune in for an excellent discussion.Dr Liz Allen is a demographer and social researcher with quantitative and qualitative expertise at The Australian National University.Associate Professor Paul Burke is an economist focusing on energy, the environment, transport, and developing countries, particularly in the Asia-Pacific. His research includes policies for zero-carbon energy in the Asia-Pacific and Australia’s energy transition.Dr John Hewson is an economic and financial expert with experience in academia, business, government, media, and the financial system. In 2014, Dr Hewson joined the Australian National University as Professor at the Crawford School, and Chair of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute.Professor Warwick McKibbin is the Director of the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis in the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and is a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.Presenters Bob Cotton, Quentin Grafton, and Julia Ahrens also take a look at Trump’s provocative tweets aimed at Iran, India’s massive elections, and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. They also discuss several excellent suggestions left for us by you on the Policy Forum Pod Facebook group – keep them coming!Bob Cotton is a Visiting Fellow at Crawford School. He has a strong interest in public policy issues, including Australia’s engagement in the Asia Pacific Region. He is a mentor at the National Security College.Quentin Grafton is Professor of Economics at Crawford School, an ANU Public Policy Fellow, and Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Policy Forum.Julia Ahrens is a presenter on Policy Forum Pod.Show notes | The following were mentioned in this episode:Trump’s tweet against IranPolicy Forum Pod Facebook group Democracy Sausage: How did the polls get it so wrong?SARDI Climate Applications Science ProgramShergold ReportCoalition government’s tax cut promisesFair Share (book) – Michael Keating, Stephen BellAustralia’s hidden economy reviewGonski Review... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the past decades, Australia has lacked stability in its climate policy even as climate change becomes impossible for the world to ignore. With Australian voters heading to the polls this Saturday, does the country have the policy promises it needs to spark an energy change? On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Ken Baldwin, Kylie Catchpole, and Mark Kenny look at how Australia can transition to renewables even without a strong policy framework to lead the way.Ken Baldwin is Director of the Energy Change Institute at ANU, and Deputy Director of the Research School of Physics and Engineering. Since 2011, he has been a member of the Project Steering Committee for the Australian Energy Technology, and since 2014, he has been a Board member of the South East Region of Renewable Energy Excellence.Kylie Catchpole is at the Research School of Engineering at the Australian National University. Her research interests are in nanotechnology and new materials for solar cell applications. She has a physics degree from the ANU, winning a University Medal, and a PhD from the ANU.Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times. He is also the presenter of Policy Forum's Democracy Sausage podcast.Our presenters – Quentin Grafton and Martyn Pearce – also discuss the upcoming election, and the difficulties in understanding multiple policies when trying to cast an informed vote. They also go through some of your recent comments and pod topic suggestions.Quentin Grafton is Professor of Economics at Crawford School, an ANU Public Policy Fellow, and Director of the Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy. He is also Editor-in-Chief of Policy Forum.Martyn Pearce is a presenter for Policy Forum Pod and the Editor of Policy Forum.Show notes | The following were mentioned in this episode:Dividend Imputation Credits (franking credits and tax system proposed by Labor Party)Labor Party’s Fair Go Action PlanEven greater budget surplus revealed by LaborDemocracy Sausage podcast: Voter fatigue and the fight to the finish linePolicy Forum Pod Facebook GroupAustralia’s 2030 climate change targetWorldwide student climate strike Greta Thunberg at World Economic Forum in DavosLowy Institute poll on attitudes towards climate changeNational Energy Guarantee (NEG) Tony Abbott scraps carbon taxEmissions intensity scheme removed by Turnbull... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a 24-hour news cycle, the first 100 days of government have remarkable influence on the perceived success or failure of the incoming Ministry. With regards to policy, there are no shortage of suggestions of tweaks, wholesale changes, and shelving of initiatives. In this special Policy Forum Pod extra, a panel from The Australian National University looks at what crucial changes the incoming government needs to make in its first 100 days.Panellists:Professor Russell Gruen is the Dean of the ANU College of Health and Medicine. A surgeon, he is an expert in the care of critically injured people, and the development of high performing regional trauma systems.Professor John Hewson is Chair of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute. He is an economic and financial expert with careers in academia, business, government, media and the financial system.Professor Anna Moore is Director of the ANU Institute for Space, and Director of the Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre at Mount Stromlo Observatories in Canberra. Professor Moore was a member of the Australian government's Space Expert Reference Group that led to the formation of the Australian Space Agency in July 2018.Professor Helen Sullivan is the Director of Crawford School of Public Policy. Helen is a public policy scholar whose work has shaped understanding of the changing nature of state-society relationships and its implications for public governance, policy and practice.Professor Michael Wesley is Professor of International Affairs and Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. He has previously worked at the University of New South Wales and Griffith University; was Assistant Director-General for Transnational Issues at the Office of National Assessments; and Executive Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy.Moderator :Catherine McGrath is a giant of the Australian media and a well-known Canberra identity, keynote speaker, MC, writer and businesswoman. Catherine spent 30 years reporting for the ABC and SBS in both Australia and overseas. She was political editor for both public broadcasters and was the ABC's South East Asia Correspondent based in Singapore.Policy Forum Pod is available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook.This podcast extra is part of Policy Forum’s Australian Election coverage, and published in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an age of ever-growing interconnectedness amongst countries, Australia finds itself having to face different obstacles and opportunities relating to trade, international security, and international law. But the changing nature of global dynamics has also encouraged greater discourse around inequality within countries’ own borders.All things considered, the upcoming federal election could well be the deciding moment for Australia’s future. In this special Policy Forum Pod extra, a panel from The Australian National University looks at how Australia might chart a course through the challenges of a globalised world.Panellists:Shiro Armstrong is the Director of the Australia-Japan Research Centre and Director of the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research at ANU. He is also a Co-Editor and Co-Founder of both the East Asia Forum and East Asia Forum Quarterly.Sharon Bessell is the Director of the Children’s Policy Centre at Crawford School, the ANU lead on the Individual Deprivation Measure Project, and Editor of Policy Forum’s Poverty: In Focus section.Jacinta Carroll is the Director of National Security Policy at the ANU National Security College. She was previously the inaugural Head of ASPI’s Counter-Terrorism Policy Centre.Meg Keen is Associate Professor at the Department of Pacific Affairs at ANU. She is also a senior policy fellow in the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia program at the university.Moderator:Catherine McGrath is one of Australia’s most experienced international affairs analysts and political commentators. Catherine was Chief Political Correspondent for SBS TV. She joined SBS after a 26-year award-winning career as foreign correspondent, political editor and ABC Asia Editor.Policy Forum Pod is available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook.This podcast extra is part of Policy Forum’s Australian Election coverage, and published in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Frank Bongiorno, Fiona Benson, Andrew Hughes, and Pamela Kinnear. It’s essential listening for anyone involved in the policymaking process.This week’s policy panel are:Fiona Benson is founder of FJ Partners Strategic Advisory. She is a former press secretary to two federal cabinet ministers, and specialises in devising innovative stakeholder engagement, media, and communications strategies.Professor Frank Bongiorno is the Head of the School of History at ANU and is an Australian labour, political, and cultural historian. His books include The Eighties: The Decade That Transformed Australia; The People’s Party: Victorian Labor and the Radical Tradition 1875-1914; and The Sex Lives of Australians: A History. He was co-editor of Elections Matter: Ten Federal Elections that Shaped Australia.Dr Andrew Hughes is a lecturer in marketing in the ANU Research School of Management, where he teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.Pamela Kinnear is the principal of Kinnford Consulting. Her consultancy work is grounded in a successful 20-year career at senior leadership levels across government, non-government and research sectors, backed up by a strong academic background.Our presenters for this episode – Bob Cotton and Martyn Pearce – also discuss the recent UN report on biodiversity loss, tackle some of your comments and suggestions for future pods, and tell you how you can win a very limited edition Policy Forum Pod mug!Bob Cotton is a Visiting Fellow at Crawford School. He has a strong interest in public policy issues, including Australia’s engagement in the Asia Pacific Region. He is a mentor at the National Security College.Martyn Pearce is a presenter for Policy Forum Pod and the Editor of Policy Forum.Show Notes | The following were mentioned in this episode:UN report warns about one million species going extinctCrawford School of Public PolicyMake a suggestion on the Policy Forum Pod Facebook groupGough Whitlam’s ‘It’s Time’ campaignTimeline of William McMahon’s prime ministershipJohn Howard: “But we will decide who comes to this country…”Labor election promise on childcare and pensioner dentalJulia Gillard’s first interview as PM with Kerry O’Brien (transcript)Bill Shorten defends his motherFranklin Dam and the GreensKevin Rudd: How we staved off recession and the GFC (Financial Review) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 election series.Panellists:Liz Allen is a demographer and social researcher with quantitative and qualitative expertise at The Australian National University.Robert Breunig is a Professor at Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University. He conducts research in three main areas: economics of the household; empirical industrial organisation; and statistical and econometric theory.Tony Dreise is Professor of Indigenous Policy Research and Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR). He is nationally and internationally recognised as a First Nations leader in policy, evaluation and research in the field of education.Mark Howden is Director of the ANU Climate Change Institute. Mark was a major contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports for the UN, for which he shares a Nobel Peace Prize.Moderator:Catherine McGrath is one of Australia’s most experienced international affairs analysts and political commentators. Catherine is the Chief Political Correspondent for SBS TV. She joined SBS after a 26 year award-winning career as foreign correspondent, political editor and ABC Asia Editor.Policy Forum Pod is available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook.This podcast extra is part of Policy Forum’s Australian Election coverage, and published in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 about the role of the country’s youth in driving political change.António Sampaio is a journalist who has been covering Timor-Leste since 1990. He has reported for most of the Portuguese written press and, in Australia, for News Limited’s newspapers including The Australian, and for SBS radio and television.Carmeneza dos Santos Monteiro is the Director for Policy and Institutional Strengthening at The Asia Foundation, Timor-Leste, where she leads initiatives addressing Government Accountability through Social Audit and Emerging Leaders Supporting Public Policy.Michael Leach is a Professor in Politics and International Relations at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. He has researched and published widely on the politics and history of Timor-Leste, including, most recently, Nation-Building and National Identity in Timor-Leste (Routledge, 2017).The presenters – Sharon Bessell, Sue Ingram, and Julia Ahrens – also discuss Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten’s recent TV debate, and the crucial issues Australian voters must decide on before heading to the polls on May 18.Sharon Bessell is Director of the Children’s Policy Centre at Crawford School, the ANU lead on the Individual Deprivation Measure Project, and Editor of Policy Forum’s Poverty: In Focus section.Sue Ingram is an Honorary Senior Policy Fellow at the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. She has wide experience in public policy, peacebuilding and international development, including 16 years as a senior executive in various social policy areas of the Australian Government, senior appointments in UN peacekeeping missions in Timor-Leste before and after independence.Julia Ahrens is a Communications and Engagement Coordinator at Crawford School and a presenter for Policy Forum Pod.Show Notes | The following were mentioned in this episode:Crawford School of Public PolicyFirst Leader’s Debate 2019 between Scott Morrison and Bill ShortenSecond Leader’s DebateMore on Community Radio ProgrammeThe World Bank In Timor-LesteTimor-Leste's historyPodcast: Democracy Sausage with Mark KennyPodcast: Climate finance in Asia and the PacificWe’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. Policy Forum Pod is available on Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever you... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Pacific-specific priorities, and the barriers they face in accessing those funds.Kirsty Anantharajah is a PhD scholar at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance. She is also a research associate on a DFAT-funded project ‘Harnessing financial markets and institutional investment to increase the penetration of clean energy in the Asia-Pacific’.Dr Kate Duggan is Director of Griffin Natural Resource Management. She has worked closely with the Australian aid program to develop climate change and environment policy responses at a global level and for country-based programs.Dr Abidah Setyowati is a Research Fellow at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance.The presenters – Paul Wyrwoll and Martyn Pearce – also take a look at some of the big issues of the Australian election campaign, and then in the final part are joined by Professor Quentin Grafton to discuss some of your questions, comments, and suggestions for future pods.Show notes | The following were referred to in this episode:Toxic: what is rotting in the Murray-Darling Basin?Podcast: Water justiceIncreasing demand for Royal Commission on water buybacksDemocracy Sausage with Mark KennyClimate activist Greta ThunbergNationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Paris AgreementFiji’s Green Bond initiativeAustralia lobbies Asian Infrastructure Investment BankPodcast: Getting the public service fit for the futureAustralia’s ‘watergate’ scandalPodcast: Naila Kabeer – the gender agendaMaster of Climate Change at Crawford SchoolWe’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. Policy Forum Pod is available on Spotify, Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 past 11 years, have we lost trust in our political leaders? What does the future hold for Australian democracy? In this live panel event, recorded on 17 April, experts discuss the state of Australian politics. This panel event is the first in The ANU Federal Election series. To register for future events, go to https://www.anu.edu.au/events/anu-2019-federal-election-panel-seriesPanellists:          Dr Katrine Beauregard is a lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations. Her work focuses on political behaviour, and why people vote the way they do.Professor Frank Bongiorno AM is the Head of the School of History at ANU and is an Australian labour, political and cultural historian. His books include The Eighties: The Decade That Transformed Australia; The People's Party: Victorian Labor and the Radical Tradition 1875-1914; and The Sex Lives of Australians: A History. He was co-editor of Elections Matter: Ten Federal Elections that Shaped Australia.Dr Andrew Hughes is a lecturer in marketing in the Research School of Management, where he teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.Associate Professor Fiona Jenkins is a philosopher at the Centre for Moral, Social and Political Theory.  Fiona's current research focus is the 'constitutional imaginary' - ways in which national identity is evoked as a basis for order, and the question of how that can become more mobile and progressive. She also actively researches gender equality, particularly in universities, but with a wider reach to problems of gendered violence and of women in leadership.Mark Kenny joined ANU after a high-profile career in journalism, culminating in 6 years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times. Mark is the Editor of Policy Forum’s In Focus: Australia Votes section, and the presenter of the podcast Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny.About the Moderator: Catherine McGrath is a giant of the Australian media and a well-known Canberra identity, keynote speaker, MC, writer and businesswoman. Catherine spent 30 years reporting for the ABC and SBS in both Australia and overseas. She was political editor for both public broadcasters and was the ABC's South East Asia Correspondent based in Singapore. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.