

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny
The Australian National University
Mark Kenny takes a weekly look at politics and public affairs with expert analysis and discussion from researchers at The Australian National University and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 16, 2020 • 54min
COVID-19 and how to flatten the curve
On this episode, we discuss policy responses to the coronavirus, both in Australia and across the globe.As COVID-19 infection rates accelerate in Australia, state and federal governments have been called into action to reduce the damage. But has the response so far been adequate to ‘flatten the curve’? What can Australia learn from policy responses abroad? What is 'herd immunity'? And will Australia’s political leaders and policymakers be able to adapt and act quickly at this critical juncture in the COVID-19 crisis? Our panel - Professor Mark Kenny, Dr Marija Taflaga, Professor Quentin Grafton, and Dr David Caldicott - discuss the rapidly evolving coronavirus crisis.Professor 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.Dr David Caldicott is an emergency consultant at the emergency department of the Calvary Hospital in Canberra and a Senior Lecturer in the College of Health and Medicine at ANU.Professor 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.Dr Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or 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 join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 12, 2020 • 34min
Will the stimulus deliver bang for the big bucks?
On this special episode of Democracy Sausage, our expert panel cast their eyes over Australia’s $17.6 billion stimulus package announced on Thursday.The Australian government has announced a huge stimulus package aimed at businesses and households, but will it work to tackle the potential impacts of COVID-19? Joining Professor Mark Kenny to analyse the announcement are social policy expert Professor Peter Whiteford and the business and economics Editor of The Conversation Peter Martin AM. The panel take a look at how the stimulus will impact business owners, the self-employed, and casual workers, and what its size and scope tell us about the advice Treasury is providing the government on the impact of the virus.Professor 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.Peter Martin is a Visiting Fellow at Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University and the Business and Economy Editor of The Conversation.Peter Whiteford is a Professor at Crawford School. He works on child poverty, family assistance policies, welfare reform, and other aspects of social policy, particularly ways of supporting the balance between work and family life. He has published extensively on various aspects of the Australian and New Zealand systems of income support. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 10, 2020 • 50min
Stimulus shock and awe, and the Great Loo Roll Crisis
This week our expert panel take a look at the possible economic impacts from COVID-19, what the government could and should do about it, and whether Australia’s public health systems are up to the job.Will the Australian government’s stimulus package prevent a slide into recession, and do the country’s health systems really have surge capacity to cope with the possible impacts of coronavirus? Those are some of the questions tackled by our expert panel on this week’s Democracy Sausage pod. Joining Professor Mark Kenny in the pod cupboard are Dr Marija Taflaga, Peter Martin AM, Sarah Ison of The West Australian, and Dr Liz Hanna.Professor 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.Peter Martin is a Visiting Fellow at Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University and the Business and Economy Editor of The Conversation.Sarah Ison is a political correspondent for The West Australian.Dr Liz Hanna is a Fellow at ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment and Chair of the Environmental Health Working Group, World Federation of Public Health Associations.Dr Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or 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 join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 7, 2020 • 44min
Brian Schmidt - Climate change, coronavirus, and universal challenges
On this Second Serve, we’re joined by the Vice-Chancellor of The Australian National University, Professor Brian Schmidt AC, to discuss how to achieve negative emissions, frustrations with the climate change debate, the challenge of Coronavirus, and his vision for the national university.It’s been a challenging start to the year, with many impacted by fire, smoke, hail, and now COVID-19. Leading the response to all of it at The Australian National University has been Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt AC. On this special Democracy Sausage Second Serve, Professor Mark Kenny and Dr Marija Taflaga speak with Professor Brian Schmidt about how to tackle climate change, the challenge of coronavirus, the role of science in public policy, and much more.Professor Brian Schmidt AC is a Nobel Laureate and is Vice-Chancellor and President of The Australian National University.Professor 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.Dr Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 2, 2020 • 50min
Press freedom with Annika Smethurst
In this week’s episode, we talk about surplus politics and the government’s proactive response to coronavirus, plus freedom of the press with News Corp’s Annika Smethurst.In the wake of police raids on Annika Smethurst’s Canberra home and the ABC’s Sydney headquarters in 2019, media organisations have come together to advocate more adequate protection for journalists. Beyond advocating for their staff, the organisations say they are fighting for the future of investigative reporting on matters of public interest. But what impact does the threat of legal action - even jail time - have on journalists reporting on such matters? And what is the Australian government planning to do to ensure journalists are protected under the law?On this very special episode of Democracy Sausage, Mark and Marija are joined by News Corp’s Annika Smethurst and The Australian National University’s Dr Will Grant to take a very personal look at media freedom in Australia.Professor 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.Annika Smethurst is National Political Editor for the Sunday News Corp mastheads The Herald Sun, news.com.au, The Daily Telegraph and The Courier-Mail. She is also a Director on the Board of the National Press Club.Dr Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Dr Will Grant is Senior Lecturer in Science Communication at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at The Australian National University.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or 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 join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 26, 2020 • 32min
How the bushfires have changed the landscape for voters
On this Second Serve, Professor Nicholas Biddle discusses new research about exposure to this season’s bushfires and its impact on the attitudes of Australians.The political fallout from Australia’s unprecedented bushfire season has been substantial, with the government receiving major criticism for its handling of the crisis. But how exactly has it impacted Australian attitudes towards climate and politics? Which voters have turned away from the government, who have they turned to, and is it a permanent move? On this Democracy Sausage Second Serve, The Australian National University’s Professor Nicholas Biddle joins us to discuss his new survey of Australian attitudes in the wake of the crisis.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.Professor Nicholas Biddle is Associate Director of the Centre for Social Research at ANU. He previously held a Senior Research Officer and Assistant Director position in the Methodology Division of the Australian Bureau of Statistics.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or 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 join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 24, 2020 • 49min
“The vision thing” with John Hewson
In the new episode, we examine political vision and division after more than a decade of Australia’s climate wars.While the Australian government shifted its rhetoric on climate change in the wake of the bushfires, have leadership ructions in the National Party halted any movement on climate policy? Would a conscience vote on Zali Steggall’s climate bill give the prime minister an ‘out’ of his political bind? And does Australia need to be more comfortable with a ‘messy’ debate to encourage political and policy foresight?On the new episode of Democracy Sausage, hosts Mark Kenny and Dr Marija Taflaga are joined by former Federal Opposition Leader and Honorary Professorial Fellow Dr John Hewson AM and former ACT Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris for your weekly fry-up of politics and public affairs.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.Dr John Hewson AM is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at Crawford School of Public Policy. He is an economic and financial expert with experience in academia, business, government, media, and the financial system. Dr Hewson joined ANU in 2014 and is Chair of the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute.Dr Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Meegan Fitzharris is a Senior Fellow in Health Policy and Leadership at ANU College of Health and Medicine. She is a former Labor Member of the Legislative Assembly for Molonglo and Yerrabi and was the ACT government’s Minister for Health and Wellbeing.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or 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 join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 20, 2020 • 1h 2min
Ask Policy Forum: The podcast where you ask the questions
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. Led by Chris Farnham of the National Security Podcast, kick back as Mark Kenny of Democracy Sausage, Martyn Pearce of Policy Forum Pod, Professor Mark Howden, Associate Professor Carolyn Hendriks and Dr Arnagretta Hunter field your questions on life, the universe and everything.Future episodes of Ask Policy Forum will be released only to members of our Policy Forum Pod Facebook group, so make sure you jump online and join to get access to this exclusive monthly pod.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 United Nations, for which he shares a Nobel Peace Prize.Carolyn Hendriks is Associate Professor of Public Policy and Governance, at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy. Her work examines the democratic aspects of contemporary governance.Arnagretta Hunter is a cardiologist, physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer for The Australian National University Medical School.Mark Kenny is the presenter of Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny and 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.Chris Farnham is the presenter of the National Security Podcast. He joined the National Security College in June 2015 as Policy and Events Officer. His career focus has been on geopolitics with experience working in and out of China for a number of years as well as operating in Australia and Southeast Asia.Martyn Pearce is a presenter for Policy Forum Pod and the Editor of Policy Forum.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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 17, 2020 • 56min
Religious freedom and the fossil fuel flock
On this week’s Democracy Sausage, we chat about Australia’s religious freedom bill, the Parliament’s pro-coal wing, and the country’s search for political vision in challenging times.Has the National Party’s leadership drama made it harder for Prime Minister Morrison to pivot on climate policy? Is the government’s religious freedom bill a 'solution in search of a problem’? And who will take responsibility for outlining a positive, hopeful message on climate and culture? This week on Democracy Sausage, Mark Kenny is joined by an outstanding panel - Marija Taflaga, Frank Bongiorno, Anne McNaughton, and John Warhurst - for your weekly fry-up of politics and public affairs.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.Dr Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.John Warhurst is an Emeritus Professor of political science at The Australian National University and a regular columnist for The Canberra Times.Anne McNaughton is a Senior Lecturer at the ANU College of Law, as well as being a Fellow of the European Law Institute and one of the coordinators of the Special Interest Group on Contract Tort and Property Law. Anne’s research focuses on the European Union as a unique legal order in international law.Professor Frank Bongiorno is the Head of the School of History at ANU and an Australian labour, political, and cultural historian. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or 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 join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 10, 2020 • 46min
Understanding Coronavirus and the Coalition’s ills
Mark Kenny, veteran political journalist Malcolm Farr and Marija Taflaga chat about the week in politics, and Professor Peter Collignon joins us in the studio to discuss the emergence of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).After a disastrous start to the year, are the government’s political problems curable? On the new episode of Democracy Sausage, Mark Kenny, Marija Taflaga, and Malcolm Farr discuss the limits of Scott Morrison’s political messaging and why the bushfire royal commission could become the arena for the ongoing brawl on climate and energy policy.After the break, Professor Peter Collignon from The Australian National University’s Medical School joins Mark, Marija and Malcolm to talk about Coronavirus. He looks at the status of the virus right now, whether Australia’s health system is well-equipped to deal with the virus, and the politics of naming diseases.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.Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Malcolm Farr has worked for a number of Australian publications including The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mirror, Brisbane Sun and The Australian. He regularly appears on the political current affairs programs Meet the Press on Network Ten, and ABC TV's Insiders.Peter Collignon AM is an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist at the Canberra Hospital. He is currently Executive Director of ACT Pathology and a Professor at The Australian National University Medical School. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.