From white settlement of Australia and the massacres of Indigenous peoples that followed, to statues commemorating slave traders, around the world protesters are starting important new conversations on history. Joining Mark Kenny to discuss the lessons we really should be learning from the past are journalists Stan Grant and Julia Baird, and historian Professor Paul Pickering. From the blowing up of sacred Indigenous sites by a mining company, to the removal by an angry crowd of the statue of sl...
Jun 18, 2020•1 hr 1 min
The coronavirus crisis has thrown the rule book out on what it means to be a better economic manager. On this Democracy Sausage we take a look at what it will take to chart an economic road to recovery with The Australia Institute’s Dr Richard Denniss. The government is keen to paint the options for economic recovery as a choice between spenders and enablers. But with both Labor and the Coalition willing to splash the cash – albeit on different policy priorities – isn’t it really a battle betwee...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 1 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Mark Kenny chats with Barbara Pocock AM and Trish Bergin about the government’s decision to roll back free childcare and the impacts of Australia’s COVID-19 policy responses on women. The Federal Government’s decision to roll back free childcare has caused much consternation in the community. Still undertaking a disproportionate amount of the unpaid caring responsibilities, what will be the impact of this decision on women? What are the economic impacts of ...
Jun 11, 2020•41 min
Mark Kenny is joined by New Zealand experts Professor Jennifer Lees-Marshment and Professor Janine Hayward to talk about the upcoming New Zealand election, and the panel discuss the global Black Lives Matter protests. On this episode we head across the Tasman to talk about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, arguably the world’s most successful anti-Trump leader. Will her high popularity in New Zealand and overseas translate into votes at the upcoming election? And we discuss the recent B...
Jun 08, 2020•56 min
The Australian Government faces some big choices ahead about how to get the economy flying again. Will that include a new ‘Accord’ struck with the unions, and if so, what should be in it? The coronavirus crisis has hammered global economies, including Australia where for the first time in 30 years it has slumped into recession. But the crisis also offers opportunities to rethink the Australian economy, and there has been talk of a new ‘Accord’ between employers and unions. On this special Democr...
Jun 04, 2020•46 min
With cities under curfew and the national guard called out, the Democracy Sausage panel take a look at how populism and a president abdicating responsibility is dividing the US. On this episode of Democracy Sausage Mark Kenny is joined by 10 News’ National Affairs Editor Hugh Riminton, Frank Bongiorno, and regular podleague Marija Taflaga to take a look at the violent crisis unfolding in the US, how populism is ill-equipped to respond to a pandemic, the Palace Letters, and the quiet death of rob...
Jun 01, 2020•1 hr 13 min
On this gourmet Second Serve , we speak with US-based Australian analysts, Anne Summers and Jonathan Swan, about the COVID-19 pandemic in the US and what lies ahead this US election year. Despite a catastrophic COVID-19 death toll, is Trump’s refusal to play ‘mourner-in-chief’ good politics with a presidential election rapidly approaching? How has the president been able to successfully capture the Republican Party while being perhaps the country’s most divisive leader? And is the GOP’s willingn...
May 28, 2020•54 min
With the government’s JobKeeper scheme set to cost $60 billion less than originally forecasted, this week on Democracy Sausage we look at what the government might do with its bonus billions. It was blamed on everything from employers filling out forms incorrectly to the ‘health miracle’ of Australia’s coronavirus response, but the $60 billion budget underspend on JobKeeper raises big questions for the government. So with less stimulus money swashing around in the economy than planned, should th...
May 25, 2020•1 hr 1 min
On this week’s Second Serve , Europe Correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age Bevan Shields shares his experience of catching the coronavirus in Britain, and we take a look at the missteps that led to the UK having one of the world’s highest death tolls with Elizabeth Ames. From flirting with the idea of herd immunity to confused and confusing messaging, coupled with one of the world’s highest infection and death rates, Boris Johnson’s UK Government has struggled to get on top of ...
May 21, 2020•45 min
Mark Kenny is joined by Phil Coorey, Vanessa Johnston, and Marija Taflaga to talk about Morrison’s first year in charge and getting the message right as Australia takes its tentative first steps out of the coronavirus crisis shutdown measures. Australian governments moved quickly to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and Australians went along with the measures. But as the virus is still with us, and with the threat of a second wave of infection, will Australians be so compliant as the govern...
May 18, 2020•59 min
This week on Democracy Sausage Second Serve , we go stateside to take a look at criticisms levelled at the World Health Organization with US expert Assistant Professor Alexandra Phelan. The World Health Organization has been the subject of criticism about its response to pandemic, particularly from President Donald Trump in the United States. So, is the WHO still fit-for-purpose, and can it recover from the US suspending funding to the organisation? This week on the Second Serve , we hear from A...
May 14, 2020•46 min
This week on Democracy Sausage , we look at what’s in store for businesses and workers as Australians and their workplaces are encouraged to emerge from hibernation. Australia is taking its first tentative steps towards restarting its economy, but what does that mean for business, workers, and industrial relations? Can businesses survive the social distancing requirements that will remain in place as the economy reboots? And is the bigger role for the state that we’ve seen through the crisis her...
May 11, 2020•56 min
New research has revealed massive job losses, high levels of anxiety, and a picture of hardship and distress among Australians. We speak to the authors of the research to get a picture of Australia in the pandemic. Two-thirds of Australians say they feel anxious or worried about their own and others’ safety and more than 600,000 have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, according to a new study from The Australian National University. Additionally, almost four-in-10 people say they feel it is either...
May 06, 2020•38 min
This week on Democracy Sausage , Miranda Stewart and Bruce Chapman join us to discuss budget transparency in a post-coronavirus crisis world, and whether there’s a role for an income-contingent loan scheme in COVID-19 economics. The coronavirus crisis has seen governments around the world throw the economic rulebook out to pump vast sums into struggling economies. But how can we ensure that balancing budgets is done with transparency? And could there be a role for a HECS-style scheme in post-cri...
May 04, 2020•50 min
On this week’s Second Serve , Mark Kenny talks to Frank Bongiorno about Malcolm Turnbull’s new autobiography, A Bigger Picture . Political biographies can shed valuable light on leaders, decisions, and policy choices. But they can also attempt to rewrite history, apportion blame, and present an air-brushed view on individuals and events. So what have we learned about former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull from his new book, A Bigger Picture ? On this Second Serve , historian at The Australian Na...
May 01, 2020•50 min
On this episode Mark Kenny talks with Anne McNaughton, Mark Evans, and Marija Taflaga about the government’s COVID-19 app, post-crisis tax and economics, and whether consensus politics has any chance of continuing after the crisis. The government has released its coronavirus-tracing app, but do Australians trust their government with the data it gathers? Could it be time to revisit the findings of the Henry Tax Review as the country charts a course to recovery? And will the consensus politics we...
Apr 27, 2020•51 min
On this special episode, Shadow Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers MP speaks to Mark Kenny about crisis politics, economic recovery, and ensuring the future story of Australia is an inclusive one. While Australia has so far avoided the more devastating health impacts of COVID-19 that have befallen other nations, the pandemic has caused one of the most significant economic shocks in the country’s history. With so many in a more precarious financial position than ever, how can policymakers chart an inclusi...
Apr 25, 2020•45 min
On this week’s Second Serve , we catch up with Sophia Gaston for the latest on Britain’s devastating coronavirus toll. With limited testing, struggles to get protective equipment for health workers, and a high death toll, Britain is still in the grip of its coronavirus crisis. But with the British public throwing its support behind the National Health Service, and a high compliance rate with lockdown measures, has the UK put the measures in place to turn the corner? And does the new Labour leade...
Apr 24, 2020•31 min
This week we’re joined by the ABC’s Emma Alberici and Professor Robert Breunig to talk tax, Trump, and what society might be able to snap back to. Governments around the world are starting to plot a pathway out of the coronavirus crisis, and are under increasing tension to lift restrictions and return life to normality. But what does reality look like after the coronavirus? This week on Democracy Sausage , Professor Mark Kenny is joined by the ABC’s chief economics correspondent Emma Alberici, P...
Apr 21, 2020•53 min
In this Second Serve , we discuss the best and worst of political leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Has the COVID-19 crisis exposed the failure of ‘Anglophone conservatives’ to listen to expert advice? Is talk of economic and societal transformation wishful thinking on behalf of the political left in the face of huge deficits and economic devastation? And will the crisis lead to big changes in the way governments operate in the future? In this Democracy Sausage Second Serve, Professor Mar...
Apr 16, 2020•34 min
On this episode, we chat with Tim Costello AO and Virginia Haussegger AM about the impact of the coronavirus on charities and women in Australia. What has the COVID-19 crisis revealed about who is doing the heavy lifting in Australia? With charities struggling to elicit donations, what does that mean for those in need who depend on the support of these organisations? And with a highly gender-segregated workforce and a significant gender pay gap, what do the economic upheavals brought on by COVID...
Apr 14, 2020•53 min
With overwhelmed hospitals, limited testing and a staggering death rate, and a prime minister in intensive care, how will Britain turn its coronavirus curve? In this Second Serve Mark Kenny talks to UK-based experts Sophia Gaston and Elizabeth Ames. After four years of a divisive and damaging debate around Brexit, Britain has now been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. So with Prime Minister Boris Johnson in intensive care, Dominic Raab deputising in the role, a large number of senior governmen...
Apr 09, 2020•40 min
Our expert panel discusses whether the coronavirus pandemic will lead to major, permanent changes in Australia’s society and economy. While the immediate devastation of COVID-19 in Australia and around the world is far from over, what are the likely impacts of the pandemic on our political and economic future? Will any economic ‘snapback’ be enough to help the jobless back on their feet? And will changes to the safety net made amidst the crisis remain ‘temporary’, or is this the start of a more ...
Apr 06, 2020•48 min
On this episode, we chat about how sports around the world are responding to COVID-19 and what the future holds for sporting organisations struggling because of the virus. With most of the world’s professional sport postponed or cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, competitions have come under major financial pressure. But will the crisis lead to a reset in the way sporting organisations operate or, upon resumption, will it be a case of survival of the fittest? On this Democracy Sausage Secon...
Apr 03, 2020•38 min
In this episode, we discuss Australia’s new restrictions on social gatherings, whether the government is explaining its approach effectively, and domestic politics during the crisis. As Australia has moved into a new phase in the fight against COVID-19 with greater restrictions on social gatherings, has the government effectively explained new measures as they’ve come into force? Does the national cabinet truly live up to its name? And what is the crisis telling us about who our society’s truly ...
Mar 30, 2020•43 min
On this Second Serve , we chat to senior public servant and policy expert Andrew Wear about his new book, Solved: How other countries have cracked the world's biggest problems and we can too . Why is Singapore such a leader in school education? What’s a small Danish island getting right on renewable energy? And why does Indonesia’s democracy outstrip Australia’s on some measures? On this Second Serve , Professor Mark Kenny chats with Andrew Wear about what Australia can learn from effective publ...
Mar 27, 2020•35 min
On this episode, Mark Kenny, John Hewson and Rory Medcalf examine competition and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in light of COVID-19, and whether Australia’s government has been too cavalier in tackling the outbreak. With more and more restrictions coming into force across the globe in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus, cooperation has become more crucial than ever – both between and within nations. In this episode, Professor Mark Kenny is joined by Professor Rory Medcalf and Dr John...
Mar 23, 2020•58 min
Mark Kenny chats to Dr Andrew Leigh, Member for Fenner in the ACT and former economics professor at the Australian National University about the economics of the coronavirus. Can the world’s politicians find coronavirus solutions that are good for public health and for the economy? Why are people panic buying and what should supermarkets do about it? Should Australia be closing its schools? And could an upside of coronavirus be the end of ‘hot-desking’? We tackle these questions and more on this...
Mar 20, 2020•44 min
On this very special Democracy Sausage podcast extra, Mark Kenny talks to the noted Irish columnist and author Fintan O’Toole about Brexit and the Irish border, global leadership, and democratic systems in a time of global crisis. Infection has driven major change in societies, including providing clean water and improved sanitation. So could the coronavirus pandemic crisis be the impetus for progressive and profound global change in public health systems and beyond? In this very special intervi...
Mar 18, 2020•48 min
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 ...
Mar 16, 2020•54 min
