With just days remaining before Victorians head to the polls in the first state election since the pandemic, Andrea Carson and Phoebe Hayman from Melbourne’s La Trobe University join Democracy Sausage to discuss the campaign. In an election that’s included hundreds of promises from both major parties, why has so much of the coverage focused on personality politics? With the statewide lockdowns still fresh in people’s minds, what role is health policy playing in the Victorian election campaign? A...
Nov 22, 2022•49 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Jennifer Hunt joins Marija Taflaga and Mark Kenny to discuss the Republican ‘red wave’ that wasn’t in the United States midterm elections. With the predicted ‘red wave’ of Republican victories at the United States midterm elections failing to materialise, what does the future hold for the party? Will Trump run again in 2024 and, if he does, what are his chances of securing the Republican nomination? And, buoyed by an above-expectations performance, will Bid...
Nov 15, 2022•52 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , historian and pod regular Frank Bongiorno joins Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga to talk about Australia’s political history and his new book, Dreamers and Schemers . How do colonial attitudes towards resource extraction impact Australia’s political culture today? How did events in other parts of the British Empire shape debates in Australia prior to federation? And what role has religious sectarianism played throughout Australia’s political history? The Austr...
Nov 08, 2022•50 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , regular UK-based guests Elizabeth Ames and Sophia Gaston join Mark Kenny to discuss the British government’s leadership chaos and the ongoing Brexit fallout. Is the elevation of Rishi Sunak to the prime ministership the end of the Conservative Party’s leadership turmoil? What impact might this instability have at the next national election? And what will a new prime minister mean for the United Kingdom’s relationships with Europe and beyond? On this episode...
Nov 01, 2022•47 min
On this Democracy Sausage , The Conversation ’s Peter Martin and The Australian National University’s Jenny Gordon join Mark Kenny to examine the new Australian government’s first federal budget. Why is Australia experiencing fears of a recession and high levels of household spending simultaneously? Will an ‘honest conversation’ about the economy include the possibility of raising taxes - or scrapping the Stage 3 tax cuts? And what should opposition leader Peter Dutton do in response to the new ...
Oct 26, 2022•51 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Bill Browne from The Australia Institute joins political scientist Marija Taflaga and host Mark Kenny to discuss what leads to one-term governments, political instability, and the razor-thin margins between success and failure in politics. Why have Australian states and territories seen a rise in one-term governments in recent years while there hasn’t been a similar trend at the federal level? How have governments at all levels responded to global volatilit...
Oct 10, 2022•42 min
Climate 200 Convenor Simon Holmes à Court joins Marija Taflaga and Mark Kenny on this Democracy Sausage to discuss the success of independent candidates at the 2022 federal election and his new book, The Big Teal . Why were so many independent candidates successful at Australia’s May 2022 federal election, a number of whom won in traditionally safe Liberal Party seats? Will this shift mean that more people - especially professional women - have a permanent pathway into politics that bypasses the...
Oct 04, 2022•41 min
International relations expert Charles Miller joins Mark Kenny on this Democracy Sausage to discuss the Ukrainian forces’ ability to strike back against Russia, Putin’s chaotic military mobilisation, and the nuclear threat. What does the effectiveness of Ukraine’s offensive operations to push back against Russian forces mean for the future of the conflict? What does the incompetence of the Russian government’s attempts to mobilise citizens to fight reveal about the regime? And what is the likeli...
Sep 27, 2022•42 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , climate scientist and lead author of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment report Joëlle Gergis joins us to discuss climate change and why this may be the most significant moment in human history. Will the 2020s be the decade when humanity rises to the challenge of climate change? On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Dr Joëlle Gergis - award-winning climate scientist from The Australian National University - joins D...
Sep 20, 2022•44 min
On this Democracy Sausage , journalist David Speers, political scientist Marija Taflaga, and host Mark Kenny discuss the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the politics surrounding Australia’s slated stage three tax cuts. What will the death of Australia’s head of state mean for the future of both the republican debate and the Voice to Parliament? And is the government facing a choice between bad policy and broken promises on the legislated stage three tax cuts? David Speers, host of Insiders on ...
Sep 13, 2022•40 min
This week on Democracy Sausage , parliamentarian Andrew Leigh laces up the boots to give 110 per cent alongside Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga, tackling the economy, wrestling with Australian sporting culture, and serving his ace new book, Fair Game . Should business leaders be better at giving ‘full credit’ to the team? How can Australia be better at scouting up-and-coming economic talent? And why has sport increasingly decided to hit social issues head on, rather than trying to side-step them? ...
Sep 05, 2022•42 min
Defamation expert and President of the Australian Bar Association Matt Collins joins Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga on this episode of Democracy Sausage to discuss Lachlan Murdoch’s defamation suit against Crikey and what it might mean for the future of Australian media. Will Lachlan Murdoch’s defamation case against Private Media, a small Australian media company, do News Corp’s reputation more harm than good? Will the defendants be able to prove that the publication of the article in question w...
Aug 30, 2022•40 min
Kieran Gilbert, Chief News Anchor at Sky News Australia, joins The Australian National University’s Marija Taflaga and Mark Kenny to discuss former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s secret ministerial appointments. Why did Scott Morrison secretly appoint himself as minister in five portfolios during his tenure? What are the implications of the former prime minister’s actions for Australia’s democracy? And why did the leaders of the National Party or the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet not...
Aug 23, 2022•45 min
Shirley Leitch, Paul Pickering and Katrina Grant from The Australian National University join Mark Kenny to discuss how to make social media a safe and constructive space. How has social media changed the way we see the world? In the wake of the 2019 Christchurch massacre and the January 6 insurrection, how can policymakers ensure these platforms don’t continue to be hives of violence and discrimination? And is social media a threat or a positive for democracy? On this episode of Democracy Sausa...
Aug 16, 2022•40 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Charles Miller and Marija Taflaga join Mark Kenny to review the past six months of the war in Ukraine and the road ahead for democracy. Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s national address with The Australian National University last week, and as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its sixth month of warfare, how have Ukraine and its Western allies responded? What have those allies learnt from this invasion? And what does this geopolitical s...
Aug 09, 2022•47 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Peter Martin joins Mark Kenny to unpack the latest economic update to the nation, and challenges ahead for the Australian and global economy. What do unemployment and inflation numbers actually tell us about the state of the economy? How do economists account for Australia’s most vulnerable people? And what does an independent review of the Reserve Bank of Australia say about the government's approach to the economy? Peter Martin joins Professor Mark Kenny ...
Aug 02, 2022•58 min
On this parliamentary sitting day after Australia’s “earthquake election”, Frank Bongiorno, Marija Taflaga and Mark Kenny discuss some of the challenges facing the new government and what kind of prime minister Anthony Albanese might be. How will the new Labor government manage negotiations with the Greens and the independent members of the crossbench? How will the Liberal-National opposition manage the question of action on climate change? And how might Anthony Albanese draw on the leadership s...
Jul 26, 2022•47 min
Host Mark Kenny discusses multiculturalism in the Australian political system with Sukhmani Khorana, Fan Yang, and Marija Taflaga on this episode of Democracy Sausage . What did we learn about the make-up of Australian society from the national census? How have migrant voters engaged with, and sometimes been instrumentalised by, political parties? And is it time for political actors to stop thinking about migrant groups as ‘voting blocs’ and instead show greater appreciation for the diversity an...
Jul 19, 2022•52 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Elizabeth Ames and Sophia Gaston join Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga to unpack the Conservative Party’s leadership spill and the legacy of Boris Johnson. What will Boris Johnson’s political legacy be and how might it shape the future of the United Kingdom? How will the current economic crisis influence the policies and priorities of Britain’s Conservative Party into the future? And what qualities will voters look for in a new leader - more ‘pizzazz’ or just ...
Jul 12, 2022•47 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Jennifer Hunt joins Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga to discuss recent events in the United States, including the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v Wade, loosening gun control, and the Capitol riot hearings against the backdrop of the health of the country’s democracy. Is former President Trump’s influence only now finding its full expression? Is the politicisation of the Supreme Court diminishing the separation of church and state and chipping away at the bon...
Jul 05, 2022•49 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Nicholas Biddle and Intifar Chowdhury join Mark Kenny to discuss what was important to Australian voters at the recent federal election. How did voters’ priorities change throughout the election campaign? Did the COVID-19 pandemic lead to a rise in electoral empathy? And do younger Australians think about their vote differently to older age groups? Associate Director of the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods Nicholas Biddle and PhD Candidate at the ...
Jun 28, 2022•54 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Ed Coper joins Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga to discuss how the teals’ disrupted the traditional media and political machine. What are the secrets behind the teals’ communication success? How does digital and creative messaging disrupt the media machine? And what can the major parties learn from the way teals’ candidates ran their campaigns? Communications strategist and a director at media agency Populares, Ed Coper joins Professor Mark Kenny and Dr Marija...
Jun 22, 2022•57 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , independent Senator Rex Patrick joins Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga to discuss Australia’s “total policy failure” on submarines, solving issues in the gas market, and why this parliament must be more transparent than the last. How did Australia get to a point of policy failure in its Future Submarine program? Despite producing “more gas than you can poke a stick at”, why is Australia experiencing a ‘gas crisis’? And what comes next for the self-described “a...
Jun 07, 2022•53 min
On this episode, our panel of political scientists - Carolyn Hendriks, Shirley Leitch and Marija Taflaga - join Mark Kenny to discuss the unprecedented success of independent candidates in the federal election. How important was grassroots community engagement to the success of independent candidates in the recent federal election? What might the future hold for regional candidates who, despite not being elected to parliament like many of their metropolitan counterparts, picked up a significant ...
May 31, 2022•55 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , acclaimed journalists Karen Middleton and Malcolm Farr join Mark Kenny to pick apart the Australian federal election result. After a massive election loss, how will the Liberal Party recover - and will it do so by stepping to the left or the right? Is the ‘teal wave’ likely to be temporary, or will a more varied electoral map become a permanent feature of Australian politics? And what impact will the make-up of the senate have on the Albanese government’s l...
May 24, 2022•39 min
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , journalist Kieran Gilbert, author Judith Brett, and political scientist Marija Taflaga join Mark Kenny fire up the barbecue one last time before Australians head to the polls. After months of anticipation, Australia’s political future is about to be decided. So how have Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese performed throughout the federal election campaign? What will the result on Saturday mean for critical policy issues like climate change and economic refo...
May 19, 2022•1 hr
On this episode of Democracy Sausage , Frank Bongiorno, Marija Taflaga and Mark Kenny fire up the barbecue for the sizzling penultimate episode before Australia's election day. Will the second prime ministerial debate of this election campaign go down as the worst ever? What might the record numbers of voters pre-polling mean for the major parties’ chances of winning government? And what might the future hold for the Labor, Liberal and National parties after the election? Historian Professor Fra...
May 10, 2022•46 min
In this live Democracy Sausage and Policy Forum Pod crossover episode, Nicholas Biddle joins Sharon Bessell, Arnagretta Hunter and Mark Kenny to talk about what issues matter to voters and why good policy so often gets lost in translation in Australia’s political system. How can political candidates and policymakers address long term, intergenerational issues like climate change? What do voters mean when they report being concerned about cost of living? And what might it mean for the legislature...
May 05, 2022•1 hr
With political and economic storm clouds brewing across the globe, Mark Kenny, Marija Taflaga, and University of New South Wales economist Richard Holden discuss what these challenges mean for Australia and the federal election campaign. How concerned should Australians be about the state of the global economy? What might these economic storm clouds mean for Australian politics? And how do the economic policy proposals put forward in the federal election campaign stack up? Professor Richard Hold...
Apr 26, 2022•49 min
On the 200th episode of Democracy Sausage , recorded live at The Australian National University, youth advocate Yasmin Poole, journalist Ross Solly, and political scientist Marija Taflaga join Mark Kenny to discuss the first week of the election campaign and what it means for Australia. How important are election campaigns, really? What surprises may emerge from women and young people voting? And should journalists be asking ‘gotcha’ questions, or should they ‘just Google it?’ Youth advocate and...
Apr 21, 2022•59 min
