Policy Forum Pod

On the second episode in our new mini-series, John Falzon from Per Capita and Kasy Chambers from Anglicare Australia join us to look at the Australian federal budget through the lens of care.Did this federal budget provide real assistance for people in the face of the climbing cost-of-living pressures, or was it too focused on one-off sugar hits? What should the Australian Government be doing in terms of structural change to ensure people are supported in difficult times? And how can policymakers put ‘care’ at the centre of their work? Executive Director of Anglicare Australia, Kasy Chambers, and Per Capita’s Dr John Falzon join Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter for the second episode in our mini-series on care.Kasy Chambers is executive director of Anglicare Australia – a network of 45 agencies, 38,000 staff and volunteers, working with over 502,000 clients annually across Australia.John Falzon OAM is Senior Fellow, Inequality and Social Justice at Per Capita.Sharon Bessell&nbs

Millie Rooney joins Sharon Bessell and Arnagretta Hunter on the 250th episode of Policy Forum Pod to discuss rethinking the public good and to launch our new mini-series on care.How can valuing care enhance policy outcomes? Do policymakers need to expand the way they think about infrastructure to include social benefits rather than just roads and bridges? And how do the public want governments to play a role in protecting public goods? On this, our 250th episode of Policy Forum Pod and the first instalment in our mini-series on care, Millie Rooney from Australia ReMADE joins Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter to discuss the organisation’s new report, Reclaiming our Purpose: It’s time to talk about the public good.Millie Rooney is the National Coordinator for Australia ReMADE, an independent, non-profit leadership network where Australian civil society leaders can collaborate with one another and engage in long-term proactive agenda-setting.Sharon Bessell is Professor of Public Po

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Conservation Foundation Kelly O’Shanassy joins us to talk about habitat destruction, the future of Australia’s threatened species, and why governments must do more to protect biodiversity.Since colonisation, Australia’s native species have lived under enormous strain. In the two centuries since, some 30 Australian mammals have been made extinct, accounting for more than a third of global mammal extinctions since 1500. Despite this, the Australian Government has been approving development projects resulting in habitat destruction at an alarming rate, according to a new report by the Australian Conservation Foundation. So, what should policymakers be doing to reverse this disturbing trend? On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Kelly O’Shanassy, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Conservation Foundation, joins Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter to discuss the urgent need to protect Australia’s native spe

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Barbara Norman and Mark Howden join us to discuss the urgent need for more comprehensive climate change adaptation measures in Australia.In recent years, climate disasters in Australia - from the Black Summer of 2019-20 to the floods across the east coast in recent weeks - have been dramatic in terms of their intensity, severity, and levels of destruction they’ve created. So, how exposed is Australia to the interconnected, cascading risks that are expected to worsen as a result of climate change? And what are all levels of government doing, or not doing, to help communities adapt? Professor Barbara Norman, Foundation Chair of Urban and Regional Planning and Director of Canberra Urban and Regional Futures at the University of Canberra, and Professor Mark Howden, joint 2007 Nobel Prize recipient for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, join us on this episode of Policy Forum Pod to discuss climate adaptation in Australia.Barbara Norman is the Fou

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Elise Klein from The Australian National University and Kay Cook from Swinburne University join us to discuss how to improve Australia’s social security system, especially how it serves women.Is Australia’s social security system serving women in the way it should be? How is care work valued within the system? And what policy responses are needed to ensure it’s improving people’s lives rather than doing harm? On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Associate Professor Elise Klein and Professor Kay Cook join hosts Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter to discuss these questions and more.Elise Klein OAM is Associate Professor of Public Policy at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy. Her research focuses on development policy and social policy with a specific interest in work, redistribution, decoloniality and care.Kay Cook is Professor and Associate Dean, Research in the School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education at Swinburne University of Technology.Sharo

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Anthea Roberts and Nicolas Lamp - authors of The Six Faces of Globalization: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why it Matters - join us to discuss the need for empathy in the debates about economic globalisation.For decades, the principles of economic globalisation have been key to shaping public policy, but the status quo assumption that globalisation is good for all is being seriously challenged. How can we all better understand the different narratives surrounding globalisation, from the ‘establishment narrative’ to the rise of right-wing populist critiques? What role do international organisations have to play into the future? And how can policymakers encourage constructive, good-faith conversations about what’s best for all? Professor Anthea Roberts from The Australian National University (ANU) and Associate Professor Nicolas Lamp from Queen’s University in Canada join Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter to discuss these crucial questions.Anthea Roberts is a Prof

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Patty Kinnersly from Our Watch and Jen Hargrave from Women with Disabilities Victoria join us to discuss the Changing the landscape report, a new national resource to prevent violence against women and girls with disabilities.Australian women and girls with disabilities are twice as likely to experience violence than women and girls without disabilities. How can policymakers address ableism and gender inequality, two intersecting drivers of this violence? Why is co-design so important to policy-making in this area? And what role do all Australians have to play in preventing this violence from taking place? Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter are joined by Patty Kinnersly, Chief Executive Officer of Our Watch, and Jen Hargrave, Senior Policy Officer at Women with Disabilities Victoria, to discuss their new Changing the landscape report.Patty Kinnersly is CEO of Our Watch, an independent not-for-profit organisation and national leader in the primary prevention

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Maria Dahm and Carmel Crock join hosts Sharon Bessell and Arnagretta Hunter to discuss the importance of communication to reaching a correct diagnosis.Diagnostic error is a major issue in Australia, with up to 140,000 people experiencing it every year. But according to new research, the key to changing may not simply be improving doctors’ understanding of disease, but actually improving communication between health professionals and patients. So could improving communication actually reduce stress and burnout in the health workforce? And how can the health system and policymakers better respond to these issues? On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Dr Mary Dahm from The Australian National University (ANU) and Associate Professor Carmel Crock from the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and the University of Melbourne join us to discuss how to improve the diagnostic process in Australia.Maria Dahm is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Communication in Health

On our first episode of Policy Forum Pod for 2022, we’re joined by Faith Gordon and Rob Watts to talk about lowering Australia’s voting age to 16 years old, the rights of children and young people, and the future of Australian democracy. The election day tradition in Australia is one most Australians are familiar with. You go to your polling place on a Saturday, stand in line, and get your ‘democracy sausage’ on the way out. But not everybody actually gets to vote. The voting age in Australia is currently 18 years, but the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government is currently considering a bill that would lower the voting age to 16, at least for the territory election. To kick-off 2022, Associate Professor Faith Gordon from The Australian National University (ANU) and Professor Rob Watts from RMIT University join Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter to discuss this proposal on Policy Forum Pod.Faith Gordon is an Associate Professor in Law at ANU College of Law at The Australian Nat

Health equity scholar Sharon Friel and regular hosts Sharon Bessell and Arnagretta Hunter join Angus Blackman to reflect on some of the ‘brain-changing conversations’ on the pod in 2021, and to look forward at what’s needed in terms of leadership and policy as Australia heads into an election year.Has Australia learnt the right lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of health and wellbeing, or is the country falling back to business-as-usual? And what do Australians need to see from their leaders as the country approaches an election in the first half of 2022? In the final episode of Policy Forum Pod for the year, Professor Sharon Friel, Professor Sharon Bessell, Dr Arnagretta Hunter and Angus Blackman look back on some of the lessons from the year, our favourite conversations on the pod, and the issues policymakers must address in the new year.Sharon Friel is Professor of Health Equity and Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Governance at ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance.Sharon

On this Policy Forum Pod, Ariadne Vromen and Briony Lipton join us to talk about the increase in customer abuse and job insecurity Australian retail workers are facing during the pandemic, and what government and industry can do to ensure staff are protected.Retail workers have played a critical role throughout the pandemic, ensuring essential food, medicine and other goods have been available in this incredibly difficult period. But according to a new study, retail workers have faced job insecurity, customer abuse, and increased stress from enforcing COVID-19 rules. So what are the reasons behind this disturbing trend, and what can policymakers do to ensure staff are safe at work and have access to secure jobs into the future? On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, two of the study’s authors - Professor Ariadne Vromen and Dr Briony Lipton - join Professor Sharon Bessell to discuss the impact of the pandemic on retail workers, and what lessons need to be learned by policymakers and industry.Ariadne Vromen is&nb

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, climate negotiator Dr Siobhan McDonnell and disaster risk expert Dr Robert Glasser join us to look back at what was achieved at COP26, what wasn’t, and what comes next.It was billed as an extraordinary climate conference - the ‘last chance saloon’ according to Prince Charles - but in the end how different was COP26 from previous conferences? What do the outcomes of the conference mean for climate-vulnerable nations, especially in the Pacific? And what needs to happen over the next 12 months to ensure that COP27 in Egypt is a success? Dr Siobhan McDonnell from ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and Dr Robert Glasser from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute join Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter to examine what the outcomes in Glasgow mean for the global fight against climate change.Robert Glasser is Head of the Climate and Security Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and Honorary Associate Professor at ANU Crawford

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Kate Fielding from arts and culture think tank A New Approach and Kim Cunio from ANU School of Music join us to talk about why arts and culture matters for Australian society, and why investment in the sector offers such good value for money. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Australians have relied on the arts - from binging shows on Netflix to rediscovering the music of our younger years. But the pandemic has put enormous pressure on so many artists and communities, especially those in the live scene, depriving them of the audience that allows them to make a living. So what mark will the pandemic leave? Will it leave a long-term scar, or is there an opportunity for the industry and government to come together to ensure the sector is allowed to flourish for decades to come? Kate Fielding, Chief Executive Officer of arts and culture think tank A New Approach, and Associate Professor Kim Cunio, ‘activist composer’ and Head of ANU School of Music, join Dr Arnagretta Hun

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, the Australian Capital Territory’s Climate Change Commissioner Sophie Lewis and Member for Ginnenderra Jo Clay join us to talk about a unique approach to measuring carbon emissions and what it means for our lives and societies.Climate change has been in the headlines in recent weeks as a result of COP26, with much of the conversation focusing on the politics of the negotiations and the steps countries need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. But much less attention is given to the carbon emissions of our everyday lives. From food to fashion to construction materials, all have a footprint. On this Policy Forum Pod, Dr Arnagretta Hunter and Professor Sharon Bessell speak with Dr Sophie Lewis and Jo Clay MLA about a Australian Capital Territory Government report on ‘Scope 3’ emissions, and what governments and individuals can do about them.Sophie Lewis is Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Helen Sullivan, Helen Dickinson, and Hayley Henderson join us to discuss the changing role of the public servant, the importance of integrity and accountability, and public services in a time of major disruption.What role does history play in shaping the values of a particular civil service? How do public servants negotiate issues of integrity and ethics when political leaders are under investigation for unethical or corrupt behaviour? And what does the future look like for the public service? Professor Helen Sullivan, Professor Helen Dickinson, and Dr Hayley Henderson - contributors to the new Palgrave Handbook of the Public Servant - join Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter on this episode of Policy Forum Pod.Helen Sullivan is Dean of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific.Helen Dickinson is Professor of Public Service Research and Director of the Public Service Research Group at the School of Business at University of New South Wales, Canberra.Hayley Hend

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Siobhan McDonnell and George Carter join us for a powerful, confronting conversation about the impact of climate change in the Pacific Island region ahead of COP26 in Glasgow.Despite being at an enormous disadvantage in terms of resources and delegation size, what strategies have Pacific Island countries used to be so effective in international climate negotiations? How will Pacific negotiators approach the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, or COP26, amidst enormous challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing urgency of the global climate situation? And has the Australian Government been guilty of ‘double-speak’ by delivering one set of messaging in regional negotiations and another in global forums? Dr Siobhan McDonnell and Dr George Carter, both scholars at The Australian National University (ANU) and negotiators for Pacific Island delegations at COP26, join Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter to discuss these questions and m

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, climate experts Mark Howden and Frank Jotzo join us to discuss Australia’s climate policy, energy transitions, and the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.In just over a week’s time, world leaders and climate negotiators will gather in Glasgow, Scotland for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference - or COP26. It’s been billed as a critical moment in global efforts to tackle climate change, with this year’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change saying urgent action is required if global temperature rises are to be kept at 1.5 degrees Celsius. But as we approach the summit, there have been worrying signs, with domestic politics and the COVID-19 pandemic acting as obstacles for a number of countries. On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, Professor Mark Howden and Professor Frank Jotzo join Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter to discuss the science, the prospect for stronger national contributions, and whether COP26 can lead t

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, climate researcher Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and health professional Simon Quilty join us to discuss the “health crisis” that awaits Australia if global temperature increases continue.With global temperatures rising, what sorts of scenarios are likely to unfold over the coming decades in terms of extreme heat? What does this mean for vulnerable communities on the margins of major cities and in regional and rural Australia? And what advice do negotiators need to hear in the lead-up to the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow? Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick from the University of New South Wales, Canberra and Dr Simon Quilty, general physician at Alice Springs Hospital and Visiting Fellow at ANU Research School of Population Health, join Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter on this episode of Policy Forum Pod.Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick is a Senior Lecturer and Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow at the School of Science at Univer

On this episode of Policy Forum Pod, scholars Mathew Davies and Susan Harris Rimmer join us to look at the complex human rights landscape in Southeast Asia and throughout the Asia-Pacific region, and what role the international community can and should play.What is the current status of human rights, especially for women and girls, throughout the Asia Pacific? How have recent events in Myanmar and Afghanistan impacted people in the region? And what responsibilities does Australia and the rest of the international community have to promote human rights? Dr Mathew Davies from ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs and Professor Susan Harris Rimmer from Griffith University join Professor Sharon Bessell and Dr Arnagretta Hunter on this episode of Policy Forum Pod.Susan Harris Rimmer is the Director of the Griffith University Policy Innovation Hub and co-convenor of the Griffith Gender Equality Research Network. She also leads the Climate Justice theme of the new Griffith Climate Action Beacon.Mathew Davies

On this Policy Forum Pod, we discuss climate change, security, and the upcoming UN Conference of the Parties in Glasgow with Robert Glasser. What’s been achieved so far in international climate change negotiations? What lessons need to be learnt from both Australia’s Black Summer and the most recent wildfire season in North America? And what’s at stake at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow? This week on Policy Forum Pod, Head of the Climate and Security Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Dr Robert Glasser joins Dr Arnagretta Hunter and Professor Sharon Bessell to discuss these questions and more.Robert Glasser is Head of the Climate and Security Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and Honorary Associate Professor at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy.Sharon Bessell is Professor of Public Policy and Director of Gender Equity and Diversity at Crawford School of Public Policy at ANU.Arnagretta Hunter is a Human Futures