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Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny

Lies, damned lies, and election campaigns

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, journalist Bernard Keane and political scientists Judith Brett and Marija Taflaga join Mark Kenny to discuss truth in politics, cynicism in the electorate, and what it all might mean at the next federal election.


Is there a growing sense among voters that ‘all politicians lie’, and what does that mean for faith in Australia’s democracy? And how will the global COVID-19 situation affect the upcoming federal election? Crikey political editor Bernard Keane, La Trobe University’s Emeritus Professor Judith Brett, and regular podleague Dr Marija Taflaga join Professor Mark Kenny on this episode of Democracy Sausage to explore these questions and more.


Judith Brett is Emeritus Professor of Politics at La Trobe University. Her books include Doing Politics: Writing on Public LifeRobert Menzies’ Forgotten PeopleThe Enigmatic Mr DeakinFrom Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage, and four Quarterly Essays.


Bernard Keane is Crikey’s Political Editor. Before that, he was Crikey’s Canberra press gallery correspondent, covering politics, national security, and economics. He is also author of several books, including the recently released Lies and Falsehoods: The Morrison Government and the New Culture of Deceit.


Marija Taflaga is the Director of ANU Centre for the Study of Australian Politics and a Lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations.


Mark Kenny is a Professor at 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 HeraldThe Age, and The Canberra Times.


Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle 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.

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