Policy Forum Pod

In this special episode of Policy Forum Pod, Thomas Mayo joins Sharon Bessell and Arnagretta Hunter to discuss the importance of the Voice to Parliament.Thomas Mayo explains how the Voice will create unity and a stronger future. We are a Nation divided, but Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples gives us a way of coming together and leaving a legacy of collective hope and justice for our children.---Thomas Mayo is a Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man. He is the Assistant National Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia. Thomas is a signatory of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and has been a leading advocate since its inception in May 2017. He is the author of six books, including the very beautiful Finding the Heart of the Nation and The Voice to Parliament Handbook, co-authored with Kerry O’Brien.Sharon Bessell is a Professor of Public Policy and Director of both the Children’s Policy Centre and the Poverty and Inequality Research Centre at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy. Arnagretta Hunter is the Human Futures Fellow at ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, a physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes on the Crawford School of Public Policy LinkedIn account.Producer: Hannah ScottBackground research: Alex Jackson and Darcy Brumpton

This podcast delves into the complex world of balancing the need for energy through fossil fuels and protecting the environment and human health. Energy is central to so much human activity today and the politics are complex, weighing up local and global needs for energy, the ‘needs of the economy’ against the resultant environmental and climate impacts.  Guests Professor Melissa Haswell and Professor Hillary Bambrick discuss how in the centre of this balance is human health and wellbeing which is dependent on energy, but adversely impacted by fossil fuel extraction, processing and by climate change.Oil and gas extraction impacts the environment through pollution and habitat destruction from which recovery and restoration is complex. These industries often operate on Indigenous lands, leading to harmful land rights conflicts. The fossil fuel industry is also a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions and resultant climate change.We need to be good ancestors and we need to put people first, put health first, put children first, says Professor Haswell.--- Melissa Haswell is Professor of Practice (Environmental Wellbeing) in the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services) Portfolio and Honorary Professor in the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney. She is also a Professor and former Discipline Lead of Health, Safety and Environment in the School of Public Health at Queensland University of Technology.Hilary Bambrick is Professor and Director of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University. Hilary is an environmental epidemiologist and bioanthropologist researching the health impacts of climate change, especially on more vulnerable populations, and carries expertise in the development, implementation and evaluation of adaptation strategies. Sharon Bessell is a Professor of Public Policy and Director of both the Children’s Policy Centre and the Poverty and Inequality Research Centre at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy. Arnagretta Hunter is the Human Futures Fellow at ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, a physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes on the Crawford School of Public Policy LinkedIn account. 

This Podcast delves into the Intergenerational Report, looking at both the challenges and opportunities it highlights.Dr Liz Allen and Professor Paul Burke discuss the key takeaways of the latest IGR that in 2062 Australia will be bigger, slower growing, and more diverse, with living standards at risk of going backwards.Liz says we are “heading into the greatest demographic headwinds of our time,” and we need to spend more time imagining the whole picture, with a particular focus on inequality. We must “discuss the need for earnest and substantive change to actually take control and not assume demographic destiny,” she says.Professor Paul Burke highlights there are a lot of assumptions in the report and discusses our need for specific reforms particularly around superannuation and stamp duty, with additional information also needed in subsequent intergenerational reports.  ---Dr Liz Allen is a demographer at the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, and has deep experience across the public and university sectors. In 2018, she was appointed an inaugural ABC Top 5 Humanities and Social Science Researcher. And she is the author of the truly wonderful book The Future of Us. Professor Paul Burke is Head of the Arndt-Corden Department of Economics and Deputy Director of the Crawford School of Public Policy, at the Australian National University. He is a researcher in the Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific research initiative at ANU. Sharon Bessell is a Professor of Public Policy and Director of both the Children’s Policy Centre and the Poverty and Inequality Research Centre at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy.  Arnagretta Hunter is the Human Futures Fellow at ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, a physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes on the Crawford School of Public Policy LinkedIn account.

This episode discusses the connections between planetary health and human health. Sharon Friel and Fran Baun look at the challenges of health inequality, over-consumption and how we move toward a better future. To have healthy people we need to have a healthy planet, and in order to do that we need to be prioritising the health and wellbeing lens as a powerful tool for policy shifts. "It can't be biomedical, it's about social. It can't be economic, it's about social. It can't be colonisation, it's about social," Sharon Friel says.---Professor Sharon Friel is the Director of the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse, and the Australian Research Centre for Health Equity at the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), here at the Australian National University. She is also the Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Governance. Professor Fran Baum, AO, is a public health social scientist, and a professor of health equity at the Stretton Institute, at the University of Adelaide. She has a special interest in creating healthy, equitable and sustainable societies. Fran received an Office of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2016 for her service to public health. Sharon Bessell is a Professor of Public Policy and Director of both the Children’s Policy Centre and the Poverty and Inequality Research Centre at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy. Arnagretta Hunter is the Human Futures Fellow at ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, a physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes on the Crawford School of Public Policy LinkedIn account. 

This National Child Protection Week we ask the question: What part can we as individuals play in protecting children and creating a culture of care?The theme for this year’s National Child Protection Week is ‘Where we start matters’ building on the essence that ‘every child in every community needs a fair go’. In this episode, we speak to researcher Tim Moore, and NAPCAN Deputy-CEO Rani Kumar about what needs to happen, not just this week, but every day of the year. They discuss the structural problems that need to be addressed in the policy sphere to protect all children, including poverty. Stressors need to be taken off families to help prevent abuse and neglect. Rani Kumar says we need to reframe the conversation to remove shame from parents who are seeking support. The questions being asked need to change from focusing on the parents, and society as a whole. For instance, why is society not providing families the support and safety nets and why as a community do we think it is okay for a child to live in this situation?Sharon raises the importance of having conversations with children and listening to children in all stages of policymaking, rather than just a one-off consultation and assuming we then understand the complexity of children’s lives. Tim Moore says that children’s opinions and views need to be taken more seriously as they bring a lot of value to society. ---Tim Moore is an Associate Professor and Deputy Director at the Institute of Child Protection Studies at The Australian Catholic University, where he leads the Institute’s work to strengthen services and systems and make them more responsive to children and young people. Tim is an internationally recognised child and youth researcher and children's rights advocate. He has provided advice to several inquiries and Commissions, including the national Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.  Rani Kumar is the Deputy CEO of the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and was previously the head of policy, research and campaign strategy. NAPCAN has been running National Child Protection Week for the past 30 years. Rani has worked as an early education policy officer with UNICEF in Bangladesh, and in the UK as a social policy officer with Catch 22, an organisation that supports young people leaving out-of-home care.  Sharon Bessell is a Professor of Public Policy and Director of both the Children’s Policy Centre and the Poverty and Inequality Research Centre at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy.  Arnagretta Hunter is the Human Futures Fellow at ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, a physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes on the Crawford School of Public Policy LinkedIn account.

In this episode, Rob Hopkins discusses why we need imagination as a core component to create the future we want. We need to make time to listen to the bird song and allow our minds time to come up with solutions to tough problems. “At a time when we fundamentally have to reimagine everything, we’ve created the worst possible conditions for the human imagination,” Hopkins said. Without imagination and big-picture thinking, we are unable to create a longing for our future that will spark hard work to get there. Rob Hopkins, the founder of the Transition Network, says we need to break down the silos of policy and understand how interconnected we all are. If we are to make a better future and protect the world from climate change, we need to have regional government, local government and communities working together.Most of all, we need to ask ‘What if?’ ---Rob Hopkins is a cofounder of Transition Town Totnes and Transition Network. He has authored a number of books, including From What Is to What If: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want. Rob holds a doctorate degree from the University of Plymouth and has received two honorary doctorates from the University of the West of England and the University of Namur.  Sharon Bessell is a Professor of Public Policy and Director of both the Children’s Policy Centre and the Poverty and Inequality Research Centre at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy.  Arnagretta Hunter is the Human Futures Fellow at ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, a physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find show notes on the Crawford School of Public Policy LinkedIn account.

In this episode, Dr Rebecca Colvin talks about Australia’s new Net Zero Authority, and the challenges some regional communities are facing as we move towards a decarbonised future. She expands on the role of both local and political leadership, and how identity influences the way in which our politics work. People’s love for and connection to place is often overlooked or outright ignored, as is local knowledge. Place-based community approaches are an integral part of climate adaptation.Hosts Sharon and Arnagretta also discuss Bec’s latest work ‘Contextualizing coal communities for Australia’s new Net Zero Authority’ and discuss how an attack on coal is often felt as an attack on coal workers and communities. They talk about how in order to create common ground and progress, clear and specific communication is important.---Dr Rebecca Colvin is a researcher and senior lecturer here at the Crawford School at ANU. She researches the social and political dimensions of contentious issues associated with climate policy and energy transition. Bec’s work is particularly focused on understanding the complexity of how different people and groups engage with social, policy, and political conflict about climate and energy issues and on the importance of identity. Sharon Bessell is a Professor of Public Policy and Director of both the Children’s Policy Centre and the Poverty and Inequality Research Centre at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy. Arnagretta Hunter is the Human Futures Fellow at ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, a physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes on the Crawford School of Public Policy LinkedIn account. 

In this episode, Professor Susan Sell talks about 21st century capitalism and how it undermines health outcomes, social goals and equity. She discusses the connection between the market, our work and our health, particularly for those with precarious working conditions where we see the market’s direct impact on physical and mental wellbeing. Professor Sell explains the phenomenon of ‘failure demand,’ growing demand for services we shouldn’t need, particularly if we were to value caring for people and place in society. A key concern raised by Professor Sell is corporate tax avoidance and profiteering. She highlights how clear this has become, giving examples from the COVID-19 pandemic when major corporations gained record profits from government stimulus in the economy. Companies now focus on making more money for shareholders rather than the betterment of society. ----Professor Susan Sell is based at the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) at the Australian National University. She has previously held positions at a number of universities, including George Washington University in the United States and has published widely on the global political economy and on 21st century capitalism. In 2015-2016 she was appointed to the Expert Advisory Group for the United Nations Secretary General’s High-level Panel on Public Health and Access to Medicines. Sharon Bessell is a Professor of Public Policy and Director of both the Children’s Policy Centre and the Poverty and Inequality Research Centre at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy.  Arnagretta Hunter is the Human Futures Fellow at ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, a physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes on the Crawford School of Public Policy LinkedIn account.

This week, Professor Kay Cook and Associate Professor Ben Phillips talk about reimagining what we value and how we value it when it comes to poverty and social policy in Australia.Both Professor Cook and Associate Professor Phillips are on the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee and advocate strongly for raising the rate of support payments in Australia, to bring people out of poverty.Phillips takes us through the immediate steps and payments that would make a difference to poverty in Australia, and how to raise the revenue to make it happen. He says by lifting JobSeeker to 90% of the aged care pension would bring around one million people above the poverty line. For the millions of people still below the poverty line, it alleviates the depth of poverty they suffer. Cook reminds us that people who are receiving JobSeeker payments are being forced to choose between food and medicine, and in colder climates, also warmth. Cook puts in perspective through her own research, how having limited government support can also leave struggling parents reliant on child support from the other parent, making them vulnerable to financial abuse. Abusive former partners can exploit loopholes in a flawed system further impacting the lives of children. She says this would have less of an impact if people were able to receive benefits that did not force them into poverty.Both agree the Measuring What Matters Framework is a good start but acknowledged that there are flaws. Cook says what matters to whom is something that needs to be discussed. Phillips raises the issue that the lack of data means we may not be able to measure what we value as a society.___Professor Kay Cook is Associate Dean of Research School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education at Swinburne University of Technology, and a former Australian Research Council Future Fellow. Her research has focused on a range of social policy issues, including welfare-to-work, child support and child care policies. She is also a member of the federal government’s interim Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee. Associate Professor Ben Phillips is a Principal Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Research and Methods at ANU. He has more than 20 years of experience as an economic and social researcher in Australia, and has worked on issues from housing affordability and financial stress to reform of the tax and welfare systems. He is also a member of the federal government’s interim Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee. Sharon Bessell is a Professor of Public Policy and Director of both the Children’s Policy Centre and the Poverty and Inequality Research Centre at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy.Arnagretta Hunter is the Human Futures Fellow at ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, a physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes on the Crawford School of Public Policy LinkedIn account.