Policy Forum Pod

In this special episode of Policy Forum Pod, we are joined by the Treasurer, the Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP, who talks about the values behind the May budget.The Pod was recorded live in front of an audience at the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy on May 31st, 2023. The Treasurer gave a short speech highlighting the nine ways to unlock the budget before sitting down for a one-on-one conversation with Crawford School Director Professor Janine O’Flynn.Following this, an ANU panel of experts from the Crawford School of Public Policy answered questions about the longer-term impacts of the budget.Panel members were:Sharon Bessell, 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. She is also the co-host of the Policy Forum Podcast. Frank Jotzo, a Professor of environmental economics at Crawford School and Head of Energy at the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions. He’s been involved in policy advisory on climate change and energy transition and has been a senior author with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.Professor Peter Whiteford works at the Crawford School of Public Policy and is a member of the Interim Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee. His research focuses on social security policy in Australia and internationally.Dr Siobhan McDonnell, a lawyer, anthropologist and economist who has spent over 25 years working with Indigenous people in Australia and Oceania on land rights, gender, and climate change issues, including as a climate change negotiator for various Pacific governments.Dr Michael Di Francesco, an Associate Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy with research and teaching interests in public financial management. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Public Administration.Kristen Sobeck, a Research Fellow at the Tax and Transfer Policy Institute. Kristen undertakes research on various Australian tax and transfer policies using administrative data and formerly worked for a decade as an economist at the International Labour Organisation.Podcast co-host is Arnagretta Hunter. She is the Human Futures Fellow at the ANU College of Health and Medicine, a cardiologist, physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.Executive Producer: Hannah Scott

In this episode, we speak to Rachel Perkins, a film and television director, on her dedication to telling indigenous stories and the Voice to Parliament. WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are warned that the following podcast contains stories about deceased persons.Released at the start of Reconciliation Week 2023, Sharon Bessell and Arnagretta Hunter acknowledge the 6th anniversary of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and discuss with Rachel how those fighting for change are trying to make it happen.“We put our trust in the Australian people and hopes in the Australian people because we have had our trust and hopes shattered so many times by the government,” she says.Rachel also talks about the legacy of her work and that of her father, Charles ‘Charlie’ Perkins. As a civil rights activist, he led the University of Sydney students on a ‘Freedom Ride’, which played an important role in shaping the 1967 referendum, but also the conversation around our current Voice to Parliament referendum.All indigenous people are asking for, she says, is a modest request to have an advisory body cemented into the constitution. Unless the majority of Australians back this request, the government won’t listen to indigenous people, “in a way, our fellow Australians’ voice, gives us a voice.”Rachel Perkins is a film and television director, producer, and screenwriter and a proud Arrente and Kalkadoon woman. She is also co-chair of Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition, one of the most prominent ‘Yes’ institutions in the country. 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, physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School. You can find full show notes at policyforum.net.

Budgets are a central tool of government, offering not just economic policy but defining social and environmental policies for the years ahead. The 2023 budget moves in “the direction of fairness,” but is it moving fast enough? In this episode, we speak to Professor Paul Burke and Associate Professor Elise Klein about the impact budget priorities have on people’s daily lives, the values that underlie it, and unpacking the choices that have been made. Discussion centred on the care economy, the level of welfare payments and the revenue needed to support our most vulnerable. Associate Professor Elise Klein says the government was in a position to do something bold after voters asked for action on poverty, inequality, and climate action. A government “going from terrible to being less terrible is still terrible,” she says, adding that a lot of people are being left behind in life-and-death situations because of the decisions of this Government in this budget. In order to have more money to spend to solve these problems, Professor Paul Burke says Australia needs to be more efficient in raising revenue. As a country, if we created a few simple streams we could see billions of dollars available to target poverty reduction. 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. His research is in energy and environmental economics, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific. Elise Klein (OAM) is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Crawford School. Her research is situated in the intersections and cracks of development, social policy, decoloniality and 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, physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School. You can find full show notes at policyforum.net.

The latest federal budget defines our values but does it live up to them? Australian historian, Professor Frank Bongiorno, joins us to discuss the limitations, merits and shift of focus in the second Albanese government budget.Professor Bongiorno explores the values-based approach to governing and the delicate balancing act between providing Australians with the care and support they deserve whilst creating sustainable change.Despite the budget’s emphasis on delivering for the most vulnerable Australians, critics note that there is much to be desired. On the one hand, the budget increased support for Medicare, single parents, and some relief with energy bills. But on the other hand, the jobseeker rate remains well below the poverty line. “The pressure will remain for a government that calls itself values-based and values-driven to look at some of these really key areas of policy for those who are marginalised,” says Frank.Frank Bongiorno is a Professor of History at the ANU College of Social Sciences, President of the Australian Historical Association and a Member of the Order of Australia. He specialises in Australian political, cultural and labour history.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, physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes at policyforum.net. 

Two-thirds of Australians experience one or more forms of abuse or neglect as children. Daryl Higgins, a co-author of a new ground-breaking study into child maltreatment, joins us to discuss the findings, and what needs to be done to stop the cycle of abuse.  WARNING: This episode discusses child abuse, sexual assault and suicide. The Australian Child Maltreatment Study published in The Medical Journal of Australia is the first national survey in the world to examine in detail the experiences of all forms of child maltreatment and the associated health and social consequences. To prevent children from suffering further, Higgins says there needs to be a focus on redefining the health care system as a trauma response service.  It is also vital we do not just concentrate on children, but on the parents too. “Parents themselves will come to this task of parenting having likely experienced their own child maltreatment,” he says. If this podcast has raised some issues for you, or someone you know needs support, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. For children and young people, there is also Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800. Daryl Higgins is a Professor and director of the Institute of Child Protection Studies at the Australian Catholic University. Before joining ACU, Daryl was Deputy Director (Research) at the Australian Institute of Family Studies.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, physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes at policyforum.net.

Helen Haines, the Independent Federal Member for Indi, joins us to discuss the unifying power of grassroots democracy and the major challenges Australia is facing in 2023.Dr Haines discusses how kitchen table conversations had with humility and patience can bring people together. She talks about how people in regional Australia are reacting to the Voice Referendum and the power of the Uluru Statement of the Heart.  She outlines what regional and marginalised Australians want to see in the Federal budget based on the conversations had and the poverty so many of Australians are facing. She also discusses what lessons can be learned from her seat of Indi around meaningfully engaging with, and listening, to the people that policies effect. Helen Haines is the Independent federal Member for Indi. She worked as a nurse and midwife for decades before completing her PhD in medical science. She was elected in 2019, as the first Independent to follow an Independent in Australian history.Sharon Bessell is 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, physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes at policyforum.net. 

South Australia's inaugural Commissioner for First Nations Voice Dale Agius joins us to discuss how South Australia’s Voice to Parliament can be used as a template to understand the need for our national referendum. Dale talks about how in his more than 40 public community consultations he is hearing the call from indigenous people to "give us enough autonomy and self-determination in our legislation for our people to feel safe” and to feel they have the ability to talk straight to the parliament.Dale Agius is South Australia's inaugural Commissioner for First Nations Voice. Dale is a Kaurna, Narungga, Ngadjuri and Ngarrindjeri person with connection to communities and Country across South Australia. Sharon Bessell is 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, physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.You can find full show notes at policyforum.net. 

A third of global deaths can be linked to a combination of climate change, the non-communicable disease epidemic, and just four industry sectors: tobacco, ultra-processed food, fossil fuel, and alcohol.Professor Sharon Friel joins hosts Sharon Bessell and Arnagretta Hunter for a challenging conversation about the commercial determinants of health, and what can practicably be done to save and improve lives.We discuss how there is no silver bullet fix, and it would take a multilevel and multi-pronged approach to commercial determinants of health but if it is done right, it could save a third of preventable global deaths. However, the implications are far more wide-reaching than that. If we take into consideration the indirect impact that industries have, from health and health inequities, income inequalities and changes to our lived environment, “well above half of the global burden of disease could be eliminated” Professor Friel states. The challenge is enforcing change across unregulated industries, and on transnational corporations. “The most basic public health question is not whether the world has the resources or will to take such actions, but whether humanity can survive if society fails to make this effort.”Sharon Friel is a Professor of Health Equity and an ARC Laureate Fellow in Planetary Health Equity at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance. Sharon Bessell is 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, physician, and a Senior Clinical Lecturer at ANU Medical School.Find full show notes, including articles mentioned in this episode, can be found at policyforum.net.

As we move towards the referendum on the Voice later this year, it is important that we think deeply about both our future and our past. We cannot do that unless we talk honestly about a history of dispossession and genocide. These are difficult and painful issues but are essential if we are to have genuine reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. To begin the first of several conversations over the coming months, Sharon and Arnagretta are joined by Professor Kate Auty. Professor Auty is a Vice Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Melbourne and Chair of Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority. She has formerly held appointments as a magistrate in Victoria where she helped establish the Koori Court in Shepparton, and in the goldfields and western desert of Western Australia, establishing Aboriginal sentencing courts in consultation with Aboriginal people. Her latest book is O’Leary of the Underworld: The Untold Story of the Forrest River Massacre.WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following program contains discussion of deceased persons. This episode recounts some aspects of Australian history that are violent and some listeners may find disturbing.