Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny

Latest Episodes:

Religious freedom and the fossil fuel flock Feb 17, 2020

Show notes

On this week’s Democracy Sausage, we chat about Australia’s religious freedom bill, the Parliament’s pro-coal wing, and the country’s search for political vision in challenging times.

Has the National Party’s leadership drama made it harder for Prime Minister Morrison to pivot on climate policy? Is the government’s religious freedom bill a 'solution in search of a problem’? And who will take responsibility for outlining a positive, hopeful message on climate and culture? This week on Democracy Sausage, Mark Kenny is joined by an outstanding panel - Marija Taflaga, Frank Bongiorno, Anne McNaughton, and John Warhurst - for your weekly fry-up of politics and public affairs.

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the 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 Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

Dr Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

John Warhurst is an Emeritus Professor of political science at The Australian National University and a regular columnist for The Canberra Times.

Anne McNaughton is a Senior Lecturer at the ANU College of Law, as well as being a Fellow of the European Law Institute and one of the coordinators of the Special Interest Group on Contract Tort and Property Law. Anne’s research focuses on the European Union as a unique legal order in international law.

Professor Frank Bongiorno is the Head of the School of History at ANU and an Australian labour, political, and cultural historian. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Understanding Coronavirus and the Coalition’s ills Feb 10, 2020

Show notes

Mark Kenny, veteran political journalist Malcolm Farr and Marija Taflaga chat about the week in politics, and Professor Peter Collignon joins us in the studio to discuss the emergence of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

After a disastrous start to the year, are the government’s political problems curable? On the new episode of Democracy Sausage, Mark Kenny, Marija Taflaga, and Malcolm Farr discuss the limits of Scott Morrison’s political messaging and why the bushfire royal commission could become the arena for the ongoing brawl on climate and energy policy.

After the break, Professor Peter Collignon from The Australian National University’s Medical School joins Mark, Marija and Malcolm to talk about Coronavirus. He looks at the status of the virus right now, whether Australia’s health system is well-equipped to deal with the virus, and the politics of naming diseases.

Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Malcolm Farr has worked for a number of Australian publications including The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mirror, Brisbane Sun and The Australian. He regularly appears on the political current affairs programs Meet the Press on Network Ten, and ABC TV's Insiders.

Peter Collignon AM is an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist at the Canberra Hospital. He is currently Executive Director of ACT Pathology and a Professor at The Australian National University Medical School.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Second Serve: Brexit got done? Feb 05, 2020

Show notes

On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom formally left the European Union, three and a half years after the initial referendum. While many celebrated, Dr Rob Manwaring says the UK faces a herculean task before the transition period elapses at the end of the year. With a European free trade deal to negotiate, Scottish leaders pushing for independence, and the Irish border issue unresolved, is this just the beginning?

Rob Manwaring is a Senior Lecturer in the College of Business, Law and Government at Flinders University. He teaches a range of policy and political topics, and his research examines centre-left political parties, democratic politics, and public policy.

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the 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 Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The unpreferred prime minister Feb 03, 2020

Show notes

On our first Democracy Sausage of the year, we talk #sportsrorts, bushfires and the prime minister’s falling poll numbers. Host Mark Kenny is joined by Kieran Gilbert, Sky News Australia’s Chief News Anchor, as well as ANU Crawford School of Public Policy’s Dr Siobhan McDonnell and Peter Martin.

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the 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 Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

Siobhan McDonnell is a legal anthropologist with over 20 years of experience working with Indigenous people in Australia and the Pacific on land use, gender, and climate change. She is a Lecturer at Crawford School of Public Policy, and the lead negotiator on climate change for the Vanuatu government.

Kieran Gilbert is Chief News Anchor for Sky News Australia where he hosts AM Agenda and First Edition.

Peter Martin is a Visiting Fellow at Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University and the Business and Economy Editor of The Conversation. A former Commonwealth Treasury official, he has reported economics for the ABC and then for Fairfax Media since 1985.

This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Waking up to China’s challenge with Peter Hartcher Dec 09, 2019

Show notes

China has become crucial to Australia’s security, economy, and identity, but what are its intentions? In this special Democracy Sausage live event, Mark Kenny talks to Peter Hartcher about Australia-China relations. We ask whether they are really in a state of deep freeze, and what Australia must do to engage productively with China without sacrificing the integrity of its political, legal, and security systems.

Peter Hartcher is an award-winning Australian journalist and the Political and International Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. He is also a visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute. His books include Bubble Man, The Sweet Spot and To the Bitter End.

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the 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 Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ministerial responsibility, Taylgate, and political blame games Dec 02, 2019

Show notes

On this Democracy Sausage, Mark Kenny and co-host Dr Marija Taflaga are joined by Sue Regan and Dr Matthew Kerby to look at what it would take for a minister to get sacked nowadays, and whether ministerial codes of conduct are still worth the paper they’re written on. The panel also give us an update on the polls for the upcoming UK election and discuss why the recent London Bridge attack has fueled a new blame game between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn.

Matthew Kerby is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at The Australian National University. He researches executive and legislative institutions and political behaviour, particularly in Westminster parliamentary democracies.

Sue Regan is a PhD Scholar and tutor at Crawford School of Public Policy. Previously, Sue was Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, a UK-based research institute focusing on the well-being of low earners.

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the 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 Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extra: Why the left loses Nov 26, 2019

Show notes

In the wake of the Great Financial Crisis, many centre-left parties around the world have struggled to make electoral headway. Why is it happening, and what role does an inability to tell a convincing narrative for change play? In this special Democracy Sausage extra, Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga talk to Dr Rob Manwaring, a senior lecturer at Flinders University, and the editor of the book Why the Left Loses. The panel also discuss how Jeremy Corbyn’s broad policy agenda might fare in the upcoming UK election, the pushback against ‘Third Way’ politics, and the dangers of eating sandwiches in front of photographers during election campaigns.

Rob Manwaring is a Senior Lecturer in the College of Business, Law and Government at Flinders University. His workWhy the Left Loses examined the electoral fortunes of the family of centre-left political parties.

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the 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 Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bye Robot, union-busting, and fraught foreign affairs Nov 25, 2019

Show notes

On this Democracy Sausage we take a look at the rollback of robodebt, paternalistic welfare policies, and the long history of the language of dole bludgers. Mark Kenny and the panel – Marija Taflaga, Frank Bongiorno, and Matthew Gray – also tackle the union-busting Ensuring Integrity Bill, whether government can be trusted with our data, and Australia’s increasingly fraught relationship with China.

Matthew Gray is Director of the Centre for Social Research and Methods at The Australian National University. He has particular expertise in work and family issues, labour economics, social capital and social inclusion, and economic policy development.

Frank Bongiorno is the Head of the School of History at The Australian National University and an Australian labour, political, and cultural historian. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the 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 Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Women in politics special Nov 18, 2019

Show notes

This week on the Democracy Sausage podcast Mark Kenny and the panel – Virginia Haussegger AM, Blair Williams, and Meegan Fitzharris – take a look at how to get more women in politics, what it’s like for women who are already in politics, and why a representative parliament needs a diversity of voices. The panel also discuss the media’s treatment of women in parliament, the high number of women standing aside in the UK’s upcoming election, and tackle some of your questions and comments.

This episode has been produced to mark the upcoming Women for Election Equip forum at ANU Crawford School of Public Policy on 26 November. The forum is a one day event of workshops and talks designed for women who may be considering a career in politics, either as a candidate or working on a campaign. To register go to: http://bit.ly/equipanu

Blair Williams is an ANU PhD candidate who has recently submitted a comparative study of first women Prime Ministers, gender performativity, and the media.

Virginia Haussegger is an award-winning television journalist, writer, and commentator, whose extensive media career spans more than 25 years.

Meegan Fitzharris is a Senior Fellow in Health Policy and Leadership at ANU College of Health and Medicine. She is a former Labor Member of the Legislative Assembly for Molonglo and Yerrabi and was the ACT government's Minister for Health and Wellbeing.

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the 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 Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Extra: Australian Foreign Affairs - China Dependence Nov 13, 2019

Show notes

In this special mid-week fry-up of Democracy Sausage, we bring you a live recording of the launch of the new issue of Australian Foreign Affairs – China Dependence. The event features an outstanding panel of Honorary Professor Allan Gyngell, Associate Professor Margaret Simons, David Uren, and Associate Professor Jane Golley, and is moderated by Mark Kenny. The panel look at how to overcome the current ‘deep freeze’ in relations, how universities are responding to ever-growing numbers of Chinese students, and whether Australia could ever afford to decouple from China.

This event was recorded live at Crawford School of Public Policy on 12 November.

Allan Gyngell is National President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, is an Honorary Professor at The Australian National University, and was recently Director of the ANU Crawford Leadership Forum.

Jane Golley is an economist, Associate Professor, and Director of the Australian Centre on China in the World at The Australian National University.

David Uren is a writer on economics and former Associate Editor of The Australian. He has more than 30 years’ reporting experience and is a former editor of Business Review Weekly.

Margaret Simons is an award-winning freelance journalist and author and Associate Professor of Journalism at Monash University.

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the 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 Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.