The Kicker Pod: Recent Episodes
RMIT Graduate Diploma Journalism Students
Our so-called Australian lives. A weekly podcast bringing you thought-provoking stories from this country’s brightest young journos.
Victorian house prices are surging, and the pandemic has made things worse. Advocates say tiny houses could bring much-needed relief. But inconsistent regulations and hostile policies have put off would-be converts. So one advocacy group plans to take on the red tape goliath with a national campaign. Reporter Mariah Edgoose gets details from Tiny House Solutions founder Janine Strachan and chats to host Jude Ellison.
All episodes are written, researched, recorded and produced by students of the RMIT Graduate Diploma in Journalism.
Find host Jude Ellison on twitter: @_jude_ellison
Find reporter Mariah Edgoose on twitter: @mariahkedgoose
Find The Kicker on twitter: @kickerpod
Find The Kicker on instagram: @thekicker.pod
Find series producer James Gaunt on twitter: @jamesrgaunt
Find series producer Ryland Sack on twitter: @rysack
Original music: @rysack
Through the tribulations of COVID-19, self-care has become a symbol of hope for many. Be it a comprehensive skincare routine or a quick makeup regime to kickstart the day, these daily habits provide a sense of normalcy and comfort in precarious times. As a result, beauty brands have begun marketing their products around this social cause, without any discussion about the realities of mental health.
All episodes are written, researched, recorded and produced by students of the RMIT Graduate Diploma in Journalism.
Find host Faith Macale on twitter: @faithmacale
Find reporter Emile Pavlich on twitter: @emile_pavlich
Find producer Marie Stella on twitter: @riestellaa
Find The Kicker on twitter: @kickerpod
Find The Kicker on instagram: @thekicker.pod
Find series producer James Gaunt on twitter: @jamesrgaunt
Find series producer Ryland Sack on twitter: @rysack
Original music: @rysack
In 2014, Facebook introduced egg freezing as an employee benefit after one of their employees were diagnosed with cancer. Since then, a range of Silicon Valley companies have introduced the benefit, but we are yet to see it take off in Australia.
Reporter Matt Harvey chats with host Celie Hay about the deeper implications of companies paying to freeze employee’s eggs and Dr Molly Johnston from Monash University shares her research on if Australian companies will start to introduce the benefit.
All episodes are written, researched, recorded and produced by students of the RMIT Graduate Diploma in Journalism.
Find host Celie Hay on twitter: @celie_hay
Find reporter Matt Harvey on twitter: @MattHarveyStuff
Find producer Jaci Hicken on twitter: @jacican
Find The Kicker on twitter: @kickerpod
Find The Kicker on instagram: @thekicker.pod
Find series producer James Gaunt on twitter: @jamesrgaunt
Find series producer Ryland Sack on twitter: @rysack
Original music: @rysack
The passing of the same sex marriage bill in 2017 was a huge moment for Australia’s LGBTQ+ community. But how much has really changed since then? Next episode, we take a deep dive into Australian classrooms to discuss a topic that makes every teenager squirm: sex education. Studies have shown these formative lessons on identity, sexuality, life and love often fail to include queer students, with major consequences. Join us as we speak to students and experts on how this affects Australians.
All episodes are written, researched, recorded and produced by students of the RMIT Graduate Diploma in Journalism.
Find host Matilda Lloyd on instagram: @tilliewaltzing
Find reporter Olivia Condous on twitter: @oliviacondous
Find producer Ellen Blake on twitter: @ellen__blake
Find The Kicker on twitter: @kickerpod
Find The Kicker on instagram: @thekicker.pod
Find series producer James Gaunt on twitter: @jamesrgaunt
Find series producer Ryland Sack on twitter: @rysack
Original music: @rysack
RMIT reporter Joe Misuraca sits down with host Charlotte Huston about the developmental sacrifices young people have made to get Australia this far toward our race to freedom. In this episode, we hear from Sam, Nicole, Rory and Abigail, four young Australians, to understand how they are dealing with the unexpected trials of the COVID-19 pandemic, including insecure employment, unaffordable living costs and the mental strains of endless lockdowns.
All episodes are written, researched, recorded and produced by students of the RMIT Graduate Diploma of Journalism.
Find host Charlotte Huston on twitter: @CharlotteHusto8
Find reporter Joe Misuraca on twitter: @josephmisuraca
Find producer Emma Hartley on twitter: @emmahartleyy1
Find The Kicker on twitter: @kickerpod
Find The Kicker on instagram: @thekicker.pod
Find series producer James Gaunt on twitter: @jamesrgaunt
Find series producer Ryland Sack on twitter: @rysack
Original music: @rysack
The sex industry has been rocked by lockdowns, lack of financial support and increased policing over the course of the pandemic. Many workers have been crying out for help and the industry has rallied together to fundraise and support each other. But has assistance come in the form of sweeping reforms and decriminalisation in Victoria? We chat to a sex worker, the head of Victoria’s peer-run sex worker organisation, and the MP who spearheaded the changes to find out more.
All episodes are written, researched, recorded and produced by students of the RMIT Graduate Diploma of Journalism.
Find host Natasya Rallios on twitter: @NRallios
Find reporter Fae O'Toole on twitter: @faeotoole
Find producer Ellie Mitchell on twitter: @HeapsEllie
Find The Kicker on twitter: @kickerpod
Find The Kicker on instagram: @thekicker.pod
Find series producer James Gaunt on twitter: @jamesrgaunt
Find series producer Ryland Sack on twitter: @rysack
Original music: @rysack
Content Warning: The following story contains discussions of sexual violence and child sex abuse.
For the past year, a controversial inquiry has been debated in the halls of Victorian parliament. The inquiry called for a review of Victoria’s child sex offender register, in response to increasing pressure for the register to be made public.
Over 80 submissions were made from various advocacy groups, political parties, criminologists and legal experts.
But before we look into its findings, Renee Davidson will be talking to reporter Maeve McGregor on the effectiveness of public and non-public sex offender registries.
All episodes are written, researched, recorded and produced by students of the RMIT Graduate Diploma of Journalism.
Find host Renee Davidson on twitter: @ren_davidson
Find The Kicker on twitter: @kickerpod
Find The Kicker on instagram: @thekicker.pod
Find series producer James Gaunt on twitter: @jamesrgaunt
Find series producer Ryland Sack on twitter: @rysack
Original music: @rysack
With a fresh set of hosts, news and interviewees, The Kicker is back for its hotly anticipated second season. Episodes are released every Monday, starting 20 September, 2021.
All episodes are written, researched, recorded and produced by students of the RMIT Graduate Diploma of Journalism.
Find us on twitter: @kickerpod
Find us on instagram: @thekicker.pod
Original music: @rysack
In a year where many have spent half their waking life staring at their own face in a Zoom call, it's only fitting that the final episode of our first season is about the omnipresent video conferencing platform. A trend named "Zoombombing" is being perpetrated by people all over the world, whether by radio hosts or would-be corporate spies or frustrated teenage boys. Reporters Patrick Hargreaves and Dom Hennequin speak to those on the frontlines of Zoombombing - the brave teachers holding classes online - and how the trend is strangely a small, if disturbing, reflection of pre-pandemic life.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Tynong North and Frankston murders. Still to this day, the case remains unsolved. Despite a long-running investigation by the country's top detectives and a massive reward offered by Victoria Police, the identity of Australia's third-worst serial killer is unknown. In this episode, reporters Jake Pike and Charisa Bossinakis delve into the murders of the six women, speaking to the people whose lives are still touched by the ripples of their deaths. They also speak with Walkley-winning journalist John Silvester, an original reporter on the case.
Australia's laissez-faire relationship with booze brings with it a whole assortment of cultural and societal issues, yet despite our awareness of this most of us still enjoy a beer or a glass of wine every night. But when cities went into lockdown across the country at the beginning of the pandemic, for some that one glass slowly turned into one bottle, enjoyed alone and without the company of friends and family. Sam Mills and Katie Johnson speak to Australians who turned to alcohol in lockdown - and experts who say the general trends and attitudes towards booze in Australia might be changing.
When you're an Olympian, every moment of the four years between the big competitions is rigorously planned and perfectly weighted to get you in your best form on the big day. So what happened to the thousands of athletes left in the lurch when the 2020 Tokyo Games were cancelled earlier this year? Madeleine Spencer and Maeve Bannister speak to athletes and trainers about how rescheduling the Games and living under a lockdown changes your roadmap - and why the four-year cycle might be having such a big effect on athletes' mental health.
Every year, hundreds of rational people find themselves on the receiving end of a phone scam. Their premises border on ridiculous, asking you to pay off your tax debt in iTunes gift cards, yet time and time again we fall for them. How do these scam artists, so amateurish in many other ways, have our psychology so figured out? Reporters Danielle Collis and Rosa Ritchie speak to victims, near-victims and experts in an attempt to open up the mind of both scammer and scammed.
With a tourist economy shattered by six months of coronavirus shutdown, Bali has reopened its borders to a tragic increase in infections and deaths. To understand why this happened, Belinda Yohana and Sophie Raynor take us back to the 70s: to understand how Bali became so dependent on mass tourism in the first place. It’s the story of surf exploration, the hippy trail, cut-price flights, the Asian recession, and a hamstrung economy. But it’s also the story of a new opportunity for Bali to re-open with a resilient, sustainable, and diverse economy.
TikTok can no longer be shrugged off as an internet fad, and one crucial element puts it head and shoulders above other socials - music. Music is in the DNA of the platform - its bite-sized video format fits exactly one chorus worth of music perfectly, making it a hive of dance trends and lip syncing. Now artists and record labels are doing their utmost to dip into this new music market. Oliver Lees and Nic Zoumboulis investigate the app that has everybody scrolling and ask: what effect is it having on the music industry?
Featuring music by Suzi.
Fire has a complicated position in the Australian psyche - from the terror of last summer's fires, as a symbol of climate inaction, to its traditional use by First Nations Australians to care for Country. Reporter Stephanie Barker stood beyond the flames on a beach in December and knew these were the worst fires she had ever seen. In this episode, Steph and fellow reporter Elsie Lange wind back through the summer's terrifying fires, and discuss the importance of listening to First Nations people in preparing for a hotter future in Australia.
Featuring bushfire survivor Stephanie Barker, Dagoman and Torres Strait Islander fire expert Joe Morrison, and author and Tagalaka descendant Victor Steffensen.
Featuring journalist Margaret Simons, multi-disciplinary artist Abdul Abdullah and director of the Australian Theatre for Young People Fraser Corfield. Music by Genuine Fake.
Welcome to The Kicker! Our producers Arielle Richards and Marco Holden Jeffery guide you gently through our exciting first season.