Young, Dumb & Politically Disengaged: Recent Episodes
Lesley Pianella
A 20-something millennial explores the many ways Australia's political landscape impacts society – with the help of older, smarter and more politically engaged folk than her.
Janet took her seat as a Greens Senator for Victoria in 2014, having been a founding member of the Greens in Victoria. Janet shared a home in Melbourne’s western suburbs with her late wife Penny and their two sons, until Penny’s passing in 2019. Janet began her working life campaigning to protect our forests as a trained climate scientist and was part of the 1983 Franklin River Blockade, and a leader of the campaign that resulted in the creation of the Errinundra National Park. As councillor and mayor of the City of Maribyrnong, Janet worked to involve people in council decision making and positioned the city as a leader in reducing carbon pollution and acting against global warming. In Parliament, Janet advocates for federal funding for public transport, bike and walking infrastructure, protecting Australia’s native forests and animals, and proudly fights for the rights of LGBTIQ+ communities.
October saw climate talks, states opening up and borders coming down. We chat about Glasgow's COP26 climate conference, the dark truth about poverty in Australia, and the personal journey Janet shared with her late wife Penny as members of the LGBTIQ+ community.
Louise Crawford was re-elected for a second term following the 2020 local government election as a Labor Councillor for the City of Port Phillip, and was soon thereafter appointed Mayor. Louise had previously ran for several different seats across different levels of government, including as Labor's candidate for Brighton in the 2014 Victorian state election and for the Senate in the 2019 federal election. Before politics, Louise was an actor working in film and TV, appearing in many Aussie soaps and dramas, in addition to being a hospitality professional and an administration assistant. Louise is passionate about many local issues, including the recovery the creative community and traders, creating litter picking programs, flood mitigation and waste transformation, action on climate change and greening, and continued support for early education organisations.
September saw protests turning violent in Melbourne. We discuss local vaccination rates, what it's like being Mayor during a pandemic, and Louise's podcast: Politics Is Not A Dirty Word.
John Kennedy grew up alongside his four siblings on Sydney’s north shore and studied arts and education at Sydney University, becoming a flight lieutenant in the Royal Australian Air Force in the late 70s. Before public life, John enjoyed a long career in the education sector spanning over decades, working in several roles, including independent schools in New South Wales in the late 60s and early 70s, and then after moving to Melbourne, notably serving as the founding principal of Loyola College in Watsonia from 1979 to 2008. Today, John lives in Hawthorn, and has resided locally in the Boroondara area for over 25 years now. John was elected as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly in November 2018, becoming Hawthorn’s first Labor MP since 1955. He also previously stood in the 2013 federal election for the seat of Kooyong, losing to Liberal incumbent Josh Frydenberg. Refugees, poverty, health, climate change and public transport are high on John's agenda.
August saw conflict in Kabul and marked an unpleasant milestone for Melburnians: 200 days in lockdown. We delve into lockdowns, our vaccination uptake, mandatory jabs, booster shots, the reopening of borders, and why John's never driven a car.
Tim Wilson the Liberal federal member for the seat of Goldstein in the House of Representatives. He were first elected in 2016 and then re-elected in 2019, and is currently the Chair of the Standing Committee on Economics. Before politics, he was a policy director at the Institute of Public Affairs and Australia's Human Rights Commissioner. Tim is proud of what has been achieved over the past five years whilst in public office, including stopping the China Extradition Treaty, reforming MyHealth records to increase medical privacy, improving superannuation to tighten misuse of member’s money, delivering marriage equality. Tim has recently published a book, “The New Social Contract: Renewing the liberal vision for Australia.”
July brought changing financial support, a four-phase national COVID-19 plan and the continued sluggish vaccination rollout. We discuss why so many essential workers are still unvaccinated, how long before we're likely to reach 80% double dose vaccination rates, and the one question that Tim was finally able to ask.
Clifford Hayes has been involved in the political sphere for decades. Elected to the Bayside City Council in 2005 before becoming Mayor. A couple of years later, he ran in the Victorian State Election as an independent for the seat of Brighton. More than a decade later, Clifford represented the Sustainable Australia Party, this time claiming an upper house seat in the Southern Metropolitan Region. Clifford is very focused on restoring planning powers back to local communities and fighting for better development and infrastructure outcomes, in addition to wider climate issues and concerns around population growth and immigration.
June brought leadership spills, the Delta variant and revised ATAGI advice. We consider the government’s climate policy following the G7 Summit, the increasing pace of our vaccination rollout and the ongoing management of COVID-19 outbreaks.
A local through and through, Brad Rowswell has been involved with his local community for decades. After graduating from university, Brad worked in private, public and nonprofit sectors including education, the defence industry and as a political advisor. Brad was elected as the Member for Sandringham in 2018, beating Labor's candidate by just over 500 votes and is now Shadow Minister for Energy and Renewables, Innovation, Bay Protection, and Fishing and Boating. Brad is passionate about protecting local bay assets as well as delivering the infrastructure and investment needed for future generations, including roads, schools, sporting clubs and Sandringham Hospital.
As May draws to a close with Victoria on the cusp of a seven-day snap lockdown, Gen Xers are given the green light to start queuing for their jabs. We unpack the winners and losers of the State Budget, with Victoria spending big on mental health, schools and transport.
First time Greens Councillor and newly appointed Mayor for the City of Yarra, Gabrielle de Vietri, is excited to be representing her vibrant community. Before being elected to local government, she worked in the arts sector for over a decade, as well as a paralegal providing legal services to refugees and people seeking asylum. She has a long history of community activism and being involved in creating collaborative community projects for social change, human rights and climate change. As a queer woman in leadership, Gabrielle is proud to stand for and celebrate the fluidity of sexuality and gender.
April brought us everything from a national vaccine rollout program plagued by problems and clotting chaos to a non-committal virtual climate summit, with yet another apology from Canberra seemingly lost in the mail. We discuss the important role of women in political office, LGBTQIA+ visibility, environmental sustainability initiatives and our most vulnerable community members who have been left behind amongst the inoculation disorganisation.
Josh Burns worked a number of jobs before politics, including as a teacher’s aide and a factory hand, but it was his time serving as a Senior Adviser to the Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, that he says inspired him to move further into the political sphere. Since being elected Labor’s Federal Member of Parliament for Macnamara in 2019, Josh has been a passionate campaigner for support for local businesses and an advocate for tackling Australia’s housing affordability and homelessness crisis. Josh is a member of the House Standing Committee on Environment and Energy, the House Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts, and Chair of the Labor Party’s International and Legal Affairs Caucus Committee.
March saw the sudden end of the JobKeeper wage subsidy, a modest increase to the JobSeeker unemployment benefit, a bungled vaccine rollout blame game and a reshuffle kerfuffle. We flesh out what was yet another month of reports of horrific treatment of women in Australian politics and how a government in crisis scrambles to deal with the continued fallout.
As he enters his second decade as Caulfield's Liberal member in the Victorian Parliament, David Southwick understands and values the importance of hard work and appreciating the little wins. Having worn many different hats in his political career so far, David is currently the Shadow Minister for Police, for Community Safety and for Corrections. An active member of the Jewish community,David's focus remains local to his hometown of Caulfield, where he is now raising his own family. With a background in small business, David is passionate about the community sector, housing, employment, education and young people.
February saw Pfizer faux pas, Facebook fights and fiscal stimulus debates amidst a string of allegations of sexual assault in Parliament House. We unpack Victoria's snap lockdown and management of its hotel quarantine system, the toxic treatment of women in politics and the culture that underpins it, Victoria's planned royal commission into Crown Casino and where to bag the best bagels in David's electorate.
Tim Baxter's gone from running nightclubs and a mobile bar business, to banking and finance and finally into local government. A current City of Port Phillip Greens Councillor in his second term and fifth year in office, Tim's a Balaclava local with a passion for the environment, workers' rights and social justice.
January brought us everything from Joe the pigeon to Joe the president. We discuss Australia's vaccine rollout plan, the Australia Day debate, the US Capitol riot,protesting amidst a pandemic, Margaret Court's controversial proposed accolades and even more pressing matters, such as the successful sale of Tim's walking desk.