The reMAKERs: Recent Episodes
Australia reMADE
Welcome to the reMAKERS…
…a new conversation that asks, ‘what is the best version of us, and how do we actually build it?’ How can we be more collaborative, transformative and ambitious? How can we help change systems, not just treat symptoms?
This is your home for nuanced, curious, delightful conversations with some of our most impactful leaders, thinkers and reMAKERs from all walks of life. It’s a chat about politics and social change, about humans and all our weird and wonderful ways, about celebrating what we love while we reMAKE even more of the world we want. It’s a place to try on big ideas, change our minds, hear different perspectives and explore less chartered territory. Guests’ views are their own, obviously, and it would be pretty boring if we always agreed with each other and everything we heard.
The reMAKERS is recorded on Darug Country and we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of these lands and waters, honouring Elders past and present.
What if we could unearth for humanity the most enduring source of human knowledge on the planet – Indigenous systems thinking — and fuse it with the best of modern knowledge and technology? What if we could bake in more relational, expansive, nature-based design into how we approach our lives and work, and solve our biggest challenges?
On our last episode of the reMAKERS for 2023, we chat to Jack Manning Bancroft about a values system revolution. Jack’s spent his career tackling inequity through connection, as the founder and CEO of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, AIME; and co-architect of a new ‘network of networks’ and digital nation, IMAGI-NATION.
He talks to us about not only about IMAGI-NATION and its transformative mission, but why seeing the problems is not enough. “There’s not many people who write the next chapter. I want to live there,” he says. And with new tools and opportunities to get involved ranging from Joy Corporations to Imagination Labs, a feature film and so much more — you may well find yourself eager to join him.
Jack is a graduate of The University of Sydney and Stanford University, a former NSW Young Australian of the Year, and author of books for children and adults. He is the youngest person in Australian history to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate (from the University of South Australia), and is currently an Honorary Fellow at Deakin University with the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab.
SHOW NOTES
Things and people we mention
AIME on Australian Story
IMAGI-NATION welcome video
Hoodie Economics: Changing our system to value what matters, by Jack Manning Bancroft
Explainer on Web 3
Reframe It, created by Bobby Fishkin
The Other Others podcast with Tyson Yunkaporta
Things you can do
Read Hoodie Economics (link above)
Check out AIME and IMAGI-NATION (links above), learn more, apply for a visa to get involved.
Share this conversation with your people and networks.
Love this podcast? We’re an independent charity and would love your tax-deductible donation.
Hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app (eg, Apple, Spotify) to subscribe to the show and get our latest episodes. Rate and review!
Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).
Email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas.
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This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded from the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and THE LANDS OF THE Dharawal people in greater Wollongong, NSW. We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.
In tumultuous times, how do we ensure that communities can care and be cared for through disaster?
It’s all hands on deck for this episode of the reMAKERS podcast, as Lily welcomes Dr Millie Rooney (Co-Director) and Rachel Hay (Research and Projects Officer) onto the podcast to talk about Australia reMADE’s Care through Disaster project.
Rebecca Solnit has described disasters as a portal to paradise, where the community is freed from the constraints that usually keep us apart. But what if we could build the infrastructure to support strong, resilient communities before disaster, and set ourselves up to survive and thrive in good times as well as bad?
As we face increasing climate-fuelled disasters, applying a care lens to the usually efficiency-focused work of disaster management can ensure that no one is left behind; and that our communities are seen, safe and supported.
This conversation will leave you energised to create the community that you want, today.
SHOW NOTES
Things and people we mention
Australia reMADE’s Care through Disaster report
Women’s Health Goulburn North East, our project partner
Our blog on Making Space for Utopia: the story of Fossil Free UTAS
Rachel’s work on transport decarbonisation with Climate Tasmania
The Australian Government’s Intergenerational Report
Our work on Care, Connection, Contribution and the Public Good
A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit
Our three-part blog series on reMAKING economics
How art can help communities recover from disaster
Things you can do
Share this work and these conversations in your own networks and local community.
Hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app (eg, Apple, Spotify) to subscribe to the show and get our latest episodes. Rate and review!
Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).
Email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas.
This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded from the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and THE LANDS OF THE MUWININA AND PALAWA PEOPLES IN NIPALUNA/HOBART IN LUTRUWITA/TASMANIA. We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.
The economy is just how we produce and provide for one another. So what if we threw out the old indicators of growth and profit, and instead measured its success by our collective wellbeing?
On this episode of the reMAKERS podcast, we talk to Amanda Janoo (Economics and Policy Lead) and Lisa Hough-Stewart (Implementation Lead) from the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance — about the countries and businesses that are doing just that.
We learn that the term ‘economy’, and the indicators of GDP, stock market growth and employment, didn’t enter the public discourse until the 1930s, as people tried to grapple with the unemployment and poverty experienced during the Great Depression.
Now, nearly 100 years later, we’re still using those same indicators to understand and guide our economy. But the issues that we’re facing today are different: climate change, species extinction, mental health and more. It’s time for a new way of measuring economic success.
This is an uplifting conversation, where Amanda and Lisa guide us through what a Wellbeing Economy could look like, and how we can build it together.
SHOW NOTES
Things and people we mention
Dr Katherine Trebeck, founder of WEAll, on the reMAKERS podcast
The SDG Lab at UN Geneva’s event recording of ‘Rethinking our Economic Systems for Long term Sustainable Development’
WEAll Scotland
Sophie Howe, former Wales Future Generations Commissioner, on the reMAKERS podcast
The Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo)
Read about how the Scottish Government is focussing on a Wellbeing Economy
Nicola Sturgeon’s Ted Talk on why governments should prioritse wellbeing
WEAll’s research on the Wellbeing Reflex
The Beyond Growth Conference in the EU’s Parliament last May
Recommendations and good reads
The Economics of Arrival by Katherine Trebeck and Jeremy Williams
Post Growth – Life After Capitalism by Professor Tim Jackson
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerera
The Divide by Jason Hickel
WEAll’s Transforming Business Guide, featuring Locavore and Auchrannie Resort
Australia reMADE’s work on the public good, care, connection and contribution
Things you can do
Check out WEAll’s website.
Join WEAll’s Australian hub.
Hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app (eg, Apple, Spotify) to subscribe to the show and get our latest episodes.
Share this episode with your people.
Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).
Email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas!
This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded from the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.
What do a grandmother’s advice on ants, a time machine and an iceberg have in common?
According to Dr Vishnu Prahalad, they’re all part of what it means for us to live more sustainably, by learning to think in terms of systems.
On this episode of the reMAKERS, we talk to Dr Prahalad: a conservationist, ecologist, systems thinker, and Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences at the University of Tasmania.
Dr Prahalad connects different fields – from environmental management and geography to history, politics and economics – that need to come together for us to live harmoniously on our planet with the environment and the species who rely on it.
This episode is sure to get you thinking about life, the Universe and everything, from the smallest ant to the biggest systems that surround us all.
SHOW NOTES
Things and people we mention
The Bachelor of Natural Environment and Conservation at the University of Tasmania
Vishnu’s talk on systems thinking and sustainability for the Modern Money Lab
Vishnu’s recent co-authored paper on making sustainability laws work, while treating our addiction to economic growth
From What Is to What If by Rob Hopkins
The Transition Network
Economist Stephanie Kelton
NewDemocracy.com.au
Wales’ former Future Generations Commissioner, Sophie Howe on the reMAKERS
The history of Tasmania Together
The Iceberg Model and our intro to systems change thinking
The Australia Institute’s Richard Denniss on the reMAKERS
The Bioregional Economy by Molly Scott Cato
Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows
Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber
Recommendations and things you can do
Check out Vishnu’s work at the University of Tasmania (UTas).
Check out the Bachelor of Natural Environments and Conservation at UTas.
Love this podcast? We’re an independent charity and would love your tax-deductible donation.
Follow, rate and review this podcast on Apple or Spotify to help others find it.
Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).
Email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas.
This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded from the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and the lands of the muwinina and palawa peoples in nipaluna/Hobart in lutruwita/Tasmania. We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.
How do we reMAKE our systems to treat people with respect, kindness and empathy?
On this episode of the reMAKER’s podcast, we talk to Mark Zirnsak, Senior Social Justice Advocate at the Uniting Church, who works on issues from climate change and tax to modern slavery, as director of its Justice and International Mission.
Mark is an endlessly curious person and deep thinker, whose drive for justice and love takes him into the heart of the issues facing humanity. Sometimes, this causes him to challenge his peers, as on climate change.
“At the end of the day, if all we do is electrify everything, and we leave the underlying neoliberal economic system unchallenged and in place, then I think we're just waiting for the next crisis to emerge,” he told us.
But Mark is also someone who believes in the goodness of individuals, in how far we’ve come and in our capacity to to change systems for the better: drawing on lessons from history, from the advent of modern democracy to innovations happening right now in Seattle. This is a thoughtful, gentle and hopeful conversation with someone who’s found his calling.
SHOW NOTES
Things and people we mention
Amnesty International
Pax Christi
The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck
Tax Justice Network
Stage Three Tax Cuts
Cannibal Capitalism by Nancy Fraser
Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
The War for Kindness by Jamil Zaki
Common Cause
The Voice Referendum
Our conversation with Sally Hill on purpose-driven business
Welcoming Disability
Adam Grant
Seattle’s Democracy Vouchers
Recommendations and things you can do
Visit justact.org.au to learn more and support the work led by Mark and his team.
Love this podcast? We’re an independent charity and would love your tax-deductible donation.
Hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app (eg, Apple, Spotify) to subscribe to the show and get our latest episodes.
Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).
Email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas!
This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded from the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung peoples in Narrm (Melbourne). We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.
How can business better serve society and the planet we share? What’s holding us back from doing business better, and where is the momentum for change? How can we tell a true purpose-driven business from one that’s just doing a little good (or a nice PR campaign) on the side?
Today we’re chatting with Sally Hill, General Manager of the impact investing firm Tripple, and founder of the Purpose conference — a two-day event that brings together professionals who care about making business more ethical, responsible and sustainable.
Like it or not, business is one of the core organising principles for society, Sally says. So she’s passionate about how we can leverage business to create true value and move us forward; to behave ethically and responsibly, and to just be useful in the world.
Whatever sector you work in, however you may feel about the mixed impacts of the business world and its power, it’s so great to listen and learn from someone who really gets it and is determined to drive change from within.
SHOW NOTES
Things and people we mention
GetUp campaign targeting banks on the Gunns Pulp Mill
Interface, sustainable carpet and flooring company
The surprising number of co-ops in Australia
Triple Bottom Line (general guide)
Economist Mariana Mazzucato: Mission Economy and The Entrepreneurial State (great books!)
Things that exist because of government investment, including Tesla
The Inflation Reduction Act (what became of the ‘Green New Deal’) in America
De-growth - what it is and how it would work in our economy, introductory article by Jason Hickel et al
Economist Richard Denniss on the reMAKERS podcast talking about growth/de-growth
Overton window
Regenerative business, regenerative finance
Chris Andrew and Paul Girrawah House
Tyson Yunkaporta
Jack Manning Bancroft
Recommendations and things you can do
Check out the Purpose conference, happening in Sydney, 8-9 Nov, 2023. Use the code “REMADE” for 20% off your ticket price.
Share this conversation with your friends, colleagues, boss, or your organisation’s sustainability team.
Ask your MP what s/he’s doing to promote pro-social businesses where you live, or contact one of the Ministers in Treasury (Australia).
We need more dialogue between people in business, government and civil society — see what you can do?
Love this podcast and our work? We’re an independent charity and would love your tax-deductible donation.
Hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app (eg, Apple, Spotify) to subscribe to the show and get our latest episodes.
Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).
Email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas!
THIS EPISODE OF THE REMAKERS WAS RECORDED FROM THE LANDS OF THE GUBBI GUBBI PEOPLE, IN QUEENSLAND’S SUNSHINE COAST, AND ON THE GADIGAL LANDS OF THE EORA NATION IN SYDNEY. WE HONOUR THE TRADITIONAL OWNERS OF THESE LANDS AND WATERS, AND PAY OUR RESPECT TO ELDERS PAST AND PRESENT.
Young people today have the deck stacked against them, and they know it.
They’ve grown up in a world defined by the global financial crisis, the climate crisis, a housing and cost-of-living crisis, and a global pandemic. Their HECs debts are growing, their confidence in the future is shaky, and it’s feeling nigh impossible for all but the most fortunate to secure the basics of a good life.
Today we’re hearing from two millennial leaders determined to turn things around.
Meet Jane Body and Thomas Walker. Jane is General Manager and Tom is Chief Economist for Think Forward, an organisation that promotes intergenerational fairness and an economy that works for all generations. They say the main economic challenges young people are up against aren’t inevitable (or the result of too much smashed avocado); but the result of deliberate policy choices, and timidity to undo previous bad decisions.
So how do we rewrite the rules and share the wealth in a way that better supports wellbeing at all stages of life? What would it look like to think long-term and make policies designed to improve the next 20 years… instead of just win the next election? And how can we bring people together, instead of falsely pitting different generations against each other?
This is a relatable, thoughtful and thought-provoking conversation; and if you’re a Millennial or member of Gen Z especially, we hope you feel really seen and understood. Because while no young person should have to worry about things like tax policy, economics and superannuation — we’re so grateful people like Jane and Tom are out there, championing the kind of change that benefits us all.
This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded on the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
The generational gap in wealth in Australia
A wellbeing economy
The Game of Life
The flaws in Australia’s tax system
HECS debt indexation
Think Forward’s campaign for a Parliamentary Inquiry into intergenerational fairness
The UK Inquiry into international fairness
Senator David Pocock’s Bill on international equity bill
Our podcast with Sophie Howe on working for the future generations in Wales
Jane doesn’t expect to pay off her HECS debt until she’s 65
The Australian Government’s Measuring What Matters Statement
Recommendations and things you can do
Visit Think Forward’s website to read more about their work.
Sign Think Forward’s petition for a Parliamentary Inquiry on intergenerational fairness.
Take Think Forward’s survey on the tax system, its purpose and Australia’s economic future.
Donate to support these conversations and the work of Australia reMADE.
Subscribe to the reMAKERS podcast (hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app). Share on social, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE) or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
“We don’t need a new economics to tackle most of these problems, we just need less bullsh-t.” - Richard Denniss
Chief economist and Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Richard Denniss, joins us for a frank and refreshing look behind the curtain of economics, politics and power. He says the real power of economics is to conceal power itself, and make the indefensible sound inevitable and justifiable.
We’ve made people feel silly for not understanding economics, he argues, rather than angry about the decisions that are being made.
“In Norway, they tax their fossil fuel industry and give young people free education. In Australia, we subsidise our fossil fuel industry, and charge people a lot of money to go to uni. That’s why politics matters. That’s why democracy matters. And neoliberalism’s greatest legacy is to convince people that we don’t have those choices,” he says.
That’s why Richard has devoted his career to debunking ‘Econobabble’, injecting solutions and honesty into the public debate, and helping those on the ground fighting the good fight. He is co-author, with Clive Hamilton, of the best-selling book, “Affluenza: When Too Much is Never Enough” and Quarterly Essays like “Dead Right: How Neoliberalism ate itself and what comes next,” among many other publications.
This is a remarkably clarifying and entertaining discussion about economics, with equal parts laughter and righteous rage.
This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded on the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
Fossil fuel subsidies
Middle Arm project in Darwin — federal funding for gas industry expansion
Stage 3 tax cuts
National Anti-Corruption Commission
The Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme
Labor backing down on multinational corporate tax transparency
Australia Institute polling on Stage 3 tax cuts
Australia Institute research on what’s driving inflation
Webinar with Stephanie Kelton and Richard Denniss (video recording)
Community progress association in Warkworth taking on Rio Tinto
Recommendations and things you can do
Visit the Australia Institute to find and follow their work and discussions.
Check out their podcast (search ‘Follow the Money’ wherever you listen to podcasts).
Talk to your MP, write a letter to the editor, join a group, get active.
Donate to support these conversations and the work of Australia reMADE.
Subscribe to the reMAKERS podcast (hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app). Share on social, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE) or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
What if Australia had a national conversation about the country we want to have, and the kind of ancestors we want to be — and then enshrined these goals into legislation? What if we asked school children to write postcards to their future selves and construct their dream cities using lego and minecraft, and decision-makers really listened? What if different sectors — from health and transport to business and NGOs — came together inspired and united by a shared vision of what we want?
Meet Sophie Howe, the groundbreaking leader who had a front seat in driving this transformation in Wales, as the world’s first ever Commissioner for Future Generations. Her job description was to be the legislated “conscience of the nation and voice of future generations" under the country’s Future Generations Act. What she actually did required no small amount of inspiring people, building relationships, navigating political systems — as well as sometimes “banging heads together”.
Sophie joins us to talk through the journey Wales has been on and the lessons for Australia: how we can strengthen and rebuild trust in government and institutions like our public sector; how ideas can snow-ball, gathering others to drive incredibly brave, long-term, cross-siloed solutions; and why getting the systems of government right makes every other breakthrough possible. As the Albanese Government puts its oars in the water for the first time towards a wellbeing framework of our own, Sophie reckons those of us who want to see Australia follow a similar path could be “knocking on an open door”. This conversation also builds on our chat chat with Dr Cressida Gaukroger in episode 2 of this season (‘The Road to Wellbeing’)— check it out if you missed it.
This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded on the lands of the palawa people in lutriwita/Tasmania. We THE honour Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
The Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 — including the 7 wellbeing goals
The visioning project and nine pillars of Australia reMADE
The ‘SDGS’ — UN Sustainable Development Goals
‘Slow lanes’ in the supermarket for people who want to talk
Wales announcing a moratorium on new roads (changing tack from more freeways to active and public transport infrastructure)
Hospitals working with green construction firm to re-purpose vacant lands
Recommendations and things you can do
Check out Measuring What Matters — the first wellbeing report from Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
Watch Sophie’s John Menadue Oration — her recent speech for The Centre for Policy Development in Australia.
Learn more about the role of Future Generations Commissioner and key achievements.
Read “Governments can do amazing things” — Millie’s blog inspired by Sophie Howe’s 2023 John Menadue Oration.
Tell your MP you support a National Conversation about ‘the Australia we want’, and look out for other opportunities to get involved.
Donate to support these conversations and the work of Australia reMADE.
Subscribe to the reMAKERS podcast (hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app). Share on social, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE) or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
Are you overdue for a big pay rise? Would moving a 4 day standard working week be the best way for your employer to give you one (even if you work part-time)?
Economist and Professor John Quiggin thinks so — and he joins for a fireside chat to explain this and other big ideas gathering momentum in modern economics today.
This is your episode if you want to better understand policies like a 4 Day Working Week, different forms of Basic Income, a National Employment Guarantee and how these things would work in practice. What’s inflationary? What can we afford? What about taxes? When does government debt actually matter, and what does the pathway to change look like?
John Quiggin is one of the most respected and prolific voices in Australian economics today. He is a VC Senior Fellow in Economics at the University of Queensland, with more than 1500 publications to his name — including six books. His latest, Economics in Two Lessons: Why Markets Work so Well and Why they can Fail so Badly, is published by Princeton University Press. You can find him everywhere, see links below in your show notes.
This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded in Gubbi Gubbi country on the sunshine coast of Queensland, as well as the land of the Turrbal and Jagera peoples in Meanjin, Brisbane. We honour traditional owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to elders past, present and emerging.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
Zombie Economics: How Dead Ideas Still Walk Among Us, book by John Quiggin
4DayWeek.com — the global campaign for a 4 day standard working week
“Meet the Liveable Income Guarantee” — article in The Conversation by John Quiggin et al
White Paper on Full Employment in Australia post WW2, and the more recent ‘Jobs and Skills Summit’
“Deaths of Despair”
Recommendations and things you can do
Check out John’s latest book, ‘Economics in Two Lessons: Why Markets Work So Well and Why They can Fail so Badly’.
Read John’s newsletter on Substack.
Check out John’s website for a selection of his recently published media articles and more.
Follow John on Mastodon.
Learn more about 4 Day Work Week, Basic Income and Full Employment Guarantee + get involved.
Donate to support this podcast and keep it ad-free.
Subscribe to the reMAKERS podcast (hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app). Share on social, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE) or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
When it comes to our economy, can we dare to ask the question, ‘when is enough, enough?’ Is it time to be more discerning about what we want from our economy and how we define success, from our personal lives to the world at large?
Political economist, writer and advocate for economic system change Dr Katherine Trebeck is here to guide us through a paradigm shift from the economics of ‘more’ to the economics of wellbeing — what she describes as ‘arriving and making ourselves at home’.
Katherine is co-founder of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance. She is a writer-in-residence at the University of Edinburgh’s Edinburgh Futures Institute, Strategic Advisor for Australia’s Centre for Policy Development and sits on a range of boards and advisory groups (including our own). She’s co-authored the essential book, ‘The Economics of Arrival: ideas for a grown up economy’.
Katherine has a talent for explaining big ideas with warmth, passion and clarity. If remaking the economy to better serve people and planet is a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle, where do you start with a puzzle? You start with the corners, which she introduces us to here. It’s a conversation that will change the way you read the news, listen to political speeches, look at business and talk to your friends and family.
“The purpose of this journey could change. We could go from trying to own the world to trying to feel at home in it… And that’s when you take off your shoes, prepared to stay a while.” - Katrine Marçal, quoted in The Economics of Arrival, page 1.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
European Commission Eight Environment Action Programme
The Club of Rome’s Limits to Growth report (first published more than 50 years ago)
Stockholm Resilience Centre’s guide to Planetary Boundaries
Prof Serge Latouche, who coined the term ‘consolation goods’
Defensive expenditures and ecological economics
Failure demand
Herman Daly’s ‘uneconomic growth’
Worker cooperatives, Community Wealth Building
Deliberative democracy, citizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting, Just Transition work
Wealth Tax myths debunked by the Tax Justice Network in the UK
Recommendations and things you can do
Read “The Economics of Arrival: Ideas for a grown-up economy” by Katherine Trebeck and Jeremy Williams.
Check out WeAll.org and join your local chapter.
Check out Katherine’s website, follow her on Twitter.
“Channel your inner three-year-old,” and keep asking why, use your spheres of influence, start conversations.
Encourage governments to flip the script (the economy exists to serve the issues we care about), encourage pro-social business models and get real about environmental crises.
Donate to support this podcast and keep it ad-free.
Subscribe to the reMAKERS podcast (hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app). Share on social, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE), leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
Imagine if we put wellbeing at the heart of government. Imagine a National Conversation that kicks off and creates shared goals for the ‘Australia We Want’, with input from all corners of society.
Our former Treasurer may have mocked wellbeing budgets as all mala beads and incense, but more than half the countries in the OECD have some form of wellbeing framework in place. If we get this right in Australia it could be both practical and powerful — even transformative, for our country.
Our next guest, Dr Cressida Gaukroger, is a global expert on wellbeing government. She joins us for a fascinating look at what’s happening globally, what works and what doesn’t, and why she’s completely changed her mind on how ambitious we should be.
Cressida is a Senior Policy Advisor on Wellbeing with the Centre for Policy Development. She’s taught ethics at Oxford, has PhD in Philosophy and writes children’s stories in her spare time in a genre she lovingly refers to as “parents’ revenge”.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
Amartya Sen’s ‘Capability Approach’to wellbeing
Welsh Well-being of Future Generations Act
The Thodey Review (an independent review into Australian public service)
Australia reMADE’s work on what we want the public service to be
How Glasgow took a ‘radically different approach’ to tackling knife crime
Victorian Early Intervention Investment Framework
Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ article in The Monthly about values-based capitalism
The Wales We Want National Conversation
Office of the Future Generations Commissioner in Wales
Recommendations
Sophie Howe’s John Menadue Oration in Australia
“Government Can Do Amazing Things,” by Dr Millie Rooney, Australia reMADE
“The Makings of a Vision” — the backstory to the making of the vision of an Australia reMADE
Things you can do
Check out the upcoming Wellbeing Economy Forum in Iceland (you can register to attend online).
Learn How to host a Kitchen Table Conversation.
Write a letter to the editor, kick off a conversation online or in your networks about these ideas.
Tell your MP you want a National Conversation for the ‘Australia We Want’.
Write to the Treasurer as Treasury considers next steps in Australia’s wellbeing budget development.
Donate to support the podcast and more of these conversations.
Subscribe to the reMAKERS podcast. Share on social, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE), leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
…
This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded in Gubbi Gubbi Country on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, as well as the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation in Melbourne. We honour Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
It’s the economics course you’d actually like to take, and today’s guests hope the best universities in the world copy their approach and put them out of business. In the meantime, they’re educating a new generation of leaders to remake economics from the inside out, and you’re invited to apply.
Join us for a provocative discussion about an economics fit for the 21st century, with guests Steven Hail and Gabrielle Bond. They explain why they quit their jobs to create Australia’s first Master of Economics of Sustainability degree, what they’d like to see our government doing differently, and where to from here if we want to solve the crises of climate change, rising inequality, cost of living and more.
Steven Hail is adjunct Associate Professor at Torrens University and Research Scholar at the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity. Gabrielle Bond is a climate activist and organiser, CEO of the charity Modern Money Lab, member of Extinction Rebellion and a co-founder of theSustainable Prosperity Action Group. This conversation offers a revealing glimpse behind the curtain of economics and power, and a generational transformation we need to accelerate.
This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded in Gubbi Gubbi Country on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, as well as the lands of the Kaurna people in Adelaide, South Australia. We honour Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
“What if climate change meant not doom, but abundance?” article in The Washington Post by Rebecca Solnit, March 15, 2023.
"A message from the Future,” video presented by Naomi Klein and the Intercept, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Stephanie Kelton keynote, Sustainable Prosperity Conference, Adelaide
The Doughnut Economics model — Kate Raworth
Genuine Progress Indicator (an alternative economic measurement to GDP)
Future to Fight For, GetUp campaign
A Federal Jobs Guarantee report by the Sustainable Prosperity Action Group
Universal Basic Income (UBI) in Australia
William Nordhaus’ Nobel Prize
The Appallingly Bad Neoclassical Economics of Climate Change, paper by by Steve Keen
Upcoming weekend intensives with Modern Money Lab
Recommendations
Don’t think of an Elephant, by George Lakoff
Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
Less is More and The Divide, both by Jason Hickel
Mission Economy by Mariana Mazzucato
The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton
Things you can do
Sign up for courses with Modern Money Lab and Torrens University
Donate to the team who make this podcast and keep it ad-free.
Share the podcast on social, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE), leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
What does it mean to contribute? What do we need to to enable everyone to meaningfully contribute to society (and for this contribution to be recognised)?
In the second half of 2022, Australia reMADE and Women’s Health Goulburn North East hosted a series of live panel discussions based around the three Cs from our public good work — Care, Connection and Contribution.
Join Millie and three expert panellists for our final conversation in this series as they discuss what it means to contribute; the importance of actively building a more respectful society, and the power of a crisis to offer obviously pathways to meaningfully care, connect and contribute.
It’s a conversation about capitalism, history, gender, generations, culture, the lessons of the pandemic and so much more.
Our panellists for today’s discussion are:
Cr Greg James is a very proud Yorta Yorta man and the first Indigenous person to be elected to the Greater Shepparton City Council. Greg is an active member on various boards, community sports and is also an artist.
Judy Horacek is a cartoonist, writer and beloved children’s book-maker (Where is the Green Sheep? Good Night, Sleep Tight). Ten collections of her cartoons have been published, the most recent of which is Now or Never. Her cartoons are often concerned with the environment, feminism and social justice. Judy is also a printmaker and regularly exhibits her work.
Ali Thwaites is an educator and leader, including being a founding member of the Australian Youth for International Climate Engagement Working Group. Since graduating from her Masters in 2016 Ali has been a primary and special education teacher while continuing to work in various youth and environmental leadership roles.
This was a sensitive, nuanced and wide-ranging conversation covering broad and deeply personal themes. We hope it inspires you to value yourself, be gentle on yourself and play your part to build a world where everyone contributes, matters and belongs.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention:
Our public good research
Koori Court
Yarning Circles
Universal Basic Income
Youth volunteering
Things you can do:
Be gentle on yourself: you are enough.
Allow yourself to grow, give and take up space — especially if you haven’t, or people like you haven’t, in the past.
Learn to listen and value dialogue over just debate. Learning more about Yarning Circles is a good place to start.
Partner with someone older or younger to learn, mentor and connect.
Find out whose land you’re on if you don’t already know; there’s so much to learn from our Traditional Custodians of Australia.
Chip in to support this podcast and the work of Australia reMADE.
Share the conversation on social, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE), leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
Welcome to the second instalment in our Bonus Summer Series — a deep dive into CONNECTION.
It’s a conversation about radical love and the peace we gain when we are still, vulnerable and connected to place — accepting Country as a place of care and love that loves us back. It’s about the gender implications of connection as real actual work. It’s about connection across difference, and welcoming connection inside the mess and complexity. It’s about being gentle on ourselves as we try to find and focus on our patch of the world to change.
In the second half of 2022, Australia reMADE and Women’s Health Goulburn North East hosted a series of live panel discussions based around the three Cs from our public good work — Care, Connection and Contribution.
Featuring Millie and three expert panelists:
Dr. Emma Lee is a trawlwulwuy woman of tebrakunna country, north-east Tasmania, Australia. She is an Associate Professor (Indigenous Leadership) Swinburne University of Technology. Her research fields over the last 25 years have focused on Indigenous affairs in land and sea management, policy and governance of Australian regulatory environments. She’s also the author of articles like, “We 'love-bombed' the Tasmanian government to win Indigenous rights”.
Jasper Peach, a trans, non-binary and disabled writer, speaker and editor from Jaara Country; Castlemaine, Victoria. They are passionate about equitable access and inclusion, focused around the dismantling of misplaced shame via storytelling. Their first book, “You’ll Be A Wonderful Parent” is a collection of advice and encouragement for new and prospective queer parents, and will be released in March 2023 by Hardie Grant.
Amanda Kelly (she/her), the CEO of Women’s Health Goulburn North East has spent the majority of her working life in the not-for-profit sector. She has always sought to find the connections between the ways we live, work and are in the world. Her current role allows her to focus on the long-term, systemic changes that we need to consider if we want to create a life that is full of meaning for all of us.
It might make you want to sit under tree in the rain for a while. Happy listening.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention:
Our public good research
Our previous chat with Dr Emma Lee
That time the women of Iceland all went on strike for a day
Abolishing prisons
Things you can do:
Answer the question, ‘What is your little patch to love?’
Be gentle on yourself, explore what it looks like and feels like to love who you are.
Choose localisation over globalisation where you can. Try on the mantra, ‘this is enough for me’.
Chip in to support this podcast and the work of Australia reMADE.
Share the conversation on social, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE), leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
We bring you the first episode of our Bonus Summer Series — a conversation reframing CARE.
Why is it that a fence line on a National Park changes our care relationship with a piece of land? What does it look like to recognise care as a policy choice rather than just an individual responsibility? And who is up for a four-day work week?
In the second half of 2022, Australia reMADE and Women’s Health Goulburn North East co-hosted a series of live panel discussions based around the three Cs from our public good work — Care, Connection and Contribution.
Join Millie and our three wonderful panellists for our first conversation about valuing care: what it means for our for human life and community, nature and the environment, our careers and family life, and the sort of infrastructure we need to build to care and be cared for well.
The panellists for today’s conversation are:
Beth Thornber, a First Nations artist of the Wiradjuri people, whose art practice considers existing structures cemented in everyday life and applies this lens to reimagine ideas of sacredness, boundaries, common ownership and shared responsibility.
Dr Arnagretta Hunter, a physician and cardiologist concerned with the effects of climate change on human health. She is the chair of the Commission for the Human Future and a member of the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions.
Matt Grogan, a commercial and property lawyer and a director and founder of community-energy company, Indigo Power Ltd and a founder of Totally Renewable Yackandandah.
This wide-ranging conversation might change the way you think about care forever.
SHOW NOTES
Further reading:
Millie’s blog about her key takeaways from this conversation
“Reclaiming our Purpose: It’s time to talk about the public good” research and report by Australia reMADE
4 Day Work Week (check out the global campaign)
Universal Basic Income (the Australian Parliament website has published this introductory guide)
A living wage
Feminist economics
Things you can do:
Find new ways to openly centre care, and talk about “#valuecaring” in your work and world.
Join a campaign for structural change (see starter list above).
“Throw a fish back” — don’t take more than what you need, leave enough for others.
Chip in to support this podcast and the work of Australia reMADE.
Share the conversation on social, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE), leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
It’s the end of the year, folks. No one needs anything overly demanding to listen to, but nor do we need a whinge-fest (state of nation: “tired”).
Enter Millie and Lily for the final reMAKERS pod of this year: a pretty chill but perky chat that comes full circle to the start of this season, about our ‘why’ as a country and interesting spaces the public good ideas have travelled to this year.
Find out why 2022 is the year Millie fell in love with public servants, and what Lily’s most excited to learn about next year (bringing the pod community along, of course).
Also some books and podcast recommendations for your summer, even though Millie confesses she has no intention of reading ‘nerd books’ any time soon. It’s honest, but light. It’s reMAKING, over-an-iced-latte-with-a-friend style.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention:
Thodey Review into the public service
A public service for the public good? Millie’s recap of a candid and remarkably uplifting public servants’ conversation
“The great delusion behind Twitter” by Ezra Klein, The New York Times, 11 Dec 2022
Recommendations:
Living Democracy, by Tim Hollo
Rest Is Resistance: Reclaiming Our Divine Right to Lay Down, by Tricia Hersey
Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist, by Kate Raworth
The Economics of Arrival: Ideas for a Grown-Up Economy, by Katherine Trebeck and Jeremy Williams
Principle of Charity podcast with Emile Sherman and Lloyd Vogelman
Things you can do
You can now donate! Our small team who make this podcast and keep it ad-free thank you!!
Share the podcast on social, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE), leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
What does it mean to be Australian? Do we have a national story, a national identity; and do we need one if we’re going to heal the wounds of our past and rise to the challenges ahead? Join us for a fascinating discussion with two of Australia’s leading historians, authors and academics about finding and evolving the story of us.
Professor Emeritus Julianne Shultz and Professor Frank Bongiorno have dedicated their lives to observing, understanding and exploring who we are, and how we got here.
In this wonderful conversation we discuss why Federation celebrations fell flat and were a missed opportunity (but the 2000 Sydney Olympics got the masses nationally inspired), the need for a Hamilton-esque Australian musical (and why we may or may not be ready and able for such a thing), and the potential of the democracy sausage as a national symbol to gather around.
In her latest book, Julianne writes that, “Change, ambition and doing things differently are surprisingly hard in a place that is at once cosmopolitan and provincially deferential, young and ancient, in Asia but not of it, without much history yet brimming with it”.
It feels more important than ever right now to have a sense of who we are, what we stand for and how we might come together with all our complexities and contradictions.
Julianne is Professor Emeritus of Media and Culture at Griffith University’s Centre for Social and Cultural Research. She is currently the chair of The Conversation and was the publisher and founding editor of the Griffith Review. Julianne is recognised as a national leader and advocate on matters related to media and culture. And her wonderful new book, The Idea of Australia: A Search for the Soul of the Nation (2022) really showcases her understanding of Australia as a nation.
Frank is a Professor of History at the Australian National University and the president of the Australian Historical Association. He is the author of numerous acclaimed histories including The Eighties and The Sex Lives of Australians. His latest book, Dreamers and Schemers: A Political history of Australia, (2022) is a detailed and entertaining insight into our national moments of political renewal and change.
Join us for a fascinating conversation that makes space for new ways of seeing, and new possibilities for us all.
SHOW NOTES
Historical figures we mention
Vida Goldstein
Alfred Deakin
Things you can do
Find these great books at your local bookstore, library or order them online (links above).
Share this podcast, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE), leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
Ah, fiction. Just when you think you’ve had enough of the real world, here comes our refuge. Our imagination and joy. Our space to play and safely try on bold ideas, delve into our pain, recover our humanity; laugh, cry and walk in each other’s shoes.
Recently inspired by some great guest interviews, Millie and Lily are back to talk about the arts, the stories that have shaped them, and whether art and government/power should mix at all, or keep firmly to their separate corners.
Millie tells us all about the “Practical Utopias” fellowship she’s doing with Margaret Atwood at the moment, while Lily admits to some embarrassing film and tv loves. (Post-script: she can’t believe she forgot to mention The West Wing!)
It’s a chat about reMAKING, for storytellers and lovers of story everywhere.
What are the stories that have shaped you, and what are the stories you think humanity needs to be telling next? Why do stories about how the world can be better often read like government reports (‘boring and bossy’), or are we getting better? Leave your comments on social media or get in touch via email/voicemail — details below.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
Failed Utopias and why Margaret Atwood started the Practical Utopias fellowship
Cargo ships of the future, powered by wind turbines
Nashulai: The First Maasai Conservancy
Taboo — the company on a mission to end period poverty
Mushroom burial suit, water burial
The Australian government’s creation of SBS, the most diverse broadcaster in the world
The founder of the public relations (incorrectly referred as Freud’s cousin — it was his nephew, Edward Bernays)
Dr Wes Watkins, creator of the Jazz and Democracy project (coming up on our next episode, stay tuned)
Recommendations
Ted Lasso
Heartbreak High
Dateline (SBS on Demand): The World’s Happiest Country
Things you can do
Enjoy some art.
Make some art.
Share this podcast, write a review, tell a friend.
Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE), leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
A story, well told, has unmatched power. So how do we tell stories that take us through pain, overcome division and make room for all of us to be our full selves and still belong? What is it about story that makes it one of humanity’s oldest and best technologies? And how can those of who want to change the world especially tell better stories — stories that have a moral, without being moralising?
Renowned playwright S. Shakthidharan joins us on the pod to explore the power and presence of story: how it connect us — literally in our breath when a live audience is engrossed in a show. How it can divide, or heal. How it teaches us to be publicly vulnerable, that most exquisite and excruciating of emotional experiences. He speaks deeply from his own story and experience of the stage as a sacred space, in a conversation we didn’t want to end.
Shakthi is a Western Sydney storyteller and producer who works in theatre, film, music and television. He has Sri Lankan heritage and Tamil ancestry. His debut play, Counting and Cracking, was a box office and critical tour de force that swept the Helpmann awards (equivalent of the Tony’s in Australia), and has just returned from the Edinburgh Festival as well as Birmingham. Counting and Cracking is the story of the descent into civil war in Sri Lanka and the people who tried to stop it — as well as a cautionary tale about the politics of division.
His new play, The Jungle and Sea, is written in honour of those who survived the war, and the ways they found to uphold their dignity even when everything else was falling down around them. It will debut in Sydney at the Belvoir Theatre later this year.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
Community art — or art as a social practice.
Things you can do
Get tickets to The Jungle and the Sea (in Sydney from 12 Nov-18 Dec).
Check out Shakthi’s new film in production, The Laugh of Lakshmi.
Learn more about the Sri Lankan civil war and recent developments.
Check out Shakthi’s production company Kurinji for more amazing projects coming our way across music, theatre, television and film.
Share this episode on social media or with friends, write a review on ITunes or Spotify.
Leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org
A story, well told, has unmatched power. So how do we tell stories that take us through pain, overcome division and make room for all of us to be our full selves and still belong? What is it about story that makes it one of humanity’s oldest and best technologies? And how can those of who want to change the world especially tell better stories — stories that have a moral, without being moralising?
Renowned playwright S. Shakthidharan joins us on the pod to explore the power and presence of story: how it connect us — literally in our breath when a live audience is engrossed in a show. How it can divide, or heal. How it teaches us to be publicly vulnerable, that most exquisite and excruciating of emotional experiences. He speaks deeply from his own story and experience of the stage as a sacred space, in a conversation we didn’t want to end.
Shakthi is a Western Sydney storyteller and producer who works in theatre, film, music and television. He has Sri Lankan heritage and Tamil ancestry. His debut play, Counting and Cracking, was a box office and critical tour de force that swept the Helpmann awards (equivalent of the Tony’s in Australia), and has just returned from the Edinburgh Festival as well as Birmingham. Counting and Cracking is the story of the descent into civil war in Sri Lanka and the people who tried to stop it — as well as a cautionary tale about the politics of division.
His new play, The Jungle and Sea, is written in honour of those who survived the war, and the ways they found to uphold their dignity even when everything else was falling down around them. It will debut in Sydney at the Belvoir Theatre later this year.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
Community art — or art as a social practice.
Things you can do
Get tickets to The Jungle and the Sea (in Sydney from 12 Nov-18 Dec).
Check out Shakthi’s new film in production, The Laugh of Lakshmi.
Learn more about the Sri Lankan civil war and recent developments.
Check out Shakthi’s production company Kurinji for more amazing projects coming our way across music, theatre, television and film.
Share this episode on social media or with friends, write a review on ITunes or Spotify.
Leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org
Where were you in the 2020s?
Our next guest wants you to be able to say, ‘I was part of it, leading the change’.
Dr Joëlle Gergis is one of the world’s leading climate scientists and, we reckon after this conversation especially, a national treasure. She’s devoted her career to the cutting edge of climate science: researching, teaching, writing and contributing to the UN’s IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. That’s the global, state-of-the-art review of climate change science, led by an international community of experts who volunteertheir time.
So are we too late? How bad is it, really? What would the natural world look like if we did everything right from here? And how do scientists like Joëlle cope with all this? She peels back the curtain in this revealing, human and compassionate chat about our Earth, our humanity and her philosophy for living a meaningful life.
Dr Gergis is an award-winning climate scientist, senior lecturer at the Australian National University and writer of Sunburnt Country: The history and future of climate change in Australia. Her latest book is out now — Humanity’s Moment: a Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope. It’s a great read for science lovers, people lovers, and anyone wanting to be expertly guided through the story of our Earth’s past, present and possible futures. Her message: it’s up to us.
“Ultimately we’re not talking about a scientific issue here,” says the scientist. “This is a moment where we need to think about, ‘what does it mean to be human right now?’ It’s actually a moment of healing.” Join us, for a conversation you won’t forget.
SHOW NOTES
Recommendations & things mentioned
An excerpt from ‘Humanity’s Moment’
Joanna Macy and ‘active hope’
Rebecca Solnit, ‘Hope in the Dark’
Lisa Wells, ‘Believers: Making a Life at the End of the World’
Article on taking the blame for ruining the planet
reMAKER Claire O’Rourke (season 2, ep 7) and book ‘Together We Can’
Things you can do next
Buy your copy of Humanity’s Moment: A climate scientist’s case for hope.
Get politically active: find a group, back a candidate, join a march, donate, write letters to the editor, engage with your MP.
Get active within your networks and spheres of influence at home, at work, socially, in your community.
Look at the way you power your home, the food you eat, the next car you purchase, etc…
Can’t go solar? Ask your power company if they can offset your energy use at no extra cost to you (see example here).
Search your super fund plus “sustainable” and see what options there are, or switch. (Market Forces offers free, independent guides to banking, super, insurance and other products that ‘use your money as a force for good’.)
Share this episode on social media or with friends. Write a review on Apple or Spotify, spread the word.
Thoughts? Leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
Where were you in the 2020s?
Our next guest wants you to be able to say, ‘I was part of it, leading the change’.
Dr Joëlle Gergis is one of the world’s leading climate scientists and, we reckon after this conversation especially, a national treasure. She’s devoted her career to the cutting edge of climate science: researching, teaching, writing and contributing to the UN’s IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. That’s the global, state-of-the-art review of climate change science, led by an international community of experts who volunteertheir time.
So are we too late? How bad is it, really? What would the natural world look like if we did everything right from here? And how do scientists like Joëlle cope with all this? She peels back the curtain in this revealing, human and compassionate chat about our Earth, our humanity and her philosophy for living a meaningful life.
Dr Gergis is an award-winning climate scientist, senior lecturer at the Australian National University and writer of Sunburnt Country: The history and future of climate change in Australia. Her latest book is out now — Humanity’s Moment: a Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope. It’s a great read for science lovers, people lovers, and anyone wanting to be expertly guided through the story of our Earth’s past, present and possible futures. Her message: it’s up to us.
“Ultimately we’re not talking about a scientific issue here,” says the scientist. “This is a moment where we need to think about, ‘what does it mean to be human right now?’ It’s actually a moment of healing.” Join us, for a conversation you won’t forget.
SHOW NOTES
Recommendations & things mentioned
An excerpt from ‘Humanity’s Moment’
Joanna Macy and ‘active hope’
Rebecca Solnit, ‘Hope in the Dark’
Lisa Wells, ‘Believers: Making a Life at the End of the World’
Article on taking the blame for ruining the planet
reMAKER Claire O’Rourke (season 2, ep 7) and book ‘Together We Can’
Things you can do next
Buy your copy of Humanity’s Moment: A climate scientist’s case for hope.
Get politically active: find a group, back a candidate, join a march, donate, write letters to the editor, engage with your MP.
Get active within your networks and spheres of influence at home, at work, socially, in your community.
Look at the way you power your home, the food you eat, the next car you purchase, etc…
Can’t go solar? Ask your power company if they can offset your energy use at no extra cost to you (see example here).
Search your super fund plus “sustainable” and see what options there are, or switch. (Market Forces offers free, independent guides to banking, super, insurance and other products that ‘use your money as a force for good’.)
Share this episode on social media or with friends. Write a review on Apple or Spotify, spread the word.
Thoughts? Leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
This conversation is for anyone who’s ever been ambivalent about their phone (or secretly longed to smash it), as well as those of us trying to thoughtfully navigate our way through a beautiful, troubled, at times exhausting world with love, hope and joy.
On today’s episode of the reMAKERS, Millie and Lily sit down with Toni Hassan. Toni is a Walkley Award-winning journalist, writer, visual artist, parent and the author of Families in the Digital Age— a book about parenting in these complicated tech-heavy times. She’s also an Associate with the Centre for Responsible Technology with The Australia Institute, and an Adjunct Research Fellow with the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture at Charles Sturt University.
Toni was born in Durban, South Africa, and grew up on Gadigal land in Sydney. She started her career in journalism working for the ABC, but as the tech revolution took hold found herself longing to be able to switch off more, model something different to her kids and create in new ways. This led her to complete her Honours in visual arts in 2021, and today she’s recognised as an emerging artist, with work held in the public collection of the ACT Legislative Assembly.
This is a deeply reflective, wise and wide-ranging exchange spanning big themes — from apartheid and internalised racism to the ‘tyranny of the urgent’ in the age of the smart phone; as well as the role of the arts in helping us to lose ourselves and find ourselves. We invite you to let Toni’s words wash over you and maybe even settle into your bones. Then go get muddy and let us know if you smash your phone.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
Apartheid
Jim Crow
Ubuntu: ‘I am because you are,’ and the teachings of Desmond Tutu.
Bunnings (and others) using facial recognition software.
The ACT government introducing Google Chrome books from year 7.
Things you can do
Buy a copy of Families in the Digital Age: Every parent’s guide.
Read more of Toni’s written work. (“Time to reclaim the lifeblood of human society,” and “Facebook is ripping society apart, and other reasons to abandon social media,” are two that touch on today’s themes.)
Think about when you’re playing to your ‘small self’ vs your ‘big self’. Permission to opt out of the crap!
Check out the Centre for Responsible Technology, increase your digital literacy and join with others interested in remaking tech for the public good.
Start a conversation with your MP, school or workplace about the role of technology in our lives and how it can serve us better.
Make art, garden, spend time in wild spaces, find ways to quiet your mind, create intentional rituals, get muddy.
Share this episode with friends (yes, we recognise the irony of asking you to post on social media). Write a review, spread the word.
Leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
This conversation is for anyone who’s ever been ambivalent about their phone (or secretly longed to smash it), as well as those of us trying to thoughtfully navigate our way through a beautiful, troubled, at times exhausting world with love, hope and joy.
On today’s episode of the reMAKERS, Millie and Lily sit down with Toni Hassan. Toni is a Walkley Award-winning journalist, writer, visual artist, parent and the author of Families in the Digital Age— a book about parenting in these complicated tech-heavy times. She’s also an Associate with the Centre for Responsible Technology with The Australia Institute, and an Adjunct Research Fellow with the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture at Charles Sturt University.
Toni was born in Durban, South Africa, and grew up on Gadigal land in Sydney. She started her career in journalism working for the ABC, but as the tech revolution took hold found herself longing to be able to switch off more, model something different to her kids and create in new ways. This led her to complete her Honours in visual arts in 2021, and today she’s recognised as an emerging artist, with work held in the public collection of the ACT Legislative Assembly.
This is a deeply reflective, wise and wide-ranging exchange spanning big themes — from apartheid and internalised racism to the ‘tyranny of the urgent’ in the age of the smart phone; as well as the role of the arts in helping us to lose ourselves and find ourselves. We invite you to let Toni’s words wash over you and maybe even settle into your bones. Then go get muddy and let us know if you smash your phone.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
Apartheid
Jim Crow
Ubuntu: ‘I am because you are,’ and the teachings of Desmond Tutu.
Bunnings (and others) using facial recognition software.
The ACT government introducing Google Chrome books from year 7.
Things you can do
Buy a copy of Families in the Digital Age: Every parent’s guide.
Read more of Toni’s written work. (“Time to reclaim the lifeblood of human society,” and “Facebook is ripping society apart, and other reasons to abandon social media,” are two that touch on today’s themes.)
Think about when you’re playing to your ‘small self’ vs your ‘big self’. Permission to opt out of the crap!
Check out the Centre for Responsible Technology, increase your digital literacy and join with others interested in remaking tech for the public good.
Start a conversation with your MP, school or workplace about the role of technology in our lives and how it can serve us better.
Make art, garden, spend time in wild spaces, find ways to quiet your mind, create intentional rituals, get muddy.
Share this episode with friends (yes, we recognise the irony of asking you to post on social media). Write a review, spread the word.
Leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
If you’re someone who has ever felt freaked out about the climate crisis, this is the episode for you.
In this episode of the reMAKERS, Millie gets chatting with Claire O’Rourke — campaigner, behaviour-change expert and author of Together We Can: Everyday Australians doing amazing things to give our planet a future.
Claire and Millie explore climate grief (and why the thought of facing it makes them both want away shrieking, even though they both believe it’s a good thing to be open about), some of Claire’s favourite stories of Australians meeting the climate crisis with mind-boggling ambition, and the game-changing reality of positive tipping points.
Claire describes herself as “totally climate freaked-out,” which is why she helps people and organisations take action on climate change, currently as Energy Transformation Program Co-Director at The Sunrise Project. Previously Claire was National Director of Solar Citizens, a community-led renewable energy advocacy organisation. A former journalist, she has extensive experience campaigning for social impact — including driving communications for the Every Australian Counts campaign for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and as a senior leader at Amnesty International Australia.
This is a conversation that will do more than just fill you with hope. It’s balm for the soul, and inspiration to make your own climate action awesomely enjoyable, ambitious and effective. Together We Can.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
The Good Grief Network
The Art of Hosting
Reconnected, book by Andrew Leigh and Nick Terrell
Climate Compass research - webinar recording with Claire O’Rourke and Rebecca Huntley; article by Rebecca Huntley
Climate Salad
Bardee
Uluu
Lighter Footprints
All We Can Save Project
Things you can do
Buy a copy of Together We Can (half the royalties from book sales go to Groundswell Giving).
Check out ClimateActionStartsHere.com - Claire’s comprehensive, up-to-date list of resources, tools and ways to act.
Share this episode on social media or with friends. Write a review, spread the word.
Leave a message for the show by calling (02) 7257 2619, or email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
So we’ve had this energy crisis. We’ve got this climate crisis. Now what?
Look, we know what we want and it’s not that complicated: power that works for all of us — clean, safe, affordable and equitable. So how did we get into this mess, and what can we do about it besides nervously wait for our next energy bill to strike?
On today’s episode, Lily and Millie defy the techno jargon and dive into solutions that are more exciting than just remembering to turn the lights off. We’ve got a generational opportunity here to reshape what our energy looks like, in order to deliver multiple benefits at multiple levels.
We also hear a great listener question from Tracy in Sydney, whom rightly points out that, “‘If investment in a sustainable future for our earth isn’t a public good, I don’t know what is!’” Be like Tracy and leave a message for the show (number’s below).
It’s a surprisingly good chat about a topic that frankly didn’t excite either of our co-hosts, but ends with a rousing cheer for Captain Planet. The power is YOURS!
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention:
Solar farms on sheep farms improving wool quality! (What in the wool??)
“The clean energy revolution isn’t just a techno-fix – it’s about capturing hearts and minds,” co-written by energy reseacher Dr Hedda Ransan-Cooper
How the city of London got so many EV charging points
Different models of renewable power ownership and storage:
First Nations Clean Energy — community-owned renewable power projects on Country, keeping jobs local and delivering shared benefits
Grong Grong solar farm — Australian-first crowdsourced solar farm (invest from $250)
Community/neighbourhood batteries — and the Yarra Energy Foundation
Cooperative Power — cooperatively-owned energy retailer focused on affordable power and investment in clean energy to address climate change and inequality
Solar Share — local community-owned solar farm
Good advocacy (just a few cited examples, not exhaustive list)
Renewable Albury Wodonga Helen Haines MP and Indi show how reinvigorating democracy has so many flow on effects!
Campaign to get solar panels on every school (incorrectly attributed to The Parenthood, it’s actually run by Australian Parents for Climate Action)
Voices for Power campaign winning financial support and greater solar fairness in Western Sydney
Things you can do
Consider solar panels for your home if that’s an option for you.
Change energy providers, maybe cooperatively-owned, green power? (Government comparison site here.)
Get vocal — talk to your MP, to others in your community, write to your local paper.
Invest! Check out organisations you can support financially.
Engage with good advocacy in this space.
Mind the basics to reduce energy waste.
Remember the awesomeness of Captain Planet.
Things we’d also love you to do:
Still with us? Amazing.
Share this episode. Write a review on Apple podcasts, help more people find solutions and a politics that works for us.
Leave a message for the show: call (02) 7257 2619, or email us your thoughts at podcast@Australiaremade.org.
Join the community of reMAKERS on our website, follow us on social.
“There’s nothing that I like better than talking to kick-arse sassy women about politics!” -Ruth McGowan, the reMAKERS podcast
We couldn’t agree more, which is why we’re so excited about this conversation with Ruth McGowan.
Ruth McGowan is an author, mentor, trainer and champion of community, democracy and women in politics. She’s been a Mayor and served on her local council, and in 2013 she helped her sister, Cathy McGowan run as an Independent in the seat of Indi — winning, to everyone’s shock — what had been a safe Liberal seat. Of course, that powerful ‘lighthouse example’ helped kick off the entire Voices4 Community Independents’ movement, which set off a political earthquake at the last election.
On today’s episode, Lily and Millie talk with Ruth about what it takes to run, the scripts we have to flip, and why success is choosing to put your hand up in the first place. It’s a ripper of a chat, and a true joy to share on the back of an election where more women ran for office and more women were elected to federal Parliament than ever before! Here’s to a future where women in public office is entirely normal and unremarkable.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention:
“Get Elected: A step-by-step campaign guide to winning public office” book by Ruth McGowan
Equip workshops on the skills to run for public office, with Ruth McGowan and Women for Election Australia
Women Leading Locally fellowship program in the state of Victoria
New research into the gender composition across federal, state and local politics in Australia
Politics in Coloursupporting Australians from diverse backgrounds to run for office
Rainbow Local Government supporting and promoting local governments to foster a culture that is inclusive, responsive and accessible to LGBTIQA+ Victorians
A New Dawn for Women, pillar seven from the Vision for an Australia reMADE
Ruth’s Call to Action
Run for office! Think about it now (and whether locally, state or federally, there’s always an election somewhere).
Think about who you can support to run (hint: support can take MANY forms).
Join a local group that’s focused on something you care about.
Keep your voice going.
Hold your local MP accountable to the things you believe need to happen.
“We can all be sh*t-stirrers in our own way.” Write the letter to the editor, call talkback radio. It’s one small step, but hundreds of thousands of people will hear your voice.
Other things you can do:
Share this episode with your daughters, friends, the kick-arse sassy women in your life! Write a review, spread the word.
Leave a message for the show: call (02) 7257 2619, or email us your thoughts at podcast@Australiaremade.org.
Welcome to the Post-Election Therapeutic Celebratory Download Chat!
How are you feeling post-election? Joyful? Weary? Cynical? Numb?
Millie and Lily dig into it all. It’s a chat about what this election means for democracy, about ‘strategic joy’ and hope, and how to make the most of this page-turn in our country’s story.
We also reflect on the mass shootings in America from Lily’s perspective as a dual US-Australian citizen, and how Australians can help. Let’s embrace our power to drive not only better ideas, but a better kind of politics.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention:
Sacramento California Police Department “Gas for Guns” buybacks runs out of fuel vouchers in an hour
Leading from the Front, Lily’s article on how to make the most of this transformational moment in Australian politics
Things you can do!
Leave a message for the show. Buzzing with ideas, thoughts after this episode? Let us know! Call (02) 7257 2619, or email your thoughts to podcast@Australiaremade.org.
What did this election mean for you? How are you feeling? What do you want to see happen from here?
Reach out to the people who represent you — never underestimate the power of a personal, positive message to build a relationship.
Use your voice on social media — spread the word about this podcast, share a message or idea that’s inspired you, model the kind of politics you want to see.
Distressed about gun violence in America? You can donate from afar, and use your voice to help change the story that nothing can be done. Groups to support include:
Together Rising
EveryTown for Gun Safety
March for Our Lives
So, we’ve got this election. What would you do if you became PM for a day?
Join Lily and Millie for this and many other questions, as we talk about what reMAKERS really want for our country, and how we can start to reclaim our “why”. A great follow-up to our last episode, or enjoy as stand-alone chat.
Again, this is a fairly nerdy episode, but nerds are our people and we’re good with that. It covers politics, business, childcare, renewable energy, muffins, staffing ratios and more... Fundamentally, it’s a conversation about purpose.
Show Notes
Things we mention:
First Nations Clean Energy Network — working to ensure First Nations share in the benefits of a clean energy boom.
Cooperative Power — a new way for people to buy clean, sustainable & affordable energy.
“What Regions Need on the Path to Net Zero” landmark report from The Next Economy, led by Dr Amanda Cahill (see episode 5 from Season 1).
“Buurtzorg: revolutionising home care in the Netherlands” case study (also written up in the book, New Power).
Things you can do!
Leave a message for the show. Buzzing with ideas, thoughts after this episode? Let us know! Call (02) 7257 2619, or email your thoughts to podcast@Australiaremade.org.
Become an expert voice for public good. Read our summary report and full research here. The full report has a messaging guide to help you talk about these things — whether to your neighbour or to your local MP.
Reach out to the people who represent you — never underestimate the power of a personal, positive message.
Write a letter to the editor of your local or national newspaper.
Use your voice on social media — spread the word about this podcast, talk about our purpose as a country. Celebrate connection, care and contribution as the building blocks of public good and a ‘why’ that can unite and excite people from all walks of life.
Not gonna lie, this is one for the nerds among us.
Covid was a giant portal. There’s no going back to the old world. Add to that the climate disasters we’ve endured in Australia (hello fires, floods) and more and more Australians are questioning the role of government, what we really want as a country, and how we can best look after each other and thrive through scary and tumultuous times.
Dr Millie Rooney decided to dig into all these questions, and she’s here today to tell us what she found. This is a great one for our listeners who are journalists, advocates, policy-makers and government workers to tune into especially; but we hope it’s a useful conversation for all of us who are striving for a world where people and planet can thrive. Throw in a national election, and we’ve got an interesting opportunity here to reset our sense of purpose. How do we make the most of this moment? This is part one of a two-part conversation, and we’d love to get your input for the next episode (see show notes)!
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention:
Leave a message for the show: call (02) 7257 2619, or email your thoughts to podcast@Australiaremade.org.
Our question du jour: ‘What does putting the public good in practice look like to you? Where is working well, and what’s one thing you’d change to get it working better in Australia (or wherever you live)?’
Learn more about our public good research and check out the report here. (Send a copy to your MP and candidates!)
Citizens’ juries in South Australia
Voices 4 Indi, showing what radical trust in contribution to democracy can look like
The reMAKERS podcast is back, and just in time for the federal election! Dare we be excited about democracy, even when it’s at its most nauseating? Join Millie and Lily for a chat about what is actually exciting us this election, what we’re noticing from the people around us, and the mindset we need to be sane and useful citizens. You’re totally invited to join us in the ‘uncool joy club’.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention:
Uncommon victories: lessons from Warringah and Indi
ItTakes3.com.au
Australian Democracy Network
TheyVoteForYou.org.au
ABC Vote Compass
The Idea of Australia: A search for the soul of the nation, by Julianne Schultz
Accessing Joy and Finding Connection in the Midst of Struggle on the Unlocking US podcast with Brene Brown, interviewing Karen Walrond
The Lightmaker's Manifesto: How to Work for Change without Losing Your Joy by Karen Walrond
It’s the final episode of the year, and Millie and Lily are feeling reflective.
What did we learn this year that we don’t actually want to forget over the delightful amnesia of holiday shut down? What were the good bits to hang onto out of covid, and where did things fall apart? What are the wild possibilities for the future?
We made a list, talked it out, and now feel much better.
If it feels like you’ve also lived a decade+ this year, you’re not alone. We’d love to hear your reflections and lessons: email us at podcast@AustraliareMADE.org.
Finally, a plug. If you’re sick of toxic, depressing politics then join a community that is both smart and kind, as we explore the best version of us. You can endorse the vision and subscribe to email updates at www.AustraliareMADE.org.
Thanks so much for listening to the very first season of the reMAKERS! We’ll see you again in 2022.
SHOW NOTES
“Lessons from the Pandemic, Phase 1” blog by Lily, Australia reMADE
Recovery: How we can create a better, brighter future after a crisis, book by Andrew Wear. (You can also listen to the interview with him on ABC’s Conversations.)
“JobKeeper showed we can spend our way out of crisis – and turned recession into a political choice”
“When Covid closed the library: staff call every member of Victorian library to say hello”
“Hotspot in a cold climate: the Melbourne library that transformed lockdown for struggling families”
“Care package: the French postal workers helping lonely older people”
“In France, Elder Care Comes with the Mail”
Canadian postal workers’ union propose expanding to help look after the elderly
We are living in uncertain and anxious times. Mental health is everywhere, but it’s also been largely ‘privatised’ — treated as a personal issue for individuals to address, rather than as a collective response to systemic conditions. This episode of the reMAKERS asks, ‘do we need therapy, or do we need structural change?’ (Or both.)
We also talk about what it’s been like being a mental health professional during the worst of the pandemic in London; how to help the ones we love and ourselves to die well; and what employers need to do if they’re serious about fostering good mental health in the workplace.
Dr Greg Shields is a consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, part of King's Health Partners and one of the oldest psychiatric hospitals in the world. He’s also a senior manager at Maudsley Learning, which offers non-profit mental health education and training. He has special interests in psychotherapy, cancer and palliative care, as well as novel ways of teaching about psychiatry and mental health. This is a conversation about caring for each other well in life, at work and in death.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention:
Social psychologist Dr Amy Cuddy on the three phases of crisis
Arrested Development song, ‘Fishing for religion’
Martin Luther King on being ‘maladjusted to injustice’
Irish Government trialing a Universal Basic Income for artists
Only Murders in the Building (tv show)
Dr Millie Rooney is back! And she has a pond! On this episode the reMAKERS, Lily (pictured left) and Millie (on the right) dive into why things like wellbeing, rest and care are actually the hard work of remaking, rather than the fluff on the side.
As writer Elizabeth Gilbert reportedly said, ‘show me a relaxed, rested woman! That’s the revolution I want’. Yet, the topic of wellbeing, rest or self-care can often feel a bit cringey, selfish and self-indulgent to so many of us. We’ve been sold self-care as bath bombs, not politics.
What if self-care is actually interwoven with community care? What if a healthy me depends on a healthy ‘we’? And what if the revolution really looks like a bunch of well-rested, relaxed people who have demanded the conditions for that rest to be possible?
It’s a conversation that will make you want to reclaim your right to both the ‘bread and roses’ of life — as we celebrate the things making life better (ponds, apparently) and the things that make life worth living at all.
SHOW NOTES
Pillar 6, ‘ A country of flourishing communities,’ Vision for an Australia reMADE
“Community, Democracy, Power” article by Millie Rooney
“Reclaiming Audre Lorde’s Radical Self-Care” by Kathleen Newman-Bremang
‘Let Her Rest’ episode from Glennon Doyle’s ‘We Can Do Hard Things’ podcast, quoting Elizabeth Gilbert
‘How are the Amish doing in Vermont?’ episode of Brave Little State podcast, Vermont Public Radio
What does it mean to live a good life, in the face of the climate emergency? Or as Hannah asks in this interview, ‘how are we meant to live a life that counters the world’s problems meaningfully, without being a sad mess, and still experience love and joy in our lives?’
Hannah Moloney is the co-founder of Good Life Permaculture at the bottom of Australia in Hobart/nipaluna, Tasmania/lutruwita. She’s a popular guest presenter on Gardening Australia and the author of the new best-selling book, “The Good Life: How to grow a better world”.
She believes we can grow not just a better garden, but a better world for ourselves and others, through the actions we take every day.
In this conversation we dive into what it means to Hannah to live a good life, why she’s less black and white now than she used to be, how permaculture sustains her in everything that she does, and why you shouldn’t assume that just because someone lives in a pink house with pink hair and appears on TV means they’re a giant extrovert.
SHOW NOTES
Show notes
What is permaculture?
The Food Forest, where Hannah first learned about permaculture with Annemarie and Graham Brookman
Where to find, follow Hannah and learn more about her work
The Good Life: How to Grow a Better World book is available online at Booktopia or at your favourite local bookshop
Good Life Permaculture design and education consultancy
Follow Good Life Permaculture on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook
Unity: it’s something Thomas Mayor has thought a lot about in his life and work as a unionist, advocate and writer.
Thomas is a Torres Strait Islander man born on Larrakia country in Darwin. Gentle and softly-spoken, he has come to embody unity in his work and in his life — first finding his voice on the wharfs of Darwin with the union movement, then becoming an acclaimed writer and powerful advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Today, Thomas is the National Indigenous Officer and Northern Territory Deputy Branch Secretary for the Maritime Union of Australia. He’s a champion for the Uluru Statement and the author and co-author of multiple books — including “Finding the Heart of the Nation” and his most recent, “Dear Son: Letters and Reflections from First Nations Fathers and Sons”.
His story is a testament to who we can be, and what we can accomplish, when we make unity more than a slogan, but a practice. This is a conversation about leadership, vulnerability and closing the gap between the world that we see, and the world that our children imagine already exists.
SHOW NOTES
Things we mention
Blackfella Book Club on Instagram
“A letter to my nephew” published in The Fire Next Time essays by James Baldwin
Books by Thomas Mayor
Finding the Heart of the Nation: Journey of the Uluru Statement towards Voice, Treaty and Truth
Finding Our Heart: A Story about the Uluru Statement for Young Australians
Freedom Day: Vincent Lingiari and the Story of the Wave Hill Walk-Off
Dear Son: Letters and Reflections from First Nations Fathers and Sons
Support the Uluru Statement from the Heart
https://ulurustatement.org/
www.fromtheheart.com.au
People power is a nice slogan, but how do we actually do it? And can we do it effectively, without adding to the combustible anger and division in the world today?
There's some hard-won wisdom in our next episode of the reMAKERS — part two of our series on democracy and the new movie, Big Deal.
Organisers David Barrow and Thuy Nguyen of the Sydney Alliance tell us it’s understandable to be cynical about politics, but "if you're not at the table, you're on the menu.” So instead, they take us to school in this conversation — Community Organising school — and drawing on their own stories, show us how to go far, rather than fast.
David features memorably in the Big Deal movie, and this conversation both fires us up and delivers balm for the soul. It might just change the way you look at power, politics, community groups, religion and our role as everyday citizens.
To check out the movie, visit MakeItABigDeal.org.
Show Notes
Things we mention:
“What is organizing?” by Marshall Ganz (from intro)
“‘Always look up’: connecting community for a win against gas,” article by Millie Rooney, Australia reMADE
Learn more about community organising:
Australia: Queensland Community Alliance, Hunter Community Alliance, Sydney Alliance
UK: Citizens UK
USA and Canada: Industrial Areas Foundation
NZ: Living Wage NZ
They say democracy is not a spectator sport, and the new film, Big Deal, will have you ready to get up off the couch. Directed by The Chaser’s Craig Reucassel and starring Bondi Hipster comedian Christiaan Van Vuuren, it follows everyman Christiaan as he tries to unravel the story of money in our politics. Or as ex-politician Sam Dastyari calls it, the system that’s ‘pay to play.’
Smart, funny, outrageous and revealing, Big Deal is not only super enjoyable to watch, it’s galvanising a new conversation and movement to reMAKE democracy, at a time when there’s frankly too much at stake to mess around. Whatever your politics, if you live in a democracy, this film and this conversation apply to you.
In Part 1 of our conversation on Big Deal and democracy, we chat with director Craig Reucassel and Executive Director of the Australian Democracy Network, Saffron Zomer. Why did they do this movie? What does corruption in our politics really look like, compared to what people think it looks like? How does Craig get so many high-profile current and ex-politicians to talk on camera, and how did Christiaan almost get nicotine poisoning? It’s a lively conversation that helps us dig underneath the easy cynicism to discover the solutions. (Hint: people power, which we dive into next episode, Part 2.)
Check out the movie and learn more at MakeItABigDeal.org, and join the campaign at ourdemocracy.com.au.
Show notes
Things we mention:
Framework for a Fair Democracy, Australian Democracy Network
Canada’s political finance laws
Ireland’s political finance laws
Check out the movie and join the campaign:
MakeItABigDeal.org
Ourdemocracy.com.au
Is 1.5 degrees of warming the cliff to the end of the world?
Is everything falling part?
Are we all to blame?
Can we solve this problem, even without the federal government?
It’s been a few weeks since latest IPCC report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, was released by the United Nations. It’s been called a ‘code red’ for humanity, or to borrow a phrase from REM, the end of the world as we know it.
Those already in the know are pretty alarmed about this report, but many more of us frankly don’t have the headspace to even process information like this right now. We’re too overwhelmed trying to deal with lockdown life, the Delta variant and the many other crises of the world at present. So what’s this report really saying, what do we really need to understand, and what can we do about it?
We grabbed two of the best environment leaders we know to guide us through this: Kelly O’Shanassy is the CEO of the Australian Conservation Foundation; David Ritter is the CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, and a repeat guest on the show. Theirs is a candid conversation that cuts through the noise — offering energy and clarity, rather than more anxiety. An unmissable episode full of quotes that will stay with you, and a great one to share.
“It’s not game over, it’s game on.” -Kelly
“People are social animals and we have an innate propensity to good. Climate change is a crime that is being committed, not some ordained original sin of our species.” -David
“The future is not a linear extension of the past.” - Kelly
“Which politicians speak of the world with wonder and awe in their voices?” - David
Show Notes
Things we mention:
International Agency Energy report on transitioning to renewable energy
Gloucester Sustainable Futures Festival (community festival David mentions from 2019) around the 9 pillars of Australia reMADE
Australian Climate Roundtable
ACF’s ‘Australia’s largest-ever climate poll’ and example media coverage (from The Sydney Morning Herald)
Campaigns to join:
Australian Conservation Foundation ‘Together We CAN’ campaign
Greenpeace Re-energise campaign
Recommendations:
“We are the people we’ve been waiting for: how to answer the question, ‘what can I do?’”
2040 Film
Sunburnt Country, Dr Joëlle Gergis
“IPCC climate report author: our final plea to the world,” by Dr Joëlle Gergis, The Saturday Paper (paywall)
The Great Disruption by Paul Gilding
"If” poem by Rudyard Kipling
Grace Williams is an emerging leader with a love of law, story-telling and ‘activism without resistance.’ She was born into a refugee camp in Ghana; her early life was spent in learning to speak different languages, befriending with other largely displaced peoples and not taking much of anything for granted.
Today, she has degrees in political economy and philosophy, and she’s on the cusp of finishing her law degree in Hobart, Tasmania. Along the way she has become a passionate story-teller, using books and film to shed light on issues that might seem far away (war and global conflict), or painfully close to home (domestic violence).
In this interview we talk about how both the arts and the law can serve us, about what gentle activism means to her, and why she believes it’s time to make joy the fuel — not just the by-product — of doing good work.
Grace is the Director of Citizen Tasmania, was shortlisted for the Tasmania Young Australian of the Year and was awarded the Tasmanian Human Rights Youth Award in 2020. Find her on Facebook, Instagram or @Placeofgrace97 on Twitter.
Show notes
Recommendations
Super Soul Sunday, the podcast
Films and books:
Growing up African in Australia
Citizen (film preview)
One a Week (film preview)
Together We Stand (contact Citizen Tasmania for a hard copy)
Is it really possible to build an economy that works better for people and planet? How?
Few leaders understand this question from as grounded, practical and hopeful a perspective as Dr Amanda Cahill. In 2014, Dr Cahill was invited to help present to a regional community in Queensland, Australia, worried about their economic future amidst falling demand for their coal. At the time, she was doing economic development work…in Fiji.
“Don’t worry,” she was told, “no one’s going to listen to you anyway, they’ll all think you’re a greenie.” Instead, requests for meetings snowballed: within five days of her presentation she’d heard from 54 people — local businesses, councils, heads of industry — all of them scared about the changing economics of climate change.
The calls never stopped, and today Dr Cahill leads this work full-time as CEO of the The Next Economy. In this conversation, we explore how to bring people together based on what matters to them, what’s changed since the bushfires and pandemic, and what each of us can do to help chart a better way forward. We also talk puppies, being young and idealistic, and owning what you have to offer with radical humility.
Dr Cahill is a 2020 Churchill Scholar. She has a PhD in Human Geography from the Australian National University, and associate positions at The University of Queensland and the University of Sydney’s Policy Lab. To learn more about Dr Cahill’s work visit www.nexteconomy.com.au or follow on Facebook.
Show notes
Things we reference:
Naomi Klein on 'Disaster Capitalism'
What is geo-engineering?
Amanda’s book recommendations:
Hope in the Dark, Rebecca Solnit
Joanna Macy’s work (list of books)
Films and TV projects Amanda has been in:
2040 film
Fight for Planet A
Dan Ilic is a comedian for good trouble. He is one of the most prolific comedy voices in Australian media — with a resume that spans tv, radio, digital and live performances in Australia, the US and beyond. As the creator and host of A Rational Fear, winner of Best Comedy Podcast in 2020, Dan and his cohort of merry mischief-makers rip apart the news and drill down into climate change in particular.
In this episode we talk about how humour can give us a gentle way into difficult topics; about the power of laughing at the things that scare us most, about his time working in America during the rise of Donald Trump and whether it’s possible to do political satire without fuelling political polarisation.
Dan’s resume is way too long to list, but his Australian tv shows include At Home Alone Together, Tonightly with Tom Ballard, as well as Hungry Beast. He helped create an eight-part comedy series Audible Original called Riot Act. You can find more Dan at www.ARationalFear.com and on social media: @DanIlic or @ARationalFear.
(Head’s up: explicit language in this episode.)
Show notes
Things we reference:
“Getting serious about funny: Psychologists see humor as a character strength,” The Conversation
How Self-Initiated Laughter Can Make You Feel Better, Psychology Today
How Superman Singlehandedly Thwarted the Klu Klux Klan
State of Superstition (Iraqi TV)
Shabas (Israeli comedy sketch show set in a prison)
Videos Dan’s made that we mention:
Hicks’ Cribbs
“Introducing Apple’s Thinnest Product Ever”
Manus Island Refugees asking Scott Morrison “Where the Bloody Hell Are You?”
“Who’s Responsible for the Australian Bushfires?'“
Comedians he recommends:
Emily Johnston, HowToDelete1 on TikTok
Francesca Fiorentini
Jenny Yang
Craig Quartermaine
Andy Saunders
Nakkiah Lui
Nayuka Gorrie
Kirsty Webeck
Zoë Coombs Marr
Alice Fraser
James Colley
Sami Shah
“Bo-Bo and Flex” podcast on Apple, Spotify
“Broriginals” on Apple, Facebook
Dr Emma Lee is a trawlwulwuy woman from tebrakunna country, north-east Tasmania. She is a leader, advisor and multi award-winning academic at the Center for Social Impact at the Swinburne University of Technology.
We first came across Dr Lee in 2019, reading her article, “We love-bombed the Tasmanian government to win Indigenous rights.” In it, Dr Lee describes incredible advances in not only rights, but relationships, that she helped progress in just five years — using what she describes as ‘real, revolutionary love.’
In this conversation Dr Lee talks to us about love, about being a warrior who is gentle with herself and others, about loving Country and letting Country love us back; about loving and belonging to Country and to each other. She offers a gentle, wise, warm and love-filled invitation into a different way of looking at failure, inclusion, activism, human relationships and so much more.
The reMAKERS is recorded on Darug Country and we celebrate the Traditional Custodians of these lands and waters, honouring Elders past and present.
Show notes
Here are some of the things we mention:
“We love-bombed the Tasmanian government to win Indigenous rights,” by Dr Emma Lee,
“In this Reconciliation Week of healing country, are you an activist or a warrior?” by Dr Emma Lee
The Orb, world-leading Indigenous education in Tasmania
‘(R)evolutionary Love project from Ireland (referenced during episode, mentioned in Dr Lee’s love-bombing article)
‘The Rebellion will Prevail’
David Ritter has worn many hats: mischievous kid (“a real nuisance in class”), lawyer, author, husband, father and now CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
In this brilliant, wise and deeply-hopeful conversation, he gives the best answer we’ve ever heard to the question, ‘but what can I do about climate change?’
We also discuss the changing role of business, his favourite rock band, how he stays sane and happy while knowing and doing hard things… and why he believes that ultimately, the Rebellion will prevail. We talk about a court case, which was ongoing at the time of our recording. Update: Greenpeace won.
The reMAKERS is recorded on Darug Country and we celebrate the Traditional Custodians of these lands and waters, honouring Elders past and present.
Show notes
Books, articles, recommendations:
“Our once and future home: Journeying with the climate pilgrims,” by David Ritter, Griffith Review
“What is hope?” by Ann Porcino, one of the co-founders of Australia reMADE
Hope in the Dark, Rebecca Solnit
Michael Mann, author and professor
Empire of the Dead, by David Ritter, Arena Magazine
Midnight Oil
The Mandarins, by Simone de Beauvoir
Books by David Ritter
The Coal Truth: The Fight to Stop Adani, Defeat the Big Polluters & Reclaim our Democracy
The Native Title Market
Contesting Native Title: From controversy to consensus in the struggle over Indigenous land rights
To find out more about Greenpeace, support their work and join their campaigns, visit Greenpeace Australia Pacific or Greenpeace International.
Show notes
Here are some of the things we mention:
Doing democracy differently in Australia — stories we’ve written
“From trepidation to transformation: democracy, Indi-style”
“Uncommon victories: lessons from Warringah and Indi”
The decade-long community campaign that led to a constitutional ban against fracking: ‘Always Look Up: Connecting Community for a Win Against Gas’
Voices4Indi — the grassroots movement inspiring others, and a guide to How to Host a Kitchen Table conversation.
What is deliberative democracy?
The deliberative democracy process they used for the Irish referendum on abortion
How to Host an Australia reMADE conversation: a guide for individuals and organisations on how to help people build a shared vision, wherever you live or work.