Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

Andrew Blakers, ANU engineering professor, explains how market design and storage enabled rapid wind and solar growth. Penelope Crosley, energy law professor, outlines legal and federal–state tensions shaping energy policy. Tony Wood, Grattan Institute energy expert, provides historical context and politics behind Australia’s power system. They explore grid reliability, interconnection, batteries and why renewables surged.

Dr Dominic Bryan, a social anthropologist studying flags and identity in Northern Ireland. Laura Schofield, a graphic designer exploring visual culture and symbols. Dr Anne Platoff, a historian of flags and their cultural meanings. They discuss how national flags are repurposed by political movements. They examine visual power, territorial marking, and efforts to reclaim symbols across countries.

Pete Hegseth U.S. Secretary for War (previously Defense) is one of the most powerful people on the planet. He says that two things have defined his life – his military service and his religious faith. 

Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping are due to meet in Beijing in the near future, following a March postponement. China’s wish to subsume democratic Taiwan is certain to be one of the topics on the summit agenda. President Xi has reportedly instructed his military to be at capacity for an invasion by 2027, so 2026 could be Taiwan’s last year of freedom. Some analysts fear US military action in Iran and Venezuela may embolden Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party justifies its claim to Taiwan based on what it calls its “One China Principle”. But what exactly does “One China” mean?Guests:Jessica Drun – Washington-based China and Taiwan analystDr Andrew Phillips – Professor of International Relations, University of Queensland Dr Mei-fen Kuo – lecturer in Contemporary Chinese Culture and History, Macquarie UniversityDr Sow Keat Tok – Asia Institute, University of MelbourneDr Mark Harrison – Senior Lecturer, Chinese Studies, University of Tasmania

Robert Friedel, historian of technology, and Andrew Lee, author on innovation history, trace six great waves from the spinning jenny to AI. They unpack Britain’s early edge, industrialization’s social shifts, rail and mass production, Cold War R&D, the internet boom, and today’s move toward renewables and AI. The conversation also covers China’s scaling strategies and Shenzhen’s rapid prototyping culture.

The government of Singapore this year sacked the leader of the Opposition — that's the way things happen in Singaporean politics. Though it looks like a model Westminster democracy, critics say it's actually a one-party state, dominated for more than 60 years by the People's Action Party. So, how is it that such a prosperous and modern nation has never managed to free itself from the long shadow of its authoritarian founder, Lee Kuan Yew.Guests:Dr Stephan Ortmann — Assistant Professor of Politics and Public Administration, Hong Kong Metropolitan UniversityDr Michael Barr — Associate Professor of International relations, Flinders UniversityDr Gillian Koh — Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Policy Studies, National University of SingaporeJoshua Kurlantzick — Senior Fellow for SE Asia and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations

China is now the number one trading partner of South America.How realistic are U.S. plans to dominate the Western hemisphere?

High speed rail spread around the globe from the 1960s when the first bullet trains took off in Japan. Rear Vision looks at why previous attempts to introduce high speed rail in Australia have failed.Japan opened the world's first high-speed rail line - between Tokyo and Osaka - in time for the 1964 Olympics. Japan’s ‘Bullet Train’ was the first to run on a dedicated line – a high speed service for passengers only. Over the last 30 years, millions of dollars have been spent in Australia on studies and proposals but is a fast train service on the east coast any closer?

Since the 1970s central banks around the world have increasingly become “independent” of government. They’ve developed that way over time to ensure that monetary policy isn’t impacted by partisan political motives. But there are those who now seek to turn the clock back and to rein in that independence. The current US president is at the front of the pack.Guests:Cristina Bodea – Professor of political science, Michigan State UniversityJohn Hawkins – Head of the Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra https://Dr Isaac GrossIsaac Gross - Senior lecturer in Economics, Monash UniversityLinks:David Marr's Late Night Live interview with biographer RICHARD VAGUE about the US banker Thomas Willing

Bangladesh is having its first free and fair election in over 18 years.Rear Vision looks back at the tumultuous history of this young nation.