Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny

On this Democracy Sausage, columnist and former political advisor Sean Kelly joins Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga to discuss Scott Morrison, political performance, and Sean’s new book, The Game.What does the way Scott Morrison has crafted his political image reveal about his leadership style? While it’s been politically effective thus far, will the prime minister’s performance of a ‘flat character’ ultimately damage his chances at the next election? And what will the current diplomatic spat between Morrison and French President Emmanuel Macron mean for Australia on the international stage? On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Sean Kelly, columnist for the Nine papers and former advisor to Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, and Dr Marija Taflaga from ANU School of Politics and International Relations join Professor Mark Kenny to discuss these questions and Sean’s new book, The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison. Sean Kelly is a weekly columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, a former adviser to Australian prime ministers Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, and author of The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison, published by Black Inc in November 2021.Marija Taflaga is the Director of The Australian National University (ANU) Centre for the Study of Australian Politics and a Lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations.Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd joins Mark Kenny on this week’s episode of Democracy Sausage to discuss the country’s climate policy ahead of COP26 and why the Australian government might be underestimating the public when it comes to reconciliation.How is the Australian prime minister likely to be received at the upcoming United Nations climate conference in Glasgow? What might the AUKUS arrangement mean for Australian national security policy in the decades to come? And might there be more public support for reconciliation efforts than governments think? On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Professor Mark Kenny speaks with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd about these questions and more.Kevin Rudd served as Australia’s 26th Prime Minister. He is currently President of the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York.Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Mark Kenny speaks with Craig Reucassel - formerly of The Chaser and director of the new two-part ABC film Big Deal - about the flaws in Australia’s political donation laws and what needs to happen to fix the system.Does Australia need to introduce a cap on political donations? What can be done to provide an impetus for the major parties to come together to introduce real-time reporting and transparency? And can policymakers end the ‘arms race’ for donations in political campaigning? Craig Reucassel, director of Big Deal - a new documentary about Australia’s political lobbying industry - joins Professor Mark Kenny on this episode of Democracy Sausage.Craig Reucassel is an Australian writer, comedian, and journalist best known for being a member of satirical team The Chaser. In 2021, he directed the two-part ABC documentary Big Deal: Is our democracy for sale?Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.Big Deal premieres on ABC iview and ABC TV at 8.30pm, Tuesday 19 October.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this Democracy Sausage, journalist David Crowe and political accountability expert Yee-Fui Ng join Mark Kenny to discuss how a federal integrity commission might work and the political obstacles to ensuring such an institution is strong and effective.Following the resignation of former New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, debate has raged around the need for a federal integrity commission and how strong such a commission should be. Despite committing to its creation as an election promise, the Morrison government’s proposal has fallen short of the expectations of many in the community. So how could such a body be designed so that it’s robust and effective? What lessons can be learned from integrity commissions at the state level? And will this debate be used by the federal opposition as an election issue? Chief Political Correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age David Crowe and Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation Associate Professor Yee-Fui Ng join Professor Mark Kenny to discuss these questions on this episode of Democracy Sausage.Yee-Fui Ng is an Associate Professor and the Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation at Monash University.David Crowe is Chief Political Correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and a regular commentator on national affairs on the ABC’s Insiders program. In a career spanning 25 years, he has covered federal politics as the national affairs editor of The Australian and the Chief Political Correspondent of The Australian Financial Review.Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Australia bureau chief for The New York Times Damien Cave joins us to discuss Australia’s attitude to risk, the importance of positive messaging in the vaccine rollout, and the progress of the Biden administration.Is there an Australian ‘way of risk’? How can policymakers do more to encourage more Australians to get vaccinated? And what does the performance of the Biden administration reveal about the realities of US politics after the Trump presidency? Damien Cave, journalist for The New York Times and author of the new book Into the Rip, joins Professor Mark Kenny on this episode of Democracy Sausage.Damien Cave is Australia bureau chief for the The New York Times. His new book Into the Rip was published in September 2021.Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, The Australian National University’s Matthew Gray joins Mark Kenny to discuss the impact of the pandemic on Australian attitudes and how data can help us better understand ourselves. Has the pandemic affected the views of Australians about migration? How do young people in the country feel about the direction the country is heading in? And are governments missing their chance to permanently improve economic and environmental outcomes in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis? Professor Matthew Gray, Director of the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, joins Professor Mark Kenny on this episode of Democracy Sausage to discuss the What Australia Thinks project, a nation-wide public conversation that provides a comprehensive and continually evolving outlook on Australian attitudes.Matthew Gray is Professor in the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences and Director of the Centre for Social Research and Methods.Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Frank Bongiorno and Chris Wallace join us to discuss ministerial standards and the new Australia-United States-United Kingdom security arrangement.How significant is Australia’s decision to torpedo its submarine deal with France in favour of a new arrangement with the United States and the United Kingdom? Is the federal government's habit of front-running in opposition to China in Australia’s long-term strategic interests? And what does the handling of Christian Porter’s departure from the ministry reveal about Scott Morrison’s leadership? Associate Professor Chris Wallace from the University of Canberra and Professor Frank Bongiorno from The Australian National University (ANU) join Professor Mark Kenny to discuss this and more on the new episode of Democracy Sausage.Frank Bongiorno AM is Professor of History at ANU and an Australian labour, political, and cultural historian.Chris Wallace is an Associate Professor at the University of Canberra and author of How To Win An Election.Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, journalist and author Annika Smethurst joins Mark Kenny to discuss political accountability and her new biography of Scott Morrison, The Accidental Prime Minister.Not expected to win the 2019 election, Scott Morrison has been Australian Prime Minister during a time of great uncertainty. But how did he come to be selected, then elected, for top political office? Might an aversion to scrutiny come to be his Achilles’ heel? And what does his ‘daggy dad’ persona reveal about his leadership style, but also about what the Australian public expects of their political figures? Annika Smethurst, state political editor at The Age and former member of the federal press gallery, joins Professor Mark Kenny to discuss her new biography of Australia’s 30th prime minister.Annika Smethurst is state political editor for The Age newspaper in Melbourne and a Director on the Board of the National Press Club.Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.The Accidental Prime Minister by Annika Smethurst is available from Wednesday 15 September.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, journalist Karen Middleton and foreign policy specialist Gorana Grgić join Mark Kenny to discuss the 20-year war in Afghanistan, the prospects for the country with the Taliban back in power, and the damage done to the United States’ reputation.With the departure of American and allied troops, the nearly 20-year war in Afghanistan - the longest in United States history - is over. But what does the future now hold for the country and its people, who are now back under the control of the Taliban? What are other global powers making of the manner of the Biden administration’s withdrawal? And what impact will the decision have on the credibility and reputation of the United States in the years ahead? Author of An Unwinnable War: Australia in Afghanistan Karen Middleton and Dr Gorana Grgić from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney join Professor Mark Kenny on this episode of Democracy Sausage.Karen Middleton is Chief Political Correspondent for The Saturday Paper.Gorana Grgić is a jointly appointed Lecturer at the Department of Government and International Relations and the United States Studies Centre at University of Sydney.Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Insiders host David Speers and regular podleague Marija Taflaga join Mark Kenny to talk about the federal government’s COVID-19 recovery plans and how pandemic politics might play out at the next federal election.In a time of great uncertainty, is the Australian Government unnecessarily locking itself into a COVID-19 recovery strategy that may need to be revised? Is the federal opposition falling behind or doing a good job with a difficult hand? And will the popularity of the Labor state governments in Queensland and Western Australia pose a major challenge for the federal government at the next election? Journalist David Speers and political scientist Dr Marija Taflaga join Professor Mark Kenny at the barbecue hotplate for this week’s episode of Democracy Sausage.David Speers is an Australian journalist. He has been the host of PM Agenda, The Last Word, and Speers, and is currently host of ABC’s Insiders.Marija Taflaga is Director of ANU Centre for the Study of Australian Politics and a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia.Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.