Seriously Social

Incarceration rates are on the rise in Australia. Is there a crime wave or is it media hype? Join host Ginger Gorman as she cuts through the clickbait to uncover the truth about crime in Australia and who we lock up. Professor Eileen Baldry AO, a leading criminologist from UNSW, separates fact from fiction, while Justen Thomas, an advocate for vulnerable youth offers a unique perspective from firsthand experience. Get ready for a confronting discussion on the real story behind the headlines and whether incarceration is truly the answer.

Useful Links

• Lifeline 11 13 14
• 1800 Respect 1800 737 732
• Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
• Outrage + Optimism Podcast
• National Children’s Commissioner slams “shocking” new Queensland youth justice laws Australian Human Rights Commission
• New South Wales Government to double penalties for knife crimes NSW Government
• The sad story of Marlon Noble ABC Ramp Up
• NSW police use force against Indigenous Australians at drastically disproportionate levels, data shows The Guardian

Which professions and brands do you trust? In this episode, Professor Nicole Gillespie from the Trust, Ethics and Governance Alliance at the University of Queensland talks us through trust—how to build it, maintain it, and what to do if we lose it. Going beyond the personal perspective, Professor Gillespie examines the factors that make an organisation trustworthy and the psychology behind building consumer confidence.

Useful Links

• 2023 Productivity Commission Report
• What Australia Thinks ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods
• Mattel recalls nearly 100 000 toys after lead paint alert The Guardian
• AMP scandal shows the coverup is often worse than the crime ABC News

If you were feeling low and needed to talk, would you turn to a robot? With the rise of AI Chatbot technology, many Australians are doing just that—and seeing the benefits. In this episode, Associate Professor Gemma Sharp, head of the Body Image and Eating Disorders Research Group at Monash University, explains why chatbots can successfully bridge the gap between people living with an eating disorder and access to in-person treatments, while host of the Butterfly: Let’s Talk podcast, Sam Ikin shares how having an eating disorder that doesn’t fit the stereotype can be a barrier to seeking help.

Useful Links

• Butterfly: Let’s Talk Podcast The Butterfly Foundation
• Lifeline 13 11 14
• Sharp Body Image and Eating Disorders Research Group Monash University
• Specialist Women’s Mental Health Service Opens in Shepparton Alfred Health

Many people switch to a meat-free diet on the basis that it’s a healthy lifestyle choice with a low carbon footprint. But can we really believe the hype when it comes to vegan meat products?

In this episode, Professor Christine Parker from the University of Melbourne Law School serves up the truth on the rise of imitation meat products and dives into who is responsible for ensuring the claims made on their labels are accurate. Get ready to sink your teeth into this captivating episode on ethics and the implications of the vegan meat industry. 

Useful Links

• The Impossible Burger
• Food standards code: a quick guide Food Standards Australia New Zealand
• Impossible task? Australian food law and the challenge of novel meat analogues Hope Johnson and Christine Parker

Get ready for a thought-provoking episode of Seriously Social! The upcoming Voice Referendum presents a pivotal moment for Australia to reshape its relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and confront the truths of our history. Join us for this captivating episode with the esteemed The Hon. Dr Barry Jones AC, former politician and noted polymath. With his wealth of experience and wisdom, Dr Jones fearlessly explores the attitudes of the past and challenges us to ask ourselves a crucial question: Is it finally time to embrace honesty and ignite a change that propels us toward unlocking our nation's full human potential?

Don't miss this captivating speech that will compel you to reflect, question, and envision a future where recognition and acceptance pave the way for a more inclusive and compassionate Australia. Tune in and join us on this remarkable journey of truth, change, and the pursuit of our collective destiny.

Have you ever wanted to be Queen? Perhaps Grand Poobah? How simple is it to just start your own nation, and is it even legal? In this episode, Dr Harry Hobbs from the University of Technology Sydney is our travel guide through the weird and wonderful world of micronations. Guest James Blackwell, Research Fellow in Indigenous Diplomacy at the Australian National University, uncovers how Australia’s lack of recognition of sovereign states has had serious and ongoing impacts on Indigenous sovereignty and constitutional recognition.

USEFUL LINKS

• How to Rule Your Own Country: The Weird and Wonderful World of Micronations Harry Hobbs and George Williams
• The Geneva Conventions and their Commentaries The International Committee of the Red Cross
• Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States University of Oslo
• Creating a Nation to Save the Planet Harry Hobbs
• Treaty of Waitangi NZ History
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice National Indigenous Australians Agency
• Uluru Statement from the Heart

Who do you picture when you think of the word “poor”? In a prosperous nation like Australia, surely no one should be living in poverty—but we all know that plenty of people from all walks of life don’t have enough to make ends meet. In this episode of Seriously Social, economist and Deputy Director of the HILDA Survey, Professor Roger Wilkins crunches the numbers on what poverty in Australia looks like and what we can do about it, and demographer Dr Liz Allen breaks down why “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” isn’t as simple as it sounds for those who find themselves in dire financial straits.  

How can the voice of children and young people count if they aren't counted in elections? When you turn 16 you can drive a car, consent to medical procedures and pay taxes—but you can’t vote. 

Professor Lisa Hill explains why we’re so scared of giving younger people a vote, and shares fascinating research about 16 and 17-year-olds in the voting booth. 

Useful Links

• Voting at 16: Does lowering the voting age lead to more political engagement? Evidence from a quasi-experiment in the city of Ghent Cambridge University Press
• Condorcet’s Theorem 1000-Word Philosophy
• Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey The Lancet

Are you an activist or slacktivist? Would you take to the streets for a cause you’re passionate about, or sign a petition? What actions make a real difference? In this episode of Seriously Social, Brisbane City Councillor Jonathan Sriranganathan, academic and activist Aidan Ricketts and sexual consent advocate Chanel Contos answer the question 'What is the point of a protest?', take a look at the ways protesting has changed over the years and highlight how governments and lawmakers are making it harder for protestors to exercise their rights.   

Useful Links

• 1800 RESPECT Phone 1800 737 732
• Lifeline Phone 13 11 44
• Kids Helpline Phone 1800 55 1800
• Centre for Sex and Gender Equality The Australia Insititute
• Teach Us Consent
• Extinction Rebellion
• The history of the Australian Environment Movement Australian Environmental Grant Network
• Franklin Dam and the Greens National Museum Australia
• Elizabeth Reid talks women, advocacy and change in Australia Seriously Social

Australians love sport. It’s healthy, fun and brings the community together for a common goal. Or so we’re told. But what happens when our national obsession with sport causes division in the community? And who is left out of the game altogether? In this episode of Seriously Social, Emeritus Professor David Rowe explains how involvement in sport can be so contentious it has started a war while author and host of The Outer Sanctum podcast, Nicole Hayes, discusses the benefits to the wider community that occur when marginalised voices enter the conversation about sport.

Useful Links

• Honduras vs El Salvador: The football match that kicked off a war BBC News
• The day Cathy Freeman flew the flag and flagged the future The Sydney Morning Herald
• Australian Citizenship: Our common bond Department of Home Affairs
• Kick It Out
• Reclink