Today we’re asking: what Queensland seats are the ones to watch on election night? How to give Indigenous Australians a true voice in politics? And how can we improve trust in the political system?
Shutterstock
The myth of ‘the Queensland voter’, Australia’s trust deficit, and the path to Indigenous recognition
The Conversation122 MB(download)
Today, an election-themed episode about some of the biggest policy questions Australia faces, featuring Indigenous academic lawyer Eddie Synot and political scientist Anne Tiernan.
Mukurtu is a Warumungu word meaning “dilly bag” or a safe keeping place for sacred materials.
Nina Maile Gordon/The Conversation CC-NY-BD
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Nina Maile Gordon, The Conversation
Mukurtu: an online dilly bag for keeping Indigenous digital archives safe
The Conversation71.5 MB(download)
Mukurtu - Warumungu word meaning 'dilly bag' or a safe keeping place for sacred materials - is an online system helping Indigenous people conserve photos, songs and other digital archives.
It’s a fight for a rapidly vanishing centre, which will make passing bills difficult for whoever wins.
Chris Pavlich/Dean Lewins(AAP)
Mark Latham in the upper house? A Coalition minority government? The NSW election is nearly upon us, and it’s going to be a wild ride
It's worth keeping an eye on the NSW election outcome. It may end up telling us a lot about how global political themes, like the erosion of centrist politics, are playing out here in Australia.
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation; Wes Mountain, The Conversation, and Bageshri Savyasachi, The Conversation
‘I think we should be very concerned’: A cybercrime expert on this week’s hack and what needs to happen next
The Conversation38.8 MB(download)
This week, a 'sophisticated state actor' hacked the big Australian political parties. In today's episode, an expert on crime and technology says 'it's a given' that some will try to disrupt elections.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other Coalition MPs described Labor as weak on borders after the opposition and the crossbench voted to pass a bill allowing medical transfers from Manus and Nauru.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
A refugee law expert on a week of ‘reckless’ rhetoric and a new way to process asylum seeker claims
The Conversation44 MB(download)
Today on Trust Me, I'm An Expert, a refugee legal expert busts myths about how proposed medical transfer rules would work, and described some of this week's border security rhetoric as 'reckless'.
Today, experts reveal the tips and tricks spin doctors use to shape the political messages you’re hearing every day - especially during election campaigns.
AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation; Lucinda Beaman, The Conversation, and Dilpreet Kaur, The Conversation
How to spot the work of a political spin doctor this election season
The Conversation, CC BY77.6 MB(download)
There’s a small army of spin doctors behind the scenes of an election campaign, finessing every utterance so it fits with the overall strategy. Today's episode is all about the art of political spin.
Ready for all the research-backed tips and tricks for setting a goal and meeting it?
www.shutterstock.com
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Dilpreet Kaur, The Conversation
What research says about how to stick to your New Year’s resolutions
The Conversation, CC BY82.9 MB(download)
Today, experts will be sharing with us insights into how to make a change in your life -- big or small -- using evidence from the world of academic research.
You know you’re not supposed to do this – but you do.
Shutterstock
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Dilpreet Kaur, The Conversation
The science of sleep and the economics of sleeplessness
The Conversation, CC BY52.8 MB(download)
Only about one quarter Australians report getting eight or more hours of sleep. And in pre-industrial times, it was seen as normal to wake for a few hours in the middle of the night and chat or work.
What is in these products? And if additives don’t affect your health, would you care?
Shutterstock
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation; Jordan Fermanis, The Conversation; Justin Bergman, The Conversation, and Dilpreet Kaur, The Conversation
Food fraud, the centuries-old problem that won’t go away
The Conversation55.8 MB(download)
Dairy farmers used to put sheep brains and chalk in skim milk to make it look frothier and whiter. Coffee, honey and wine have also been past targets of food fraudsters. Can the law ever keep up?
The Bureau of Meteorology’s tropical cyclone outlook is out today.
AAP Image/Bureau of Meteorology, Japan Meteorological Agency
Madeleine De Gabriele, The Conversation and Wes Mountain, The Conversation
Cyclone season approacheth, but this year there’s a twist
The Conversation, CC BY31.4 MB(download)
Australia must come to terms with some fundamental shifts in our weather patterns. This month, Andrew Watkins from the BOM and climate scientist Joelle Gergis explore what's in store.
Australia’s cyclone season lies ahead.
NASA / ESRSU / Seán Doran
Madeleine De Gabriele, The Conversation and Wes Mountain, The Conversation
October teaser: Australia’s extreme weather
The Conversation, CC BY1.5 MB(download)
Are our extremes moving past historical precendent into uncharted territory, or is this life as usual on a changeable continent?
Could music one day be something we experience through augmented reality, responding to the way we move through the world? Sound supplemented with colours and shapes?
Mavis Wong/The Conversation NY-BD-CC
Today, we're hearing about a researcher who records birdsong, how tech changes music and why song might help address Indigenous language loss.
The enormous Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey tells the stories of the same group of Australians over the course of their lives.
Mavis Wong/The Conversation NY-BD-CC
What the huge HILDA survey reveals about your economic well-being, health and family life
The Conversation, CC BY53.6 MB(download)
On today's episode, we'll hear what the huge HILDA survey says on Australians' financial literacy, energy use, how many of us are delaying getting a driver's license and how our economy is changing.
Madeleine De Gabriele, The Conversation; Phoebe Roth, The Conversation, and Justin Bergman, The Conversation
The value of sport
The Conversation45.1 MB(download)
As we reach the World Cup's halfway point, we're asking: what is sport worth? On today's episode, we explore the money and diplomatic power plays lingering behind the scenes of every big tournament.
After this episode, you’ll be able to explain how quantum mechanics affects everything from the way your jeans are cut to the headphones you use.
Cindy Zhi/The Conversation NY-BD-CC
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation; Michael Lund, The Conversation; Wes Mountain, The Conversation, and Julie Carli, The Conversation
The explainer episode
The Conversation, CC BY67.5 MB(download)
Today on Trust me, I'm An Expert, we're explaining the tricky topics: what is quantum mechanics? What does the research say about lone actor terrorism? And why do people like pimple popping videos?
Dr Simon Rosenbaum in Gaziantep, Turkey, with participants in an exercise program for Syrian refugees.
Simon Rosenbaum
Trust Me, I’m An Expert: how Syrian refugees are using exercise to improve mental health
The Conversation40.1 MB(download)
Last year, two researchers flew to Gaziantep in southern Turkey, where about one in four people are Syrian refugees, to explore how exercise might help improve mental health.
Evidence isn’t always as straightforward as it might first seem.
Mai Lam/The Conversation NY-BD-CC
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Madeleine De Gabriele, The Conversation
Brain-zapping, the curious case of the n-rays and other stories of evidence
The Conversation, CC BY70.4 MB(download)
You've had an x-ray before but have you had an n-ray? Of course not, because they're not real. But people used to think they were. Today, on Trust Me, I'm an Expert, we're bringing you stories on the theme of evidence.
Pain lets us know when there is something wrong, but sometimes our brains can trick us.
Mai Lam/The Conversation NY-BD-CC
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation; Sasha Petrova, The Conversation; Sophie Heizer, The Conversation, and Benjamin Ansell, The Conversation
Trust Me I’m An Expert: The science of pain
The Conversation58.7 MB(download)
Our podcast Trust Me, I'm An Expert, goes beyond the headlines and asks researchers to explain the evidence on issues making news. Today, we're talking pain and what science says about managing it.
There are ways we can stay cool in a heat wave without blasting air con at peak times.
AAP Image/TRACEY NEARMY
The urban heat island and summertime blackouts
The Conversation25.6 MB(download)
Today, we're asking why some of the most disadvantaged parts of our cities cop the worst of a heatwave and how you -- yes, you! -- can do your bit to reduce the risk of a summer time blackout.
A time of change is upon us. How do you balance risk and reward?
REUTERS/Laurent Dubrule
This month, we're talking risk. Three experts give their perspective on how long you might live, how to deal with loneliness – and how to step outside your comfort zone.