Making A Difference

Our Long Read series continues with a reckoning from Australia's past and the way it might influence our future. Our reporter Sydney Lang looks at the legacy of governor Lachlan Macquarie from the early colonial settlement days. Macquarie was considered a visionary who wanted to turn a penal colony into an egalitarian nation. But there is a dark side to his legacy that has an enduring, as well as painful, lesson.

Repo...

In the next episode of our Long Read series, Tylah Tully from Curtin University reports on the site of two of Australia's greatest riches. The Burrup peninsula in the north of Western Australia is home to more than one million rock carvings by First Nations people that date back tens-of-thousands of years. It's also the site of a multi-billion dollar gas and oil development. Can the two co-exist as neighbours? And what th...

In this episode, Aston Brown from University Technology Sydney – and now a rural and regional reporter at Guardian Australia – takes us inside the world of people who forage through rubbish bins to collect bottles and cans for cash. Are they environmental warriors? Is it a hobby job? Or are they trying to earn precious money to make ends meet? This is the first in our Long Read series where we focus on one, in-depth story each epis...

In this episode, our reporters from Deakin University look at how important health issues – period poverty, loneliness and therapy for young offenders – are being tackled. And there’s some fun in there, as well, with roosters on the loose, the cult following of an anime classic and how AI might be creeping into your music playlists.

If you or someone you know is experiencing loneliness or struggling with mental health:

Shifts in trends and attitudes - some good and some less so - means that at the end of 2023, we are seeing ourselves and our country differently. This episode by students from the University of New South Wales explores the changing identity of Australia.
   
Host: Jade Psihogios
Stories
'The Matilda effect' - Reporter: Maddie Nixon
'On the drink' - Reporter: Jacob Sukiennik
'Whose cr...

In this episode by journalism students at Griffith University in Queensland, we talk to people needing support in difficult times. And for all those people needing support, there are individuals, communities and organisations who are there to provide help.
Hosts
Merced Hernandez and Olivia Schoenauer
Stories
'Youth detention' - Reporter: Merced Hernandez
'Bushfires...again' - Reporter: Olivia...

Para athletes don’t get the headlines or recognition of their able-bodied peers yet their stories are the epitome of resilience and overcoming adversity. Less than a year until the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, we speak to four athletes about how sport has transformed their lives.

Hosts
Ella Bradford and Julia Forbes

Stories
Emily Beecroft – Reporter: Julia Forbes
Jenna Jones – Reporter: Ella Bradfo...

Every place has a story to tell: its past, present and what might lie ahead in the future. In this episode, our reporters from RMIT take us to native forests, a former prison, a public housing estate and a community on bushfire alert to find out how those places are changing.

Hosts
Annabel Fleming and Ned Coleman

Stories
‘Citizen Scientists’ – Reporter: Melanie Bakewell
'Stories From The Inside’ ...

This episode by journalism students at Curtin University in Perth challenges conventions that have dictated our lives and the progress of society.

We look at ways people are taking on and dealing with accepted norms around housing, families, drug use, gender equality and identity.

Host: Andrew Du

Stories
'Grand Designs' - Reporter: Xander Sapsworth-Collis
'Stemming the Tide' -...

This episode by journalism students at the University of Melbourne explores the binaries that govern us: good and bad, real and virtual, life and death.

But life often exists in the grey zones in-between and we look at what happens when you bend, blur or break those binaries.

Host: Thomas Phillips

Stories:
‘Human-made nature’ – Reporter: Meghan Dansie
‘Death Doulas’ – Reporter: Sasha Gattermayr<...

This month’s episode is the first in a three-part podcast by Nicola Brayan from the University of Sydney.
We’ve all been told that there’s a “proper” way to speak English. What if that wasn’t true?
There are thousands of dialects of English that are “non-standard” yet they still carry cultural and historic significance.
Nicola’s deep-dive into English dialects around the world shows how language shapes identity, commu...

This episode by journalism students at the University of Canberra tells stories that make us think about some of the important things in life: our health, our happiness and our fellow human beings.

Hosts
Maddi Green and Lila Greyling

Stories
'The 'New' Australian Dream’ – Reporter: Lara Stimpson
‘Nutrition For The Mind’ – Reporter: Hannah Donald
‘A Taste of Country’ – Reporter: Leo P...

This episode by journalism students at Curtin University in Perth tells stories about preservation: preserving the environment, our reputation, our identity and our well-being.

Hosts
Ruby Devlin and Amy Figueiredo

Stories
'Money For Marks’ – Reporter: Elliahn Blenkinsop
‘Saving the River’ – Reporter: Bronte Holmes
‘The Young and the Restless’ – Reporter: Mya Kordic
‘Complex Identities’ – R...

This episode by journalism students at Deakin University tells stories about our changing world and how people are finding ways to navigate these new times.
You will meet Australia’s first dental therapy dog who is helping people overcome their fear of going to the dentist, and join theatre workers as they delight in a return to the stage after long lockdowns.
The episode also explores the dangers of a La Nina weather pat...

This episode by journalism students at Griffith University in Queensland tells stories about ‘home’. From campaigns that support people facing housing crisis to acknowledging the importance of feeling at home in your own body. We also investigate the impact of natural disasters on ecosystems - which we like to think of as non-human homes - and there is a tribute to the volunteers who keep our homes safe. They are truly making a dif...

In this episode, journalism students at the University of NSW explore prejudice and bias, sometimes unconscious, sometimes ignorant and sometimes deliberate. There are stories that look at the issues of racism and identity from the perspective of victims, and why it’s so important to hear those voices.

Production
Host: Kyle Smitizis

Stories
'We are kinda racist' - Reporter: Sanjana Jose
&apos...

This month's episode was produced by journalism students at Charles Sturt University. The range of stories emphasises the challenges right now, particularly for rural and regional communities. If it's not the pandemic, it's the threat of varroa mite and foot and mouth disease. And then there's the damage of months of heavy rainfall. We hear how communities  are dealing with a relentless wave of threats to liveli...

Relive election night as journalism students around the country reported on a momentous vote count that saw Labor, led by Anthony Albanese, sweep to power along with a wave of independent candidates. This episode captures the highlights and defining moments from Junction Journalism’s national radio broadcast on election night. 

More stories from Junction Journalism:
https://junctionjournalism.com/

Production for this ep...

In this episode of ‘Making a Difference’,  journalism students from the University of Melbourne report on what was one of the most marginal electorates in the country, Chisholm in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

Reporters spoke in-depth with voters throughout the election campaign about the issues that were most important to them.

Climate change, relations with China, Victoria’s COVID response, and house prices were commo...