Making A Difference

Keeping people safe, helping people out, giving people a leg-up, giving people a chance to shine – it’s what a functioning society does.
In this episode of Making a Difference, journalism students at Deakin University bring us stories about looking out for people: keeping apprentices safe on the job, helping those with addiction and incarceration, creating a new world for visually impaired children, supporting emerging musicia...

As Gen Zers become more socially and politically aware, they’re starting to understand the world they inhabit and will inherit. In this episode, journalism students at UNSW Sydney look at the impact of some of those issues such as social media, politics and smoking. And possibly one of the biggest – mental health – is explored through the experience of two autistic sisters who mask their disorder.

Host: Dominique Lakis-Nas...

Representation matters because it helps us imagine our place in the world: our identity, self-worth and sense of belonging. Come on an entertaining and informative ride as journalism students from Griffith University look at representation: how it’s being done well and where it can improve.
*Language warning for this episode.

Hosts: Lucy Ingham, Sophia Thomas and Nicole Symens

Stories:
"It's Her...

In a world of heightened tension and conflict, there is lots to be wary and anxious about. But as the experts say: focus on the things you can control and don’t worry about what you can’t.

This episode is the first appearance on our podcast by students from Western Sydney University. And they look at the things that scare us…and how people deal with those fears.

Host: Claire Brownlie

Stories:
‘Parra-normal’ – ...

This episode by student journalists at Curtin University in Perth makes us think about the concept of trust and the belief in the goodness of people.
The things they say, the way we rely on them…and the potential risk of placing our trust in others.

Hosts:
Madigan Spooner and Camila Egusquiza Santa Cruz

Stories:
‘Man or Bear’ – Reporter: Camila Egusquiza Santa Cruz
‘The Aliens Are Coming’ – Reporter: Andrew...

For many people, food and the simple act of cooking can provide solace and comfort, particularly for those who go through the upheaval of migrating to another country. Cooking reminds them of home – not just the food but the people and places as well.
Nicole Alcantara from the University of Sydney spent an evening with two young men from Nepal. And as they cooked a traditional Nepali curry, the conversation around food reveale...

It’s hard enough for anyone to find a home to rent in Australia. The difficulty factor is multiplied many times more for hundreds-of-thousands of international students who come to the country each year, also needing a rental. In this episode, reporter Gwen Liu reveals the desperate measures many students are turning to that are exposing them to potential scams and exploitation.

Reporter: Gwen Liu
Executive Producer: S...

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...