Seriously Social

As the housing crisis worsens, do we have the courage to reimagine a home among the gumtrees or are we too set in our ways to branch out? In this episode, we investigate why density is a dirty word and offer a comprehensive view of the possibilities ahead. Join host Ginger Gorman as she speaks to housing policy expert Professor Bill Randolph (UNSW City Futures Research Centre), innovative architect Lisa Garner from LIAN Architects,...

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 c...

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.

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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 treatme...

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 ...

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 e...

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 s...

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, ...

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 politic...

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 th...

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 p...

It’s our 50th episode and we are celebrating this milestone with an extra-special interview with the first women’s advisor to a head of government anywhere in the world. Elizabeth Reid AO, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and a former visiting Fellow at the Gender Relations Centre and Department of Human Geography at ANU, was appointed in 1973 to advise then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam on the changes in policy...

Would you switch to greener super if it meant more money at retirement? But is the benefit worth the hassle? As climate change makes itself felt in our everyday lives, we explore how our choice of superannuation fund can cost us in the long run if we don’t pay attention to climate-friendly investment now. In this episode, Professor Jacqueline Peel, Director of Melbourne Climate Futures talks about how it's possible to prompt climat...

When you think back to your childhood, who do you remember spent the most time doing the day-to-day care? The most common answer to that question historically, would be mum. But in 2022, is that beginning to change? In this episode, Professor of Gender and Employment Relations, Marian Baird, (University of Sydney), discusses Australia’s current Paid Parental Leave schemes including how they work, what needs to change and how can w...

Are you one of the 50% of Australians who have tried an illicit drug? Or do you believe all drugs should be illegal? The field of drug policy is in a state of flux. Whilst drugs are being legalised in some parts of the world, other countries are cracking down. In this episode, Professor Alison Ritter, Director of the UNSW Drug Policy Modelling Program, explores Australia's drug policies: who makes them, who influences them, and who...

Feeling burned out? It’s not surprising: experts say we all have a 30% chance of experiencing it. (Sorry to doctors, teachers and others in caring professions: your chances are way higher.) In this episode, the founder of the Black Dog Institute, Professor Gordon Parker, explains what burnout is, why it’s often misdiagnosed, and which personalities are most at risk of experiencing this syndrome which can impact our relationships, p...

Did you know there have been more dictatorships than democracies? Ever wondered if all dictators are cut from the same cloth? With the help of author Professor Graeme Gill and journalist Matt Bevan from the ABC “If you’re listening” podcasts, we explore how dictatorships work and why democracy is a more unusual system of government than most of us realise. 

Useful Links

• If You're Listening Podcast with Matt Bevan
• Bridling Dicta...

What makes a speech, especially a political speech impactful, memorable and stirring? And why does it always feel so long between those times when we hear a good one? In this episode of Seriously Social, political historian Professor Sean Scalmer joins us to discuss the origins of the stump speech, and what it takes to move hearts and minds with words.

Useful Links

• On the Stump: Campaign Oratory and Democracy in the United Stat...

The data is in: racism in Australia is on the rise. But in recent years has racism become more covert than it once was? We unpack the spectrum of racist behaviour as we look at racism in Australia today, and consider why, even as it goes undercover, it's getting worse.

Useful links:

• Racism in Australia Today (2021) by Amanuel Elias, Fethi Mansouri and Yin Paradies
• Lies, Damned Lies (2021) by Claire G. Coleman
• The School That Tr...