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Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny

The Australian National University 402 Episodes Oct 13, 2026

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is a weekly podcast that delves into Australian politics and public affairs. Hosted by Mark Kenny, it features expert analysis and discussions with researchers from The Australian National University and other guest scholars. The show explores topical issues, elections, policy decisions, and the broader health of democratic institutions, offering an academic yet accessible perspective. It is a public-facing initiative from the ANU, distributed via Acast.

Episodes

The One Nation vote: a map of government neglect
The One Nation vote: a map of government neglect Oct 13, 2026 45:20 Why are Australia's least resilient communities turning to One Nation? What happens when the major parties take their heartland seats for granted? Can Labor's "shallow" 2025 win hold together in 2028?Redbridge Group director Kos Samaras joins Mark and Marija to unpack the new Australian Resilience Index. It maps the financial, health and social resilience of communities across al
Not here to fix Labor
Not here to fix Labor Oct 6, 2026 47:35 Is Labor's managerial, middle-of-the-road style a sensible way to steer through rough seas, or does it leave room on the left for someone selling a bigger vision? If Pauline Hanson can do it to the Coalition, can Shoebridge do it to Labor? Or is Australia simply heading for a multi-party era where every seat is marginal? On this episode, Professor Mark Kenny and Dr Marija Taflaga look at what
The Alchemy of Leadership
The Alchemy of Leadership Sep 29, 2026 56:53 What did John Howard understand about survival and self-correction that his six successors never quite grasped? Why do so many of our prime ministers trace their drive back to fiercely ambitious mothers — and what does that pattern tell us about who gets to lead? Is the Liberal Party's current unravelling the price of clinging to the "Howard settlement" long after the country moved on?&n
Forty Years On
Forty Years On Sep 21, 2026 35:26 What are the five forces reshaping Australia's economy and society over the next four decades? What it will take to keep Australians' faith in government alive while managing them? What can younger Australians expect from future governments?Treasurer of Australia and ANU Alum the Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP joins Mark Kenny and Liz Allen on Democracy Sausage to unpack the 2025 Inter
New game, new rules
New game, new rules Sep 15, 2026 58:57 Is too much political capital being put into meaningless foreign policy platitudes rather than defining what modern Australian security looks like? If Australia's shared values with its allies are contradicted can we still rely on those principles to steer policy with them? Can Australia take a globally prominent position in petitioning the US to end the wars that fundamentally threaten Australia'
Whose Side Are You On?
Whose Side Are You On? Sep 8, 2026 1:01:52 Is Australia's looming digital duty of care about censorship, as its critics claim, or about handing control back to the people whose attention is being sold to advertisers? With Meta's $18 billion US settlement still fresh and an exposure draft due out within hours, independent MP for Curtin Kate Chaney makes the case for a broad duty on tech platforms to prevent foreseeable harm — and why she th
Three Shocks
Three Shocks Sep 1, 2026 1:00:07 For the first time since federation Australia's population is made up of a majority of migrants and their children, changing the electoral maths for our politicians - have our leaders caught up to the times or are they getting left behind? Labor has learned how to win an election, but does the Liberal party have what it takes to break their losing streak? As trust in both our allies and our key tr
Hostile complexity
Hostile complexity Aug 25, 2026 48:04 Why has David Farley's and Pauline Hanson's immigration number not matched up — and does it even matter to One Nation's supporters? What do focus groups really say when people explain why they're giving up on the major parties? If many disaffected voters want a left-wing agenda of "taking back what we own," why is it the populist right keeps cutting through? RedBridge's&nb
Insiders and Outsiders
Insiders and Outsiders Aug 18, 2026 58:18 Twenty-five years ago, Insiders went to air for the first time – the morning after the Aston by-election, before smartphones, before social media, and long before anyone had to explain what a fax machine was. So how much of what's changed in Australian politics since has really been about the politicians, and how much about the technology reshaping how they communicate and how
You win some, you lose more
You win some, you lose more Aug 11, 2026 46:40 Why has the government fallen so far short of the Murphy Report's recommendations despite around 80 per cent of Australians wanting gambling ads banned? How did an under-resourced Northern Territory regulator end up overseeing a $34 billion-a-year industry? Why do inducements — not just the eye-watering ones, but the humble "here's $100, have a punt" kind — count as predatory when someone's&n
Job (Un)Ready
Job (Un)Ready Aug 4, 2026 49:54 Is a policy that students, staff and vice-chancellors all agree has failed still standing because no one in government wants to spend the political capital to fix it? Can universities rebuild trust and student voice after a string of governance crises, from the ICAC probe into the University of Wollongong and parliamentary inquiries? What does it say about the state of higher education when the qu
Command, Control and Conformity
Command, Control and Conformity Jul 28, 2026 52:40 How did a Prime Minister sitting on one of Labor's largest-ever majorities turn his national conference into a masterclass in silence — and what does that say about who's allowed to argue inside the party? Is Albanese's "command and control" PMO disciplined governance or a party too afraid of its own conscience? With One Nation polling above 25 per cent in a Victoria that'

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