Pasha - from The Conversation Africa
299 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingWelcome to Pasha, The Conversation Africa’s brand new podcast. In the spirit of The Conversation, Pasha – which means to inform in Swahili – will be bringing you some of the best and brightest research from academics across the continent. After nearly four years of publishing expert research, we’re thrilled to be bringing our own brand of smart journalism to a new audio format. Each episode will collect stories and commentary on a given theme.
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Episodes
Pasha 57: Adam Habib on higher education in South Africa
March 11, 2020 13:19 - 8 minutes - 8.02 MBshutterstock Higher education in South Africa has undergone some tough times in recent years. There have been numerous protests over fees and affordability. One of the university leaders at the centre of the debates was Adam Habib, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. In today’s episode of Pasha he looks at the challenges of higher education in South Africa. He also discusses solutions and the lessons the country should take from the prot...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy on COVID-19
March 10, 2020 09:48 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MBLukas Coch/AAP With 100 domestic cases as of March 10, federal and state governments and health authorities face daunting challenges posed by COVID-19 in coming weeks and months - securing a workforce of nurses and doctors to treat the sick, ensuring enough testing facilities to meet a rapidly growing demand, and stemming the spread of the virus, to the maximum extent possible. As Chief Medical Officer for the federal government, Professor Brendan Murphy is confident about ma...
We asked astronomers: are we alone in the Universe? The answer was surprisingly consistent
March 09, 2020 01:05 - 24 minutes - 33.5 MBShutterstock Are we alone in the Universe? The expert opinion on that, it turns out, is surprisingly consistent. “Is there other life in the Universe? I would say: probably,” Daniel Zucker, Associate Professor of astronomy at Macquarie University, tells astrophysics student and The Conversation’s editorial intern Antonio Tarquinio on today’s podcast episode. “I think that we will discover life outside of Earth in my lifetime. If not that, then in your lifetime,” says his fe...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Keith Pitt on the Murray-Darling Basin, the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, and Nuclear Power
March 05, 2020 06:00 - 23 minutes - 32.7 MBMICK TSIKAS/AAP Appointed minister for resources, water, and northern Australia in the Nationals reshuffle, Keith Pitt was handed a diverse portfolio with some highly contested issues. As water minister, he’ll soon have a report from Mick Keelty on the Murray-Darling Basin, which could spark more fighting between states, and the ACCC report into water trading, expected at the end of the year. “We do need to ensure the trading is fair,” he says. “I’m as concerned as anybody e...
Pasha 56: Why gender equity in health matters
March 04, 2020 14:31 - 8 minutes - 7.6 MBshutterstock In global health, it’s important that women have an equal opportunity to have their voices heard in setting agendas and designing interventions. Not listening to women can mean that important contributions are missed. Women play a crucial role in delivering important health services and are the backbone of health. In today’s episode of Pasha, Rhoda Wanyenze, Dean of Makerere University School of Public Health, discusses how crucial it is for women to be acknowledged in glob...
Pasha 55: South Africa and the Fourth Industrial Revolution
February 26, 2020 15:05 - 8 minutes - 8.02 MBshutterstock The global hype around the Fourth Industrial Revolution has grabbed South Africa as well. President Cyril Ramaphosa is firmly behind it as the belief is that it can help advance economies and increase job opportunities. But in countries like South Africa where inequality is a problem, adding advanced technologies might divide the country further and deepen inequality. In today’s episode of Pasha, Alison Gillwald, Adjunct Professor at the University of Cape Town, looks at ho...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Mark Butler on Labor's 2050 carbon neutral target
February 26, 2020 03:34 - 20 minutes - 27.5 MBKelly Barnes/AAP Mark Butler, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy, is optimistic that Labor is better placed to prosecute its climate policy at the next election, compared to the last. “I think we are better positioned now for two reasons.” “Firstly, I think the business community has shifted substantially over the last couple of years, and that’s a global shift that reflects particularly the fact that regulators…and investors have recognised that climate change po...
More than 70% of the Universe is made of 'dark energy', the mysterious stuff even stranger than dark matter
February 23, 2020 23:57 - 12 minutes - 17.1 MBShutterstock You’ve heard of dark matter. You’ve probably heard there’s a fair bit of it out there in space, and that astronomers don’t know for sure what it is. But, strange as dark matter is, there’s an even more mysterious thing out there in the Universe – and quite a lot of it. Dark energy, believed to be responsible for the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe, makes up the vast majority of space. Today, editorial intern and astrophysics student Cameron Furl...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Phil Honeywood on the coronavirus challenge for universities
February 20, 2020 06:09 - 19 minutes - 26.2 MBThe coronavirus is presenting a major threat to Australia’s education export industry, which is highly dependant upon the China market, and a huge challenge to the universities. Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia says: “At the end of the day, China is the most heavily populated country in the world, it’s on our regional doorstep and it has an incredible appetite for having their children study offshore.” This podcast was recorded before the governm...
Pasha 54: An African perspective on the coronavirus
February 19, 2020 13:18 - 5 minutes - 4.77 MBshutterstock By the middle of February more than 2000 people had died from the coronavirus COVID-19, which was first identified in Wuhan, China at the end of last year. The virus has spread to a number of countries around the world – and of course, African countries are at risk, too. Screening and identifying patients is hugely important. In today’s episode Professor Burtram Fielding of the department of medical biosciences at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa takes us t...
Pasha 53: Why we listened to tiny frogs
February 12, 2020 11:55 - 6 minutes - 5.67 MBFrog The Cape peninsula moss frog is tiny – really tiny. That makes the species very difficult to track. These little frogs are also very vulnerable, rated as “Near Threatened” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list of threatened species. So how can researchers monitor the species and come up with plans to conserve it? By listening. In today’s episode of Pasha John Measey, chief researcher at the Centre for Invasion Biology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Adam Bandt on Greens' hopes for future power sharing
February 10, 2020 06:13 - 29 minutes - 40.6 MBAdam Bandt began his political journey in the Labor party, but the issue of climate change drew him to the Greens. Last week he became their leader, elected unopposed. Asked about his ambitions for the party, Bandt aspires to a power-sharing situation with a Labor government, akin to the Gillard era. “Ultimately Labor’s got to decide where it stands, and if Labor decides that it does want to go down the path of working with us on a plan to phase out coal and look after workers in...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Michael McCormack moves on from his near-death experience
February 06, 2020 06:30 - 22 minutes - 31.3 MBMick Tsikas/AAP Starting the year with a leadership spill will be seen by many, especially those hit by the bushfires, as the Nationals being particularly self-indulgent. Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack admits as much, but notes he wasn’t the initiator of his party’s bad behaviour. “We should not have been talking about ourselves. This was never of my making or doing. And we should have spent the entire day, not just those sitting hours, but the ...
Pasha 52: Taking a look at healthy food in South Africa
February 05, 2020 13:35 - 6 minutes - 6.42 MBshutterstock Healthy food is critical to people’s well being. Not only does eating it keep us healthy and strong, but producing your own food is empowering and could even be a potential source of income. The problem is that healthy, fresh food isn’t always affordable and accessible for everyone. In today’s episode of Pasha Lise Korsten, co-director at the Centre of Excellence in Food Security at the University of Pretoria discusses the importance of healthy food. She also looks at the st...
'Futuring' can help us survive the climate crisis. And guess what? You're a futurist too
January 31, 2020 01:21 - 10 minutes - 14.1 MBWhen we are imagining this time, next year, are we limiting our thinking to how we avoid the conditions we faced in this summer? Or are there bigger questions we can ask? Shutterstock Editor’s note: Today, on Trust Me, I’m An Expert, we hear from Clare Cooper, design lecturer at the University of Sydney, on how futuring techniques can help us think collectively about life under a drastically hotter climate. Her accompanying essay is below. Australians, no matter where we are, are coming t...
Pasha 51: Donating your body to research
January 29, 2020 12:58 - 9 minutes - 8.59 MBshutterstock Medical students learn a lot from studying the bodies of people who have died. When people donate their body for this purpose, their identity will never be disclosed and the body can be returned to the family at any time. In today’s episode of Pasha, PhD candidate Kimberleigh Tommy and lecturer Brendon Billings explain why it’s important for anatomy students to work with real cadavers. They discuss the ethical and legal considerations of donating your body to research, the ...
Pasha 50: The threat of climate change to South Africa's agriculture
January 22, 2020 14:14 - 5 minutes - 4.69 MBShutterstock Temperatures across southern Africa are increasing. This presents a threat to many crops across the region. Rainfall projections are uncertain but the impact of climate change on agriculture is clear. The sector will suffer, and food shortages could follow. It is important for farmers to increase resilience and take steps to deal with a changing climate. These steps include increasing agricultural productivity, slowing down post-harvest losses and increasing marke...
The Dish in Parkes is scanning the southern Milky Way, searching for alien signals
January 15, 2020 23:23 - 22 minutes - 50.7 MBThe Parkes radio telescope can detect extremely weak signals coming from the most distant parts of the Universe. Shutterstock For John Sarkissian, operations scientist at the CSIRO Parkes radio telescope, astronomy has been his life’s passion – starting from the age of six. “When I was six years old, I watched Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the Moon,” he says of the radio telescope made famous in the film The Dish. “In fact, on the cover of my year nine mathematics textbook was ...
Pasha 49: How Rwanda rebuilt a broken healthcare system
January 15, 2020 14:07 - 4 minutes - 4.05 MBshutterstock Rwanda has made strides in its health sector in recent years. The country is noted for making faster than expected progress over the past 15 years in reducing deaths among children younger than five. This is the result of the work the government has done in building a strong health system and taking an inclusive approach to health coverage. But there are still challenges like maternal mortality, for example. In today’s episode of Pasha, Agnes Binagwaho, Vice-Chancellor at t...
'The size, the grandeur, the peacefulness of being in the dark': what it's like to study space at Siding Spring Observatory
December 18, 2019 18:58 - 23 minutes - 54.3 MBToday we hear about some of the fascinating space research underway at Siding Spring Observatory – and how, despite gruelling hours and endless paperwork, astronomers retain their sense of wonder for the night sky. Shutterstock How did our galaxy form? How do galaxies evolve over time? Where did the Sun’s lost siblings end up? Three hours north-east of Parkes lies a remote astronomical research facility, unpolluted by city lights, where researchers are collecting vast amounts of data in a...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Grattan and Martin on the year that was, in politics and economics
December 18, 2019 04:26 - 43 minutes - 59.2 MBThe Yearbook is a collection of 50 standout articles from Australia’s top thinkers. The Conversation Last week, Michelle Grattan and Peter Martin (economics editor at The Conversation) were in Sydney to launch the 2019 Conversation Yearbook. The event was held at Glebebooks and presented an opportunity for readers to hear Michelle and Peter’s discussion about the year that was, and ask questions. This podcast is an edited recording of that event. New to podcasts? Podcasts are often be...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Mathias Cormann and Jim Chalmers on the mid-year budget update
December 16, 2019 05:50 - 21 minutes - 29.7 MBThe forecast for Australia's economic growth in 2019-20 has been cut by 0.25%, and the projected surplus for this financial year slashed by A$2.1 billion. The Conversation The mid-year budget update has seen the government downgrading its forecast for Australia’s economic growth in 2019-20 by 0.25%, and slashing the projected surplus by A$2.1 billion, to $5 billion. The forecast for wage growth has also been reduced, and unemployment is projected to be slightly higher than was envisaged at...
Pasha 48: Data science and taking on Africa’s challenges
December 11, 2019 12:58 - 4 minutes - 3.8 MBshutterstock Data science is a buzzword commonly heard these days. But what is it? Data science combines a number of fields and is a blend of statistics, computer science, mathematics, engineering and subject matter knowledge. It holds tremendous potential as has already been shown with game-changing, crucial innovations rooted in the work of data scientists. And African countries are starting to get on board. In today’s episode of Pasha Wim Delva, the acting director of the School for...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Andrew Hastie on foreign influence, security and veteran mental health
December 09, 2019 02:38 - 25 minutes - 34.6 MBThe member for Canning has made a name for himself as a hawk on foreign influence in Australian politics. Lukas Coch/AAP Chinese government influence and interference has been a contentious issue in Australia politics in the past year. Weighing up concerns about foreign money in state and federal campaigns, candidates’ direct relationships with arms of the Chinese Communist Party and the defection of a Chinese spy operating within Australia, against the fragile trade relationship we have...
Pasha 47: How to increase the role women play in developing the continent
December 04, 2019 15:23 - 4 minutes - 3.79 MBshutterstock Women all over the world face a number of challenges and this is also true in many countries on the African continent. The perceptions of society can result in their potential being “locked up”. Education is crucial to overcome the mind-sets that prevent women from taking more of a lead in society. In today’s episode of Pasha, Roula Inglesi-Lotz, co-leader of the Women in Science Working Group and an associate professor of economics at the University of Pretoria in South Af...
Pasha 46: The 90:90:90 goals and the fight against HIV and AIDS
November 27, 2019 14:31 - 4 minutes - 4.35 MBshutterstock To end the HIV and AIDS epidemic by 2030, the United Nations established an ambitious set of goals known as 90-90-90. The idea is that by 2020, 90% of people who are HIV infected will be diagnosed, 90% of people who are diagnosed will be on antiretroviral treatment and 90% of those who receive antiretrovirals will be virally suppressed. In today’s episode of Pasha, Peter Piot, Director and Handa Professor of Global Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine,...
Antibiotic resistant superbugs kill 32 plane-loads of people a week. We can all help fight back
November 26, 2019 18:41 - 20 minutes - 48 MBAntibiotics can be a wonder for treating bacterial infections – but we need to be cautious in how we use them. From shutterstock.com You might think antibiotic resistance is something to worry about in the distant future. But it’s already having a deadly impact today. The number of people dying globally every week from antibiotic resistant infections is equivalent to 32 Boeing 747s full of people. And if that sounds scary, the projections for the future are even scarier. On today’s episo...
Pasha 45: Spotlight on population growth in Africa
November 19, 2019 13:25 - 4 minutes - 4.33 MBshutterstock Africa’s population is expected to double by 2050. It’s therefore important to look at what’s driving population growth, and what can be done to slow the trend. These topics are being considered at the 8th African Population Conference in Entebbe in Uganda. In the latest episode of Pasha, Alex Ezeh, a Dornsife Professor of Global Health at Drexel University, discusses how population growth can be addressed in an effective, practical and ethical way. Read more: ...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Minister David Littleproud on bushfires, drought, and the Nationals
November 14, 2019 01:40 - 35 minutes - 49.3 MBAs bushfires continue to burn across NSW and Queensland, the Prime Minister and Opposition leader have said policy arguments should be avoided until the immediate crisis has passed, but many disagree. Dan Peled/AAP Bushfires continue to burn across NSW and Queensland, the death toll has risen, and the damage to properties, wildlife and the environment is devastating. With conditions predicted to worsen over the summer, climate change has inevitably come into the frame. The Prime Minister...
Pasha 44: Gender inequality in Kenyan and South African education systems
November 13, 2019 15:32 - 5 minutes - 4.86 MBshutterstock South Africa and Kenya have progressive legal frameworks when it comes to higher education policies. But women are still missing from higher education institutions. This is attributed to the difficult social conditions they face. In today’s episode of Pasha Beatrice Akala, a post doctoral research fellow at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, speaks about how to deal with some of the challenges facing women. Read more: Gender inequality in education...
Pasha 43: How South Africa can deliver on the right to food
November 06, 2019 13:27 - 4 minutes - 3.91 MBshutterstock Hunger and food insecurity are prominent issues in South Africa. Many people don’t have access to nutritious food and there is severe food injustice in the country. Yet people are not taking to the streets to protest about this. This is because people are unaware that they have a right to food. South Africa can take lessons on this from regions in India and Brazil. Tackling food injustice needs a transformation of the structural inequities of the food system. It requires pro...
Nearly all your devices run on lithium batteries. Here's a Nobel Prizewinner on his part in their invention – and their future
November 01, 2019 05:03 - 18 minutes - 41.5 MBLithium ion batteries revolutionised the way we use, manufacture and charge our devices. They’re used to power mobile phones, laptops and even electric cars. Shutterstock British-born scientist M. Stanley Whittingham, of Binghamton University, was one of three scientists who won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work developing lithium-ion batteries. L-R: John Goodenough; Stanley Whittingham; Akira Yoshino, the three scientists who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistr...
Pasha 42: Cities in Africa need to be made safer
October 30, 2019 15:23 - 4 minutes - 3.8 MBh Across Africa people are moving to cities. But the way in which urban spaces are being expanded leaves a lot to be desired. For example, buildings are unsafe. They are hastily constructed to meet the influx of people. Collapsed buildings are a regular occurrence. In today’s episode, Festival Godwin Boateng, a PhD candidate at the School of Global Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University in Australia, discusses how policy and proper guidelines are needed to ensure buildings are cons...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Ross Gittins on the government's 'surplus obsession'
October 29, 2019 10:34 - 21 minutes - 29.3 MBThis week's Essential poll showed 56% of voters would prioritise stimulating the Australian economy over getting back to budget surplus. Mick Tsikas/AAP The Australian economy is growing slowly, with people not opening their purses and businesses uncertain about the future. The Reserve Bank has cut interest rates three times this year - the official cash rate is currently at a historic low of 0.75%. Many are arguing monetary policy has run its course, and fiscal stimulus is needed. This ...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: On the trust divide in politics
October 28, 2019 00:15 - 36 minutes - 50 MBThe first report produced by Democracy 2025 brings forward the perspective of federal politicians, as they are key voices in the debate on trust in politics. Shutterstock Democracy 2025 is an initiative by the Museum of Australian Democracy and the University of Canberra, which aims to stimulate a national conversation on the state of our democracy, including the trust divide between the political class and everyday citizens. A just-released report by the project gives the perspective of...
Pasha 41: Taking a look at measles in the DRC
October 23, 2019 15:17 - 6 minutes - 5.94 MBshutterstock The measles outbreak in the DRC is the largest and most fatal in the world this year. What started in one section of the country has now spread to all 26 provinces. Not vaccinating children lies at the heart of the problem. But there are a number of issues which makes vaccinating kids difficult. In today’s episode of Pasha Matthew Ferrari, an associate professor of biology at Pennsylvania State University, discusses what happens to the body when one has measles, why it has ...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Deputy PM Michael McCormack on the drought and restive Nationals
October 23, 2019 06:12 - 24 minutes - 33.7 MBThe Deputy PM urges farmers considering leaving their farms to 'take every bit of good advice available before they take that ultimate step'. Mick Tsikas/AAP While the drought continues to hit the Nationals’ constituents hard, the party faces testing terrain on a political level. In this episode of Politics with Michelle Grattan, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack acknowledges the mishandling of the bring-forward of the dairy code, which will increase the negotiating power of milk pr...
Pasha 40: Why it's important to focus on gender during an outbreak
October 16, 2019 13:59 - 5 minutes - 5.23 MBshutterstock When it comes to talking about, understanding and tackling outbreaks like Ebola, gender is not often raised as an issue. That’s a problem because most of the people responsible for providing care in homes are women. This care work increases their risk of infection and places enormous financial, social and psychological burdens on them. In today’s episode of Pasha Julia Smith, a research associate at Simon Fraser University, discusses the issue of gender and outbreaks and wh...
Pasha 39: How local crops and grains can help solve nutrition issues
October 09, 2019 14:44 - 5 minutes - 4.79 MBshutterstock Climate change presents a problem for many African countries. Drought resistant crops need to be accessible as good, nutritious food will become increasingly scarce with a changing climate. Indigenous crops like sorghum, millets and cowpeas are drought tolerant and can be prepared in ways that improve nutrition. In today’s episode of Pasha, Kwaku Gyebi Duodu, an associate professor in food and chemistry at the University of Pretoria, looks at how combining and fermenting g...
Trust Me, I'm An Expert: forensic entomology, or what bugs can tell police about when someone died
October 06, 2019 18:56 - 25 minutes - 58.8 MBMaggots are a major part of the puzzle when it comes to collecting forensic evidence. Shutterstock A few episodes ago, we heard from forensic scientists at the Australian Facility for Taphonomic Experimental Research (AFTER) – that’s the official name for what, in books and movies, they would call a body farm. It’s there, at a secret bushland site, researchers are making some surprising discoveries about how donated human bodies decompose in Australian conditions. One of the researchers...
Pasha 38: How cloud computing can speed up development in African countries
October 02, 2019 13:44 - 5 minutes - 4.64 MBshutterstock Cloud computing is the delivery and storage of technology capabilities over the internet. It can be a valuable tool, but to unlock its capability is no easy task. There are certain fundamentals that need to be in place. In today’s episode of Pasha, Willem Fourie an associate Professor at the University of Pretoria, looks at the four fundamentals needed to get African countries to use cloud computing effectively. He discusses this with examples of where cloud computing is be...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Tim Watts on Australia's changing identity
October 02, 2019 07:02 - 27 minutes - 37.7 MBSome of Watts' ancestors were deeply rooted in the old attitudes of "white Australia", while his wife is from Hong Kong, and his children Eurasian-Australian. Erik Anderson/AAP Tim Watts is Labor member for the Victorian seat of Gellibrand, one of the most diverse electorates in Australia. His own family is a microcosm of diversity - Watts comes from a long line of Australians with ancestors deeply rooted in the old attitudes of “white Australia”, while his wife is from Hong Kong, and his...
Pasha 37: Why the new Ebola vaccine may be a game changer
September 25, 2019 13:43 - 6 minutes - 5.58 MBshutterstock An Ebola vaccine is currently being trialled in Uganda. The vaccine, which has two doses, is designed to produce stronger and longer-lasting immune responses. One of the most important things about the vaccine is that it covers different strains of Ebola, which means it can treat more people. It is to be tested in Uganda and also in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has been battling an outbreak of the disease for more than a year. Our guest on today’s ep...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: daughters of Robert Menzies and Arthur Calwell say parliament wasn't always a 'fort'
September 24, 2019 01:24 - 57 minutes - 79.2 MBHeather Henderson and Mary Elizabeth Calwell reflect on their fathers' legacies, growing up in a political environment, and offer their perspectives on a different era in politics. Office of Maria Vamvakinou MP Last week, a very special event took place in Parliament House. The daughters of Sir Robert Menzies and Arthur Calwell - Heather Henderson and Mary Elizabeth Calwell - came together to reflect on their fathers’ legacies, and to offer their perspectives on a different era in Australi...
Pasha 36: The sounds of our ancestors
September 18, 2019 13:12 - 5 minutes - 4.84 MBPendants Studying the Middle and Later Stone Age, which was about 300 000 to 300 years ago in South Africa, is a vital way to learn about an important period for our ancestors. We know a fair amount about the tools and the paintings made by people of that time. But very little is known about the sounds that people made and listened to. This lack of knowledge made a group of South African researchers curious about these sounds – and so they set out to learn more. Some of their findings s...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Arthur Sinodinos with some reflections and advice
September 17, 2019 07:19 - 23 minutes - 32.9 MBSinodinos warns about dangers for democracy and science posed by a polarised media. Mick Tsikas/AAP Arthur Sinodinos will soon leave the Senate, and early next year take up the position of Australian ambassador in Washington. A former staffer and one-time public servant as well as a former minister, in this podcast Sinodinos reflects on the challenges of pursuing reform, has some advice for ministerial staff in dealing with the public service, and warns about dangers for democracy and sci...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jim Chalmers on the need to change economic course
September 16, 2019 07:14 - 26 minutes - 35.9 MB"We'd be mad not to learn the lessons” of the election result, said Chalmers on Labor's way ahead. Joel Carrett/AAP Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers says it’s time to change Australia’s economic course “in a responsible and affordable way which doesn’t jeopardise the surplus”. Chalmers predicts the budget outcome for last financial year, forecast to be a deficit at budget time, could possibly show a surplus, because of high iron ore prices and other factors including an underspend on the NDI...
Pasha 35: How WhatsApp played a role in the Nigerian elections
September 11, 2019 13:41 - 7 minutes - 6.48 MBshutterstock WhatsApp is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms. The messaging app is encrypted so it’s safer to share messages there than on platforms like Facebook and Twitter. It also notorious for the spread of fake news. But it’s also used for good. In the run-up to Nigeria’s 2019 election, for instance, the platform was used to spread fake news – but it was also used for campaigning and communicating with potential voters. In this episode of Pasha Nic Cheeseman, a p...
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Independent MP Helen Haines on using 'soft power'
September 11, 2019 04:38 - 19 minutes - 27.1 MBHelen Haines (centre-right) made history at the election as the first federal independent to succeed another independent. Mick Tsikas/AAP Helen Haines, MP for the Victorian regional seat Indi, made history at the election as the first federal independent to succeed another independent. She was backed by grassroots campaigners, Voices for Indi, who had earlier helped her predecessor, Cathy McGowan, into parliament. But while McGowan towards the end of her time in the House of Representat...
Trust Me, I'm An Expert: what science says about how to lose weight and whether you really need to
September 10, 2019 06:49 - 21 minutes - 49.3 MBHave you been told by your doctor to consider dropping a few kilos? The good news is that often even a small amount of weight loss can improve your health outlook. shutterstock Everywhere you turn these days, there’s a diet ad, or family member or friend raving about some new diet that apparently works wonders. But what does the research actually say about how to lose weight - and if you even need to lose it in the first place? To find out, The Conversation’s Alexandra Hansen interviewed...