Janaline, Luke and Yassine consider the impact of AI on society, how we relate to each other as humans, how it is affecting education and learning, and what it means for our humanity. And because we care about policy, we consider what governments need to do to make sure humans stay in charge and harm is minimised and managed.
Janaline, Luke and Yassine discuss what it’s actually like in Australian public schools, what are the challenges for teachers and students and what policies might make things better. Philosophy for children might be an answer. Good news: public schools in Australia are actually pretty good and fixing the roofs would go a long way to making them even better.
Welcome to Season 3, and welcome to our new co-host Yassine. Janaline, Luke, Yassine and Glenn talk about school funding: why does the government give so much to private schools when public schools are under-funded, and what can be done to make education more equitable while improving academic standards?
Janaline and Luke are joined by special guest Yassine to talk about social media and its impact on Generation Z - the first generation to grow up entirely on line and the last generation not to be protected. They talk about what the infinite scroll and the outrage machine are doing to their peers and offer thoughts on how to keep people safe. Spoiler alert - we see a significant role for governments here.
Janaline, Luke and Glenn look at why the government can’t just put dental into Medicare and make specialists affordable. Well, actually they can, but of course, as usual, it’s complicated. They talk about different funding models and how the system can be made high quality and accessible while also being financially sustainable. Maybe looking at health care as joined up social policy - where medical treatment is just the last and most expensive bit - might be the answer?
Janaline and Glenn look at the government’s aged care reforms and ask whether they will be sufficient to ensure the system is sustainable in the future, especially given the rate at which Australia’s population is ageing. And given the devastating findings of the Aged Care Royal Commission, how does the government ensure that aged care delivers high quality outcomes for people to live in dignity and comfort?
Janaline, Luke and Glenn look at the history of child care in Australia and ask why you might want people to be qualified to look after your children. It won’t surprise anyone that we disagree that mothers should just be made to stay home to look after their children (not least because it means a lot of women just won’t have them). We also look at how child care is funded and delivered and make the case for a public option, and how to design incentives for the industry to focus on the welfare of children rather than the welfare of shareholders.
Janaline and Luke are joined by special guest and disability advocate Andy Shim, a member of the National Autism Strategy Oversight Council, to discuss the government’s proposed changes to the NDIS. Why are they so controversial and are they actually going to work?
Janaline, Glenn, and Luke examine the major spending items in the 2026 budget and discuss why governments can’t just balance their budgets.
Janaline and William examine the pros and cons of rent freezes as a cost of living measure and the broader issues of housing affordability.
Janaline and William examine hate speech legislation enacted by parliament following the Bondi attack, assess whether such measures were warranted, and consider alternative approaches to addressing antisemitism.
Callum and Janaline examine why the federal Labor government is not implementing more ambitious reform to the regulation of gambling and gambling advertising. Spoiler alert — we think they are being lame.