Speaking With...

Australia needs look at inclusionary housing policies to boost the number of affordable housing options. AAP/Joel CarrettAustralia’s residential house prices rank among the highest in the world, and an increasing number of aspiring home owners are finding themselves locked out of the property market. While low interest rates and higher wages have somewhat tempered the impact of high house prices, these factors have not helped low-income earners, who continue to struggle to find housing within their budget. One possible solution is to use urban planning policies, such as inclusionary housing, to boost the number of affordable dwellings. Such policies have been successful in other countries, but are yet to be effectively adopted in Australia. Dallas Rogers speaks with Nicole Gurran about how other countries are using inclusionary housing policies and the lessons for Australia. Subscribe to The Conversation’s Speaking With podcasts on iTunes. Music: Free Music Archive/Podington Bear and Jahzzar Dallas Rog

CeBIT Australia/Flickr, CC BY-SAFreedom of speech is often seen as a cornerstone of democracy, but the unfettered right to express opinions can infringe other fundamental rights. Minority groups are especially at risk of verbal attacks and intimidation, and some countries, including Australia, have legislated protections that limit free speech. When Attorney-General George Brandis ordered a review of the Racial Discrimination Act and introduced amendments in a failed attempt to remove some of these protections in March this year, he ignited a passionate debate on the importance of free speech and its intersection with other human rights. In this podcast, Tamson Pietsch speaks with Sarah Sorial about the role of free speech in a democracy and how it can co-exist with other rights. Sarah Sorial is a senior lecturer at the University of Wollongong who is researching the limits of free speech and deliberative democracy. Subscribe to The Conversation’s Speaking With podcasts on iTunes. Image: flickr/CeBI

Singer, songwriter, poet and writer, Steve Kilbey has recently released his memoir, Something Quite Peculiar. debra/Flickr, CC BY-NCBassist and lead singer of The Church, Steve Kilbey is one of Australia’s most prolific musicians. The band released their 25th album, Further Deeper, in October and will play The Queenscliff Music Festival this Saturday. Kilbey speaks with Andrea Baker about his recently released memoir, Something Quite Peculiar, which describes his rise to fame, his heroin addiction and The Church’s resurgence. Please note: This podcast contains mature themes and may not be suitable for younger listeners. Subscribe to The Conversation’s Speaking With podcasts on iTunes. Image: flickr/debra Music reproduced with the permission of the artist. Andrea Jean Baker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Alan Light/FlickrAntarctica is the coldest, driest and possibly the most inhospitable place on Earth. It is also the only continent designated entirely as a natural reserve, used purely for peaceful and scientific purposes. For many decades, Antarctica has been the final frontier for scientific research, governed by a treaty system signed in 1959, that protects the continent from exploitation and military action. But as countries begin to eye off Antarctica’s wealth of natural resources, will this be enough to stop territorial disputes in the region? Tamson Pietsch speaks with Nick Rowley about democracy on Earth’s coldest continent. Nick Rowley is an Adjunct Professor at the Sydney Democracy Network at the University of Sydney; he is currently working on a project on Antarctic decision-making. Subscribe to The Conversation’s Speaking With podcasts on iTunes. Image: flickr/Alan Light Music: Free Music Archive/Podington Bear, Chris Zabriskie Tamson Pietsch receives funding from the Australian Re

Detroit, a thriving manufacturing city 50 years ago, is now bankrupt. ifmuth/Flickr, CC BY-NDDetroit is in turmoil, officially bankrupt and home to some of America’s poorest citizens. But 50 years ago it was thriving, boasting a booming manufacturing sector and a steadily growing educated middle-class. What happened? Dallas Rogers speaks with George Galster on the fallout from the decline of the automotive industry, and the glimmer of hope new urban projects offer this troubled city. George Galster is a professor in the department of Urban Studies and Planning at Wayne State University and the author of Driving Detroit: The Quest for Respect in the Motor City. Player Image: Flickr/ifmuth Music: Free Music Archive/BLEO, Podington Bear, Jahzzar Listen to other podcast episodes here. Dallas Rogers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

The LGBTI community has unique needs that are often overlooked during the response and recovery stages of a natural disaster event. euphoriadev via Flickr, CC BY-NC-NDWhen natural disasters strike, the impact varies significantly across different social groups, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities are poorly accounted for in disaster management policy and practice. Dallas Rogers speaks with Scott McKinnon on the different needs of the LGBTI community during a natural disaster event, and how emergency services, policy-makers and aid agencies can better respond to LGBTI populations. Scott McKinnon is a Research Fellow on an Australian Research Council funded project investigating the experiences of LGBTI people in natural disasters. If you have found any of the issues raised in this discussion to be distressing or traumatic, we strongly suggest contacting a trained counsellor. Counsellors are available through the following services: QLife - Ph: 1800 184 527 (free call,

‘I wouldn’t call it a miracle, I’d call it an accident’ – Gessen on Putin’s formative experience with the KGB. Christchurch City LibrariesRussian-American writer and LGBT activist, Masha Gessen has covered every major development in Russian politics and culture of the past two decades. She is the author of Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot (2014), as well as six other books, including the international bestseller The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin (2012). Here, Judith Armstrong talks to Gessen about protest and politics in Putin’s Russia. See also: Why we underestimate Putin, according to Masha Gessen Masha Gessen is appearing at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival tonight and tomorrow and is also a guest of the Sydney Opera House Festival of Dangerous Ideas over the weekend. Read more coverage of the Melbourne Writers’ Festival. Listen to other podcast episodes here. Judith Armstrong does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company o

Social and digital media perform a function that is humanising by connecting people and allowing freedom of expression. Icons from ShutterstockIs social media really delivering on its promise of democratising communication? Or have we just replaced one model that privileges those with power for another? Dr Andrea Carson speaks with Professor Robert Picard, one of the world’s leading academics on government communication policies and media economics. Listen to other podcast episodes here. Andrea Carson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

'Shoehorning your imagination into the condition of another human being is the A game in songwriting.' Mark Seymour, AAP/ MG PromotionsAt the Melbourne Writers’ Festival this week, a panel of poets, writers and performers will read and reflect on the poetry of the first world war. Among them is Mark Seymour, the former frontman of Hunters & Collectors and a fixture on the Australian music scene for the past three decades. Here, Andrea Baker talks to Seymour about his life-long fascination with war, the manipulation of language in songwriting, and saving Nick Cave on stage. Mark Seymour is appearing at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival on Sunday August 31 at 2pm at Words & War: Passing Bells – The Poetry of World War One and playing at the Flying Saucer Club on Saturday August 30. Read more coverage of the Melbourne Writers’ Festival. Listen to other podcast episodes here. Andrea Jean Baker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that wou

'Cooking is what makes us human'. Flickr Ruth Reichl MWF Ruth Reichl, the former restaurant critic of The New York Times and author of best-selling gourmet memoirs Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me with Apples, is known for describing, in vivid detail, how food can define us. While in Australia this week, to discuss her first novel Delicious! at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival, Reichl talks with food researcher Isabelle de Solier about why food really matters, the social contract of inviting people to dinner, “industrial food” and the importance of getting people back into the kitchen. Ruth Reichl will be appearing at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 August. Details here. Read more coverage of the Melbourne Writers’ Festival. Listen to other podcast episodes here. Full transcript Isabelle de Solier (IDS): My name is Isabelle de Solier and welcome to The Conversation podcast. I’m speakin

Andrew Lock personifies the meaning of 'grit'. Melbourne Writers' FestivalAndrew Lock is the most accomplished high-altitude mountaineer in Australian history. He is the only Australian, the first person in the Commonwealth, and just the 18th man in the world to climb all 14 of the world’s 8000-metre mountains, including Everest – twice. Here, sports scientist David Bishop talks with Lock about “grit”, the psychological and physical stamina required for 24-hour days of climbing, and how he digs deep enough to achieve such incredible goals. Andrew Lock appeared at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival for Great Journeys: Mountains on Sunday August 24 at 1pm. Read more coverage of the Melbourne Writers’ Festival. Listen to other podcast episodes here. Full transcript David Bishop (DB): My name is David Bishop from ISEAL at Victoria University and welcome to this The Conversation podcast. I am speaking with Andrew Lock, the most accomplished high altitude mountaineer in Australian history, who has

American comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black. FoxtelOver the past decade we have witnessed the rise and rise of long form television – from The Sopranos to The Wire, Game of Thrones to Orange Is the New Black – and no one has been watching this transformation more keenly than the television critic for The New Yorker, Emily Nussbaum. Here, media researcher Lisa French talks with Nussbaum about bingeing on DVD sets, live-tweeting and delighting in reruns of Sex and The City. Nussbaum appeared at the 2014 Melbourne Writers’ Festival on Friday August 22 for Seminar: Writing About TV and Castaway with Emily Nussbaum, Talking Points: How TV Got Great on Saturday August 23 and then at the Sydney Opera House Festival of Dangerous Ideas for Television Has Replaced the Novel on Sunday August 31. Read more coverage of the Melbourne Writers’ Festival. Listen to other podcast episodes here. Full transcript: Lisa French (LF): My name is Lisa French and welcome to The Conversation podcast. I am speaking with E

Chris Hadfield spent nearly five months on the International Space Station. NASA, CC BY-NDColonel Chris Hadfield is one of the most famous astronauts on Earth. Through the creative use of social media, he’s made space exciting and accessible to new generations of enthusiasts, most notably through his performance of David Bowie’s Space Oddity while on board the International Space Station. In this interview, I ask Chris about human-machine relations, lessons for the Australian space program and his favourite bit of space junk. Chris Hadfield is a guest at the Melbourne Writers Festival. Details here. Read more coverage of the Melbourne Writers’ Festival. Listen to other podcast episodes here. Alice Gorman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.