Past Programs
Community and Society - 2008
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 |
What killed Adam Gray?
07/12/2008
Abuse and torture of prisoners was much more widely spread than just Abu Ghraib. The guilt and shame of soldiers who took part continues to haunt Americans. "The one who scars another's soul, can come away wounded as well." American RadioWorks investigates.
Due to copyright restrictions there will be no podcast or transcript of this program.
Italian job
23/11/2008
We get the inside story of how the Italian diaspora was harvested for political votes, and how the little Italies found a way to make - and break - governments in Rome. Reporter: James Panichi
Crisis for children
09/11/2008
There's an epidemic of child abuse and it's worst in Queensland. Poverty's fuelling it, but it's sparked by something deeper. To stop it, we need to turn our social policies upside down. Reporter Ian Townsend
Metals, money and madness
02/11/2008
The global economic collapse is now seen to be caused by greed and theft. There's a parallel in the looting of metals, especially copper, around the world. Reporter, Stan Correy.
Moderates in Iran
26/10/2008
The generation called the 'Children of the Revolution', now young adults, speak about the frustrations, the hardships, and the ways they use their sexuality, music (and blogging) to rebel against repression and speak freely. Reporter Zohreh Soleimani, BBC.
For copyright reasons there will be no transcript or podcast of this program.
Future of noise
28/09/2008
Most people rate noise as a bigger problem than rats, drugs, or dog poo. It's highest on the list of citizen complaints, but it's listed low by councils and politicians. But noise can have cultural value too. Hagar Cohen reports.
Population control
21/09/2008
Are you worried about the future of the environment, or war, or hordes of refugees? The solution is not to manipulate population growth. Past results have been tragic, and ineffectual. Historian Professor Matthew Connelly of Columbia University proposes some alternatives.
Managing the media
10/08/2008
Three spin doctors—or political strategists—talk about media cynicism, handling their politicians, and getting the public to understand things their way. Lynton Crosby, Alistair Campbell and, from Uganda, John Nagenda argue with each other and with Owen Bennett-Jones. A BBC World Service program.
Please note that for copyright reasons there will be no podcast or transcript of this program.
Privatising nature
27/07/2008
An astonishing six million hectares of Australia—something like the size of Tasmania—is now being privately protected for plants and animals. Hundreds of millions of dollars are involved as schemes spring up around the country. But private conservation faces big challenges. Reporter: Di Martin
Documents for download
Nature Refuges in Queensland - Graph (Excel spreadsheet | 719KB) Description: A graph and table of the number and size of Nature Refuges in Queenland. Suppplied by Environmental Protection Agency, Queensland. Queensland's Nature Refuges - Map (PDF | 757KB) Description: A map of the Nature Refuges established in Queensland. Supplied by the Environmental Protection Agency, Queensland. Conservation Partners Program - NSW (PDF | 137KB) Description: Statistics on the number of Wildlife Refuges and Conservation Agreements in NSW. Supplied by the Department of Environment and Climate Change, NSW. Trust for Nature Convenants - Vic (Word Doc | 30KB) Description: A graph showing the number of covenants registered by Trust for Nature in Victoria. Supplied by Trust for Nature. National Trust of Australia WA - Graph (Word Doc | 30KB) Description: Graphs showing the number of covenants registered by the National Trust of Australia (WA). Supplied by the National Trust of Australia (WA). Privately Conserved Land in Australia (Word Doc | 30KB) Description: Summary of land that is privately conserved in Australia.Bury, burn or compost?
20/07/2008
There's a boom in funerals around the corner as the Boomers face mortality, but neither cemeteries nor crematoria are eco-friendly. The business of burials is beginning to adapt, and so are their future customers. Reporter Ian Townsend.
The My Lai massacre
22/06/2008
It's forty years since the massacre of an entire village in Vietnam and only now has the full story come out. The Peers Inquiry of l970 exposed it as one of the most shocking events in American military history, and it has reverberations today in how the US army conducts itself, and explains tensions over Guantanamo Bay. A BBC World Service production.
You can download the original BBC documentaries at the web link below.
Slavery in Australia
15/06/2008
Is it slavery to keep someone working for nothing till they pay off their debt? There are women here kept in sex slavery, and there are also domestic servants, back room workers, and illegals forced into underground labour. The High Court will soon bring down a clarification about what the word "slavery" means, and that will help prosecutions in Australian law. Reporter Hagar Cohen.
Rugby League: More than just a game
20/04/2008
One hundred years ago this month, there was social ferment in Australia. Industrial unrest, crime and political changes were widespread giving the working class a new confidence. And in an astonishing series of events and people, football was changing forever. Rugby League was born. Reporter Stan Correy.
View the documents referred to in the program, including newspaper articles from 1907-1908, archival material from the Royal Commission and other memorabilia from the early days of rugby league.
Sean Fagan Lecture: The Tom Brock Lecture, given by Sean Fagan for the Australian Society of Sports History in 2007.
Download audio: part one [mp3 - 14.5MB]
Download audio: part two [mp3 - 17.3MB]
Download transcript [pdf - 0.1MB]
Sports wars
16/03/2008
While the success of the 27-year-old Australian Institute of Sport has been the envy of other nations, the expertise it has bred is being used against us, and Australia risks falling behind in the sports science arms race. Reporter Ian Townsend
After the KGB
09/03/2008
As the former KGB man Vladimir Putin passes the presidential baton to his nominated successor, the BBC's Martin Sixsmith looks at the remarkable resurgence of the Russian secret service. How did the 'new KGB', the FSB, manage to become so strong, so rich and so deeply entrenched in running the country.
Please note that due to copyright restrictions there will be no audio available for download or streaming. See the links below to the original BBC broadcasts.
Where is the Middle Class?
17/02/2008
Princeton Professor of Economics Paul Krugman talks about how the New Deal society has been dismantled in America, and the reasons for it. He brings it back to a revival of Southern issues about race being used by the 'Movement Conservatives' to undo various social policies during the present administration. Paul Krugman is also a writer and columnist for the New York Times. (Originally broadcast on 25 November 2007.)
Radio National often provides links to external websites to complement program information. While producers have taken care with all selections, we can neither endorse nor take final responsibility for the content of those sites.
Lost planes, lost men
03/02/2008
Hundreds of Australian war planes crashed in Queensland, PNG, and the Pacific during WW2. Many haven't been found, and the remains of their crew still lie where they crashed. There's a global trade in souveniring these wrecks, and surprising things are found in the jungles, the mountains and the seas. Reporter Ian Townsend.
Stronger, smarter, nicer humans
06/01/2008
Professor Julian Savulescu is an eminent ethicist from Oxford University. He believes we should proceed with research into enhancing not only the genetics of fighting disease, but the genetics and pharmacology of improving IQ, behaviour, mood, character and morality. He argues there are immense benefits, not only for individuals, but for society as a whole. Only by knowing, can we prevent the abuses of knowledge. A lecture from the Sydney Ideas series at the University of Sydney. (Originally broadcast on 19th August 2007)
Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of Enhancement of Human Beings
Download a chapter (pdf) from The Oxford Handbook of Bioethics (Oxford: Oxford University Press) 2007, edited by B Steinbock. Author and owner of the document is Julian Savulescu, Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics.
Download pdf
