Past Programs
Community and Society - 2007
West Coast Eagles malaise Read Transcript
20/10/2007
Is there something wrong with the culture of the West Coast Eagles?
How has business and sport combined in a small town to create a potent and mix of drugs and sport?
An American Notebook
04/08/2007
All the polls suggest that US president George W. Bush faces a steep climb if he hopes to coax the country back to the Republican side before the 2008 election.
The President and his administration are a long way from the support they enjoyed in the early years of office.
Journalist Michael Gawenda charts why he believes Americans have become disillusioned with their government.
Putin's regime
09/06/2007
In the lead-up to the G8 summit Russian president Vladimir Putin threatened to train Russia's nuclear missiles on Europe. This was in protest against the US plan for an anti-ballistic missile system partly based in Poland and the Czech republic. It was the latest flare-up between the West and Russia.
But in Russia the president remains extremely popular. Unemployment is down, wages have increased, Russia's oil-rich economy is expanding and there is no viable alternative to Putin.
William Dalrymple Read Transcript
02/06/2007
William Dalrymple on lessons from 19th century Raj when east and and west faced each other across a divide that some call a religious war.
Turkey
28/04/2007
Geraldine Doogue reports from Turkey on the ANZAC commemorations and the constitutional crisis that has emerged in recent days.
Citizen Journalism Read Transcript
14/04/2007
Media making is becoming an everyday activity for a growing number of people. In South Korea the online news site 'OhmyNews' was created by citizen journalists and mainstream news sites now seek reader participation via blogs.
Some believe we are witnessing a cultural revolution, where media proprietors, editors and journalists are losing control of news information. Others remain sceptical.
European identity
24/03/2007
On March 25 the treaty of Rome turns 50. After centuries of war between European nations, the treaty heralded a new and remarkable era of peace in Europe. But is the European Union mired in a mid-life crisis? There are 27 nations in the EU and after 50 years of shared economic integration a debate has emerged around identity and what it means to be European.
Great Restaurant Crimes
03/03/2007
Infamous Australian crimes with strong links to food and restaurants. Think gangland pizza parlour killings, or convicted wife murderer Andrew Kalajzich's rise to riches through his family fish restaurant or the recapture of escaped drug supremo George Savvas at an exclusive eatery.
Ordinary People's Politics
27/01/2007
Where does politics sit in our everyday lives?
Judith Brett, professor of politics at La Trobe University, and her university colleague Anthony Moran, found out when they interviewed 22 people in considerable depth for their work, which they've called Ordinary People's Politics. (Originally broadcast 16 September 2006)
Not Buying It
20/01/2007
If it's true that money makes the world go round then shopping, and buying stuff, must be the axis on which it spins.
For better or worse, consumerism and odd notions like consumer confidence now underpin the economic wellbeing of the developed world.
But of course only a fraction of what we buy could be classified as necessary items. Once you've got enough to eat and some clothes to wear, spending on necessities gives way to plain old 'shopping'; luxury goods or goods that an economist might call 'discretionary'.
So what is it that we get out of all this conspicous consumption, and what drives us to spend—is it fear, envy, desire—a combination perhaps?
This story was first broadcast on 8/7/06.
