Past Programs
Government and Politics
National treasures Read Transcript
23/08/2008
In 1979, the late Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein, said that 'antiquities are the most precious relics the Iraqis possess'. At the time the dictator maintained one of the most flourishing archaeological collections in the Middle East.
But things changed with the first Gulf war when Saddam Hussein's men went on a ruthless campaign to destroy relics of Shiite culture, and then in 2003 more was lost with the looting of the Iraq Museum. This discussion is about what happened next.
Riding the Boom Read Transcript
03/05/2008
This week the Pilbara Area Consultative Committee, in north-western Western Australia, organised a conference called Riding The Boom.
At issue? Can this town and region really hold together in the face of the phenomenal rates of mining and development?
About 10,000 (mainly men) fly in and out of this region, temporarily boosting a Karatha population of around 12,000. They don't settle down here, even for a short time.
So if places like Karratha aren't more 'normalised' can the boom be sustained into the future?
James A Kelly Read Transcript
26/04/2008
The Chinese authorities are saying something remarkable—that they intend to talk to the Dalai Lama...the very suggestion made to them several weeks ago. It's yet to happen but it represents a pretty astonishing potential breakthrough. Reading the mind of China and the whole East Asian region right now calls for particularly good diplomatic and predictive skills.
Political Panel
29/03/2008
The week in federal politics.
Ross Garnaut Read Transcript
29/03/2008
Ross Garnaut and the need to reshape the Australian economy as we tackle the problem of climate change.
Can we handle the challenge?
Political Panel
23/02/2008
The week in federal politics.
Reflections on the Apology Read Transcript
16/02/2008
Don Watson reflects on the speech apologising to the Stolen Generations by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Kosovo's independence Read Transcript
09/02/2008
Kosovo has been run by the United Nations since 1999, when NATO intervened to solve the brutal ethnic conflict between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian separatists.
In the next ten days Kosovo's leadership is likely to unilaterally declare independence, in defiance of the Serbs who have wanted Kosovo to remain part of Serbia.
So could an independent Kosovo lead to a major crisis?
India Independence celebration
12/01/2008
India's celebration of 60 years since independence in August was an opportunity to assess how far the nation had come since the retreat of the British.
Democracy in India was always an ambitious project.
Despite the obstacles, the nation's economic power has risen remarkably and it's tipped to be a 21st century superpower.
But this roaring capitalist success story has also thrown up formidable challenges in relation to political stability.
This story was first broadcast in August 2007.
Punters v pollsters
05/01/2008
The federal election dominated the media for much of 2007 and promoted a febrile industry of speculation among the pollsters and punters.
But can the bookies tell us things about voter intentions that the pollsters cannot?
This interview was first broadcast in 2007.
