Democracy Sausage podcast: Stimulus, surplus, and freedom of speech

This week we take a look at whether the search for a surplus makes sense in a struggling economy in need of support, and wonder what it might take for Australia’s politicians to start talking instead about a stimulus package.

If Australia’s economy has stalled, should we be more worried about paying off the car loan or putting fuel in the tank? And if you’re not in the top end when earning $200,000 each year, just what part of town are you in? On this Democracy Sausage podcast, Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga are joined at the hotplate by Katharine Murphy of The Guardian for a fresh serve of analysis of Australia’s policy and politics. The team also tackle your questions and comments. Listen here: https://aca.st/0b8282

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Katharine Murphy is Guardian Australia‘s political editor. She has worked in Canberra’s parliamentary gallery for 15 years. In 2008, she won the Paul Lyneham award for excellence in press gallery journalism, while in 2012 she was a Walkley award finalist in the best digital journalism category. She is the presenter of The Guardian’s Australian Politics Live podcast.

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.

This podcast is published in partnership with The Australian National University.