Top five episodes of Democracy Sausage in 2021

Don’t fret about election day queues – jump to the front of the line for a serving of our five most popular episodes of Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny in 2021.

Forget about run-of-the-mill, supermarket mixed-meat bangers – the Democracy Sausage team are all about the gourmet offerings. Over the course of 2021, we brought you some of Australia’s leading minds on politics and public affairs in Australia and around the world.

Across 58 episodes, we were joined by academics, journalists, policymakers, and two former prime ministers. But which episodes made it into our top five? All is revealed below.

5. Kevin Rudd on climate, AUKUS and reconciliation

Kicking off our countdown is former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who joined Mark on the show in late October. In our fifth most popular episode of the year, they discussed reconciliation, how Australia’s climate position is being received and what the AUKUS arrangement might mean for Australian national security policy in the decades to come. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Grso7r

4. The accidental prime minister with Annika Smethurst

Not expected to win the 2019 election, Scott Morrison has been Australian Prime Minister during a time of great uncertainty. But how did he come to be selected, then elected, for top political office? Might an aversion to scrutiny come to be his Achilles’ heel? And what does his ‘daggy dad’ persona reveal about his leadership style, but also about what the Australian public expects of their political figures? Annika Smethurst, state political editor at The Age, former member of the federal press gallery and author of The Accidental Prime Minister, took us behind the Morrison ‘miracle’ in our fourth most popular pod on the list. Listen here: https://bit.ly/33bFAyl

3. Getting a go

Will Scott Morrison be able to connect with voters despite claims he is untrustworthy, as John Howard once did? Or will the prime minister’s claims that his government is handling the economy well fall flat? And do the Australian welfare and tax systems need a major overhaul to ensure Australia doesn’t keep people stuck in cycles of disadvantage? Professor Glyn Davis, Chief Executive Officer of the Paul Ramsay Foundation and co-host of Life’s Lottery, and Dr Liz Allen, demographer at The Australian National University (ANU), joined us on this episode to talk about inequality in Australia. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3r5hjlI

2. Lies, damned lies, and election campaigns

Is there a growing sense among voters that ‘all politicians lie’, and what does that mean for faith in Australia’s democracy? And how will the global COVID-19 situation affect the upcoming federal election? Crikey political editor Bernard Keane, La Trobe University’s Emeritus Professor Judith Brett, and regular podleague Dr Marija Taflaga join Professor Mark Kenny on this episode of Democracy Sausage to discuss whether cynicism and mistrust are corroding Australian democracy. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3n9ARUW

1. The game with Sean Kelly

What does the way Scott Morrison has crafted his political image reveal about his leadership style? While it’s been politically effective thus far, will the prime minister’s performance of a ‘flat character’ ultimately damage his chances at the next election? In our most popular episode of 2021, Sean Kelly, columnist for the Nine papers and former advisor to Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, joined us to discuss these questions and Sean’s new book, The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3JVwd6Q

What issues would you like to see covered on Democracy Sausage in 2022? Leave us a comment below or share your thoughts via Twitter or join our Facebook group. You can subscribe to the show on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.