This week on the Policy Forum Pod, we put science and science policy under the microscope and wonder where it was in the recent Australian election campaign. We also take a look at whether the long-term vision needed to tackle the big science challenges of our time can ever stand up to the short-termism that dominates the country’s politics.

This week on the Policy Forum Pod, we’ve steered the conversation towards electric vehicles in Australia. A revolution in the vehicles industry is clearly just down the road, but policy has stalled. Will consumers and car-makers take the wheel and drive change?

With demand for water in global industry needing to be managed, companies like Unilever and Nestlé have been leading the way. The challenge remains for Singapore and its many small and medium-sized businesses, Asit K Biswas and Cecilia Tortajada write.

The quiet Australians have spoken, loudly, and re-elected a Coalition government. So what policy promises has the country signed up for? This week’s Policy Forum Pod takes a look at some of the commitments and whether they will deliver on meeting the challenges facing the country.

The votes have been cast and we have a winner, but why didn’t the polls see it coming? This week on Democracy Sausage Mark and the panel pick over a Queensland backlash, the presidentialisation of politics, and whether Labor misjudged the mood of the electorate.

Both major parties have pledged to reduce emissions by 2030, with the Coalition promising to reach the Paris commitment of 26-28 per cent, and Labor setting their target at 45 per cent below 2005 levels.