This week on the Democracy Sausage podcast, we look at Australia’s welfare safety net, how to tackle hate speech on social media, and helping those affected by drought.

A recent High Court case has ruled that a ‘book up’ credit scheme run from a general store in remote Australia was lawful, revealing the importance of considering communities’ needs individually rather than by generalisation, Maree Sainsbury writes.

Only learning from past mistakes will improve policies for Indigenous people, Justin McCaul writes.

An ongoing inability to consult has caused failure after failure in Indigenous policy, but a Voice to Parliament represents an opportunity for better governance and most importantly, self-determination, Melissa Castan and Kate Galloway write.

This week on the Democracy Sausage podcast, we break the most basic of dinner party rules as we serve up a hearty conversation on religion and politics.

The press must be able to protect its sources when it does draw on leaks and whistleblowers. We should be cautious about exempting national security leaks from those protections, Andrew Podger writes.