Tomorrow, Australia will vote on the future of reconciliation.

It’s a binary question, but we’re being asked to consider the country’s relationship with the First Australians and how we want to conduct political discourse.

The final episode in this series looks at the two different Australias we are choosing between, with someone who has spent her life in the struggle for reconciliation and understanding: Professor Marcia Langton.

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Guest: Professor of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne, Marcia Langton

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There was a time when conservatives could have supported the Voice, by backing a proposal brought by Indigenous Australians at the request of then prime minister Tony Abbott. 

Instead, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, after months of equivocation, decided to reject the Voice with all the gusto we’ve come to expect from the man who walked out on the national apology.

So how did it come to this? What damage is anti-Voice rhetoric doing to public debate? And do conservatives really want to do anything to close the gap?

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Guest: Federal MP for New England, Barnaby Joyce; Federal MP for Berowra, Julian Leeser

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The “Yes” campaign set out to accomplish a rare feat in Australian politics: to win a majority of Australians and a majority of states. That is, to win a referendum.

It began as a difficult task and has only become more gruelling as bipartisanship was lost and the polls turned.

But this is a grassroots campaign, with tens of thousands of volunteers attempting to reach Australians with face-to-face conversations in time to win a majority on polling day.

So how was the campaign built? And can it really overcome the huge challenge in time for Saturday’s vote?

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Guest: Spokesperson for Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition, Thomas Mayo; Independent MP for Kooyong, Monique Ryan; Uluru Dialogue co-chair, Professor Megan Davis

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Over the course of the referendum’s official campaign, the case against the Voice has been dominated by the conservative “No” campaign, led by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, Jacinta Price and Warren Mundine. 

But what is the “progressive No” case – the advocates of which are predominantly First Nations people. The Blak Sovereign movement against the Voice isn’t officially campaigning for its demise and isn’t backed by less-than-transparent fortunes and vested interests.

Their opposition comes from an entirely different place to that of the conservatives, yet reaches the same conclusion: NO. 

Today we speak to the face of the “progressive No”, Senator Lidia Thorpe. 

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Guest: Senator Lidia Thorpe

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On October 14, we will be asked a question to which we must answer yes or no.

While the question itself is simple, the issues in and around the debate over the proposed alteration to the nation's founding document are anything but simple.

To understand how we got here and why we are voting on a Voice to Parliament, it’s important to understand what happened to ATSIC, the last consultative body for Indigenous people. Its failures drive the "No" campaign and its disbandment drives the "Yes" campaign.

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Guests: Mick Gooda, former chief executive of ATSIC; Megan Davis, constitutional lawyer and public law expert. 

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Today on the show, writer and historian Robyn Annear, with her piece from the September edition of The Monthly. 

While researching the opening of the Yan Yean reservoir in the 1800s, Robyn followed a thread, unravelling the history of sewage and sewerage in Victoria.

From cast-iron pissoirs and open-air urinals, to robo-dunnies and the National Public Toilet Map app, our local history of public toilets is rich with squalid detail. 

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Guest: writer and historian, Robyn Annear

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Australia will vote in the historic Voice to Parliament referendum in just over a week.

While the “Yes” camp has lost support throughout the campaign, polls show it’s making a comeback and has even flipped some outspoken “No” voters.

So, what’s behind the change, and will the “No” camp be able to maintain its lead?

Today, contributing writer for The Monthly Rachel Withers on how Voice supporters are convincing voters and what’s in store for the campaign’s final week.

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Guest: Contributing writer for The Monthly, Rachel Withers.

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Barely a decade ago the NDIS, the scheme to support Australians living with a disability, was called the social reform of a generation.

Last week it was called out the Disability Royal Commission report as a system in desperate need of attention. 

Disability advocates say that despite its good intentions, the NDIS isn’t living up to its bold vision. 

Today, writer of the latest Quarterly Essay, ‘Lifeboat: Disability, Humanity and the NDIS’, Micheline Lee on what’s wrong with the NDIS and how we can fix it. 

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Guest: Writer and former human rights lawyer who has lived with a motor neurone disability since birth, Micheline Lee

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Over the weekend, 85 fires blazed across New South Wales. Fires remained out of control in Victoria’s Gippsland yesterday, and more threatened homes in rural Queensland.

It’s a frightening start to bushfire season, and summer isn’t even here yet.

For many, it conjures fears about a repeat of the 2019 Black Summer.

Today, contributor to The Saturday Paper and former commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW Greg Mullins on why the last few weeks have changed his mind about the season ahead.

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Guest: Contributor to The Saturday Paper Greg Mullins

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The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, is hoping to be the next president of the United States.

To become the Republican nominee, Ron DeSantis knows who he needs to win over: religious Americans who oppose things like abortion and gay rights.

He’s called upon an unlikely figure for help – an Australian preacher known for his outspoken conservative views.

Today, author of Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity Is Taking Over the World and contributor to The Saturday Paper Elle Hardy, on how a pastor from rural Victoria has become a feature of the Republican race to the White House. 

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Guest: Author of Beyond Belief: How Pentecostal Christianity Is Taking Over the World Elle Hardy

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