Australia, Explained

Disclaimer: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that the following program contains names of people who have died. We extend a disclaimer to all listeners that this episode contains detailed accounts of violence and trauma, and may be disturbing for some.

In this episode of Australia, Explained, we break down the Tasmanian genocide - what happened, why people don’t know about it and how we can work towards reconciliation.

In this episode, we attempted to use black voices as the focal point of our research.  Direct sources from the Palawa people were found in a range of publications and comments by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and Aboriginal leaders. 

Bits and pieces mentioned:

Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre

Palawa Shared Language Groups

Truganini memorial defaced

National Museum of Australia’s account of the Black War

Recognising genocide in Tasmania place names

Surviving Palawa (page 18)

Explainer: Evidence for the Tasmanian genocide

The Last of the Tasmanians - 1870 book by James Bonwick

How we remember Frontier Wars opinion piece

We also used physical sources from the State Library of Victoria. Feel free to contact us if you want to review these.


This week, Tania recommended a museum website with a variety of primary sources about the Tasmanian Genocide - note how certain paintings may depict the event with a specific perspective/bias. Vanessa recommended an interactive map by the Guardian that outlines the Frontier Wars in Australia, where they happened and who was involved.

If you’re new to Australia, Explained, we are a fortnightly news podcast dedicated to helping Aussies get on top of things Down Under. You can support us by clicking ‘Subscribe’ or ‘Follow’ on your preferred podcast app, leaving a review, and most importantly - share this podcast with your friends!

Follow us for more short, sweet and simple Aussie content on Instagram @australiaexplainedpod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Australia, Explained, we break down the changes to university fees, why these decisions are being made and how it affects you.

Bits and pieces mentioned:

STEM and Humanities wages over time

2019 Graduate Outcomes Study

Jacqui Lambie’s speech about university fees

This week, Tania recommended an article from the ABC that is full of personal testimonials about how the changes to uni fees have impacted different individual’s lives.  Vanessa recommended the book “Homo Deus” by Yuval Noah Harari about the potential of Artificial Intelligence to remove the need for people in future scientific/technological jobs.

If you’re new to Australia, Explained, we are a weekly news podcast dedicated to helping Aussies get on top of things Down Under. You can support us by clicking ‘Subscribe’ or ‘Follow’ on your preferred podcast app, leaving a review, and most importantly - share this podcast with your friends!

Follow us for more short, sweet and simple Aussie content on Instagram & TikTok @australiaexplainedpod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Australia, Explained, we break down the underworld of political donations, where the money is going and why it’s being hidden.

Bits and pieces mentioned:

Property and construction industry donations

Snapshot of political donations

Breakdown of donors

‘Dark money’ over the past two decades

This week, Tania recommended a 2016 video from the ABC show Q&A about international political donations and includes a discussion about the many issues with political donations laws right now. Vanessa recommended the Centre for Public Integrity's media releases to keep you up-to-date with the latest on political donations and corruption within parliament.

If you’re new to Australia, Explained, we are a weekly news podcast dedicated to helping Aussies get on top of things Down Under. You can support us by clicking ‘Subscribe’ or ‘Follow’ on your preferred podcast app, leaving a review, and most importantly - share this podcast with your friends!

Follow us for more short, sweet and simple Aussie content on Instagram & TikTok @australiaexplainedpod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Australia, Explained, we break down what’s happening with Google at the moment, why they’re threatening to remove the search engine in Australia and what the future of news media looks like.

Bits and pieces mentioned:

2020 report on digital news in Australia

Mel Silva’s response to the code

What the inventor of the internet says about the code

How Google News Showcase works

This week, Tania recommended a video made by Youtube creator liaison Matt Koval about the Media Bargaining Code. Interesting to see what YouTube is concerned about and how they explain this to their users. Vanessa recommended you either reflect on how you found news and information pre-1998 or talk to someone who was old enough to. Perspective!

If you’re new to Australia, Explained, we are a weekly news podcast dedicated to helping Aussies get on top of things Down Under. You can support us by clicking ‘Subscribe’ or ‘Follow’ on your preferred podcast app, leaving a review, and most importantly - share this podcast with your friends!

Follow us for more short, sweet and simple Aussie content on Instagram @australiaexplainedpod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Australia, Explained, we break down weather in Australia right now, what’s happening and why it’s raining so much.

Bits and pieces mentioned:

Bureau of Meteorology website

Australia’s climate drivers

Antarctica's ice is melting

El Niño is taking over

This week, Tania recommended the Bureau of Meteorology's weather predictions for Australia for February to May. Vanessa recommended this video by Sky News on what happens when the planet gets just 2 degrees warmer.

If you’re new to Australia, Explained, we are a weekly news podcast dedicated to helping Aussies get on top of things Down Under. You can support us by clicking ‘Subscribe’ or ‘Follow’ on your preferred podcast app, leaving a review, and most importantly - share this podcast with your friends!

Follow us for more short, sweet and simple Aussie content on Instagram & TikTok @australiaexplainedpod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Australia, Explained, we break down the history of January 26, what happened and why it stirs up so much controversy.

Bits and pieces mentioned:

Survey: What Aussies think happened on Jan 26th 

Survey: Do Aussies want to #changethedate?

The Frontier Wars

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander accounts to follow:

@blakbusiness @tallulahsrash @comingoutblak @darthem123 @alwaysourstories @nitv_au @tradingblak @clothingthegap

This week, Tania recommended two things - 1) an interactive map by The Guardian that outlines the Frontier Wars between 1788 and 1928, detailing the conflicts between British settlers and First Nations communities; and 2) Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe, which debunks the myth that First Nations peoples were hunter-gatherers and instead argues that these communities had innovative and established ways of living pre-British invasion. Vanessa recommended an Aus Geographic piece that shows Aboriginal Australians are one of the world's oldest living cultures.

If you’re new to Australia, Explained, we are a weekly news podcast dedicated to helping Aussies get on top of things Down Under. You can support us by clicking ‘Subscribe’ or ‘Follow’ on your preferred podcast app, leaving a review, and most importantly - share this podcast with your friends!

Follow us for more short, sweet and simple Aussie content on Instagram & TikTok @australiaexplainedpod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Australia, Explained we guide you through the Coronavirus vaccine: how it was developed and how it will be rolled out in Australia.

Bits and pieces mentioned:

Current status of COVID-19 vaccine worldwide

How COVID-19 vaccines are trialled

How Australia approves vaccines

Australia's vaccine agreements 

Clarification on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine

How important is vaccine efficacy?

Economic benefits of worldwide COVID-19 vaccination

Will workplaces be able to force you to take the COVID-19 vaccine?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander accounts to follow:

@blakbusiness @tallulahsrash @comingoutblak @darthem123 @alwaysourstories @nitv_au @tradingblak @clothingthegap

This week, Tania recommended a piece that will help you read academic articles, if you’re keen on looking at the vaccine research yourself. Vanessa recommended every link in the bits and piece section you just scrolled past.

If you’re new to Australia, Explained, we are a weekly news podcast dedicated to helping Aussies get on top of things Down Under. You can support us by clicking ‘Subscribe’ or ‘Follow’ on your preferred podcast app, leaving a review, and most importantly - share this podcast with your friends!

Follow us for more short, sweet and simple Aussie content on Instagram @australiaexplainedpod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Australia, Explained, we look at skin cancer rates in Australia, why the disease is so common in our country and what we’ve done to reduce it.

Bits and pieces mentioned:

2016 AIHW report on skin cancer 

Cancer Council statistics 

Study on the incidence of skin cancer in migrated adults

More about the ozone layer in Australia

SunSmart campaigns 

This week, Tania recommended the ABCDE checklist for assessing your body for potentially cancerous moles - early detection is crucial! Vanessa recommended an episode of the Shameless podcast where they chat to Natalie Fornasier, a young woman fighting the good fight against melanoma.

If you’re new to Australia, Explained, we are a weekly news podcast dedicated to helping Aussies get on top of things Down Under. You can support us by clicking ‘Subscribe’ or ‘Follow’ on your preferred podcast app, leaving a review, and most importantly - share this podcast with your friends!

Follow us for more short, sweet and simple Aussie content on Instagram & TikTok @australiaexplainedpod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Australia, Explained we give you some insight into the Australia - China relationship. Why are we fighting and why does it matter?

Bits and pieces mentioned:

China officials Afghan soldier tweet

History of Aus-China relations

Racism during COVID

The reality of China’s trade threats

Victoria and the Belt and Road Initiative

Here are some international news outlets that aren’t for the US or Europe. We recommend following these outlets on Twitter - they are active on Instagram but the content isn’t as comprehensive!

@chinadailynews

@chinaxinhuanews

@ndtv

@jakpostimages

@bbcnewsindia

This week, Tania recommended a webpage by the Whitlam Institute at Western Sydney University that details Gough Whitlam's attempts to build diplomatic relations in the Asia-Pacific region in the 70s. Vanessa recommended an article from English language Chinese media company China Daily on an opposing view to Aus-China relations.

If you’re new to Australia, Explained, we are a weekly news podcast dedicated to helping Aussies get on top of things Down Under. You can support us by clicking ‘Subscribe’ or ‘Follow’ on your preferred podcast app, leaving a review, and most importantly - share this podcast with your friends!

Follow us for more short, sweet and simple Aussie content on Instagram & TikTok @australiaexplainedpod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Australia, Explained, we break down superannuation - what it is, how it works and what is currently being discussed. We look about the differences in superannuation savings between genders and industries, as well as discuss the findings of the royal commission into the misconduct of financial institutions that set forth a series of recommendations to improve the superannuation sector.

Bits and pieces mentioned:

Superannuation statistics in Australia

Unpaid super in the hospitality industry 

Women in super statistics

2018 poverty in retirement report 

CANSTAR

This week, Tania recommended creating a MyGov account to keep track of your super fund accounts. Vanessa recommended an infographic that compares retirement funds around the world.

If you’re new to Australia, Explained, we are a weekly news podcast dedicated to helping Aussies get on top of things Down Under. You can support us by clicking ‘Subscribe’ or ‘Follow’ on your preferred podcast app, leaving a review, and most importantly - share this podcast with your friends!

Follow us for more short, sweet and simple Aussie content on Instagram & TikTok @australiaexplainedpod.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.