Backchat

Holly and Tanita talk to Phoebe McIlwraith (@northbutsouthhh), Bundjalung and Worimi Saltwater woman on Invasion Day and the growing far-right sentiment in Sydney. Further reading: First Nations Futures | Pay The Rent

Dr Peter Lewis, president of national advocacy association ANTaR, joins to discuss the future of the 26th of January. 

Yuin man Keiran Stewart-Assheton (@keiran_stewart_assheton) from the Black Peoples Union dials in to about the parallels between Indigenous struggles and that of Palestinian people. 

This episode of Backchat aired Saturday 27th January 2024.

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This week on Backchat, we listen to locals and producer Sana Shaikh on the chaos of the Rozelle Interchange’s first two weeks of operation.

Then, hear from coastal geomorphologist Professor Rob Brander AKA Dr. Rip on staying safe in the surf this summer. 

This episode of Backchat aired Saturday 9th December 2023.

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This week on Backchat, producer Nic Huntington examines the hole in pothole funding. Nic chatted to Natasha Bradshaw, Senior Associate of Transport and Cities Program at the Grattan Institute, about how the increase in holes isn't resulting in an increase in funding. 

Next, we take a look at some of the arrests from the ZIM and climate protests in the past week. We chat to Anastasia from Legal Observers NSW about what Legal Observers NSW has been seeing at these protests, and what your rights are when talking to police.

Finaly, with World AIDS Day on December 1st, and the 2023 Nurse of the Year awarded last week, Backchat chats to joint winner John McAllister. With a career spanning over 40 years in HIV and sexual health, we celebrate his contribution to the Sydney community.

This episode of backchat was produced by Nic Huntington, Sana Sheikh, and Rebecca Cushway.

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This week on Backchat, producer Sana Sheikh dives into Woollahra Municipal Council's new decision to limit public parking to non-residents to 15 minutes, and provide free all-day parking for residents. This new change encompasses all parking near popular beach spot at Watson's Bay, potentially restricting access to anyone outside this postcode. We’ll be exploring whether this is fair and why some Sydneysiders get to benefit from our natural wonders whilst others can’t. Backchat chatted to Woollahra Municipal Council about the controversial new decision.

Next, if you’re anything like us, you’ve been doing some heavy-duty online shopping this week. Which is why it’s absolutely horrifying to find out that people in NSW alone lost more than $2.5 million to online shopping scams in the last year. We’re diving into the uncharted waters of online shopping scams with RMIT mathematician Dr Arathi Arakala.

Finally, a recent survey conducted by the NSW Department of Education found a major casual teacher shortage, meaning almost 10,000 lessons are happening without adequate educational support in public schools across New South Wales every day. We spoke to Natasha Watt, Acting Senior Vice President from New South Wales Teachers Federation, earlier in the week to discuss what this means for students across the state.

This episode of Backchat was produced by Sana Sheikh, Holly Payne, and Tanita Razaghi. 

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This week on Backchat, we explore the groundbreaking new project from Monash University's XYX Lab, aimed at shedding light on the experience of women and gender-diverse people in NSW. The project is a crowd mapping project launched in collaboration with CrowdSpot that anonymously collects the 'safe' and 'unsafe' experiences these people have had in public spaces. Producer Bec Cushway chatted to Dr Niki Kalms to tell us more.

Next, big changes to rights for stateless asylum seekers in Australia. Earlier this month the high court made a decision that will impact the lives of stateless refugees indefinitely detained in our detention centres. It was lauded as a major win by refugee advocates and former refugees. Backchat was joined by Ian Rintoul, coordinator from Refugee Action Coalition to find out more.

Finally, Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi joined us to discuss how Australian politicians are responding to the crisis in Gaza, particularly following the Greens walkout during question time this week. 

Also a big sad and teary farewell to Backchat's outgoing Executive Producer, Eamonn Snow, who has kept the show running these past few years. He's left a big mark on the Backchat team, and the show wouldn't be where it is today without him. 

Aired November 18, 2023. Produced by Bec Cushway, Sana Sheikh, Holly Payne, and (for the last time) Eamonn Snow.

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This episode of Backchat delves into some of the new waste programs across Sydney, and how where you live across the LGAs could make a huge difference to what you can recycle, and how much it is going to cost you. Backchat producer Sana Shaikh explains in this week's wrap. 

Next, with more and more young people questioning their reasons for drinking, stress and anxiety are emerging as some of the major players. Sydney University's Inroads program is an online, self-guided program for young adults who drink to reduce or cope with stress, nervousness or anxiety. Backchat chats to Dr Katrina Prior to understand how the Inroads program is helping young people.

Finally, how would you rate the state of Sydney's live music scene? Post-Covid, NSW has lost over half of its live music venues and the scene is changing as a result. The NSW government has just announced a survey of artists and professionals working in the music industry, and Elise Chidiac from the Music Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) sheds some light.

 

Aired November 11, 2023. This episode of Backchat was produced by Holly Payne, Tanita Razaghi, Sana Shaikh and Eamonn Snow on Gadigal land.

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This episode of Backchat comes to you following a difficult week; both in Australia and around the world. It’s been one week since Australia voted No to constitutional recognition of First Nations people via an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. It’s fair to say this has been a tough period for Indigenous people, with many choosing to take a step back to mourn. Others, however, are driven to continue the conversation as First Nations communities and broader Australia alike try to plot the steps post-referendum. Phoebe McIlwraith is a Bundjalung and Worri-my Saltwater woman based on Gadi/Wann Country. She’s a multi-disciplinary Koori creative keen to keep Indigenous voices front and centre right now and you'll be hearing her thoughts on the next steps for First Nations people and broader austraia alike.

 

Next, the world is watching on in horror as war intensifies in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza. But how much do you know about the roots of this conflict? There has been a lot of context missing both from media reports and political responses to the ongoing situation in Israel and Palestine since this conflict began. So, for the background that you’re not hearing anywhere else, you'll be hearing a report from Backchat producer Eamonn Snow. After that, we'll have an interview with Lydia Shelley from the NSW Council of Civil Liberties on the situation in Gaza and the right to protest here in NSW.

 

This episode of Backchat was produced by Nic Huntington, Tanita Razaghi, Sana Shaikh and Eamonn Snow.

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It's an historic day as Australians head to the polls to vote in our first referendum since 1999. Today on Backchat, we'll be covering the vote from all angles. First up, if you’re still unsure on how today works or what is being asked of you, we’ll be going over some of the nitty gritty details of how referendums work and how to make sure your vote counts. Next, we'll be crossing to our reporters Sana and Nic who are on the ground at polling stations in Burwood and Redfern, respectively. They'll be sharing conversations they have had with voters and conveying the mood of the moment. Finally, to unpack the significance of today and what comes next, we’ll be joined later by Phoebe McIlwraith, a Bundjalung and Worimi Saltwater woman based on Gadi/Wann Country. She’s a multi-disciplinary Koori creative with a background in policy, political economy and law at the University of Newcastle.

 

This episode of Backchat was produced by Holly Payne, Sana Shaikh, Nic Huntington, Tanita Razaghi, Jostina Basta and Eamonn Snow.

 

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(aired 07/10/2023) - This week on Backchat, we're priming you for the 2023 Referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Our coverage in this episode aims to cut through a lot of the confusion around this historic vote by platforming First Nations voices.

First up you’re gonna be hearing from Bridget Cama, a Wiradjuri First Nations and Pasifika Fijian woman who is co-chair of the Uluru Youth Dialogue. Bridget has been travelling across the country campaigning for the Yes vote and will be laying out what The Voice would be, and the case for Yes, while responding to the torrent of misinformation floating around.

Next, we'll have report on the case for a progressive ‘no’ vote, and why some First Nations people have felt like they haven’t been heard during this referendum. You'll be hearing from grassroots First Nations activist Jennetta Quinn-Bates, who has been actively campaigning for a no vote, and from Sydney racial equity consultant Alicia Jay, who has been leading online discussions about allyship through the referendum.

 

This episode of Backchat was produced by Holly Payne and Eamonn Snow.

 

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(aired 30/09/2023) - On this episode of Backchat, we kick things off with a look at the latest findings from a NSW Police Inquiry into strip searches. Among other things, the report contains some pretty scathing information about how few officers are adequately trained to conduct these invasive searches. Backchat producer Libby Hopper will be with us to unpack it all. Next, how much attention do you pay the many beautiful trees adorning Sydney's streets? They play a crucial role in keeping our city habitable, and with heatwaves set to increase in both frequency and severity, some are facing new threats. Dr Renee Prokopavicius, plant ecophysiologist at Western Sydney University will join us to dive deeper into our urban trees. Finally, this week brought the devastating news that Varroa Mite is here to stay. Authorities have abandoned efforts to rid Australia of the parasite, which devastates our European bee populations. So, what next? To answer this and mroe, you'll be hearinf from Emily Remnant, Lecturer and Academic Fellow from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney.

 

This episode of Backchat was produced by Libby Hopper, Nc Huntington, Sana Shaikh and Eamonn Snow.

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