ChatterSquare

Is there a way to think about terrorism without politics? Do counter-terrorism responses make us safer? What are sensible ways to sift through news reports about acts of terror?

Andrew Zammit takes us through these and other questions. He is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne and has worked on terrorism-related research projects at Monash University and Victoria University.

He sets out the history of terrorism in Australia, and how injustice is embedded in both terrorism and responses to it. He also considers elements of the recently announced Home Affairs portfolio, which brings together several national security agencies under a single minister.

Music: Aces High by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)licensed under CCBYA 3.0.

Dr Massimo Faggioli is a prominent Catholic historian and theology professor at Villanova University in Philadelphia. He is a prolific writer and editor, whose work can be found in publications like Commonweal, La Croix and America magazine.

As a historian, Massimo views developments in the Catholic Church with a much longer lens. In this episode, he shares insight into the conservative responses to Pope Francis and the papal shift toward a less abstract understanding of being Catholic. He also discusses the way that the two-party political system in the United States has permeated the Catholic Church there. Finally, he explains why Vatican II is not just unfinished business but an orientation and method for doing things.

Music: Aces High by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)licensed under CCBYA 3.0.

What are the implications for the legal profession as blockchain technologies, smart contracts, apps and online dispute resolutions shift our approach to matters of law?

Kate Galloway joins us to talk about how tech is disrupting the way we think about lawyering. She is a Eureka Street columnist, former practicing lawyer, and academic, with a keen interest in the intersection between tech and legal practice.

In this episode, she discusses how digital access to information has democratised the way people engage with the law, whether lawyers can remain relevant, and how liability fits into algorithm-driven decisions. She also touches on the legal and ethical problems posed by tech, especially when legislators have limited understanding of it.

Music: Aces High by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)licensed under CCBYA 3.0.

Climate change continues to be politically charged in Australia, even as other countries ramp up their renewable energy investments. It raises questions around salesmanship. Evidence and expertise seem to only be part of the argument for action – so how can we build momentum? Do conservatives in fact have a role?

Greg Foyster is a Eureka Street columnist and freelance journalist, specialising in environmental issues. He is also a communications manager for Environment Victoria and used to work as an advertising copywriter.

In this episode, Greg walks us through the language and approaches that have fallen short. He also opens up conservative arguments that could potentially lead to breakthroughs.

Music: Aces High by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)licensed under CCBYA 3.0.

When UK Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn appeared to some acclaim at Glastonbury Festival, it triggered some amount of pining in Australia. Why do we not have someone like that? We unpack what this sentiment is about and whether it gets to the heart of what is wrong with our current politics.

Osmond Chiu is the Secretary of the NSW Fabians and Deputy Editor of Challenge magazine. He is a keen reader of the internal workings of the political left and offers insight on the broader shifts in thinking in the post-GFC period. What propels polarisation? Is consensus really something to aim for? Are facts and evidence a substitute for a moral worldview?

Music: Aces High by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)licensed under CCBYA 3.0.

The latest exodus from The Age has again drawn attention to shifts in the media industry. Are Fairfax papers indispensable? What does the future hold for Australian journalists who have lost their job? If the business model for newspapers is no longer viable, what does that mean for the value we place on journalism?

Jonathan Green joins us on ChatterSquare to ponder these and other questions. He has had a varied career in print and radio, including as editor at The Age, Crikey and The Drum (ABC Online). He can be heard on ABC radio programs such as RN Drive. He also edits Meanjin, one of Australia's oldest literary journals.

In this episode, he discusses the expectations around journalism: not just in terms of its role in liberal democracies, but as a career, as the content base for revenue, and as an expression of 'a basic human desire to know what's going on.' He touches on the effect of technology, as well as the current challenge in paying for the cost of production.

Music: Aces High by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)licensed under CCBYA 3.0.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is the Archbishop of Manila and president of Caritas International. He is associated with Pope Francis in terms of pastoral sensibility. In this episode of ChatterSquare, he tackles some of the uneasy questions of our time. What does leadership look like in polarised and violent places? How do we hold together diversity within the Catholic Church? How can religious wisdom be brought to bear on public life without crossing the line between church and state?

Cardinal Chito, as he is fondly called, offers a take on contemporary society that seems consoling – but he poses serious challenges. 'Modernity is all about differentiation,' he says, adding that this does not have to mean division. He distinguishes between politics and partisanship. He sheds light on the disconnect between professed and lived faith, particularly as it plays out in complex settings like the Philippines. Finally, he lends insight on what the spirit of communication means in a tech-driven world.

Music: Aces High by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)licensed under CCBYA 3.0.

Is science political? Does it actually have something in common with religion? And how do the humanities enhance scientific endeavour? We tackle these questions with @realscientists co-founder, science communicator and nanotech researcher Upulie Divisekera.

Music: Aces High by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)licensed under CCBYA 3.0.

Former FBI Director James Comey's latest testimony, foreign donations to Australian political parties, and freelance hackers reportedly triggering a diplomatic crisis in the Arabian Peninsula: what does it all mean? We also touch on the implications of a hung parliament in the UK, including lessons from recent Australian experience. We finish with Wonder Woman and the elements that made it work.

Music: Aces High by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)licensed under CCBYA 3.0.

Shouldn't religion be treated like an essential news desk? What does journalistic competence in this area look like? How do funding cuts affect the way religion is covered? In this Extra episode of ChatterSquare, Rohan Salmond and Tito Ambyo take us through the challenges and benefits of religion reporting.

Music: Aces High by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)licensed under CCBYA 3.0.