Security expert John Blaxland and physicist Ken Baldwin join us to discuss Dutton’s nuclear plans, politicised debates and poly-crisis. 

Is it possible to decarbonise through nuclear energy? Does the debate around these complex issues indicate a failure in public discourse? And what does this say about our ability to govern and manage a ‘poly-crisis’? 

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, John Blaxland and Ken Baldwin join Mark Kenny to discuss crises everywhere, all at once — from energy transition to governance and security.  

John Blaxland is Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies in the ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, and the Director of the ANU North American Liaison Office. His recent report for the RSL Defence and National Security Committee is Adapting to Poly-Crisis: A Proposed Australian National Security Strategy. 

Ken Baldwin is a physicist in the Research School of Physics, the founding Director of the ANU Grand Challenge: Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific (2018-2021), and the inaugural Director of the ANU Energy Change Institute (2010-2020, now incorporated into ICEDS). 

Mark Kenny is the Director of the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the University after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times. 

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback on this series, so send in your questions, comments or suggestions for future episodes to [email protected]. 

This podcast is produced by The Australian National University. 

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