Independents CAN Podcast

Former Greens Senator Scott Ludlam joins Oliver and Charlie to discuss the themes in his latest book, Full Circle: a search for the world that comes next, where he draws on his experience as a senator and activist to capture our world on a precipice and explore what comes next.

During his time as a federal senator for the Australian Greens (2008 to 2017) and in his capacity as deputy leader, Scott campaigned on many issues such as internet censorship, for strengthened protections for public ownership of the National Broadband Network, and for the fair treatment of Julian Assange and the WikiLeaks publishing organisation. In 2011 he successfully advocated to restore $264 million to the National Rental Affordability Scheme which funded the construction of thousands of affordable rental homes.

Link to Full Circle book:

https://www.blackincbooks.com.au/books/full-circle

Featuring Geoff Cousins, a highly successful Australian businessman, environmental activist, author, the founding chair of the Australian arm of the children’s charity Starlight Foundation, and the founding chair of Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

In 1995 Geoff became the first CEO Optus Vision, and for a decade he was a senior adviser to Prime Minister John Howard.

From 2006 to 2015 he was on the board of Telstra IAG Insurance, Hudson Conway, PBL and Seven, and worked for 25 years with Australia’s leading advertising agency, George Patterson, rising to become Chairman.

In 2007, Geoff published a novel called The Butcher Bird, which is set in Australian boardrooms, yachts, and waterfront mansions, a thriller that details shocking corruption and disturbing, unethical and probably illegal, behaviour, perhaps inspired from some of the behaviour Geoff witnessed and was shocked by himself in the corporate world.

The same year the Butcher Bird was published, Geoff Cousins became a ferocious environmental campaigner, opposing the Gunns pulp mill in Tasmania and later the location of Woodside’s gas-processing plant north of Broome in 2012, taking aim at our recent guest, Malcolm Turnbull who was then environment minister.

Geoff took on the role leading the Australian Conservation Foundation from 2014 to 2018, he took a very robust public stand against government support for the Adani coal mine in central Queensland. He has also served on the boards of the Smith Family, the Sydney Theatre Company and the St George Foundation.

Tim Buckley is the Director of Energy Finance Studies for South Asia and Australia at the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, Sydney. Tim joins Charlie and Oliver to discuss the extent to which the fossil fuel industry owns the Australian Government.

Tim expertise and 30 years of experience in financial markets, covering Australia, Asian and global equities makes him a valuable resource to discuss Australia's current position in the transition to the green economy.

For more information on the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, visit https://ieefa.org/

For our 10th episode, Oliver and Charlie interview Malcolm Turnbull, the 29th Prime Minister of Australia.

Malcolm was the MP for Wentworth in the House of Representatives from 2004 until his retirement from politics in 2018.

A long time advocate of an Australian republic, serving as Chair of the Australian Republican Movement from 1993 to 2000, and one of the leaders of the "Yes" campaign in the 1999 republic referendum.

Malcolm tried on numerous occasions to drag the Liberal party into the future with a carbon price and the proposed the National Energy Guarantee. Both attempts resulted in a leadership spill that was so closely lost - leaving many Liberal members dismayed.

Very few individuals have as much knowledge of the system that controls our country, and so little to lose by exposing its significant failings. He has always tried to act by putting the interest of Australia first. For greater insight into the former Prime Minister's story his book is available in the link below

https://www.booktopia.com.au/a-bigger-picture-malcolm-turnbull/book/9781743795637.html

Charlie and Oliver are joined by Professor Mark Evans, Director of the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis at the University of Canberra who has has accepted the post as inaugural Director of “Democracy 2025 – bridging the trust divide” at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House (MoAD)

“Democracy 2025” will see a centre established at the spiritual home of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House, that will generate research, education and practice to enhance the quality of democratic engagement.

The centre has been named “Democracy 2025” because by 2025 if nothing is done and current trends continue, fewer than one in five Australians will trust their political institutions and politicians. The restoration of political trust is crucial to the health of our democracy and “Democracy 2025” will provide a neutral space for rebuilding trust between government and citizen.

Professor Mark Evans (PhD) has been the Director and Professor of Governance at the Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis since 2014. Mark’s research focuses on the study and practice of governance and policy analysis. He was formerly Director of the World-wide Universities Public Policy Network (2002-5), Vice President of the Joint University Council for the Applied Social Sciences (1999-2004), Head of Politics at the University of York (1998-2007) in the UK and Dean of the Faculty of Business, Government and Law at the University of Canberra (2011-12). He was also ANZSOG Professor in Governance (2009-14).

Mark has played an international role in supporting change governance practices and has acted as a senior policy advisor, and managed research and evaluation projects for 26 countries, including Australia, Afghanistan, Brazil, China, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Libya, Sri Lanka, the UK, Vietnam, the European Union (EU), the United Nations and the World Bank. He has also designed and delivered learning and development programmes on governance and public policy themes for executive and graduate audiences in all of those countries including the EU funded China-Europe Public Administration Programme and Erasmus Masters in Public Policy, the UK E-University’s International Masters in Public Management, the Open Policy-making Programme for the UK Cabinet Office. He has also been commissioned to design and deliver eight postgraduate programmes for Commonwealth Departments aimed at graduate and executive cohorts in the departments of Agriculture, Environment & Energy, Education, Infrastructure and Regional Development, Finance, Industry, Innovation and Science, Treasury and Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C). Mark also convened the ANZSOG EMPA course Designing Public Policies and the Excellence in Local Government Leadership Programme funded by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

https://www.democracy2025.gov.au/

Anne was the Chief of Staff for Bob Katter for over 6 years from 2013 during his pivotal role in Julia Gillard's minority government. Prior to her Chief of Staff role, Anne was a communication consultant to AECOM and manager of community services for Carpentaria shire council, and was number two at Cassowary coast shire

In 2018, Anne swam the English channel , prompting Bob Katter to joke about not knowing if his chief of staff was “dead or alive” during the gruelling swim. Anne has also been recognised and won many impressive prizes including the Humanities Prize and was the overall Winner of the National Award for Excellence, Awarded by the Prime Minister for her role in the ‘Domestic Violence — It’s Not Our Game’ project.

Tony Windsor was the Independent Member for Tamworth from 1991 to 2001, and stood in the NSW Parliament for 10 years. For nearly a third of his political career, Tony Windsor held the balance of power working to demand attention for country people from the major parties.

Serving as an independent member for the Australian House of Representatives seat of New England from 2001 until retiring in 2013 − supporting the incumbent Gillard Labor minority government at the 2010 election.

Tony Windsor talks to Oliver and Charlie for the Independents CAN podcast, discussing his views of the current good governance issues currently plaguing Australia's federal parliament, and his belief that history is made by those who turn up.

Cathy McGowan is an icon for grassroots, home-grown political engagement. Her win as an Independent in the seat of Indi changed the game, and she helped the electorate of Indi make history by electing Independent Helen Haines to follow her lead in Parliament. Cathy is an officer of the Order of Australia and was in 2019 awarded the Accountability Round Table award for political Integrity.

Cathy recently released her book called "Cathy goes to Canberra - Doing Politics differently” https://cathymcgowan.com.au/book/

and is the powerhouse behind the First National Convention for Community-Minded Independents which will be held online from Friday evening, 26 February to 1pm Sunday 28 February 2021.

https://shoutout.wix.com/so/45NTSONS9?languageTag=en&cid=ebb4a89c-11aa-4352-a68a-1a0d409cf7eb#/main

Jim Tait is the founder of the Independents CAN political party with a background in aquatic ecology.

Throughout the episode, Jim discusses how Independents CAN is offering the Australian people a vehicle for their voice to be heard in Parliament.

Charlie and Oliver and joined by Licia Heath, CEO of the not-for-profit organisation, Women for Election Australia (WFEA), a non-partisan group committed to increasing the number of women in public office at local, state and federal levels.

They discuss the challenges and barriers facing independents, facing women, and most importantly touch on the success stories which need to be celebrated.