Do Australians need to know which church a politician belongs to? And are religious values reflected in policy choices? This week on Democracy Sausage Mark Kenny leads a discussion on the boundaries between church and state. We also discuss a landmark speech on Indigenous affairs, and take a look at what Donald Trump may expect in return for that state visit. Our panellists – David Gazard, Jade Gailberger, and Katrine Beauregard – also tackle some of your questions and comments.

David Gazard began his career as a journalist working in the federal press gallery with News Ltd. David then worked as a political adviser and press secretary for former Prime Minister John Howard. He is now Director of ECG Advisory Solutions and ECG Financial.

Jade Gailberger is NewsCorp's federal political reporter for The Advertiser in South Australia.

Katrine Beauregard is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her work focuses on political behaviour and why people vote the way they do. She is also researching public opinion towards women in politics and the consequences of gender quotas on political institutions.

Mark Kenny is a Senior Fellow in 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, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to [email protected]. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.

This podcast is published in partnership with The Australian National University.

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