Speaking with...

This Saturday’s Canning byelection has turned from being a poll on Tony Abbott to being a test of both new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

Political analyst Natalie Mast spoke with “Poll Bludger” William Bowe about what Monday’s leadership spill will mean for the vote in Canning.

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Music: Free Music Archive/Blue Dot Sessions: Castro

Additional audio: Channel 7 News, ABC News

Natalie Mast is Chair of the Editorial Board of The Conversation.

The recent Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa occurred in three of the poorest and least resourced countries in the world. And as Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia all struggled with the epidemic, it was clear a global response was needed to contain the disease.

But the response, led by the World Health Organization, has been widely criticised for being too slow and inadequate, and over 11,000 people have died from the epidemic.

While there is relief that the outbreak now seems contained, how will the world respond to the next global health crisis?

William Isdale spoke with Lawrence Gostin about the lessons we can learn from the Ebola epidemic and the future of global health.

This interview was made by possible by the Australian Centre for Health Law Research at the Queensland University of Technology. Professor Gostin was in Brisbane as a guest of the Centre.

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Music: Free Music Archive/Kai Engel - The Scope

Additional audio: ABS News (US), BBC News, CNN, ABC News (Australia)

William Isdale does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

In her latest book, This Changes Everything (2014), the Canadian writer and activist Naomi Klein tackles the issue of climate change through a familiar prism: capitalism.

She argues that unrestrained capitalism is the root of the problem and that the global response to climate change has, thus far, been shaped by wealth and power.

Christopher Wright spoke to Naomi Klein on the eve of her appearance at the Sydney Festival of Dangerous Ideas about the impact of capitalism on the climate, and how grassroots movements – not market-based approaches – hold the key to tackling the all-pervading problem of climate change.

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Music: Free Music Archive/Broke For Free

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Christopher Wright has received funding from the Australian Research Council. Christopher Wright is an Academy of Management scholar.

As anyone who travels to work would probably realise, Australia’s transport infrastructure needs urgent upgrades.

As our cities continue to grow, it is virtually impossible to escape the tangle of peak-hour congestion. But with governments focused on reducing deficits, only one or two transport infrastructure projects are likely to be implemented.

So how are decisions about which infrastructure to build made? And how much of a say do the people who actually use the transport system have in which projects are prioritised?

Dallas Rogers spoke with Crystal Legacy about the politics of transport infrastructure, and the role urban planning can play in democratising the process of funding and implementing projects.

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Music: Free Music Archive/Blue Dot Sessions: Union Hall,

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Dallas Rogers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Hayley Saul and Emma Waterton were doing anthropological field work in the Langtang valley in Nepal when the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit on April 25 this year, killing more than 9,000 people.

At the time of the quake, they were with several local guides from the village of Langtang, now dubbed “the worst affected” area in Nepal. Saul and Waterton were recording local oral histories. They were interested in how these local stories were written into the Himalayan landscape.

It was their guides’ knowledge of the landscape, their humble acts of bravery and kindness that saved Saul and Waterton’s lives many times over two tough days, and enabled them to reach safety.

Saul and Waterton would witness many acts of courage and heroism after the earthquake, which was often not reported by the overseas media that tended to focus on the quake’s impact on tourists and climbers on Everest.

Dallas Rogers spoke to them about their research in Nepal, the earthquake, their rescue over two days, and the everyday Nepalese hero.

Since returning to Australia, Saul and Waterton have been fundraising to assist the displaced villagers of Langtang in collaboration with Community Action Nepal. You can read about their story and find out more about their relief efforts here: Langtang Survivors.

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Music: Gallery Six, OCP, Edoardo Romani Capelo (Free Music Archive)

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Dallas Rogers does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.