The Grapevine

The Grapevine has wrapped up! Never fear – if you enjoyed listening to the show and following presenter Dylan Bird’s conversations around arts, culture, politics, human rights and the climate – you can follow his new program FUTURE PERFECT. More info & the RSS feed for Future Perfect is here: https://www.rrr.org.au/explore/programs/future-perfect You can also search for ‘Future Perfect’ in your favourite podcast player to subscribe to the new feed. Future Perfect airs every Monday from 9am-12pm on Melbourne community radio station, Triple R.

Alice Mathieu talks to El Gibbs, an award-winning writer on disability and social issues about the newly released NDIS review. Alice also speaks to adaptation scientist, Dr. Johanna Nalau, on the urgency of climate adaptation and whether these issues have been resolved at the Climate Change Conference 2023. Behavioural scientist, Kim Borg, was also in to talk about how behavioural science can be used to advocate for behaviours that are more 'sustainable' to restore and protect the natural environment.

Host Kirby Fary fills in for Dylan and chats to Michael Shaik, a member of Free Palestine Melbourne, about his decades-long activism and how supporters can avoid burnout. La Trobe University PhD candidate Jacinta Humphrey flies in to talk about her latest research into noisy miners, and how the bird is bullying vulnerable species in urban areas. Plus, artists Ria Soemardjo and Victoria Wanata chat about their sister theatre projects, ‘Surat-Suratnya’ and ‘May 1989’; both about Indonesia’s Suharto era and the lives that were impacted under the dictator.

On 2023’s final episode of The Grapevine, Dylan is joined by Priya Nadesalingam and journalist Rebekah Holt to chat about their new book Home to Biloela, which chronicles Priya and her family’s journey as refugees which grew to national attention. Victorian Government school teachers Lucy and Farah speak on their involvement with Teachers and School Staff for Palestine Victoria and the role of teachers and schools in the current Israel-Gaza crisis. Plus, Tony Wilson, author and founder of Speakola, drops by to recap the best speeches of 2023.

Dylan is joined by Julian Assange’s father John Shipton to update on the campaign to free his son, following lawmakers lobbying US President Joe Biden to withdraw the extradition request and halt all prosecutorial proceedings against him. Rick Morton, senior reporter for The Saturday Paper, unpacks his reporting into the case of the missing recommendation in the government’s response to the robo-debt royal commission. Plus, Panos Karanikolas and Dr Chris Maylea discuss their research report for La Trobe University into police responses to mental distress, and their proposal to change how these cases are managed.

University of Melbourne Journalism Lecturer and Writer Jeff Sparrow discusses his latest research, tracking the use of the word ‘woke’ in Australian media: how did the term become an effective shorthand for political correctness? Guardian Australia State Correspondent Benita Kolovos walks us through the Victorian projects that have been canned following the Federal Government’s infrastructure review, and where it leaves the Airport Rail Link and Suburban Rail Loop. Dylan talks to Palestinian-Australian nurse Riyad Aladassi, who is on hunger strike as part of Block the Dock, protesting Australian arms exports to Israel and media coverage of the current conflict. Then, Annabelle Lukin, Macquarie University Associate Professor in Linguistics, discusses her research of language in times of conflict, and how politicians and the media use certain words when referring to Israel and Palestine.

Dylan is joined by human rights lawyer and Refugee Legal Executive Director, David Manne, to talk about the “new dawn” in Australia’s indefinite detention laws: will a new precedent be set after the High Court found them unlawful? Rawan Arraf, Executive Director at the Australian Centre for International Justice, discusses a Federal Court legal action to uncover whether Australian arms exports are being used by Israel in the current conflict. ANU Professor Andrew Macintosh chats about apparent flaws in the government’s carbon credit scheme, which he thinks will put Australia’s net-zero target at risk. Plus, “Dr Pub”, aka Dr Sam Whiting from UniSA, discusses his new book Small Venues, analysing the cultural impact of small live-music venues across Australia.

Dylan is joined by journalist and Inside Story publisher Mark Baker to discuss the future of Australia’s relationship with China following Albanese’s recent visit to Beijing. University of Melbourne Professor in Urban Planning Dave Nichols talks about the benefits of dog parks for us and our furry friends. Plus, Fiona Sweet, Executive Director and CEO of Stella, chats about the upcoming inaugural Stella Day Out – a free literary event supporting women and non-binary writers.

Judith Peppard talks to drug policy expert Dr Monica Barratt about the need for a Victorian drug checking and early warning system, in line with recommendations from the Coroners Court. Journalist Antony Loewenstein provides an update on the escalating Israel-Hamas conflict and his concerns for what lies ahead. Plus, filmmaker Gary Newman talks about his new documentary How to Capture a Prime Minister about the 1976 Monash University incident which saw Malcolm Fraser hiding from protesting students in a basement.

Dylan is joined by Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth to look ahead to Australia's bushfire season, and the ‘shifting baseline syndrome’ phenomenon discussed in his recent blog post. Journalist and author Rebekah Holt drops by to break down the New Zealand election results, and what to expect from the country’s new government. Emmanuel Maiberg, co-founder and journalist at tech publication 404 Media, discusses Bandcamp’s sale to songtradr and what the acquisition and ensuing layoffs mean for the music platform. Plus, Australian music legend Normie Rowe chats about his upbringing and connection to music in Melbourne ahead of his performance for A TRIPLE R TAKEOVER at Northcote Theatre, as part of The Eighty-Six festival.