On this episode of The Grapevine, Kulja and Dylan get on the line with Walkley Award winning author and journalist, Jeff Sparrow, to break down the High Court’s ruling that found Australian media outlets are responsible for defamatory comments left on their social media platforms. Then, the worst is yet to come for Australian universities following last year’s 6 percent drop in revenue across the tertiary sector, Peter Hurley from the Mitchell Institute, calls in to talk about the fall out, and what these dire straits mean for Australian universities. And founder & facilitator of the Raise Our Voice Australia, Ashleigh Streeter-Jones, to discuss the campaign that’s providing a voice for young Australians to have their statements read out in Parliament by MPs – and how to get involved. 

On this episode of The Grapevine, Kulja and Dylan get on the line with Executive Director of Grata Fund, Isabelle Reinecke, to discuss the Coalition Government unlawfully blocking FOI requests and its impact on democracy in Australia. Then, contributing editor of Inside Story, Peter Mares, discusses his piece ‘A Line in the water’, reflecting on the anniversary of the Tampa incident in 2001. Mares talks about the Australian Government’s treatment of asylum seekers, how the 9/11 attacks influenced immigration detention policy and the Afghanistan war. And Adam Grubb, permaculture editor and author of the ‘The Weed Forager’s Handbook’, calls in to talk about his new book ‘Let’s Eat Weeds!’ a kids guide to foraging.

On this episode of The Grapevine, Kulja and Dylan get on the line with Shamsiya Hussainpoor, an Afghan from the Hazra community, to discuss those left behind at the mercy of the Taliban back in Kabul. Hussainpoor talks about her story that was published on the ABC, what she fears will happen next. Then, Executive Director at Refugee Legal, David Manne, calls in to analyse the Australian Government’s response to the situation in Afghanistan. Manne talks about the support and support and opportunities available for Afghans in Australia – and what their futures look like.

On this episode of The Grapevine, Kulja and Dylan get on the line with PhD candidate at Melbourne Uni’s Law School, Elizabeth Hicks, and Greg Dore, infectious disease physician and epidemiologist at UNSW’s Kirby Institute, to discuss the epidemiological and policy challenges of bringing Australians returning from international travel. Then in the wake of the IPPC report on the impact of 1.5 degrees of global warming, Editor of Renew Economy, Giles Parkinson, calls in to talk about economic solutions to the threat of climate change as the Tomago Aluminium smelter announces it intends to be fully renewable by 2030. And following Sky News Australia’s one week account ban from YouTube, freelance journalist, author and journalism academic, Margaret Simons, breaks down her article for Inside Story, ‘Is Sky News taking Australia by Storm?’.

On this episode of The Grapevine, Kulja and Dylan get on the line with Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth to discuss his new report ‘An Icon at Risk: Current and Emerging threats to the Victorian High Country’, which explores the threat of climate change to Snow Gums, and other Australian flora. Walker discusses these threats in the context of the findings of the IPCC report into climate change released this week. Then, CEO of VACCA and Joint Council member of the Coalition of Peaks, Muriel Bamblett, calls in to talk about their calls for the Queensland and Western Australian state governments to launch their own reparations and compensation programs for survivors of the stolen generation. And Directors, John Harvey & Rhian Skirving, phone in to talk about their new documentary, ‘Off Country’ that’s screening as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival. The doco explores the problems around 3000 indigenous teenagers face when attending boarding schools like navigating exams, social dramas, and being isolated from their culture, families and communities.

On this episode of The Grapevine, Kulja and Dylan get on the line with Walkley Award winning writer and broadcaster, Jeff Sparrow, to talk about the recent anti-lockdown protests across the country in response to covid-19 restrictions – who are they? And what’s spurring them on? Then, managing solicitor for crime at North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency, Beth Wild, calls in to breakdown the latest on Don Dale, the notorious youth prison in Darwin was set to close, but is now expanding as youth detainee numbers rise. Wild also updates us on the landmark class action lawsuit that has just been settled where the mother sued the Northern Territory Government for the mistreatment of her son which saw a $35 million dollar settlement. 

On this episode of The Grapevine, is Crown Casino too big to fail? Kulja and Dylan get on the line with Associate Professor Charles Livingstone from the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University to discuss the most recent developments of the Crown Royal Commission.  Then, as the 2021 Olympics kicks off, regular guest Associate Professor of urban planning at Melbourne University, Dave Nichols, calls in to discuss the impact of the Games on host cities and the incredibly expensive wastage of Olympic architecture once the Olympic villages and other temporary infrastructure falls into disuse. And Executive Director of Digital Rights Watch, Lucie Krahulcova, calls in to break down the revelations around Pegasus Spyware, a malicious software being used by governments around the world to spy on journalists, activists, and private citizens. 

On this episode of The Grapevine, Kulja and Dylan are joined by CEO of VCOSS Emma King to discuss the ad campaign ‘Let's get back to the good things’ that encourages vaccination in the community and analyses the efficacy of the Government's messaging. Then, Guy Morton, one of the founders of Voices of Kooyong, a group seeking better political representation for their community, calls in to discuss their independent candidacy, what they’re doing in the lead-up to the election, and the issues their group is focused on. And Canberra Writer Theodore Ell gets on the line to talk about his essay ‘Facades of Lebanon’ published in the latest issue of Australian Book Review which won the Fifteenth Calibre Essay Prize. Ell’s essay discusses his experiences in Lebanon witnessing political revolution, the pandemic, and an extraordinary explosion in Beirut that sent shockwaves around the world.

On this episode of The Grapevine, Kulja and Dylan get on the line with AFL diversity consultant Rana Hussain, to talk about the significance of sport in Australia, and how it transcends the game into all areas of culture. Hussain and other experts will be discussing this and more at the long awaited Broadly Speaking event ‘Ahead of the Game, Sport, Storytelling and Symbolism at the Wheeler Centre’. Then, Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth calls in to discuss the Federal Court's decision regarding the climate litigation brought forth against the Commonwealth by a group of students. Walker discusses the leadership change of the Nationals Party and what it means for the LaTrobe Valley and the politics that will determine what happens moving forward. And Professor Anne Bardoel from Swinburne University calls in to discuss the retirement of the five-day work week as countries overseas trail a four-day week, the shift towards working from home, and hybrid work arrangements.

On this episode of The Grapevine, Dylan is joined on the line by journalist and researcher for Human Rights Watch, Sophie McNeill, to discuss the findings of their new report into Chinese government surveillance of pro-democracy students from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in Australian universities. The report finds that students and faculty have been targeted with intimidation and harassment after expressing pro-democracy sentiments. And as Australian vaccination continues to crawl ahead at a snail pace, author and journalist, George Megalogenis, calls in to talk about his new Quarterly Essay, ‘Exit Strategies: Politics After The Pandemic’. Megalogenis discusses our current political circumstances, the future role of government, and asks “where to from here?”