What are the social conditions that make people susceptible to the lure of the far right, and what might we do to change these conditions?

Mario Peucker is an Associate Professor and the author of Democracy Strikes Back: Understanding and Countering the Rise of the Far-right. Mario is an expert in the rise of the far right and is interested in asking better questions about the links between democratic and social infrastructure and the growth of far right nationalism. The conversation explores the importance of all of us getting better at making space for conflict and grievances in ways that allow fears to be heard, but that don’t fuel the fire of division. Mario also speaks the value of the infrastructures of belonging, that is the clubs and playgrounds and networks that give people purpose and connection.

This is a conversation that doesn’t offer a neat answer, but it does offer some practical pathways for pushing back against the far right – practices that all of us can begin to implement immediately.

As we watch the rise of One Nation and other far right groups, this is an important and timely conversation.

Things and people we mention

Democracy Strikes Back: Understanding and Countering the Rise of the Far-right – Mario’s book

Not as Fringe as We’d Like to Think: Building Broad Resistance to Far-right Mobilisation – a short article by Mario drawing on the themes of his book

Reclaiming our Purpose: It’s time to talk about the public good – work by Australia reMADE on the public good and the themes of care, connection and contribution

Doppelganger – a fantastic and relevant book by Naomi Klein referenced by Millie

Angrynomics – a book by Eric Lonergan and Mark Blyth referenced by Mario

This episode is a recording of ‘Book Club Live’ hosted by the wonderful folk from Good Together. 

Matt Berry (Good Together) hosts Millie Rooney (Executive Director at Australia reMADE), Dan Hill (Director at Melbourne School of Design), and Sisonke Msimang (Author and Program Lead at the Centre for Stories) for a conversation about the book Abundance.

Published in 2025, Abundance by Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein has made a huge splash among the political class. It sets out an agenda for ‘a liberalism that builds’ and argues for a reduction in regulation and an increase in production.

While focused on the US, the book has been picked up by the Labor party in Australia with Treasurer Jim Chalmers calling it ‘a ripper’ in a press interview. As a silver bullet it’s an appealing idea and you can see the language of abundance working its way through press releases and strategy papers.

But Matt, Millie, Dan and Sisonke are less convinced. Have a listen as they try to take the good bits while critiquing what Millie argues is ‘actually a dangerous book’.

Have a listen!

SHOW NOTES

Abundance by Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein

Solidarity by Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor

The Real Housing Crisis by Dan Hill

What if we could unearth for humanity the most enduring source of human knowledge on the planet – Indigenous systems thinking — and fuse it with the best of modern knowledge and technology? What if we could bake in more relational, expansive, nature-based design into how we approach our lives and work, and solve our biggest challenges? 

 On our last episode of the reMAKERS for 2023, we chat to Jack Manning Bancroft about a values system revolution.  Jack’s spent his career tackling inequity through connection, as the founder and CEO of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, AIME; and co-architect of a new ‘network of networks’ and digital nation, IMAGI-NATION. 

He talks to us about not only about IMAGI-NATION and its transformative mission, but why seeing the problems is not enough. “There’s not many people who write the next chapter. I want to live there,” he says.  And with new tools and opportunities to get involved ranging from Joy Corporations to Imagination Labs, a feature film and so much more — you may well find yourself eager to join him. 

Jack is a graduate of The University of Sydney and Stanford University,  a former NSW Young Australian of the Year, and author of books for children and adults. He is the youngest person in Australian history to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate (from the University of South Australia), and is currently an Honorary Fellow at Deakin University with the Indigenous Knowledge Systems Lab.

SHOW NOTES

Things and people we mention

AIME on Australian Story 

IMAGI-NATION welcome video

Hoodie Economics: Changing our system to value what matters, by Jack Manning Bancroft

Explainer on Web 3 

Reframe It, created by Bobby Fishkin

The Other Others podcast with Tyson Yunkaporta

Things you can do

Read Hoodie Economics (link above)

Check out AIME and IMAGI-NATION (links above), learn more, apply for a visa to get involved.  

Share this conversation with your people and networks.

Love this podcast? We’re an independent charity and would love your tax-deductible donation. 

Hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app (eg, Apple, Spotify) to subscribe to the show and get our latest episodes.  Rate and review! 

Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).  

Email us at [email protected] to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas.

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This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded from the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and THE LANDS OF THE Dharawal people in greater Wollongong, NSW.  We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.  

In tumultuous times, how do we ensure that communities can care and be cared for through disaster? 

It’s all hands on deck for this episode of the reMAKERS podcast, as Lily welcomes Dr Millie Rooney (Co-Director) and Rachel Hay (Research and Projects Officer) onto the podcast to talk about Australia reMADE’s Care through Disaster project. 

Rebecca Solnit has described disasters as a portal to paradise, where the community is freed from the constraints that usually keep us apart. But what if we could build the infrastructure to support strong, resilient communities before disaster, and set ourselves up to survive and thrive in good times as well as bad? 

As we face increasing climate-fuelled disasters, applying a care lens to the usually efficiency-focused work of disaster management can ensure that no one is left behind; and that our communities are seen, safe and supported. 

This conversation will leave you energised to create the community that you want, today.

SHOW NOTES

Things and people we mention

Australia reMADE’s Care through Disaster report 

Women’s Health Goulburn North East, our project partner 

Our blog on Making Space for Utopia: the story of Fossil Free UTAS

Rachel’s work on transport decarbonisation with Climate Tasmania 

The Australian Government’s Intergenerational Report 

Our work on Care, Connection, Contribution and the Public Good 

A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit 

Our three-part blog series on reMAKING economics 

How art can help communities recover from disaster 

Things you can do

Share this work and these conversations in your own networks and local community.

Hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app (eg, Apple, Spotify) to subscribe to the show and get our latest episodes.  Rate and review! 

Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).  

Email us at [email protected] to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas.

This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded from the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and THE LANDS OF THE MUWININA AND PALAWA PEOPLES IN NIPALUNA/HOBART IN LUTRUWITA/TASMANIA.  We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.  

The economy is just how we produce and provide for one another. So what if we threw out the old indicators of growth and profit, and instead measured its success by our collective wellbeing?

On this episode of the reMAKERS podcast, we talk to Amanda Janoo  (Economics and Policy Lead) and Lisa Hough-Stewart (Implementation Lead) from the global Wellbeing Economy Alliance — about the countries and businesses that are doing just that. 

We learn that the term ‘economy’, and the indicators of GDP, stock market growth and employment, didn’t enter the public discourse until the 1930s, as people tried to grapple with the unemployment and poverty experienced during the Great Depression. 

 Now,  nearly 100 years later, we’re still using those same indicators to understand and guide our economy. But the issues that we’re facing today are different: climate change, species extinction, mental health and more. It’s time for a new way of measuring economic success. 

This is an uplifting conversation, where Amanda and Lisa guide us through what a Wellbeing Economy could look like, and how we can build it together.

SHOW NOTES

Things and people we mention

Dr Katherine Trebeck, founder of WEAll, on the reMAKERS podcast 

The SDG Lab at UN Geneva’s event recording of ‘Rethinking our Economic Systems for Long term Sustainable Development’ 

WEAll Scotland

Sophie Howe, former Wales Future Generations Commissioner, on the reMAKERS podcast

The Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo)

Read about how the Scottish Government is focussing on a Wellbeing Economy

Nicola Sturgeon’s Ted Talk on why governments should prioritse wellbeing 

WEAll’s research on the Wellbeing Reflex

The Beyond Growth Conference in the EU’s Parliament last May

Recommendations and good reads

The Economics of Arrival by Katherine Trebeck and Jeremy Williams 

Post Growth – Life After Capitalism by Professor Tim Jackson

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerera 

The Divide by Jason Hickel 

WEAll’s Transforming Business Guide, featuring Locavore and Auchrannie Resort 

Australia reMADE’s work on the public good, care, connection and contribution 

Things you can do

Check out WEAll’s website. 

Join WEAll’s Australian hub.

Hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app (eg, Apple, Spotify) to subscribe to the show and get our latest episodes. 

Share this episode with your people. 

Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).  

Email us at [email protected] to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas! 

This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded from the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.  We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.  

What do a grandmother’s advice on ants, a time machine and an iceberg have in common? 

According to Dr Vishnu Prahalad, they’re all part of what it means for us to live more sustainably, by learning to  think in terms of systems. 

 On this episode of the reMAKERS, we talk to Dr Prahalad: a conservationist, ecologist, systems thinker, and Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences at the University of Tasmania.

Dr Prahalad connects different fields – from environmental management and geography to history, politics and economics – that need to come together for us to live harmoniously on our planet with the environment and the species who rely on it. 

This episode is sure to get you thinking about life, the Universe and everything, from the smallest ant to the biggest systems that surround us all.

SHOW NOTES

Things and people we mention

The Bachelor of Natural Environment and Conservation at the University of Tasmania 

Vishnu’s talk on systems thinking and sustainability for the Modern Money Lab 

Vishnu’s recent co-authored paper on making sustainability laws work, while treating our addiction to economic growth

From What Is to What If by Rob Hopkins 

The Transition Network

Economist Stephanie Kelton  

NewDemocracy.com.au

Wales’ former Future Generations Commissioner, Sophie Howe on the reMAKERS 

The history of Tasmania Together 

The Iceberg Model and our intro to systems change thinking 

The Australia Institute’s Richard Denniss on the reMAKERS

The Bioregional Economy by Molly Scott Cato

Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows

Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber 

Recommendations and things you can do

Check out Vishnu’s work at the University of Tasmania (UTas).

Check out the Bachelor of Natural Environments and Conservation at UTas. 

Love this podcast? We’re an independent charity and would love your tax-deductible donation.

Follow, rate and review this podcast on Apple or Spotify to help others find it.

Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).  

Email us at [email protected] to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas.  

This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded from the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and the lands of the muwinina and palawa peoples in nipaluna/Hobart in lutruwita/Tasmania.  We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.  

How do we reMAKE our systems to treat people with respect, kindness and empathy? 

On this episode of the reMAKER’s podcast, we talk to Mark Zirnsak, Senior Social Justice Advocate at the Uniting Church, who works on issues from climate change and tax to modern slavery, as director of its Justice and International Mission.

Mark is an endlessly curious person and deep thinker, whose drive for justice and love takes him into the heart of the issues facing humanity. Sometimes, this causes him to challenge his peers, as on climate change. 

“At the end of the day, if all we do is electrify everything, and we leave the underlying neoliberal economic system unchallenged and in place, then I think we're just waiting for the next crisis to emerge,” he told us.  

But Mark is also someone who believes in the goodness of individuals, in how far we’ve come and in our capacity to to change systems for the better: drawing on lessons from history, from the advent of modern democracy to innovations happening right now in Seattle.  This is a thoughtful, gentle and hopeful conversation with someone who’s found his calling. 

SHOW NOTES

Things and people we mention

Amnesty International

Pax Christi

The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck 

Tax Justice Network 

Stage Three Tax Cuts 

Cannibal Capitalism by Nancy Fraser

Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth

The War for Kindness by Jamil Zaki

Common Cause 

The Voice Referendum

Our conversation with Sally Hill on purpose-driven business

Welcoming Disability

Adam Grant 

Seattle’s Democracy Vouchers

Recommendations and things you can do

Visit justact.org.au to learn more and support the work led by Mark and his team. 

Love this podcast? We’re an independent charity and would love your tax-deductible donation. 

Hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app (eg, Apple, Spotify) to subscribe to the show and get our latest episodes. 

Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).  

Email us at [email protected] to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas!

This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded from the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast and the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung peoples in Narrm (Melbourne).  We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.  

How can business better serve society and the planet we share? What’s holding us back from doing business better, and where is the momentum for change? How can we tell a true purpose-driven business from one that’s just doing a little good (or a nice PR campaign) on the side?

Today we’re chatting with Sally Hill, General Manager of the impact investing firm Tripple, and founder of the Purpose conference — a two-day event that brings together professionals who care about making business more ethical, responsible and sustainable. 

Like it or not, business is one of the core organising principles for society, Sally says.  So she’s passionate about how we can leverage business to create true value and move us forward; to behave ethically and responsibly, and to just be useful in the world. 

Whatever sector you work in, however you may feel about the mixed impacts of the business world and its power, it’s so great to listen and learn from someone who really gets it and is determined to drive change from within. 

SHOW NOTES

Things and people we mention

GetUp campaign targeting banks on the Gunns Pulp Mill 

Interface, sustainable carpet and flooring company 

The surprising number of co-ops in Australia  

Triple Bottom Line (general guide) 

Economist Mariana Mazzucato: Mission Economy and The Entrepreneurial State (great books!) 

Things that exist because of government investment, including Tesla

The Inflation Reduction Act (what became of the ‘Green New Deal’) in America 

De-growth - what it is and how it would work in our economy, introductory article by Jason Hickel et al

Economist Richard Denniss on the reMAKERS podcast talking about growth/de-growth

Overton window

Regenerative business, regenerative finance

Chris Andrew and Paul Girrawah House  

Tyson Yunkaporta

Jack Manning Bancroft

Recommendations and things you can do

Check out the Purpose conference, happening in Sydney, 8-9 Nov, 2023. Use the code “REMADE” for 20% off your ticket price. 

Share this conversation with your friends, colleagues, boss, or your organisation’s sustainability team. 

Ask your MP what s/he’s doing to promote pro-social businesses where you live, or contact one of the Ministers in Treasury (Australia).   

We need more dialogue between people in business, government and civil society — see what you can do?

Love this podcast and our work? We’re an independent charity and would love your tax-deductible donation. 

Hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app (eg, Apple, Spotify) to subscribe to the show and get our latest episodes. 

Find and follow on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook (@Australia reMADE).  

Email us at [email protected] to say hello, give us feedback, share ideas!

THIS EPISODE OF THE REMAKERS WAS RECORDED FROM THE LANDS OF THE GUBBI GUBBI PEOPLE, IN QUEENSLAND’S SUNSHINE COAST, AND ON THE GADIGAL LANDS OF THE EORA NATION IN SYDNEY.  WE HONOUR THE TRADITIONAL OWNERS OF THESE LANDS AND WATERS, AND PAY OUR RESPECT TO ELDERS PAST AND PRESENT.  

Young people today have the deck stacked against them, and they know it. 

They’ve grown up in a world defined by the global financial crisis, the climate crisis, a housing and cost-of-living crisis, and a global pandemic.  Their HECs debts are growing, their confidence in the future is shaky, and it’s feeling nigh impossible for all but the most fortunate to secure the basics of a good life.

Today we’re hearing from two millennial leaders determined to turn things around. 

Meet Jane Body and Thomas Walker.  Jane is General Manager and Tom is Chief Economist for Think Forward, an organisation that promotes intergenerational fairness and an economy that works for all generations.  They say the main economic challenges young people are up against aren’t inevitable (or the result of too much smashed avocado); but the result of deliberate policy choices, and timidity to undo previous bad decisions.

So how do we rewrite the rules and share the wealth in a way that better supports wellbeing at all stages of life?  What would it look like to think long-term and make policies designed to improve the next 20 years… instead of just win the next election?  And how can we bring people together, instead of falsely pitting different generations against each other?

This is a relatable, thoughtful and thought-provoking conversation; and if you’re a Millennial or member of Gen Z especially, we hope you feel really seen and understood.  Because while no young person should have to worry about things like tax policy, economics and superannuation — we’re so grateful people like Jane and Tom are out there, championing the kind of change that benefits us all. 

This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded on the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.  We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.  

SHOW NOTES

Things we mention

The generational gap in wealth in Australia 

A wellbeing economy 

The Game of Life  

The flaws in Australia’s tax system 

HECS debt indexation  

Think Forward’s campaign for a Parliamentary Inquiry into intergenerational fairness 

The UK Inquiry into international fairness 

Senator David Pocock’s Bill on international equity bill

Our podcast with Sophie Howe on working for the future generations in Wales 

Jane doesn’t expect to pay off her HECS debt until she’s 65 

The Australian Government’s Measuring What Matters Statement  

Recommendations and things you can do

Visit Think Forward’s website to read more about their work. 

Sign Think Forward’s petition for a Parliamentary Inquiry on intergenerational fairness. 

Take Think Forward’s survey on the tax system, its purpose and Australia’s economic future.

Donate to support these conversations and the work of Australia reMADE.

Subscribe to the reMAKERS podcast (hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app). Share on social, write a review, tell a friend.

Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE) or email us at [email protected].

“We don’t need a new economics to tackle most of these problems, we just need less bullsh-t.” - Richard Denniss

Chief economist and Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Richard Denniss, joins us for a frank and refreshing look behind the curtain of economics, politics and power.  He says the real power of economics is to conceal power itself, and make the indefensible sound inevitable and justifiable. 

We’ve made people feel silly for not understanding economics, he argues, rather than angry about the decisions that are being made.  

“In Norway, they tax their fossil fuel industry and give young people free education. In Australia, we subsidise our fossil fuel industry, and charge people a lot of money to go to uni. That’s why politics matters. That’s why democracy matters. And neoliberalism’s greatest legacy is to convince people that we don’t have those choices,” he says. 

That’s why Richard has devoted his career to debunking ‘Econobabble’, injecting solutions and honesty into the public debate, and helping those on the ground fighting the good fight. He is co-author, with Clive Hamilton, of the best-selling book, “Affluenza: When Too Much is Never Enough” and Quarterly Essays like “Dead Right: How Neoliberalism ate itself and what comes next,” among many other publications. 

This is a remarkably clarifying and entertaining discussion about economics, with equal parts laughter and righteous rage. 

This episode of the reMAKERS was recorded on the lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people, in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.  We honour the Traditional Owners of these lands and waters, and pay our respect to Elders past and present.  

SHOW NOTES

Things we mention

Fossil fuel subsidies

Middle Arm project in Darwin — federal funding for gas industry expansion

Stage 3 tax cuts

National Anti-Corruption Commission

The Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme

Labor backing down on multinational corporate tax transparency

Australia Institute polling on Stage 3 tax cuts

Australia Institute research on what’s driving inflation

Webinar with Stephanie Kelton and Richard Denniss (video recording)

Community progress association in Warkworth taking on Rio Tinto

Recommendations and things you can do

Visit the Australia Institute to find and follow their work and discussions.

Check out their podcast (search ‘Follow the Money’ wherever you listen to podcasts).

Talk to your MP, write a letter to the editor, join a group, get active.

Donate to support these conversations and the work of Australia reMADE.

Subscribe to the reMAKERS podcast (hit ‘follow’ in your podcast app). Share on social, write a review, tell a friend.

Join the conversation. Find us on social media (@Australia reMADE) or email us at [email protected].