Mark Kenny, veteran political journalist Malcolm Farr and Marija Taflaga chat about the week in politics, and Professor Peter Collignon joins us in the studio to discuss the emergence of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

After a disastrous start to the year, are the government’s political problems curable? On the new episode of Democracy Sausage, Mark Kenny, Marija Taflaga, and Malcolm Farr discuss the limits of Scott Morrison’s political messaging and why the bushfire royal commission could become the arena for the ongoing brawl on climate and energy policy.

After the break, Professor Peter Collignon from The Australian National University’s Medical School joins Mark, Marija and Malcolm to talk about Coronavirus. He looks at the status of the virus right now, whether Australia’s health system is well-equipped to deal with the virus, and the politics of naming diseases.

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.

Marija Taflaga is a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations. Her major research is on political parties and particularly the Liberal Party of Australia. She has previously worked in the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery as a researcher at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Malcolm Farr has worked for a number of Australian publications including The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mirror, Brisbane Sun and The Australian. He regularly appears on the political current affairs programs Meet the Press on Network Ten, and ABC TV's Insiders.

Peter Collignon AM is an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist at the Canberra Hospital. He is currently Executive Director of ACT Pathology and a Professor at The Australian National University Medical School.

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