Ross Garnaut

'It's not enough to go back to what we had before the pandemic recession. We've got to do better.'

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the global economy has changed drastically. As we adjust to a new normal, is it possible to recover the economy we once had? Or should we rebuild it from the ground up?

In this special podcast episode, economist Ross Garnaut discusses his roadmap for progress, policy, and diplomacy with host Prue Bentley.

In his latest book Reset: Restoring Australia after the Pandemic Recession, Garnaut makes the case for a radical overhaul of the Australian economy and argues that returning to our previous conception of ‘normal’ would be a missed opportunity.

This podcast episode is presented in partnership with Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute

 This conversation was originally scheduled to take place live on Wednesday 11 August 2021 and was cancelled in response to Victorian Government health advice. We are now presenting this discussion exclusively in podcast form. 

Sally Warhaft, Peter Cronau and Scott Ludlam in conversation on stage at Bendigo Writers Festival.

Why is WikiLeaks so important? What is there to be learned from the documents released? According to the writers in A Secret Australia, the leaking of hidden government documents yielded knowledge that is essential for journalists and institutions to analyse the consequences of covert and unaccountable state power. “We open governments” is WikiLeaks’ motto, yet its crusade for transparent, accountable government has led to criminal charges being laid against its founder, Julian Assange, and whistleblower Chelsea Manning. Assange now faces espionage and hacking-related charges from the US government.

A Secret Australia’s co-editor Peter Cronau and contributor and former Greens Senator Scott Ludlam joined Sally Warhaft at Bendigo Writers Festival earlier this year for a discussion about what is kept from public view and why. What are the limits of journalism when reporting on state apparatuses, and what is a publisher’s responsibility when dealing with state secrets? 

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Presented in partnership with Bendigo Writers Festival