Crawford School of Public Policy

On this Democracy Sausage, Sharon Friel, Helen Sullivan, Meegan Fitzharris, and Marija Taflaga join Mark Kenny at the hotplate to talk about improving health and wellbeing beyond the coronavirus crisis, and whether Scott Morrison’s gas plan is more than just hot air.

As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, more Australians are focused on health policy now than possibly at any point in the country’s contemporary history. But will this increased awareness during the crisis translate into long-term, whole-of-government health reform? How can policymakers ensure Australians receive both equity of access and equity of outcomes in healthcare? And is Scott Morrison’s gas plan meaningful policy or just a political power play? On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Professor Sharon Friel, Professor Helen Sullivan, former ACT Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris, and regular podleague Dr Marija Taflaga chat with Professor Mark Kenny about health inequity and the future of Australia’s energy policy. Listen here

Sharon Friel is Professor of Health Equity and Director of ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet). She is also Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Governance and Co-Director of the NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in the Social Determinants of Health Equity.

Professor Helen Sullivan is Director of the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy.

Meegan Fitzharris is a Senior Fellow in Health Policy and Leadership at ANU College of Health and Medicine. She is a former Labor Member of the Legislative Assembly for Molonglo and Yerrabi and was the ACT government’s Minister for Health and Wellbeing.

Mark Kenny is a Professor 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.

Dr Marija Taflaga is the Director of ANU Centre for the Study of Australian Politics and a lecturer in the ANU School of Politics and International Relations.

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’d love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or join us on the Facebook group.

This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.