Crawford School of Public Policy

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Jennifer Hunt joins Mark Kenny and Marija Taflaga to discuss recent events in the United States, including the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v Wade, loosening gun control, and the Capitol riot hearings against the backdrop of the health of the country’s democracy. 

Is former President Trump’s influence only now finding its full expression? Is the politicisation of the Supreme Court diminishing the separation of church and state and chipping away at the bones of democracy? How closely do Australians share values with Americans, and will tendencies of tyranny or patriotism creep into Australian politics too? Jennifer Hunt joins Professor Mark Kenny and Dr Marija Taflaga to discuss these questions and more on this episode of Democracy Sausage. Listen here.

Jennifer Hunt is a Lecturer at the US Studies Centre and a Lecturer at Macquarie University’s Department of Security Studies and Criminology. Recently she worked with the World Health Organization on combating COVID-19 disinformation, publishing a report with the Global Health Security Network examining the national security ramifications of COVID-19 conspiracy theories.

Marija Taflaga is the Director of ANU Centre for the Study of Australian Politics and a Lecturer at ANU School of Politics and International Relations.

Mark Kenny is a Professor at 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.

Show notes | The following publications and articles were mentioned in this episode:

Guns Became the Leading Cause of Death for American Children and Teens in 2020, Josiah Bates, New York Times, (2022) .

Incendiary Republican ads boasting of ‘hunting’ rivals raise fears of violence, Eric Berger, The Guardian, (2022).

Laboratories of Autocracy, David Pepper, St. Helena Press (2021).

Partisanship and Political Animosity in 2016, Pew Research Centre, (2016).

The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry Report (the Brereton Report), (2020).

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, family or domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit www.1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny is available on Acast, 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.