Australian perspectives on the week's neglected social aspects of life, too often ignored by economics-driven priorities. These undermine our options for good societies, not just growth. Eva Cox is a well-known sociologist and public feminist commentator with a long involvement in advocacy for more civil societies. Julie Macken has a wealth of experience as a journalist for AFR and New Matilda and has worked with a variety of non-profit organisations. Produced for community radio stations ac ...
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All The Best is for new Australian storytelling. Hear from a Melbourne-based cannibal, how the Australian Wallabies used theatre workshops to improve their game, anxiety attacks in a Tantric sex class, and what the shopping centre Santa Claus is really thinking, all on All The Best. We're a weekly radio show and podcast produced at FBi Radio in Sydney in association with SYN and Triple R in Melbourne, and broadcast nationally via the Community Radio Network. We’ve been telling stories in a v ...
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Acclaimed presenter, journalist, actor, producer and arts guru Rhoda Roberts returns to our airwaves to present Deadly Voices from the House, recorded live from Sydney Opera House. Featuring a diverse selection of guest appearances from prominent Indigenous leaders from the music, arts and culture sector, Deadly Voices from the House provides an important platform to discuss critical issues facing the Indigenous community and gives voice to a variety of upcoming indigenous music, arts and cu ...
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So, what actually goes on in Parliament House? Two journalists new to the Canberra press gallery chat about the week in politics, breaking down what happens in the nation’s Parliament for people who don’t live inside ‘the Canberra bubble’. Join Amanda Copp and Sarah Ison for a 30-minute chat as they pop the coded language to tell you what's really going on.
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In 2020, the first series of From the Embers premiered, focusing on communities across Australia who had faced fire and smoke and homes destroyed in what was one of the most difficult summers has ever seen, the 2019-20 bushfire season. In 2022, From the Embers 2: Phoenix returns to several places featured in the first series, including Mallacoota, Kangaroo Island, and the forests of the Far north of New South Wales to explore how communities are recovering from the fires and the issues that ...
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This week on The Five Minute Advocate, Michael Walker explores the concept of negativity bias and argues that the media’s exploitation of this bias has led to an overemphasis on negative news which has in turn skewed worldviews, our perceptions of other societal challenges and thus our active citizenship. Michael does introduce two initiatives aime…
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This week on All The Best, a feature length audio-documentary about Matildas Mania. Please note this story contains some swears! The Matildas Express The Matildas Express is a journey to the historic semi-final of the Women’s World Cup 2023, and how our women’s football team inspired the nation. One year ago, on a cold winter night, Australian spor…
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This week on the Five Minute Advocate Eva Cox revisits the issue of Australia’s chilcare sector, specifically reflecting on its shift from being community led and controlled services, to what it is today – overwhelmingly privatised. Eva calls for the government to assume greater responsibility in the sector, to view and provide childcare as communi…
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This week on All The Best, stories about weird and wonderful hobbies and what drives us to them. Hobbies In our first story, a university student dissects recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data suggesting a gender gap in time spent on hobbies. Molly Frew produced the story, which featured postdoctoral research fellow August Harrington, a psych…
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This week on All The Best, beautiful and bilingual stories about family. Content Warning: These stories contain references to people experiencing cancer, passing away and detailed descriptions of war. They may be considered to be emotionally intense for some. Please listen with care. Sirius and the Moon In our first story, While weaving between Eng…
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In this weeks episode of The Five Minute Advocate, Julie McCann delves into the controversial AUKUS deal, a $400 billion decision that could redefine Australia's role on the global stage. With a focus on the implications of nuclear-powered submarines, Julie explores how this agreement might shift Australia from a defensive to an offensive military …
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This week on All The Best, apocalyptic audio stories. Apocalyptic Radio Fiction In our first story, Producer Phoebe speaks with audio fiction producer Ian Walker about the process of creating new Australian audio fiction. Produced by Phoebe Adler Ryan in conversation with podcast producer Ian Walker. With special thanks to Bronwyn Mehan. You can li…
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This week on the Five Minute Advocate Michael Walker explores the alarming rise in cyber insecurity and its impact on Australians’ wellbeing where new data reveals a sharp increase in online harm and hate and recent events that have seen this translate to real world violence. Michael delves into what’s fuelling this uptick in unrest and calls on th…
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This week on All The Best, stories about fighting violence against women. Content Warning: These stories contain references to gendered violence, including those of a domestic, family or sexual nature. Please listen with care. The Park (4.35) In our first story, Jasmyn, on a wet rainy night, investigates after hearing someone in distress at a local…
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This week on The Five Minute Advocate, Julie Macken highlights two stark examples of leadership in action that we’ve seen over the last week. The first an example in accountability with NT Police Commissioner Michael Murphy’s sincere apology at Garma Festival for the historical and ongoing harms committed against Indigenous Territorians. The second…
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This week, stories about connections transcending through our mortal plane, from the spirit world to our ancestral past. To start us off, host Mads takes us to Colombo, Sri Lanka, where her grandmother seeks to impart the wisdom of Hindu astrology. Ancestral Echoes In our second story, Xueyi reconnects to the tradition of ancestor worship that her …
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This week, stories about how hard it is to stay focused these days. Dumb Phones by Sam Irvine Our first story this week follows this line of thinking, with a personal experiment using old technology. A Close Shave by Jining Wen Next up, a barber experiences a time crunch. Cooking as Distraction by Kepuyan Wu Then, Kepuyan explores cooking as a form…
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In this episode of the Five Minute Advocate Michael Walker draws inspiration from Taiwan's Gov Zero and imagines a reformed, user-friendly digital government platform that would allow citizens to engage more effectively with the democratic process through curated updates and participatory tools, enhancing transparency and accountability. See omnyst…
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With the recent resignation of Joe Biden and the developing support for the populist and divisive Donald Trump, critics are suggesting this election could change the shape of American politics. Now, the democrat's presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, could provide the clarity and direction needed to restore stability and fairness t…
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This week, stories about the burden of expectations and the triumph of defying them. The Burden of Low Expectations In our first story, Esther navigates different cultural expectations of disability when she migrates to Australia via Uganda and Sudan. Content Warning: A note that this story contains examples of discriminatory attitudes towards disa…
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In this episode of the Five Minute Advocate, Julie Macken unpacks the aftermath of Senator Fatima Payman’s decision to cross the floor in support of urgent action for Palestine and critiques Labor’s dismissal of the Australian public’s concerns over international issues. Julie challenges the Prime Minister’s warning about single-issue parties threa…
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This week we're bringing you the second half of All The Best's collaboration with Outloud Arts, working with young people in Bankstown to make an audio walking tour about the places that matter to them. For those who aren’t familiar with Sydney, Bankstown is a suburb located in the South-West Sydney region. Due to the multicultural immigrant demogr…
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This week on The Five Minute Advocate, Michael Walker commemorates NAIDOC Week by emphasizing the vital importance of celebrating Indigenous Australia. Michael calls for non-Indigenous Australians to collectively reject the distorted colonial narratives that have long shaped perceptions of Indigenous Australia. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva…
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This week, we’re bringing you more bird stories. i love birds First up, Matt Cooper explores his neighbourhood’s relationship to birds and learns a thing or two. Produced by Matt Cooper, with special thanks to Lea Redfern. Mothercluckers Then, Dione Green investigates the politics of free range chickens. This story was produced as part of the 2020 …
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In this episode of The Five Minute Advocate, Eva Cox explores the unsettling trend away from social democracy and trust in government, emphasising the importance of fairness and inclusivity in maintaining a healthy democracy. She argues for a return to these foundational principles to ensure governments prioritise citizen needs and foster genuine d…
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The traditional owners of this land, Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people, have a connection to and understanding of country that is thousands of years old. Right now we’re living in a time of climate change and natural disasters, of warmer winters and colder summers and it often feels like our understanding of mother nature and her seasons…
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In this episode of The Five Minute Advocate, Julie Macken revisits the nuclear power debate in Australia. She critiques former Prime Minister John Howard's 2006 plan to make Australia a nuclear hub, which failed due to high costs, safety issues, and community opposition. Julie also takes aim at Peter Dutton's recent push for nuclear reactors, highl…
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This week we’re bringing you stories that question and expand our national identity. A content warning, this episode contains racial slurs, racism, and violence so please listen with care. The Ocean and the Desert Flower In our first story, Zeinab shares the things she loves about her home, and ruminates on the various contradictions involved withi…
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In this episode of The Five Minute Advocate, Michael Walker delves into Australia's housing crisis, highlighting the grim realities renters are facing. Michael shares insights from renters' forums where many, including himself, express the direct impacts of skyrocketing rents and negligent property management. He calls for urgent reforms to address…
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This week we’re bringing you another feature from our partnership with the podcast ‘177 Nations of Tasmania’. In this podcast, host and producer Mark Thomson aims to interview subjects from each of the 177 nationalities represented in Tasmania’s last census. This story belongs to Anne from Papua New Guinea. She enthusiastically shares her childhood…
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This week on the Five Minute Advocate Eva Cox reflects on the state of Australia’s childcare sector specifically its shift from a community led and controlled service to what it is today - just another avenue for privatisation. Eva calls for a return to the government's responsibility in providing childcare as a community service and urges the Labo…
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Please listen to this week's episode with care as it includes accounts of displacement and detention in Palestine. Last week, we heard about Amal's everyday life growing up in Aida Refugee Camp, in the West Bank Palestine. We heard stories of regular young people, living between wars, with hopes for the future. Amal no longer lives in the camp, so …
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This week on the Five Minute Advocate, Julie Macken again plays with the idea of imagination being a tool in nation building and this week asks us to envisage a society where bullying is no longer a part of the culture in our corporate and media landscape. Julie implores us to take courageous action and accountability to shift towards a society whe…
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A content warning for this episode, we’re going to be talking about the past and present of Palestine, which may be difficult for some listeners to hear. Discretion is advised. Over the next two weeks, we’re playing stories from a radio project from the Aida Refugee Camp in the West Bank, Palestine. It’s called Radio Lajee. It began in 2008, when A…
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This week on the Five Minute Advocate Michael Walker unpacks the recent Happy Planet Index report which revealed that those of us who burned the most CO2, particularly the wealthiest 10%, are in fact scarcely happier than those living more modest lifestyles. Michael argues that this finding challenges the notion that addressing climate change requi…
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This week we embrace the strange, and delve into those open, uncomfortable parts of life - and death. The Coffin in the Garage First up, Miles and his family get into a sticky situation regarding his grandfather’s coffin. Written and read by Miles Mazzocato, with production support from Phoebe Adler-Ryan. Ghost Girlfriend Next, the highs and lows o…
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This week on the Five Minute Advocate, Eva Cox criticises the Labor government’s 2024 Budget for prioritising economic concerns over addressing pressing social issues. Eva laments the budget’s lack of impact on social improvement and its failure to instill optimism in its citizens for a fairer society. Eva advocates again for a shift towards priori…
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Over the past few months, All The Best has worked with local young people in Bankstown to make an audio walking tour about the places that matter to them. Stories From Here is an audio walking tour of Bankstown featuring recorded monologues written by local young people aged 16-24 about their experiences in the area and the places that matter to th…
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