S1: EP01 A future generations act with Thomas Emerson MLA

In the final episode of this season, academic, broadcaster, and author Dr Kim Huynh moves from the personal to the political as he makes the case for a more caring politics.Leading by example, he shows how speaking from the heart might make politics more honest, grounded, and mindful of connection.Check out his upcoming memoir, My Old Man and Me: A Story of Espace, Sacrifice, and Surivval here

Did you know that, in Australia, the same minister who is responsible for promoting the interests of the agricultural industry is also in charge of animal welfare policy?This episode's guest, co-founder and director of the Australian Alliance for Animals, Dr Jed Goodellow, argues that we create a more independent animal welfare system - one that is decoupled from the agriculture portfolio.We discuss Jed's animal advocacy origins stories at Coffs Harbour zoo, why ministers for agriculture face an inherent conflict of interest, and what average punters can do to be a part of the animal movement.

Governments announce policy decisions like bands promoting an album: they tease the announcement, maybe leak some details, and then go public. But unlike albums, big policy decisions affect people's lives drastically, and things can go wrong when there's not enough transparency in the decision-making process.In this episode, former ACT Deputy Liberal Leader Nicole Ladwer argues that politicians should announce their decisions before they're made. We talk about Nicole’s time in the community sector and politics, why she thinks that ‘exposure is the best detergent’ when it comes to policy decisions, and how people can get more involved in politics in their everyday lives. 

In 2024, about 1 in 5 MP's in Australia had a background as a lawyer, and just under 1 in 3 had worked for a politician before. This overrepresentation of lawyers and political staffers is partly caused by how parties pick their candidates, which usually involves either branch voting or political elites making a 'captain's' call.What if, instead, parties picked their candidates by lottery?Dr William Bosworth argues that 'sortition' would not only make candidates more representative of the general population, but it might make people more involved in party politics and actually boost votes for parties that use the lottery system.We discuss the problems with how sortition would work, how it went for the Morena party in Mexico (who actually used this method!), and whether it could actually solve the problems it's trying to solve.

Who gets to represent people with disabilities when the government makes decisions about their lives, and what is life in Parliament like from a disabled perspective?In this episode, youth and disability advocate and 2024 Young Asian Australian of the Year, Charlotte Young, argues that we should aim to have a Minister for Disability with lived experience.We discuss empathy and curiosity in disability leadership, why we need a Minister and department just for disability, and what it's like having a disability in Parliament House.

How do we get governments to think about the wellbeing of young people and future generations?In this episode, I sit down and talk with Thomas Emerson MLA, an Independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly, about his idea for a Future Generations Act.We discuss what politics would look like if we thought beyond winners and losers, if we reimagined what wellbeing and productivity looked like, and trying to build a vision for the future.