Putting down the megaphone

On this episode of Democracy Sausage, author and head of The Australia Institute’s international and security affairs program Allan Behm joins Mark Kenny to discuss Australia’s diplomatic challenges and the fallout from the Victorian election.


Has the new federal government changed the way Australia does diplomacy? Will progress in reconciling internal divisions over race and gender change how Australia is perceived, and how the country carries itself, on the international stage? And after a comprehensive loss in the Victorian state election, is the Liberal Party suffering an identity crisis? On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Head of the International and Security Affairs program at The Australia Institute Allan Behm joins Professor Mark Kenny to discuss Australia’s diplomacy in Asia and the Pacific and the results of Victoria’s state election.


Allan Behm is Head of the International and Security Affairs program at The Australia Institute. He spent 30 years in the Australian Public Service, was Chief of Staff to Minister for Climate Change and Industry Greg Combet, and Senior Advisor to the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong.


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 were mentioned during this episode:


‘Sean Turnell speaks to 7.30 on how he coped in Myanmar prisons’, 7.30, Australian Broadcasting Corporation


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.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.