The mainstream media has gone into a frenzy about drones and their potential to cause chaos and invasion of privacy. But is the media creating an inaccurate picture of a drone dystopia? To get a more positive perspective from a drone expert and enthusiast, Melanie talks to David Beesley, an academic from RMIT University, Melbourne who has written extensively on representations of drones in the mainstream Australian media.
Facial Recognition Technology is being used by police forces around the world, and many around the world have raised concerns regarding the potential for misuse and racial profiling. Today Melanie discusses some of current concerns surrounding facial recognition technology by SA police with Mr. Steven Kenny, a well known Adelaide Lawyer and a Committee Member of SA Council for Civil Liberties.
Mental Health is an important issue in our regional South Australian towns from Port Pirie to Peterborough. Despite SA government campaigns however, many people in smaller regional towns struggle with the stigma of mental illness and finding an appropriate way to deal with it. To discuss important mental health issues and available mental health services in smaller towns, today Melanie has Umit Agis, Director of Strategic Operations, Country Mental Health Services of South Australia.
Medical organizations and media outlets have often claimed that parents smacking children causes emotional harm in children and leads to aggressive behavior when they are older. Although many Australians want to follow countries like Sweden and Scotland who have reacted by banning smacking, some experts around the world question if ordinary spanking of persistently disobedient children is such a bad thing. Today Melanie discusses smacking with Dr. Robert Larzalere,a world expert on parental discipline who holds the Endowed Professorship in Parenting in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Oklahoma State University and has written on the topic in collaboration with the American College of Physicians.
Around the world bee populations are declining dramatically, with dire consequences for ecosystems and crops. But how dire is the situation in Australia, where there are over 1500 species of native bees? Today I have Dr. Katja Hoggendoorn, Research Associate from the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine at the University of Adelaide to discuss the hard road ahead for Australian honeybees and native bees and the important role that her research team at The University of Adelaide is playing in ensuring improved conditions for pollinating insects.
While Voluntary Assisted Dying bills have passed in Victoria, the last South Australian Voluntary Assisted Dying bill was struck down by one vote in Parliament last November. This will not stop South Australian pro-euthanasia activists seeking another in the near future - but they face some strong political opposition and sensationalist populist rhetoric. Today ethicist Dr. Samuel Douglas joins Melanie to examine common arguments against Voluntary Assisted Dying across Australia.
Switzerland, Denmark, Austria and now Australia's own Pauline Hanson are all for banning the burqa, but should the burqa be banned in Australia? Today Melanie analyses populist political arguments in support of this with law professor Dr. Renae Barker.
Millionaire Morning show presenter Lisa's Wilkinson's defection from channel nine over being given lower pay than co-host Karl Stefanovic sparked a national discussion about women being paid less than men in Australia. But do average women really get paid less than men for the same jobs? And does this happen often to women working in everyday jobs in Whyalla, Wallaroo, Port Pirie or Peterborough? Today Melanie gets the answers on these questions from Dr. Alison Sheridan, head of the New England University Business School in Armadale, New South Wales and author of numerous articles and studies on the gender pay gap in regional Australia.
Sexual harassment is in the media spotlight this year everywhere from Hollywood to the South Australian police force. So it seems workplace sexual harassment is still something that women everywhere have to lump, but is the problem just as bad, if not worse in townships like Port Pirie, Whyalla or Wallaroo? Today Dr. Skye Saunders,Australia's leading expert on sexual harassment in regional communities joins Melanie to discuss the findings from her ground breaking book entitled 'Whispers from the Bush - The Workplace Sexual Harassment, of Australian Rural Women' .
Ten years ago the state government commissioned a major report and a police operation to stop juvenile offending and recidivism in South Australia - with a set of recommendations regarding young indigenous offenders. But has the government delivered on reducing the amount of young indigenous people that get caught up in the juvenile justice system? Today Melanie talks to report contributor and Aboriginal justice advocate Mr. Tauto Sansbury to get his thoughts on the government's progress in this area in the last decade.