The Swanston Explainer

Basketball in Australia continues to rise each year. Now the second most played sport for kids in the country. Becasuse of this, Basketball Australia devised a 4 year strategic plan in order to capitlise on this growing success. There are more Australians in both the NBA and WNBA, the number one pick in this years NBA draft chose to come down under instead of the traditional college route and continued international success (olympics). With all signs pointing in the right direction, has the plan been a success or does the sport still have a long way to go to reach the top in this sport saturated country.

There has been a spate of chemical factory fires in Melbourne's west. In July alone, there was a massive fire explosion in Derrimut followed by another in the neighbouring suburb of Deer Park just days later. It's led concerned residents to call on the government and the EPA to take action. Host Matthew Younan and reporter Mel Bakewell investigate.

Artists like Chappell Roan, Renee Rapp and Charlie XCX are singing and collaborating on music that embraces queer, specifically sapphic, sexuality. This wasn’t always the case, with artists historically having to hide their sexuality, and even in the early 2010’s, queer artists were being subtle about their queerness. So, how did the explosion of queer and sapphic music come about? Host Lily Beamish and reporter Seena Katayama investigate.

The 2032 Brisbane Olympics are projected to cost $7 billion AUD, sparking debates about whether it's too expensive. With past Olympics often exceeding budgets, could Brisbane face the same issue? Supporters say infrastructure upgrades and tourism will justify the investment, but will taxpayers feel the strain? As the budget grows, so do the questions about the event's true value. Host Alex Cameron and reporter Archie Bear investigate.

Australians are notorious for their gambling and the government is trying to find solutions to drive that number of gamblers down. There have been recent legal modifications to the way gambling advertisements are presented, where gambling companies were forced to change the "Gamble responsibly" slogan to other alternatives such as "What's Gambling really costing you?" In this episode, we dive into the reasons why Aussies gamble and what makes it so attractive? We also look at the issues Australians face while gambling and the high amount of exposure it has especially on younger Australians. We also look at potential routes to improving this current issue and what others are doing to make it possible. Reporter: Emily Williams Host: Oliver Walker - Peel Producer: Julian Sardana Series Producer: Macey Fogarty

Since Melbourne has left harsh COVID-19 lock downs, live music venues have struggled to recover from the pandemic. Strict capacity restrictions have live music venues on the ropes struggling to make a profit as most venues cannot operate above 30% capacity due to density limits. Venues are calling to relax density restrictions to ensure their survival.

Worsening bushfires and habitat loss have further highlighted the importance of protecting our forests. In this podcast, we will explore two perspectives on forest management. We interview Patrick Baker, professor of silviculture at the University of Melbourne, on engaging with the land by changing the forest structure and Hailey from WOTCH, a citizen science group who survey the forests for endangered species and lobby against logging.

This year, important conversations surrounding mistreatment and abuse of women in Australian parliament and broader society have been the the forefront of media coverage and citizens minds. Various media commentators have attempted to find and pin point the exact causes of this behaviour. Today, Journalist Georgie Carroll speaks to Brigita Hare about the culture in the single sex education sector and gaps in Australian sex and relationships education, to attempt to understand what contributes to and breeds a culture of misogyny in a society.

Since the beginning of lockdown in 2020, Tinder’s swipe activity peaked and members’ matches rocketed. Dating apps’ users are willing to spend extra time and money to seek relationships. Is this the new normal for dating in Australia? What are the benefits and harms of this online dating culture? Dive in with journalist Keira Wright and Esther Cheah as they discuss the changing nature of dating in Australia and how to form healthy connections through online dating apps!

The ending of the Coronavirus Supplement on March 31 is predicted to significantly affect the lives of over a million Australians who currently receive the JobSeeker payment. The federal government has introduced a permanent fifty dollar per fortnight increase to the JobSeeker rate, but this has been criticised as being grossly inadequate and will still leave these people living well below the poverty line.

Paywalls. Online resources. Print. Radio. Video. The news has evolved and will continue to evolve as long as technology evolves, meaning the journalism and media industry will adapt in order to stay viable. One way this can be seen is paywalls online media outlets have in place, in order to make consumers pay for what they are about to read/see. In this podcast episode we discuss these paywalls and whether news should be paid for, or should be free for all.

Fashion has always played a vital role in indigenous and First Nations culture and heritage, they are however sorely underrepresented in Australia’s fashion industry. In this podcast we discuss the current Australian fashion industry, and have a chat with Indigenous designer Colleen Tighe Johnson and the work she is doing promoting indigenous fashion.

Sex education in schools has become recognized as a very important and relevant topic to students' lives as it helps develop a positive and consensual mindset to sex and relationships in that age. However, current education programs rarely or do not accommodate for people living with a disability. Join Akira Bhagawanta and Sara Lilley as they dive deeply into this topic.

In a study conducted by Chris Tisdell, an education researcher for the university of Sydney, results found that 1 in 3 students decided to discontinue their university studies in 2020. Tisdell had many interesting thoughts on the subject, and in a conversation between host Blake Gaffiero and Reporter John Thompson, we explore the various reasons why students chose not to study during the pandemic, and what the future of study could look like for students after COVID.

RMIT students have faced massive disruptions to their studies over the course of the past year due to Melbourne’s recurrent lockdowns. It’s no secret that the ongoing restrictions can have a detrimental impact on mental health, so exactly what resources are being made available to students seeking mental health support? Join Emma Fitzgerald and Carly Douglas as they look at the supply and demand problem surrounding RMIT’s student support services and question what more can be done in the face of the looming mental health crisis.

Agriculture is humankind’s oldest business; we’ve been ploughing fields and producing crops for thousands of years. But as the times change, so do the standards of our work. How will farming become sustainable and who has to make the change? ‘Farming for the Future’ takes a deep dive into one of the many alternatives to traditional agriculture. Join Maya and Zak as they discover farming’s next step. The trip will be steep, and the farms will be vertical.

Last month there were 4 indigenous deaths in custody within a three week period. Despite the royal commission's report, little has been done to improve the issue. Join in with journalist Mia Gardiner and Kendra Jewell’s discussion as they talk to Aunty Gracelyn Smallwood about the affect on the indigenous community.

Right now in Australia a national conversation is taking place surrounding sexual harassment and assault. In this episode, Ethan Dean investigates the realities of sexual harassment of teachers at elite private schools. He spoke to Monash's Dr George Variyan, an expert in educational leadership, to explore the processes in place and root causes of harassment by students. Produced by Lauren Formica, hosted by Joel Cripps. 

Cultured or 'synthetic' meats are a cutting edge field of agriculture, with lab-grown meat already starting to enter some markets in other parts of the world. In Australia the technology is still new, and in this podcast we discuss the environmental, technological and societal impacts of this burgeoning industry. Join journalists Ada Hall and Veli Donmez as they take a deep dive in to the Cellular Agriculture industry. 

Late last year, a new form of hacking was predicted to become the most popular form of cyber warfare in 2021. Less than five months into the year, RMIT, Channel 9 and Eastern Health became some of the many organisations to be targeted by cyber criminals who are after one thing: your personal data.  Take a deep-dive into the world of cyber crime with journalists Amelia Hirst and Carla Jaeger, as we learn from the experts how pervasive and damaging this new kind of crime really is.