Conversations

Political journalist, George Megalogenis has mapped key areas in our population, workforce and geopolitical standing in recent decades, and looks at how these shifts are impacting our collective political future.
For the first time since Federation, Australia’s population is mostly made up of migrants and their children. 
Professional women have now replaced men doing blue collar jobs as the largest segment of the workforce.
And on the world scale, Australia can no longer rely on our traditional allies or trading partners.
These three elements have already changed the political landscape in our country, and this will only continue as time goes on.
Further information
Three Shocks: Who we are becoming in the 21st Century is published by Penguin Random House.
This episode was produced by Alice Moldovan and the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It covers auspol, populism, John Howard, Paul Keating, Harold Holt, Pauline Hanson, One Nation, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Western Australia, parliament, teals, Higgins, Bennelong, Chinese-Australians, Peter Costello, First Nations, Federation, convicts, migration, White Australia policy, one parent born overseas, census, data, graphs, data journalism and Prime Ministers.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Melissa Redsell was in Year 12 when her doctor told her she was going to have a baby.  After her baby was born, she was told she had 'ruined her life'. Then she set out to prove all her doubters wrong.When Mel broke the news to her parents, they were disappointed and at school, the Principal instructed her to not expect any special treatment.
At 7 months pregnant, Mel graduated, and a little while later, her beautiful baby girl Breanna was born.
Six weeks later, Mel moved out of home into a share house.All her friends were partying, and she was in the thick of the sleepless nights and nappy changes. So, a few months later she decided to make a big change.
Further information
First broadcast in 2023
Learn more about Mel's charity, A Brave Life
Help and support is always available
1800RESPECT is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
The episode of Conversations was produced by Nicolar Harrison.It explores pregnancy, childbirth, teen pregnancy, families, divorce, education, independence, doctors, Year 12, surprise pregnancy, charity, babies, newborns, nappies, feeding, childcare, share house, domestic violence, getting help, family support, starting over, motherhood.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Paul E Mullen has spent decades interviewing and studying men who have committed unthinkable acts of violence and says these tragic events represent the endpoint of a slow-building private narrative of resentment, isolation and rage. (CW: descriptions of violence)
Now retired, Paul dedicated much of his life's work to the extreme end of the human condition.
First focusing on victims, researching the psychology of stalking and domestic violence.
But after he was caught up in the aftermath of a massacre carried out by a lone gunman, the trajectory of his career changed.
Paul began studying the minds of men who commit a mass killings, to unlock the workings of their minds and recognise the warning signs.
Further information
Running Amok: Inside the mind of the Lone Mass Killer is published by NewSouth
This episode was produced by Jen Leake, the Executive Producer of Conversations is Nicola Harrison.
It explores violence, murder, lone actor mass murder, Pt Arthur, psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, resentment, rage, fame, isolation, gun violence and gun control, media, serial killers, criminally insane, fantasy rehearsal, depression, suicide, narcissistic injury, early intervention, prevention, threat assessment.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Guitarist and engineer Josie Scott battled crippling gender dysphoria for decades before finally deciding to live openly as a trans woman in her 60s.
In 1984 in Adelaide, two brothers formed a pioneering alternative rock band called The Mark of Cain.
They wanted to make music that was heavy and intense with lyrics about war, and death, and being misunderstood.
Over the years the band gained an international following and plenty of fans at home in Australia.
Earlier this year, one of the band's two founders, Josie Scott, announced on the band's website that she was a trans woman.
At the age of 63, Josie wrote that she had finally decided to 'embrace rather than endure who she is'.
And her decision to go public with her story was met with a huge and loving response from fans of the band.
Help and support is always available
Call QLife on 1800 184 527 for LGBTIQA+ peer support
Lifeline is available on 13 11 14 for 24/7 crisis support
Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 is available for young people aged 5 to 25. 
This episode was produced by Jen Leake and the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.
It explores gender identity, music, Australian music, living authentically, transgender issues, male to female transition, drug abuse, substance abuse, addiction issues, romance, love, relationships, mother child relationships, heavy metal, Adelaide's music scene.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Former Detective Sergeant, Deb Wallace on policing the heroin hotspot of Cabramatta in the 1990s and how Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' gave her new ideas for clamping down on illegal gang activity.
When Deb joined the NSW Police Force in 1983, there were very few women on the front line. 
She quickly discovered she had the cool-headed resilience ideal for police work, and she was determined to make a career of it.
In the mid-1990s Deb was a junior Detective when she was given a tough assignment — breaking up the gangs who ruled the streets of the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta.
At the time, Cabramatta was a vibrant place full of migrant families trying to carve out a new life in Australia, but crime was surging, and the train station was the centre of a thriving heroin trade.
After reading Sun Tzu's "The Art of War", Deb met up with the gang members in person to ask them about their lives. 
They told her that they were lost to the world crime, but she should focus on the next generation, so she helped set up a street school with Father Chris Riley.
Some years later Deb was given a new challenge — leading Strike Force Raptor, a squad charged with breaking up bikie gangs. 
Deb retired after 36 years on the force and now volunteers at Grace’s Place, a site of healing and restoration for young people affected by homicide.
Further information
Originally broadcast May 2023.
Read more about Graces's Place.
Michael Murphy, one of the men convicted for the murder of Anita Cobby, died from cancer at Long Bay Jail in 2019.
This episode was produced by Nicola Harrison. The Executive Producer was Carmel Rooney.
It explores gang violence, drugs, toxic masculinity, Vietnamese community, improving the next generation, street school, bikies, outlaw motorcycle gangs, culottes, female cop, bar brawls, DV, domestic violence, happy childhood, legislation, cops, Anita Cobby, murder, how policing has changed, beat, partner, colleague.
To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.