Episodes
Friday Mar 19, 2021
Dr. Paul Monk on the rise of Xi's China
Friday Mar 19, 2021
Friday Mar 19, 2021
Originally published with transcript at https://www.nickfabbri.com/bloom/paulmonkonchina
In this episode, Nick and Paul discuss:
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Paul’s book Thunder From the Silent Zone, and four possible futures for China
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The history and legacy of Hu Yaobang, the "conscience" of the Chinese Communist Party
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The history of democracy in China, and the possibility of political reform or democratisation
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Xi Jinping and his designs on Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Taiwan
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China’s rapid militarisation under Xi, and implications for Australia and the regional order
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Exercises in thinking: adopting the world view and perspectives of Chinese communist nationalists in regard to the current geopolitical order
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The Thucydides Trap, and the prospect of conflict between China and the United States
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The COVID-19 pandemic and China
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The diplomatic and trade war between China and Australia
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Literature on the implications of China’s rise
Dr Paul Monk is a poet, polymath and highly regarded Australian public intellectual. He has written an extraordinary range of books, from Sonnets to a Promiscuous Beauty (which resides in former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s library), to reflective essays on the riches of Western civilization in The West in a Nutshell, to a prescient 2005 treatise on the rise of China in Thunder from the Silent Zone: Rethinking China.
Follow Paul on Twitter
Sunday Mar 07, 2021
Father Frank Brennan SJ AO on Faith, Law, Social Justice, and Australia
Sunday Mar 07, 2021
Sunday Mar 07, 2021
Originally published with transcript at https://www.nickfabbri.com/bloom/frankbrennan
In this interview, Nick and Frank discuss:
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Frank’s early life and education in Queensland, and the influences of his mother and father on his life
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Frank’s ordination within the Catholic Church and the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits)
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The impact of Jesuit Pope Francis on the Catholic Church, particularly with regard to environmental issues
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The future of the Catholic Church globally
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Frank’s early work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Redfern, Sydney, and the influence of Father Ted Kennedy on Frank’s formation
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The development of Australian land law, with reference to the Australian High Court’s Mabo and Wik Peoples decisions
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Practical policy steps towards Reconciliation, the Australian Constitution, and First Nations Peoples
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Frank’s work with refugees and asylum seekers, and his experiences in East Timor and with the 2001 Tampa case
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Migration policy changes for a more humane and ethical Australia
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Frank’s understanding of Jesus Christ, and how this has informed his work with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our communities
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The daily work of a priest, and death and dying in the COVID-19 pandemic
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Frank’s views on education in the 21st century, and his hopes and vision for Newman College
Follow Fr Frank Brennan on Facebook and Twitter
Father Frank Brennan is a Jesuit priest and the current Rector of Newman College within the University of Melbourne. He is a man of many talents and interests, having worked variously as a Jesuit priest within the Catholic Church, a human rights lawyer, a professor of law at Australian Catholic University, and CEO of Catholic Social Services Australia. He is a National Living Treasure, and widely known to the Australian public through his long career of leadership and advocacy on a range of human rights and social justice issues relating to asylum seekers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged both in Australia and abroad.
Saturday Aug 22, 2020
Benson Saulo on Identity, Faith, Family, Social Impact and Living Courageously
Saturday Aug 22, 2020
Saturday Aug 22, 2020
Originally published with transcript at: https://www.nickfabbri.com/bloom/bensonsaulo
Benson Saulo is an inspirational and trailblazing 32 year old Australian, who has had a wide and diverse career across the social purpose sector, consulting, banking and finance, diplomacy and advocacy. Benson has recently been appointed as the first Indigenous Consul-General to the United States, where he will take up his post in Houston, Texas at the end of 2020 along with his wife Kate and daughter Anais.
In this interview, Nick and Benson discuss:
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Benson’s early life in Tamworth in rural NSW, and his early career in the banking and finance industry following moves to Sydney and then Melbourne
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The importance of culture and identity, growing up as the son of an Indigenous mother and a Papua New Guinean father
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Becoming a husband and a father, and the role of family in Benson’s life
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Walking the Camino de Santiago and the importance of faith, spirituality, and mindfulness
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Benson’s year as the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations in 2011, and the powerful stories that have stayed with him from travelling around Australia
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The social purpose/impact space in Australia, and Benson’s work with the National Indigenous Youth Leadership Academy and other organisations
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Benson’s appointment as the first Indigenous Consul-General to the United States, and his upcoming move to Houston, Texas to represent Australia
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The current state of affairs in the US, with the COVID-19 pandemic, mass civic unrest, and economic devastation
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What kind of an impact Benson would like to make in the future
Follow Benson on Twitter @bensonsaulo
Saturday Jul 25, 2020
Saturday Jul 25, 2020
In this interview, Nick and Elly discuss:
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Elly’s love of Greece and Cyprus
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Questions of identity, home and belonging
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The Parthenon Marbles, and Elly’s work to reunite them through the Parthenon Committee of Australia
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Life and living history in Athens and Europe
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Reflections on the incredible life and legacy of the late Samuel Symons
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Living through a cancer diagnosis as an individual and as a family
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Samuel’s contributions to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation and the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre
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Love, memory and gratitude
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How we remember loved ones, compared with the memorialisation of historical figures or events
Follow Elly on Twitter @ellymariasymons
Friday Jul 03, 2020
Friday Jul 03, 2020
Transcript available at https://www.nickfabbri.com/bloom/garethevans
In this interview, Nick and Gareth discuss:
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Gareth’s early life and influences, and what drew him to politics
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Some of his most enduring political and policy achievements
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Reflections on Bob Hawke and Paul Keating as men, and as Prime Ministers of Australia
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The current world order, and the state of multilateralism and global cooperation on “problems without passports”
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Mass-atrocity events, and the personal and moral challenges of being Foreign Minister of a sovereign state with competing policy priorities
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The development of the global political commitment to the Responsibility to Protect (R2P)
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Memories and reflections on Gareth’s work as President and CEO of the International Crisis Group (ICG) in Brussels, and the differences in preventing deadly conflict from within an NGO than in government
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Reflections on his time as Chancellor of the Australian National University, and the university’s unique role in Australian society
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The meaning of Australia, and some of Gareth’s most treasured corners of the country
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Reflections on life and retirement
Professor the Hon Gareth Evans AC QC FASSA FAIIA is Distinguished Honorary Professor at the Australian National University, where he was Chancellor from 2010-19. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Hawke and Keating Labor Governments from 1983-96, in the posts of Attorney General, Minister for Resources and Energy, Minister for Transport and Communications and - from 1988-96 - Foreign Minister. During his 21 years in Australian politics he was Leader of the Government in the Senate (1993-96) and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives (1996-98). From 2000 to 2009 he was President and CEO of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, the independent global conflict prevention and resolution organisation.
Sunday May 31, 2020
Sunday May 31, 2020
Originally published with transcript at https://www.nickfabbri.com/bloom/grayconnolly
In this interview, Nick and Gray discuss:
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Gray’s life and career in the law, including his military service in the Royal Australian Navy
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The geopolitical lessons of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic
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The Dragon-Bear strategic alliance between China and Russia
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The 2020 US presidential election, and reflections on Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump
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How the pandemic has brought out the Australian ethos of looking after our most vulnerable, including a reflection on Simpson and his donkey
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How the pandemic has upended the Australian political landscape and forced the conservative Liberal-National Coalition - and governments around the world - to abandon ideology in the face of crisis
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Longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on Australian society, including changes to Federation and federal-state relations
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Observations on modern Australian politics and the quality of our politicians and polity
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Reflections on love, faith, grief, and the meaning of Australia
Gray Connolly is a Sydney-based Barrister and Writer, and he is a reservist serving as a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Australian Navy. He writes about geopolitics, faith, history and war on his Strategy Counsel website. Gray’s writing has also appeared in an interesting range of Australian periodicals, including Meanjin and The Daily Telegraph. He regularly features on the ABC and Sky News as a commentator. He is a lifelong South Sydney and Richmond supporter. Twitter @GrayConnolly
Thursday May 28, 2020
Thursday May 28, 2020
In this conversation, Nick and Hugo discuss:
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Hugo’s early life and career as a frontline humanitarian worker in Africa and the Middle East
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The bureaucratisation of humanitarian organisations over recent decades
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The magic of young people in humanitarian (and other) organisations
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The experience of civilians in war and conflict, the ‘seven spheres of suffering’, and memorialisation of the dead
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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Hugo’s term as Head of Policy and Humanitarian Diplomacy
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Recent developments in International Humanitarian Law and warfare
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The impact of COVID-19 on relief work in conflict zones
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The changed ethical landscape that many in western nations now find themselves in as a result of the pandemic.
Dr Hugo Slim recently concluded 5 years as Head of Policy and Humanitarian Diplomacy at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva. Before joining ICRC in 2015, he was Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC) at the University of Oxford where he led research on humanitarian ethics and the protection of civilians. Hugo has combined a career between academia and practice. He was Chief Scholar at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue from 2003–2007 and Reader in International Humanitarianism at Oxford Brookes University from 1994–2003. Between 1983 and 1994, Hugo worked for Save the Children and the United Nations in Morocco, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Bangladesh. He received his PhD in humanitarian ethics from Oxford Brookes University in 2002. His most recent books are Humanitarian Ethics: A Guide to the Morality of Aid in War and Disaster (2015 Hurst/OUP) and Killing Civilians: Method, Madness and Morality in War (2007 Hurst/OUP).
Friday May 22, 2020
Friday May 22, 2020
Originally published with transcript at: https://www.nickfabbri.com/bloom/peterdoherty
In this interview, Nick and Professor Doherty discuss:
- Peter's life and career in science and advice for young research scientists today
- The work of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in tackling the global burden of COVID-19
- The different public health responses to COVID-19 around the world
- Globalisation, pandemics and the 21st century
- President Donald Trump and the American response to COVID-19
- The state of scientific literacy and education in Australia and the world
- The proliferation of conspiracies about COVID-19, including 5G and Bill Gates
- How our societies could change as we recover from the pandemic
Professor Peter Doherty shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 with Swiss colleague Rolf Zinkernagel, for their discovery of how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells. He was Australian of the Year in 1997, and has since been commuting between St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne. The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity is named in his honour, and the institute is leading a lot of the research into COVID-19 in Australia.
Friday May 01, 2020
Dr. Paul Monk on Coronavirus, China, and Conspiracies
Friday May 01, 2020
Friday May 01, 2020
In this interview, Nick and Dr. Paul Monk discuss:
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Background on epidemiology, virology and global transmission as they relate to COVID-19
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Major plagues throughout history, and literary representations of pestilence and plague
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The context of wet markets, corruption, totalitarianism and secrecy in China
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The divergence in global reactions to the outbreak of COVID-19
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The emergence of conspiracy theories about the virus
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Silver linings from the current crisis, such as the need for global coordination and cooperation to respond to similarly global problems
Dr Paul Monk is a poet, polymath and highly regarded Australian public intellectual. He has written an extraordinary range of books, from Sonnets to a Promiscuous Beauty (which resides in former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s library), to reflective essays on the riches of Western civilization in The West in a Nutshell, to a prescient 2005 treatise on the rise of China in Thunder from the Silent Zone: Rethinking China.
Friday May 01, 2020
Dr. Paul Monk on Religion and Society in the 21st Century
Friday May 01, 2020
Friday May 01, 2020
In this podcast, Nick and Dr. Paul Monk discuss:
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The Rationalist Society of Australia and Paul’s occasional paper, Religion and Society: Dilemmas of Our Time
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The deep history of the relationship between religion and society
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The relationship between liberal and social democracies and religion since the Reformation
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The rich traditions of mysticism, prayer and contemplation
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The case of Israel Folau and the Religious Freedom Bills before the Australian Parliament
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How we might structure curricula in schools to promote greater literacy and understanding of religious and civic issues
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A vision for religious toleration in the 21st century
Dr Paul Monk is a poet, polymath and highly regarded Australian public intellectual. He has written an extraordinary range of books, from Sonnets to a Promiscuous Beauty (which resides in former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s library), to reflective essays on the riches of Western civilization in The West in a Nutshell, to a prescient 2005 treatise on the rise of China in Thunder from the Silent Zone: Rethinking China.