PODCAST · government
Why Can't They Just...
by Policy 4 People
A podcast aimed at delving into Australian politics and policy with a focus on environment, wealth inequality and foreign policy. We try to answer the question why can't they (the government) just solve big issues with simple solutions
Episodes
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Why can’t the government stop gambling harm?
Janaline, Yassine and Glenn ask why Australians lose more to gambling than any other nationality in the world and what can be done to stop gambling harm. Turns out a lot can be done, so they then ask why the Government isn’t doing it. Here is a transcript. Please leave a comment, particularly if...
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Why does Australia spend so much on the Pacific?
Janaline, Luke and Glenn ask why Australian Prime Ministers spend so much time with very tiny island countries, and why Australian governments spend so much development aid in the region. Short answer - geography matters. We make the case for development assistance as an investment in global...
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Why can’t the UN fix climate change? Or can it?
Janaline, Luke and Glenn look at the history of international climate negotiations and ask why has it all been so hard? Maybe we are asking for the wrong thing - instead of asking countries to give something up (fossil fuel use), what if we asked them to build something new instead, in the form…
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Can the government really fix industrial emissions?
Janaline, Luke and Glenn look at the Safeguard Mechanism - the government's main policy to manage down industrial emissions - and how it can be made more effective. How can it make miners and fossil fuel companies do more of the heavy lifting, and shouldn't the whole thing just be scrapped for an...
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What is AI doing to society (and how do we make it good)?
Janaline, Luke and Yassine consider the impact of AI on society, how we relate to each other as humans, how it is affecting education and learning, and what it means for our humanity. And because we care about policy, we consider what governments need to do to make sure humans stay in charge and...
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What is AI doing to the economy and how do we ensure it isn't bad?
Janaline and Glenn look at the different ways in which AI is likely to affect the Australian economy and ask what, if anything, the government can do to ensure it delivers benefit to the people. Spoiler alert: we see a big role for government policy here. Here is a transcript. Please leave a...
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What is like in public schools and what policies could make it better?
Janaline, Luke and Yassine discuss what it's actually like in Australian public schools, what are the challenges for teachers and students and what policies might make things better. Philosophy for children might be an answer. Good news: public schools in Australia are actually pretty good and...
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Why can't they just fund public schools? (and why fund private schools?)
Welcome to Season 3, and welcome to our new co-host Yassine. Janaline, Luke, Yassine and Glenn talk about school funding: why does the government give so much to private schools when public schools are under-funded, and what can be done to make education more equitable while improving academic...
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Why can't they just make social media safe for young people?
Janaline and Luke are joined by special guest Yassine to talk about social media and its impact on Generation Z - the first generation to grow up entirely on line and the last generation not to be protected. They talk about what the infinite scroll and the outrage machine are doing to their peers...
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Why can't the government be accountable? (and why you should love admin law)
Janaline and Glenn look at different mechanisms to hold governments to account and discuss why every Australian should love the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act. They look at the difference between the public interest and what interests the public, and argue that access to decision...
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Why can't they just fix Medicare?
Janaline, Luke and Glenn look at why the government can't just put dental into Medicare and make specialists affordable. Well, actually they can, but of course, as usual, it's complicated. They talk about different funding models and how the system can be made high quality and accessible while…
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Is Labor too tame? In person at the ALP National Conference
Janaline, Luke and Glenn are joined by former co-host William at the ALP National Conference in Adelaide, where they talk about how the policy sausage is made and debate the pros and cons of behind the scenes negotiations and public stoushes on the conference floor. Is the ALP too tame? This...
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Why can't they just fix aged care?
Janaline and Glenn look at the government's aged care reforms and ask whether they will be sufficient to ensure the system is sustainable in the future, especially given the rate at which Australia's population is ageing. And given the devastating findings of the Aged Care Royal Commission, how...
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Is child care working in Australia?
Janaline, Luke and Glenn look at the history of child care in Australia and ask why you might want people to be qualified to look after your children. It won't surprise anyone that we disagree that mothers should just be made to stay home to look after their children (not least because it means a...
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What's the government trying to do with the National Disability Insurance Scheme and is it going to work?
Janaline and Luke are joined by special guest and disability advocate Andy Shim, a member of the National Autism Strategy Oversight Council, to discuss the government's proposed changes to the NDIS. Why are they so controversial and are they actually going to work? Here's a transcript. Please…
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Why can't the government ditch AUKUS and the US alliance?
Janaline, Luke and Glenn look at the AUKUS program and ask why the government can't just ditch it. And given the erratic decisions coming out of the current US administration, they ask why we wouldn't just extract ourselves from the US alliance while we are at it. Here's a transcript. Please…
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Why can't we have publicly owned renewable energy?
Renewable energy is really taking off in Australia, but is it fast enough to meet the Government's target of 82% by 2030? The McKell Institute and the Electrical Trades Union have recently released a report calling for a publicly-owned renewable energy entity to provide affordable, reliable...
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Why should you care about human rights?
Janaline and Luke discuss human rights and why you should care about it. They look at what citizenship means and the importance of not having 'conditional' citizens. They also discuss the importance of the three fundamental principles underlying the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - that…
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Will the 2026 Federal Budget reduce inequality or destroy the economy?
Janaline, Glenn and Luke pick apart the 2026 Federal Budget, particularly the revenue measures, but also its potential impact on productivity. Spoiler alert - we think businesses and asset holders should pay tax just like wage earners. Here's a transcript. Please leave a comment, particularly if...
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What are One Nation's policies and what would they do?
Janaline and Glenn examine the policies of One Nation, a political party that seems to be rising in popularity in Australia, not just in polling but in real elections. Here's a transcript. Please leave a comment, particularly if you have your own "Why can't they just..." question, or email us at...
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Government spending - why can't they just balance the budget?
Janaline, Glenn and Luke go through the major spending items in the budget and discuss the question of why governments can't just balance their budgets and why do we need all this spending anyway? Here's a transcript. Please leave a comment, particularly if you have your own "Why can't they...
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How can the government raise more revenue?
Janaline and Glenn discuss different ways of raising revenue for the government and the effects of different approaches on how people behave and therefore how much can be raised. Here's a transcript. Please leave a comment, particularly if you have your own "Why can't they just..." question, or...
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Why can't they just plug all those tax loopholes?
Welcome to a new series. In our first episode, Janaline, Glenn and Luke consider why the Government can't just plug the budget's $200 billion worth of tax loopholes (called 'tax expenditures'). There are lots of reasons, and we think they can and should plug some of them. Here's a transcript....
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Why should YOU vote Labor? Special episode with Ella Haddad MP
Janaline, William and Ella Haddad MP delve into why they have decided to join and vote Labor. They discuss how Labor governments has prioritised the environment, social justice and support for vulnerable people, and how only governments can set the policy agenda, which limits the effectiveness of...
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Bonus episode: War on Iran crisis and Australia's response
Janaline and William discuss the US and Israel attack on Iran, its consequences for the rest of the world and the Australian government's response. Here's the transcript. Please rate and review us - it helps people find the show. If you'd like to send us feedback or suggestions, especially if you...
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Housing and cost of rent
Janaline and William delve into the pros and cons of rent freezes as a cost of living measure and talk about the broader issues of housing affordability. Here is the transcript. The live event mentioned is on Sunday the 15th of March at 2pm, in the AEU Tasmanian branch here:...
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Rise of One Nation
Janaline and William discuss the implications of One Nation overtaking the Coalition in the latest polls and how the Labor Party needs to adjust to a changing political environment. The Dan Carlin reference was a reference to Dan Carlin's Wrath of the Khans Series in his Hardcore History Podcast....
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Australia's New Hate Speech Laws
Janaline and William discuss the hate speech laws passed in the parliament in the wake of the Bondi attack. They discuss the implications of the new laws, whether they were necessary and if the government should be doing something else to combat antisemitism. Here's the transcript. Please rate...
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US bilateral relationship, international rules-based order
Janaline and William delve into the current state of the international rules-based order in the wake of Canadian PM Mark Carney's speech in Davos. They talk about the new Australian ambassador to the US as Kevin Rudd bows out early, and the nature of the Australian-US relationship as it stands...
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Venezuela, US foreign policy and Australia's response
Janaline and William delve into the ramifications of the US attack on Venezuela. They consider the legality of the strike, the political and diplomatic consequences, and how Australia could respond. Janaline answers the question "Why can't the government just rethink the US alliance in the age of...
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Future Made in Australia
Janaline and William delve into Labor's Future Made in Australia policy and explore its implications for Australia's future economic prosperity. Here's the transcript. If you have any suggestions for future episodes or you have questions you would like us to answer, please email us at...
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Special episode on environmental law reform
Callum and Janaline go through the draft environmental law reform that the Labor Government recently passed through the House of Representatives, and is hoping to pass the Senate in the final sitting of Parliament in 2025. The episode is a bit longer than usual because the laws are complex and...
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Gambling reform and why is it so hard?
In which Callum and Janaline discuss why the federal Labor government is not implementing more ambitious reform to the regulation of gambling and gambling advertising. Spoiler alert - we think they are being lame. Here's the transcript. Please leave a comment, particularly if you have your own…
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Economic inequality
Callum and Janaline talk about economic inequality and what governments can do to address it. Here's the transcript. Please leave a comment, particularly if you have your own "Why can't they just..." question, or email us at [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you. Please also feel...
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Racism and immigration
Callum and Janaline discuss immigration, racism, what it means to be Australian, and Why Can't They Just eliminate racism? Here's the transcript. Please leave a comment, particularly if you have your own "Why can't they just..." question, or email us at [email protected]. We'd love to…
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Defence spending, national security and AUKUS
In this episode, Callum and Janaline discuss why Australia might need to increase defence spending, what are the real strategic threats to Australia and will we actually get any subs under AUKUS? Here's the transcript. Please leave a comment, particularly if you have your own "Why can't they...
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Environmental law reform
This episode is about the reform of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Janaline and William discuss the politics of environmental law reform and the key reforms that are needed to stop the biodiversity crisis while also making processes easier for business....
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Tax, superannuation, economic reform, productivity commission.
This epsiode Janaline and Will delve into Australia's superannuation tax changes. They explore the media's coverage of the issue and Treasurer Jim Chalmers' new productivity roundtable. Janaline and Will discuss how to make the taxation system more fair and equitable, using different forms of…
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Iran, nuclear proliferation, international law
This episode comes in the wake of the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. Janaline and William discuss the lameness of Australia's response to the conflict and the important role of international law in times of crisis. Here's the transcript. Feel free to leave a comment, particularly if you…
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Why can't they just stop new coal and gas and what does real climate action look like?
Episode 2 explores the difference between climate slogans and climate policy in the context of the decision by the federal environment minister to extend the life of a large gas project. The episode looks at what impact stopping new fossil fuel projects in Australia would have on global emissions...
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Pilot episode: why are we doing this? 2025 Australian election and what it means for democracy
Why Can't They Just...? is a podcast about policy, politics and getting stuff done. It looks at the difference between a policy and a slogan and examines how things are often harder than they look. This episode takes a look at the 2025 Australian federal election, what Labor's thumping victory...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A podcast aimed at delving into Australian politics and policy with a focus on environment, wealth inequality and foreign policy. We try to answer the question why can't they (the government) just solve big issues with simple solutions
HOSTED BY
Policy 4 People
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How many episodes does Why Can't They Just... have?
Why Can't They Just... currently has 41 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Why Can't They Just... about?
A podcast aimed at delving into Australian politics and policy with a focus on environment, wealth inequality and foreign policy. We try to answer the question why can't they (the government) just solve big issues with simple solutions
How often does Why Can't They Just... release new episodes?
Why Can't They Just... has 41 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Who hosts Why Can't They Just...?
Why Can't They Just... is created and hosted by Policy 4 People.
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