Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

The Federal Government is hoping tax reform will help address the widening generational wealth gap and rebalance the tax system in favour of younger people.One policy being targeted for an overhaul in this year's budget is the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount.Australia started taxing capital gains in the mid-1980s to tackle tax avoidance and evasion which was a huge problem at the time.So why in 1999 did the Howard government introduce a discount on that tax? And why does the concession encourage investment in established housing stock? Guests:Chris Evans - Emeritus Professor UNSW Business SchoolPeter Martin - economist and presenter of The Economy StupidRick Krever - taxation law and policy specialist at UWACraig Emerson - economist and former Federal Labor MP Joe Aston - author and business journalistPeter Tulip - Chief Economist at the Centre for Independant StudiesRichard Holden - Scientia Professor of  Economics at UNSW Business School 

In 1707 the Scottish national parliament was disbanded, not to be reconvened until 1999. How and why Scotland regained its own Assembly is the story of rising Scottish nationalism and Westminster’s attempts to dampen such feelings and keep Scotland in the Union. On May 7th, Scots go to the polls, and the outcome could impact significantly on both the nationalist cause in Scotland and on the ongoing viability of Keir Starmer’s Labour government at Westminster.Guests:Dr Clement Macintyre – Professor Emeritus, School of Society and Culture, Adelaide UniversityDr Nicola McEwen – Professor of Public Policy and Governance, University of Glasgow Alyn Smith – Former UK MP and MEP, candidate for the 2026 Scottish parliamentary elections, Scottish National Party Tom Chidwick – Manager, Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London

IN 1959 Fidel Castro transformed Cuba into a socialist state. And ever since then, American presidents have been trying to undo it.Now it’s Donald Trump’s turn – and he’s determined to succeed. 

Australia’s incoming Chief of Army, Lt. General Susan Coyle, will be the first woman ever to hold the Army’s top post. Her appointment in the lead-up to Anzac Day reflects a change that’s been decades in the making. The true history of warfare is the story of men and women together on the battlefield. But in the early 20th century that reality changed, and at the same time, female fighters began to be written out of the history books. This is the story of how western women successfully fought their way back onto the front line. It’s also a story about how the current US administration is once again trying to wrest them from the field.Guests:Ashleigh Percival-Borley – Military historian, Durham University Dr Sarah Percy – Associate professor, School of Political Science and International Studies, University of QueenslandDr Megan McKenzie – Professor, School for International Studies, Simon Fraser University Dr Kyleanne Hunter – CEO of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of AmericaLinks:Sarah Percy’s Forgotten WarriorsKyleanne Hunter’s Invisible VeteransMegan MacKenzie’s Beyond the Band of Brothers

It’s a truism of peace talks that we’re not negotiating with our friends but rather with our enemies. And when our enemies have been designated as terrorists and murderers, it’s not an easy task. How have violent conflicts ended in the past and are there lessons we can learn from previous peace negotiations?GuestsYoussef Mahmoud, Senior Advisor at the International Peace Institute. Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and head of peace operations in Burundi, the Central African Republic and Chad.Randall Lesaffer, Professor of Legal History at KU University in Leuven, Belgium and author of Peace Treaties and International Law in European History: From the Late Middle Ages to World War One.Philipp Kastner, Senior Lecturer in International law at the University of Western Australia and author of Legal Normativity in the Resolution of Internal Armed Conflict.Luxshi Vimalarajah, senior mediator advisor at the Berghof Foundation. Previously involved in peace negotiations in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Turkey, Yemen, North Macedonia and Colombia.

The conflict in the Middle East has led to a sharp rise in energy prices – and highlighted the issue of Australia’s energy security.  Why haven’t we all transitioned to renewables? The story of Australia’s energy transition and why it’s had so many false starts and missteps. 

Wrapping yourself in the national flag has become a common practice for far-right activists right across the Western world, particularly anti-immigration demonstrators. In the UK the co-opting of the Union Jack and the flag of St George has become so common it’s now described in derogatory terms as “flag-shagging”. In this episode, we explore the historic power of national flags as symbols of division, not just national unity. Guests:Dr Anne Platoff – Flag expert and former librarian, University of California, Santa Barbara Laura Scofield – Design Director, The AtlanticDr Dominic Bryan – Professor of social anthropology, Queens’s University Belfast

Pete Hegseth U.S. Secretary for War (previously Defense) is one of the most powerful people on the planet. He says that two things have defined his life – his military service and his religious faith. 

Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping are due to meet in Beijing in the near future, following a March postponement. China’s wish to subsume democratic Taiwan is certain to be one of the topics on the summit agenda. President Xi has reportedly instructed his military to be at capacity for an invasion by 2027, so 2026 could be Taiwan’s last year of freedom. Some analysts fear US military action in Iran and Venezuela may embolden Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party justifies its claim to Taiwan based on what it calls its “One China Principle”. But what exactly does “One China” mean?Guests:Jessica Drun – Washington-based China and Taiwan analystDr Andrew Phillips – Professor of International Relations, University of Queensland Dr Mei-fen Kuo – lecturer in Contemporary Chinese Culture and History, Macquarie UniversityDr Sow Keat Tok – Asia Institute, University of MelbourneDr Mark Harrison – Senior Lecturer, Chinese Studies, University of Tasmania

A wide-angle lens on the history of Innovation.An unprecedented surge in human ingenuity has created six great waves of innovation.What drove these breakthroughs? And where are we headed?

The government of Singapore this year sacked the leader of the Opposition — that's the way things happen in Singaporean politics. Though it looks like a model Westminster democracy, critics say it's actually a one-party state, dominated for more than 60 years by the People's Action Party. So, how is it that such a prosperous and modern nation has never managed to free itself from the long shadow of its authoritarian founder, Lee Kuan Yew.Guests:Dr Stephan Ortmann — Assistant Professor of Politics and Public Administration, Hong Kong Metropolitan UniversityDr Michael Barr — Associate Professor of International relations, Flinders UniversityDr Gillian Koh — Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Policy Studies, National University of SingaporeJoshua Kurlantzick — Senior Fellow for SE Asia and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations

China is now the number one trading partner of South America.How realistic are U.S. plans to dominate the Western hemisphere?

High speed rail spread around the globe from the 1960s when the first bullet trains took off in Japan. Rear Vision looks at why previous attempts to introduce high speed rail in Australia have failed.Japan opened the world's first high-speed rail line - between Tokyo and Osaka - in time for the 1964 Olympics. Japan’s ‘Bullet Train’ was the first to run on a dedicated line – a high speed service for passengers only. Over the last 30 years, millions of dollars have been spent in Australia on studies and proposals but is a fast train service on the east coast any closer?

Since the 1970s central banks around the world have increasingly become “independent” of government. They’ve developed that way over time to ensure that monetary policy isn’t impacted by partisan political motives. But there are those who now seek to turn the clock back and to rein in that independence. The current US president is at the front of the pack.Guests:Cristina Bodea – Professor of political science, Michigan State UniversityJohn Hawkins – Head of the Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra https://Dr Isaac GrossIsaac Gross - Senior lecturer in Economics, Monash UniversityLinks:David Marr's Late Night Live interview with biographer RICHARD VAGUE about the US banker Thomas Willing

Bangladesh is having its first free and fair election in over 18 years.Rear Vision looks back at the tumultuous history of this young nation.

Only a few decades ago China was known as the land of the bicycle – today it’s an automotive goliath. The PRC is now the world’s biggest car manufacturer and exporter. It also has the largest domestic car market. We explore how it achieved such a dramatic turnaround in only a few short decades. And what role European and American car makers inadvertently played in creating a super rival. Guests: Ilaria Mazzocco – Chinese business and economic expert, Center for Strategic and International Studies Dr Tessa Thorniley – freelance business journalist Zeyi Yang – technology journalist and senior writer, WIRED Mike Colias – Us Autos Editor, Reuters 

Since the start of the 20th century, oil has been the lifeblood of global development. Today, the story behind oil — and the politics of supplying oil and denying oil.

From sanctions to tariffs to seizing oil fields — it feels like we've entered a new age of economic warfare. But experts say we're really just returning to the past. To the time before the rules-based international order was established at the end of the Second World War.Gunboat diplomacy it seems is once again de rigueur.GuestsWilliam Alan Reinsch — Senior advisor, Center for Strategic and International StudiesSaadia Zahidid — Economist and Managing Director of the World Economic ForumMarkus Jaeger — Adjunct professor, International and Public Affairs, Columbia SIPAAbraham Newman — Professor of Government, Georgetown University. Author of Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy (Holt/Penguin 2023)Hugo Slim — Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, University of Oxford

For just over three weeks huge street protests have swept across Iran and threatened to topple The Islamic Republic regime of Iran. The regime has responded with a brutal crackdown on dissent and imposing a total internet blackout. President Donald Trump has urges Iranians to keep protesting and has promised that 'help is on its way'.So how should we understand what’s happening in Iran and why does President Trump care so much. In this podcast extra we trace the story of Iran from the 1953 CIA coup that overthrow the democratically elected government of Mohammad Mosaddegh and ushered in the rule of the Shah through to the events that lead to the 1979 Iranian Revolution that ousted the Shah and the return of the Ayatollah, and finally, Iran post 1979 and the role that Iranian women have played in resisting the rule of the Ayatollahs.

Is the liberal international rules-based order – that has underpinned international relations for the past 80 years - about to collapse. The United States once its greatest champion is withdrawing funding from hundreds of international organisations, and at the same time unending the global economy by imposing of tariffs across the board. What might this mean for global security, and the global economy and can we blame Donald Trump and his wrecking ball or are there deeper forces at play?

President Trump not only want to make America great, he also wants to make it bigger and incorporating Canada as the 51st state would certainly do that – except for the fact that Canada is a sovereign nation. The story of Canada and the United States and why President Trump wants to turn Canada into the 51st States of the Union.

President Trump wants to buy or take control of Greenland from Denmark. But Denmark has made very clear, they don’t have the right to sell Greenland because Greenland is owned by the people of Greenland. Donald Trump is not the first US president to try and buy Greenland. The story of Greenland and America’s many attempts to gain control of the largest island on the planet.

As the world becomes an increasingly dangerous and uncertain place – how prepared are we in Australia to face these new challenges?  This week on Rear Vision the story of one nation that take security and preparedness very seriously – Finland

This year, the Australian Labor government changed the country's superannuation rules — and reduced the 15% tax concession on balances over 3 million dollarsIs this enough? And is our retirement system serving its purpose?

Back in 1996 Pauline Hanson – rocked Australian politics when she was elected to the House of Representative in the seat of Oxley espousing anti-Asian and anti-Aboriginal views. But her time in Canberra didn’t last. Two years later she lost her seat.Over the next two decades Hanson stood for re-election 8 time, failing at each attempt. She looked like a spent force in Australian politics. But that was wrong – today she is back in federal parliament, and her Party’s numbers are surging. How has Pauline Hanson been able to make such an incredible political comeback.

Rear Vision traces the story of the World Trade Organization from its origins as The GATT - and asks whether the WTO can still play a meaningful role in managing the trade realities of the 21st century?

Australian universities are confronting a firestorm, the loss of foreign students, the lay-off of academics, the underpayment of staff and radical changes to domestic university fees.Why is our university sector in so much trouble?Guests Raewyn Connell, professor emerita at the University of SydneyProfessor Glyn Davis, The Australian idea of a universityHannah Forsyth, historian of education and associate Professor at the University of New EnglandJames Waghorne, Senior Research Fellow in the faculty of Education at the University of MelbournePresenter and producer Annabelle Quince

Sudan is engulfed in a civil war. We know little about it, but we should. Sudan sits at the crossroad between Africa and the Middle East, and many of its neighbours, the UAE, Egypt, Russia, and Saudia Arabia – are directly or indirectly involved in this conflict.In this second part of our series on Sudan - Sudan’s deeper history and the regional factors that are shaping the current conflict.

The history of the current conflict in Sudan is complex and long, but it's a history that matters. Sudan sits at the crossroad between Africa and the Middle East, it controls a strategic trading port on the red Sea, Port Sudan, it has large gold reserves and is the point where the Blue and the White Nile meet before flowing into Egypt. All of which make it important in the region.

Rear Vision puts contemporary events in their historical context.

Rear Vision puts contemporary events in their historical context.

The six countries of the Persian Gulf. From their rapid arrival on the world stage to their influence in Middle East politics today.

Venezuela  -  the latest country on US President Donald Trump's radar in his fight against drugs.

India and China - one of the most complex and consequential relationships in modern geopolitics.

In 1998 The Good Friday Agreement was signed in Britain and Ireland, bringing an end to 30 years of violence, murder and religious conflict.How did this come about? and are there lessons we can learn?

The last two months has seen a shift in international politics as Israeli westerns allies move to recognise a Palestinian state. Could this be a historical tipping point in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, like the moment that led to the end of Apartheid in South Africa in the 1990’s. Rear Vision explores the similarities and difference between the Anti-Apartheid movement and the growing international pressure being placed on Israel.Rear Vision puts contemporary events in their historical context.

Rear Vision puts contemporary events in their historical context.

Since the end of WW2, the security alliance between Australia and the United States ANZUS has been the cornerstone of our foreign policy and security. And the AUKUS agreement announced in 2021 by Prime Minister Morrison only deepens that alliance. But just how well has the alliance served Australia and will the AUKUS deal enhance our security or lead us into a war with China we don’t want? And if AUKUS does pan out, do we have a plan B or is our plan B to make sure plan A works?

It was after the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington – that the drone became America’s weapon of choice in war on terror. Unpiloted planes, capable of finding and destroying target on the other side of the world, known as – Reaper or Predator Drones.But it’s over the past 25 years the use of drones - both civilian and military - has really taken off globally. Nowhere more so than in the war between Ukraine and Russia where they have literally reshaped the battlefield. The history of the drone.

Since the end of World War II, America has dominated the Pacific, but China’s expanding economy and growing military might is  challenging that dominance

What can Australia do to maintain its mineral wealth in a decarbonising world? Rear Vision drills down into our coal and iron-ore industries. And asks, can Green Iron save us?

The Israeli settlements in the occupied territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem are are illegal under international law. They are a key stumbling block to the creation of a viable Palestinian state. Yet for 50 years they have increased in number and size. Today, the story of the Israeli settler movement and its impact on Israeli politics.

Despite the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990's, Vladimir Putin has emerged as a powerful player in world events. How has this happened?

The Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – once part of the Soviet Union - are now all members of NATO. But Latvia and Estonia both have large Russian speaking minorities. Analysts worry that Russia could use these minorities as an excuse to impinge on their sovereignty. Could the Baltic States become the new Ukraine and if so, would the rest of NATO invoke article 5 and go to war with Russia?

The history of the Russia Ukraine conflict. The situation in Ukraine today and why Russia invaded. 

The rise and rise of Australian superannuation. Having now reached the 4 trillion dollar mark we ask,  How did we get here? And is our retirement system serving its purpose? 

After 1991 Ukraine followed the bumpy path of many post-Soviet states, attempting to forge a modern democracy next door to a powerful neighbour with interest and influence in its internal affairs. The 2014 political crisis in Ukraine turned into a tug-of-war between the Russia and the West.Russia’s occupation of Crimea, an autonomous region in Ukraine, become a test of US power and its limits as well as a critical moment for the Russian president. Rear Vision looks at this moment which arguable led to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

The United States like to see itself as a nation of immigrants, yet it’s always had a difficult relationship with immigrants. The history of US immigration and detention policy from the nation's founding in 1776 through to Donald Trump.

This week on Rear Vision, the story of Israel's nuclear industry.

This week on Rear Vision we revisit the story of Iran's nuclear industry.