Chris Wallace On Scott Morrison's Ministerial Power Grab; Johann Hari On Dismantling The Unjust Social Systems That Have Stolen Our Focus; Kishore Mahbubani Asks, Can Australia Be A Bridge To Asia?

Professor Chris Wallace discusses the latest in federal politics, including the recent revelations that former Prime Minister Scott Morrison formally appointed himself to five Ministerial roles in secret. Chris delves into the detail of what happened and the historical and contemporary significance of this unprecedented action by an Australian Prime Minister. She also shares what this means for democracy and whether a Royal Commission or inquiry is needed. Chris is a Professor at the 50/50 By 2030 Foundation at the University of Canberra, a former member of the Canberra Press Gallery and author of How To Win An Election.

Best-selling British author Johann Hari chats in-depth with Amy live on Uncommon Sense for part two of their conversation on his book, Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention. Johann discusses the crisis of attention in both children and adults, how 'big tech' saps our ability to focus, as well as the insidious environmental factors that affect our attention, like pollution and chemicals. Most importantly, Johann explains what we can do about it, individually and collectively.

Listen to part one of our conversation about Stolen Focus on the podcast here. Note: Either part can be heard in isolation or in conjunction.

Highly regarded geopolitical thinker and former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani speaks in-depth about his essay, 'Australia's Choice: Can It Be A Bridge To Asia?', published in Australian Foreign Affairs Magazine (July 2022). Kishore explains how Australia needs to face up to the geopolitical reality of the 21st century – that China will become the number one global power. In order to find effective ways to both get along with and stand up to China, Kishore says there are many lessons Australia can learn from the ASEAN countries in South East Asia, especially Vietnam.

He also explains the diplomatic mistakes of the previous Morrison government in the Asian region and what the Albanese government can do to re-shape relations through ASEAN, APEC, The Quad, and the RCEP. Kishore shares the historical basis for the current diplomatic tensions between China, the U.S. and Taiwan, and how likely a war in the Taiwan Straits is. He also touches on related arguments in his book, Has China Won?: The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy. Kishore Mahbubani is a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, and served as Singapore’s Ambassador to the UN and as President of the United Nations Security Council.