Federal Politics With Rachel Withers; Saving The Native Forests Of Victoria; Where Are The Women In Ancient Philosophy?

Rachel Withers, Contributing Editor to The Monthly and columnist for The Politics chats about the latest in federal politics, including The Voice to Parliament referendum, Labor's proposed amendments to the climate change "safeguard mechanism," superannuation tax reform, and the Robodebt Royal Commission hearings.

Chris Schuringa, Campaign Coordinator for Victorian Forest Alliance, speaks in-depth about the latest developments regarding native forest logging in Victoria, speaking of areas including the Wombat State Forest, Toolangi State Forest, and Swifts Creek in East Gippsland. She also talks about the significance of the closure of Australia's last white paper mill in Maryvale, the Victorian anti-protest laws which come into effect in May 2023, and concerns about "salvage logging".

Dr Dawn LaValle Norman, Senior Research Fellow at the Australian Catholic University talks about the presence and role of women in Ancient philosophical dialogues and how it relates to her project, The Diotima Prize. This playwriting competition seeks to address the question, why is (Ancient) philosophy so male-dominated? And redress the gender imbalance through the creation of new plays inspired by the mediums of drama and philosophical dialogue. Dawn explains who the priestess and philosopher Diotima was, as she appears through Socrates in Plato's The Symposium, and other prominent women of Ancient philosophy and literature.