The Voices of Australia podcast explores all things interesting about social cohesion in Australia. Hosted by the Scanlon Institute CEO Anthea Hancocks and Below the Surface Magazine Founder, Lydia Tesema this podcast is filled with insightful perspectives from a range of diverse voices on how to create a cohesive society.
This first series of the podcast explores the question ‘What is Social Cohesion?’ Our aim is not to define the concept, but to challenge listeners to rethink this all-encompassing term and reflect on their own personal and professional relationship with social cohesion.
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The Voices of Australia podcast explores all things interesting about social cohesion in Australia. Hosted by the Scanlon Institute CEO Anthea Hancocks and Below the Surface Magazine Founder, Lydia Tesema this podcast is filled with insightful perspectives from a range of diverse voices on how to create a cohesive society.
This first series of the podcast explores the question ‘What is Social Cohesion?’ Our aim is not to define the concept, but to challenge listeners to rethink this all-encompassing term and reflect on their own personal and professional relationship with social cohesion.
Voices of Australia Podcast | Truth, Trust & Politics | Episode 4 | Building Trust in Political Communication
Voices of Australia
34 minutes 16 seconds
8 months ago
Voices of Australia Podcast | Truth, Trust & Politics | Episode 4 | Building Trust in Political Communication
With the 2025 federal election approaching, trust in politics and the media is at an all-time low. Unchecked misinformation is spreading, political discourse is increasingly polarised, and voters struggle to separate fact from fiction. Can we rebuild trust before it’s too late?
In this episode, Mary Gearin speaks with Bill Browne, Director of the Democracy & Accountability Program at The Australia Institute, and Mark Kenny, journalist and Professor at ANU, to explore the crisis of trust in political communication.
They discuss the media’s role in shaping public perception, the impact of misinformation on elections, and the decline of trust in democratic institutions. With election campaigns becoming battlegrounds for misleading narratives, they examine whether stronger truth-in-political-advertising laws and greater media accountability could help restore public confidence.
How can politicians and the media rebuild credibility? Who should be held accountable for misinformation? And most importantly, how do we strengthen democracy before Australians head to the polls?
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Truth, Trust, and Politics
02:35 The Evolution of Facts and Mistruths
06:15 The Business of Misinformation
08:13 Democracy and Political Disengagement
11:00 The Role of Politicians in Society
15:43 Media's Accountability and the Fear Factor
20:35 The Existential Crisis of Journalism
23:44 The Evolving Landscape of Media Influence
26:14 Legacy Media vs. New Voices
28:14 Engaging the Vaccine Skeptics
32:01 Innovative Communication Strategies
36:49 Restoring Trust in Politics
41:24 The Future of Political Engagement
Voices of Australia
The Voices of Australia podcast explores all things interesting about social cohesion in Australia. Hosted by the Scanlon Institute CEO Anthea Hancocks and Below the Surface Magazine Founder, Lydia Tesema this podcast is filled with insightful perspectives from a range of diverse voices on how to create a cohesive society.
This first series of the podcast explores the question ‘What is Social Cohesion?’ Our aim is not to define the concept, but to challenge listeners to rethink this all-encompassing term and reflect on their own personal and professional relationship with social cohesion.
