Human Ecology

Matt Unicomb
  • 5.0 (2)
  • SOCIAL SCIENCES
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Australian issues - about the human person and his society

  1. 3 DAYS AGO

    014: It’s no longer ‘set and forget’ for Australia - Cian Hussey

    We've had it pretty good for a long time - a high standard of living and a relatively safe country - but things are starting to slip here in Australia. Cian Hussey, Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs, has been examining this on his outstanding and highly underrated Substack, No Permanent Solutions. He joined me to diagnose Australia's current ills, outline the trajectory we're on as a country, and provide his perspective on how to effect change. Cian's IPA page (00:00) Introduction (05:00) Meaning of 'No Permanent Solutions' (07:08) Australia's problems and trajectory (13:46) Australia relative to other countries (18:38) Deep roots of Australia's malaise (26:45) Views on trade, immigration, energy, speech and culture (49:48) Cian's view on change (59:00) Individual agency, organising and doing something (1:02:17) Concluding thoughts

    1h 4m

  2. 28 FEB

    013: New organisations on the Australian right

    Recently, three new organisations launched on the right of Australian politics, responding to political failure and the increasingly worrisome direction of the country. A very brief commentary from me on their launches, shared themes, and goals, while highlighting a few substantive points. More guests to follow on this important Australian project. (00:00) The three new organisations: Aspire, Rebuild Australia, the Surfers Paradise Institute (04:41): Common themes and a comment on trade and domestic economic and social policy settings (11:10) Focus for the next year

    13 min

  3. 26 JAN

    012: Generational wealth and an Australian aristocracy of excellence - Martin Fitzgerald and Dani

    We discuss Johann Kurtz’s book, Leaving a Legacy, specifically: *the ethics of passing on wealth to your children *the importance of building family virtue and passing on a strong culture, and *an aristocratic ‘Benedict Option’ (00:00) Introduction (05:38) Matt's opening remarks (08:50) Marty's opening remarks (15:08) Dani's opening remarks (22:24) Charity vs philanthropy, local vs global charity (45:55) Questioning aristocracy; an aristocracy of excellence (54:42) Family culture and an aristocratic Benedict Option (1:01:40) Modernity as a 'myth of normal' (1:06:40) Concluding thoughts My X account: https://x.com/mattsinglebrush My Substack: https://humanecologyaus.substack.com/ Johann's X account: https://x.com/JohannKurtz Johann's Substack: https://becomingnoble.substack.com

    1h 11m

  4. 3 JAN

    011: Willpower, desires and goal setting

    The best framework I've found for maximising willpower, setting goals to succeed, and competing desires. (00:00) Introduction (01:39) The will and competing desires (03:55) Desires vs demands (06:43) Realistic goals (09:24) Renouncing short-term desires (10:49) Bringing it together and concluding

    11 min

  5. 13/12/2025

    010: Building a competent, confident young man in the modern world - Maxim Smith

    I interview Maxim Smith, the 20-year-old author of The Preparation, a manual for turning boys into men, through character, virtue, skills, higher learning, hobbies and recreation. Maxim is half way through as the first to trial the the program, and already he's come a long way. Now his future looks bright - he's skilled, confident and has a good understanding of himself. A possible gap year, precursor or substitute for university, The Preparation is a program all parents of boys should consider. (00:00) Introducing Maxim Smith (01:59) A highly skilled 20-year-old (04:49) What is The Preparation (09:33) Building the modern Renaissance Man (12:35) Be, do, have – the three most important words in any language (13:42) A substitute for university? (18:38) What does Maxim’s future look like after The Preparation? (24:30) Fundamental differences between The Preparation and university (30:46) Costs and benefits of university (35:31) Role models and the patron-client relationship (43:12) Plugging the book and how to contact Maxim Get The Preparation book or find the program's Substack, or follow Maxim's progress as he continues through the program.

    46 min

  6. 07/12/2025

    009: Basic facts of childcare we can’t ignore, and prospects for change

    Here I provide my own perspective on childcare - the decisions facing modern families, facts we have to confront about childcare, and the difficulty but possibility of effecting change. This follows from episode 08 with Dr Gigi Foster. (Apple Podcasts link) (00:00) Introduction (00:49) Part 1 - economic reality (03:27) Part 2 - basic facts of childcare (10:31) Part 3 - Discussing options for change

    23 min

  7. 29/11/2025

    008: Reassessing Australian childcare - Dr Gigi Foster

    The fact that our society, on mass scale, places very young children in childcare, has been on my mind, and so I decided to look into it. Firstly, I spoke with Dr Gigi Foster of UNSW about her analysis of Australian childcare. She breaks down the major issues and proposes interesting solutions. Along the way we talk culture, big government, and community, and her thinking aligns with some emerging themes of the Human Ecology podcast. Secondly, I crunched some data on childcare, which you can find here on the Substack post that accompanies this episode. Finally, I'll release a solo follow up episode where I'll explore the issue further. This is an issue worth thinking about closely, and I invite you all to listen to Dr Foster's analysis as an attempt to rebalance the conversation. (0:00) Introduction (2:02) Background to Gigi’s research paper (3:55) What the research says about child care (9:01) Childcare to support labour force participation (12:29) Liberating labour: effects of staying home on work outcomes (15:46) Quality of research, and other frameworks of assessing childcare (19:48) The major issues in Australian childcare (26:41) Big government mindset, institutional decay and lack of community (29:59) The difficulty in judging childcare quality and Gigi’s proposal (33:03) Community-based hiring of childcare staff (35:33) Gossiping parents, the power of community and taking the initiative (38:41) Rethinking the focus on work (41:08) Demand or supply side models of childcare funding (43:03) Issues with higher education and an alternative in a castle in Belgium (52:32) Opportunities in Australia for parallel or alternative higher education (58:45) Gigi’s new think tank, Australians for Science and Freedom (1:03:45) Wrapping up and flagging the follow up episode on childcare

    1h 4m

  8. 23/11/2025

    007: Better late than never - Matt Unicomb

    The podcast is back. I talk about the future and my interests with the podcast. Find me on X: x.com/mattsinglebrush Substack newsletter: humanecologyaus.substack.com

    7 min
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5
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About

Australian issues - about the human person and his society

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Unicomb
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Matt Unicomb
  • Show Website
    Human Ecology