The too hard basket

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We often hear about new policies and programs that promise to improve the lives of Australians. But what about the issues that are too stigmatised, too taboo, too awkward for policymakers to address? In this new series, the 'Too Hard Basket', we dive deep into topics affecting Australians who often don't get a voice. There's shame, there's stigma, and there are swathes of secrecy, leaving these stories often untold.

06/09/2025

Hope and hate: how governments around the world are responding to 'illegal' immigration

Recently, local news headlines have been dominated by stories about anti-immigration rallies which were held across Australia on the last day of August. But it's not just in Australia where migration has created such deep feelings - it's also an issue that has been front and centre in the US as Donald Trump fulfils his election campaign promise to carry out mass deportations. There are now at least a million fewer immigrants in the US, raising questions about the impact of their absence on key industries like agriculture and construction. Migration is also a major concern in Europe, which has long grappled with what to do with the scores of people fleeing war and poverty in their home countries. This episode of the TOO HARD BASKET focuses on these complexities.

18 min
26/06/2025

Jailing is failing: conference calls for re-think of youth crime crackdown

All over the country, there are concerns about rising rates of youth crime. At the same time, advocates are concerned about the rate of incarceration for First Nations people, fearing some communities are being criminalised and over-policed. Advocates say Australia is not on track to meeting Closing the Gap targets on imprisonment - and in fact, things are only getting worse for young offenders. In this episode of the Too Hard Basket, we take a look at recent law and order crackdowns - and their impact on First Nations young people.

16 min
15/03/2025

Fears vaccine scepticism fuelling US measles outbreak could be contagious for Australia

A new measles outbreak in the United States has raised questions about the rates of vaccination in the community, with implications for other parts of the world, including Australia.

12 min
29/11/2024

What does the future hold for the NDIS - and its participants?

There are more than 660,000 people with disabilities in the National Disability Insurance Scheme, a program meant to provide quality of life for its participants. But the scheme has undergone significant change, most recently legislation approved by Parliament in October 2024 limiting growth in the cost of the scheme to eight per cent a year. In this episode of the Too Hard Basket, we take a look at what's happened to the NDIS in the weeks since that bill was passed. For the federal government, the Scheme would not be sustainable without those changes - but advocates argue these cuts to the budget make little sense.

15 min
03/10/2024

Disability advocates say NDIS reforms were developed without consultation

Australia's Parliament has approved new laws that govern the operation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Minister Bill Shorten has also published a list that outlines what NDIS funding can and cannot be spent on from now on. But disability advocates say all of this has been "rapidly" developed with next to no engagement with the sector - and it might not even solve the problems it's supposed to address. In this episode of the Too Hard Basket, we take a closer look at what the changes are, and why disability groups are so concerned.

14 min
29/07/2024

"I'm not banging on about it": Shorten clashes with disability orgs over NDIS sex

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has long been the subject of debate and controversy. The current Labor government has been making moves to limit spending increases in the Scheme, and return it to what they say is its original purpose. As part of that process, NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has introduced legislation into Parliament to specifically exclude some services from the scheme - including sexual support services.

10 min
18/04/2024

First Nations people especially vulnerable to drug-related deaths

The so-called 'war on drugs' has been waged in the US since at least the 1970s, when then President Richard Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act and declared drug abuse as “public enemy number one.” In Australia, there have been similar efforts to battle drug trafficking and use. As prescription opioids overtake heroin as a public health emergency, those efforts have expanded to restrict the control and supply of those substances too. First Nations people have been much more heavily impacted by substance issues and official responses than the non-Indigenous population. In this Episode of The Too Hard Basket, and in the final story of a three part series on drugs in Australia, we look at how these issues play out for Indigenous communities.

14 min
17/04/2024

Is Australia winning 'the war on drugs'?

Most of us might be familiar with the term 'the war on drugs'. In the US, it's been waged since the 1970s, when then President Richard Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act and declared drug abuse as “public enemy number one.” In Australia, there have been similar efforts historically to battle drug trafficking and drug use. On today's episode of The Too Hard Basket, we look at how state and federal governments are now handling these issues, and if a hardline approach is still the answer. This is the second story in a three part series on drugs in Australia.

14 min

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We often hear about new policies and programs that promise to improve the lives of Australians. But what about the issues that are too stigmatised, too taboo, too awkward for policymakers to address? In this new series, the 'Too Hard Basket', we dive deep into topics affecting Australians who often don't get a voice. There's shame, there's stigma, and there are swathes of secrecy, leaving these stories often untold.