Young, Dumb & Politically Disengaged Lesley Pianella

A founding member of the Greens in Victoria, Janet Rice took her seat as a Greens Senator in 2014. She began her working life campaigning to protect forests as a trained climate scientist and was part of the famous 1983 Franklin River Blockade. As Mayor of the City of Maribyrnong, Janet positioned the council as a leader in reducing carbon pollution and acting against global warming. In Parliament, Janet advocates for federal funding for public transport, bike and walking infrastructure, protecting Australia’s native forests and animals, and proudly fights for the rights of LGBTIQ+ communities.

October saw climate talks, states opening up and borders coming down. We chat about Glasgow's COP26 climate conference, the dark truth about poverty in Australia, and the personal journey Janet shared with her late wife Penny as members of the LGBTIQ+ community.

Louise Crawford was re-elected for a second term as a Labor Councillor for the City of Port Phillip following the 2020 local government election, and was soon thereafter appointed Mayor. Louise previously ran for several different seats across various levels of government, including both state and federal elections. Before politics, Louise was an actor working in film and TV, appearing in many Aussie soaps and dramas. Louise is passionate about her creative community, litter picking programs, flood mitigation and waste transformation, action on climate change and greening, and continued support for early education.

September saw protests turn to riots in Melbourne, unsettling the city and causing dismay and anger among many Victorians. We discuss local vaccination rates, being a first time Mayor during a pandemic and Louise's podcast: Politics Is Not A Dirty Word.

After growing up in Sydney, John Kennedy became a flight lieutenant in the Royal Australian Air Force in the late 70s before moving to Melbourne. John enjoyed a long career in the education sector, notably serving as the founding principal of Loyola College in Watsonia. Today, John lives in Hawthorn and has resided locally in the Boroondara area for over 25 years now. John was elected as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 2018, becoming Hawthorn’s first Labor MP in over 60 years. Refugees, poverty, health, climate change and public transport are high on John's agenda.

August saw conflict in Kabul and marked an unpleasant milestone for Melburnians: 200 days in lockdown. We delve into lockdowns, our vaccination uptake, mandatory jabs, booster shots, the reopening of borders, and why John's never driven a car.

First elected in 2016 then re-elected in 2019, Tim Wilson's the Liberal federal member for Goldstein in the House of Representatives. Before politics, Tim was a policy director at the Institute of Public Affairs and Australia's Human Rights Commissioner. Tim is proud of what has been achieved over the past five years whilst in public office, including stopping the China Extradition Treaty, reforming MyHealth records to increase medical privacy, improving superannuation policy and delivering marriage equality. Tim has recently published a book: The New Social Contract: Renewing the liberal vision for Australia.

July brought changing financial support, a four-phase national COVID-19 plan and the continued sluggish vaccination rollout. We discuss why so many essential workers are still unvaccinated, how long before we're likely to reach 80% double dose vaccination rates, and the one question that Tim was finally able to ask.

A former Mayor of the City of Bayside, Clifford Hayes has been a Sustainable Australia member of the Victorian Legislative Council since 2018, representing Southern Metropolitan Region. Clifford stands for improved investment in community health and stronger environment protection policies. Clifford is focused on restoring planning powers back to local communities and fighting for better development and infrastructure outcomes, in addition to wider climate issues and concerns around population growth and immigration.

June brought leadership spills, the Delta variant and revised ATAGI advice. We consider the government’s climate policy following the G7 Summit, the increasing pace of our vaccination rollout and the ongoing management of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Brad Rowswell has been an active member of his local community for decades. After graduating from university, Brad worked in private, public and nonprofit sectors including education, the defence industry and as a political advisor. Brad was elected as the Member for Sandringham in 2018, beating Labor's candidate by just over 500 votes, and is now Shadow Minister for Energy and Renewables, Innovation, Bay Protection, and Fishing and Boating. Brad is passionate about delivering the infrastructure and investment needed for future generations, including upgrading roads, schools, sporting clubs and Sandringham Hospital.

As May draws to a close with Victoria on the cusp of a seven-day snap lockdown, Gen Xers are given the green light to start queuing for their jabs. We unpack the winners and losers of the State Budget, with Victoria spending big on mental health, schools and transport.