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Updated 25/03/2021

12/06/2025

Pemerintah cairkan BSU: solusi lesunya daya beli masyarakat?

Pemerintah Indonesia kembali menggulirkan program Bantuan Subsidi Upah (BSU) sebagai bagian dari upaya menjaga daya beli masyarakat pekerja di tengah tekanan ekonomi. Program ini mulai dicairkan pada 5 Juni 2025, menyasar para buruh dan pekerja yang memenuhi syarat tertentu sesuai regulasi ketenagakerjaan dan kebijakan ekonomi nasional. BSU ini dirancang sebagai bentuk intervensi fiskal langsung untuk membantu kelompok pekerja yang terdampak dinamika ekonomi seperti deflasi atau menurunnya daya beli masyarakat. Bantuan ini diberikan sebesar Rp300.000 per bulan selama dua bulan (Juni–Juli) dan langsung dicairkan sekaligus sebesar Rp600.000 pada bulan Juni. Pemerintah mengalokasikan dana sebesar Rp10,72 triliun untuk pelaksanaan program BSU tahun ini. Di tengah tantangan seperti inflasi dan ketidakpastian global, pemerintah berharap bantuan semacam ini bisa menjadi stimulan bagi masyarakat supaya tetap bisa menggerakkan roda ekonomi. Apakah pemberian BSU ini benar benar menjadi solusi jitu untuk menggerakkan perekonomian negara yang belakangan dianggap lesu? Dalam episode SuarAkademia terbaru, kami membahas isu ini bersama Jaya Darmawan, peneliti ekonomi dari Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS). Jaya berpendapat BSU menjadi salah satu instrumen andalan pemerintah untuk merespons tekanan ekonomi yang dialami masyarakat kelas pekerja. Meskipun program BSU bermanfaat dalam jangka pendek, ia menganggap besaran bantuannya belum mampu mengimbangi tekanan ekonomi saat ini. Salah satu masalah yang menurut Jaya juga perlu disoroti adalah kriteria kelayakan penerima manfaat. Banyak pekerja tidak memenuhi syarat bantuan karena batasan administratif yang tidak mempertimbangkan kompleksitas kerja informal. kriteria penerima BSU ini membuat pekerja yang ada di sektor informal kerap luput dari jangkauan bantuan sosial, meskipun mereka berada dalam posisi paling rentan secara ekonomi. Meskipun kebijakan pemerintah ini perlu disambut dengan baik, namun Jaya beranggapan langkah-langkah ini masih belum cukup untuk mendorong daya beli masyarakat secara berkelanjutan. Ia berpendapat perlu ada pergeseran arah kebijakan dari sekadar bantuan jangka pendek menuju strategi jangka panjang yang lebih menyeluruh. Fokus kebijakan pemerintah sebaiknya tidak hanya memperbaiki daya beli secara sementara, tetapi juga membuka akses terhadap pekerjaan yang layak dan mendukung pekerja untuk keluar dari sektor informal. Menurutnya, pemerintah perlu memikirkan strategi yang lebih komprehensif untuk menciptakan kebijakan ekonomi yang tidak hanya responsif terhadap krisis, tetapi juga berorientasi pada transformasi sosial dan ekonomi yang berkelanjutan. Simak episode lengkapnya hanya di SuarAkademia—ngobrol seru isu terkini, bareng akademisi.

12/06/2025

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33 min
18/08/2016

Anne Aly on counter-terrorism policy

When parliament returns later this month, Labor’s Anne Aly will become the first Muslim woman to take a seat in the lower house. Aly is an internationally renowned scholar on counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation. In 2014, she was the only Australian expert invited to attend Barack Obama’s summit on countering violent extremism. Aly tells Michelle Grattan she has spoken with many people who have been involved in violent organisations, including former members of the Irish Republican Army, former right-wing neo-nazis, and violent jihadists. Aly says most deradicalisation programs fail because all that they can do is remove the opportunity, the capability and perhaps change the environment. “But very rarely, if someone is highly radicalised, can outside forces actually change their world orientation or their world view. Many of them need to go through a process to arrive at disillusionment … in order to fully move away from the movement itself,” she says. On the bread-and-butter issue of the GST, she welcomes Malcolm Turnbull’s idea of reforming its distribution to give her home state of Western Australia a better deal, and would like to see Labor and Liberal come together to promote WA’s cause. “Now that Mr Turnbull has made that, I guess, commitment, to at least looking at it, I’d like to see the Western Australian cohort work across parties for the best interests of our state,” she says. Mentioned in this episode: Your support matters Support non-profit journalism you can trust. Donations 2025 The Making of an Autocrat Search: "The Conversation Weekly" for our new series. Is America watching its democracy unravel in real time? In The Making of an Autocrat from The Conversation, six of the world’s pre-eminant scholars reveal the recipe for authoritarian rule. From capturing a party, to controlling the military, Donald Trump is borrowing from the playbook of strongmen thoughout history. This is the story of how democracies falter — and what might happen next.

18/08/2016

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28 min
28/11/2024

Kenaikan PPN 12 persen: apa dampaknya untuk perekonomian Indonesia?

Kenaikan Pajak Pertambahan Nilai (PPN) menjadi 12% hampir pasti bakal berlaku pada tahun 2025 mendatang. Kenaikkan ini merupakan mandat Undang-Undang Nomor 7 Tahun 2021 tentang Harmonisasi Peraturan Perpajakan (UU HPP). PPN adalah instrumen fiskal yang mentarifi pembelian barang dan jasa hasil industri kepada masyarakat. Selain sudah jadi mandat undang-undang, Menteri Keuangan Sri Mulyani Indrawati mengklaim bahwa penyesuaian tarif ini juga bertujuan untuk meningkatkan daya saing Indonesia secara global, khususnya dengan rata-rata tarif PPN yang diterapkan oleh negara-negara anggota Organisasi untuk Kerja Sama dan Pembangunan Ekonomi (OECD). Saat ini, tarif PPN Indonesia masih lebih rendah dibandingkan rata-rata tarif pajak negara-negara dunia. Di tingkat teknis, Direktorat Jenderal Pajak Kementerian Keuangan sedang mengebut aturan teknis pemberlakuan tarif baru ini. Apakah kenaikan PPN ini akan berdampak terhadap perekonomian Indonesia? Adakah dampak yang akan dirasakan langsung oleh masyarakat? Dalam episode SuarAkademia terbaru, kami membahas isu ini dengan Jaya Darmawan, peneliti ekonomi dari Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS). Jaya mengatakan kebijakan kenaikan PPN menjadi 12% ini mempelihatkan kurangnya sense of crisis dari pemerintah. Sebab situasi ekonomi masyarakat yang sedang sulit. Hal tersebut terlihat dari tren deflasi yang stabil terjadi beberapa bulan terakhir. Jaya berpendapat seharusnya pemerintah melihat situasi ekonomi masyarakat saat ini sebelum memutuskan untuk menaikkan tarif PPN. Meskipun tidak menampik kebijakan ini akan membuat penerimaan negara akan meningkat, namun Jaya melihat kebijakan ini bisa jadi bomerang yang jutru bisa kian memperlambat pertumbuhan ekonomi. Penurunan tersebut karena konsumsi penopang nilai produk domestik bruto Indonesia berpotensi akan mengalami penurunan. Alhasil, target pertumbuhan ekonomi yang dipatok pemerintahan Prabowo-Gibran sebesar 8% hanya menjadi janji kampanye semata tanpa realisasi nyata. Jaya menyarankan agar pemerintah harus mempertimbangkan menerapkan pajak yang adil, alih-alih meningkatkan PPN. Ia menambahkan, sudah banyak jurnal dan hasil riset yang menunjukkan dengan penerapan sistem pajak yang menggunakan prinsip berkeadilan dan tata kelola yang baik justru bisa memberikan negara pemasukan yang lebih banyak daripada menaikkan PPN saat ini. Simak episode lengkapnya hanya di SuarAkademia—ngobrol seru isu terkini, bareng akademisi.

28/11/2024

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25 min
03/07/2025

Inflasi IPK mahasiswa Indonesia: Siapa diuntungkan, siapa yang tertinggal?

Banyak pihak mulai mempertanyakan arti penting persaingan di dunia perguruan tinggi dalam beberapa waktu terakhir. Ketika dunia kerja semakin tak pasti dan arah pendidikan kerap berubah, menjaga fokus pada capaian akademis terasa bukan lagi perkara mudah. Percakapan soal ini kian hangat ketika muncul sorotan terhadap fenomena inflasi Indeks Prestasi Kumulatif (IPK). Tak sedikit warganet yang memperbincangkan betapa gampangnya mahasiswa Indonesia saat ini meraih nilai akhir tinggi. Predikat cum laude, yang dulu hanya disematkan pada mereka yang benar-benar menonjol karena lulus dengan IPK dan masa studi yang bagus, kini terdengar di hampir setiap prosesi wisuda. Isu ini memunculkan pertanyaan besar: Fenomena sosial apa yang bisa kita pelajari lebih dalam? Apakah mahasiswa diuntungkan atau justru ini akan memberatkan mereka dalam mencari pekerjaan setelah lulus? Dalam episode SuarAkademia terbaru, kami membahas topik ini bersama Senza Arsendy, mahasiswa doktoral dari The University Of Melbourne, Australia. Senza menganggap tren ini dipengaruhi oleh sejumlah faktor, mulai dari peningkatan keterampilan akademis individu, dinamika sosial, hingga neoliberalisme pendidikan. Ia juga menekankan bahwa gejala inflasi nilai ini tidak hanya terjadi di jenjang pendidikan tinggi, tetapi juga mulai terlihat di tingkat sekolah yang lebih rendah. Ia melihat fenomena ini juga erat kaitannya dengan komersialisasi pendidikan yang semakin marak. Di tengah pendidikan tinggi yang semakin mahal, Senza menganggap ada logika yang dianggap wajar oleh mahasiswa dan orang tua. Biaya kuliah yang tinggi dianggap berbanding lurus dengan IPK tinggi sebagai bentuk timbal balik dari uang yang dikeluarkan. Senza juga melihat persaingan di pasar kerja menjadi penyebab mengapa fenomena inflasi IPK ini muncul. Kompetisi di pasar kerja yang semakin sulit membuat banyak mahasiswa berlomba untuk mendapatkan IPK bagus. Di sisi lain, pemberi kerja melihat situasi ini menguntungkan untuk mendapatkan tenaga kerja berkualitas tinggi dan melimpahnya ketersediaan tenaga kerja yang siap bergabung. Realitanya, saat ini perusahaan menuntut lulusan untuk memiliki kualifikasi yang lebih tinggi dibanding sebelumnya. Saat ini, IPK tinggi saja tidak cukup untuk menjamin peluang kerja yang baik. Banyak pemberi kerja saat ini mensyaratkan kualifikasi tambahan, seperti pengalaman kerja, kemampuan berbahasa asing, dan keterampilan teknis tertentu. Bahkan, dalam beberapa kasus, jejaring profesional atau koneksi juga memengaruhi peluang seseorang untuk diterima bekerja. Kondisi ini menambah tekanan bagi mahasiswa untuk terus meningkatkan kompetensi mereka, yang tidak jarang berujung pada stres dan kecemasan menghadapi masa depan. Senza berpendapat, perlu ada pembahasan multi-sektoral dari pihak universitas, pemberi kerja, hingga pemerintah untuk merumuskan strategi yang dapat menjembatani kesenjangan antara dunia pendidikan dan kebutuhan riil pasar tenaga kerja. Simak episode lengkapnya hanya di SuarAkademia—ngobrol seru isu terkini, bareng akademisi.

03/07/2025

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31 min
27/02/2025

Dari Teater Payung Hitam hingga Sukatani: Pembungkaman yang mengancam kebebasan berekspresi

Beberapa dekade terakhir, kebebasan berekspresi dalam seni di Indonesia terus menghadapi tantangan serius, terutama ketika karya-karya tersebut mengangkat isu sosial dan politik. Bentuk sensor dan pembatasan sering kali menyasar ekspresi yang bersifat kritis. Ini kembali terlihat dalam kasus yang menimpa band punk Sukatani dari Purbalingga, Jawa Tengah. Di awal 2025, Sukatani menjadi perbincangan setelah merilis lagu “Bayar, Bayar, Bayar” dalam album Gelap Gumpita. Lagu ini secara terbuka mengkritik dugaan praktik pungutan liar oleh aparat kepolisian, menggunakan lirik yang tajam dan provokatif—ciri khas musik punk yang memang dikenal lantang melawan ketidakadilan. Namun, gelombang kontroversi datang tak lama setelahnya. Pada 20 Februari 2025, melalui akun Instagram mereka, Sukatani mengunggah permintaan maaf terbuka kepada Kapolri dan institusi kepolisian. Mereka juga mengumumkan penarikan lagu tersebut dari seluruh platform distribusi, dengan klaim bahwa keputusan itu diambil secara sukarela—memunculkan kecurigaan di kalangan masyarakat. Tekanan terhadap ekspresi seni tak hanya terjadi di dunia musik. Lima hari sebelum insiden yang menimpa Sukatani, kelompok teater Payung Hitam mengalami kejadian serupa. Pementasan mereka yang dijadwalkan berlangsung di Institut Seni Budaya Indonesia (ISBI) Bandung tiba-tiba dibatalkan tanpa penjelasan. Studio tempat mereka seharusnya tampil dikunci tanpa pemberitahuan, sementara baliho promosi acara dicopot tanpa jejak. Apakah kejadian-kejadian tersebut adalah tanda kebebasan berekspresi di Indonesia semakin terancam? Untuk membahas isu ini, dalam episode SuarAkademia terbaru kami berdiskusi dengan Eka Nugraha Putra, Research Fellow dari Centre for Trusted Internet and Community, National University of Singapore. Eka menekankan bahwa kejadian yang terjadi belakangan bukan sekadar reaksi spontan atau emosional dari individu maupun lembaga tertentu. Lebih dari itu, “pembungkaman” seperti ini merupakan bagian dari mekanisme sistematis yang dirancang untuk meredam ekspresi kritis. Mekanisme ini bekerja melalui berbagai cara, mulai dari intimidasi, pembatasan akses informasi, hingga manipulasi kebijakan di tingkat institusional. Di era digital, cara-cara pembungkaman terhadap kebebasan berekspresi memang mengalami perubahan, tetapi tujuannya tetap sama: mengendalikan wacana publik. Eka menggarisbawahi bagaimana media sosial, yang seharusnya menjadi ruang terbuka bagi diskusi dan pertukaran gagasan, justru sering dimanfaatkan sebagai alat kontrol dan pengawasan. Jika di masa lalu pembungkaman dilakukan secara langsung melalui sensor fisik dan represi aparat, kini pendekatannya lebih halus dan terselubung. Praktik ini bisa muncul dalam berbagai bentuk, seperti penerapan pasal-pasal hukum yang multitafsir, tekanan sosial yang membatasi kebebasan individu dalam berbicara, hingga keberadaan aparat siber yang berwenang mengawasi dan memberikan peringatan, meskipun landasan hukumnya tidak selalu jelas. Bagi Eka, kebebasan berekspresi bukan sekadar hak individu, tetapi juga elemen kunci dalam menjaga demokrasi yang sehat dan dinamis. Ia mengingatkan bahwa tanpa ruang yang cukup bagi ekspresi kritik dan perbedaan pendapat, Indonesia berisiko mengalami kemunduran demokrasi. Ketika kontrol atas wacana publik menjadi terlalu ketat, partisipasi warga dalam pengambilan keputusan politik pun dapat terhambat, yang pada akhirnya melemahkan sendi-sendi demokrasi itu sendiri. Simak episode lengkapnya hanya di SuarAkademia— ngobrol seru isu terkini, bareng akademisi.

27/02/2025

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35 min
26/07/2017

Anthill 15: Unexplored places

In this episode of The Anthill podcast we are off exploring: land, sea and space.

26/07/2017

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32 min
17/04/2025

Disrupsi AI dalam industri kreatif: benarkah mengancam tenaga kerja muda?

Kecerdasan buatan (AI) berkembang pesat dalam beberapa tahun terakhir dan mulai merambah ranah yang dulu tak terbayangkan, salah satunya industri kreatif. Teknologi seperti generative AI telah melahirkan berbagai platform yang mampu menghasilkan karya visual, tulisan, suara, hingga video secara otomatis. Contohnya, aplikasi Midjourney yang bisa membuat ilustrasi gambar hanya dari deskripsi teks atau ChatGPT yang mampu menulis naskah dengan berbagai gaya dan nada. Fitur terbaru ChatGPT bahkan kini memungkinkan pengguna menghasilkan gambar dalam berbagai gaya artistik, termasuk animasi khas Studio Ghibli dari Jepang, yang belakangan dikenal dengan fenomena “Ghiblifikasi”. Tak hanya itu, AI juga mulai digunakan untuk menyunting video secara otomatis, menyusun storyboard, hingga menciptakan musik tanpa keterlibatan musisi. Di satu sisi, teknologi ini membuka peluang eksplorasi kreatif yang sebelumnya terbatas oleh kemampuan teknis manusia. Namun di sisi lain, kemampuan AI dalam meniru gaya artistik dan struktur karya manusia memantik perdebatan serius: soal orisinalitas, etika, dan tempat manusia dalam proses kreatif. Lantas, apakah AI benar-benar menjadi ancaman serius bagi pekerja kreatif, terutama di Indonesia? Dalam episode terbaru SuarAkademia, kami membahas isu ini bersama Mirna Rahmadina Gumati, seorang peneliti dari Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN). Mirna tidak menampik bahwa perkembangan AI saat ini semakin mempermudah siapa pun untuk menghasilkan karya visual seperti penyuntingan foto, pembuatan video, hingga membuat animasi. Bahkan, menurutnya, perkembangan ini masih akan terus melaju lebih jauh lagi. Ia menggambarkan AI ibarat “pisau bermata dua”. Di satu sisi, kemajuan teknologi membantu para pekerja kreatif untuk melakukan riset dan eksperimen terhadap karya yang akan dibuat. Namun di sisi lain, masih rendahnya apresiasi publik terhadap seni bisa membuat pekerjaan kreatif dianggap semakin remeh—seolah semua karya bisa dihasilkan dengan cepat dan instan, apalagi setelah kehadiran AI. Pandangan ini berpotensi mengancam keberlangsungan profesi di industri kreatif. Mirna juga menyoroti pentingnya etika dalam penggunaan dan pengembangan AI, terutama di sektor kreatif. Belum adanya regulasi yang jelas dan minimnya pemahaman publik mengenai karya buatan AI menjadi masalah serius. Untuk itu, ujar Mirna, penguatan regulasi dan edukasi kepada masyarakat tentang penggunaan AI merupakan dua langkah mendesak yang harus dilakukan saat ini. Jika publik memahami bahwa karya kreatif bukan sekadar hasil akhir, melainkan buah dari pemikiran, eksperimen, dan emosi manusia, mereka akan menghargai karya-karya perkerja seni yang orisinil, meski AI semakin canggih. Selain itu, kata Mirna, pemerintah perlu merumuskan regulasi yang adil: bisa memberikan perlindungan bagi pekerja kreatif, tanpa menghambat inovasi teknologi. Simak episode lengkapnya hanya di SuarAkademia—ngobrol seru isu terkini, bareng akademisi.

17/04/2025

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45 min
21/02/2019

‘I think we should be very concerned’: A cyber crime expert on this week’s hack and what needs to happen next

Shutterstock/AAP/The ConversartionWhen Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced this week that a “sophisticated state actor” had targeted the big Australian political parties in a major cyber attack, the revelation threw up more questions than answers. Who did it and how? What data did they get their hands on? How vulnerable is our data – and our democracy? Read more: We’ve been hacked – so will the data be weaponised to influence election 2019? Here’s what to look for To make sense of it all, we’re hearing today from Nigel Phair, the director of UNSW Canberra Cyber and an expert on the intersection of crime, technology and society. He said that while hacks like these should be seen as “the new normal” there was good reason to be concerned. “Just merely having a breach is quite a big deal. Secondly, you look at the information that they hold. Political parties have information on donors – who they are and how much they give and what they want for it. They have information on the electorate, they have information on their own party politics and tactics for Senate Estimates for Question Time, those sorts of things,” he said. “So that’s a lot of rich data that you could then use as a nation state to infiltrate other areas to perhaps change voter outcomes.” The hackers may have used social engineering techniques such as phishing to gain access to the data, he said. “They are quite unsophisticated attacks. It’s often spoofing an organisation or a person and getting someone, an end user, to reveal login credentials. And because we share passwords across multiple logins, that’s how you gain access to a trophy asset,” he said, adding that the hack served as a reminder to use a password manager and ensure all passwords are long and strong. “I think we should be very concerned. We’ve got a great case study from the US. We’re very allied to the US and when you look at how nation states have disrupted that election I think it’s a given that there are many out there that’ll disrupt ours.” You can read an edited transcript of the interview below. Read more: A state actor has targeted Australian political parties – but that shouldn’t surprise us New to podcasts? Podcasts are often best enjoyed using a podcast app. All iPhones come with the Apple Podcasts app already installed, or you may want to listen and subscribe on another app such as Pocket Casts (click here to listen to Trust Me, I’m An Expert on Pocket Casts). You can also hear us on Stitcher, Spotify or any of the apps below. Just pick a service from one of those listed below and click on the icon to find Trust Me, I’m An Expert. Additional audio editing by Wes Mountain, production assistance from Bageshri Savyasachi. Additional audio Kindergarten by Unkle Ho, from Elefant Traks ABC news report Image: AAP (Various)/Shutterstock/The Conversation Transcript SUNANDA CREAGH: And so what’s the main concern? Why was everybody so worried about this, particularly earlier this week? NIGEL PHAIR: I think when you look at the history with the attack in the US on the DNC (Democratic National Committee), and a lot that’s been reported in the US about nation states trying to infiltrate the election process over there and change people’s voting habits and we’re some weeks/months from an election here – it strikes at the heart of what could be our dear beloved democracy, when you have nation state actors trying to influence voting outcomes. SUNANDA CREAGH: And what do you think this week’s events tell us about the cyber security weaknesses here in Australia? NIGEL PHAIR: It tells us that no organisation is immune. It tells us that cyber is another vector for people trying to win the hearts and minds of people. SUNANDA CREAGH: If I was a sophisticated nation state using this as a strategy to achieve that goal, how might this sort of hack help me achieve that goal? What do you think they were actually trying to do here? NIGEL PHAIR: There’s a number of things that they’ve achieved. Firstly, is the goal of doing the hack. When we look at parliament house, we look at the political parties, when we think about it, they’re revered from a democratic perspective. Just merely having a breach is quite a big deal. Secondly, you look at the information that they hold. Political parties have information on donors – who they are and how much they give and what they want for it. They have information on the electorate, they have information on their own party politics and tactics for Senate Estimates for Question Time, those sorts of things. So a lot of rich data that you could then use as a nation state to infiltrate other areas to perhaps change voter outcomes. SUNANDA CREAGH: China has strongly denied that it was involved but a lot of speculation has focused on that country, as opposed to Russia or another state actor that’s been linked to this kind of behaviour in other contexts. In Australia, why do you think speculation has focused on China as a potential perpetrator? NIGEL PHAIR: Basically because they’re a near neighbour to ours, they’re in our arc of instability. They’re well known for their theft of intellectual property online. They’re well known for not adhering to the international norms of cyberspace. Add that all up and that’s why people keep pointing the finger at them. SUNANDA CREAGH: And I believe there’s news reports that China was linked to other previous hacks of universities and parliament and other key pieces of computer infrastructure around Australia. Is that right? NIGEL PHAIR: That’s right. They’ve been well known to do a range of cyber attacks on a range of different organisations – government, non-government, commercial etc. SUNANDA CREAGH: So in the context of concerns that Australians have about the government’s capacity to keep our personal information safe – and I’m thinking here about the talk around My Health Record, the census – what does this hack tell us, if anything, about how capable the government and people in power are at guarding our private details? NIGEL PHAIR: I think we need to go back a couple of steps before we start to think about this. Government, what they haven’t done is take the citizenry of Australia on a journey. They haven’t explained to them what it means to participate in a digital economy. What it means to be a good online citizen and transact with government and social media, commercially, e-commerce. If we had that narrative from the outset then people could understand that the internet is just another public place where they act ethically and lawfully and responsibly to what they do in the real world, then I think we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Because people would be able to have an informed decision about what it means to participate with My Health Record, or participate in an online census or other government instruments. But at the moment we just never had that background and people don’t have the certainty and because of that they make knee-jerk reactions. SUNANDA CREAGH: Where do you land on this issue, do you think the government is capable of keeping that data safe? NIGEL PHAIR: I think the government is capable of keeping it safe. The systems around My Health Record for example are really quite secure and there’s a lot of technologies, a lot of process and a lot of policy to ensure. But the reality is if there is going to be a breach of my health record, it’ll probably happen at a doctor’s surgery where there’s an unpatched or unprotected computer, or a user not using a good password, or accidentally emailing the wrong patient records to someone. It will be the end user compromise which we’ll see will be the failure. And that’s what the government isn’t investing in. It’s great to say they have a great secure system themselves but again we need to wind the clock back several years and start telling people this is what it means. SUNANDA CREAGH: Just on this hack, how might it have been actually perpetrated? Can you just explain that to me in really basic terms? NIGEL PHAIR: We don’t know yet until the forensic examination is done about how it occurred. Invariably, it was most probably some sort of social engineering attack against someone on the network. Most probably a phishing attack or something similar, where a person is targeted rather than the network itself is targeted. But again, until we know the forensics, we’re just speculating. SUNANDA CREAGH: And those phishing and social engineering attacks, am I right in thinking they mainly focus on trying to get somebody to reveal their password or their login details to another person who is perhaps impersonating somebody else or impersonating an official password reset type email. Is that the sort of thing you mean there about the social engineering? NIGEL PHAIR: Invariably, they are quite unsophisticated attacks. It’s spoofing an organisation or a person. Getting someone, an end user, to reveal login credentials and because we share passwords across multiple logins, that’s how you gain access to a trophy asset. SUNANDA CREAGH: So the lesson there for all of us really is never reuse your password details and get a password manager. Am I right? NIGEL PHAIR: You are right. SUNANDA CREAGH: We’ve heard some commentators saying that this is the new normal, that this type of attack really should be expected in this day and age. What do you think about that? NIGEL PHAIR: It’s been the new normal for quite some time. The reality is, most organisations get hacked just don’t know they’ve been hacked. This is all of a sudden a trophy matter, it’s come at the time where parliament is sitting, so it’s really got some attention in so

21/02/2019

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17 min
18/04/2019

The myth of ‘the Queensland voter’, Australia’s trust deficit, and the path to Indigenous recognition

Today we're asking: what Queensland seats are the ones to watch on election night? How to give Indigenous Australians a true voice in politics? And how can we improve trust in the political system? ShutterstockToday we’re bringing you a special discussion about the federal election that took place at the launch of a book of Conversation essays, Advancing Australia: Ideas for a Better Country. Recorded at Avid Reader bookshop in Brisbane on April 17, the discussion featured Indigenous academic lawyer Eddie Synot from Griffith University and Griffith’s Dean of Engagement, Professor Anne Tiernan. Eddie Synot is currently completing his PhD, taking a hard look at the liberal rights discourse of Indigenous recognition, and has also taught Indigenous Studies. And political scientist Anne Tiernan has worked in and advised Australian governments at all levels, so she knows politics from the inside out. Together with Liz Minchin, the Executive Editor of The Conversation Australia & New Zealand, the panel covered topics including the Queensland seats to watch on election night, how to give Indigenous Australians a true voice in politics, and how to improve trust in the political system. Today’s episode was recorded by Michael Adams from Griffith University. Read more: Our Advancing Australia series is about starting a conversation about what really matters New to podcasts? Podcasts are often best enjoyed using a podcast app. All iPhones come with the Apple Podcasts app already installed, or you may want to listen and subscribe on another app such as Pocket Casts (click here to listen to Trust Me, I’m An Expert on Pocket Casts). You can also hear us on Stitcher, Spotify or any of the apps below. Just pick a service from one of those listed below and click on the icon to find Trust Me, I’m An Expert. Additional audio Kindergarten by Unkle Ho, from Elefant Traks Recording and editing by Michael Adams from Griffith University Additional reading Buy Advancing Australia: Ideas for a Better Country Griffith University’s special election coverage, including interactive maps of Queensland’s 30 federal electorates The Uluru statement showed how to give First Nations people a real voice – now it’s time for action by Griffith University’s Eddie Synot The 14 Indigenous words for money on our new 50 cent coin by the University of Queensland’s Felicity Meakins Explainer: the significance of the Treaty of Waitangi by the University of Waikato’s Sandra Morrison and Ingrid L M Huygens The end of uncertainty? How the 2019 federal election might bring stability at last to Australian politics by University of Canberra’s Michelle Grattan Image Shutterstock

18/04/2019

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53 min
08/04/2021

The zombie company problem and what it means for our economies

In this episode, why some economists are worried about a growing army of "zombie companies" with lots of debts – and what this could mean for the shape of our economies. And the researchers who've found a new way to prevent predators from eating the eggs of endangered birds – via a form of biological, psychological warfare. Welcome to episode 10 of The Conversation Weekly, the world explained by experts. With interest rates at record lows, many companies have been able to borrow money at very little cost. This cheap cash, which was flooding financial markets before the pandemic began, led some companies to rack up big debts. Economists call these “zombie companies” – firms that may struggle to pay the interest on their large debts. It’s a problem that’s been exacerbated by the pandemic, as revenues dried up in many sectors of the economy. Karl Schmedders, professor of finance at the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, explains how zombie companies are born, why the pandemic could have made the problem worse and what might happen next. And Sandy Brian Hager, senior lecturer in international political economy at City, University of London, explains his research about why the size of a company has a bearing on the shape of the recovery ahead. In our second story, we hear about a new technique to protect endangered birds whose nests are often attacked by invasive predators. Scientists used fake smells to trick predators such as ferrets and hedgehogs into ignoring the birds' eggs. Catherine Price, postdoctoral researcher in conservation biology at the University of Sydney, tells us what happened when they tested the idea in the Mackenzie Basin on New Zealand's South Island. And Luthfi Dzulfikar, associate editor at The Conversation in Indonesia, gives us his recommended reads. The Conversation Weekly is produced by Mend Mariwany and Gemma Ware, with sound design by Eloise Stevens. Our theme music is by Neeta Sarl. If you'd like to sign up for The Conversation's free daily newsletter, please subscribe here. To get in touch, find us on Twitter @TC_Audio or on Instagram at theconversationdotcom. Or you can email us on podcast@theconversation.com. Full credits for this episode can be found here. Further reading Takeovers: a tidal wave of buyouts is coming in 2021 – here’s what it means, by Karl Schmedders and Patrick Reinmoeller, International Institute for Management Development (IMD)Attack of zombie companies: don’t let them eat bailouts that are vital to restore the economy, by Robert Earle, University of Zürich; Jung Park and Karl Schmedders, International Institute for Management Development (IMD)Giant firms have a hidden borrowing advantage that has helped keep them on top for decades – new research, by Sandy Brian Hager, City, University of London and Joseph Baines, King's College LondonBiggest companies pay the least tax, leaving society more vulnerable to pandemic – new research, by Sandy Brian Hager, City, University of London and Joseph Baines, King's College LondonScientists used ‘fake news’ to stop predators killing endangered birds — and the result was remarkable, by Peter Banks, University of Sydney and Catherine Price, University of SydneyA study on the undocumented shows the glaring inequality gap in Indonesia's civil registration system, by Widi Sari, Harriz Jati, Meutia Aulia Rahmi, and Santi Kusumaningrum, PUSKAPA (in Bahasa Indonesia)National Film Day: Indonesia's young "santri" are producing film to preserve and criticize the Islamic boarding school tradition, by Ahmad Nuril Huda, Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Intan Lampung (in Bahasa Indonesia)

08/04/2021

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38 min

Listen to experts explain the world around us and tell the stories behind brand new research. Podcasts from The Conversation, an independent source of news and views, sourced from the academic and research community. Shows in English, French and Bahasa Indonesia. Free to listen.