Getting To Better Together

All Episodes (51)

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1. 

   1. The Right Thing to Do

   There is much talk these days about the ethical challenges that generative artificial intelligence technologies pose. While most of us might be hazy about what these are, they themselves are in little doubt. A question to ChatGPT on these lines will result in a list of areas of concern that include job displacement, intellectual property, transparency, bias, and fairness. Upon reflection, there is nothing terribly unexpected here. Any one of us would recognise these matters as raising issues to

   Oct 27,2023 30:22
2. 

   2. No Mean Achievement

   It has recently been announced that the University of the Sunshine Coast has been assessed by the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, as being within the top 2% of more than 1500 universities across the globe for its performance with respect to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It was ranked first in Queensland and sixth among all Australian institutions. Carefully calibrated indicators are used in assessment process to provide comprehensive and balanced comparis

   Sep 28,2023 35:01
3. 

   3. Does this Change Everything?

   The emergence of generative artificial intelligence and easily accessible large language models like ChatGPT, have the capability of challenging our self-perceptions and what we mean by intelligence, sentience, and consciousness. These new technologies have triggered major concerns that AI has or will soon have the capacity to genuinely “change everything”. And as many see it, this is extremely concerning - nothing less than an existential threat to all of humanity. Richard’s guest today, Dr Eri

   Sep 08,2023 30:48
4. 

   4. The Alliance for Suicide Prevention

   The concept of universities engaging with communities and organisations beyond their walls, is a recurring theme throughout this podcast series. Indeed, it was the submission by the distinguished American scholar, Ernest Boyer a quarter of a century ago, that universities should become much more vigorous partners in the search for answers to the most pressing social problems of the day, that was one of the central motivations for us launching this endeavour in the first place.  To date in the se

   Aug 25,2023 29:20
5. 

   5. A Perspective on the Voice

   At some date between August and December of this year, we Australians are going to be asked to vote in a referendum on whether we do or do not approve of altering the nation’s Constitution “to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice”.  The issue is particularly complicated by the long history in this country of fractured relationships between the indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. It is a sobering realisation that it is only 50

   Jul 21,2023 23:27
6. 

   6. Social Entrepreneurship

   While the international development and leadership aspects of the title of our Centre here at the University of the Sunshine Coast are generally well-understood, the meaning of ‘the phrase in the middle’ – social entrepreneurship – is less familiar to many. The word entrepreneurship itself tends to confuse the issue. Images of market-driven, profit seeking commercial enterprises in pursuit of private gain and economic growth readily spring to mind. However, the goals and purposes of social entre

   Jul 14,2023 28:43
7. 

   7. Infrastructure at the Roof of the World

   The merest mention of Nepal evokes immediate images of the majestic grandeur of the Himalayan mountains, of precipitous gorges and mountain passes, and of course, of Mount Everest herself, the highest mountain on the planet, standing some 8.8 thousand metres above sea level. Yet tragically, this country is no paradise on Earth. Literally sandwiched between the two most highly populated and rapidly developing mega-nations, of India to the south and China to the north and east, Nepal, with some 30

   Jun 30,2023 24:20
8. 

   8. The Sacrificial Valley

   All too often it seems, the pressing issues of the day that demand the attention of us all, are just too vast, too remote, too mind-bogglingly complex, that that attention is left wanting.  We leave it to ‘them’ – to governments, corporations, our formal institutions, and so on - to fix the changing climate, the threats to world peace, the instabilities of financial systems, the loss of biodiversity and the quality of the environment. We feel overwhelmed not just by the immensity of the challeng

   Jun 16,2023 28:18
9. 

   9. Some Further Sole Reflections

   In this episode, as a solo presentation, the host of our podcasts, Emeritus Professor Richard Bawden, reflects on the Mission of the mini-series and discusses some of the key challenges that have been highlighted over the past two years and 40 plus episodes of the initiative. The basic purpose of the endeavour, he argues, has been to contribute to critical public discussions about how the most pressing and complex issues of our times might be more responsibly, effectively and collectively addres

   May 19,2023 22:54
10. 

    10. Five Women and a Podcast

    In this episode, the general manager of CIDSEL and special guest for Richard Bawden, Tami Harriott, facilitates a conversation with four highly successful women from South Asia.

    Apr 14,2023 29:03
11. 

    11. Where are our Elders?

    An elder in Aboriginal civilisation has been defined as someone who has gained recognition as a custodian of knowledge and lore – the customs, legends and myths that have been held for millennia. Whilst there are differences within different communities, one common trait among indigenous elders is a deep spirituality – a commitment to a worldview that, at base, means that there is more to life, and indeed to the entire universe, than ‘meets the eye’, so to speak. Some meaningful connection betwe

    Mar 31,2023 28:59
12. 

    12. Storytelling as a Way of Knowing

    In a recent solo episode in this mini-series, our host, Richard Bawden, talked of the significance of three different ways of knowing and their associated bodies of knowledge that he believes are foundational to addressing the pressing issues of this modern industrial era - ecological, economic, and ethical. These, he submitted, are critical foundations for responsible judgements in the face of current and potential challenges to our current ways of behaving in the world about us. Ecology reveal

    Mar 17,2023 26:52
13. 

    13. International Women’s Day

    On March 8th we celebrate the International Woman’s Day [IWD] in Australia - although it would be more accurate to state that this celebration is somewhat conditional, for there remain issues that we need to still address in this country with respect to reaching gender parity. Furthermore, as Australians, with respect to our global responsibilities as citizens of the world, we also need to contribute to the acceleration of the quest for women’s equality across the entire world. There are still f

    Mar 03,2023 27:13
14. 

    14. Making Sense of the World About Us

    In essence, what we each ‘do’ in, and to the world about us, is overwhelmingly influenced by how we each ‘see’ that world: how each of us attempts to make sense of what is happening about us as a prelude for doing something in response. We refer to our ‘way of seeing’ in this context, as our worldviews. These reflect complex sets of beliefs and value assumptions that we hold (but which mostly remain in our sub-consciousness). In the process of growing up, and without appreciating the details, we

    Feb 24,2023 26:51
15. 

    15. Social Entrepreneurship in Action

    When we hear the word ‘entrepreneurship’, the image that all too often springs to mind is less than flattering, to say the least.  “The Wolves of Wall Street at work using someone else’s money to make money for themselves”. “Private gain is the go and Greed is Good”. In reality of course, an entrepreneur is anyone who sets up a business - typically, an innovator and risk taker who is essentially seeking to make honest money through private, personal enterprise. There is, however, a special brand

    Feb 10,2023 26:38
16. 

    16. What’s in a Word?

    Effective communication is an essential aspect of Getting to Better Together. How could we ever achieve anything if we were unable to understand each other: if we fail to agree about the meaning of anything? Yet, at the same time, communication would be virtually impossible if we paused to reflect on matters of meaning and language and understanding every time we said something to someone else. Somehow or another, we seem to muddle through conversations with relative ease once we have reached a

    Jan 13,2023 24:47
17. 

    17. The Magic of Group Consciousness

    What’s significant about togetherness in the pursuit of Getting to Better? Well it would seem that when we really work closely together in some form of collective or other, that we can achieve a state of group consciousness where we feel so immersed in the culture of the group – be it a commercial business, a voluntary organisation, an educational institution, a sporting team, or whatever - that we feel that we are being embraced by a sense of a collective spirit.  It’s not just that we are work

    Dec 23,2022 22:32
18. 

    18. Going Glocal

    The central theme of our podcast mini-series of Getting to Better Together, is that it is only through collaboration that we will be able to deal successfully with the really pressing issues of the day. How can we trigger local community responses to matters, like climate change, that have global dimensions with local impacts? This represents a particular challenge to local governments. How are Shire Councils currently managing the necessary balance between the traditional local preoccupations (

    Nov 04,2022 25:07
19. 

    19. What’s STEM and why is it important?

    In Australia, the service industries now provide virtually four jobs out of five while our exports are dominated by primary resources from mining and agriculture. Whatever happened to our manufacturing industries? When we compare ourselves to other developed economies it would seem that we lag significantly behind them as an industrialised nation and this is in spite of many emerging opportunities. Are we too complacent to care, happy just to rely on what we have been doing successfully for the

    Sep 05,2022 24:00
20. 

    20. Light from within the Gloom

    Over past episodes in this podcast mini-series, we have explored many of the pressing challenges of the day: Most especially the changing climate of the planet and the related global warming have focused our attention. We have talked about the key features and about the appeals by the IPCC and other international and national bodies for policies, strategies and behaviours to change our reliance on fossil fuel.  Energy and transport are two particular areas where very significant changes are poss

    Jul 22,2022 18:50
21. 

    21. The Global Carers

    On one day soon within the coming months, there will be 8 billion of we humans on this planet. Clustered across nearly 200 different nations we will all be hustling and bustling away, to survive in a world that is beset by uncertainties and complex social, economic, cultural, and ecological challenges. Given that most of these challenges have truly global dimensions, how do we rise above our own national concerns? Who will help us think and act beyond our borders? Who are our international guard

    Jun 24,2022 22:44
22. 

    22. And the good news is ...

    Another report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) brings another round of disturbing news about the extent to which the globe continues to warm particularly as a result of the elevated emissions of the so-called green-house gases.  As long as we continue to rely on the burning of fossil fuels as our major source of energy, the greater impact we will have on the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - and thus the continuation of the greenhouse effect. So what i

    Jun 03,2022 24:36
23. 

    23. Sport as Life

    The central theme of this podcast series of Getting to Better Together is that it is only through collaboration that we will be able to deal successfully with the pressing issues of the day.  So how do we get together to address these issues? And how do we figure out what 'better' is in the first place?In this episode, our host Richard Bawden explores these matters from the perspective of sport as a medium for learning to collaborate in the quest for 'betterment' with his guest, Anthony Bedford.

    May 13,2022 26:39
24. 

    24. How Should We Live Our Lives?

    One of the major impediments to progress being made in response to the dire challenges posed by climate change, seems to be our reluctance as human beings to see ourselves as part of nature. In a somewhat refreshing commentary, a new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released in February, suggests that major steps forward could be taken if we were to approach the issue from the perspective of social justice. To concern ourselves with fundamental questions about wha

    Apr 28,2022 28:53
25. 

    25. Harmony Week: Part Two

    In the previous episode in this series, we heard from two young women about their experiences as immigrants into this country. The context set by our host Richard Bawden, was the fact that the recording was made during Harmony Week starting 21st March. A week of celebrations of the cohesion and inclusion in Australia as a multicultural society. In this episode today, Richard talks with two other young women from different countries in the region to explore whether or not they feel included in a

    Mar 25,2022 22:23
26. 

    26. Harmony Week - Part One

    In this week we celebrate nationally what has become known as Harmony week. Established by the Howard government back in 1999, Harmony Day (the 21st March) was intended as a  celebration of cohesion and inclusion within Australian society. It was also to promote a tolerant and culturally diverse society. In this episode we hear from two young women from different countries in the region about their experiences as immigrants into such a claimed culture - is it as good as it gets or is there still

    Mar 22,2022 24:38
27. 

    27. Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders Today

    Not knowing how the future will turn out is a great challenge to those who have to educate today's children to be effective leaders in the world of tomorrow.  As the COVID 19 pandemic illustrates so poignantly, the world is likely to throw up more and more issues that are inherently complex and filled with uncertainties and even unknowables.So how do we school the young folk of today?  Richard's guest this morning is a very experienced 'old hand' at these matters. Don Maconachie, who is a Distin

    Feb 11,2022 22:27
28. 

    28. Getting Better, Together

    The basic assumption of getting to better together is that, when faced with common concerns, people will want to do that - or at least recognise that they (we!) need to do so. Even when these concerns are pressing, however, all too often, we simply ignore the need for communal discussion and action and hope that the proverbial ‘others’ will act in our interests.Richard’s guest in this episode, Professor Valerie Brown, has been attacking this dilemma as both a very distinguished researcher and a

    Jan 28,2022 25:20
29. 

    29. Some Thoughts

    The end of the year is nigh, and this calls for some reflections on our journey of Getting to Better Together over the past twelve months. This episode is a solo effort by our host Richard Bawden. Rather than presenting a synopsis of all twenty or so episodes to date however, Richard looks for signs of betterment across three particularly pressing issues of global concern: The Covid pandemic, global warming, and the state of democracy.  He finds some room for optimism on at least two of these fr

    Dec 23,2021 23:27
30. 

    30. The Great Reset

    At its 50th annual meeting in June 202, the World Economic Forum recognising the profound socio-economic instabilities associated with the COVID19 pandemic, argued that this presented opportunities to reset global priorities. Such a Great Reset would focus on rebuilding a more equitable resilient society in a sustainable way, based on environmental, social and governance metrics. More green public infrastructure projects would be a central feature reflecting an embrace of concerns for environmen

    Dec 10,2021 23:16
31. 

    31. Wantok

    When we are up to our eyes in our own crises, it is pretty difficult to appreciate the plight of others who are having to face challenges of an even greater magnitude.  Take the case of the COVID pandemic.  It is true that the wretched virus has had a very serious systemic impact on us here in Australia. At least we have been able to rely on formal support networks such as robust health and financial support systems and mature, extensive and reliable communication channels, all operating within

    Nov 19,2021 25:20
32. 

    32. Listen Again: Learning from the Future

    In this episode, our host Richard Bawden talks with Oliver Freeman who is a futurist and one of the pre-eminent scenario planners in Australia.  The conversation ranges over a number of issues related to the theme of developing foresight or learning from the future. This is of huge significance given the turbulence of the complex and ever-changing times in which we are living.

    Nov 12,2021 21:44
33. 

    33. The Need for Reflexivity

    What each of us does in (and to) the world about us is essentially determined by how we see that world: Our behaviours and practices are functions of our perspectives which, in turn, are shaped by particular sets of beliefs and assumptions that we hold about such matters as the nature of nature, the nature of human nature, and the nature of knowledge. These foundations comprise what we refer to as our worldviews and our very lives are expressions of them.Richard’s guest in this episode, Emeritus

    Oct 29,2021 23:42
34. 

    34. Pandemics, Politics and Public Health

    As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have such a frightening impact right across the world, it exposes very significant deficiencies, in so many different ways, to the quest of Getting to Better Together.  In the first place, there continues to be a lack of shared understanding of knowledge about the basic science of viruses and other infectious disease agents, and how they spread through communities to achieve pandemic status. Adding significantly to the complexity to the situation is an all t

    Oct 15,2021 27:13
35. 

    35. The Science is In.

    Scientific report after scientific report reinforces the evidence that though a host of different ways, we humans have been contributing to profound changes in the climate of our planet - or to be more precise, of the planet that we share with a myriad of other living organisms.  As Richard's guest in this episode explains, these changes, that have become increasingly apparent over the past half century or so, represent some very serious threats not just to the well-being of our own species, but

    Oct 01,2021 25:44
36. 

    36. Getting Reconnected

    With four out of every five of we Australians now living in towns or cities, it is perhaps not surprising that we have become disconnected to nature.  The prevailing sense is that the countryside is 'out there' somewhere beyond our urban limits, only to be encountered as we drive through it on the way to holiday destinations on the coast. Richard's guest in this episode is someone who has long been committed to doing something about this situation through education.  Professor Tonia Gray, a dist

    Sep 17,2021 23:04
37. 

    37. What Are Universities For?

    It is well known, of course, that universities teach undergraduate students, and that some of them have been doing that for literally hundreds of years.  But the modern university is much more than a teaching academy. As Emeritus Professor Robert Elliot, the guest of this episode reminds us, through their major involvement in research and other scholarly activities, they are essentially in the business of generating and sharing knowledge through community engagement as well as formal teaching. T

    Sep 02,2021 22:55
38. 

    38. A Youthful Voice

    The state of the world tomorrow will belong to the youth of today. How does the current younger generation feel about that prospect? With all the current turmoil on so many social, economic, political, and environmental fronts, can today's young people be at all optimistic about the future that they will have to encounter?  Richard's youthful guest in this episode certainly thinks so.  Listening to his interview with the very talented Creole Wihongi, an International Studies and Law student at t

    Aug 21,2021 20:49
39. 

    39. Food for Thought

    There are very few issues more relevant or immediate to our theme of Getting to Better Together, than the food that we eat. Indeed we can argue that the quality of our food is absolutely central to the quality of our lives.  And this all starts with a concern for the way that our food is produced and distributed. These are issues that our host Richard Bawden pursues in this episode with his guest Amber Scott who not only holds to this principle with a passion, but who does everything that she ca

    Aug 08,2021 20:37
40. 

    40. Doing Politics Differently - Unleashing the Power of the Community

    From time to time, something happens in the Australian political sphere that restores our collective faith in a grassroots participative democracy that places Getting to Better Together at the forefront of consideration.  Cathy McGowan's community-based election and parliamentary tenure on the crossbenches of Federal parliament from 2013-19 as the independent member for Indi in northern Victoria, provided a quite remarkable example of such an episode.  In this interview with our host Richard Baw

    Jul 19,2021 22:07
41. 

    41. Listen Again: Exploring Worldviews

    In this episode, our host Richard Bawden has a conversation about differing views of the world with Maria Raciti who is a professor of marketing and director of the indigenous and transcultural research centre at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

    Jul 03,2021 29:43
42. 

    42. Learning from the Future

    In this episode, our host Richard Bawden talks with Oliver Freeman who is a futurist and one of the pre-eminent scenario planners in Australia.  The conversation ranges over a number of issues related to the theme of developing foresight or learning from the future. This is of huge significance given the turbulence of the complex and ever-changing times in which we are living.

    Jun 18,2021 21:44
43. 

    43. Listen Again: Mapping the Territory

    Professor Richard Bawden explores ideas, opinions, provide facts and evidence in support of the aim of getting to better together.

    Jun 05,2021 28:11
44. 

    44. Education for Sustainable Development

    Jen Dollin is responsible for education for sustainable futures at Western Sydney University and in this conversation with Richard, she explains what this entails. With her emphasis on networking both locally and internationally, Jen provided a wonderful example of Getting to Better Together within the vital context of sustainable futures.

    May 23,2021 24:16
45. 

    45. A Voice From The World of Business

    All too often when we talk of participation in the search for community and environmental betterment, we forget about the role that corporations could and should play and indeed are playing in actuality. In this episode, we speak with a past business leader, Howard Dare, whose personal story certainly deserves to be heard in this regard.

    May 09,2021 17:46
46. 

    46. Thoughtful and Committed Citizens

    In this episode, our host-Richard Bawden has a conversation with Tony Wellington, the author of a wonderfully evocative book illustrated with Noosa and Cooloola's beautiful photographs. In this well-researched book, Tony narrates the 50 years history of the Noosa Parks Association that provides a very powerful and relevant 'living example' of the powerful impact that a group of "thoughtful and committed citizens" can have on shaping a local region's developmental visions and strategies.

    Apr 25,2021 21:26
47. 

    47. The Good Life

    Roger Packham is an Associate Professor at Western Sydney, who has had a long passion for, and practical experience as an educator with the vital issue of how our values, especially our ethical and moral beliefs, influence the way that we live our lives. These are matters that lie at the very foundations of our characters. In this episode, Roger will outline some of the basic principles that characterise these foundations. 

    Apr 10,2021 21:50
48. 

    48. The Importance of Together

    In this episode, the emphasis will be on the significance of the 'Together' part of our message. Our guest will Tami Harriott who is the General Manager of CIDSEL and the primary source of the original idea and the inspiration for its establishment. This conversation highlights the importance of engagement and social inclusion within the process of development as the equitable quest for 'betterment'. 

    Mar 02,2021 22:38
49. 

    49. Early Reflections

    In this episode, our host, Richard Bawden, does some brief clarifying reflections on the podcast episodes that we have produced so far. He revisits some of the issues that we have aired to date, within more specific contexts of Getting to Better Together including the UN’s sustainable development goals.

    Feb 04,2021 20:15
50. 

    50. Exploring worldviews

    In this episode, our host Richard Bawden has a conversation about differing views of the world with Maria Raciti who is professor of marketing and director of the indigenous and transcultural research centre at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

    Dec 24,2020 29:43
51. 

    51. Mapping the Territory

    Professor Richard Bawden explores ideas, opinions, provide facts and evidence in support of the aim of getting to better together. 

    Nov 29,2020 28:11