In this episode of The Five Minute Advocate, Julie Macken critiques a recent amendment passed by the Albanese government that exempts Border Force officers from workplace laws protecting asylum seekers during boat interceptions. She argues that this dangerous exemption, supported by both major political parties, dismisses concerns from the Human Rights Committee and undermines basic human rights.

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This week on The Five Minute Advocate, Michael Walker explores the concept of negativity bias and argues that the media’s exploitation of this bias has led to an overemphasis on negative news which has in turn skewed worldviews, our perceptions of other societal challenges and thus our active citizenship. Michael does introduce two initiatives aimed at countering negativity bias: Amplify, which seeks to provide constructive political discourse, and The Australian Peace and Security Forum, which focuses on envisioning and discussing a peaceful and secure future, rather than just avoiding war. Michael argues that our collective health is being undermined by our negativity bias and urges us to be more intentional about the information we consume and the real world challenges we tackle.

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This week on the Five Minute Advocate Eva Cox revisits the issue of Australia’s chilcare sector, specifically reflecting on its shift from being community led and controlled services, to what it is today – overwhelmingly privatised. Eva calls for the government to assume greater responsibility in the sector, to view and provide childcare as community service and to prioritise accessibility over profit as a means to rebuild trust between citizens and policy makers.

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