Notes on Adelaide

Trudy Lin is a dentist but also an activist – and her primary measure of success is ensuring everyone has the capacity to eat, speak and smile. Trudy is one of only a handful of special needs dentists in Australia but she says the need in this underfunded area is huge. She makes a compelling case for oral health care as a human rights issue – as she puts it, she wants to create a world where a smile is no longer a barrier to feeling accepted, finding a job, and living to your full potential. For the 2022 Young South Australian of the Year, her professional passion comes from a very personal place. She joins us today. To follow Trudy’s work go to: https://trudysmile.net/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1946, sharp-eyed geologist Reg Sprigg noticed some strange patterns in the rocks of the Flinders Ranges. What he had discovered was a groundbreaking a fossil record of complex creatures dating back 550 million years. The Ediacara fossils were – and remain – the earliest record of complex multi-cellular animals on the planet. While the site is world famous with scientists, many South Australians are unaware of its existence, despite a campaign to have Flinders Ranges world heritage-listed. That could be about to change, with materials about the fossils and their significance being introduced to the Year 8 curriculum for the first time next year. And now – for anyone who is interested – you can do a virtual dive into those shallow, warm ancient sees to swim with the Eediacaran creatures. On the podcast this week, David Washington is joined by InDaily senior journalist Belinda Willis, and University of South Australia geology professor Tom Raimondo who has led the project to bring these fossils to virtual life. Belinda Willis’s reporting for InDaily on this project is here – https://indaily.com.au/news/science-and-tech/2022/12/02/calls-for-more-local-learning-as-sa-fossils-make-the-science-curriculum/ The UniSA team’s virtual reality project can be found here – https://www.projectlive.org.au/ For more about the Nilpena Ediacara National Park, SALIFE visited earlier in the year - https://salife.com.au/people-places/set-in-stone-nilpena-ediacara-national-park/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last weekend was a historic coming together of two key moments in women’s sport. The AFLW premiership was decided, with Melbourne winning its first premiership, and the Adelaide Strikers won its first title in cricket’s WBBL. It was a weekend of high-profile, nationally televised sport that wouldn’t have seemed likely just a few decades ago, with both sporting codes once entrenched in the nation’s mind as the pinnacle of Australian masculinity. But women have played both sports for decades – despite little support in the past from governing bodies or the media. That has changed – seemingly in the blink of an eye. On the podcast this week, David Washington is joined by Liz Walsh, a journalist who has charted the rise of elite women’s cricket and football to discuss how far we’ve come – and where to next. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In South Australia's north lies an alien landscape - scarred by more than a century of mining. The huge site desperately needs further rehabilitation but, in this week's episode, we detail allegations of regulatory failure in relation to this and many other mine sites across the country. For almost 150 years, the hills of Mount Gunson have been mined for copper – a metal integral to South Australia’s modern history and increasingly important for the world’s electrified future. The huge site – south of Woomera – has passed through many hands over the time, with mining companies riding numerous copper booms, making their money and moving on. Today, Mount Gunson’s mining past has left huge scars on the country – the legacy of 50,000 trucks’ worth of copper being pulled out of this epic landscape. We’ve been told this is a classic case study in a worrying phenomenon across Australia – a mining landscape left largely unrehabilitated. Joining us on the podcast this week is CityMag reporter Angela Skujins and RMIT researcher Gavin Mudd. Angela Skujins' story on Mount Gunson is in the summer 2022 print edition of CityMag. To find your nearest outlet to pick up a free copy, go here. To find out more about Gavin Mudd's research, go here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The public has spoken and Team Adelaide has been all but vanquished in the city council elections. This week, we take a closer look at this unusual blip in the history of local democracy in Adelaide. Team Adelaide – a collection of aligned candidates who essentially took power at Town Hall after the 2018 local government elections – prompts strong reactions. After four very acrimonious years, we look back on Town Hall’s acrimonious experiment with factional politics. Joining us first is Bension Siebert, the former InDaily reporter who broke the story. Later we’ll be joined by InDaily’s Stephanie Richards and CityMag’s Angela Skujins. For InDaily and CityMag’s coverage of Town Hall, go here: https://indaily.com.au/tag/adelaide-city-council/ For InDaily’s coverage of Team Adelaide, go here: https://indaily.com.au/tag/team-adelaide/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has focused attention on the social media platform’s worst aspects. But there was a time in Adelaide when the site brought people together. Musk has one key connection with South Australia – his “big battery” which was the biggest of its kind when installed in 2017. And it was Twitter that made that happen. Today, we’re going to travel back to the early days of Twitter – an idea that was spawned by a couple of tech guys working for a podcasting company back in 2006, and which went on to change the world. To help us through Twitter’s local impact is Michelle Prak. She’s now a writer and university teacher, but was once a social media consultant and one of the most influential Adelaideans on Twitter in its early years. LINKS For InDaily’s coverage of Twitter go here – https://indaily.com.au/tag/twitter/ To follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/indaily For the regional showcase winners - https://indaily.com.au/events/regional-news/2022/11/07/the-spirit-of-rural-south-australia-celebrated-at-regional-awards-night/ Michelle Prak’s forthcoming novel is being published by Simon & Schuster. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week’s episode, we explore how a partnership between Adelaide researchers, Vanuatu cocoa farmers and Australian chocolate makers has turned a so-so crop into one of the best in the world. While the cocoa bean doesn’t grow in South Australia, we have a powerful connection with chocolate through companies like Haigh’s – for years, one of the only chocolate-makers in Australia that created its products from scratch – from bean to bar. South Australia also has a great history in agricultural research. This week, we’re talking about how South Australian expertise is helping one of our South Pacific neighbours improve the quality of their cocoa from unusable by high end chocolatiers, to being judged as among the best in the world. Joining us this week are Professor Randy Stringer from the Centre for Global Food and Resources at the University of Adelaide, and Sandrine Wallez, the manager of Activ Association – a not-for-profit organisation facilitating fair trade for local producers in Vanuatu. She also runs her own chocolate company, Aelan Chocolate. They’re joined by InDaily senior journalist Belinda Willis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we explore the implications of rising River Murray water levels in this wet and wild spring. It’s a time of trepidation for river communities, but the environmental impacts could be profound. Floods in Victoria and some historic dumps of rain on this side of the border have authorities rushing to shore up levees and provide sandbags for river communities. What does it all mean for water levels in the River Murray – and what about the environmental consequences? Joining David Washington on the podcast this week is InDaily senior journalist Belinda Willis, an experienced writer on the River Murray, and Environment Department water expert Chrissie Bloss. To read InDaily’s reporting on the River Murray, go here: https://indaily.com.au/tag/river-murray/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They’ve been called Nimbys and park narcs, but those who devote themselves to protecting and celebrating Adelaide’s park lands say they are involved in an essentially democratic project – to keep the city’s unique green belt open to everyone in the community. The State Government’s proposal to bulldoze the heritage listed Thebarton police barracks to build a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital has caused uproar in heritage circles. But behind this debate is something deeper, more quintessentially South Australian – a profound disagreement about the piece of urban design that defines how our capital city looks, feels and operates – Colonel Light’s celebrated park lands. To gain some insight into the passion of our park lands purists, this week we speak with Shane Sody – a former radio journalist, sometime audio book narrator, and president of the Adelaide Park Lands Association. For InDaily’s reporting on the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital, go here - https://indaily.com.au/tag/womens-and-childrens-hospital/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the themes of state politics this year has been a relentless focus on jammed hospital emergency departments, with ambulances ramped outside. The new Labor Government promised to fix the ramping crisis. It hasn’t done that – if anything, things are now worse. What this political imperative means is that hospitals remain under the political spotlight and the focus of government health spending. But what about the mental health crisis that has been building for years? This month is Mental Health Awareness Month and advocates are using the occasion to argue for a shift in investment beyond hospitals – a ‘traumatised system’ that is struggling. The Mental Health Coalition, which represents non-government organisations in the field, says they want to see more investment in community-based mental health support. Geoff Harris, the executive director of the coalition, joins the podcast in this episode. Links: InDaily’s mental health coverage, including Geoff’s recent opinion piece More information about psychosocial support If this episode has raised issues for you, call LifeLine on 13 11 14. Beyond Blue and headspace are other national organisations that offer comprehensive mental health support. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

South Australia has a well-earned reputation as a renewable energy state. Yet, our biggest company – by a long way – is in the fossil fuel business. Every year for the past eight years, InDaily has published a yearly ranking of the biggest local companies - the South Australian Business Index – based on market capitalisation. While there are sometimes surprises, there is always one constant - at number one on the list, overshadowing all others by a huge margin, is the Adelaide-headquartered oil and gas giant Santos. How big is Santos’s contribution to the local economy and what does that mean for South Australians at a time in which the community, and investors, are increasingly questioning the ethics of investment in fossil fuel companies? Today, we talk about Santos: bigger than an elephant in Adelaide’s corporate jungle, it really is the Mammoth in the Room. For the latest South Australian Business Index rankings, to InDaily’s business pages: https://indaily.com.au/tag/sa-business-index-2022/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should we be imprisoning children as young as 10 in South Australia? In this week's episode, we explore alternatives to detention for children who come in contact with the justice system. A campaign to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 is gaining traction – but there’s been a recent backlash from Police questioning how that will work. To explain what they believe needs to happen to keep kids out of detention, we’re joined in this week's episode by Cheryl Axleby – co-chair of Change the Record – the national campaign to raise the age of criminal responsibility, and Ross Womersley – CEO of SACOSS – who’s supporting the push. You can read more about this issue, by following this link to InDaily. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did South Australia’s lose its edge in arts and culture infrastructure and what can be done to fix it? This week’s episode was recorded last week at the Lab – one of the venues at LIGHT – a not-for-profit arts and hospitality venture on Light Square. The Spotlight on the Arts forum is an initiative of LIGHT and InReview – a not-for-profit venture from Solstice Media designed to rekindle arts reviewing and critique in South Australia. This is the second in our Spotlight series (the first focused on funding artists and was podcast previously), you can listen to the first episode here. As one of our panelists points out, while South Australia has some great cultural venues, overall the picture isn’t good – particularly when we compare ourselves to other states. Joining David Washington to unpack the issues is Rachel Healy, well known for her long stint in charge of the Adelaide Festival, the CEO of UKARIA Alison Beare and eminent composer and past director of the Elder Conservatorium of Music Graeme Koehne. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there a better litmus test of the life of the city than The Exeter? In this week’s episode, we venture to the front bar of the much-loved Rundle Street pub. We revisit a conversation with Kevin Gregg, The Exeter’s long-standing publican, that we recorded in 2019 - before anyone had ever heard the terms COVID or lockdown. Kevin reflects on the role the pub has played across generations in drawing together people from all walks of life. Later in the podcast, you’ll hear a new conversation with Kevin, recorded in the past few days. How has the establishment survived the pandemic years? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up and down the coast, you’ll increasingly find South Australians happily jumping into the freezing water, despite our long, cold winter. In this week’s episode we meet some lovers of the cold who believe it’s doing them a world of good. First, we go down to the Fleurieu Peninsua, where retired fashion designer Glenda Eichner and her friends dip into the waters of Second Valley every day – no matter the temperature – all decked out in designer togs created by Glenda herself. Since she became involved in the Second Valley Swimming Association, Glenda has also discovered the Wim Hof method – an increasingly popular practice that features cold water exposure. Wim Hof, though, named after the Dutchman who came up with it, takes the idea of a dip in cold seawater to whole new levels. Joining us also in this episode is Kym Burls – an Adelaide Wim Hof instructor who takes us through how and why adherents are prepared to subject themselves to extreme cold, if only for short bursts. For SALIFE’s story on Glenda and her friends, go here. For the magazine’s profile of Kym Burls, go here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pandemic led to a boom in backyard gardening – a historic trend in times of crisis as people turn to things they can control; activities that also make them feel good and put good food on their plate. But in South Australia in recent years there’s been another gardening trend – green thumbs getting out into the wider world to protect, grow and remake the local environment. In this episode, SALIFE editor Penny Yap is joined this week by the magazine’s gardening expert Kim Syrus, with the tale of the St Peter’s billabong – a reclaimed wild place in the midst of suburbia, and Daniel May from Trees for Life, with the story of the seed bank that is helping to drive revegetation projects. To read Kim Syrus’s SALIFE story about the St Peter’s billabong, go here - https://salife.com.au/gardens/community-growth-at-st-peters-billabong/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week’s episode, Simon Royal’s exploration of a troubling, unsolved mystery in Adelaide more than 50 years ago, led him to the stories of women who were caught up in often tragic legal and social consequences. Warning: This episode contains material that may be distressing for some listeners. Journalist Simon Royal has been a regular guest on this podcast, talking about his deep dives for into some troubling episodes in South Australian history.InDaily One of those stories – The Boy Who didn’t Matter – explored the mysterious death of 19-year-old Wayne Craill in the River Torrens in 1971. That story sparked a search through historical Coronial records and something else began to catch Simon’s reporter’s eye – the multiple deaths of women from so-called backyard abortions. As Simon discovered, as he searched more records and newspaper cuttings, the legal position in South Australia up until 1969 had tragic consequences for individual women. It’s a terrible story – but an important one – and Simon joins us today. Read Simon’s story on this topic here - https://indaily.com.au/news/2022/08/12/named-shamed-interrogated-while-dying-the-women-the-law-put-last/ For more of Simon’s work for InDaily go here - https://indaily.com.au/contributors/simon-royal-2/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can South Australia’s health system move beyond crisis mode? The problems seems intractable but there are proven answers. Political reality dictates that our government – which promised to fix the ramping crisis – will focus on a short-term fix for over-crowded hospitals. But what’s really behind the high level of hospitalisations and what can be done about it in the long term? Joining us today is Professor Fran Baum, the professor of health equity at Adelaide University’s Stretton Institute, to talk through the evidence for changing our approach to health. For more of InDaily’s reporting on this issue, go here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the past five years, few people in South Australian public life have had a weight of responsibility as heavy as that of Penny Wright. Penny is the Guardian for Children and Young People – it’s her job to advocate for children and young people in care in South Australia. Technically, the kids she represents are under the guardianship of the chief executive of the Department for Child Protection – they could be living with relatives, a foster family, in residential care or even living independently. As she leaves the role, she talks to us about the system that’s supposed to care for our most vulnerable children: its strengths and weaknesses, and the reality of life for many children in care in this state. Also joining us is InDaily reporter Stephanie Richards, who has covered Penny’s time as guardian in detail. Penny Wright’s final article for InDaily – on issues with the youth detention centre – can be read here. For more reporting on her work, go here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Freedom of Information laws are meant to lead to more open government but, in reality, they often have the opposite effect. Why do those who are meant to represent us try so hard to keep us in the dark - and what can you do to foil their plans? This week we get advice on negotiating the FOI system from Rex Patrick – a self-styled transparency warrior who, until recently, was an independent senator for South Australia. Patrick tells us about the battles he has fought and won with the federal and state governments and his newest campaign against the Adelaide City Council’s secrecy. You can read more about Patrick’s city council concerns in this InDaily article – Rex Patrick takes aim at old Le Cornu site secrecy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.