Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today
Episodes
The Commonwealth—relic of empire of or society of equals?
09 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The modern-day Commonwealth emerged out of the British Empire. Can it separate itself from this colonial past and its legacy of slavery and racism?
Tall and supertall — New York skyscrapers
02 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The sky’s the limit for New York City skyscrapers, from the Art Deco delights of the Chrysler Building to today’s controversial supertalls.
The Australian Public Service — frank and fearless or timid and ineffective?
25 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After decades of cutbacks, pay freezes and allegations of politicisation, is the Australian Public Service still able to give the government of the ...
World Heritage—too much of a good thing?
18 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The World Heritage Convention has become a victim of its own success, with increasing political pressure sidelining expert advice and the deluge of s...
Nordic criminal justice — people not prisoners
11 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Scandinavian prisons the focus is on rehabilitation not punishment.
Golf war—LIV and the battle for pro golf
04 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
LIV, a new professional golf competition backed by Saudi Arabia, has created bitter division among players, challenging the future shape of the game....
If microchips are the new oil, Taiwan is the new Saudi Arabia
28 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Taiwan today produces ninety per cent of the world’s most sophisticated microchips that power everything from our smart phone and laptops to milita...
Hostage diplomacy
21 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Secret trials and overblown sentences are the hallmarks of state hostage-taking. What can governments do when their citizens are wrongfully detained ...
Under Review—The Reserve Bank of Australia
14 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Decisions made by the Reserve Bank affect so much of our lives—from our mortgage repayments to the cost of supermarket items. For the first time in...
E-books—winners and losers
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The e-book has turned the book industry upside down affecting bookshops, publishers, authors, libraries and readers.This program was first broadcast ...
How history can help shape the debate about an Indigenous voice to Parliament.
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are calling for an Indigenous Voice to parliament. While they haven’t...
Britain after Brexit
31 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Britons were promised an economy free from European regulation and the right to make their own laws once they left the EU. Instead, British businesse...
The ozone hole—how the world averted an environmental disaster.
24 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1970s, scientists warned of a potential natural disaster – the destruction of the ozone layer by CFCs, chemicals commonly used in fridges an...
Binge drinking and Dry July - Two sides of Australia’s drinking culture
17 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Choosing to not drink is a pretty big thing in this country. Globally we’re well up there in terms of consumption levels and risky drinking - alcoh...
Papua New Guinea’s Election—Democracy with a difference
10 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
PNG has hundreds of languages groups, almost a thousand tribes and is one of only four nations globally that doesn’t have any women in parliament. ...
How did it come to this — the energy crisis we had to have?
03 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Australia has everything it needs to produce electricity - coal, gas, sun, and wind. Yet we've wound up with energy shortages and huge price hikes. H...
United States Supreme Court
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The selection of a new justice to the United States Supreme Court is frequently controversial and almost always political. It’s a 'captain's pick' ...
The economics of Inflation—Science, Craft, or Snake Oil
26 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
None of us need to be told that prices are going up or that interest rates are following. We are clearly now in a period of inflation which may or ma...
Not Quite Australian - What’s Australia’s problem with New Zealanders?
19 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Despite being the closest of neighbours, for the last decade there’s been a worsening Trans-Tasman spat as New Zealanders in Australia are refused ...
The NRA—Its history and its influence on the gun debate in America
12 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s hard-to-understand America’s relationship with guns. Gun deaths and school shooting are commonplace in American communities – yet US polit...
Predicting the weather—a history of the forecast
05 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We take for granted the accuracy of predictions and warnings put out by our weather forecasters. Once, weather predictions were the butt of jokes but...
Zero-COVID in China—the social economic and political cost
29 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While the rest of the world is learning to live with COVID-19, China is still following its zero-COVID policy with citywide lockdowns, mass testing a...
Sri Lanka—failed state
22 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Street protests and violence have accompanied Sri Lanka’s worst economic downturn since independence in 1948. What is behind the blackouts and acut...
Trouble in the ‘family’—Australia’s relationship with its Pacific neighbours
15 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The recent signing of the security pact between China and the Solomon Island has sent shock waves through the Federal election campaign. Questions ar...
The Marcos revival—from pariahs to the presidency in the Philippines
08 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If Ferdinand Marcos Junior wins this week’s presidential election as expected, it will cap off a most remarkable come-back for a family exiled in t...
Roe v Wade
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A draft ruling leaked to the press suggests the US Supreme Court is preparing to overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark ruling guaranteeing abortion right...
Germany’s Ruhr—from coal mines to culture
01 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For over one hundred years, the Ruhr region was the grimy, polluted heart of Germany’s coal and steel. Today it has no coal mines. Instead, it is a...
The Greens—politics and the environment
23 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this year’s election campaign, well-funded independents are arguing for a better approach to managing climate change. What might this mean for t...
Chocolate—the world’s most seductive treat and its dark shadow
17 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chocolate is one of our most popular indulgences but there is a darker side to the industry – one connected with colonialism, the industrial revolu...
President Emmanuel Macron — his brilliant career
10 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Five years ago, Emmanuel Macron became France’s youngest-ever president at the age of thirty-nine. It was a stunning victory, the result of a bold ...
The history of international criminal law
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Human history is littered with atrocities and genocides committed during war and for centuries civilised nations have struggled to deal with this kin...
The far-right in France—where does it come from and why is it so popular?
03 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The two far-right candidates, Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour, are expected to do well in the forthcoming French presidential election. Why is the Rig...
Brisbane—city of floods
27 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Brisbane is a city all too familiar with floods, despite decades of dredging, straightening and dam building. Although each flood is remembered for t...
Cyclone Tracy—one of Australia’s worst natural disasters and what the government did
20 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin early on Christmas morning in 1974. Within hours, a coordinated national response was underway and within three years the ci...
Gabriel Borich and Chile’s rebirth
13 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
At thirty-six, Chile’s new president is only just old enough to hold the job. Does he have what it takes to help Chile finally escape the shadow of...
Russia and China—a special relationship or a new world order?
06 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
China and Russia have what they describe as a very special relationship, one that some analysts claim is establishing a new world order. What role di...
Barbados farewells the Queen—any lessons for Australia?
27 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In November, Barbados, a tiny Caribbean island, replaced the Queen as its head of state with a Barbadian president. How did Barbados succeed where Au...
Conflict in Ukraine—Putin’s fear of NATO
20 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For weeks, Russian troops have massed on the Ukrainian border. It’s still unclear if Europe will be plunged into war or if a diplomatic solution ca...
Passports, borders and identity—the story of the essential travel item
13 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Fortress Australia crumbles, Rear Vision dusts off the history of the passport.
The power of the purse—the battle between the states and the commonwealth
06 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since the onset of the Covid pandemic, state and territory leaders have emerged as key players in dealing with the crisis. They have also increasing ...
Big Pharma and the Covid windfall
30 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Most of the drug companies that developed Covid vaccines have made massive profits. But where does the money and scientific research for these medica...
The week that changed the world—President Nixon's visit to China in 1972 and his meeting with Chairman Mao
23 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
China is one of the key diplomatic and economic power on the planet today. Yet just 50 years ago it was one of the poorest and most isolated nations ...
Psychedelics—the curious journey from medical lab to party drug and back again
16 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Around the world there is a rapidly growing body of scientific evidence suggesting that psychedelic drugs are safe and highly effective when used und...
Tax cuts for the rich—do we all benefit?
09 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For fifty years, governments have cut taxes for corporations and the wealthiest people, arguing that this will stimulate the economy and lead to pros...
Politics in the bush—the story of the Nats
02 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Barnaby Joyce’s return to the leadership of the National Party is bound to stir things up in Australian politics. Where does he fit in the story of...
The Suez Canal—ambition, colonial greed, revolution and the ditch that reshaped global trade.
26 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Suez Canal is one of the world’s most vital trade routes. It’s the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe and about 12% of global trade pa...
Edward and Harry—the men who left the royal family
19 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Prince Harry’s decision to renounce his royal role was not the first time a member of the British monarchy decided to opt out. Almost a century ago...
False accounting—why calories don’t add up
12 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are calories and can you lose weight by eating fewer of them? The story of the calorie shadows the Western struggle with diet and obesity.
Bangladesh—the creation of a nation
05 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fifty years ago, a genocidal crackdown, a war of liberation, an overwhelming flood of refugees and finally, military conflict between India and Pakis...
Medical conspiracy theories through the ages
28 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Despite popular belief, medical conspiracy theories aren’t new. What can we learn from their ancient history and about the people who believe in th...
A history of pharmacy—from apothecaries to Australia’s protected industry
21 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pharmacists stopped making their own medicines and began selling ready-made drugs almost a century ago. In Australia, it led to an unusual arrangemen...
Superpower rivalry or a new Cold War?
14 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Commentators are talking about a new Cold War between the world’s two great powers but are there any similarities between the Cold War – between ...
Anti-corruption commissions—‘star chambers’ or the best way to ensure integrity in public life?
07 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What role do these agencies play in ensuring that politicians and the rest of our public sector behave the right way?
Samoa—a bumpy ride for the first female prime minister
31 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, elected earlier this year, is taking a strong stand on climate change, challenging the Australian government to do more to cut ...
E-books—winners and losers
24 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The e-book has turned the book industry upside down affecting bookshops, publishers, authors, libraries and readers.
Taiwan—isolated but not alone
17 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Taiwan is one of the world’s key economies, yet it belongs to no international organisations and isn’t a member of the UN. Why is Taiwan diplomat...
Out of the office—from telecommuting to working from home
10 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While working from home during the pandemic has been a novel and sometimes difficult experience for office workers, companies and their employees hav...
Cybercrime
03 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While cybercrime and cybersurveillance are commonplace today, how many of us understand their effect our everyday lives? What’s revealed in the his...
Germany after Merkel
26 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many Germans have only ever known one chancellor – Angela Merkel. Voters are about to choose a new leader for the first time in sixteen years and t...
Rural health care—from bush medicine to the pandemic
19 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The spread of the delta variant of Covid from the cities to rural and regional Australia has exposed weaknesses in the health system. Rear Vision tra...
The September 11 attacks—rumours, conspiracy theories and the day that changed aviation forever
12 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Almost three thousand people died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States. All planes were grounded and rumours and conspiracy theories sw...
Carbon capture and storage—an expensive distraction or the answer to global warming?
05 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The federal government believes the way to lower Australia’s carbon emissions is through technology and one of the technologies it is backing is ca...
Politics in the bush—the story of the Nats
29 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Barnaby Joyce’s return to the leadership of the National Party is bound to stir things up in Australian politics. Where does he fit in the story of...
Afghanistan—the land of failed invasion
22 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Afghanistan has been invaded by foreign armies five times in less than 200 years. Every occupation ultimately failed. What can we learn from this hi...
Who are the Taliban?
15 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Taliban emerged from the rubble of the Soviet-Afghan war and in turn were ousted by the US led War on Terror. Twenty years on, the Americans and ...
Violence and inequality — how the end of apartheid failed black South Africa
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 1990s, Nelson Mandela and his political party, the ANC, ended apartheid peacefully but the leaders of the new democracy did not address ...
The Cold War Games
01 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Tokyo Olympics have gone ahead despite the global pandemic, but it’s the not the first-time world events have conspired against the games. 40 y...