Tunefm

A question on gender identity and sexuality will now be included on the 2026 census, as the federal government comes under fire from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. However, the ABS will not be including a question on intersex populations. Treasury Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh said the topic was too technically complex to collect high quality data. TuneFM caught up with Dr Aileen Kennedy, the chair of Intersex Human Rights Australia, to discuss the matter. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listeners are advised that this interview contains discussion of topics relating to animal welfare that may be distressing to some. Please listen with caution. A NSW State inquiry will inquire into, report on, and make finding and recommendations in relation to greyhound welfare, management, and accuracy and reporting by Greyhound Racing NSW. TuneFM caught up with Harry Rothenfluh from the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds about the inquiry, along with Laura M, who has greyhound rescues herself.If you would like to share your thoughts with the inquiry you can do so here: https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/office-of-racing/inquiry-into-greyhound-racing-nsw/contact-and-submissionsLearn more about the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds here: https://greyhoundcoalition.com/Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the 11th of October, Swedish power metal band Sabaton will be releasing a concert film of their latest world tour, The Tour to End All Tours. Joining the legions of artists to bring a live recording to the big screen with a cinema release including Metallica, Ghost, and Taylor Swift, the unorthodox historians will see their concert film screened in over 800 theatre across the world, including select Hoyts, Event, and Village cinemas in Australia. Our Operations Coordinator and huge Sabaton fan, Ben, was lucky enough to be joined over our airwaves by Hannes Van Dahl! The longtime drummer of Sabaton chatted with Ben about the film, the recording and subsequent production, and future plans of the band. Tune in to hear Hannes' thoughts on the selection of Amsterdam as the location of the recording, what made the show the best choice to immortalise in film, and his thoughts on a return to Australia for a future concert or two!Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for priva

In September UNE PhD candidate Sophie Zaccone and members of the Barkindji nation have the opportunity to head to Uruguay for the International Conference for Community Psychology. Co-designed with the Barkindji people, Sophie's research project combines traditional knowledge and community psychology to create a wellbeing garden for the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Currently they're raising money to make the trip overseas for the conference, where they will be sharing their knowledge with, and learning from, Uruguay's First Nations People. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TuneFM sits down with Equality Australia legal director, Emily Gray, to discuss the impacts of the recently announced changes to the 2026 census, which will see LGBTQIA+ Australians excluded from the questionnaire. If this decisions has impacted you or a loved one, you can find support:QLife: qlife.org.au or 1800 184 527LifeLine: 13 11 14BlaQSupport the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Social media use amongst children is a growing concern in Australia. Some members of the government have pushed for a social media ban for young people under the age of 16, proposing an introduction of age verification measures to ensure that children are not circumventing the ban, if it were to be put in place. However, not everyone is in support of this proposal, and many experts believe that a social media ban is not the answer. TuneFM sat down with five law lecturers, each with a focus relating to social media, AI, and children's rights, to discuss the need for increased online safety, and where the law can intervene. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music has a long history with political movements, but recently the question of whether it should be disconnected from politics has been raised yet again. The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra made the controversial decision to cancel pianist Jayson Gillham's concerts, following his dedication of the piece, titled Witness and composed by Connor D'Netto, to the journalists in Gaza. We caught up with A/Prof Paul Smith and Dr Marty Branagan to discuss the relationship between music and political movements, and non-violent protests. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Conservationists across Australia have been deploying some interesting strategies in the fight to save our native wildlife, and a new effort by Macquarie University in collaboration with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) in Western Australia and a group of First Nations rangers from Bunuba country continues that trend.Ben is joined by study lead author Dr. Georgia Ward-Fear from Macquarie University to discuss the impacts that cane toads have been having on the freshwater crocodile population in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and her team's efforts to reduce the amount of crocodiles killed by the toads. The study and experiment centres around conditioned taste aversion, and how it can be used to prevent animals from eating the poisonous cane toads.Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disney has found themselves in hot water this month following the news that a doctor died of anaphylactic shock after dining at a restaurant the company promoted as being allergen friendly on their website. However, it was not this tragic news that made headlines, but rather the fact that Disney has argued that the wrongful death lawsuit brought against them by the widower should be thrown out - because he agreed to a binding arbitration clause when signing up for a Disney+ free trial in 2019. We caught up with Ms Julia Day and Mr Igor Mescher, two lecturers in law with a focus on contracts and tort law here at UNE, to discuss the underlying mechanisms behind the contract, and how things might look for Disney going forward. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UNE was lucky enough to present a guest lecture from Professor Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer all the way from Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany! Professor Sanchez came to our corner of the globe to talk about her work in linguistics and using corpora to analyze the language of pop culture works from the Brothers Grimm fairytales to the mega-franchise Star Wars. Professor Sanchez dropped into our studio to discuss her work with Ben, including the benefits of corpora and the different perspectives that works of pop culture can offer when they are translated into English. She was also only too happy to talk about what initially piqued her interest in this particular field!Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each year 55 thousand people are reported missing in Australia. The first week of August is National Missing Persons Week, which aims to shine a light on these cases.We spoke to Associate Professor Sarah Wayland who has been working in the missing persons sector for twenty years, about the need for prevention strategies and the ways in which the media impacts families.Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UNE Student Council is calling for nominations! Council member Kristy Sillman sits down with Ash to talk about the Council, what it does, why students should run for a position, and how to put your hand up for a role.Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book lovers in Australia were thrown for a loop this month after learning that one of Australia's largest online book retailers, Booktopia, was entering voluntary administration.  We spoke with Professor Michael Adams about what voluntary administration and insolvency means for a business, and how this affects consumers. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new initiative from the University of New South Wales is taking teachers out of the classroom and onto Country, giving them the skills and confidence to better connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids in their classes. We caught up with Associate Professor Kevin Lowe from UNSW to talk about the project and its importance. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent study published in the journal science details a remarkable discovery - near-perfectly preserved trilobite fossils, encased in volcanic rock. To learn more about the discovery, we caught up with UNE's Professor John Paterson, who was involved in the study, to talk about the trilobites and why volcanic rocks might be a new target in the hunt for fossils. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cicadas are being infected by a parasitic fungi, massospora cicadina, which turns them into hyper-sexual zombie bugs. To learn more about this fascinating fungi, we caught up with Dr Tommy Leung, a parasitologist here at UNE, to talk about all things parasites, and how they interact with the insect world. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A year into the role, TuneFM sits down with Vice Chancellor of UNE, Professor Chris Moran, to discuss his journey so far and what his thoughts on the future of higher education are. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UNE heads to Wollongong to compete in the Indigenous Nationals - a week long celebration of sport and culture for First Nations uni students. TuneFM speaks to SportUNE's Matt Pine and Oorala Aboriginal Centre's Courtney Baker about the excitement ahead of the games. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian National Organisation for Women's Safety has announced a $2 million investment in research focusing on the perpetrators of domestic and family violence. We caught up with ANROWS CEO, Dr Tessa Boyd-Caine, to discuss the importance of this research and how it can be used to inform policy and community services. 1800 RESPECT – 1800 737 732The national sexual assault, domestic and family violence information and support line, 24 hours.If you need translation or interpreting services call:Translating and Interpreting Service National on 13 14 50and ask them to contact 1800 RESPECT. For callers who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment call National Relay Service and ask them to contact 1800RESPECTTTY/Voice Calls – phone 133 677Speak and Listen – phone 1300 555 727Internet relay users – visit the National Relay Service websiteLifeline – 13 11 14 Crisis support and suicide prevention, 24 hours.Kids Helpline – 1800 551 800 Kids Helpline listen to kids, teens and young adults for any reason, 2

A new Quiet Space has opened in Armidale, allowing people a sanctuary to escape from the loud noise of day-to-day life while out and about. Run by volunteers, The Quiet Space is a place where people can sit, relax, and take a breath away from the hustle and bustle of town. We caught up with coordinator April Simone to discuss the need for spaces like this, and how more places can support individuals with different sensory needs. Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/tunefmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.