This 10th and final episode of A little Less Conversation is one that is both reflective and future facing. If you’re looking to know more about the outcomes achieved at COP28, the architecture of the loss and damage fund and Australia’s climate finance ambitions and commitments more generally, you’ve come to the right place. Jess Mackenzie chats with David Higgins, the branch head of international net zero pathways, within the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water...

Climate change is impacting society in a myriad of ways, yet some groups are experiencing these impacts disproportionately. In this episode we take a deep dive into gender, youth and elders in the Pacific; How are they experiencing climate change? What are their priorities? and What does effective climate leadership look like? In this episode, we are joined by Carolyn Kitione, a youth leader and learning coordinator with Shifting the Power Coalition. Shifting the Power Coalition -...

In a short time in the federal Parliament, Senator David Pocock has made a name for himself as someone willing to speak out on the big issues on behalf of the people most affected. These include taking on the Government over fossil fuels, climate change and other issues including cost of living. In this episode of A Little Less Conversation, Rachel and Dermot chat to Senator Pocock about his advocacy on climate change and his profound commitment to the Pacific, how his experiences through...

Climate change could be a political football, easily booted from agency to agency, if there was no true will to progress the agenda. It is true that climate falls under the remit of a number of government agencies – but thankfully, there is the will to ensure it is divided up carefully and with thought. Howard Bamsey, who has spent much of his career as a diplomat and in climate change, joins the podcast to tell Rachel and Dermot all about the architecture of climate governance.

Adaptation and mitigation are two terms commonly used in connection with how to approach responses to climate change: do we spend our energies trying to address the root causes of climate change, or do we work on strategies to help us adapt? In this episode, Sala George Carter of the Australian National University and climate change activist Lisa Viliamu Jameson join us to discuss the twin approaches. Torres Strait Islands Our Islands Our Home campaign: https://ourislandsourhome.com.au ...

Have you heard about sea grapes? They're a form of edible seaweed found in parts of the Pacific. They're nutritious, particularly for maternal health, and delicious. And they fetch a great price at market. They're sometimes even known as the next superfood. What makes sea grapes particularly interesting to us is the sustainability element: growing them depends on the sustainable development of nearby mangroves. And this is where Nature Based Solutions comes in. Nature based solutions...

Australia made headlines earlier in 2023 with the announcement it was rejoining the Green Climate Fund, reviving interest in the fund. It is the world's largest climate fund, and aims to give a boost to transformative climate action in the form of grants to affected nations. It has attracted its fair share of criticism, particularly over lengthy delays in actually getting money to where it is needed. In this episode, the GCF's deputy executive director Henry Gonzalez details how the fund...

Loss and damage has quickly emerged as a key theme of COP28, with the news ahead of the summit that rich countries would set up a loss and damage fund, as promised last year. So what is loss and damage, and how has it become the latest frontier in the fight against climate change? Two loss and damage experts join us on this episode to explain more: Julie-Ann Richards, who is the strategy lead for the Loss and Damage Coalition; and Dr Melanie Pill, with the Lowy Insitute....

Australia’s Climate Ambassador Kristen Tilley has been in the job for just over a year, and in that time has worked to drive Australia’s climate ambitions, whether in decarbonising or ambitions to become a renewable energy superpower. She speaks with Jessica Mackenzie and Dermot O’Gorman about harnessing foreign policy, trade and development policies to drive climate outcomes interntionally. Ambassador Kristen Tilley:...

A Little Less Conversation is a podcast series bringing together ACFID, Good Will Hunters and WWF Australia to discuss how to drive action on climate change through an international development and policy lens. In this episode, we discuss what’s coming up in the series: who we’ll be talking with, what we’ll be talking about, and why we’ve chosen this topic at this time. We’re releasing this in the lead up to COP28 https://www.cop28.com, and just after the most recent PIF leaders meeting...

Good Will Hunters, ACFID and WWF Australia present 'A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Climate Action". We'll be bringing you a series of conversations on the focus on climate in Australia's international development program. Make sure you subscribe, episodes drop soon!

CID '23 Civic Space Panel by Good Will Hunters

CID '23 Emeline Siale, on Civic Space by Good Will Hunters

It's here! Join Jess and Rachel as they sit down to discuss the New International Development Policy. Sources referenced in the show are linked below: DevPolicy Blog: https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/media-release/australias-new-international-development-policy-and-development-finance-review?_gl=1*bws6sv*_ga*NzY1NDkwOTI2LjE2ODc5MjI0NjI.*_ga_8Z18QMQG8V*MTY5MTQzOTI3NS43LjEuMTY5MTQzOTI4Mi41My4wLjA. ACFID...

Australia has a proud history of supporting people affected by crises. It has been a champion for the rights of women and girls, led the charge on disability inclusion, and been a steadfast supporter of disaster affected countries around the world. But as the global humanitarian landscape shifts, Australia must realign its strategy to ensure it continues to reach the people in greatest need. Humanitarian crises are today driven overwhelmingly by conflict and violence, and the persistent...

Australia is recognising the importance and relevance of Southeast Asia, with a DFAT Office of Southeast Asia and a standalone Southeast Asia Economic Strategy in the works. ODA reflects this region as a priority, with an additional $470m announced in the October 2022 budget for it. But beyond dollars, there are some very real and practical ways of engaging with Southeast Asia. Sandra Hamid, who is based in Jakarta, served as the Indonesian country representative to The Asia Foundation....

The private sector is increasingly becoming a player in the development space. Whether through the provision of grants or becoming directly involved in the provision of essential services or investments in sustainability, the private sector has an increasing interest in stepping into a space that has been traditionally occupied by NGOs. How can for-profits and not-for-profits meet in the middle? Is it always just about the greater good? And how can private or blended finance help us to meet...

In so many ways, New Zealand is nimble, creative and progressive. For that reason, looking across the ditch for ideas and inspiration is of great benefit to Australia - in this case, in how to redesign a development program that is fit for purpose. New Zealand underwent a development program review, and its International Cooperation for Effective Sustainable Development policy came into effect in late 2019, which reaffirmed its primary focus as the Pacific. How did they get there? One...

Papua New Guinea is one of Australia's closest neighbours, and receives one of the largest shares of our development assistance. It is a country that many Australians have had connections with over the decades - but it still feels far away in the experiences of most of us. It's a shame as PNG is a fascinating history, full of incredibly kind, hospitable and deeply resilient people. As a country it has more than its fair share of problems, including issues around governance, COVID, education...

2023 holds enormous potential when it comes to Indigenous relations in Australia. With a referendum looming, there are great hopes that the role and status of Indigenous people and knowledge will be elevated significantly. Most of the discussion is focusing on how this will happen domestically, but there are moves afoot to incorporate Indigenous culture into the foreign sphere also. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has asserted taht she wants Australia to move towards a First Nations-led foreign...

New government, new policy directions. Since gaining office, the Albanese Government has signalled that it’s intent on drawing a line and starting afresh. This includes the development space, with not one, but two reviews of policy currently underway, for development and development finance. The Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Minister Pat Conroy, spoke to Rachel and Jess for the second episode of Reimagining Development. In it, he spells out his vision for how the...

'Reimagining Development: Conversations on the new development policy' is a joint initiative between Good Will Hunters and the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), Australia's peak body for the international aid and development sector. It is hosted by Rachel Mason Nunn, founder of GWH, and Jessica Mackenzie, Chief Policy Officer at ACFID. In the first episode of our latest series of Good Will Hunters, the CEO of youth-focused NGO Oaktree, Thenu Herath, tells Jess and...

Welcome to the third episode in our three part-series recorded at Ozwater 2022, hosted by Michael Wilson and Rosie Wheen on the ground at the conference, and myself, Rachel Mason Nunn. These interviews were recorded on Turrbal and Jagera Country. I join with Michael and Rosie in acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land that we record these episodes on. We pay our respects to Turrbal and Jagera elders past, present and emerging. In this interview you’ll hear from Roch Cheroux,...

Welcome to the second in our three part-series recorded at Ozwater 2022, hosted by Michael Wilson and Rosie Wheen on the ground at the conference, and myself, Rachel Mason Nunn. These interviews were recorded on Turrbal and Jagera Country. I join with Michael and Rosie in acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land that we record these episodes on. We pay our respects to Turrbal and Jagera elders past, present and emerging. In this interview you’ll hear from Beata Sochacka, PhD...