About the show

The podcast where better is definitely better than bigger.

Do you think growing infinitely on a finite planet is an oxymoron? If the answer is yes, then this podcast is for you.

In each episode of the Post-Growth Australia Podcast (PGAP), host Michael Bayliss talks to experts to unpack the notion of post-growth societies and what this means for us, for future generations and for the planet.

Each episode will also play an environmental themed song from local artists.

PGAP is made possible by the support of Sustainable Population Australia (SPA).

Episodes

  • S2 Episode 4: How we can have an Inspired Evolution with Amrit Sandhu

    March 16th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 10 mins
    amrit sandhu, conversation, inspired evolution, life coach, meditation, mindfulness, positive thinking, post-growth, spirituality

    *One of the downsides of becoming intimate with Post-Growth is that one becomes acutely aware of the human impact on our planetary systems. One is continuity at loggerheads with growth based economies that are pulling in the opposite direction of where they should be going and what they should be doing - and the people just don’t seem to stop! *

    Now I don’t know about you, but this can often fill me with depression, anxiety, existential depression and morose apathy. And this is just on one of my rare good, well-adjusted days. So how do we keep ourselves hopeful, in good spirits and avoid turning into one of those bitter, cynical sterotypes that our younger selves were adamant we'd never become? Why do all those life coaches and spiritual types all seem to look so happy, smiling away with those big white teeth which look like they’ve never had to down a surly cup of black, treacly coffee in ages? P-GAP talks to Amrit Sandhu - life coach, conversationalist, fellow podcast host -of Inspired Evolution - and long-term smiler, laughter and optimist – to give us some sagely advice.

    PGAP is made possible with the support from Sustainable Population Australia

  • Season 2 - Episode 3: Saving the Martuwarra-Fitzroy river with Professor Anne Poelina

    March 6th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  59 mins 26 secs
    anne poelina, degrowth, first law, first nations, martuwarra, post-growth

    Martuwarra, the Fitzroy River, is located in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia – renowned and cherished for being one of the last of the world’s isolated, vast and by global standards – relatively untouched by Western development. Of course, like all places that haven’t yet been concreted over by a dominant culture that demands to grow infinitely on a finite planet, Martuwarra, the Fitzroy River, is under threat to be next on the chopping block. But not without a fight! PGAP talks to Professor Anne Poelina, Chair of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council and a Nyikina Warrwa Traditional Owner, is a custodian of her family’s connection to Mardoowarra, at the lower end of the Fitzroy River. Through observation and practice of Indigenous ‘First Law’ - the first Australian law embodied the rules for living in coexistence with nature – Anne believes it is possible to transition from a culture of invasive development and exploitation to an entrepreneurial culture of care and custodianship.

  • Smaller Families for People and Planet - With Florence Blondel, Maxine Trump and Tanya Williams

    February 17th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 23 mins
    childfree, degrowth, family planning, florence blondel, global south, maxine trump, population, post-growth, tanya williams, to kid or not to kid

    Three inspiring women. Three powerful arguments why empowered women who choose smaller or childfree families are good for individuals, good for communities and arguably better for the planet. This is the case regardless of where in the world you happen to live - global north OR global south. Population is a contentious conversation starter - in large part because it is a very personal issue for all of us. Yet it is a conversation that we must have if we are to envision a future with less, rather than more, human impact. This incredibly special episode goes hand in hand with Sustainable Population Australia's 'Stop at 2' campaign as they launch Maxine Trump's documentary 'To Kid or Not to Kid' in Theatres across Australia in late February.

  • Season 2 - Episode 1: Degrowth in Action with Artists as Family

    February 1st, 2021  |  Season 2  |  1 hr 9 mins
    artist as family, community sufficiency, degrowth, neo-peasantry, permaculture
  • Episode 13: International Anti-Corruption Day with Cameron Murray

    December 6th, 2020  |  Season 1  |  52 mins 11 secs
    #iacd2020, #recoverbetter, #unitedagainstcorruption, cameron murray, game of mates, post-growth

    December the 09th marks ‘International Anti-Corruption Day’. This day was designated nearly 20 years ago by the ‘United Nations Convention against Corruption’ to raise awareness on corruption and its role in undermining democracy, stability and equity. Australia is no exception to this phenomena – one is hard pressed to find a major party politician who is NOT in bed with big business. If you want to be a state premier these days it is almost de riguer to have some scandal with some property developer or other. Since we all degree that ‘political favours’ are not exactly prime example of good leadership and altruism, why does this behaviour persist, over and over again, ad nauseum? PGAP host Michael Bayliss explores this further with Game of Mates co-author Dr Cameron Murray.

  • Episode 12: Retrosuburbia with David Holmgren

    November 20th, 2020  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 12 mins
    david holmgren, degrowth, formidable vegetable, holistic activism, mark allen, permaculture, post-growth, retrosuburbia, town planning rebellion

    Are you keen on the idea of permaculture but find the idea of starting an acreage in the country a bit much? Do your cortisone levels go through the roof whenever you see productive farmland being torn down for more cookie cutter suburbia? Are you balking at the thought of perfectly good houses on your street being pulled down for battleship grey pre-fab concrete apartments? Would you prefer that you could do more things for yourself and with others at home rather than having everything outsourced for you at a price from the not-so-free market? According to David Holmgren, co-founder of permaculture, ‘Retrosuburbia’ can make all of this and more, a possibility.

  • Episode 11: To politik or not to politik, that is the question - with Kelvin Thomson

    November 4th, 2020  |  Season 1  |  41 mins 52 secs
    clifford hayes, kelvin thomson, politics, sap, spa, sustainable australia party, sustainable population australia

    Another month, another bunch of elections. In Australia, we’ve just had the ACT elections, QLD elections, and Victoria council elections. I think that’s it. Oh yeah, there’s a small North American country having a federal election counting ballots as we speak. You may have heard about it.
    Post-Growth still exists on the fringe and for most of us on the fringe voting can be a frustrating exercise choosing between who will lead us through several more years of growth on a finite planet. It can be even more frustrating for independents and minor parties who advocate for something better than the status quo – a seeming endless uphill climb full of long hours, campaign trails, etc. This being the case, is it better to opt out or opt in? PGAP host Michael Bayliss explores this question further with the Honourable Kelvin Thomson.

  • Episode 10: Budget Special with Unconventional Economist Leith van Onselen

    October 15th, 2020  |  Season 1  |  48 mins 56 secs
    2020 budget, leith van onselen, macrobusiness, shock octopus, sustainable population australia, unconventional economist

    The Federal budget was made public on October 2006 with the usual disappointment we have come to expect from the coalition government (well from both major parties really). So what SHOULD the budget have looked like as we enter into the pandemic flecked decade of consequence? Host Michael Bayliss talks to Leith van Onselen to find out what a sensible economic response during these trying times SHOULD look like

  • Episode 9: Healing within to heal the world - with Jim Villarreal

    October 2nd, 2020  |  Season 1  |  40 mins
    gold cap integration newtork, holistic activism, jim villarreal

    In the second part of the 'spirituality special' of PGAP, we interview Jim Villarreal of Gold Cap Integration Network to discuss that healing the world means healing the internal traumas that lie within us all. We also explore an exciting new movement called Holistic Activism which is seeking to bring together activism and mindful practices.

  • Episode 8: Can we change the system without changing ourselves? A Taoistic perspective with Darpan

    October 2nd, 2020  |  Season 1  |  1 hr 21 mins
    darpan, holistic activism, post-growth, spirituality

    Many times on PGAP we have discussed how critical it is to live in a way that is Ecocentric rather than Anthropocentric. To decolonise our economies and societies so they are living within the laws of nature rather than trying to dominate the natural world.
    So what needs to change and how to we facilitate this change? Do we rally against corporations, governments, capitalism and neoliberalism? Or do we need to stop changing the cruel churning world and work to shift our cruel churning minds caught in trauma, language, concepts and judgement? Can one even separate one without the other?

  • Episode 7: Discovering Degrowth with Anitra Nelson

    September 16th, 2020  |  Season 1  |  51 mins 55 secs
    anitra nelson, degrowth, post-growth, retrosuburbia, shared living, town planning rebellion

    Degrowth? What does it mean? Is it about austerity and deprivation? Or is it about community, collaboration and unshackling ourselves from the matrix of the growth economy into a world that is more equitable, liveable and sustainable? According to Anitra Nelson – definitely the latter!

  • Episode 06: Post Growth Institute with Robert Wanalo

    September 4th, 2020  |  Season 1  |  44 mins 30 secs

    For the 06th episode of Post Growth Australia Podcast, we thought it was prime time to connect with the Post Growth Institute (PGI) themselves. After all, no post-growth advocate worth their salt should go through life without connecting with this wonderful, tireless hub of connectors and game changers at some point. Being the incredible international net workers they are, PGAP had the opportunity to speak with their Partnerships Manager, Kenyan born and raised Robert Wanalo.

  • Episode 5: Earth Overshoot Day with Derrick Jensen

    August 20th, 2020  |  Season 1  |  47 mins 27 secs
    counting backwards, derrick jensen, earth overshoot day, post-growth

    Well the good news is that Earth Overshoot Day arrived later this year on August the 22nd than it did in 2019 on July the 29th. The bad news is that this is due to COVID, not because of much concerted effort on part of the dominant economic paradigm. Earth Overshoot Day is always a sobering, soul-searching time for host Michael Bayliss, so what better way to go about it than to soul-search with one of the most thoughtful and articulate (and famous) environmentalist and authors of our time, Derrick Jensen?

  • Episode 4: Episode 4: Reimagining an Earth Centered Economy with Michelle Maloney

    August 5th, 2020  |  Season 1  |  37 mins 53 secs
    aela, anthropocentric, ecocentric, michelle maloney, nena, population, post-growth, shock octopus

    Since colonization, the human race has been blinded by the delusion that we are separate, above and beyond all other species to whom we share the planet. As we enter the decade of consequence, PGAP interviews Dr Michelle Maloney, who has dedicated her life to unpacking these myths and provides some insight into what an earth-centred society might look like.

  • Episode 3: World Population Day (part b)

    July 18th, 2020  |  Season 1  |  50 mins 14 secs
    dave gardner, joao abegao, jude perl, post-growth, world population balance, world population day, wpd

    World Population Day has passed but its legacy continues! In part B of our world population day special, PGAP travels (virtually) to the USA to speak with Dave Gardner from World Population Balance and to Portugal to talk with the academic João Abegão. We are also serenaded by the song 'Let's Hang Out' by child free comedian Jude Perl.

  • Episode 2: World Population Day (part a)

    July 10th, 2020  |  Season 1  |  44 mins 8 secs
    8 billion angels, bob carr, chase africa, ian lowe, katharine betts, paul collins, world population day

    For world population day 2020, PGAP interviews game changers from across the globe who advocate for population sustainability and for women's choice and empowerment.