Order in the House

Order In The House is the undertaking of myself and three other university students, Lara Cyznock, Pnina Hagege and Julia Meltzer, who just wanted to be accepted and heard in spheres of political discussion.

Our podcast was initially born out of the frustration we felt when we tried to engage in conversations about politics with other people outside of our familiar circles, particularly in white, male-dominated university forums. We created our podcast on the backs of acceptance and understanding, a place where people could freely learn about and deliberate government policy without judgement.

But it has grown to be about so much more. In our early research of students aged 18-35 years old, we found that 80 per cent of them knew nothing about the current state of politics in Australia; a damning fact considering this demographic makes up the biggest and most powerful voting group in the country.

As four educated and politically-minded students, we realised that not everyone had the same access and privileges we received when taking our personal journeys to learning about our nation’s political standpoints, and we knew then that this was the niche we had been looking for.

There is an epidemic of indifference when it comes to young people and their political opinions. You aren’t taught about politics in school, save for the one excursion to Canberra in year 6, and as voting is mandatory, 18-year-olds are expected to make the decisions that will decide who shapes and runs their futures.

Even as educated students in our early 20’s, myself and my teammates had such a hard time deciphering the policies from the government and party personalities. That is why we wanted to create a podcast educating the public on all things politics: who is in our government, how does our government work, what are some of the big-ticket policies that our government debates and how this all affects you.

We truly believe that Order In The House is not only an important addition to the podcasting environment, but a necessary one. With the current state of our world and the complexities of leadership and power in Canberra and the rest of the country, we knew that something was needed to enlighten people on who they are voting for and why, while trying to be as impartial and informed as possible.

We have created a series of archival episodes that teach topics you don’t normally learn about in school, not just so you can understand Australian politics, but so that you can be aware of what your country’s future looks like when you are at the helm of your own knowledge and voting power.

After all, Australia is a democracy, and what’s more democratic than educating as many people as possible about our government and letting them decide on how their country should be led?

Our motto is “We don’t care who you vote for, as long as it’s an informed vote”. We really mean it. We don’t believe in towing a party line. We strive to ensure that education, awareness and personal evaluation are at the forefront of everything we research, write and post.

This podcast is for everyone; those who have been firm Party supporters for 30 years, first-time voters and those who just want to make sense of it all.

Image – Hosts Pnina Hagege and Lara Czysnok.