The Rental Market is a Joke: How comedy and social impact documentaries can improve public debate and policy

Date: Thursday, 17th October 2024

Time: 6:00pm—7:00pm

Location: Chau Chak Wing Museum

Research has shown that media, performance, film and social impact documentaries have the power to shift public opinion and influence policy change. In this special event, we celebrate a short cut from the pilot of ‘The Renters’: A funny and factual, solutions-led look at Australia's housing crisis, and the solutions at our fingertips; staring satirist Mark Humphries and exec-produced by the Chaser’s Craig Reucassel, followed by a panel conversation featuring Lee Constable: science and climate communicator, author and TV presenter; Bill Code: impact documentary maker; and Mark Humphries.

Speakers

Mark Humphries, Satirist

Lee Constable, TV presenter, author and science communicator

Bill Code, Impact documentary maker

Introduction

Professor Nicole Gurran, Director, Henry Halloran Research Trust

Mark Humphries is the resident satirist on ABC’s 7.30, best known for his viral political sketches. On Network Ten, he was the host of the quiz show Pointless, and also made appearances on Celebrity Letters and Numbers, The Cook Up, Show Me The Movie, Hughesy We Have a Problem. He presented a weekly comedy segment on ABC News’ The World in 2018 and has regularly appeared on ABC’s Insiders since 2016. Mark cut his teeth as a presenter on ABC2’s nightly comedy show The Roast (2012-14), presenting a rapid-fire headlines segment which was ultimately picked up by The Guardian in 2015. He joined SBS Viceland’s The Feed later that year where he began his trademark political sketch work.

On radio, Mark guest-hosted The List and TV Club on ABC Radio National in 2016, and co-hosted Radio Chaser for the Triple M Network in 2017. He co-created and starred in the Audible Original series Riot Act, which was released in late 2019. Mark’s writing has appeared in The Guardian and the Sun-Herald. He co-authored the satirical book, The Chaser’s Australia: the 100% error-free guide to Austria. He has also contributed to The Chaser Quarterly and has toured nationally with The Chaser’s War On… live shows since 2017 Mark’s latest book, On Politics and Stuff co-authored with Evan Williams, was released in June 2021 published by Hachette. An experienced MC, Mark was chosen to host the prestigious Midwinter Ball in 2022 and again in 2023. He has hosted events for AWGIES, The Night of the Nerds for World Science Festival Brisbane and HP Elevate to name a few. Most recently Mark co-wrote and co-hosted the ABC90 Special, celebrating 90 years of the ABC.

Lee Constable is a science communicator, TV producer and presenter, and children’s author. She is the host of live-streamed talk show Climate Australia, author of How to Save the Whole Stinkin’ Planet, and previously hosted Scope, Network 10’s science and tech show for kids.

In 2018 Lee was part of the Homeward Bound leadership program and Antarctic voyage with 80 international women in STEM.

Lee has a background in environmental and life sciences, drama, social sciences and science communication. This mix of experience and expertise makes Lee the ideal moderator for a conversation about women in STEM.

Bill Code is a filmmaker and video producer with a background as a video journalist for outlets like the BBC, Al Jazeera, SBS and Guardian Australia, where he was head of video.

He is the director and producer of critically-acclaimed The Lake of Scars documentary (2022, SBS On Demand/ DocPlay), and 2015's Inside Out documentary on Indigenous imprisonment in Australia (NITV/Guardian), both of which have been used extensively in the educational space. In 2024/5 he is focussing on two impact documentaries; satirical impact documentary on housing 'The Renters' slated for Binge in 2025, and environmental/agricultural impact doc 'Murrumbidgee: Big Water'.

He teaches journalism and media at the University of Sydney.

Nicole Gurran is Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Sydney, where she directs the Henry Halloran Research Trust. Over two decades her research and publications have focused on housing affordability, urban planning, and climate change. She is committed to informing public policy and debate through her research, media commentary, and advice to governments, and most recently served as Co-Commissioner on the People’s Commission into the Housing Crisis.

Festival of Public Urbanism 2024

Great cities are defined by the quality of their public realm. From parks to civic architecture, well designed public infrastructure supports and enables the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of urban life. But are these public assets, along with public processes of urban governance and planning, under attack? Over the past fifty years key legacies of the modern urban project – such as publicly funded housing and urban infrastructure; or comprehensive planning for new development – have been eroded by waves of political and economic reform. Faith in market based ‘solutions’ has reduced public planning processes to ‘red tape’ and replaced public investment in rental housing with subsidies for private investors and households. At the same time, digital transformation under ‘platformisation’ has seen private corporations able to evade domestic regulations, disrupting every facet of urban life and governance.

The Festival of Public Urbanism will debate these topics and more. Join us to engage with academics, activists, politicians, industry leaders through our program of panel discussions, walking tours, and podcasts across Sydney and Australia.