South Australia: Laboratory of Democracy

Hon Susan Close MP is the Deputy Premier of South Australia and the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water; Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science; and Minister for Defence and Space Industries.  Before entering parliament, Susan was an executive in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and played a key role in the establishment of the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary as a community advocate.

Royce Kurmelovs is an Australian freelance journalist and author covering the intersection of class, finance and climate change. His books include The Death of Holden, Rogue Nation, Boom and Bust and Just Money. He lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

Noah Schultz-Byard Noah is a communications professional, former ABC reporter and current director of strategic partnerships at the Australia Institute. His work has a focus on climate change, environmental sustainability, and economic inequality. He has previously worked in the Federal Senate. Hailing from Adelaide, he aims to help improve the level of conversation around public policy issues, both in SA and across the nation.

Tory Shepherd is a senior reporter at Guardian Australia. Before the Guardian, she worked for the ABC, Crikey, Cosmos Magazine, and Gourmet Traveller, and before that she spent about 16 years at The Advertiser, including a stint as the political editor commuting between Adelaide and Canberra. 

Jules Schiller has worked on many commercial radio stations in Adelaide as well as in Melbourne and Sydney. His rich and varied career in both TV and radio means Jules is now a well-established media personality throughout the country. Schiller’s is co-host on ABC Radio Adelaide’s Breakfast show.