Episode 4 - Reset (Full Episode)
On this episode of the Undercover Podcast it’s time to reset. We share with you the stories of people and businesses who have been forced to completely rethink the way they live and work amidst the COVID-19 crisis. From fabric production to sex work, supermarkets to cinemas, we find out how our society is changing and evolving to suit a time where nothing is stable. How are Australians going to use this global pause, and how is the world going to reset itself when we can finally hit play? Will everything just go back to ‘normal’, or has this pandemic changed the way society will function forever?
Story 1 - Supermarkets
For weeks, Australian supermarkets were a place of stress, anxiety and empty shelves. The public panicked and hastily overstocked on supplies. As a result, supermarket workers often copped the brunt of our fear and aggression. Ruby Maclean-Swann is one of those workers.
Reporter - Katie Martin
Story 2 - Mask Explainer
Face masks. Everyone is scrambling to get them, but how much do we really know about them? What kind of masks do we need? What will protect us? And what will not? Reporter Emma Sullivan speaks to experts in the field to answer all these questions and help you understand more about the globe's newest and hottest commodity.
Reporter - Emma Sullivan
Story 3 - Sex Work
The COVID-19 restrictions have been hard for everyone, but some of the Australians who have been hit the hardest are those who require physical contact to make money. Brothels and independent sex workers have found themselves in a world where their work is completely banned, not to mention incredibly dangerous. However, some workers have taken to the online world to adapt to the circumstances.
Reporter - Abbir Dib
Story 4 - Social Security
Unemployment rates are steadily rising amid the pandemic, and to combat this, the Australian government has doubled their welfare payments in order to allow australian families to survive the crisis. But what does this increase say about the original welfare payments if they’re being doubled to ensure family survival? And what happens to those who rely on it when the payments are reduced in six months' time?
Reporter - Ayden Dawkins
Story 5 - Rural Teaching
While families and students all around the country prepare themselves for remote classes for the foreseeable future, there's some schools who seem to be getting left behind. Rural schools with small amounts of funding and resources are struggling. When online learning focuses so heavily on technology, how are schools and families who don't have access to these facilities supposed to keep up?
Reporter - Jonathon Magrath
Story 6 - VCE Learning
There's no doubt about it, VCE students have a lot to lose during the COVID-19 restrictions. With no one-on-one teacher support, no in-class learning and testing, and no stable idea of what their year is going to look like, they are facing a whole new type of VCE.
Reporter - Tamara Clark
Story 7 - Cinema Scope
As an industry that is renowned for sharing stories with thousands audiences on a daily basis, the cinema has become one of the most powerful entertainment experiences in modern society. But as restrictions imposed around the nation have caused all cinemas to shut their doors, this unique mode of storytelling has now been put on hold. Now, a reset within the industry will happen with our own refreshed realisation of the cinema’s importance in society. Something that has the scope of being magical, spectacular and even revelatory.
Reporter - Nick Angus