Big Ideas

Is the witch back?  The word, the craft, the movement, and as a viral social media phenomenon #witchtok? Did the witch ever really disappear? Women who don't conform or who challenge certain kinds of power have long been persecuted as witches. An eye-opening conversation about the past and present of witchy women. Witchcraft is both ancient and modern. Could it be the radical response we need right now — in a world increasingly detached from Nature? This event was hosted by the 2026 Festival of Dangerous Ideas and The Ethics Centre  Speakers   Lucianne Tonti  Author of Good Witch: In search of our lost feminine power (2026)  Fashion editor of The Saturday Paper, sustainability editor-at-large for Elle Australia, and contributor to The Guardian.    Dr Emma Quilty  Author of Witch Power: Hexing the Patriarchy with Feminist Magic (2026)   Anthropologist and postdoctoral research fellow at Monash University’s ARC Centre for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.  Dr Caroline Tully  Archaeologist, University of Melbourne's School of Historical and Philosophical Studies.   Author, The Society of Diana Witch-flight and the Mysteries of the Night Queen (2026).  Practising pagan and witch for over four decades.

AI data centre developments are raising concerns in affected communities across Australia. The industry and its critics come together to cover the pros, the cons, and the concerns, at an event in the heart of a city where data centres have become a political hot potato in the lead up to the Victorian state election. This event hosted by RMIT University for Social Sciences Week was recorded on 17 September 2026.  Speakers: Lisa Given Director & Co-Founder, Centre for Human-AI Information Environments, Distinguished Professor of Information Sciences in the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University Priya Rajagopalan Director of the Post Carbon Research Centre for Infrastructure and the Built Environment and Associate Dean (Research and Innovation) in the school of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University Belinda Dennett CEO of Data Centres Australia Michael Helmer Chief Risk Officer at NEXTDC Dr Sarah Mansfield GP, Deputy Leader of the Victorian Greens, MLC for Western Victoria Margaret Paul (host)  Suburbs reporter, ABC News Victoria

Homer’s Odyssey is back into the spotlight. Not just with Christopher Nolan’s new record breaking movie. Greek mythology is a publishing phenomenon with enduring appeal. So why are we reaching back to ancient myths for life lessons and a deeper understanding of the human condition? What was life actually like in Homer’s world... and where does history end and myth begin?  This event was hosted at the Greek-Australian Writers’ Festival in Adelaide. Speakers Dr Alexandra Theodoropoulou Greece’s Consul-General in South Australia Dr Emlyn Dodd Lecturer in Archaeology and Classical Studies, University of Adelaide Petra Kalive Artistic Director, State Theatre Company South Australian Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos (host) Director of the Greek-Australian Writers’ Festival  Journalist; Industry Professional Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney

When you lose people and places, you can't bear to be without - or the baggage that weighs you down, is loss really nothing more than change? This conversation goes looking for loss in all its shapes: the identity we misplace growing up between cultures, the self we lose and remake as our bodies change and the strange, unsettling experience of coming face to face with who we used to be. Griffith Review: Lost and Found was presented at the Melbourne Writers Festival Speakers Dr Ahona Guha  Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, author, media consultant and speaker Author of Reclaim: understanding complex trauma and those who abuse and Life Skills for a Broken World Madison Griffiths Author of Sweet Nothings and Tissue Georgia Malu Poet, writer and editor. Boigu Island woman from the Umu Mere and Umai Lag clans Carody Culver (host) Editor of the Griffith Review

Two neurospicy minds talk neurodiversity, creativity, and what it's like to get a diagnosis like Autism or OCD as an adult. Can it bring clarity, upheaval, grief, or all of the above? And how can writing about it help? Host of The Bachelor and Bachelorette, podcaster, and mental health advocate Osher Günsberg and poet, essayist, editor and author of Kill Your Boomers Fiona Wright join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell. This event was held at the 2026 Byron Writers Festival on Bundjalung Nation Country.  Speakers  Osher Gunsberg  Host of TV shows The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, and of the Better Than Yesterday podcast.   Author of Back, After the Break (2018).  Co-author of So What? Now What?: How to Stop Being Stuck and Start Living (2026) with illustrator Campbell Walker aka Struthless.  Fiona Wright  Poet, writer, editor  2024 Judy Harris Writer in Residence, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney  Author, Small Acts of Disappearance: Essays on Hunger (2015); Kill Your Boomers (2026), and contributor to the Someone Like Me anthology of autistic writers.  I was unseen even to myself: as many as half of people with anorexia are autistic (Fiona Wright in The Conversation, 2026)

From the rise of One Nation at home, to surprising election results abroad, recent events suggest that people feel that politics as usual is no longer delivering for them. So what alternatives are they reaching for? This conversation Political Rupture: Identity, Equality and Opportunity was recorded at the Canberra Writers Festival on 17 October 2026. Speakers: Niki Savva Author, Earthquake: the election that shook Australia and more Political commentator and columnist with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers Former press secretary to Liberal Treasurer Peter Cosetllo Waleed Aly Author, Chaos: Dispatches from disorder, Time of Monsters: What Future for Liberalism? (Quarterly Essay #103) and more Co-host (with Scott Stephens) of The Minefield, ABC Radio National Adjunct Professor at Monash University Columnist with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspaper Jordan McSwiney (host) Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy, University of Canberra 2026 ABC Top 5 Humanitites Scholar

Is there method in Donald Trump's madness? His plans for Venezuela, Iran, Ukraine, Greenland — even Canada. His disdain for global institutions and democratic processes. His preference for traditional values. What is the logic behind "Trumpian world making", and how is it reshaping the globe? This event was recorded at the Ultimo Institute at the University of Technology Sydney on 14 October 2026. Speakers: Gary Gerstle Emeritus Paul Mellon Professor of American History at the University of Cambridge Author, The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era Roy Green (host) Emeritus Professor and Special Innovation Advisor at the University of Technology Sydney

The fire season is changing across Australia, becoming hotter, drier and longer. The evidence about the best ways to protect lives, property, and the environment is changing too. While fuel reduction burning has become a vital tool in the arsenal for land managers in every state and territory, some are now questioning whether we are doing it right - or whether we should be doing it all. The Burning Conversation was recorded at the Royal Society of Victoria on 21 September 2026. Speakers: Professor Trent Penman Bushfire risk modeler and Team Leader of FLARE Wildfire Research at the University of Melbourne Dr Phil Zylstra Adjunct professor, Curtin University and the Australian National University Gregg Borschmann (host) Writer and oral historian, Driector, Talking Country

The year is 2046. After 2026, a whole lot changed in the world. Citizens started to vote women into power in parliaments everywhere. What happened next? Four Far North Queensland leaders are leaping into a tardis to hurtle twenty years into the future. Jump in, if you want the world to be different, this could be the ride of your life. Join Natasha Mitchell and guests in Cairns on Yidinji Country at the 2026 WOW (Women of the World) Festival. Speakers Dr Rana Dadpour Research Fellow at The Cairns Institute at James Cook University. Director of AUSIRAN, an advocacy group for Australian Iranians. Francoise Lane Descendant of the Meriam and Kaurareg peoples of Zenadth Kes Artist, curator, designer Co-founder and director of Indij Architecture and Design Founder, Francoise Lane Fashion Former Artistic Director, Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair. Claudia Kurowski Year 12 student and 2026 Youth Mayor of Cairns 2026 Cairns Young Citizen of the Year, 2025 Cairns Young Woman, and co-founder of The Gratitude Initiative. Anita Veivers Executive Director, Centacare Far North Qld Chair, Cairns Regional Jobs Committee Board Member, Regional Development Australia Tropical North. Further information Women of the World WOW Australia

Has your doctor ever told you to go on a diet? Does that conversation put you off going to them in the first place, even if you need treatment for something not related to your weight? Has being in a larger body ever meant you can't access surgery or IVF?Some are pushing for a weight-inclusive approach to healthcare, which de-centres obesity, and focuses on 'health-at-every-size'. But what does that really mean, and why does it matter? This event was held at the 11th Annual Weight Stigma Conference at Griffith University. Original broadcast on September 17, 2025. Speakers Ana Ximena Torres, clinical psychologist and founder of the practice, Elemental Collective. Dr Fiona Willer Dietitian, bioethicist, President of Dietitians Australia Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at Queensland University of Technology Founder, Health, Not Diets consultancy Host, Unpacking Weight Science podcast. Tracy Taylor-Beck Manager, Strategy and Health Promotion (interim CEO at the time of this event) Women's Health in the North, a women's health promotion and advocacy organisation in Melbourne's North. Thanks to Dr Lily O'Hara from Griffith University, convenor of the conference.

Scientists are uncovering the surprising power of the trillions of microbes living inside you and how they can shape your mood, your thinking, even your sense of self. How might the health of your gut change the course of serious mental illness? This a deep dive into the mind-body connection offers a glimpse of where the future of mental and physical health might be headed. Healthy microbiome. Happy brain? was presented at the World Science Festival Brisbane. Speakers Gordon Parker Scientia Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales and founder of the Black Dog Institute Author of A Gut Mood Solution Associate Professor Heidi Staudacher Dietitian and lead of the Diet, Gut and Brain Group at Monash University Damien Keating Matthew Flinders Professor of Physiology in the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute (FHMRI) and Head of the Gut Sensory Systems research group Julia Baird (host) Award-winning journalist and co-host of the podcast Not Stupid on ABC Listen

Once, a musician’s success could live or die on the opinions of its reviewers. But now, music culture is being shaped by algorithms and PR companies. So what is the future of music journalism? This podcast episode was originally recorded on 19 August 2026 in partnership with The Wheeler Centre and Now or Never Festival. Discover more talks and bold conversations by following The Wheeler Centre wherever you get your podcasts or at wheelercentre.com. Speakers Al Newstead  Double J music and pop culture reporter  Author, Tame Impala's Currents Sose Fuemoli  Host of Sista Sounds and On the Record on ABC Radio Australia Music correspondent, ABC News Breakfast Host of, Window Seat, Triple R Sarah Smith  Former music editor at The Big Issue magazine Former editor of Faster Louder  Host, Sometimes Always, Triple R Simon Winkler (host) Double J Assistant Music Director Former music coordinator (for 18 years) Triple R Former co-host of Breaking and Entering, Triple R Co-founder, Good Question

What will stop you slipping into homelessness? In a cost-of-living crisis, it's getting harder to keep a secure roof over your head. And did you know that 14% of people accessing specialist homelessness services in Australia are unaccompanied children? That's thousands of children, homeless, alone. A conversation about what kind of community we want to create together, and how to prevent a crisis before it comes. Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell and guests at the 2026 Australian Homelessness Conference on Larrakia Country in Darwin.  Speakers Professor Kerry Arabena Descendant of the Meriam people from the Torres Strait Managing Director, Karabena Consulting Former co-Chair of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, Executive Director of Apunipima Cape York Health Council, and Chair of Indigenous Health at the University of Melbourne. Former president of Ecohealth International. Rebecca Pinkstone Chief Executive, Homes NSW, NSW Government Non-executive director, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute Former CEO of a social housing provider Catherine Robinson Associate Professor in Communities and Social Justice, University of Tasmania Non-executive board director of Homelessness Australia, the Youth Network of Tasmania and Home Base.  Co-host, Filthy Rich and Homeless on SBS TV Further information Reimagining Indigenous Housing, Health, and Wealth report (2020) Example: Denver Basic Income Project (Example of unconditional cash transfers approach) Example: Community of Schools and Services (COSS) model Example: Safe and Connected Youth Program (ACT Conflict Resolution Service) Example: Housing stabilisation initiative (Canada) Better futures: Supported accommodation for unaccompanied children and young people experiencing homelessness (AHURI, 2026) Yes, we see you. Why a national plan for homelessness must make thousands of children on their own a priority (The Conversation, 2023) NSW Homelessness Strategy 2025-2035 NSW Homelessness Strategy Action plan 2025-2027 Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) (organises the biennial Australian Homelessness Conference and National Housing Conference).

He's covered wars, elections and everything in between. But what happens when a hardened foreign correspondent goes looking for a lighter travel story - and comes home changed? Hear what his road trip to Africa taught him about our shared humanity. This talk was provided by the York Festival of Ideas. The Festival is led by the University of York, UK. Speakers Clive Myrie Multi-award-winning journalist, BBC foreign correspondents, host of Mastermind and Clive Myrie's African Adventure Author of Everything Is Everything: A Memoir of Love, Hate & Hope Joan Concannon (host) Director of York Festival of Ideas

A rundown t-shirt factory in Sydney's Surry Hills became the studio and home where Australian artist Brett Whiteley would spend the final years of his life. Now an art gallery, the building has recently reopened after an extensive two-year restoration, with a new exhibition celebrating Whiteley's life and legacy, Coming Home, featuring his artworks and personal items. His former wife, muse and champion, Wendy Whiteley, reflects on the history of the studio, her life with Brett Whiteley, and his artistic practice. This event was recorded at Brett Whiteley's Studio for Art Gallery of New South Wales on 24 July 2026. Speakers Wendy Whiteley  Creator of Wendy's Secret Garden, Lavender Bay, artist, and former wife and muse of Brett Whiteley Wayne Tunnicliffe (host) Director of collections and exhibitions, Art Gallery of New South Wales

Every day, science and technology are being used to enhance the abilities of human beings — helping people hear, walk, see, think and more. But at the extreme end, transhumanism has become an obsession of the rich and powerful: Vladmir Putin wants to live forever, Elon Musk wants to merge your brain with AI, while eugenics has also become popular again. So what are the ethics of transhumanism? Where do we draw the line? The 2026 Plunkett Lecture for the Plunkett Centre for Ethics was recorded at the Australian Catholic University. Speakers: Jason T. Eberl Hubert Mäder Chair in Bioethics, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Albert Gnaegi Center for Bioethics at Saint Louis University

In a world where AI rules, what will it mean to be creative? First Nations poet and author Evelyn Araluen (The Rot, Dropbear) is already self-censoring because of AI theft. The characters in Steve Tolz's new novel A Rising of the Lights find weird ways to sabotage the robots amongst them. Digital safety expert and educator Kirra Pendergast is seeing AI reshape childhood - for better or worse - with an important warning for parents, carers, and educators. This event was organised by the 2026 Byron Writers Festival on Bundjalung Country. Speakers  Dr Evelyn Araluen  Goorie and Koori poet, editor, educator  Stella Prize winning author, Dropbear (2021) and The Rot (2025)  Co-editor, Overland literary journal  Senior lecturer of Indigenous arts and culture, Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne   Steve Tolz  Booker Prize nominated author for A Fraction of Whole (2008)  Author, A Rising of the Lights (2026)  Screenwriter and producer Kirra Pendergast  Digital safety advisor and educator  Co-founder, Safe on Social and Crlt/Shift  Co-author with Maggie Dent of Digital Freedom: A guide to less screen time for safer, happier and healthier families (2026)  Thanks to Artistic Director of the Byron Writers Festival Jessica Alice, and team.

In just 32 years, more than 160,000 children were adopted internationally under China's One-Child Policy. About half were sent to the United States — almost all of them were girls.Award-winning journalist Barbara Demick's latest book tells the story of twin sisters who were separated as toddlers, with one adopted by a family in Texas, while the other stayed with her birth family in rural China. This event was recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers' Festival at Carriageworks. Speakers: Barbara Demick Author, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins, Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (Baillie Gifford prize-winner) and more Katrina Strickland Senior Writer, Good Weekend Magazine (Nine Newspapers)

From the fall of Rome to the climate crisis unfolding right now, history shows up a common pattern for how empires rise and fall. And two important factors are humans’ relationship with the natural world, as well as the unequal distribution of power and wealth. What can the wreckage of past civilisations teach us about avoiding our own?  This event was recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival at Carriageworks. Listen to Big Ideas – Why civilisations vanish Speakers Amitav Ghosh  Indian-born novelist, essayist, and public intellectual Author of The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis and Wild Fictions Luke Kemp Research Affiliate, Centre for the Study of Existential Ris, University of Cambridge Author of Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse Clare Wright (host) Professor of History and Professor of Public Engagement, La Trobe University and award-winning author

Artificial Intelligence is fundamentally reshaping education and learning in Australian schools, with 80 per cent of students and two thirds of teachers now using AI tools. So how can we take advantage of the technology, and avoid the risks? This event was recorded at the University of Technology Sydney on 17 June 2026. Speakers: Leslie Loble Industry Professor, University of Technology Sydney Chair of the Australian Network for Quality Digital Education, Chair of the Council on Early Childhood Development, Deputy Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment & Reporting Authority Former Deputy Secretary in the NSW Department of Education Author, Artificial intelligence, cognitive offloading and implications for education Eddie Woo High school maths teacher Leader of teacher growth for the New South Wales Education Department Host of the popular Youtube channel Wootube Ultimate Classroom (Channel 10), Teenage Boss (ABC ME) Professor of Practice at the School of Education and SocialWwork, University of Sydney Author, Woo's Wonderful World of Maths, It's a Numberful World: How math is hiding everywhere and more

If authoritarianism was pressing in, what personal choices would you make to resist? Foreign correspondent Melissa Chan and artist-in-exile Badiucao have collaborated on the gobsmacking new graphic novel You Must Take Part in Revolution. It's set in a dystopian near future. A proto-fascist USA is at war with the full-throttled techno-surveillance state of China, with Taiwan wedged in the middle. Three young characters confront questions of loyalty, legacy, and courage. But for Melissa and Badiucao, their fictional scenario started to feel all to real. They know. They've lived it. They join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at their Australian launch event in Naarm/Melbourne. Speakers Melissa Chan Emmy nominated Hong Kong-Taiwanese-American foreign correspondent Co-author, You Must Take Part in Revolution (Simon and Schuster Australia, 2026) Former Beijing correspondent with Al Jazeera Badiucao Chinese-Australian artist-in-exile and activist Walkley-Award-winning cartoonist, The Age Co-author, You Must Take Part in Revolution (Simon and Schuster Australia, 2026) Winner, Human Rights Foundation's Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent. Thank to Readings Bookshop events manager Christine Gordon.

Forensics has gripped pop culture for decades. But what’s the reality of this job? From the crime scene to the laboratory, our expert panel examines the evidence, explains the science and reveals how the truth gets uncovered. In the real world, by people who do this work for a living.  Forensics: The Science of Blood, Body Bags and Biohazards was presented at the World Science Festival Brisbane. The UQ Impact Series is presented in partnership with The University of Queensland. Speakers  Inspector Donna Stewart Quality Manager of the Queensland Police Service’s Forensic Services Group Dr Kristen Clarke Senior Research Officer within the Forensic Services Group at the Queensland Police Service (QPS) Dr Jack Garland Specialist forensic pathologist with Queensland Health Dr Jeremy Watherston Deputy Director, Forensic Operations for Forensic Science Queensland Dr Jonathan Webb (host) Science journalist and broadcaster, Science editor at ABC Radio National

From the blue-collar man, to the professional woman. From the multigenerational Australian born citizen, to a predominantly migrant nation. From the inner city to the suburbs to the bush. Australia has changed. But have our politicians? This event was recorded at the Hawke Centre at Adelaide University on 20 August 2026. Speakers: George Megalogenis Political journalist, author, Three Shocks: Who We Are Becoming in the 21st Century, The Australian Moment (winner the 2013 Prime Minister's Literary Award for Non-fiction and the 2012 Walkley Award for Non-fiction), four Quarterly Essays, and more Tory Shepherd (host) Senior Reporter, Guardian Australia

Jane Goodall’s radical ideas that animals have individual personalities, relationships and even emotions reshaped how we understand primates. It also sparked fierce ethical debates that are still playing out today: Do great apes have rights? What responsibilities do researchers carry when studying minds so much like our own? Jan Goodall wasn't just a trailblazing scientist. She became one of the most influential conservationists of the last century and created the foundation of modern primatology.  City of Science: Jane Goodall and Her Legacy was presented at the CUNY Graduate Center Speakers Kristin Andrews Professor of Philosophy, CUNY Graduate Center David Lahti Associate professor of Biology and Psychology at Queens College and the CUNY Graduate Center Jessica Rothman Program director in Human Biology and professor of Anthropology at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center Dr Mark Hauber (host) Professor of Biology and Psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center and executive director of the Advanced Science Research Center

Australia's population is getting older. In fact, by 2076, 45 per cent of us - that's 18 million people - will be aged over 65. What will ageing look like in 50 years time? Will science keep us healthier for longer? What role will older people play in the workforce, in the economy, and in our communities? Will robots wipe our bottoms, or keep us company? How will we respond to major health challenges—like dementia, already our leading cause of death— and the growing burden of chronic disease? This conversation explores the ethical and social challenges facing our ageing country, and the planning, research and policy systems needed to ensure a dignified, safe and healthy life for older people by 2076. This event was recorded at the fiftieth National Ageing Research Institute annual summit with the theme Imagine Australia in 50 years on 22 July in Melbourne. Speakers: Mark Dreyfus Former Attorney General, MP Member for Isaacs Professor Jenny Waycott Professor and Deputy Head of School (Research) in the School of Computing and Information Systems, Melbourne University Professor Andy Philp Head of the Centre for Healthy Ageing at the Centenary Institute and leads the healthy ageing research at the University of Technology Sydney where he leads the Biology of Ageing Laboratory in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Professor Tim Adair Demographer and Principal Research Fellow in the Nossal Institute for Global Health at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. Jacinta Parsons (host) Broadcaster, author and speaker

What does the future look like to you? How can you prepare yourself for what's coming down the line? And how does what you do today, change what will happen tomorrow? Join three forward-looking thinkers for a conversation about how to shape a better tomorrow, today. The conversation Brave New Futures was recorded live at the annual 2026 WOMADelaide festival, produced and presented as part of their Planet Talks program, held on the traditional lands of the Guarna people. Speakers: Richard King Critic, cultural commentator and author, Brave New Wild: Can Technology Really Save the Planet? Clare Marshall Award-winning futurist, former lead of the National Futures Initiative at The Australian Centre for Social Innovation Grace Vegasana Climate justice organiser and youth advocate, National Director of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC), co-founder of The People of Colour Climate Network Lee Constable (host) Environmental communicator, TV presenter, author, How to Save the Whole Stinkin' Planet: A Garbological Adventure, and more

The Inter-Continental Hotel on a hilltop above Kabul has watched Afghanistan’s modern history unfold from its windows. Built in 1969, it has survived Soviet occupation, multiple coups, a civil war, a foreign invasion and waves of Taliban rule. This is the story of that hotel and of Afghanistan itself, told through forty years of visits, world-making headlines, and the people who called the finest hotel in Kabul home. This event was recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival at Carriageworks. Speakers Lyse Doucet BBC Chief International Correspondent and author of The Finest Hotel in Kabul, A People’s History of Afghanistan, Hutchinson Heinemann (2025) Debbie Whitmont (host) ABC Journalist and author

It's been called "The Odyssey of the East", and the ancient Hindu poem remains central to Asian cultures and traditions from India to Indonesia 2500 years after it was written. From the names of Thai kings, to traditional Javanese shadow puppets, the ancient temples of Cambodia's Angkor Wat to contemporary Indian politics, the journeys of Rama and his wife Sita are deeply embedded. Why does this story endure? The conversation The Ramayana reimagined: storytelling across cultures was recorded at the Art Gallery of New South Wales as part of the exhibition, Avatar: Forms of Vishnu, on until 5 October 2026. Speakers: Dr. Chaitanya Sambrani Co-curator (with Melanie Eastburn) of Avatar: Forms of Vishnu exhibition, Art Gallery of New South Wales Art historian, Australian National University Savanhdary Vongpoothorn Painter, sculptor and installation artist Alfira O'Sullivan Artistic Director and solo artist with Suara Indonesia Dance Sunil Badami (host) Writer, broadcaster and academic

The Future Library is filled with unpublished books written for readers yet to be born. Every year a new literary work is commissioned to be held in trust in a special room in the National Library of Norway. And in a forest just outside Oslo, 1,000 Spruce are growing - waiting until 2114 to fulfil their role: To be pulped and transform these unseen words into print. This hundred-year literary artwork by Scottish artist Katie Paterson is one of the most internationally acclaimed long-term cultural projects of our time.  Presented at the National Library of Australia in partnership with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Canberra. Speakers Anne Beate Hovind   Norwegian urban developer, curator and cultural producer of Future Library (2014–2114) by Katie Paterson Kathryn Favelle (host) Director of Community Engagement, National Library of Australia in Canberra

From doctors spruiking untested therapies to celebrities selling "revolutionary wellness hacks", self-styled health gurus promise results traditional medicine can't. Social media transforms a healthcare system that struggles with GP wait times and short face-to-face appointments. Because when it comes to trust, it turns out fame competes surprisingly well with scientific evidence. Bad Influence: How the internet hijacked our health was recorded at the York Festival of Ideas. The festival is led by the University of York, UK. Speakers Dr Deborah Cohen Broadcaster, journalist and author of Bad Influence: How the Internet Hijacked Our Health Simon Gilbody Professor of Psychological Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of York and the Hull York Medical School

Alice Pung started writing her first published book as a teenager. Now, it's been read and studied by two generations of Australian teenagers through the school curriculum. On the 20th anniversary of her irreverent, loving memoir of her migrant family's 's everyday struggles and bittersweet triumphs, she reflects on the book's endurance and the various reactions it's provoked in her young readers. The 2026 EW Cole Lecture was recorded by The Wheeler Centre Australia's first dedicated centre for Books, Writing and Ideas. Explore more discussions like this one on The Wheeler Centre podcast — available wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @wheelercentre for updates Speakers: Alice Pung Author, Unpolished Gem, Her Father's Daughter, Laurinda, One Hundred Days, Growing Up Asian in Australia (editor) and more Raina Tran 15 year-old writer Marina Sano Co-creator and owner of Amplify Bookstore

Migration has shaped modern Australia, but as the country grows, debates around immigrants and multiculturalism are intensifying. Join David Speers for the ABC’s latest National Forum. We bring together Australians from all walks of life to ask: Is our migration system still working? And just what is our National Identity? It’s a big discussion about the kind of country we want to be. Panellists Dr Abdul Rizvi Former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration John Anderson Former Deputy Prime Minister George Megalogenis Journalist and author Nyadol Nyuon Lawyer and human rights advocate Dr Anne Aly Minister for Multicultural Affairs Andrew Hastie Shadow Minister for Industry and Sovereign Capability Barnaby Joyce One Nation MP

Being poor has become big business in Australia, but not for people who need work. Billions spent. Millions of profits. But who's getting them?  Why do unemployment and poverty continue to be stigmatised? And does the legacy of the Robodebt scandal live on? The Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research concluded in a new excoriating report Who’s rorting who? The failure of outsourced job services that the system is "filling the pockets of private equity and millionaires" while leaving job-seekers without work. Three people close to the coalface join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell to weigh in. This event was held at the 2026 Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Gadigal Country in Sydney.  Speaker  Rick Morton  Investigative journalist  Multi-award-winning author, Mean Streak, My Year of Living Vulnerably, On Money, and One Hundred Years of Dirt.  Mark Considine  Political scientist and Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor  Co-Director of the Australian Welfare and Work Lab, University of Melbourne  Author, The Careless State  Co-author, Buying and Selling the Poor: Inside Australia's privatised welfare-to-work market  Emily Roy  Chief Executive Officer Not-for-profit employment services provider JobLink Plus  Thanks to Danielle Harvey, Lauren Bennett, and the whole Festival of Dangerous Ideas team. Further reading   Report: Who's rorting who? The failure of outsourced job services (Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research, 2026)  Australia's jobseeker system fails workers and enriches millionaires, report says   The Shaping the future of employment services Discussion Paper  (Australian Government, 2026)  Senate Committee Report: Rebuilding Employment Services (2023)

Helen Garner is one of Australia's most significant and renowned writers, known for her precise and observational writing style, disarming honesty and piercing curiosity about her fellow human beings. Here, she reflects on a lifetime of writing, from her groundbreaking 1977 debut Monkey Grip, to her work in the courtroom covering some of Australia's most shocking crimes, to her keen observations of daily life in her collections of letters and diaries. To celebrate ABC Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books countdown we bring you this celebration of Garner's immense contribution to Australian letters and life across five decades. "I'm terribly interested in working out what happens between people." The first event in the Body of Work series presented by Federation Square and the Melbourne Arts Precinct was recorded Thursday 6 August 2026 Speakers: Helen Garner  Author, Monkey Grip, The Children's Bach, Cosmo Cosmolino, Joe Cinque's Consolation, How to End a Story: The Collected Diaries 1978-1998 (winner the 2025 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction), This House of Grief, The Season, The Mushroom Tapes (with Sarah Krasnostein and Chloe Hooper) and more Michael Williams (host) Editor, The Monthly, former artistic director of Sydney Writers Festival, former director of The Wheeler Centre, former host, ABC Radio National

Foraging and eating wild food is nothing new in Australia. First Nations people have done it for over 50,000 years. Even your grandparents often still used to search for eatable weeds, mushrooms and nuts at the edge of their fields and in the woods. This knowledge is lost today. But attitudes to weeds have also changed. We don’t see weeds as a valuable resource anymore, only as a pest to get rid of. Is it time to change that and to rediscover the traditional knowledge of foraging? And what would that mean for how we manage our farmland in the future? Presented at the Lyrebird Festival Speakers Diego Bonetto  Edible weeds advocate, forager and author of EAT WEEDS, A field guide to foraging Gregg Borschmann (host) Writer, radio producer and oral historian for the National Library of Australia

Trailblazing feminist, political activist, journalist, and founder of Ms Magazine Gloria Steinem died this week at age 92 after a big life changing lives. In her memoir My Life on the Road she recounted how taking to the road fundamentally changed her understanding of the world and who she could be.  Médecins Sans Frontières co-founder, French diplomat and novelist Jean-Christophe Rufin worked in war zones as a doctor and walked the Camino de Santiago as a pilgrim. Acclaimed poet and Yankunytjatjara woman Ali Cobby Eckermann found family, connection, and Country on a different kind of pilgrimage. This well-travelled trio joined Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the Sydney Writers Festival in 2016 to explore their love of life on the road, and the bigger consequences of their transformative encounters along the way. Speakers Gloria Steinem American feminist and political activist, journalist, and founder of Ms Magazine Ali Cobby Eckermann Proud Yankunytjatjara woman Multi-award-winning poet and author Jean-Christophe Rufin Author, former diplomat, doctor, co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders This event was held in 2016 (not 2015 as mentioned) and first broadcast in 2017 on ABC Radio National.

Blockbuster Australian children's authors Andy Griffiths (The Treehouse series), Hilary Rogers aka Maddy Mara (Dragon Girls) and bookseller Tamuz Ellazam join Natasha Mitchell to share the iconic kid's books they'll be voting for in ABC Radio National's Top 100 Books (vote now!) — and weigh in on current controversies in kid's literature.  Have children's books become too moralistic, too obsessed with teaching kids how to behave, or with imparting Very Important Messages? Is there a tension between education and entertainment in kid's literature? And why does all this matter? How to vote in ABC Radio National's Top 100 Books. Don't forget you can also nominate books you love that aren't on the list of suggestions. Speakers Andy Griffiths Australian Children's Laureate Popular children's author (The Treehouse series, The Bum Trilogy, the JUST! books, You & Me and The Giant Knucklehead, and more) Hilary Rogers Author, the Girltopia trilogy Co-author (with Meredith Badger as Maddy Mara) of the Dragon Girls, Max Beast, Itty Bitty Kitty series. Former children's publisher of Go Girl, Zac Power, Billie B Brown series Tamuz Ellazam Manager, Readings Kids bookshop in Carlton, Melbourne Researcher into children's literature Thanks to Chris Gordon and the Readings events team, and the Church of All Nations community venue. Further reading Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children (2026), by Mac Barnett A Beloved Children's Book Author Said Most Children's Literature Is "Crud." It Has Not Gone Well. Children's Book Community Responds in Outrage to Mac Barnett Comments Mac Barnett on Make Believe (video) Mac Barnett Responds Amid Continued Backlash SOME FAVOURITE AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN'S BOOK NOMINATIONS Andy Griffiths The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay the pudding  Coles Funny Picture Book by E.W. Cole  Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner   My Place by Nadia Wheatley & Donna Rawlins  My Place in Space by Robin and Sally Hirst, illustrated by Roland Harvey  Bamboozled by David Legge  Unreal by Paul Jennings  Magic Beach by Alison Lester  Sunshine (and Moonlight) by Jan Ormerod All Right, Vegemite! and Far Out, Brussel Sprout! by June Factor  And more!   Hilary Rogers The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky and Andy Joyner  My Shadow is Pink by Scott Stuart  Hating Alison Ashley by Robin Klein Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park  And more! Tamuz Ellazam The Bunyip of Berkeley's Creek by Jenny Wagner  Possum Magic by Mem Fox and Jenny Vivas  Stay For Dinner by Sandhya Parappukkaran and Michelle Pereira Once I was a Giant by Zeno Sworder  Derek the Dinosaur by Mary Blackwood and Kerry Argent  And more!

From the drama of her private world to the diplomacy of her position as queen. From the woman her family knew to the public figure the world saw. With unique access to royal family members, senior staff, and advisers Robert Hardman explores the parallel lives of Elizabeth as daughter, wife, mother and sovereign. Inside the Life of Elizabeth II was presented by the Royal Society of Arts, UK Speakers Robert Hardman British author, journalist and documentary filmmaker Author of Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story. Emily Andrews Journalist and royal commentator

Leading tech critic Cory Doctorow coined the term "enshittification" to describe the slow decay of the digital platforms most of us are now forced to rely upon to operate in the modern world. So why and how did the internet get bad, and is it too late for people, countries and governments to reclaim technology as a force for humanity and the common good? This episode was recorded on 25 August 2026 at The Wheeler Centre, Australia's first dedicated centre for Books, Writing and Ideas, in partnership with RMIT University for Now or Never festival. Explore more discussions like this one on The Wheeler Centre podcast — available wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @wheelercentre for updates. Speakers: Cory Doctorow Journalist, technology activist and author, Enshittifcation: Why everything suddenly got worse and what to do about it, The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI and more, podcaster, Who broke the internet? (CBC), and blogger craphound.com Lisa Given Distinguished Professor of Information Sciences, RMIT University Director of the Centre for Human AI Information Environments

She's the little girl in some of her father's most famous paintings, but life as the eldest child of artists John Brack and Helen Maudsley wasn't always easy. Clara Brack explores her childhood — and her parents' complex lives and relationship — in her new book The Secret Landscapes on not [pleasing your mother, which took her 20 years to write. This event was recorded at the Willy Lit Fest on 13 June 2026. Speakers: Clara Brack Author, The Secret Landscapes — on not pleasing your mother Gabriella Coslovich Award-winning freelance arts journalist (formerly of The Age), author, Whiteley on Trial

From their earliest days as blues-obsessed kids living in freezing squalor, to the first taste of fame and the day they landed in the US and went stratospheric — and all the grit, glamour and gore in between. There are myriad revisions to the conventional narrative which underscore just how in control of their narrative the band has been up to now. But Bob Spitz got unique access to the group's friends and family. And he's sharing the details and examines a creative force whose power shows no signs of fading, over sixty years on. Presented at the Free Library of Philadelphia Speakers Bob Spitz American journalist and author of Rolling Stones, The Biography Dan DeLuca Pop music critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer

Philosopher Roman Krznaric, author of History for Tomorrow: Inspiration from the Past for the Future of Humanity, The Good Ancestor, and founder of the Empathy Museum has been looking backwards to help us all find a way forward. What he discovered in the global history of human solidarity and social movements was a wellspring of brilliant solutions to current challenges — democracy, fossil fuels, hyper-consumerism, water, AI, racism, even rage bait on social media, and more.  Join Roman with Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the 2026 Byron Writers Festival to challenge the 'tyranny of the now' with an exciting view of history as a source of radical hope.   Speaker Dr Roman Krznaric Author, History for Tomorrow (2024), The Good Ancestor (2020), What the Rich Don't Tell The Poor (2022), The Wonder Box (2011), Empathy (2014), How to Find Fulfilling Work (2012) Senior Research Fellow, Oxford University’s Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing Research Fellow, Long Now Foundation Member, Club of Rome Founder, world’s first Empathy Museum. Thanks to Jessica Alice, artistic director and CEO of the Byron Writers Festival, and the festival team.

Since 1996, The Cooks Companion has been a bible for Australian kitchens, a reliable friend who can tell you how to boil an egg, bake some bread, roast a chook, whip up a lemon delicious pudding — and much, much more. What is it about this book that's made it such an enduring go-to for household cooks for generations? This event was recorded live at the Sydney Writers' Festival at Carriageworks on 21 May 2026. Vote now in ABC Radio National's Top 100 Australian Books. Speakers: Stephanie Alexander Author of 18 books including The Cooks Companion Founder of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation Chef Adam Liaw (host) Author of Two Asian Kitchens, Asian After Work: Simple Food for Every Day, Adam's Big Pot series, and more Host, The Cook Up with Adam Liaw (SBS) Recipe writer — The Good Weekend Winner, Masterchef (2010)

When a book becomes a hit TV series, or a play becomes a Hollywood film, what makes it a great adaptation? Meet the creators of these international smash hits as they take you behind the scenes, into the writers' rooms, and inside their creative minds. Suzie Miller's award-winning play Prima Facie has just become a Hollywood film starring Cynthia Erivo, while the sixth season of television's Slow Horses, based on Mick Herron's bestselling spy novels, starts next month.  This event was recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers' Festival at Carriageworks. Speakers: Mick Herron Author, Slough House series, Down Cemetary Road series and more Suzie Miller Playwright, novelist and screen writer, Prima Facie, Interalia, Strong is the New Pretty and more Benjamin Law (host) Journalist, columnist, TV screenwriter and author of The Family Law, Gaysia: Adventures in the Queer East and Quarterly Essay 67: Moral Panic 101 Creator and co-writer of award-winning SBS TV series The Family Law

Interesting idea or nanny-state gone way too far? If babies weren't born to doom scroll, why do we think grown-ups are? Don't miss our hilarious annual battle of brains and bravado with two teams and Big Ideas' host Natasha Mitchell at the Beaker Street Festival: where science meets art. Australia was the first country in the world to ban under-16s from social media. France just struck down a push for the same.  Are adults immune to all the harms of these platforms? Should OVER-16s be banned too!?   TEAM AFFIRMATIVE: "THE VIRAL INFLUENZAS" Dr Esmé Louise James, sex historian Returning debate champion and sex historian, creator of the book and viral TikTok phenomenon Kinky History, co-host with her mathematician mother of two seasons of the Sextistics series on Youtube, and her first novel Becoming Venus is out on September 1, 2026. Saul Eslake, economist Saul has been chief economist at the big end of town with big banks, he now runs his own consultancy, is a Vice-Chancellor's Fellow at the University of Tasmania, advises Australia's Parliamentary Budget Office, serves on the Council on the Ageing, and is a regular expert chatterbox in the media. Dr Meredith Castles, human-computer interaction researcher and lecturer  Meredith is a science communicator and a lecturer in human-computer interaction at the University of Tasmania's School of Information and Communication Technology. She's interested in ethical, accessible, inclusive, and human-centred technology — and how to design it so it's nice, not nasty. TEAM NEGATIVE: "THE YAPPERS" Professor Barbara Holland, statistician Former reigning Beaker Street debate champion, Barbara is a mathematician in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Tasmania. She fell in love with the power of statistics, made it her life's work, and works with biologists and uses stats to unravel the big biological puzzle that is the evolution of life on Earth. Dr Kirsten Banks You know her as AstroKirsten on the socials, youtube, on screens and stages everywhere. Kirsten is an astrophysicist, science communicator, and proud Wiradjuri woman who mixes science with humour — and her passion for the cosmos — to help us all reach the stars. Dr Tim Nugent Tim is a co-founder of Yarn Spinner, a spin-off of the award-winning Tasmanian grown gaming studio Secret Lab. He and his team build games and narrative tools for games for both indie and major studio releases. He is the co-author of a stack of computery, programmy books, and he did a PhD on mobile human computer interaction and information flow in public spaces. Thanks to Dr Margo Adler, Rosie Pidd, Stevie and the Bunsen Burners, and the whole festival team.

Acclaimed journalist Kerry O'Brien has seen it all, but nothing like right now. And he's not mincing his words. On AI, neoliberalism, education, equality, gutless governments, and more. For over 50 years, he covered the world's biggest stories and changemakers, and asked tough questions of power. Hear why he thinks a perfect storm threatens our society and our politics, and what he thinks can be done about it. The 2026 Thea Astley Address was recorded at the Byron Writers Festival on Saturday 15 August 2026. Speakers: Kerry O'Brien Former ABC journalist, host, 7.30 Report, Four Corners, Lateline and more, six-time Walkley award winner Richard Flanagan Man Booker Prize and Baille Gifford award winning author of The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Heresies, and more

It's estimated that one in three Australian households have experienced food insecurity. At the same time, one third of all food produced in Australia gets thrown out. For more than two decades, Ronni Kahn has been fighting these dual challenges as head of food rescue charity OzHarvest. She argues these ongoing dual challenges show a failure of imagination and of will. The 2026 Kenneth Myer Lecture was recorded at the National Library of Australia in Canberra on 4 August and in Melbourne on 6 August. Speakers: Ronni Kahn Founder, OzHarvest

Australia is home to some 25,000 plant species. And nine out of 10 Australian plants occur nowhere else on Earth. But many are under threat. So why does that matter? This National Science Week, we meet a plant ecologist with a message. This conversation was recorded at the Lyrebird Festival in the Blue Mountains of NSW. Speakers: Rachael Gallagher Professor in Plant Ecology and Conservation, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University Gregg Borschmann (host) Oral historian, journalist and writer Further information:  What is Australia's most amazing wildflower? Vote now - ABC Science Week The Australasian Virtual Herbarium

Dystopia or utopia? How do you imagine the future? In films and books, the future is often filled with alien invasions, nuclear war or the zombie apocalypse. But a movement of Indigenous storytellers is reshaping traditional science fiction tropes based on their own storytelling cultures and experiences. This event was recorded at the Melbourne Writers Festival on 10 May 2026. Speakers: Chelsea Vowel Candian Metis language instructor, public intellectual, writer, and activist educator Author, Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis & Inuit in Canada and the short-story collection Buffalo is the New Buffalo Co-host, Métis in Space podcast Mykaela Saunders Koori and Lebanese award-winning writer Author of Always Will Be Post-doctoral research fellow on First Nations speculative fiction at Macquarie University

We're going extraterrestrial with a panel of super star space scientists who are exploring the solar system and beyond. Will they find life out there? Which is the universe's best planet? And what's Matt Damon got to do with it? Incredible tales from Mars, Jupiter, and more. This event was recorded at the World Science Festival Brisbane on 29 March 2026. Speakers: Tracy Drain Chief Engineer with NASA's Europa Clipper Mission to Jupiter David Flannery Associate Professor of astrobiology, Queensland University of Technology Sara Webb  Author, science communicator and astrophysicist, Swinburne University Brian Schmidt Distinguished Professor of astrophysics, Australian National University, 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics Tamara Davis (host)  Professor of Astrophysics, University of Queensland

Think about the person whose politics you find most baffling, or most infuriating. Now imagine you must make a decision together. Actually negotiate, project forward, find common ground. That's democracy. And it turns out our brains aren't especially well-built for it. In an era shaped by inequality, environmental crisis and the decline of democratic institutions understanding how we make political decisions might be one of the most urgent questions we face. Recorded live at the Melbourne Writers Festival as part of the Wheeler Centre's The Fifth Estate series. Speakers Dr David Moscrop Politics columnist for The Washington Post, The Walrus, Time Magazine, The Globe, The Guardian and others Author of Too Dumb For Democracy: Why We Make Bad Political Decisions And How We Can Make Better Ones Dr Sally Warhaft Melbourne based freelance broadcaster, anthropologist and writer. Host of The Wheeler Centre's series The Fifth Estate

It's been called the idiot box, the drug of the nation, the tube. This year marks 100 years of broadcast television. Over its lifetime, TV has adapted to big changes in technology, government policy, culture and media consumption habits. And yet, while its future remains uncertain, for now, it endures. This is the incredible true story of television. This keynote address was recorded at RMIT University's 100 Years of Broadcast TV Symposium: The impact and future of broadcast TV in Australia. Speakers: Professor Jock Given Adjunct Professor of Media and Communications, Swinburne University Author, The Death of Broadcasting: Media's digital future and Turning off the television: broadcasting's uncertain future Dr Damien O'Meara RMIT Lecturer in Public Relations, RMIT University Dr Alexa Scarlata Lecturer in Digital Communication, RMIT University

How free should artists be to make risky work, to provoke, to get political? Who gets to decide if a work of art is deemed too risky, too dangerous, too difficult? Cancellations. Censorship. Controversy. Political pressure. Mass boycotts. The collapse of festivals. The Australian arts community has seen it all recently, in part triggered by the devastation in the Middle East. But is there more going on too? Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell with a panel of arts and culture heavyweights to consider the future of artistic freedom and democracy in this country — and why both matter in these fractious times. This event was organised by Griffith University and Griffith Law School. Speakers Professor Julianne Schultz Professor Emerita of Media and Culture at the Centre for Social and Cultural Research at Griffith University. Columnist, Guardian Australia Board member, Sydney Writers Festival Author, The Idea of Australia: A Search for the Soul of the Nation. Founding editor, Griffith Review. Dr André Dao  Winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction for his debut novel Anam Winner of the Pascal Prize for Cultural Criticism for his pubished essays. Postdoctoral fellow in international law at Melbourne Law School Co-creator of the asylum seeker oral history project Behind the Wire.  Author, The role of the committed writer in an unfree world (Overland Magazine, 2026) Presenter, The State of the (Writing) Nation (2023) Dr Ben Eltham Cultural policy researcher and consultant, freelance arts journalist and critic. Lecturer in the School of Media, Film and Journalism at Monash University.  Fellow, Centre for Policy Development    Thanks also to Professor Sarah Joseph, Dr Karen Crawley, Dr Samid Suliman at Griffith University.

Gods and goddesses, heroes and monsters, quests and odysseys, sex and violence. Greek mythology seemingly has it all. And as Christopher Nolan's box office smash retelling of the Greek epic The Odyssey suggests, these stories will never die. Join three superstar writers with their own mythical retellings to explore why these stories endure and how they have been re-imagined over time. The event Mythical Retellings was recorded at the Melbourne Writers Festival on 10 May 2026. Speakers: Yann Martel Author, Son of Nobody, The Life of Pi (Winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize) and more Nikita Gill International best-selling poet, playwright, illustrator, actor and author, Hekate: The Witch and more Zoe Terakes Actor, playwright and author, Eros: Queer Myths for Lovers Carody Culver (host) Editor, Griffith Review

As the great powers renegotiate their alliances and priorities, Africa is reshaping its future. From the promise of digital economies and homegrown innovation to the complex legacies of foreign aid, debt and dependency — this is a conversation about power, possibility, and the remaking of a continent on its own terms. What needs to change in policy, in investment, in the stories we tell for Africa's ambitions to be fully realised? Africa and the World: Reclaiming Agency in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape was presented at Havard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics (IOP) and their Africa Development Conference Speakers Dr Jendayi Frazer Former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs H.E Ameenah Gurib Fakeem Former President of Mauritius H.E. Mark-Alexandre Doumba Minister of Digital Economy & Innovation of Gabon Mayowa Kuyoro (host) Partner at McKinsey & Co

The decisions being made right now, in parliament, in budget lock-ups, in policy debates, will shape the lives of your kids and their kids. Think: Climate. Housing. Aged care. AI., But in many cases, those decisions are being deferred. There's a name for it: policrastination. The habit of delaying what we know needs doing because the short-term political incentives reward inaction, even when the long-term costs are clear. What would it actually take to govern for the long term? This conversation is anchored in the new book Future Generations Policy, Governance and Leadership: Ending Policrastination, co-authored by our speakers. Presented at the bookshop Hill of Content, Melbourne.  Speakers Taylor Dee Hawkins Managing Director of Foundations for Tomorrow, a non-profit dedicated to advancing the protection of future generations in Australia Professor Susan Harris Rimmer  Research academic focusing on international human rights law in the Griffith Law School Dr Elise Stephenson  Deputy Director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership, Australian National University Caitlin Reiger (host) CEO Human Rights Law Centre

Meet the tenacious Papua New Guineans who won't give up on holding Australian mining giants to account, despite the enormous personal toll of doing so. Emmanuel Peni is fighting to protect the world's "second Amazon"- the pristine Sepik River. Theonila Roka Matbob won the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize for campaigning against the toxic legacy of Rio Tinto's Panguna copper-gold mine. This event was hosted at the Extracting Justice: Mining, Accountability, Community Power in the Pacific Conference at the University of Sydney. Speakers: Theonila Roka Matbob Former politician in Papua New Guinean parliament Winner of the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize Dr Luke Fletcher Executive Director of Jubilee Australia, a not-for-profit research and advocacy centre focused on economic justice in the Asia-Pacific Emmanuel (Manu) Peni Co-producer, Sukundimi Walks Before Me documentary Executive Director of Project Sepik Ben Doherty (chair) Walkley award winning journalist, Guardian Australia Former foreign correspondent covering south-east Asia

From the Frontier Wars, to foreign wars experienced by migrant Australians, to the threat of Australia's involvement in future conflict, war means many different things to different people. So as Australian society evolves, should our culture of war commemoration change too?  The 2026 Wilks Oration was recorded at the Effective Living Centre, at Christ Church Uniting in Wayville, Adelaide. Speakers: Professor Peter Stanley Author of more than 50 books including Beyond The Broken Years, Australian military history in 1000 books, Bad Characters (joint winner of the Prime Minister's Prize for Australian History in 2011) and more Former Research Professor at UNSW Canberra Inaugural head of the Research Centre at the National Museum of Australia Former principal historian at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra (1980-2007) Founding member and President of Defending Country

Pacific communities have long led the global climate fight — not from the margins, but from the front. Australia's hopes of co-hosting COP31 alongside Pacific Island nations have been dashed. So, what does genuine partnership now look like and what does it demands of Australia?  This live conversation was recorded at the 2026 WOMADelaide festival, produced and presented as part of their Planet Talks program, held on the traditional lands of the Guarna people. Listen to Big Ideas — Changing minds on climate change Speakers Moemoana Safaʻatoʻa Schwenke Samoan climate activist, cultural ambassador, former Miss Samoa and Miss Pacific Islands Salā Dr. George Carter Head of the Pacific Institute and Deputy Head of the Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University 'Alopi Latukefu Director Edmund Rice Centre for Justice & Community Education Tukini Tavui (host) CEO of the Pacific Islands Council of South Australia

He was there at the birth of a movement. He's been a champion for the rights of gay people both in Australia and abroad ever since. The son of Jewish refugees, he's also been forced to reckon with other parts of his identity, especially since 7 October 2023. Dennis Altman looks back at 50 years of activism, writing, and social change. This event was recorded at the Williamstown Literary Festival on 13 June 2026. Speakers: Professor Dennis Altman Author, Righting My World: Essays from the past half century, and many more Vice Chancellors Fellow at LaTrobe University Former President of the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific Patron of the Australian Queer Archives Patron, the Pride Foundation Sam Elkin (host) Author, Detachable Penis: A Queer Legal Saga Host, Queer View Mirror Triple R community radio station Former lawyer

Think of a history textbook you had at school. Could you relate to the characters inside its pages? These women are proving Australian history contains multitudes. You just have to go looking for the version of Australia that never made it into the textbooks. Meet four women reshaping how and whose history is told. Hidden histories with a Wiradjuri woman and nurse turned oral historian, a South Indian finance student turned storyteller, a Zambian born film-maker and author, and the founder of She Shapes History.  This event was hosted at the National Library of Australia in partnership with She Shapes History. Speakers Sita Sargeant Social entrepreneur, author, founder and CEO of She Shapes History 2026 ACT Young Australian of the Year Santilla Chingaipe Zambian-born filmmaker, historian and author of Black Convicts - how slavery shaped Australia Host of the SBS documentary Our African Roots Host of monthly literary and listening events in Melbourne. Find more information at firstchapterpresents Jacinta Mackay Wiradjuri woman, nurse, researcher and oral historian completing her PhD Lecturer, University of Sydney School of Nursing 2024 National Library Scholar Harini Rangarajan Chennai-born, Canberra-raised storyteller, archivist and musician ACT Greens candidate Further information: Relevant reading notes and tips for this event if you're interested to discover more.

The conversation around men's mental health, identity and emotional lives is changing. Literature is one of the places where that shift is happening. On the page, writers are exploring what it costs men to conform, to hide, to perform strength they don't always feel. Masculinity and Mental Health was presented at the Newcastle Writers Festival. Listen to Big Ideas: The radicalisation of boys — Jess Hill, George Megalogenis, Thomas Mayo with Natasha Mitchell at Byron Writers Festival Speakers Tyree Barnette Author of Stolen Man on Stolen Land: Being African-American in Australia Brandon Jack Former AFL player and author of Pissants and 28: A memoir of football, addiction, art, masculinity and love Andrew Pippos Author of The Transformations and Lucky's Michael Williams (host) Editor of The Monthly

The ocean sustains all life on Earth, yet we know remarkably little about it. Now, because of technological advances, we could be on the cusp of a new age of exploration. But the ocean is in trouble. As National Geographic's Chief Science and Exploration Officer and deputy administrator for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Terry Garcia has seen the worst humans can inflict on the environment, working on responses to major disasters the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska and BP's Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. He says that in order to save the ocean, we need to understand it, and in order to understand it, we need to explore it. The 2026 Talbot Oration was recorded at the Australian Museum on 4 June. Speakers: Terry Garcia President of Exploration Venture Former Executive Vice President and Chief Science and Exploration Officer for the National Geographic Society Former Deputy Administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Kim McKay (host) Director and Chief Executive of the Australian Museum

It's the greatest power you all have as human beings — a healing power: to make others feel safe and welcome. It's so powerful because it puts a stop to their fears. The way to do this is learning to regulate your own fear responses. It's crucial to any relationship, but nowhere more so than in the therapy room. Fear makes or breaks successful therapy. Recorded at the York Festival of Ideas and presented by the Complex Trauma Institute. The festival is led by the University of York, UK. Speaker Michael Guilding Author of  Fear in the Therapy Room. A survival guide for working with complex trauma Retired counsellor and clinical psychotherapist

Is it too late to escape the rage bait machine? And why are its roots ancient and evolutionary? Leading strategist Ed Coper has used all the tricks of the trade to change hearts and minds. He's run some of Australia's and the world's most effective campaigns, advised change-makers like Sir Richard Branson, Shakira, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai and other Nobel Laureates. Now Ed is ringing an alarm bell in a new book called Angertainment: How Social Media Outrage Ruined Everything. This event was held at The Wheeler Centre, Australia's first dedicated centre for Books, Writing and Ideas, and was supported by RMIT University. Explore more discussions like this one on The Wheeler Centre podcast — available wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @wheelercentre on the socials for updates. Speakers: Ed Coper Communications strategist CEO, Populares Author, Angertainment: How Social Media Outrage Ruined Everything (2026), Facts and Other Lies: Welcome to the Disinformation Age (2022) Sushi Das (host) Journalist, lecturer, and former Chief of Staff of RMIT Fact Check, RMIT University

Globalisation has powered the extraordinary economic rise of Asia. But the same components that built this success — open trade, deep supply chains, interdependence — are now fuelling the rivalries threatening to pull the region apart. Globalisation and geopolitics are now moving in different directions, and it will define the future of Asia and the role Australia plays in the region.   Speakers  Professor Nick Bisley  Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Professor of International Relations at La Trobe University  Author of the book Asian Crucible, Globalization, Geopolitics and the Contest for the Future  Dr Michael Green (host)  CEO United States Studies Centre

From Robodebt to the banks, KPMG to the NDIS, whistleblowers have exposed egregious cases of corruption and misconduct. But it's often come at great personal cost, including risks to personal safety, liberty, relationships and reputations. So how could Australia's whistleblower protections be strengthened so that more people speak up when they witness wrongdoing? This event was recorded at the Centre for Ideas at the University of New South Wales on 16 June 2026. Speakers: Kieran Pender Associate Legal Director of the Human Rights Law Centre Founder, The Whistleblower Project Gabriel Shipton Film maker, storyteller, human rights advocate, co-leader of the campaign to free WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange Founder, The Information Rights Project Lenore Taylor (host) Former editor, Guardian Australia

The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wants AI in Australia's interests, and has announced steps to regulate the technology. So can Australia get the balance right between the opportunities offered by AI, and the risks? Australia's former Chief Scientist Alan Finkel, a serial tech entrepreneur, has some ideas — and argues governments have been asleep at the wheel on AI regulation. This event was recorded at the Woodend Winter Arts Festival on 7 June 2026. Speakers: Professor Alan Finkel Founder, Proudly Human Former Chief Scientist Former Chancellor Monash University Founder of biotech and edtech companies Axon Instruments and Stile Education Former President of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) Co-founder, Cosmos Magazine

Jack Toohey was flying high. Then he crashed. But from despair came renewal, and a rebellious hope. In 2023, when his social media post about housing affordability attracted over 20 million views — he knew he was onto something. He joins BIG IDEAS host Natasha Mitchell at the Make Good Festival at Bundanon, NSW to talk about the big ideas in his new book Better Things Are Possible: How Rebellious Hope Can Change the World. He wants to help you stop doomscrolling and reclaim the possibilities for creating a more just world. Speaker Jack Toohey Creative director, strategist, film-maker, and activist Author, Better Things Are Possible: How Rebellious Hope Can Change the World (2026). Jack on Substack Jack on Instagram Thanks to the Bundanon team and guest curator of the Make Good Festival Danielle Harvey

The ocean calms us. It terrifies us. It heals us. Sometimes all at once. We explore the sea's complex hold on your mental health — from the fear of shark attacks and the medicine of a morning swim to how immersive ocean soundscapes work on the nervous system and ocean grief as part of climate change anxiety. Presented at the Ocean Lovers Festival Listen to Big Ideas — The shark net controversy — hear the debate at Bondi's Ocean Lovers Festival with Natasha Mitchell Speakers Dr Brianna Le Busque Program Director of Environmental Sciences and Geospatial Sciences at Adelaide University Anika Craney Freediver, ocean guide and citizen science research assistant Kate Montague Working with somatic therapy and performance arts, creator of the Audiocraft podcasts Kal Glanznig Youth ocean and climate champion, creator of the documentary RISING UP, co-founded Plastic Free Cronulla, and founder of the project Blue Minds John Ireland (Host) Breath and somatic educator, Founder of Breathwork HQ

We are seeing seismic shifts in our politics, as more people than ever turn away from the major parties. Could public policy failures be to blame? Former politician Dr Susan Close has spent her career in the engine room of democracy, and she believes this trend has been caused by successive government policies that have left people behind, created winners and losers and segregated our community — especially in the way Australia funds its schools. The 2026 Hugh Stretton Oration was recorded at the University of Adelaide on 2 June 2026. Speakers: Dr Susan Close CEO, McKinnon Institute for Political Leadership Member of the CSIRO board Former Member for Port Adelaide 2013- 2025 Former Labor Deputy Premier, Minister for climate science, defence, education and more

Palestinians and Israelis are building common ground for peace where most say there is none. Since October 7 and the war in Gaza, the idea of cross-community dialogue seems impossible. But behind the headlines, more than 550 leaders from both communities, across politics, security, business, media, and civil society have come together to shape a peaceful future - for both peoples. What does a just and peaceful solution actually require? Who is doing the work to get there? And is there a role for Australia to play?  Presented by the New Israel Fund Australia Speakers Hiba Qasas Founding Executive Director of Principles for Peace, former senior UN official Dr Gil Murciano CEO of the “Mitvim Institute", a foreign policy research organisation in Israel Dr Sally Warhaft (host) Writer, journalist and host of the Wheeler Centre’s The Fifth Estate series

When writer Hiroko Yoda's mother died, she found herself unmoored. They'd argued a fair bit over the years — as daughters and their mothers can — some things were unresolved. So now what? She found herself setting off an odyssey to understand Japan's surprisingly flexible, practical, pluralistic approach to spirituality, its infinite number of spiritual beings, its affection for angry ghosts, and the curious possibility of embracing belief and non-belief at the same time. She poured it all into a beautiful book called 8 Million Ways to Happiness. Yes, 8 Million! How can that be!? Find out in this poignant conversation she shares with Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell on peace, grief, meaning, and overcoming the mountains within. This event was recorded live at the 2026 Melbourne Writers Festival. To explore more of the festival's events and talks, visit mwf.com.au. Speaker Hiroko Yoda Tokyo-based author, translator, folklorist, and certified kimono consultant Author, Eight Million Ways to Happiness: Find your own way to inner peace with the wisdom of Japan (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2026)

Writers have access to endless worlds, perspectives and experiences — both real and imagined. So what should they do with that privilege? Do they have a responsibility to try to change the world? To cultivate empathy and understanding? Or to simply bear witness? The Melbourne Writers Festival closing night address was recorded on Sunday 10 May 2026. Speakers: Professor Tony Birch Author, The White Girl, Women and Children, Ghost River, Blood and more Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of Melbourne Historian, activist, teacher, long distance runner Michael Williams (host) Editor, The Monthly magazine Host, Read This podcast

What if the way we think about rivers as resources to be allocated, infrastructure to be managed, problems to be solved, is just fundamentally wrong. What if they are in fact living entities with rights? From Indigenous law to ecological soundscapes to frontline water justice, this panel of Indigenous leaders, scientists and artists share stories, sounds and strategies for protecting and changing your relationships with waterways. River Listening was recorded live at the annual 2026 WOMADelaide festival, produced and presented as part of their Planet Talks program, held on the traditional lands of the Guarna people. Listen to Big Ideas – Students win fight for climate justice before the world's highest court Speakers Dr Dan Hikuroa Māori earth systems scientist, Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, UNESCO NZ Commissioner for Culture Grant Rigney Ngarrindjeri man, current Deputy Chair and past Chair of the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN) Dr Leah Barclay Award-winning sound artist, researcher and environmental activist Jo Shulman (host) CEO of the Environmental Defenders Office

Forget climate change, forget nuclear Armageddon, did you know that the universe is unravelling? It's probably aeons away, but according to physics, dark energy could end us all. Join award winning theoretical physicist Tony Padilla at this Sophia Club live philosophy event, to explore the torrid birth of the early universe, traverse the twisted hearts of black holes, skip through the harmonic vibrations of string theory, and ponder how, according to physics, it all might one day end. This event was recorded for the Sophia Club live philosophy in London on 21 April 2026. Speakers: Tony Padilla Professor of physics, University of Nottingham Associate Director of the Nottingham Centre of Gravity Host, Numberfile Author, Fantastic numbers and where to find them: A Journey to the Edge of Physics Sally Davies Editorial lead for the Sophia Club Editor, AEON magazine Music by Oliver Coates Cellist, film composer and electronic music producer (Pillion, Aftersun and more)

Need a mid-Winter pick me up? Well this is the conversation for you!  You could call Astrid Jorgensen a choir conductor, but that really doesn’t capture what she does and the global phenomenon she’s created. On any one night, anywhere in the world, you’ll find Astrid on a stage in front of a few thousand people singing their hearts out. She’s the founder, the composer, and the host of Pub Choir — which has been described as the world’s biggest one night stand in song. But for a while there she could have become a nun. Yes, there's so much more to her story, and she joins Big Ideas' host Natasha Mitchell to tell it. This event, organised by Northern Books, was held at the Fitzroy Town Hall in Naarm/Melbourne. This episode was first aired on the 10 December 2025. Speaker Astrid Jorgensen Founder and conductor of Pub Choir Author, Average At Best (Simon and Schuster Australia, 2025) Further information How Astrid Jorgensen turned a suburban pub choir into a worldwide musical phenomenon (Australian Story/ABC News, 2025) Watch Australian Story episode about Astrid on Youtube (2025)

The gambling industry is targeting young people through digital platforms, personalised algorithms and the blurring line between gaming and betting. But also off-line, at the pokies, we see younger faces. We explore the strategies behind this trend, the human costs and what it would actually take to change the culture and the regulation around gambling in Australia. This conversation is a cooperation with Shaun Micallef's Going for Broke, the new ABC three-part documentary series that you can find on ABC iView. Speakers Dr Charles Livingstone Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Mark Kempster Lived Experience Advocate with the Alliance for Gambling Reform Reverend Stu Cameron CEO and Superintendent of Wesley Mission Dr Sally Gainsbury Associate Professor of Psychology and co-Director of the University of Sydney Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic Steve Cannane (host) Reporter with the ABC's Investigations Unit ABC Four Corners by Steve Cannane – Losing Streak Further information National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 Wesley Mission Gamble Aware

The arc of the moral universe may bend toward justice, but not without a whole lot of committed individuals doggedly banging on about it. Even when no one's listening, even when it's boring, even when it takes years or even lifetimes. So in this time of division and fracture, when hearts and minds seem out of reach, is there still value in preaching to the like-minded? The 2026 Sheila Drummond Memorial Lecture was recorded at the Woodend Winter Arts Festival on 6 June 2026. Speakers: David Marr Present Late Night Live, ABC Radio National Author, Killing for Country: A Family Story, Patrick White. A Life, Political Animal: The Making of Tony Abbott (Quarterly Essay) and more

It is replacing our work, our relationships, even our capacity to think. It's the combined sum of all human knowledge — so how long until artificial intelligence surpasses our own? Are we already there? In her latest Quarterly Essay, Anna Goldsworthy confronts a near future where humans are no longer the most intelligent beings, inviting us to consider what is irreplaceable in us, in what we do, and what we want for our lives. This conversation was recorded on 8 June 2026 at Woodend Winter Arts Festival. Speakers: Anna Goldsworthy Author, The God we made — the threat and promise of artificial intelligence, Quarterly Essay #102 and many more Classical pianist, founding member, Seraphim Trio Dean of the Elder Conservatorium of Music and School of Performing Arts, Adelaide University, and incoming Artistic Director of the Australian National Academy of Music Jacqueline Ogeil Harpsichordist, conductor, music teacher Founder and director, Woodend Winter Arts Festival Further information: Magnifica Humanitas - on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence - Encyclical letter by Pope Leo XIV

Is there an art to forgiveness? Join Natasha Mitchell with popular Play School presenter, writer, actor, yoga and meditation teacher Rachael Coopes to explore why it's so hard to forgive people, why it's not what you think it is, and how it can be good for your health to try. Forgiveness may be hard work, but so is hanging on to hurt, hate, or a grudge — that can eat away at you or keep you tethered to the original harm — with consequences for your wellbeing, your relationships and your ability live to your full potential. Rachael Coopes has written a new book The Art of Forgiveness: Let Go, Find Peace. Join her and Natasha for this rich conversation about a complicated act. This event was held at the 2026 Make Good Festival at Bundanon in NSW, on the traditional lands of the Dharawal and Dhurga people. Speaker Rachael Coopes Actor, author, presenter of the long-running children's ABC TV show Play School Yoga and meditation teacher Author, The Art of Forgiveness: Let Go, Find Peace (2025) Thanks to Make Good Festival guest curator Danielle Harvey and the whole team at Bundanon, NSW.

They say we are what we eat, and in this big, migrant nation, every dish tells a story, about culture, about connection, about identity. But when traditional cuisines become mainstream, does cultural appreciation risk becoming cultural appropriation? Can you own a recipe? This event was recorded at the Oz Asia Festival in Adelaide. Speakers: Durkhanai Ayubi Author, Parwana: Recipes and stories from an Afghan kitchen and She Who Tastes, Knows Elana Benjamin Author, Indian-Jewish Food: Recipes and Stories from the Backstreets of Bondi, and My Mother's Spice Cupboard: A Journey from Baghdad to Bombay to Bondi Dr Sukhmani Khorana (host) Associate Professor of media and cultural studies, University of New South Wales Co-Director of the university's Media Futures Hub Author, The Tastes and Politics of Inter-Cultural Food in Australia and more

He is considered the first Hollywood action hero and had a rapid rise to stardom. But Errol Flynn also was on trial for rape and had relationships with underage girls. Behind the Hollywood legend — the sword fights, the swagger, the smouldering screen presence — is a far more complicated and surprising story. This conversation was part of the Meet the Author series at the Australian National University.  Listen to Big Ideas – The rise of Australian actors in Hollywood Speakers Patricia O’Brien Adjunct Professor in the Asian Studies Program at Georgetown University; Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University Author of Errol Flynn: The True Story of Australia's Hollywood Icon Frank Bongiorno (host) Donald Horne Professor of History and Public Ideas, University of Canberra

It may be the least worst form of government, but faith in its leaders and its institutions is waning. From the US to the UK to Australia, democracy has also paradoxically delivered representatives who are proudly anti-democratic and openly undermine democratic institutions like electoral systems, the judiciary and a free media. So why do people see the likes of Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, and Pauline Hanson as the answer? The Future of Democracy was recorded at the 2026 Sydney Writers Festival in partnership with the Resilient Democracy Lab at the University of New South Wales. Speakers: Jon Sopel Co-host The News Agents Author, Strangeland: How Britain Stopped Making Sense, UnPresidented: Politics, Pandemics and the Race that Trumped All Others and more Former editor, BBC North America Nick Bryant (co-host) Host, Saturday Extra, ABC Radio National Author, The Forever War: America's Unending Conflict with Itself and more Former BBC Washington Correspondent Rosalind Dixon Professor of Law, University of New South Wales Founder, Resilient Democracy Lab Author, A People's Guide to the Australian Constitution

A power panel on the future of truth. In a world of AI hallucinations and corporate algorithms, state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, and misinformation spreading like wildfire on social media — the truth feels more elusive than ever. What can we do to get the truth out of trouble? Join Natasha Mitchell with guests at this event recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers Festival at Carriageworks on Gadigal Country. Speakers Jimmy Wales Entrepreneur and Founder of Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia Author, The Seven Rules of Trust: Why It Is Today's Most Essential Superpower (2025) Barbara Demick Journalist, former Beijing and Korea bureau chief for the LA Times Author, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins (2025); Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (2010), Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town (2021); Professor A.C Grayling Philosopher and founder of Northeastern University London. Author, The Challenge of the Future: What Should We Keep from Yesterday as We Rush into Tomorrow? (2026); For The People: Fighting Authoritarianism, Saving Democracy (2025) Professor Toby Walsh Scientist, Scientia Professor and head of the UNSW AI Institute, University of New South Wales Author, Faking It: Artificial Intelligence in a Human World (2023), The Shortest History of AI (2025) Thanks to Artistic Director Ann Mossop and team at the Sydney Writers Festival.

The fabric of multicultural Australia is under a kind of pressure it hasn't faced in a long time. Can it be renewed? And what role do artists, activists, and migrants have to shape what comes next? The landmark work The Elgar Companion to the Arts and Global Multiculturalism is asking exactly those questions. It traces multiculturalism from its origins as a political philosophy and as lived cultural practice right through to the complicated present. And it makes a case that the arts have been central to this story all along.  Presented at the Greek Australian Writers Festival Speakers Professor Nikos Papastergiadis Director of the Research Unit in Public Cultures at the University of Melbourne Co-editor of the book The Elgar Companion to the Arts and Global Multiculturalism Dr Alexandra Dellios Senior Lecturer, Centre for Heritage & Museum Studies, Australian National University Andrew Jakubowicz Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Technology Sydney Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos (host) Journalist, academic and Director of the Greek Australian Writers Festival

Two authors. Two books. Two very different histories of Australia. Tony Abbott's Australia: A history and Mark McKenna's The Shortest History of Australia were released within weeks of each other. They share similar references, but diverge in key areas, especially when it comes to how the country should reconcile with its Indigenous past. So what is the real story of Australia? The conversation Australian history's great divide: how writers view our past was recorded at the Sorrento Writers Festival on 23 April 2026. Speakers: Tony Abbott Author Australia: A history and more Australian Prime Minister 2013 to 2015 President, Australian Liberal Party Mark McKenna Author, The Shortest History of Australia and more Professor of History at the University of New South Wales   Sally Warhaft (host) Anthropologist, writer and broadcaster Editor, Well May We Say…The Speeches That Made Australia Further information: The Australian Wars with Rachel Perkins and Henry Reynolds — a watershed event at the Australia War Memorial Big Ideas, ABC Radio National, 4 February 2026 Who can we become? Thomas Mayo and Ray Martin speak Black and White about Australia's future Big Ideas, ABC Radio National, 3 March 2026 Victoria's new treaty with First Peoples — a turning point for Australia? Big Ideas, ABC Radio National, 9 December 2025 A new future for Black and White Australia — Thomas Mayo, Margo Neale, David Marr with Natasha Mitchell Big Ideas, ABC Radio National, 15 May 2024

Has the Iran War got you thinking about changing to an electric vehicle? Did government subsidies help you go solar or install a home battery? When renewable energy makes good economic sense, and eases cost of living pressures, people want in. As the public's desire for action on climate change is eclipsed by other concerns, and beset by vested interests and mis and dis information, how does climate policy win back ordinary people to galvanise progress once again? This event was recorded at Readings bookshop on 20 May 2026. Speakers: Thom Woodroofe Senior International Fellow, Smart Energy Council Author, Power, Prosperity & Planet: Climate & Energy Policy for All (In the National Interest, Monash University Publishing) Principal Advisor to Kevin Rudd during his tenure as Australian Ambassador to the United States, and Chief of Staff during his tenure as the Asia Society's President in New York Diplomatic adviser to the Marshall Islands in the negotiations of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change Zoe Daniel Former Independent Member for Goldstein Former ABC journalist and foreign correspondent Independent chair, Mental Health Victoria

What's the toll when your story becomes the story? What these journalists endured for their work beggars belief, but it hasn't stopped them believing in the role of journalism to hold power to account. Locked in a Chinese jail under 24/7 surveillance for more than 3 years — Cheng Lei is now determined to speak out about freedom and the long tendrils of Chinese state control because others can't or won't. Charlotte Grieve's investigation of a superstar surgeon and his patients' horrifying experiences was subject to one of the longest defamation trials in Australian history — a major test case for the public interest defence.  Hear their extraordinary stories. They join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at this Sorrento Writers Festival event. Speakers Cheng Lei Author, Cheng Lei: A Memoir of Freedom Journalist and Sky News presenter Charlotte Grieve Investigative journalist, ABC Investigations Unit. Former journalist with Nine media Author, Duty to Warn: Dr Munjed Al Muderis promised hope. A daughter saw danger — and fought for the truth. Thanks to Sorrento Writers Festival director and curator Corrie Perkin

Three leaders of three different countries, who decided they would no longer accept the limits placed upon them by the international rules based order. That's all it took for the world as we have known it to unravel. Thomas Wright, a former Senior National Security Council official in the administration of US President Joe Biden, delivers a clear-eyed assessment of the deliberate decisions that have led us here, and weighs up the possible roads ahead. This event After the unravelling: Confronting the new world order was recorded on 6 May 2026 for the Lowy Institute in Melbourne. Speakers: Thomas Wright Former senior US National Security Council advisor (during the Biden administration) Senior fellow with the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology at the Brookings Institution Nonresident Fellow, Lowy Institute Author, Inflection Point: Biden, Trump, and the Future World Order Sam Roggeveen Program Director, International Security Program, Lowy Institute Author, The Echidna Strategy: Australia's Search for Power and Peace Further information: How Trump got Iran wrong - by Thomas Wright, published 7 May 2026, The Interpreter, Lowy Institute

Donor-sperm conception has become even more difficult in Australia. Would-be parents are now facing a shortage of sperm. That's on top of an already complex end confusing process. For solo parents, queer couples, and people navigating fertility the path to parenthood often begins with long clinic waitlists, overseas donor profiles, shady Facebook groups or delicate conversations with friends. Presented by Sydney Opera House at the All About Women Festival 2026 Speakers Alisha Burns Founder of Solo Mum Society, host of the No Need for Prince Charming podcast, author of  the children's book My Perfect Family Maeve Marsden Writer, Creative Director of Varuna, the National Writers' House, and the Blue Mountains Writers' Festival Dr Melanie Saward Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman, writer, editor and lecturer of Australian Studies, University of Queensland Edwina Storie (host) Journalist and the lead for The Feed, SBS's youth media brand

From embracing the future of new technologies, materials and innovations, to returning to past times of multigenerational and communal living, architecture and design has plenty to offer when it comes to solving Australia's housing crisis. While debate rages about tax settings, government policy, and urban planning, design solutions are there to create the homes, the communities and the lives we need to make us happier and healthier — but is the will? This event was recorded at Curiosities Live at the University of Technology Sydney on 2 March 2026. Speakers: Anthony Burke Professor of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney Host of ABC TV's Grand Designs Australia Grand Designs Transformations and Restoration Australia Host of Anthony Burke's By Design ABC Radio National Tim Ross Comedian Presenter, ABC TV's Streets of Your Town, Designing A Legacy and more Author, What A Ripper! 60 everyday objects that shaped Australia, Motel — Images of Australia on Holidays and more Co-host, with Kevin McCloud, Tim & Kev's Big Design Adventure podcast Adjunct Professor at the University of Canberra Honorary member of the Australian Institute of Architects

Join Bruce Pascoe and Professor Ray Norris with Natasha Mitchell to discuss their eye-opening new book Big Sky: When the Emu Left the Earth. Then go outside, look up, and wonder about what connects humans rather than divides us. Humans have always gazed at the night sky, and (when we could) into the far reaches of our galaxy, to make meaning and sense of life here on Earth. The stories we tell about stars, planets, the Sun, the Moon, and more offer powerful lessons for us all — and for our relationships. This event was hosted by the Melbourne Writers Festival (find out more at mwf.com.au), Scienceworks, Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre on the country of the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation and the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation. Speakers Bruce Pascoe Author, poet, Aboriginal farmer based on Yuin Country Author of Dark Emu and coauthor, Big Sky: When the Emu Left the Earth (Magabala Books, 2006) Professor Ray Norris Astrophysicist and honorary fellow at CSIRO Coauthor, Big Sky: When the Emu Left the Earth (Magabala Books, 2006) Thanks to Dr Tanya Hill, Senior Curator of Astronomy at the Scienceworks, and Veronica Sullivan, CEO and Director of the Melbourne Writers Festival.

Rising authoritarianism, splintering alliances and an organised backlash against women's rights, gender equality and international development are threatening progress towards justice and equality. Can the United Nations' women, peace, and security agenda still help ensure stable international relations? Does it need to be modernised?  Feminist Answers in a Dangerous World: Gender, Peace and Security in a Precarious Geopolitics — the 2026 Pamela Denoon Lecture was presented by National Foundation for Australian Women and the Gender Institute at the ANU. Speakers Caroline Millar Former Australian Ambassador to the European Union, NATO, Belgium and Luxembourg; former Deputy Secretary for National Security, in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Dr Elise Stephenson Deputy Director at the Global Institute for Women's leadership at the ANU Asha Clementi Principal of the Persephone Network, 2022 ACT Young Women of the Year

From GP appointments and hospital procedures, to medical research and clinical trials, for centuries, women's health has historically been dismissed, diminished, or misdiagnosed. But in recent years, there are some signs that the medical system is slowly coming to terms with the fact that women — their bodies, their symptoms, their experiences, are different from men's, and need to be treated as such. This event was recorded at All About Women at Sydney Opera House on 8 March. Speakers: Dr Zoe Wainer Inaugural Director General of the Australian Centre for Disease Control Cardiothoracic surgeon Former deputy secretary, Victorian health department, conducted Australia's first ever public inquiry into women's pain Summer May Finlay  Associate Professor in Indigenous Health, University of Wollongong Gabrielle Jackson (host) Deputy editor, Guardian Australia Author, Pain and Prejudice: How the Medical System Ignores Women and What We Can Do About It

Australia's 29th Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull joins former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland to deliver a candid appraisal of the shifting sands of global politics, from Donald Trump to AUKUS to rising right wing populism in liberal democracies. This conversation was recorded at the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University on 16 April 2026. Speakers: Malcom Turnbull Australian Prime Minister, 2015 to 2018 President of the International Hydropower Association Chrystia Freeland (host) Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University Economic advisor to the President of Ukraine Former Canadian deputy prime minister and finance minister 2019 to 2024 Author, Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else, and Sale of the Century: Russia's Wild Ride from Communism to Capitalism

The untold story of Evelyn Marsden and the woman who rowed against the tide. You've heard of the Titanic disaster. Luxury ship. Largest ever. Impossible to sink. Hits iceberg. Catastrophic. Few survivors. Wreckage still under the sea 114 years later. Hollywood film starring Kate Winslet. But have you heard of Evelyn, the Titanic's only Australian survivor? She was a young nurse from rural South Australia with a sense of adventure. Journalist and former The Today Show and The Project co-host Lisa Wilkinson went digging, and what she unearthed is gobsmacking.  Lisa joins Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at this event organised by Northern Books in Castlemaine, Victoria. Speaker Lisa Wilkinson Journalist, TV presenter, former co-host of The Project and Today Show Author, The Titanic Story of Evelyn (Hachette Australia, 2026).

Democracy is on the decline, so could Plato help? Irish scholar Dr David Horan spent 16 years translating Plato's complete works, including his dialogues on the world's first democracy in ancient Greece. So what lessons can we learn from Plato today? This event was recorded at the School of Practical Philosophy in Sydney. Speakers: Dr David Horan Leader of the School of Philosophy and Economic Science in Ireland Member of the Plato Centre at Trinity College Dublin Author/ translator, The Dialogues of Plato

Communities that once built their future around coal and agriculture are asking: what do we become next? Regional Australia usually gets left behind when industries change and young people leave. But it's also — quietly, persistently — reinventing itself. Remote work is reshaping where jobs can be done. AI and digital innovation are opening new doors. Presented at the SEGRA National Regional and Economic Development Summit in Lithgow, New South Wales, in partnership with the City of Lithgow and their Lithgow Emerging Economy Project (LEEP) Speakers Jackie Schirmer Director of Environmental Governance, University of Canberra. Founded the Regional Wellbeing Survey in 2013 Dr Jess Jennings Regional and Rural Consultant and former mayor of Bathurst regional council Bjorn Jarvis Head of Workforce Futures Program at Jobs and Skills Australia Ashley Bland (host) Chair of the SEGRA Foundation Board; Associate Partner and Business Development Manager for Green Homes International Further information Regional Wellbeing Survey