Big Ideas

The Future Library is filled with unpublished books written for readers yet to be born.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

From running a massage clinic for homeless men to running the largest independent human rights organisation in the country, Kon Karapanagiortidis has always had a strong sense of his moral duty to help the people around him. Not just his friends and family, but anyone that might be called a neighbour. He even named his bestselling cookbook Philoxenia, a Greek word that means having love for the stranger. Kon's life has been defined by refusing to turn his back on those in need but that comes with a cost. Every year he receives thousands of hateful messages from people that he says have allowed themselves to become numb to the plight of others. Hear how he maintains his empathy and motivation while helping thousands of refugees through The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre with the radical simplicity of seeing the humanity in everyone. The conversation Compassion in Action, was recorded at the Centre for a Compassionate Society on 15 March, 2026 Speakers Petrina Barson Director of the Centre for a Compassionate Society Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM  Founder and CEO of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre  Author, The Power of Hope and Philoxenia - A Seat At My Table

Some say Russian president Vladimir Putin is growing increasingly paranoid, as his war with Ukraine wages on. It's hard to know from the outside looking in. What makes the elusive Putin tick? How has he changed during his 26 years in power? And where will it all end? Putin's not a fan of Soviet era communism, so what's drives him? And what's his thing with Trump?  Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell with two seasoned Russia watchers at the 2026 Sorrento Writers Festival. Speakers Associate Professor Will Partlett Melbourne Law School Fellow, Centre for Public Integrity Author, Why the Russian Constitution Matters: The Constitutional Dark Arts Coauthor, The Post-Soviet as Post-Colonial and The People's Guide to the Australian Constitution. Dr Elizabeth Buchanan Senior fellow, Australian Strategic Policy Institute Co-founder and co-director of polar warfare studies at West Point Military Academy's Modern War Institute Former, Head of Research for the Royal Australian Navy’s Sea Power Centre, Department of Defence. Author,  Red Arctic: Russian Strategy under Putin and So you want to own Greenland: Lessons from the Vikings to Trump. Thanks to Corrie Perkin, founding director and programmer of the Sorrento Writers Festival.

The global treaty for preventing nuclear proliferation is under serious strain. The last review conferences for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty have ended in deadlock. And this year, last treaty limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals has expired. This new risk comes at a moment when new nuclear actors are asserting themselves, and the diplomatic tools that once managed these dangers are weakening. What's at stake when the nuclear guardrails come down? Presented by the Institute of Politics (IOP), Harvard Kennedy School; Co-Organizer Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Speakers Rose Gottemoeller William J. Perry Lecturer, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; former Deputy Secretary General of NATO Laura S. H. Holgate Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School; former U.S. Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Office in Vienna Graham Allison Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School; Former Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Matthew Bunn James R. Schlesinger Professor of the Practice of Energy, National Security, and Foreign Policy, Harvard Kennedy School; Co‑Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Meghan L. O'Sullivan (host) Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs and Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School Further Information Taskforce Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Nuclear Threat Initiative — Preventing an Era of Nuclear Anarchy: Nuclear Proliferation and American Security

Have you ever heard of something called Chatfishing? From to AI profiles to cat-face filters, finding true love has never felt more difficult. And yet, dating is still fundamentally unchanged. It relies on good communication and mutual respect. After creating the social media juggernaut Bad Dates of Melbourne, who better to help you navigate the pitfalls and dealbreakers of dating in the modern world than Alita Brydon. Her first book is called How To Date Like A Dangerous Woman and it is full of straight talk with radical self-love at the heart of it all. This event was hosted at the Brimbank Writers and Readers Festival Speakers Alita Brydon Relationships expert, author of How To Date Like A Dangerous Woman and Bad Dates of Melbourne founder Nelly Thomas Comedian, MC and host of the Dear Nelly Podcast

It's the only sure thing in life: that we will all die some day. But many of us are scared to think about death — our own, or our loved ones'.  How can embracing death change the way we live our lives and remind us of what's important? This conversation explores topics of grief, philosophies of life and death, and the practical consideration of planning for the inevitable. This conversation was recorded at the Clunes Booktown Festival on 22 March 2026. Speakers Hannah Gould Senior lecturer and fellow with the Death Tech Research Team at the University of Melbourne Author of How to Die in the 21st Century: A whole new way to talk about death and more Antonia Pont Yogi Associate Professor Writing, Literature & Culture, Deakin University Author, Plain Life: on thinking feeling and deciding and more Marieke Hardy (host) Co-founder of the spoken-word art salon, Better Off Said: Eulogies for the Living and Dead,  Host of the podcast Marieke Hardy Is Going To Die Screenwriter and playwright, forthcoming Melbourne Theatre Company play, Losing Face (June 2026)

Three savvy political minds get up close and (very) personal with power to consider where it succeeds and struggles. They've got gripping stories to tell — about Australia's prime ministers past and present — and their mothers! What traits do you look for in an effective political leader? Are leaders made rather than born?  When Canada's Prime Minister took to the World Economic Forum stage in Davos this year, staking a claim for middle powers and standing up against the bullies across his border, the world took notice. Is that what good political leadership looks like, or not? How does Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stack up? Join Natasha Mitchell and guests with a lively audience at the 2026 Sorrento Writers Festival. Speakers Jennifer Hewett Business journalist and a national affairs columnist, Australian Financial Review. Troy Bramston Senior journalist, The Australian Author and political biographer Author, Gough Whitlam: The Vista of the New (Harper Collins Australia, 2025) Paul Strangio Historian and Emeritus Professor of politics, Monash University Author, The Alchemy of Leadership: Seven Australian Prime Ministers in a Turbulent 21st Century (Melbourne University Publishing, 2026) Thanks to Festival director Corrie Perkin and team.

From rags, to riches, to a prison cell. He could have stayed wealthy and silent, but chose not to. Hong Kong's Jimmy Lai launched newspapers that dared to challenge Beijing, advocate for democracy, and report the truth when the truth was dangerous. Now Jimmy Lai faces a life sentence under China's crackdown on press freedom. But his story sends a warning to us all, everywhere.What happens when power decides that a free press is a threat?  This event, The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, and China's Most Feared Critic was presented by the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center  Speakers Mark Clifford President of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation Author of The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, and China's Most Feared Critic Evan Osnos (host) Staff writer at The New Yorker

These days, more Australians get their news from their social media feed than traditional media outlets. Meanwhile artificial intelligence is supercharging the war on information, and distorting the news media's business model, while politicians flood the zone with sh*t as a deliberate media strategy. So what do AI and the algorithms mean for the news and for journalism, and how can we regain control of our information ecosystem? The conversation Truth, Lies and the Algorithm was recorded at the Brimbank Writers and Readers Festival on 15 March 2026. Speakers Ian Dunt UK political columnist, The I Paper Author, How Westminster Works and Why it Doesn't, Conspiracy Theory: The Story of an Idea (with Dorian Lynskey), and more Dr Mathew Marques Senior Lecturer in Psychology, La Trobe University Rita Arrigo AI consultant Luke Siddham Dundon (host) Radio journalist and news presenter, ABC Radio National Breakfast and the Breakfast Wrap

He's got a rags to riches origin story, a hit Youtube channel and a bestselling memoir. Now Gary Stevenson is using his platform to fight the growing divide between rich and poor across the western world — including in Australia. This conversation was recorded at the Melbourne Town Hall on 28 February 2026 with thanks to Thinkable events. Speakers Gary Stevenson  Author, The Trading Game: A Confession host, Gary Economics Youtube Channel, former Citibank financial trader Alison Pennington (host)  Chief Economist, McKell Institute, author, Gen F'd? How Young Australians Can Reclaim Their Uncertain Futures

A year on from its landslide victory, has Labor used its historic win to deliver big on BIG ideas to set Australia up for the future? Or is Prime Minister Albanese and his cabinet erring on the side of caution in this second term?  What allowed notable reformer prime ministers in the past to prosecute ambitious agendas? Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the Sorrento Writers Festival with three seasoned and savvy politics watchers, journalists and authors Paul Kelly, Niki Savva, and Amy Remeikis. A lively conversation not to miss as we head towards the May Federal budget. Speakers Amy Remeikis Senior political analyst, The Australia Institute Contributing editor, The New Daily Commentator as Pyjama Politics Author, Where it All Went Wrong: The Case Against John Howard (Simon and Schuster Australia, 2026) Niki Savva Political journalist and author Author, Earthquake: the election that shook Australia (Scribe, 2025) Bulldozed: Scott Morrison’s Fall and ANthony Albanese’ Rise (Scribe, 2022) Paul Kelly Editor-at-Large, The Australian Author of The Twilight of Exceptionalism: the Liberal and Conservative Era (Melbourne University Publishing,  forthcoming in July 2026) Thank you to Sorrento Writers Festival founder and director Corrie Perkin, Isabel Pinkster, Mark Bollenberg, and the whole festival team.

Martin Luther King III knows what the long fight for equity looks like. His father was the late great Martin Luther King Jr who led the modern American civil rights movement. And he's got something important to say to corporate Australia. Why are you missing out on Indigenous talent? Ignore it at the peril of Australia's future economic growth, he argues. It's more than a social or equitable good. Join Martin Luther III with Australian cultural and corporate leaders at this Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and CareerTrackers event. Speakers Martin Luther King III Civil Rights Leader and Global Humanitarian Linda Burney Former Minister for Indigenous Australians Melinda Cilento Chief Executive CEDA Renee Wootton Tomlin Founder and CEO New Era Energy Ben Wyatt Former WA Treasurer and Non Executive Director of serval companies Adam Davids (host) CEO and Managing Director CareerTrackers

Are Royal Commissions just a lawyer's picnic? A political witch hunt? Or, a necessary reckoning? They're Australia's highest form of inquiry on matters of public importance. But they've also become the go-to solution when corruption, misconduct or systems failures are exposed. The lowdown with three people who have seen how they work up close. The conversation How do Royal Commissions work? And How Do We Assess Their Impact? was recorded at the Sorrento Writers Festival on Friday 24 April 2026. Speakers Betty King QC Former Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria (2005 - 2015), former County Court judge, former state prosecutor, former criminal barrister Chairperson of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board Jack Rush KC  Barrister, counsel assisting the Victorian Royal Commission into the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires Jon Faine (host) Journalist and former longtime presenter Mornings, ABC Radio Melbourne Former lawyer Vice Chancellor's Fellow, University of Melbourne Author, Apollo & Thelma: A True Tall Tale

Malcolm Fraser's legacy remains contested territory in Australian politics. Decades after he left office, we still can't quite figure him out. The Prime Minister who came to power in controversy, governed for seven years, then spent the rest of his life surprising everyone with his increasingly progressive views. Whether Fraser was cautious conservative, pragmatic reformer, or something more complex entirely, this discussion seeks to understand both the man and the government he led during a pivotal period in Australian history. Presented at the Malcolm Fraser Symposium by the Trinity College, University of Melbourne. Listen to Big Ideas - The Art of opposition Speakers Troy Bramston Senior writer and columnist with The Australian Author of Gough Whitlam: The Vista of the New (2025) Dr Scott Prasser Former Senior Adviser to three Federal Cabinet Ministers, Academic and independent researcher Georgina Downer (host) Chief Executive Officer of the Robert Menzies Institute

October 7 has become synonymous with the Hamas attacks on Israel in 2023, in which more than 1200 Jewish people were murdered. What has followed — the hostage crisis, the war in Gaza, and the global response — has reverberated in communities far beyond the Middle East, including here in Australia. For Jewish Australians, it has turned their lives, their careers, their relationships and their identities upside-down. Four Jewish Australian women share their personal experiences of the profound rift they've felt in the wake of that day, and their hopes and attempts to mend it. This conversation was recorded at Manly Writers' Festival on 22 March 2026. Speakers Joanne Fedler Author of The Whale's Last Song and more, writing teacher, former lawyer Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert  Research Fellow in Security Studies, Macquarie University Author, The Uncaged Sky Former political prisoner in Iran Elana Benjamin  Author of Indian-Jewish Food, Recipes and Stories from the Back Streets of Bondi, and more Lee Kofman Author of The Writer Laid Bare: Mastering Emotional Honesty in a Writer's Art, Craft and Life and more, writing coach and co-editor, Ruptured: Jewish Women in Australia Reflect on Life Post-October 7 Suellen Dainty (host)  Journalist and author, An Invisible Tattoo and more

Through the stories of five women across three generations of his family, the influential Greek economist, author, politician and public intellectual Yanis Varoufakis tells the tumultuous tale of Greece's modern history, and reflects on its parallels with the once again global rising tides of fascism, authoritarianism, and the actions of those who resist. This conversation was recorded on 6 March 2026 at the Sydney Greek Festival. Speakers Yanis Varoufakis Economist, former Greek Finance Minister (2015), founder and General Secretary MeRA25 Author, Raise your soul: A Personal History of Resistance, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism? and more Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos (host) Journalist, Doctor of Creative Arts University of Technology Sydney

Every scientist dreams of a breakthrough — a new discovery that will change everything. Professor Georgina Long is someone who has done it — as a pioneer of life saving cancer treatments. So what are the ingredients for breakthroughs to occur? And why are the conditions that can lead to new discoveries under threat right now? The 2026 Ann Moyal lecture When groundbreaking cancer treatments save 50% of patients, what happens to the other half? was recorded at the National Library of Australia on 19 March 2026. Speakers Professor Georgina Long Medical Director of the Melanoma Institute of Australia Chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research, University of Sydney Co-recipient (with Professor Richard Scolyer) of the 2024 Australian of the Year Award Further information: Patient Zero - Richard Scolyer - Australian Story 2024 Dr Richard Scolyer speaks on his fight with brain cancer - ABC 730, 30 October 2025

The explosion of reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is not only a story of the past. Right now, nuclear plants are weaponised in the Iran war. It happened in 2022 when Russian forces occupied the Chernobyl exclusion zone. A new way of weaponising nuclear power. What have we learned from the worst nuclear accident in history — and what have we failed to learn? This conversation was presented by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and the Ukrainian Institute London. Speakers Serhii Plokhy Mykhailo S. Hrushevs'kyi Professor of Ukrainian History; Director, Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University Eglė Rindzevičiūtė Professor of Criminology and Sociology at Kingston University London Jonathon Turnbull Assistant Professor of Human Geography at Durham University Dr Sasha Dovzhyk (host) Writer, Curator and Head of INDEX: Institute for Documentation and Exchange (Lviv, Ukraine). Editor of the London Ukrainian Review

Is President Trump a new Nero, or a contemporary Caligula? The Roman Empire was full of merchants of chaos, power-hungry emperors, epic wars, backstabbing, betrayals — the whole horror show. And it was a time of civilisational scale change. As we grapple with a rewriting of the world order,  does Ancient Rome have lessons for us today — about the building and breaking of empires, or the rise and fall of autocrats? Or are these sorts of comparisons with the past fraught with complication?  Join Natasha Mitchell and guests at this Melbourne Museum event to coincide with the opening of the ROME: Empire, Power, People exhibition. Speakers Rhiannon Evans Co-host of the Emperors of Rome podcast Author, Utopia Antiqua: Readings of the Golden Age and decline at Rome (Routledge, 2007) Adjunct Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient History La Trobe University  Nick Bisley Author, Asian Crucible: Globalization, Geopolitics and the Contest for the Future (Bristol University Press, 2026); The Belt and Road Initiative and the Future of Regional Order in the Indo-Pacific (Rowman and Littlefield, 2020), Issues in 21st Century World Politics, 3rd Edition (Palgrave, 2017) and Great Powers in the Changing International Order (Lynne Rienner, 2012) Professor of International Relations Pro Vice-Chancellor Research La Trobe University    Thanks to event producer Jennifer Brookings, Nick Marchand (Director of Global Engagement at Museums Victoria), and team the Melbourne Museum.

What happens to a community when it punishes its most vulnerable instead of protecting them Drawing on her own story of addiction, imprisonment, and recovery, as well as her frontline work supporting women behind bars and post-release, Tahlia Issac challenges the "tough on crime" narrative. The typical incarcerated woman in Australia is First Nations, a mother, a survivor of violence, and imprisoned for a low-level offence. Locking her up doesn't make communities safer — it makes them more fragile. This is the 2025 International Women's Day Address at the National Press Club of Australia. Speakers Tahlia Isaac Founder and CEO of Project: herself with lived experience as a woman in prison Emma Macdonald Associate Editor or Her Canberra, an online media company, magazine, and community hub tailored specifically for women, and Canberra Convenor of Women in Media

Australians love a holiday in Southeast Asia. But our proximity to this region also makes it key to our national security and prosperity. Yet Australia has hitched its security and foreign policy wagon to an increasingly unpredictable United States, while China asserts in dominance in our own backyard. So are we taking Southeast Asia for granted? This conversation was recorded at Readings Bookshop on 23 March 2026. Speakers Michael Wesley Professor of International Relations and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Global Culture and Engagement, University of Melbourne Former head of the Lowy Institute, former dean of ANU's College of Asia and the Pacific Author, Blind spot: Southeast Asia and Australia's Future (Quarterly Essay # 101) and more Geoff Raby Former Australian diplomat to China 2007 — 2011 Author, Great Game On: The Contest for Central Asia and Global Supremacy and more

Artificial intelligence has been defined as a cluster of technologies of and for the future. But like most humans, AI is built using what has happened in the past — scraping behaviours, experiences and other data to shape its outputs. In this sense, AI is a new kind of historian — but operating without guardrails, ethics, or any sense of doubt. This annual lecture for the History Council of Victoria, Can I Help You? Recognising and Improving Artificial Intelligence as History Maker was recorded on 16 October 2025. Speakers Marnie Hughes-Warrington Bradley Distinguished Professor at the University of Adelaide Co-editor, History from Loss and The Routledge Companion to History and the Moving Image

It's Team 'Aliens Alive' versus Team 'Earthlings United'. Get out of this world, hear the arguments, and you decide. Was the X-Files really a documentary, or was Mulder deluded? Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell from the stage of the 2026 World Science Festival Brisbane for an hilarious hour of science and comedy. TEAM ALIENS ALIVE Dr Joel Gilmore (Team Captain) Energy specialist, physicist, science communicator, improv theatre buff, dancer Dr Sara Webb Astrophysicist, author, and science communicator Author of The Little Book of Cosmic Catastrophes Swinburne University Georgina Humphries Comedian, two time Raw Comedy finalist Georgina's show Rogue at the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival TEAM EARTHLINGS UNITED Professor Tamara Davis (Team Captain) Astrophysicist Principal Investigator, OzDES (Dark Energy Survey) ABC TV documentary presenter, ultimate Frisbee and triathlon competitor University of Queensland Nate Byrne Meteorologist, oceanographer. science communicator ABC TV Breakfast host and weatherman Sean Choolburra Comedian, dancer, actor Thanks to the event producers Dr Rob Bell, Jane O'Hara, Bec Redsell and the whole World Science Festival Brisbane team.

Former BBC presenter and host of the hit podcast The News Agents, Emily Maitlis, gives a fearless assessment of modern news coverage, public broadcasting, and the royal family's handling of Andrew Mountbatten-Windor's arrest.  The event No Spin, No Compromise was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House for the 2026 All About Women festival. Speakers Emily Maitlis Co-host, The News Agents and The News Agents USA podcasts Author, Airhead: The Imperfect Art of Making News Former BBC journalist and longtime anchor of BBC Newsnight Janine Perrett (host) Finance and foreign affairs journalist and presenter, The Australian, Channel 9, Sky News, ABC Further information: Emily Maitlis full interview with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, BBC Newsnight, 2019

Todd Ley exposes a high-pressure world where talent is everything, but protection is rare; where overzealous parents, manipulative coaches, hungry sponsors and indifferent associations can push young athletes to their breaking point. It's not just a story about tennis, it's about what happens when a child's identity is consumed by a dream that may not be their own and the long road back to self-worth after the cheering stops. Presented at the 2025 Byron Writers Festival Speakers Todd Ley Former world's top Junior tennis player Author of SMASHED: Prodigies, parents and parasites Anna Featherstone Author; non-fiction advisor to the Alliance Independent Authors, publishing consultant for the Australian Society of Authors

Comedians are increasingly being forced to navigate a world where the right punchline at the expense of the wrong politician carries the risk of personal and professional consequences. So when poking fun at the powerful could get you cancelled, sued, land you in jail — or worse — who's afraid of a joke? This episode was recorded on 28th March 2026 as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in partnership with 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 Sam Jay Comedian, TV writer Saturday Night Live, host of HBO's Pause with Sam Jay, 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show We the People Bahaa Dabbagh Stand-up comedian, Syrian refugee advocate, 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Comedy Zone Leon Filewood Stand-up comedian, winner, Deadly Funny, 2018 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, 2026 Moosehead Recipient, 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show Holding Space Tom Ballard (host) Comedian, broadcaster, writer, former host of ABC TV's Tonightly with Tom Ballard and Triple J's Breakfast with Tom and Alex, 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival show Be Funny Challenge (Impossible) Further information: Jon Stewart acceptance speech, 2022 Mark Twain Prize, Kennedy Centre

Get bonkers on bonking with Natasha Mitchell and guests at the 2026 World Science Festival Brisbane. It’s a sexy, fun, and educational – what's not to love?! Sex historian Dr Esme Louise James is creator of the viral Kinky History TikTok series and does a Sextistics show with her mathematician mother. The complexity of the human clitoris can no longer be ignored by science, thanks to the world-changing work of urologist and surgeon Professor Helen O’Connell. And biologist Professor Robbie Wilson will help you channel your inner animal – masturbating monkeys, tiny testicled-gorillas, amorous antechinus and more.  This event was hosted at the 2026 World Science Festival Brisbane/Meanjin. Speakers Dr Esme Louise James Historian, perfomer, author, Kinky History: A Rollicking Journey Through Our Sexual Past, Present, and Future (2024) Creator, the viral Kinky History TikTok series. Professor Helen O'Connell A.O Urologist and urological surgeon University of Melbourne Professor Robbie Wilson Biologist, head of The Performance Lab University of Queensland Thanks to World Science Festival Brisbane producer and maestros Dr Rob Bell, Jane O'Hara, Bec Redsell. Further reading Anatomy of the clitoris  Helen E O'Connell, Kalavampara V Sanjeevan, John M Hutson Journal of Urology, Volume 174(4 Pt 1): October 2005, Pages1189-95 Anatomical Relationship Between Urethra And Clitoris Helen E. O'connell, John M. Hutson, Colin R. Anderson,  Robert J. Plenter The Journal of Urology, Volume 159, Issue 6, June 1998, Pages 1892-1897 Magnetic resonance imaging of male and female genitals during coitus and female sexual arousal  Willibrord Weijmar Schultz, Pek van Andel, Ida Sabelis, Eduard Mooyaart BMJ, 1999 The Anatomy of the Distal Vagina: Towards Unity  Helen E. O'Connell , Norm Eizenberg, Marzia Rahman, Joan CleeveThe Journal of Sexual Medicine, Volume 5, Issue 8, August 2008, Pages 1883–1891 Magnetic resonance imaging of male and female genitals during coitus and female sexual arousal  Willibrord Weijmar Schultz, Pek van Andel, Ida Sabelis, Eduard Mooyaart BMJ, 1999

You often hear that forgiveness is the key to healing and moving on — but is it always the right thing to do? This conversation explores how forgiveness is something far more complex than a simple act of letting go. Is it a generous moral gift, or a burden placed on those who've been wronged? What really happens when we forgive? And is sometimes withholding forgiveness the more honest response? 2025 Anderson Fellows Lecture — Forgiveness: Do We Really Need it? presented by the University of Sydney Speakers Lucy Allais Professor of Philosophy at both the University of the Witwatersrand and Johns Hopkins University Luke Russell Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sydney

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia has some 120 embassies, high commissions, consulates-general and representative offices located across five continents. So when an Australian gets into trouble overseas, or a politician travels abroad on government business, or other countries take actions that damage Australia's national interest, it's likely a diplomat is not far away. In their recent books, two former diplomats reveal what the job is really like as Australia's representatives abroad. This event was recorded at the 2025 Canberra Writers Festival. Speakers Lachlan Strahan Former Australian diplomat Author, The Curious Diplomat: A Memoir from the Frontlines of Diplomacy Grant Dooley Former Australian diplomat Author, Bomb Season in Jakarta — A personal account of a turbulent period in Australian diplomacy Karen Middleton (host) Political journalist Author, Albanese: Telling it Straight