Big Ideas

Murderers, fraudsters, mobsters, dodgy doctors, and corrupt politicians. Kate McClymont has exposed all manner of shady characters, and lives to tell the tale. Here, she reveals some of the perils of investigative journalism over her career, and what she sees are the threats and promises for its future.The 2025 Brian Johns Lecture, in partnership with the Copyright Agency and Macquarie University, was recorded at the State Library of NSW on 1 May 2025.SpeakersKate McClymontChief investigative journalist, Sydney Morning HeraldAuthor, Dead Man Walking: The murky world of Michael McGurk and Ron Medich and He Who Must Be Obeid (with co-author Linton Besser)John Potts (host)Professor of Media, Macquarie University

There are some leaps in science and technology that change everything. Scientists say we’re living through the second quantum revolution, so we're going deep into the quantum world with leaders at the forefront of this field. If you think quantum is all about computers think again – like how could this vast science help female athletes reach their peak? Thanks to the World Science Festival for this talk “Welcome to the Second Quantum Revolution”. Speakers Belinda SmithABC Science host Associate Professor Chris FerrieLecturer in quantum sciences at the University of Technology in SydneyDr. Clare MinahanAssociate Professor of Exercise and Sport at Griffith University Geoff PrydeChief Technical Director for PsiQuantumAssociate Professor Tim GouldInternational leader and researcher in the quantum theory of chemistry at Griffith University

When Santilla Chingaipe stumbled on the names of enslaved Africans who arrived on the First Fleet in 1788 she couldn't look away. For Steve Vizard, an argument with his adult kids lead him to the battlefields of Gallipoli. When Sita Sargeant threw a mattress in a car and drove around Australia, what hidden herstories did she unearth?At school, the history we learn is often incomplete, mythologised, or is riddled with silences and absences. But when you start looking, the ghosts of lives past start speaking.They join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell live at the 2025 Melbourne Writers Festival. Explore more of the festival at mwf.com.au SpeakersSantilla ChingaipeZambian-Australian film-maker, historian, writerAuthor, Black Convicts: How Slavery Shaped AustraliaSteve VizardPofessor, Monash University and University of AdelaideAuthor, Nation, Memory Myth: Gallipoli and the Australia ImaginationSita SargeantFounder of the history walking tour social enterprise She Shapes HistoryAuthor of She Shapes HistoryThanks to Veronica Sullivan, director of the Melbourne Writers Festival, for curating this event.

Sarah Churchwell takes you on a gripping and confronting journey into America's recent past to explain its extraordinary present, starting with dark story at the heart of that American classic Gone with the Wind. Knowledge lies at the heart of a healthy democracy, and its many custodians include libraries, universities, cultural institutions, and a free and independent media. So what happens when these institutions are intimidated, dismantled or destroyed, as is happening in America right now, under the government of President Donald Trump?This event was recorded at the University of Technology Sydney's Vice Chancellor's Democracy Forum on 14 May 2025.SpeakersSarah ChurchwellProfessor of American Literature and Chair of Public Understanding of the Humanities at the University of LondonAuthor, The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and The Invention of The Great Gatsby, Behold, America: A History of America First and the American Dream, and The Wrath to Come: Gone with the Wind and the Lies America TellsDirector, Being Human festival and Living Literature event seriesJudge, Man Booker PrizeAnna Funder (host)Author, Wifedom, Stasiland and All That I AmLuminary and Ambassador, University of Technology SydneyRoy Green (host)Emeritus Professor and Special Innovation Advisor at University of Technology SydneyFormer Dean of the UTS Business SchoolChair of the UTS Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing HubFurther information:From Gatsby to Huck Finn — American literature in an age of polarisation - Sarah Churchwell on Big Ideas, ABC Radio National 4 November 2024

In 2017, the Uluru Statement called for Voice, Treaty and Truth as a roadmap to reconciliation. With the Voice defeated, what is the path now to meaningful reform that will improve the lives of Indigenous Australians?From the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, to Victoria's truth-telling Yoorook Justice Commission, two Indigenous leaders argue that their people must be given the power, the resources and the authority to make decisions about the issues that affect their lives.The 18th annual Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration was recorded at the Don Dunstan Foundation at the University of Adelaide on Wednesday 28 May 2025. Eleanor Bourke's address to the Melbourne Press Club was recorded on Tuesday 13 May 2025.SpeakersEleanor Bourke Chair, Yoorook Justice CommissionRomlie Mokak Former Productivity CommissionerFurther information:Yoorrook Justice Commission - watch clips of the hearings hereRead the Producivity Commission's review into Closing the Gap here

The racism and resilience Padma Raman’s parents experienced lit a social justice fire in her early on. She landed on the sunny shores of Sydney in the 1980s and watched both her parents face racism and discrimination seeking work. She’s gone on to dedicate her career to making the world a better place for women and girls. It’s taken her to the halls of Federal Parliament and the United Nations. The Pamela Denoon lecture is presented by the ANU Gender Institute and the National Foundation for Australian Women. SpeakersPadma Raman PSMExecutive Director Office for Women at the Department of the Prime Minister and CabinetAkrti TyagiHead of Digital at Girls Run the World Sally MoyleDeputy Chair of the National Foundation for Australian Women

Australians have a hardcore addiction to fast fashion. That means dyes in our waterways, microplastics in our bodies, and hundreds of thousands of tonnes of textiles dumped in landfill. Fashionista or not, do you feel powerless to change an industry dominated by global fashion giants making giant profits? Meet four passionate crusaders with fashion, finance, tech, textile, and industry know-how who are already finding ways.They join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the 2025 Ocean Lovers Festival at the Bondi Pavilion on Gadigal Country.SpeakersDr Christopher HurrenAssociate Professor in Textile ResearchInstitute for Frontier MaterialsDeakin UniversityDanielle Haj-MoussaInvestor, technologist, and co-founder of Tech for Social Good non-profitLeader of Fashion Collective portfolio with deep tech fund Main Sequence VenturesDr Lisa LakeDirector, Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Fashion + TextilesUniversity of Technology Sydney and TAFE NSWKit WillowFashion designer and sustainable fashion pioneerCreator of international labels Willow and KitXFounder, CirkitThanks to Lorna Parry and Carolyn Grant at the Ocean Lovers Festival for curating this event.Further information:Uluu (biodegradable materials start-up)Alt.leather (start-up company developing 'leather' made from plants)Samsara eco (start-up company developing plastic eating enzymes)Xefco (start-up company developing new ways of dying and processing materials)Newera Bio (start-up company developing new dyes and pigments for textiles)Nanollose (company turning liquid waste into rayon fibres for clothes)Blocktexx (company recovering polyester and cellulose from textiles and clothing)Project Boomerang (plans for a textile recycling plant run by the Salvos)

Warren Ellis is best known as the charismatic violinist with legendary Australian instrumental rock trio Dirty Three and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Justin Kurzel's new documentary Ellis Park is a both portrait of Ellis as he comes to terms with his Ballarat childhood, and a film about the devastating impacts of wildlife trafficking, and why Ellis was driven to buy land in Sumatra to home rescued animals.The pair join the ABC's Zan Rowe at the film's premiere to talk about their collaboration, the act of creation, and of giving back.This conversation was recorded at the Melbourne International Film Festival.SpeakersWarren EllisMusician, Dirty Three, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and moreFilm score composerAuthor, Nina Simone's Gum: A Memoir of Things Lost and FoundJustin KurzelDirector, Ellis Park, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, True History of the Kelly Gang, Snowtown and moreZan Rowe (host)Presenter, Take 5, Double J and ABC TV

How do nations work together to control access to our vast universe, negotiate who gets what resources, or even who gets to set up new colonies on far away planets? And how do we ensure that we don’t just export earthly conflicts on take-off? ‘Unlocking Cooperation: Space Diplomacy’ is a talk from the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. SpeakersDr Diane HowardFormer Director of Commercial Space Policy at the National Space Council in The White HouseMai'a CrossDirector at the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures at Northeastern UniversityAnn C ThresherAssistant Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University

What's happening in Gaza is horrifying and shocking. As the world watches on, how are different Jewish communities reckoning with a war being waged in their name by Israel, against Hamas and the Palestinian people?This event was recorded at The Wheeler Centre on 27 May 2025 in partnership with the Jewish Council of Australia.SpeakersPeter BeinartAuthor, Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning and The Crisis of ZionismProfessor of Journalism and Political Science at the City University of New YorkEditor-at-Large of Jewish Currents MagazineFellow, Foundation for Middle East PeaceRegular contributor, New York Times and MSNBCSarah Schwartz (host)Co-founder, Executive Officer, Jewish Council of AustraliaLegal Director, Human Rights Law CentreLecturer, University of Melbourne Law School

A workforce we rarely hear about, lives in limbo, and stories from the coalface. From economic gains and cultural exchanges to exploitation and absconding, what are the successes and problems of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme? Who picks and processes those yummy strawberries you're about to put in your shopping trolley, or the crisp veggies you might stir-fry tonight? Did you know it could be a nurse or a police officer from a Pacific Island or Timor Leste on a temporary seasonal visa? Join Natasha Mitchell and guests for this event organised by Griffith University and the Australian National University, and held at the ANU.SpeakersDr Kaya BarryCultural Geographer, artist, senior lecturer, DECRA Research FellowCentre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith UniversityNunes CosbarMusician, photographer, horticultural employee in Australia on a PALM visa. Band member with Lian Husi TimorKen DachiCoordinator, Welcoming Workplaces with Welcoming AustraliaEma VuetiPresident, Pacific Islands Council of Queensland (PICQ)Thanks also to James Lees (Griffith University), Dr Matt Withers (ANU South Asia Research Institute), and Dr Kirstie Petrou (School of Humanities and Social Sciences, UNSW Canberra)Further informationTimorese abattoir workers perform at Port Fairy Folk Festival after call for musos (ABC Australia short film)

Words can mean everything, or nothing at all: it all depends on how they're delivered. This relationship between writer, script, actor and audience creates a particular tension that lies at the heart of performance. Who gives meaning to the words, interprets the creative material, who holds the power?This is a lecture, but not as you know it, by members of the multi award-winning British theatre company Forced Entertainment.The 15th annual Rex Cramphorn Memorial Lecture was delivered at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 18 March, 2025.SpeakersTerry O'ConnorPerformer and co-founder, Forced EntertainmentTim EtchellsArtistic Director and co-founder, Forced EntertainmentIan Maxwell (host)Chair of Theatre and Performance Studies at the University of Sydney

Gina Chick made her name as the inaugural winner of Alone Australia, but her story begins a long time before that. It involves unimaginable hardship, death grief, illness and injury. How has she learnt to sit with all that life has thrown at her, and remain joyful and true to herself, in the face of adversity?This event was recorded at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne, with thanks to Readings Books.SpeakersGina ChickAuthor, We Are the Stars (Winner of the Australian Book Industry's Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year)Hugh Van Cuylenburg (host)Founder, The Resilience ProjectHost, The Imperfects podcast

Your personal safety is big business, so much so that it’s given rise to “security capitalism”, a phenomenon where attempts to buy personal safety shape the world around us. As security becomes just another status symbol, do these gadgets make us safer or do they create a whole new list of anxieties – a self-fulfilling prophecy of perceived threat and risk aversion? This conversation 'Trapped: Does the security industry make us less safe?' was recorded at the CUNY Graduate Centre. SpeakersMark MaguireProfessor of anthropology at Maynooth University, co-author, Trapped: Life Under Security Capitalism and How to Escape ItSetha LowProfessor of psychology, anthropology, earth and environmental sciences, and women's and gender studies at the CUNY Graduate Center, co-author, Trapped: Life Under Security Capitalism and How to Escape ItAlex Vitale (host)Professor of sociology and coordinator of the Policing and Social Justice Project at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center

The ghost people arrived by boat. They never left. But the stories of first encounters and what came next live large, 250 years later, in First Nations families and communities. An ambitious journey to reclaim the names and stories disappeared by Captain James Cook, but never lost. A deeply personal excavation of herstories and the women wrenched from their Country by colonial sealers. A Polish freedom fighter and the fight for the mountain that bears his name. Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell to talk ghosts, reclaimation and revival with four authors at the 2025 Sorrento Writers Festival.Speakers Darren Rix and Dr Craig Cormick, co-authors of Warra Warra Wai: How indigenous Australians discovered Captain Cook and what they tell about the coming of the Ghost People (Scribner Australia. 2024)Tasma Walton, actor, screenwriter, novelist and author of I am Nannertgarrook (S&S Bundyi, 2025) Anthony Sharwood, journalist and author of Kosciuszko: The Incredible Life of the Man Behind The Mountain (Hachette Australia, 2024)Thanks to festival founder and director Corrie Perkin and the Sorrento Festival production team.

At the time of colonisation, there were more than 250 Indigenous languages spoken in Australia, but these days, all are considered endangered. Many First Nations people are working hard to revive and reclaim their mother tongues. In the anthology, Words to Sing the World Alive: Celebrating First Nations Languages, 40 Indigenous Australians share words and phrases that are meaningful to them.This event was recorded at the Clunes Booktown Festival on on Dja Dja Wurrung Country on 22 March 2025.SpeakersEvelyn AraleunPoet, researcher, and co-editor of Overland Literary magazineAuthor, Dropbear (Stella Prize winner 2022)Bundjalung speakerVicki CouzensSenior Knowledge Custodian for Possum Skin Cloak Story and Language Reclamation and Revival in her Keerray Woorroong mother tongueJeanine LeanePoet, essayist and criticPoetry editor for Meanjin magazineAuthor, Purple Threads (2010 David Unaipon Award for Indigenous Writing), Gawimarra: Gathering (winner, 2025 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Poetry)Wiradjuri speakerJane Harrison (host)Playwright and novelist, Stolen, Rainbow's End and The VisitorsFormer director, Blak & Bright First Nations Literary Festival

Music has been around for at least as long as humans, and possibly even longer. How have forces like religion, the economy, society and technology, shaped music over time? And why, in lullabies and concert halls, songlines and streaming services, have humans always been irresistibly drawn to making it?This event was recorded at Sydney's Gleebooks.SpeakersAndrew FordHost, The Music Show, ABC Radio NationalAuthor, The Shortest History of Music, and moreAward-winning composerKirsty McCahon (host)Double bassistStrategic Relations Manager, Sydney Conservatorium of Music

From wars with global consequences to violent crimes in the suburbs, trauma underpins so much of the news cycle. It’s something award-winning journalist Bruce Shapiro came to understand intimately when, as a young crime reporter, he was stabbed. It changed his whole perspective on his profession, dedicating a large part of his career to the question of how trauma in yourself - or your source - changes the way you approach a story. Hear how trauma became newsworthy, how reporters learned to better tell those stories, and what it all means in 2025. The Annual Humanities Horizons Lecture is organised by Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. The Lecture was established in 2013 to provide reflection on and advocacy for the Arts and Humanities. The content of the lecture is the intellectual property of the speaker Bruce Shapiro. SpeakerBruce ShapiroExecutive Director of the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma at the Columbia Journalism School

What if we could turn back time on our biological clock and slow down — even reverse — aging? High profile Harvard scientist David Sinclair is co-author of the New York Times bestseller Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To. His lab’s work is as ambitious as it is controversial. He wants to radically change the way we live our lives — and push at the boundary of what it means to be human. Professor Sinclair joins Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the 2025 World Science Festival Brisbane.SpeakerDavid A SinclairProfessor of GeneticsAuthor (with Matthew D. LaPlante) of Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To (Atria Book, 2019)Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical SchoolPaul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research Harvard University

It's been 60 years since then Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies sent Australians to fight in the Vietnam War. Since that time, the defence force has been involved in many armed conflicts and peace keeping missions around the world — but with varying degrees of public support. So how have successive Australian governments managed public consensus around military engagements? And with war once again a threat to global security, might they have to do so again?These events were recorded at the Robert Menzies Institute at the University of Melbourne on 29 April 2025, and at the Australian Catholic University on 11 April 2025.SpeakersSir Peter CosgroveFormer Chief of the Australian Defence ForceFormer Australian Governor GeneralGeorgina DownerChief Executive Officer, Robert Menzies Institute, University of MelbourneMia Martin HobbsAuthor, Return to Vietnam: An Oral History of American and Australian Veterans' JourneysPostdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University

If democracy is the will of the people, what does this federal election result say about Australia? In his election night victory speech, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australians had voted for Australian values, claiming these were fairness, aspiration and opportunity for all. But is this right message we should take from the election result?This conversation was recorded live at the 2025 Melbourne Writers Festival in partnership with The Wheeler Centre. To explore more Melbourne Writers Festival talks, visit mwf.com.auSpeakersJudith BrettPolitical historianAuthor, The Fearless Beatrice Faust, Robert Menzies' Forgotten People, Australian Liberals and the Moral Middle Class, and The Enigmatic Mr Deakin, (winner, 2018 National Biography award)Cathy McGowanFormer Independent MP for IndiAuthor, Cathy Goes to Canberra: doing politics differentlyThomas MayoNational Indigenous Officer of the Maritime Union of Australia"Yes" campaigner in the Voice to Parliament referendumAuthor, Dear Son, Letters and Reflections from First Nations Fathers and Sons, Always Was, Always Will Be: The Campaign for Justice and Recognition Continues, and moreSally Warhaft (host)Interviewer, broadcaster, anthropologist and writerHost, The Fifth Estate event series at The Wheeler CentreFormer editor, The Monthly magazineAuthor, Well May We Say: The speeches that made AustraliaAdjunct Senior Research Fellow, La Trobe University

Australians are now the biggest consumers per capita of clothes in the world. But just three per cent of clothing is made here in Australia. So is it time for a fashion rethink?This event was held at the Melbourne Museum as part of Melbourne Fashion Festival's Fashion Talks program on 4 March 2025. SpeakersTara MosesChief Operating Officer, RM WilliamsSarah SheridanCo-founder, Clothing the GapsAmy GallagherCo-founder, KlokeJuanita PageFounder, Joseph and JamesJaana Quaintance-James (host)Chief Executive Officer, Australian Fashion Council

Meta's Mark Zuckerberg has said “a lot of the corporate world has become culturally neutered” and that it needs more “masculine energy”? Has it and does it? At Meta, he recently shut down initiatives that promote equity and diversity in his workplace. In the USA, so has Ford, Mcdonalds, Walmart, and the Trump administration. But in Australia, less than 5% of CEOs in private companies are women and the gender pay gap is slow to budge. Meanwhile, future male leaders are being courted online by manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate. Where is all this heading? Join Natasha Mitchell and guests to consider the consequences for modern workplaces.This event was produced by the 2025 Sorrento Writers Festival curated by festival director and founder Corrie Perkin.SpeakersCatherine Fox AMAward-winning journalist, author, presenter, and commentator on women in the workforceAuthor, Breaking the Boss Bias: How to Get More Women Into Leadership (2024) and Stop Fixing Women (2017)Josh BornsteinLawyer specialising in employment and labour-relations law. Author, Working for the Brand: How Corporations are Destroying Free Speech (2024).

Democracies in retreat, attacks on science, border disputes, death and destruction. It can feel like we are living in unprecedented times - but here's the thing: world history has a habit of repeating itself. So what lessons does history teach us about this moment in which we find ourselves? Do we humans learn anything from the past, or are we destined to repeat the same mistakes?This event was recorded at Adelaide Writers' Week on 5 May 2025.SpeakersOrlando FigesHistorian of Russia and EuropeEmeritus Professor of History at the University of LondonAuthor, The Europeans: Three Lives and the Making of a Cosmopolitan Culture, The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia and many moreBettany HughesClassical historian, writer, broadcasterAuthor, Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Venus and Aphrodite: history of a goddess and many morePresenter, Bettany Hughes' Lost Worlds: The Nabataeans (SBS)Matthew LongoPolitical scientistAuthor, The Politics of Borders: Sovereignty, Security, and the Citizen after 9/11, The Picnic: A dream of freedom and the collapse of the Iron Curtain (Winner of the 2024 Orwell Prize for political writing)Assistant Professor of Political Science, Leiden University (The Netherlands)Dava SobelScience writer and historianAuthor, Longitude, Galileo's Daughter, The Elements of Marie Curie and many moreAnnabelle Quince (host)Host, Rear Vision, ABC Radio National

After five nominations, Ruthie Foster has taken home the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album - affirming her status as an American music legend. In this intimate conversation, she shares what made her want to be a singer; the roles of her grandmother and mother in her life; why faith is so important to her and why she wants to sing about real people. And much more…A Heartlands Conservation presented at the Blue Mountains Music Festival.SpeakersRuthie FosterAmerican singer-songwriter of blues and folk music. 2025 Grammy Award winner for Best Contemporary Blues AlbumGregg Borschmann (host)Writer, radio producer and oral historian for the National Library of Australia

The exiled founder of Russia's only independent television news channel, Mikhail Zygar, takes us inside Vladimir Putin's Russia, with a firsthand account of how the President has successfully silenced the media, opposition and Kremlin critics, to cement his hold on power.The 2025 AN Smith Lecture: Journalism against autocracy: Putin, Trump and the future of news was recorded at the University of Melbourne's Centre for Advancing Journalism on 31 March 2025.SpeakersMikhail ZygarExiled Russian journalist and commentatorFounder of Russian TV channel Rain TVAuthor, War and Punishment: The Story of Russian Oppression and Ukrainian Resistance, All the Kremlin's Men: Inside the Court of Vladimir Putin and moreWinner, 2014 Committee to Protect Journalists International Press Freedom AwardProfessor Andrew DoddDirector, Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne

A story of continents crashing and cleaving apart, the making of a civilisation, the language of the dead, and ... a mummified rat makes a cameo too. The Incan empire was vast and sophisticated. It built the stunning citadel in the clouds of Machu Picchu in the Andes mountains. But within a century its people were catastrophically wiped out by the onslaught of the Spanish conquistadors. Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell with two intrepid researchers — an archaeologist and a leading mammalogist — to hear what amazing discoveries continue to be made in Peru and South America.Thanks to the Australian Museum for hosting and producing this event.SpeakersProfessor Kris HelgenChief ScientistDirector of the Australian Museum Research InstituteAustralian MuseumDr Jacob BongersArchaeologist University of Sydney Further information:Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires exhibitionAssembling the dead: human vertebrae-on-posts in the Chincha Valley, PeruPainting personhood: Red pigment practices in southern Peru

The language used to talk about mental ill-health can play a key role in reducing or enforcing stigma. And it's constantly evolving. But what terms should be used and when? And by whom? The wrong word can not only deeply hurt a person's feelings. It can end careers, destroy relationships, cut access to support systems. This special World Mental Health Day PsychTalks event was presented by the Mental Ill-Health Stigma Researchers Australia Network (MISRA), the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, and the Melbourne School of Global and Population Health, with the support of SANE’s StigmaWatch program.SpeakersProfessor Nicola ReavleyPrincipal Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Centre for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global HealthDr Michelle BlanchardChief Executive Officer of VANISH, Honorary Senior Fellow in the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of MelbourneProfessor Nick HaslamProfessor of Psychology, Melbourne School of Psychological SciencesFay JacksonGeneral Manager of Inclusion at Flourish AustraliaSandy JeffsAuthor and poet, advocate in the mental health system for many yearsDr Chris Groot (host)Senior Lecturer in the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne

What can a mosquito teach us about time? Noone likes a mosquito bite — but for a brief moment when it stings you, you know you are alive. Humans are temporal beings, but across cultures, our concepts of time are vastly different. This event explores what we can learn from science, philosophy and Indigenous perspectives that can alter experiences of and attitudes to time, to make better decisions for the future.This event was recorded at the Sophia Club in London on 17 October 2024.SpeakersRichard FisherAuthor, The Long View: Why We Need to Transform How the World Sees TimeSenior editor, Aeon MediaAnde SombyYoik singerAssociate Professor of Law, The Arctic University of NorwayBrigid Hains (host)Editorial director, Aeon Media

This election has been described as a boring campaign, but with some fascinating contests. So just what is going on in the minds of voters as Australia heads to the polls this weekend?This event was recorded at the Sorrento Writers Festival on 27 May 2025.SpeakersFrank BongiornoProfessor of History, Australian National UniversityPresident, Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and the Australian Historical AssociationAuthor, Dreamers and Schemers: A Political History of Australia, The Sex lives of Australians: a historyPaul KellyEditor-at-Large, The AustralianAuthor, Triumph and Demise: The Broken Promise of a Labor Generation and The March of Patriots: The Struggle for Modern AustraliaKim CarrLongest serving Victoria Labor Senator (1993 — 2022)Vice Chancellor's Professorial Fellow at Monash UniversityDirector of the Made in Australia Campaign LimitedAuthor, A Long MarchJo Dyer (host)Writer, literary curator and producer of theatre and filmFormer director, Adelaide Writers Week, former CEO, Sydney Writers FestivalIndependent candidate for Boothby at the 2022 federal electionAuthor, Burning Down the House: Reconstructing Modern Politics

Are we living through a key turning point in world history? How do we make sense of this present moment, and what's on the horizon?Trump's trade wars, long-held alliances dismantled, the deadly conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, the rise and rise of AI, the tech oligarch takeover, China's military build-up, NATO's demise, and much more. It's a confusing time. Four seasoned analysts and journalists with their finger on the pulse join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell to share their prognoses. This event was hosted and organised by the 2025 Sorrento Writers Festival curated by festival director Corrie Perkin.SpeakersJohn LyonsWalkley award winning foreign correspondentABC Editor, AmericasABC Washington bureau chiefGreg SheridanForeign editor, The AustralianJournalist and author, Christians, the urgent case for Jesus in our world (2021)Emma ShortisDirector, The Australia Institute's International and Security Affairs program. Author, Our Exceptional Friend: Australia's Fatal Alliance with the United States (2021), After America: Australia and the New World Order (2025)Josh TaylorAward-winning journalist specialising in technology and politicsThe Guardian

It's been called a coming-of-age story for a nation. The Whitlam Government's purchase of Jackson Pollock's Blue Poles in 1973 helped to bring down the government. So how did this abstract expressionist masterpiece become the most famous, most controversial artwork in Australia?Then: how does political portraiture affect how we feel about politicians — and how we vote? Jacqueline Maley looks at The Art in the Optics — and explains why political portraiture is more important than ever today.These events were recorded at the National Library of Australia on 3 March 2025 and the National Portrait Gallery on 20 March 2025.SpeakersTom McIlroyAuthor, Blue Poles: Jackson Pollock, Gough Whitlam and the painting that changed the nationPolitical correspondent, Australian Financial ReviewNiki SavvaPolitical commentator and columnist, Sydney Morning Herald and The AgeJacqueline MaleyColumnist, Sydney Morning Herald and The Age

Until recently, the USA provided about 30% of global health funding. It was dominant in supplying HIV/AIDS medication and funded a major part of medical research. Much of this has now stopped with Donald Trump restricting gender affirming care, withdrawing from the WHO and holding funds from USAID - and the list goes on. What are the impacts on pandemic preparedness, future global health priorities and resource mobilisation?This conversation has been presented by the The Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID) and the Australian Global Health Alliance.SpeakersDr Nina SchwalbeCEO and founder of Spark Street AdvisorsProfessor Brendan CrabbDirector and CEO Burnet InstituteProfessor Sharon LewinDirector Doherty InstituteDr Selina Namchee Lo (host)Executive Director, Australian Global Health Alliance

Acclaimed British historian Sir Simon Schama reflects on the history of antisemitism, the Holocaust and contemporary culture. He says that for millennia Jewish people have been "the other of convenience. We are the dark mirror in which the wish fulfilment of other societies takes it out on people who are said to represent its opposite."Presented at the Adelaide Writers Festival in partnership with the University of Sydney.SpeakerSir Simon SchamaBritish historian and television presenterProfessor of Art History and History, Columbia University

Cancer is common and chemo and radiotherapies can save or extend our lives. But sometimes they don't, or they stop working, or they come with disabling long-term side effects. In a state of desperation, some of us seek out unproven alternatives which might even put us at greater risk of cancer. Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell and guests to find out how scientists are attacking the problem of cancer treatment.This event was organised by the Australasian Society of Stem Cell Research, University of Adelaide, and National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia.SpeakersProfessor Mark DawsonHaematologist and clinician-scientistAssociate Director of ResearchPeter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the University of Melbourne.Associate Professor David ElliotStem cell researcher and leader of the Heart Disease group, Murdoch Children's Research InstitutePrincipal investigator, Novo Nordisk Foundation for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW). Professor Megan MunsieImmediate Past President, Australasian Society of Stem Cell Research (ASSCR)Professor of Emerging Technologies (Stem Cells) Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the University of MelbourneThank also to Tanya Ha from Science in Public and Dr Luke Isbel from the South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute.Further listeningHow surfing writer Tim Baker and doctor Peter Goldsworthy learnt to live well and laugh with cancer (Big Ideas, 2025)

For the past 18 months, Israel's war in Gaza has polarised the world. The Indian author and essayist Pankaj Mishra reckons with the conflict through the lens of colonialism, morality and history.This event was recorded at the University of NSW Centre for Ideas on 27 February 2025.SpeakersPankaj MishraAuthor, The World After Gaza, From the Ruins of Empire and Age of Anger: A History of the PresentEssayist, New York Review of Books, London Review of Books, The New Yorker and moreSimon LongstaffDirector, The Ethics CentreCo-founder, Festival of Dangerous IdeasAdjunct Professor, Australian Graduate School of Management at University of NSWFurther information:The Shoah after Gaza by Pankaj Mishra - London Review of Books, 24 March 2024

Two thousand years ago, life in Pompeii stood still when Mount Vesuvius erupted, preserving the town in volcanic ash for centuries. Today, this ancient Roman city captures the imagination like few others.This event was recorded at the National Museum of Australia on 14 December 2024.SpeakersDr Sophie HayRoman archaeologist, press and communications officer, Paco archeological de PompeiiProfessor Steven EllisProfessor of Classics and Roman Archaeology at the University of CincinnatiDr Lily WithycombeCurator at the National Museum of AustraliaVirginia Trioli (host)Journalist, broadcaster and author, A Bit on the SideHost, ABC TV's Creative TypesFurther information:The exhibition Pompeii is on at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra until 4 May 2025.

Authoritarian regimes are threatened by women who fight for their freedom — and are pushing back in even more extreme and deadly ways. The world watched wide-eyed as Iranians took to the streets and social media for the #WomenLifeFreedom movement. We watched Afghan women and children run towards American planes taking off from Kabul as the Taliban returned to power. In Myanmar, women have taken up arms against the military junta. What do women at these front-lines need you to know right now? Join Natasha Mitchell and guests.This event was hosted by Monash University's Maureen Brunt Women and Democratic Change program and the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence against WomenSpeakersDr Farkondeh AkbariResearch FellowAustralian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence against WomenMonash UniversityDr Rana DadpourResearch Fellow in Social and Economic RiskThe Cairns InstituteJames Cook UniversityDr Isabella (Bella) AungResearch FellowMyanmar Policy & Community Knowledge Hub, University of TorontoMyanmar Initiative Fellow, University of British ColombiaHead of Comparative Politics Diploma Program, Spring University Myanmar (SUM)Professor Jacqui TruePolitical scientist and Professor of International Relations Director, Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence against Women (CEVAW)Monash UniversityGlobal Fellow, Peace Research Institute, OsloAuthor, Violence against Women: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, 2021)Special thanks to Daniela Philipson Garcia, Program Manager for the Women and Democratic Change Initiative and PhD candidate.

The only certainty in life is that we will all some day die. Most of us don't know when that day will come. But others must face their mortality front on. Mark Rafael Baker was no stranger to death, losing three loved ones in seven years — and then he was confronted with his own.This event was recorded at Readings Bookshop Melbourne in October 2024.SpeakersMichelle LeshLecturer at Melbourne Law School, University of MelbourneRaimond GaitaEmeritus Professor of Moral Philosophy, King's College LondonHonorary Professorial Fellow, Melbourne Law School, University of MelbourneAuthor, Romulus, My Father, Justice and Hope, and morePaul Barclay (host)Journalist, broadcaster and moderatorFormer host, Big Ideas

Join Natasha Mitchell and guests to grapple with some gritty paradoxes about science and religion, and in this era of misinformation, conspiracy theories, and existential angst — are they serving the needs they used to? Science drives much of modern life, and yet fewer people are drawn to studying it at school putting scientific literacy at risk. There's been a rise in anti-science sentiment and a questioning the authority of scientific expertise. Many societies are becoming more secular with fewer people claiming to follow a formal religion, yet religious fundamentalists and populists are being elected to power throughout the world.This episode was first published on 29 May 2024SpeakersPeter HarrisonHead, Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of QueenslandAuthor, Some New World: Myths of Supernatural Belief in a Secular AgeAnik WaldowProfessor of Philosophy, University of SydneyAuthor, Experience Embodied: Early Modern Accounts of the Human Place in NatureCharles WolfeProfessor of Philosophy, University of Toulouse-2 Jean-JauresAuthor, The Philosophy of Biology Before Biology: A History of VitalismThis event was hosted by the University of Sydney's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Department of Philosophy at a conference in honour of the eminent scholar of history of philosophy of science, the late Stephen Gaukroger.

We know them as Zuckerberg, Musk, Bezos, Gates, Jobs. But to Kara Swisher, they're Mark, Elon, Jeff, Bill, and Steve. She was once a Silicon Valley insider, but now she's one of big tech's most vocal critics.This event was recorded at Adelaide Writers Week on Monday 3 March 2025.SpeakersKara SwisherAuthor, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, aol.com: How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads and Made Millions in the War for the Web and There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere: The AOL Time Warner Debacle and the Quest for a Digital FutureHost of podcast On with Kara Swisher, and co-host of podcast, Pivot (with NYU Professor Scott Galloway)Former tech journalist with Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, contributing opinion editor New York TimesMarc Fennell (host)Host of new podcast, Noone saw it coming ABC Radio NationalCreator and host Stuff the British Stole ABC Radio National and ABC TVFormer host, Download this Show ABC Radio National

Jobs vs the environment. Profits vs environmental protection. One pitted against the other. That dominant story has defined environmental regulation in Australia, drowning out the stories scientists or environmental campaigners want to tell. Scientist, environmentalist, and government insider, Peter Cosier, has worn all the hats and he wants to change how we think and talk about Nature. An eye opening account of Australian environmentalism and its politics.Presented at the Lyrebird FestivalSpeakersPeter CosierChair of Accounting for NatureFounding Member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, Former Policy Adviser to the Australian Environment Minister Robert HillGregg BorschmannOral Historian for the National Library of Australia, Writer & Radio Producer

Teenagers 'live' online and on social media. How can they reap the many benefits that social media can offer? There are plenty of them: an endless pool of knowledge and curiosity. But parents need to help them navigate the risk and threats online — of which there're also plenty.On Big Ideas, we have a panel of experts with a plethora of valuable information, advice and resources.Presented by the Raising Children Network and hosted at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.Check out the ABC TV series 'Role of a Lifetime' on iview with more details about parenting in the social media era.SpeakersDerek McCormackDirector of Raising Children NetworkDr. Julie Inman GrantAustralia's eSafety CommissionerDr. Sarthak GandhiHeadspace Board Youth Advisor and Researcher at Murdoch Children's Research InstituteProfessor Marie YapResearch Professor at Monash University and Psychologist with expertise in Parenting & Youth Mental HealthBeverley Wang (host)ABC's National Culture CorrespondentFurther informationRaising Children NetworkeSafety CommissionerHeadspaceKits HelplineReach Out Parent lineYouth Safe

Two of Australia’s most influential and legendary storytellers, author Tim Winton and filmmaker Rachel Perkins, join Natasha Mitchell at WOMADelaide’s Planet Talks to discuss the power of stories and the role of artists to create change in the world.SpeakersRachel PerkinsMulti-award-winning filmmaker, and founder of Blackfella filmsDirector, presenter, co-writer, co-producer The Australian Wars series (available on SBS On Demand)Co-director, co-writer, co-producer First AustraliansTim WintonMulti-award-winning author of Juice, Dirt Music, Cloudstreet and more.Patron of the Australian Marine Conservation Society Host and writer, Ningaloo Nyinggulu series (available on ABC Iview)Activist, Protect Ningaloo and Exmouth Gulf campaignThis event was recorded live at the annual 2025 WOMADelaide festival produced and presented as part of its Planet Talks program, held on the traditional lands of the Kaurna people. Thanks to Planet Talks producer Rob Law.

Populism is part of American political history. It has been and still is the dominant vocabulary of dissent. But the current resurrection of authoritarian politics in the US is different. While the two parties could absorb populist movements in the past, this time populism has absorbed the party.Presented at the American Academy in BerlinSpeakerJefferson CowieJames G. Stahlman Professor in American History at Vanderbilt UniversityAmerican Academy in Berlin, Axel Springer Fellow — Class of Spring 2025

In his influential 1964 book The Lucky Country, Donald Horne wrote that Australians played an aristocratic role in Asia: "rich, self-centred, frivolous, blind". A lot has changed in 60 years, but does Australia still think it's better than its neighbours?Recorded at the Australian Academy of the Humanities annual symposium, The Ideas and Ideals of Australia — The Lucky Country turns 60, on 13 — 15 November 2024 at the Australian National University.SpeakersLouise EdwardsEmeritus Scientia Professor of Chinese History, University of New South WalesNick HorneEditor, Donald Horne: Selected Writings (2017)

Australia's housing crisis hasn't always been with us. So what choices created it, and what choices are now needed to fix it? Buying a house is now out of reach if you're on an average wage, and rental options are expensive and precarious. If we don't address the issues urgently, generations to come will face homelessness or profound poverty paying rents on a pension. There are solutions. Are politicians courageous enough to try them? Join Natasha Mitchell and guests at Adelaide Writers Week.SpeakersMaiy AzizeDeputy Director of Anglicare AustraliaNational spokesperson, Everybody's Home campaignAlan KohlerFinance journalist and presenter with ABC NewsAuthor, Quarterly Essay: The Great Divide: Australia's Housing Mess and How to Fix it (2023)Amy Remeikis aka @PyjamaPoliticsChief Political Analyst, The Australia InstituteJordan van den Lamb aka @PurplePingersRental activist and advocate2025 Senate candidate, Victorian SocialistsThank you to Adelaide Writers Week and to Anna Chang from the Australia Institute.

How many times have you checked your phone today? How many tabs are open in your web browser? Do you feel in control of your attention? In the digital age, attention is now a commodity. Can practices like meditation and mindfulness help us feel more free to focus on what really matters?This event was hosted at the Brunswick Ballroom by the Sophia Club in partnership with the University of Melbourne's Contemplative Studies Centre.SpeakersJess HuonMeditation trainer, authorised Dharma teacher, writer (The Dark Wet)Nicholas Van DamDirector of the Contemplative Studies Centre at the University of MelbourneAssociate professor, School of Psychological Sciences, University of MelbourneBrigid Hains (host)Editorial director, Aeon MediaMatthias Schack-Arnott Musician

The structures of our families have become more bespoke, complex, sometimes messier. Some find comfort in a 'chosen family', choosing friends over blood-relatives as kin. Patchwork families are increasingly common. You can a birth mother, a genetic mother and a social mother. How is the family changing and with what impacts? Meet three writers here to help you re-imagine the ties that bind. Presented at the Byron Writers Festival, supported by the Byron Shire Council.SpeakersKon KarapanagiotidisCEO and Founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre; author of A Seat at My Table: PhiloxeniaMarina KamenevFormer deputy arts editor of the Moscow Times, author of KinMolly SchmidtWriter and journalist, author of Salt River RoadRosemarie MilsomFounding director of Newcastle Writers Festival, journalist and broadcaster Also listen to Future Tense: The greatest demographic shift in a century is being ignored: single living

The Murray Darling Basin is the most important river system in Australia, and the most contested. What does it mean to live by those rivers, through the droughts, the floods, and the water politics that shape these communities. A beautiful and evocative history of the Murray Darling Basin, as told by people who live there.This speech was recorded at the History Council of Victoria's annual lecture at the State Library of Victoria on 14 November 2024.SpeakersKatie HolmesProfessor in History and Director of the Study of the Inland at La Trobe UniversityAuthor, Mallee Country: land, people, history, Reading the Garden: the Settlement of Australia and more