Big Ideas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Australia's population is getting older. In fact, by 2076, 45 per cent of us - that's 18 million people - will be aged over 65. What will ageing look like in 50 years time? Will science keep us healthier for longer? What role will older people play in the workforce, in the economy, and in our communities? Will robots wipe our bottoms, or keep us company? How will we respond to major health challenges—like dementia, already our leading cause of death— and the growing burden of chronic disease? This conversation explores the ethical and social challenges facing our ageing country, and the planning, research and policy systems needed to ensure a dignified, safe and healthy life for older people by 2076. This event was recorded at the fiftieth National Ageing Research Institute annual summit with the theme Imagine Australia in 50 years on 22 July in Melbourne. Speakers: Mark Dreyfus Former Attorney General, MP Member for Isaacs Professor Jenny Waycott Professor and Deputy Head of School (Research) in the School…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Being poor has become big business in Australia, but not for people who need work. Billions spent. Millions of profits. But who's getting them? Why do unemployment and poverty continue to be stigmatised? And does the legacy of the Robodebt scandal live on? The Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research concluded in a new excoriating report Who’s rorting who? The failure of outsourced job services that the system is "filling the pockets of private equity and millionaires" while leaving job-seekers without work. Three people close to the coalface join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell to weigh in. This event was held at the 2026 Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Gadigal Country in Sydney. Speaker Rick Morton Investigative journalist Multi-award-winning author, Mean Streak, My Year of Living Vulnerably, On Money, and One Hundred Years of Dirt. Mark Considine Political scientist and Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor Co-Director of the Australian Welfare and Work Lab, University of…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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)…

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)…