Big Ideas

Hard-won progress in women's rights is dismantled — and it threatens global security 02.06.2026 54dk

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

Medical misogyny — how the health system overlooks women's pain and how it's finally adapting 01.06.2026 53dk

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

When Turnbull met Trump — and what it means for today’s changing world order 28.05.2026 53dk

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

The untold Titanic story of Evelyn with Lisa Wilkinson 27.05.2026 55dk

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

What can Plato teach us about democracy today? 26.05.2026 53dk

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

Could self-driving cars & other innovations end the tyranny of distance in regional Australia? 25.05.2026 54dk

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

Love for your neighbour: how to cultivate radical empathy in a disenchanted world 21.05.2026 54dk

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

What makes Putin tick — and how will his iron-fist rule of Russia end? Natasha Mitchell with guests 20.05.2026 53dk

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

Is nuclear war a real threat again? Ex-NATO and Atomic Energy Agency officials weigh in at Harvard 19.05.2026 54dk

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

How to date from a position of power, with Bad Dates of Melbourne creator Alita Brydon and Nelly Thomas 18.05.2026 54dk

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

How to live and die well — with Marieke Hardy, Hannah Gould and Antonia Pont 14.05.2026 58dk

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

Wounded narcissist, visionary, team player, a mother's love? The alchemy of good (and bad) political leadership 13.05.2026 59dk

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

Why jailed Jimmy Lai's plight is a warning for press freedom and us all, everywhere 12.05.2026 54dk

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

Can you trust AI in the news? UK's Ian Dunt and guests on deepfakes, dodgy headlines and more 11.05.2026 54dk

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

Why working-class kid turned millionaire banker Gary Stevenson wants you to join the fight against economic inequality 07.05.2026 54dk

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

Dear Prime Minister Albanese: Where are all the BIG IDEAS? 06.05.2026 1sa 1dk

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

US civil rights leader Martin Luther King III on why corporate Australia shouldn't be shy of 'DEI' 05.05.2026 55dk

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

Do Royal Commissions really work (and are they worth the money)? Betty King KC, Jack Rush KC, Jon Faine 04.05.2026 54dk

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

Was Malcolm Fraser a conservative warrior or a closet progressive? 30.04.2026 55dk

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

"Here I am, here we are" Jewish Australian women reflect on the rupture of October 7 2023 29.04.2026 54dk

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