Frequently described as victims, as failures or even as women without morals, single mothers often get a bad rap. They are part of Australian statistics. Of the 1.1 million single parents, 83 percent are women, they are more likely to live in poverty and up to 65 percent have fled violent relationships. In this frank conversation, three women thrash and burn some of the assumptions about single mothers. Recorded at the All about Women Festival by the Sydney Opera House Speakers Barkaa Malyangapa...
Sep 18, 2024•53 min
History is the stories we choose to tell about ourselves and others. So how have those stories changed over time? And how has that shaped new understandings of our national identity? Presented by the Friends of the National Library of Australia . Speakers Peter Stanley Former Research Professor, Australian Centre for the Study of armed conflict, University of New South Wales (UNSW)Former Principal Historian, Australian War MemorialFormer inaugural head of research, National Museum of AustraliaAu...
Sep 17, 2024•55 min
What is the allure of gothic fiction? How does it give shape to your most unsettling impulses? A panel of masters of the genre explore the creepy houses, dysfunctional families and the perfect degree of decay and rot that’s needed to create the ‘good scare’. From the classics of Jane Eyre to Harry Potter – we’re celebrating gothic tales. Presented at the Brisbane Writers Festiva l Speakers Angela "A.G." Slatter Author of six novels, including The Briar Book of the Dead, All the Murmuring Bones, ...
Sep 16, 2024•54 min
What is the true meaning of Orwellian and what can George Orwell's writings teach us about navigating the 21st century? Since his book 1984 was published 75 years ago, there have always been comparisons drawn between the dystopian themes of the novel and contemporary injustices, inequality, censorship and corruption. Historian Laura Beers deconstructs many of the misconceptions around Orwell's writings to expose a complex, flawed man who had a commitment to liberty and economic justice. Provided...
Sep 12, 2024•53 min
It's the living force of the nation, but how much do we understand our Constitution? Twenty five pages sets out our laws, roles of government and political structure. Enacted by a people's vote of white men over 120 years ago it does not include rights for all citizens, for Indigenous Peoples or environmental protections. So how does the Constitution work for a contemporary Australia? Recorded at the National Archives Constitution Day event Speakers Justine Bell-James Associate Professor & D...
Sep 11, 2024•53 min
The idea of "freedom" is one that's often used in relation to the economy: we have "the free market" and "free trade agreements", freedom from regulation, from government intervention, and so on. But whose freedom are we talking about, and at whose expense? This event was recorded at the Perth Town Hall on 14 August 2024. Speakers Joseph Stiglitz Professor, Columbia University Business SchoolAuthor, The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society Ebony Bennett Deputy Director, The Australia ...
Sep 10, 2024•56 min
Just over a decade ago democracy was within reach in Myanmar, but now the country is in danger of becoming a failed state. So what happened, and what keeps hope for the country alive? This event was recorded on 18 July 2024 at The Wheeler Centre, in partnership with PEN Melbourne , and RMIT Culture . Speakers Ma Thida Writer, human rights activist and doctorAuthor, A-maze: Myanmar's struggle for democracy: 2011-2023 , Prisoner of Conscience: My Steps through Insein (2016) and many moreChair, Wri...
Sep 09, 2024•53 min
It's a tough time to be a parent. From screens, to mental health, neurodiversity, gender, diet and schooling, this generation is in unchartered territory in many ways. So what does the evidence tell us that will give parents the best chance to raise happy healthy children, without killing themselves in the process? This event was recorded at Waverley Library in Sydney on 8 August 2024. Speakers Norman Swan Presenter, Health Report, ABC Radio National Author, So you want to know what's good for y...
Sep 05, 2024•55 min
From soy to oat to almond, plant mylks are all the rage. But is it possible that we've misunderstood and unfairly maligned old fashioned cow's milk? Speakers Matthew Evans Farmer, Fat Pig FarmsAuthor, Milk: the truth, the lies and the unbelievable story of the original superfood Host, Gourmet Farmer, SBS Nick Haddow Bruny Island Cheese CoAuthor, Milk Made: A book about cheese...
Sep 04, 2024•53 min
It was the stuff of scifi blockbuster movie The Terminator in the early 1980s, but now lethal autonomous weapons systems are actually being used in conflict zones around the world. And the arms race is on to develop more effective, more deadly killing machines, that don't need human inputs to do their job. This event was recorded at Human Rights Watch in Sydney on 4 June 2024. Speakers Mary Wareham Deputy Director, Crisis, Conflict and Arms Division, Human Rights WatchCo-Laureate (with Jody Will...
Sep 03, 2024•46 min
We all love a bargain, but what is the real cost of those books we buy online or in a supermarket for 12 dollars or less? Should Australia adopt a fixed book price common in Europe? How can we support and grow an industry that nourishes our minds and souls. A conversation on the challenges facing the Australian book industry. Presented at the Sydney Writers Festival . Speakers Ray Bonner Pulitzer Prize winning author, journalist, co-owner of Bookoccino, the Northern Beaches bookstore Richard Fla...
Sep 02, 2024•52 min
The connections between the Caribbean and Australia go back to white settlement, with deep links to the slave trade and British colonialism. What does it mean to be a writer of Caribbean descent in modern Australia? And how can the act of writing and storytelling enable a new sense of belonging and home? This event was recorded at the Callaloo and Wattleseed Symposium at the University of Western Sydney on 3 May 2924. Speakers Maxine Beneba Clarke Author, The Hate Race, Foreign Soil, poetry book...
Aug 29, 2024•53 min
10 humans in length, weighing 50 small cars, and with a bite that could take out two of you in one bite. This beast was BIG. But if Megalodon was so mighty, why did it disappear? Tim Flannery and his daughter Emma have written a book about the mystery of the giant extinct shark, and he joins Natasha Mitchell with two other fossil aficionados, palaeontologists Erich Fitzgerald and Cheng-Hsui Tsai, to take you into a very different watery world of wilderbeasts. Speakers: Professor Tim Flannery Pal...
Aug 28, 2024•53 min
A new generation of female and non-binary intellectuals are using social media to share their scholarship and reach younger audiences. It's a tricky balance — juggling their followers' expectations and reactions, both bouquets and brickbats, maintaining their rigour, and making a living from these algorithmically-gamed corporate platforms. Meet the new influencers. Presented by the Sydney Opera House Speakers Hannah Ferguson Founder & CEO of cheekmedia.co Sisonke Msimang Writer, activist and...
Aug 27, 2024•53 min
Could our continent's ancient past help solve future food security crises? Or even offer new treatments for skin cancer and inflammatory bowel disease? Tasty on your dinner plate, potentially transformative for your health — First Nations experts explore the rich potential of traditional bush foods and Indigenous plant knowledge. Presented at the World Science Festival Brisbane . Speakers Suzanne Thompson Founder & Managing Director of Yambangku Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and Tourism Devel...
Aug 26, 2024•53 min
New ABC Chair Kim Williams wants to see change at Australia’s national public broadcaster. In a fragmented media landscape and a fractured world, what is the role of public broadcasting, and how can the ABC stay relevant for its listeners, viewers and readers? This event was recorded at the Byron Bay Writers Festival on Saturday 10 August 2024. Speakers Kim Williams ABC Chair Kerry O’Brien (host) Journalist and author...
Aug 22, 2024•59 min
It's an adults-only hour of high vaudeville to make you laugh and think. Two teams of brainiacs go head-to-head at the annual Big Ideas and Beaker St Festival Great Debate hosted by Big Ideas’ presenter Natasha Mitchell. Arguing for the proposition is Team 'The Procreators' starring radio host and maths nerd to the masses Adam Spencer, Quandamooka saltwater scientist Mibu Fischer, Guardian Australia journalist and TikTok presenter Matilda Boseley. Arguing against the proposition is Team 'Nappy R...
Aug 21, 2024•45 min
"They paved paradise and put up a parking lot" sang Joni Mitchell. Let's get wild and urban. Sometimes nature can thrive in cities in surprising ways and by accident. Hear how. And did you know 39 threatened species only exist in Australian cites? How do we design a city for fairy wrens, and the other feathered and furry beings who call it home? Speakers Sarah Bekessy Professor of Sustainability and Urban Planning, ICON Science research group, RMIT Darryl Jones Writer, speaker, researcher, behav...
Aug 20, 2024•53 min
Meet the world's smallest superheroes. Insects are ecological warriors, but through the brilliance of biomimicry, they're also inspiring all sorts of human inventions. From new medicines to air safety systems — don't underestimate the larger-than-life impact of the planet's tiniest beings. Presented at the World Science Festival Brisbane . Speakers Dr Chris Burwell Queensland Museum Senior Scientist and Curator of insects Dr Andrew Walker Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, ...
Aug 19, 2024•53 min
Join Natasha Mitchell for a very special event live under our stunning Southern night sky, with guests and listeners from around Australia in National Science Week. We crisscross the nation to observatories and dark sky sanctuaries to hear from astronomers, amateur sky nerds, and you. What's your most memorable night sky experience? And when did you last see a truly dark sky at night? Light pollution spells big trouble for creatures, culture, science, and your health. What can we all do to prote...
Aug 15, 2024•50 min
What led to this current era of superpower conflict, and what will the outcome of the 2024 US presidential race will mean for the geopolitical dynamics shaping the world? Speakers David E. Sanger National Security and White House Correspondent, New York TimesAuthor New Cold Wars: China's rise, Russia's invasion, and America's struggle to defend the West and others Dr Michael Green CEO, United States Studies Centre , University of Sydney...
Aug 14, 2024•1 hr
Your biological responses to fear are at the core of depression, anxiety, failed relationships and much of human misery. But you can change how your body reacts to threats – some steps are as simple as adjusting your breathing. Fear has evolved as a set of powerful physical reactions for surviving predators. In modern life we face very different threats, but the same ancient, automatic fear responses are triggered. And that doesn't end well. It has a huge impact on our physical and mental health...
Aug 13, 2024•53 min
Humans have long had a morbid fascination with murder and other crimes, as shown through the popularity of shows like CSI and Silent Witness. But how close are these tv dramas to the real thing? Three forensic pathologists spill the beans on what it's really like to work in the science of death. This Sisters in Crime event was recorded on 24 May 2024 as part of Victorian Law Week. Speakers Associate Professor Linda IIes Head of forensic pathology services, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicin...
Aug 12, 2024•1 hr 3 min
The Global South has vital perspectives in addressing the most pressing issues of our times, including inequality, the climate catastrophe, the mass displacement of humans, and the technologisation of life. Why aren't we listening? … Listening also to African diasporic writers when they correct the often unflattering stories about their home countries. Speaking from the South was presented by the University of Adelaide Africa Now was presented by the Sydney Writers Festival Speakers Abdulrazak G...
Aug 08, 2024•54 min
Eric Beecher joins Natasha Mitchell to discuss his riveting and excoriating new book The Men Who Killed the News: The inside story of how media moguls abused their power, manipulated the truth, and distorted democracy. A longtime journalist, editor and media proprietor, Erich Beecher is chair and the largest shareholder of Private Media, which owns the news website Crikey. In 2023, Fox Corporation’s Lachlan Murdoch paid Crikey $1.3million in legal costs after withdrawing his much publicised defa...
Aug 07, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Have you been online recently and noticed the internet is changing? Everything from your Google searches to your social media profiles are now being used to train artificial intelligence. So, do you have a problem with that? This event was recorded at the Vice-Chancellor's Annual Democracy Forum at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) on June 19, 2024. Speakers Meredith Whittaker President, Signal Professor Peta Wyeth Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, UTS Associate Pr...
Aug 06, 2024•56 min
Whether in conflicts around the world or within society, irreconcilability seems to be the hallmark of our present times. But it doesn't have to be that way. Many thought that reconciliation between West Germany and the UK and France after World War II was absolutely impossible. History taught us otherwise. What's the lesson of this process for today? What are the tools that lead to successful and lasting peace? Analysing Reconciliation and Irreconcilability from a Historical Perspective: The Ex...
Aug 05, 2024•53 min
World conflicts can be overwhelming, or sometimes they feel very remote. But for many Australians, they are deeply personal, raw, and real. So what's it like when world news is not about 'other' people, but about 'your' people? This lively forum was hosted by Benjamin Law for QPAC and Multicultural Australia as part of the Changing the Conversation series on June 25, 2024. Speakers Amok Dhuol South Sudanese Australian youth mentor, advocate with the Queensland African Communities Council Arunn J...
Aug 01, 2024•53 min
One day Ariane Beeston looked at her baby son in his pram and saw a dragon looking back at her. In her memoir Because I am Not Myself You See: A memoir of madness, motherhood and coming back from the brink Ariane takes us inside her visceral experience of postnatal psychosis. Her extraordinary book could save lives — and cleaves open the secrets and stigma around maternal mental health, perfectionism, eating disorders, maternal love, dance school culture, and much more. She joins Natasha Mitchel...
Jul 31, 2024•56 min
A vintage ute, a novelty cheque, shearing prize ribbons, a household trunk and blanket – even the simplest of things can tell a powerful story, connect a community and showcase our history. In the ABC TV series 'Extraordinary Things', Tony Armstrong is on a journey to discover and celebrate the things we treasure. And an exhibition at the National Museum of Australia brings together the objects Tony found, the people who cherish them and the extraordinary stories they reveal. The exhibition is r...
Jul 30, 2024•53 min
