Don't miss these previously unheard and powerful stories of ordinary people surviving extraordinary circumstances. Cyclone Tracy destroyed 80 percent of Darwin and killed 66 people. It's impact was harrowing. Beyond the despair are also memories of small blessings and surprising impacts long after that fateful Christmas of 1974. Presented by the Northern Territory Writers Festival Speakers Richard Creswick Author and former ABC journalist Derek Pugh Historian and author Jared Archibald Curator o...
Dec 04, 2024•53 min
In outback New South Wales, on the dried up, ancient clay shores of Lake Mungo, is a story that has become emblematic for profoundly deaf Worimi man Dr Scott Avery: what can it teach us about disability inclusion, leadership, and excellence? The 2024 Disability Leadership Oration was recorded at the National Archives of Australia on 26 November 2024. Speakers Dr Scott Avery Professor of Indigenous Disability and Wellbeing at the University of Technology Sydney Christina Ryan (host) Founder and c...
Dec 03, 2024•53 min
Can a single seed tell the story of a civilisation? What do the scars on the skins of 200-year old whales tell about our ancestors? Can ancient trees reveal hidden histories of human frailty and fabulousness? Can Nature be a timekeeper? Joining Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell are Dave Witty (author of What the Trees See: A Wander through Millennia of Natural History), Fiona McMillan-Webster (author of The Age of Seeds: How Plants Hacked Time and Why Our Future Depends on It) and Satyajit Das (au...
Dec 02, 2024•54 min
Human rights are meant to be universal, but what happens when those rights conflict with one another? For example, a religious school's right to practice its faith, versus the right of others to be free from discrimination? The 2024 Higinbotham Lecture was recorded at RMIT University on 21 October 2024. Speaker Justice Mordy Bromberg , President, Australian Law Reform Commission Further information Read the full report Religious Educational Institutions and Anti-Discrimination Laws from the Aust...
Nov 28, 2024•52 min
Rhonda Magee grew up in segregated North Carolina in an abusive household. She knows firsthand the deep divides that define America right now. She draws on her life, and her work as a law professor and leading mindfulness meditation teacher in her book The inner work of racial justice: Healing ourselves and transforming our communities through mindfulness. Mariam Tokhi is a writer and GP in a refugee and asylum seeker health service in Melbourne. She has created a trailblazing narrative medicine...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 1 min
Is menstruation linked to the moon? Do women's periods sync up when they live together? Are girls getting their first period younger? Why don't we talk about menstruation and menopause more? Popular US-based physician and bestselling author Dr Jen Gunter is on a mission to change the conversation about women's health. This event was recorded as part of National Science Week at the University of NSW's Centre for Ideas on 15 August 2024. Speakers Dr Jen Gunter Obstetrician and gynaecologistAuthor,...
Nov 26, 2024•53 min
Back in 1994, it was a pretty wild pitch for a movie: a troupe of drag queens road tripping across the Australian outback, in a lavender bus named Priscilla. But The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, put the Australian film industry on the global map, and these days it's become an icon of Australian cinema. This event was recorded on 11 September, 2024 , at the Capitol Theatre, RMIT University, as part of Social Sciences Week. Speakers Rebel Penfold-Russell Executive Producer, Prisci...
Nov 25, 2024•50 min
The Australian federal government wants to restrict social media to those aged over 16. Would that work? Adult and teen experts mount their arguments for and against social media and its harms and benefits. The Great Debate was presented by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia as part of 2024 Social Sciences Week , recorded at the National Library of Australia on 10 September 2024. Speakers STUDENT DEBATEFeaturing Year 7 and 8 students at University of Canberra High School Kaleen Host...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Is social media a contagious force harming young minds, a life saver helping people find their neurodiverse tribes and support, or, for better or worse, a bit of both? From the Festival of Dangerous Ideas , join Natasha Mitchell with renowned social psychologist Jean Twenge, neurodiversity advocate Sonny Jane Wise, technology policy campaigner Alice Dawkins, suicide prevention researcher Dr Sandersan Onie. Young people depressed, distressed, and anxious. ADHD and Autism diagnoses on the increase...
Nov 20, 2024•54 min
Mediation in armed conflicts means sitting down with brutal war lords, hiding your true values and in an open dialogue trying to really understand all sides of the parties involved. In the most pressurised environments, there are nearly always possible pathways to a win-win outcome — but finding the way requires a combination of imagination, goodwill, timing, and street smarts. Reflections on Diplomacy and Peace Mediation was presented at the TheMHS Conference 2024 Speaker Paul Dziatkowiec Direc...
Nov 19, 2024•44 min
Pressing a full-time workload into four days sounds like simply adding more stress to your job – even if you keep your pay. But many people who have tried this model say that one would need to pay them double their salary to make them go back to a standard work week. And businesses enjoy better staff retention and get a completive edge on the job market. Presented by UQ ChangeMakers Speakers Debbie Bailey Consultant Partner, 4 Day Week Global Shannan Quain Chief People Officer, Australian Digita...
Nov 18, 2024•53 min
She was Andy Warhol's muse, she's been sampled by Notorious BIG, and her music was once voted on the ten best songs to dry-hump to. This is the amazing true story of how Indian-born singer Asha Puthli became a music legend. This event was recorded at Rising Festival on 7 June 2024 . Speakers Asha Puthli Singer Adriana Lazaridis (host) DJ...
Nov 14, 2024•53 min
The leading playwright Joanna Murray-Smith makes a powerful case for the role of the arts in Australian public life, arguing that moral righteousness is stifling artistic expression. The last ever Stephen Murray-Smith Memorial Lecture was recorded at the State Library of Victoria on 8 October 2024. Speaker Joanna Murray-Smith Playwright, screenwriter and novelist...
Nov 13, 2024•57 min
How should we reflect on wars, past and present? Do the rituals of Remembrance Day and Anzac Day hold meaning for young people? Natasha Mitchell is joined by a crowd of high school students and special guests with opinions on the future of commemoration. This event was hosted and organised by Victoria's Shrine of Remembrance to mark its 90th anniversary. Speakers: Che Weon (Michelle) LeeMasters of architecture student, University of Melbourne School of Design Granddaughter of Korean war veteran(...
Nov 11, 2024•55 min
It needs strong leadership and good coordination. But most of all, it needs public opinion to rise up and push policy makers to tackle this crisis. Canada can teach us a lesson in how to do that. Homelessness is a systemic housing problem – not caused by mental health issues or drug abuse. Presented at the Australian Homelessness Conference , Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) Speakers Tim Richter Founder, President & CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAE...
Nov 07, 2024•54 min
When you're alive, the idea of dying feels weird, remote, alien. Yet it's the one experience we will all have. Can philosophy help us make sense of that weirdness? What can talking about death and dying teach us about living? Natasha Mitchell is joined by a philosopher, funeral director, and a First Nations' songman for an uplifting, insightful conversation on death. This event is part of the Sophia Club live philosophy event series, presented by Aeon Media, publishers of Aeon and Psyche . Speak...
Nov 06, 2024•58 min
From To Kill a Mockingbird to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are no shortage of options to include on those lists of "The Great American Novel". But which is the real plot in the story of America? This event was recorded at the University of Melbourne on 24 October 2024. Speaker Sarah Churchwell Professor of American Literature and Chair in Public Understanding of the Humanities, University of LondonAuthor, Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and The Invention of The Great Gatsby, The Wra...
Nov 04, 2024•50 min
Friends are among the most important relationships we will have in our lives. So what makes someone a friend, how do we hold on to them, and how do they shape who we are?
Oct 31, 2024•53 min
Why did acclaimed actor Melissa Jaffer step away from the spotlight and the swinging 60s to enter a strict cloister of Australian nuns for 4 years? Sister Marian McClelland is the last of two surviving members of the same Australian order of contemplative nuns. They became nuns at a time of radical change for women worldwide and for the Catholic Church and have extraordinary stories to tell about how faith shaped their sense of identity and purpose. They join Natasha Mitchell with oral historian...
Oct 30, 2024•59 min
Literature on crime is huge. Many of you just love to read about a good murder. But do you prefer a soft touch around violent scenes? Or do you want to read it in the drastic, graphic language that shows crime the way it is? Writing crime stories can be a minefield: Do authors have to tell people, if they want to use them in their book? Particularly if they want to paint 'your character' the villain? Can you re-traumatise a victim when you turn their painful experience into a bestseller? A stell...
Oct 28, 2024•54 min
From mis and disinformation to election interference, parts of the internet have become dystopian, due to a lack of regulation. What is this doing to our democracies, and how are governments around the world trying to reign the tech giants in? The 8th annual Sir Zelman Cowan Centre Oration was recorded on 10 October 2024. Speaker Jon Faine Vice Chancellor's Fellow at the University of MelbourneFormer ABC Radio hostAuthor, Apollo and Thelma...
Oct 27, 2024•57 min
Ninety years ago, in the face of communism, fascism, and the Great Depression, Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies, asked the question 'Is democracy doomed?' Today, we're asking that same question – with some answers that might surprise you. The 2024 Robert Menzies Oration was presented by the Robert Menzies Institute , recorded on 23 October 2024. The 2024 Henry Parkes Oration was recorded at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House on 22 October 2024. Speakers Sir Niall ...
Oct 25, 2024•54 min
Democracy is in retreat, authoritarianism on the rise. But this has happened before. So how did big thinkers of the past respond to the threats to democracy, and what can we learn from them? The Humanities Research Centre 50th Anniversary Distinguished Lecture was recorded at the Australian National University on 31 July 2024. Speakers Scott Stephens Co-presenter (with Waleed Aly) The MinefieldDigital editor, ABC Religion and EthicsCo-author of Quarterly Essay 87, Uncivil Wars: How Contempt is C...
Oct 25, 2024•55 min
When you're swimming in the ocean, do you ever startle at a piece of seaweed? Mistake a wave for a fin? Does the thought of sharks cross your mind at all? Nearly 50 years ago, a little movie by the name of Jaws, changed everything. This event was recorded at the National Film and Sound Archive, in partnership with the Australian National University, on 28 February 2024. Speakers Dr Hannah Calich Postdoctoral research fellow, Australian National University Professor Kenneth Lampl Convenor, Compos...
Oct 24, 2024•52 min
Remember the 8cm living worm found inside a woman's brain last year? Where the hell did it come from? Parasites have bizarre and whacky stories to tell. Join Natasha Mitchell to meet three scientists listening to what they have to say. The science, medicine, and mayhem of parasites. You'll have a whole new respect for these clever survivors and their biology. Thank you to the event organisers, the 2024 World Science Festival Brisbane and Queensland Museum Speakers Professor Katherine Andrews Par...
Oct 23, 2024•54 min
Irish Times columnist and author Fintan O'Toole draws on the Irish experience to explain the rise of populism and authoritarianism in the United States. This event was recorded at the Vice-Chancellor's Democracy Forum at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) on 26 September 2024. Speakers Fintan O'Toole Columnist with the Irish TImesLiterary Editor with the New York Review of BooksAuthor of We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958, Heroic Failure: Brexit and the Politics...
Oct 22, 2024•54 min
David McAllister invites you backstage and reveals gloriously gossipy anecdotes about the stars he's met in his long dancing career. But it's not all tutus and tiaras: ballet is at the top of transforming sport science. Presented at the Brisbane Writers Festival . Speakers David McAllister Guest artistic director of the West Australian Ballet, former principal dancer, former artistic director of The Australian BalletAuthor of Ballet Confidential: A personal behind-the-scenes guide, Thames & ...
Oct 21, 2024•50 min
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has fought against antisemitism worldwide for over a century. It is now documenting a dangerous rise in antisemitism, and the connection between conspiracy theorists, white supremacy, pro-Palestine anti-war protests, and hate speech. ADL board member, prominent Iranian-American Jewish philanthropist and academic Dr. Sharon Nazarian presents the inaugural Gahl Hodges Burt Lecture in Policy at the American Academy in Berlin . Speaker Dr Sharon Nazarian Board member...
Oct 17, 2024•54 min
Two Australians who are intimately connected to the conflict in the Middle East, one Jewish, one Palestinian, make their pleas for peace, and share their deeply personal stories of how it has affected them. The 13th annual UN International Day of Peace Brisbane lecture was recorded at St John's Anglican Cathedral on September 21, 2024. Speakers Peter Cat Dean, St John's Cathedral Brisbane Louise Adler Director, Adelaide Writers Week Nasser Mashni President, Australians for Palestine Further info...
Oct 16, 2024•54 min
One of Australia's most seasoned political journalists Niki Savva has seen the fractures in our democracy up closer than most. Hear her timely advice for journalists, politicians and citizens. This 2024 Speaker's Lecture was recorded at Parliament House in Canberra on 9 September 2024. SOS DEMOCRACY airs on Tuesdays 8pm and Saturdays 10pm in October and November, and on the ABC Listen app. Speakers Niki Savva Columnist, Nine NewspapersAuthor, The Road to Ruin, Plots and Prayers and Bulldozed Mil...
Oct 15, 2024•47 min
