Satyajit Das presents a provocative examination of the use and abuse of images of wild animals, and how they shape our relationships with the natural world. These pictures can create an impression of abundance and untouched ecosystems, and lull us into a false sense of security, at a time when the natural world faces ecological calamity. The Attenborough Effect — Shaping Our Relationship With Wild Animals was presented by the Australian National Maritime Museum . Speaker Satyajit DasAuthor of Wi...
Feb 20, 2025•43 min
We’re past the brink of civilisational collapse. And many environmentalists are pushing a “fake green fairytale”. Jem Bendell’s arguments have inspired the Extinction Rebellion movement’s civil disobedience pushing for climate change action. But Jem doesn’t think protest is enough now. Find out why the self-confessed eco-libertarian and author of Breaking Together: A freedom-loving response to collapse thinks we should break together not apart. Jem joins Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the 20...
Feb 19, 2025•54 min
For 30 years, Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia exposed corruption and wrong doing in her country. Her youngest son, Paul Caruana Galizia, details the impact of her life, her assassination in a car bomb explosion in 2017, and how her legacy lives on.
Feb 18, 2025
The British Empire was once the biggest in the world. But now, some countries are cutting ties, and some want reparations. So just what is the legacy of British imperialism? This event was recorded at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in October 2024. Speakers Sathnam Sanghera Author, Empireworld: how British Imperialism shaped the globe and Empireland: how Modern Britain is Shaped by its Imperial Past, and moreColumnist with the Sunday Times Gill Westaway Owner-operator at Villa Karingal, L...
Feb 18, 2025•42 min
Being who we are in public (with our mental illness) is the only way to create lasting change. Amanda Tattersall, co-founder of the campaigning organisation Get-Up, speaks powerfully about her experience of living with bipolar disorder and its role in driving social change. Hear how storytelling, sharing lived experiences, and forging solidarity through difference can make all the difference. Her keynote address: Making Change and Mental Illness — reimagining how we make a difference from the in...
Feb 17, 2025•53 min
Cancel culture has ruined careers and lives — but did they deserve it? What consequences should people face for what they say and do? And what does redemption look like in the digital age? This event was recorded at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney on 25 August 2024. Speakers Roxane Gay Editor, social commentator, contributing opinion writer for The New York TimesAuthor, Bad Feminist, Hunger: A Memoir of My Body , Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Bu...
Feb 13, 2025•54 min
Sara Shams had both legs amputated at age six — it became her superpower. 15-year-old Taylor Ladd-Hudson turned a shark experience into something bigger. Amy Parry got subversive after she was told women's stories on screen were too niche. Jody Rallah wanted to make sense of the world and art led the way. And Anisa Nandaula turns it all into performance poetry. Meet these changemakers joining Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the Women of the World (WOW) Festival in Brisbane in October 2024. Sp...
Feb 12, 2025•53 min
Imagine a world where your brain is enhanced through cutting-edge technologies and next-generation AI, blurring the lines between organic and digital realms … and unlocking unprecedented potential. We are already some steps on the way in such a future. What would this mean for intelligence, human agency and consciousness? Your Brain on AI From organoids to consciousness was presented by the Sydney Opera House . Speakers Paul Davies Theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist, Arizona Stat...
Feb 11, 2025•54 min
With more than 3 billion people playing video games worldwide, they have the potential to wield tremendous power and influence. So is it time to take video games more seriously? This event was recorded at the Melbourne International Games Week on 3 October 2024. Speakers George Osborn Founder, Half-Space Consulting Rad Yeo (host)Television and podcast presenter, video game critic, and technology journalist...
Feb 10, 2025•52 min
When Kasey Chambers was growing up, her dad had one simple, yet profound piece of advice. Just don't be a d***head. This event was recorded at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne, with thanks to Readings bookshop. Speakers Kasey Chambers Musician, 13th album BackboneAuthor, Just Don't Be A D**khead And Other Profound Things I've Learnt Youngest female inductee, ARIA Hall of Fame (2018)24-time Golden Guitar winner Clare Bowditch (host) MusicianAuthor, Your Own Kind of Girl...
Feb 06, 2025•54 min
President Donald Trump’s administration is already muzzling government-funded scientists. Closer to home, Australian scientists have their own stories to tell about science censored, stymied or watered down when its findings aren’t convenient to industry or politicians. Should scientists stand up as things fall down? A Tasmanian panel argue why scientists should speak up, and consider the tensions between advocacy and impartiality when they do. Speakers Alexandra de Blas Science and environmenta...
Feb 05, 2025•54 min
From the inner cities to the outer suburbs, to rural and regional Australia, just what is going on in minds of voters as we embark on another federal election? This event was recorded at the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre at the University of South Australia. Speakers George Megalogenis Journalist, author, Quarterly Essay #96 Minority Report: The New Shape of Australian Politics Tory Shepherd (host) Senior reporter, Guardian Australia...
Feb 04, 2025•53 min
Australia resettled fascists, even war criminals after World War II as part of a worldwide program led by the International Refugee Organisation. The background of these immigrants was known to all political parties, but they were regarded as cheap – and white – labour. Historian Jayne Persian explores the impact of these characters on the trajectory of postwar politics — a phenomenon well documented in other parts of the world but with which Australia has barely begun to reckon. Presented by th...
Feb 03, 2025•51 min
Take folly, friction, pain and empathy … mix well, and you get wise governmental decisions. If only it was that simple. Zachary Shore looks at the personal qualities, group dynamics, and historical conditions that have made wise decisions more or less likely to arise. The world’s current troubles would be more manageable, he contends, if we understood more clearly what produces wisdom and how to apply it. So what can we learn from history? A Wiser World: The Global Quest for Good Judgement was p...
Jan 30, 2025•54 min
Have you noticed mushrooms are having a moment? Merlin Sheldrake's New York Times bestselling bookEntangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures has captivated readers worldwide. Be enchanted by a world unseen – one without which you wouldn't exist - and which might inspire you to re-imagine how you think about yourself and your relationships. Merlin and guests join Natasha Mitchell at the Now or Never Festival of Art, Ideas, Sound, Technology and the Melbourn...
Jan 29, 2025•54 min
Nicky Winmar's iconic stand against racism was a wakeup call more than 30 years ago. But how much has really changed? Racism on and off the field continues to be an issue across Australia, when we should be celebrating Indigenous sport icons. Presented by the Byron Writers Festival, supported by First Nations Australia Writers Network FNAWN . Listen to Big Ideas - Australia's sporting myths Speakers Rhoda RobertsProducer, artistic director, journalist and broadcaster and author of My Cousin Fran...
Jan 28, 2025•43 min
Almost every country town across Australia has a Chinese restaurant. Why is that? And what role do they play in the story of immigration and multiculturalism, as well as the life and tastebuds of regional communities? This event was recorded at Sydney's Gleebooks. Speakers Jennifer Wong Comedian, writer, tv presenter, columnist, curator, host and co-author of Chopsticks or Fork? Lin Jie Kong Producer, director, editor, co-author Chopsticks or Fork? Annabel Crabb (host) Writer and presenter, ABC ...
Jan 27, 2025•52 min
You've got half an hour with Lou Reed/ Nick Cave/ Courtney Love: what do you ask them? Three of Australia's best music writers share their craft, and reveal what it's like to sit down with some of music's biggest names. This event was recorded on 2 November 2024 at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Speakers Stuart Coupe Author, journalist, radio broadcaster, music commentator, publicist at Stuart Coupe Publicity Jane Gazzo Music Journalist, TV Presenter, Author ( her new book is I Hear Motion ), MC, ...
Jan 23, 2025•54 min
Meet two men who will change the way you think about an experience most of us fear but will be touched by in some way. In Patting the Shark, surfing writer Tim Baker describes his wild ride to reclaim a sense of control and agency after a cancer diagnosis. Celebrated author and GP Peter Goldsworthy’s memoir The Cancer Finishing School started out as a journal but became so much more.They join Natasha Mitchell for intimate an intimate, revelatory, funny, and generous conversation about the Big C ...
Jan 22, 2025•54 min
For 50 years, women in the United States had a constitutionally enshrined right to abortion. But in 2022, that right was overturned, and now one third of American women live in a state where abortion is banned. So what does Donald Trump's return to the White House mean for reproductive health in America? This event was recorded at Macquarie University in Sydney on Wednesday 13 November 2024. Speaker Dr Angel Foster Professor, University of OttawaCo-founder, Massachusetts Medication Abortion Acce...
Jan 21, 2025•53 min
Prepare to have your mind blown with a sweeping saga that connects human evolution, brains, genes, art, music, creativity, knowledge, dyslexia, autism, Indigenous memory systems, and more. A big, beautiful and biological saga about how to learn like a human again. Joining Natasha Mitchell are Australian Senior Memory Champion, scientist and author Dr Lynne Kelly with artist Jane Rusden and musician and educator Hilary Blackshaw. This event was hosted by the 2024 Mountain Festival in Macedon, Vic...
Jan 20, 2025•54 min
It's a question that has focused the minds of astronauts, scientists, space entrepreneurs and enthusiasts alike — is there, could there be, life on Mars? The race is on to find out, with NASA hoping to land astronauts there by the late 2030s. Because of its similar conditions to Earth, they're hoping the red planet could hold clues to the enduring mysteries of how life began, and whether we are alone in the universe. This event was recorded at the World Science Festival Brisbane in partnership w...
Jan 16, 2025•53 min
New York writer Jonathan Rosen’s memoir The Best Minds: a story of friendship, madness, and the tragedy of good intentions is a story of tenderness, heartache, and horror as he explores the vexed tensions between civil rights, medical power, and the complexities of recognising and treating severe psychotic illness. He joins Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell with psychiatrist Patrick McGorry for a powerful, moving conversation at the 2024 Adelaide Writers Week Original broadcast on May 1, 2024 Spea...
Jan 15, 2025•52 min
For decades, Mary Beard has forged her own path through the male dominated field of academia, from the ruins of Rome to the trenches of Twitter, to become "the world's most famous classicist". From the wise Augustus to the hypocritical Tiberius and the barking mad Caligula, Mary Beard uses these Roman rulers as a lens to examine life in their empire, and asks what lessons they can teach us about the world today. This event was recorded at Adelaide Writers' Week and originally broadcast on Big Id...
Jan 14, 2025•54 min
We are living in an "age of crises," says former New Zealand prime minister, Helen Clark. With her leadership experience and expertise in governance, politics, and policy, Helen Clark and a panel of health and international relation experts explore the challenges facing the world today and what is needed to achieve a healthier and thriving future for all. proWhile it's easy to feel overwhelmed by complex problems, speaking up about inequality can make a difference. Helen Clark urged everyone to ...
Jan 13, 2025•54 min
Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world's foremost experts on trauma, discusses his pioneering research into traumatic stress and its impact on our brains and bodies. Traumatised people experience incomprehensible anxiety, numbing and intolerable rage. Trauma affects their capacity to concentrate, to remember, to form trusting relationships, and even to feel at home in their own bodies. And he explains promising treatments, including neurofeedback, psychedelic therapy, psychodrama … and dance. Thi...
Jan 09, 2025•54 min
When governments say they can't afford to fix climate change or lift kids out of poverty are they speaking the truth? American economist Stephanie Kelton challenges economic orthodoxy in her book The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy. She joins Natasha Mitchell in conversation at this 2024 National Sustainability Festival event.
Jan 08, 2025•54 min
Join host Natasha Mitchell and guests for some straight talk that cuts through spin and jargon. Has the way politicians speak ever made you shout at the television, feel bamboozled, helpless, or shut out of democratic debate over our shared future? Pollie-talk can make important issues opaque, the inequitable seem fair, and the fair seem inequitable. Hear from Richard Denniss (author of Econobabble: How to decode political spin and economic nonsense), Yanis Varoufakis (author of Technofeudalism:...
Jan 07, 2025•55 min
Residents of the Pacific and Torres Strait Islands face an existential threat from climate change, as rising sea levels threaten to swallow up their homes and livelihoods. But they are fighting back - calling for Australia and other countries to do more to end investment in fossil fuels and prevent a full blown climate catastrophe. This event was recorded on Kaurna country at WOMADelaide's Planet Talks on March 9, 2024. With thanks also to The Australia Institute. Original Big Ideas broadcast on...
Jan 06, 2025•53 min
Liberalism isn't just a political philosophy but the basis of a truly meaningful life. That's the bold statement of philosopher Alexandre Lefebvre, author of the forthcoming book Liberalism As A Way of Life. Should individuals be free to pursue their own passions and interests in life? Does liberalism mean more than freedom of speech and small government? You might not identify as a liberal, but are we in fact all liberals at heart? The Philosophy You Already Have — a Live Philosophy event was p...
Jan 02, 2025•53 min
