Students are dropping out, academics are burning out, so is enough being done to save higher education? It's a multibillion-dollar sector, employing and educating millions, with expectations it can deliver the solutions and the workers Australia needs. But Emeritus Professor Graeme Turner says universities are in serious trouble. This conversation was recorded at Readings Books on 15 July 2025. Speakers Graeme Turner Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of QueenslandAuthor of...
Sep 04, 2025•54 min
Some boys are being radicalised by misogynist online subcultures like the 'Manosphere' and the 'incel' (involuntarily celibate) scene. Parents are anxious and boys are confused. What's happening, why, and what can be done? Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell and guests at the 2025 Byron Writers Festival for an insightful exploration with three influential Australians. Speakers Jess Hill , investigative journalist specialising in gendered violence, author of See What You Made Me Do, and the Quar...
Sep 03, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Is the world really in the midst of an AI revolution, or is it all just clever marketing, powered by immense amounts of money, capital and hype? This episode arms you to spot AI hype in all its guises, expose the exploitation and power-grabs it aims to hide, and push back against it at work and daily life. The conversation with Emily M Bender was recorded at RMIT University in partnership with Readings books on 1 July 2025. The panel discussion Reboot the Narrative was recorded at the Rose Scott...
Sep 02, 2025•55 min
Barry Jones and Kerry O'Brien - Two titans of Australian political and social commentary share insights into how to think well, how to act well and how to make sense of politics, history, the fragility of civilisation, science and love. Presented at the Byron Writers Festival Speakers Barry Jones Former science minister, Labor member of the Victorian and Commonwealth parliaments, author Kerry O'Brien (host)Award-winning journalist and broadcaster...
Sep 01, 2025•54 min
They cook, make babies, and look impossibly perfect while doing it.Tradwives are using social media to redefine femininity and womanhood… or are they just setting it waaaayyy back? The Tradwives Club was presented by the Sydney Opera House at the 2025 All About Women Festival. Speakers Megan Agnew — Senior Features Writer (New York), The Times of London Rosie Waterland — Comedian, author of Broken Brains (with Jamila Rizvi), The Anti-Cool Girl and Every Lie I've Ever Told, host of podcasts Mum S...
Aug 28, 2025•54 min
Esther Freud’s first semi-autobiographical novel Hideous Kinky became a film starring Kate Winslet and told the wild story of two little girls living in Morocco with their bohemian mother. More than 30 years on, those girls are back and growing up fast in her sequel, My Sister and Other Lovers. Esther joins Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the Byron Writers Festival to explore the ties that bind, that tether, and that can traumatise in complicated families. Esther’s great-grandfather was the p...
Aug 27, 2025•54 min
What happens when the harsh realities of our daily lives — death, war, illness, hardship — invade that most private of realms — our sleep? Four poets and writers explore how things show up in dreams that otherwise can't be expressed, and how they've used the subconscious to inspire their creative work. This conversation was recorded at the Addi Road Writers Festival on 17 May 2025. Speakers Mireille Juchau - Essayist, novelist, critic, author of The World Without Us and more Peter Boyle - Poet a...
Aug 26, 2025•50 min
With Donald Trump mediating conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, what has become of the United States' strategy in the Asia Pacific region? The event Asia Disrupted: Trump's First Six Months was recorded at La Trobe Asia on 1 August 2025. Speakers Daniel Flitton — Managing Editor, The Interpreter The Lowy Institute Dr Lupita Wijaya — Research fellow, La Trobe Asia Ambika Vishwanath — Principal Research Fellow, La Trobe Asia Professor Nick Bisley — Dean of the School of Humanities and Social ...
Aug 25, 2025•55 min
Even years later, children's books can hold a special place in our hearts, and they also teach, comfort, inspire, and grow young minds, and set kids up for life. Two of Australia's best loved children's authors explore the importance of storytelling for children, and reflect on the books that have changed their lives. This talk was recorded at the Sorrento Writers Festival on 24 April 2025. Speakers Alison Lester - Author, Magic Beach, Imagine, Noni the Pony, Kissed by the Moon and many more, In...
Aug 21, 2025•54 min
From finding the right language to connect to Country, making the world a more poetic place for kids, to a Vulcan salute between two lovers — communication makes the world go round. Three brilliantly creative communicators join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the 2025 Byron Writers Festival to consider ways we communicate and how we can do it better. With great communication comes deep connection, understanding, meaning and that wonderful feeling of being understood and understanding another....
Aug 20, 2025•54 min
A brass band, goulash cooking in giant pots over open flames, people dancing around a bonfire — a pan-European picnic at the border between Hungary and Austria in 1989 was the beginning of the end of the Cold War. Suddenly hundreds of East Germans stormed the border into the West and freedom. It's a moment in history where the power of ordinary people changed the world. An Escape to Freedom and the Collapse of the Iron Curtain was presented at the Adelaide Writers' Week Speakers Matthew Longo Au...
Aug 19, 2025•55 min
Without permission, or payment, artificial intelligence has stolen the published words of thousands of Australian writers, and it seems that they have little power to stop it. What does this mean for the future of human creativity? Anna Funder's speech was recorded live at the 2025 Sydney Writers Festival . The panel discussion, Can Australian literature survive in the age of streamers & AI? was recorded at Readings bookshop in Hawthorn. Speakers Anna Funder - Author, Wifedom, Stasiland, All...
Aug 18, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Marie Curie is arguably the most famous scientist in history, for her breakthroughs in the field of radioactivity. But Curie also redefined what was possible for women in science, inspiring generations to follow her. Dava Sobel's 2025 For Future Reference Lecture A woman's word (about science) was recorded at the State Library of Victoria. Speakers Dava Sobel Author, The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science and many more Belinda Smith (host) Award-winni...
Aug 14, 2025•53 min
It's Team Wellness Warriors versus Team Medical Miracles. Hear the arguments and you decide! The wellness industry is booming. It's worth billions and its influencers are all over social media spruiking miracle pills and mystery remedies, crystal healing and cancer cures. Some are even steaming their vaginas (hellooooo Gywneth Paltrow!). Have they done the research that mainstream medicine refuses to? Is your doctor really the best person to help you be the healthiest you can be? Or ... are many...
Aug 13, 2025•54 min
The American essayist, philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said that all life is an experiment, and the more experiments you make, the better. So can experimenting with your career, your health, where you live or who you love, improve your life, by helping you to make better decisions? This event Test and learn: living an experimental life was recorded at the University of Sydney's Raising the Bar night. Speakers May Samali - Founder and CEO of the Human Leadership Lab...
Aug 12, 2025•50 min
Their closest relative is the elephant; they eat about 60 kg of sea grass per day; and there are only three dugongs in captivity in the world. One in the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium. Big Ideas deep dives into the mysterious world of dugongs — with fascinating stories and surprising insights. Presented at the World Science Festival Brisbane in the Queensland Museum. Big Ideas — Turning a third of our oceans into marine parks. A good idea? Speakers Dr Janet Lanyon World authority on dugongs, Senior L...
Aug 11, 2025•55 min
In your daily life you use more material than you think: metals, stones, wood, ceramics – the list goes on. We have sufficient resources to support growth, but not enough to support greed. A circular economy could support a more sustainable resource management. Presented by Planet Ark's Australian Circular Economy Hub (ACE Hub) Speaker Janez Potočnik Co-Chair of UN Environment International Resource Panel, former EU Commissioner for responsible for Science and Research and for Environment Dr Nic...
Aug 07, 2025•55 min
If you knew the world as we know it was on the verge of collapse, would that change the way you live your life? Author, activist and podcaster Sarah Wilson has found many reasons to believe our post-industrial civilisation is nearing its end. So how does she live with this confronting reality? This conversation was recorded at the 2025 Melbourne Writers Festival. To explore more Melbourne Writers Festival talks, visit mwf.com.au . Speakers Sarah Wilson - Author, First, We Make the Beast Beautifu...
Aug 06, 2025•54 min
Foreign spies attempt to infiltrate media organisations, break into restricted laboratories, target public servants on sites such as LinkedIn, approach academics at conferences … the list goes on. On Big Ideas, you have the rare opportunity to hear Mike Burgess give an unfiltered look at the threats of espionage and reveal for the first time the true costs it has on the Australian economy. Counting and Countering the Cost of Espionage, the 26th annual Hawke Lecture presented by The Bob Hawke Pri...
Aug 05, 2025•45 min
For the first time in human history, we have the scientific know-how to vaccinate against most of the infectious diseases that killed our ancestors. But an explosion of pseudoscience and disinformation makes people hesitate to accept the shot. And so once contained diseases like measles is on the rise again. Hear why we have to act now, or risk losing centuries of gains that vaccines have brought to the world. Presented at Gleebooks Speakers Raina MacIntyre Professor of Global Biosecurity at UNSW...
Aug 04, 2025•55 min
The decline of the mainstream media has forced many outlets to try new things to keep audiences engaged and informed. So what works, and what is the industry's future? The ABC's 2025 Andrew Olle Lecture was recorded in Sydney on Friday 25 July 2025. Speakers Geraldine Doogue - Host (with Hamish Macdonald), Global Roaming , ABC Radio National...
Jul 31, 2025
Australia is a multicultural country, but up until recently, when you turned on the telly, you wouldn't know it. So what role has TV played in Australia's diverse communities, on screen, behind the scenes and in the living rooms across this country, over the past 70 years? This event was recorded at Sydney's Gleebooks on Friday 11 July 2025. Speakers Kate Darian-Smith Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne, President of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia Kyle Harvey Culture ...
Jul 31, 2025•57 min
Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell with three women embracing the radical practice of finding joy in big bodies. Fat bodies are often stigmatised, stereotyped, shamed, medicalised, and politicised. Even the word F.A.T gets denigrated. But there is another way. Reckoning with eating disorders and society's limitations, Dani, Evie, and Kalpana are no longer holding back from the delights of food, fashion, dance, ocean swimming, and more. Hear why, for them, the personal is political. But can exp...
Jul 30, 2025•57 min
Meet apes that swallow leaves to dislodge worms and sparrows that use cigarette butts to repel parasites. Many animals use medicine to treat themselves — something that for a long time has been thought to be the exclusive domain of humans. Now scientists are turning to the medical knowledge of the animal kingdom to improve agriculture, create better lives for our pets, and develop new pharmaceutical drugs. Presented at the Free Library of Philadelphia Listen to Big Ideas: Speaker Jaap de Roode S...
Jul 29, 2025•44 min
At face value, collaboration sounds like a good thing: collaboration in the classroom, with colleagues, or between nations. But throughout history, collaboration was not always considered a virtuous act, and those who were identified as collaborators were shunned, humiliated or worse. This talk explores how people justify their involvement in wrongdoing, and how when collaboration devolves into conformity, it risks silencing dissent. This event was recorded at the Bundanon Art Museum . Speaker D...
Jul 28, 2025•59 min
Food is essential to human life, but are we taking it for granted? Popular chef, writer and broadcaster Adam Liaw is an advocate for good food for everyone. He takes us on a journey through the history and science of food, and its place in our societies, economies and cultures throughout time, arguing that food should play a central role in government policy making. The 2025 Hugh Stretton Oration was recorded at the University of Adelaide on 14 May 2025. Speakers Adam Liaw Cook, writer, broadcas...
Jul 24, 2025•55 min
Books on tyrants, dictators, and authoritarian leaders are suddenly bestsellers again as we all try to make sense of the tilt towards tyrannical leadership around the world, the mass compliance it commands, and its use of terror, fear, and often violence, to govern. Two of Australia's leading scholars on China and the Soviet Union, Linda Jaivin (author of BOMBARD THE HEADQUARTERS! The Cultural Revolution in China) and Sheila Fitzpatrick (author of The Death of Stalin) join Big Ideas host Natasha...
Jul 23, 2025•54 min
At a time when governments are retreating from promises of progress for First Nations people, what can be achieved through legal and human rights mechanisms? The 2025 Mabo Oration was recorded at the Cairns Performing Arts Centre on 30 May 2025, with thanks to the Queensland Human Rights Commission and QPAC. Speakers Katie Kiss Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Social Justice Commissioner Gail MaboVisual Artist, Artistic Director, Choreographer, Writer and Actor...
Jul 22, 2025•55 min
Doctor Who has acted as a mirror to more than six decades of social, technological and cultural change. It's been able to evolve and adapt more radically than any other fiction. Why we are so addicted to fiction, and why does this wonderful wandering time traveller mean so much to so many. This talk was provided by the York Festival of Ideas . The Festival is led by the University of York, UK. Speaker John Higgs Author of Exterminate/Regenerate: The Story of Doctor Who (Weidenfeld & Nicolson...
Jul 21, 2025•54 min
Acclaimed British author Jeanette Winterson argues that 200 years ago, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, was a message in a bottle, a prophesy, of today's AI revolution. This conversation was recorded at the Sydney Writers' Festival , in partnership with the University of New South Wales's Centre for Ideas on 21 May 2025. Speakers Jeanette Winterson Author, 12 Bytes: How artificial intelligence will change the way we live and love, Oranges are not the only fruit, and many moreProfessor of New Writing...
Jul 17, 2025•53 min
