For decades, a debate has been waged over whether the colonial massacre and resistance of First Nations Australians should be recognised and memorialised by Australia's most important war museum. Don't miss this watershed event at the Australian War Memorial with trailblazing filmmaker Rachel Perkins and eminent historian Henry Reynolds for the launch of their groundbreaking new book The Australian Wars: The truth about the bloody battles fought to establish the nation. This conversation hosted ...
Feb 04, 2026•57 min
For more than 50 years, Dr Bob Brown has been breaking and making laws to protect the environment. Now aged 81, he is hoping to give strength to new generations who are facing the climate and extinction crises front on. This event was recorded at the Theatre Royal Hobart on 1 October 2025. Speakers Bob Brown President, Bob Brown FoundationFormer Greens Senator for Tasmania (1996-2012)Author, Defiance: Stories from Nature and Its Defenders Hannah Moloney (host) Presenter, Gardening Australia , pe...
Feb 03, 2026•55 min
International humanitarian law, the law of armed conflict, was meant to protect civilians from the worst of war. But in today's wars civilians have become targets, and the rules meant to shield them are breaking down. What happens when the law of war no longer works? And can it be rebuilt to protect civilians once again? Presented by the American Academy in Berlin. Speakers Oona HathawayGerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law, and Founder and Director of the Center for...
Feb 02, 2026•54 min
Most of us, in our lives, will witness things we cannot comprehend, when words fail to do justice to the moment. In those moments, to whom or what can we turn? To God? To philosophy? To music? To ourselves, or to our fellow humans? In a noisy world, Stan Grant wrestles with the fragility of language, and the power of silence, and of listening, to find a path to connection, compassion, and love. The Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value was held at the School of Philosophy at the Australian Catholic...
Jan 29, 2026•57 min
Conspiracy theories have always been with us, but now they're finding new ways to get inside our heads and take hold — and Australia is seeding some uniquely homegrown varieties. Investigative technology journalists Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson went down the rabbit hole for their book Conspiracy Nation: Exposing the dangerous world of Australian conspiracy theories. To discuss the why, what, and how of conspiratorial thinking, they join seasoned editorial leaders Gavin Fang and Tracey Kirkland, co...
Jan 28, 2026•58 min
Forty years ago this January, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated on its way into orbit. All seven astronauts on board were killed. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Fiona Pepper investigate how the Challenger disaster unfolded – and what that has meant for space exploration from 1986 to now. In the days after the tragedy, the world wanted answers. What really caused the shuttle to explode? And should the launch have been stopped altogether? The Challenger Legacy is a five-part series from Science...
Jan 28, 2026•5 min
Meet Dwayne Fernandes, a man training to be the first double amputee in space. He brings you a powerful perspective based on his lived experience: in zero gravity, his disability disappears and human potential soars free. He explores how the social model of disability transforms our understanding of accessibility, showing that environments either create barriers or unlock possibility. His message is both challenging and hopeful: if we can make space accessible, we can make any space accessible. ...
Jan 27, 2026•49 min
From the world's oldest continuous living culture, to the arrival of Captain Cook, the goldrush to the ANZACs, from Federation to elections to referendums, and beyond, our understanding of Australian history has evolved dramatically over recent years. Six esteemed scholars have six minutes each to wrestle with how our past unites, divides, and defines us. Who will win? The Great Debate was recorded for Social Sciences Week with the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and the National Library...
Jan 26, 2026•55 min
He’s been called a “hypercapitalist”, a “new authoritarian” and a “post fascist”. Twelve months into Donald Trump’s second term as United States President, he has certainly reshaped the country and the world in ways that have shocked and surprised. So how should we understand his political ideology? The conversation Is It Fascism Yet? was recorded at the Sydney Opera House on 28 September 2025. Speakers Jason Stanley Professor of Philosophy and Linguistics, Chair of American Studies at the Unive...
Jan 22, 2026•55 min
Don't miss meeting these four resilient women creating the change they want to see in the world. At 20, Monique “Mermaid” Murphy’s had a catastrophic accident. Two years later she won Silver at the Paralympics. At 21, Larisha Jerome turned homelessness into buying her first home. Now she advocates for financial justice for other First Nations people. At 14, Nasteho Mukhtar arrived in Australia with her mother and siblings as a refugee from Somalia. Now the social enterprise founder, poet, and Mu...
Jan 21, 2026•55 min
He jumped off a plane, exchanged the notorious briefcase on a park bench and got his identity blown by an asset under torture. Sounds like fiction? But the real stories still differ remarkably from novels and films. A discussion about the realities of espionage and the stories that surround it - filled with intrigue and hidden truths for your ears only. Spies, Lies and Secretes was recorded live at the 2025 Sydney Writers’ Festival at Carriageworks . Speakers Ben Macintyre Bestselling author of ...
Jan 20, 2026•55 min
DNA testing has helped family history researchers fill in the blanks in their family trees. While that can be a good thing, it can also lead to unexpected consequences. From "non-parental events", to big data hacks, to unauthorised use of DNA in criminal investigations, this is everything you need to know about genetic genealogy. This event was recorded at the State Library of NSW for Family History Month 2025 . Speakers Claire Aird Journalist, presenter of the podcast series, Secrets We Keep: S...
Jan 19, 2026•56 min
How has the fossil fuel industry wielded influence over Australian governments and their policies? What does it take to make ambitious change in the public interest, without vested interests getting in way? Join Natasha Mitchell and guests at Adelaide Writers Week. Origninal broadcast on March 12, 2025. Speakers Dr Richard Denniss Economist and Executive Director of The Australia Institute Author of BIG: The Role of the State in the Modern Economy (2022) Ross Garnaut EconomistProfessor Emeritus ...
Jan 15, 2026•54 min
A workforce we rarely hear about, lives in limbo, and stories from the coalface. From economic gains and cultural exchanges to exploitation and absconding, what are the successes and problems of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme? Who picks and processes those yummy strawberries you're about to put in your shopping trolley, or the crisp veggies you might stir-fry tonight? Did you know it could be a nurse or a police officer from a Pacific Island or Timor Leste on a temporary sea...
Jan 14, 2026•55 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 . Original...
Jan 13, 2026•54 min
Your personal safety is big business, so much so that it’s given rise to “security capitalism”, a phenomenon where attempts to buy personal safety shape the world around us. As security becomes just another status symbol, do these gadgets make us safer or do they create a whole new list of anxieties – a self-fulfilling prophecy of perceived threat and risk aversion? This conversation 'Trapped: Does the security industry make us less safe?' was recorded at the CUNY Graduate Centre. Original broad...
Jan 12, 2026•55 min
"Homeric struggle", a desperate night-ballet, an ethical training ground for boys and men. Aussie Rules is a multimillion-dollar industry, but at its heart, to thousands of people, it's much more than that. Including to Australian literary great, Helen Garner. This event was recorded at the National Library of Australia on 20 February 2025. Original broadcast March 6, 2025. Speakers Helen GarnerAuthor, The Season, Monkey Grip, The Children's Bach, The First Stone, Joe Cinque's Consolation, The S...
Jan 08, 2026•54 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...
Jan 07, 2026•55 min
We know them as Zuckerberg, Musk, Bezos, Gates, Jobs. But to Kara Swisher, they're Mark, Elon, Jeff, Bill, and Steve. She was once a Silicon Valley insider, but now she's one of big tech's most vocal critics. This event was recorded at Adelaide Writers Week on Monday 3 March 2025. Original broadcast on April 15, 2025. Speakers Kara SwisherAuthor, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story , aol.com: How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads and Made Millions in the War for the Web and There Must Be ...
Jan 06, 2026•55 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 . Original broadcast on February 11, 2025. Speakers Paul Davies Theoretical physicist, ...
Jan 05, 2026•55 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. Original broadcast on January 23, 2025. Speakers Stuart Coupe Author, journalist, radio broadcaster, music commentator, publicist at Stuart Coupe Publicity Jane Gazzo Music Journalist, TV Presenter, Author...
Jan 01, 2026•55 min
Two of Australia’s most influential and legendary storytellers, author Tim Winton and filmmaker Rachel Perkins, join Natasha Mitchell at WOMADelaide’s Planet Talks to discuss the power of stories and the role of artists to create change in the world. Original broadcast on April 2, 2025. SpeakersRachel PerkinsMulti-award-winning filmmaker, and founder of Blackfella films Director, presenter, co-writer, co-producer The Australian Wars series (available on SBS On Demand)Co-director, co-writer, co-p...
Dec 31, 2025•54 min
Populism is part of American political history. It has been and still is the dominant vocabulary of dissent. But the current resurrection of authoritarian politics in the US is different. While the two parties could absorb populist movements in the past, this time populism has absorbed the party. Presented at the American Academy in Berlin Original broadcast on April 1, 2025. Speaker Jefferson Cowie James G. Stahlman Professor in American History at Vanderbilt UniversityAmerican Academy in Berli...
Dec 30, 2025•55 min
How many times have you checked your phone today? How many tabs are open in your web browser? Do you feel in control of your attention? In the digital age, attention is now a commodity. Can practices like meditation and mindfulness help us feel more free to focus on what really matters? This event was hosted at the Brunswick Ballroom by the Sophia Club in partnership with the University of Melbourne's Contemplative Studies Centre . Original broadcast on March 18, 2025. Speakers Jess Huon Meditat...
Dec 29, 2025•55 min
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 . Listen to the rest of our specia...
Dec 25, 2025•55 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...
Dec 24, 2025•54 min
Historian Sarah Churchwell takes you on a gripping and confronting journey into America's recent past to explain its extraordinary present, starting with dark story at the heart of that American classic Gone with the Wind. Knowledge lies at the heart of a healthy democracy, and its many custodians include libraries, universities, cultural institutions, and a free and independent media. So what happens when these institutions are intimidated, dismantled or destroyed, as is happening in America, u...
Dec 23, 2025•55 min
After five nominations, Ruthie Foster has taken home the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album - affirming her status as an American music legend. In this intimate conversation, she shares what made her want to be a singer; the roles of her grandmother and mother in her life; why faith is so important to her and why she wants to sing about real people. And much more… A Heartlands Conservation presented at the Blue Mountains Music Festival. Original broadcast May 12, 2025. Speakers ...
Dec 22, 2025•54 min
When you enter your childbearing years, it can feel like everyone from the treasurer, your mum, and probably your Instagram reels really wants you to have a kid. But is it the right decision? Few women escape this conundrum of modern family-making, and unfortunately there is no easy or simple answer. But in this talk presented by the Sydney Opera House at the All About Women Festival 2025 , you’ll get the context, prompts and profound reflections to help you think through this decision, whether ...
Dec 18, 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 Dr 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...
Dec 17, 2025•55 min
