Big Ideas

The fire season is changing across Australia, becoming hotter, drier and longer. The evidence about the best ways to protect lives, property, and the environment is changing too. While fuel reduction burning has become a vital tool in the arsenal for land managers in every state and territory, some are now questioning whether we are doing it right - or whether we should be doing it all. The Burning Conversation was recorded at the Royal Society of Victoria on 21 September 2026. Speakers: Professor Trent Penman Bushfire risk modeler and Team Leader of FLARE Wildfire Research at the University of Melbourne Dr Phil Zylstra Adjunct professor, Curtin University and the Australian National University Gregg Borschmann (host) Writer and oral historian, Driector, Talking Country

The year is 2046. After 2026, a whole lot changed in the world. Citizens started to vote women into power in parliaments everywhere. What happened next? Four Far North Queensland leaders are leaping into a tardis to hurtle twenty years into the future. Jump in, if you want the world to be different, this could be the ride of your life. Join Natasha Mitchell and guests in Cairns on Yidinji Country at the 2026 WOW (Women of the World) Festival. Speakers Dr Rana Dadpour Research Fellow at The Cairns Institute at James Cook University.Director of AUSIRAN , an advocacy group for Australian Iranians. Francoise Lane Descendant of the Meriam and Kaurareg peoples of Zenadth KesArtist, curator, designerCo-founder and director of Indij Architecture and Design Founder, Francoise Lane FashionFormer Artistic Director, Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair. Claudia KurowskiYear 12 student and 2026 Youth Mayor of Cairns 2026 Cairns Young Citizen of the Year, 2025 Cairns Young Woman, and co-founder of The Gratitude Initiative. Anita VeiversExecutive Director, Centacare Far North Qld Chair, Cairns Regional Jobs Committee Board Member, Regional Development Australia Tropical North. Further information Women of the World WOW Australia

Has your doctor ever told you to go on a diet? Does that conversation put you off going to them in the first place, even if you need treatment for something not related to your weight? Has being in a larger body ever meant you can't access surgery or IVF?Some are pushing for a weight-inclusive approach to healthcare, which de-centres obesity, and focuses on 'health-at-every-size'. But what does that really mean, and why does it matter? This event was held at the 11th Annual Weight Stigma Conference at Griffith University. Original broadcast on September 17, 2025. Speakers Ana Ximena Torres , clinical psychologist and founder of the practice, Elemental Collective. Dr Fiona Willer Dietitian, bioethicist, President of Dietitians AustraliaLecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at Queensland University of TechnologyFounder, Health, Not Diets consultancyHost, Unpacking Weight Science podcast. Tracy Taylor-Beck Manager, Strategy and Health Promotion (interim CEO at the time of this event)Women's Health in the North, a women's health promotion and advocacy organisation in Melbourne's North. Thanks to Dr Lily O'Hara from Griffith University, convenor of the conference.

Scientists are uncovering the surprising power of the trillions of microbes living inside you and how they can shape your mood, your thinking, even your sense of self. How might the health of your gut change the course of serious mental illness? This a deep dive into the mind-body connection offers a glimpse of where the future of mental and physical health might be headed. Healthy microbiome. Happy brain? was presented at the World Science Festival Brisbane . Speakers Gordon Parker Scientia Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales and founder of the Black Dog InstituteAuthor of A Gut Mood Solution Associate Professor Heidi Staudacher Dietitian and lead of the Diet, Gut and Brain Group at Monash University Damien Keating Matthew Flinders Professor of Physiology in the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute (FHMRI) and Head of the Gut Sensory Systems research group Julia Baird (host)Award-winning journalist and co-host of the podcast Not Stupid on ABC Listen

Once, a musician’s success could live or die on the opinions of its reviewers. But now, music culture is being shaped by algorithms and PR companies. So what is the future of music journalism? This podcast episode was originally recorded on 19 August 2026 in partnership with The Wheeler Centre and Now or Never Festival . Discover more talks and bold conversations by following The Wheeler Centre wherever you get your podcasts or at wheelercentre.com. Speakers Al Newstead Double J music and pop culture reporter Author, Tame Impala's Currents Sose Fuemoli Host of Sista Sounds and On the Record on ABC Radio AustraliaMusic correspondent, ABC News BreakfastHost of, Window Seat , Triple R Sarah Smith Former music editor at The Big Issue magazineFormer editor of Faster Louder Host, Sometimes Always , Triple R Simon Winkler (host)Double J Assistant Music DirectorFormer music coordinator (for 18 years) Triple RFormer co-host of Breaking and Entering, Triple RCo-founder, Good Question

What will stop you slipping into homelessness? In a cost-of-living crisis, it's getting harder to keep a secure roof over your head. And did you know that 14% of people accessing specialist homelessness services in Australia are unaccompanied children? That's thousands of children, homeless, alone. A conversation about what kind of community we want to create together, and how to prevent a crisis before it comes. Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell and guests at the 2026 Australian Homelessness Conference on Larrakia Country in Darwin. Speakers Professor Kerry Arabena Descendant of the Meriam people from the Torres StraitManaging Director, Karabena Consulting Former co-Chair of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, Executive Director of Apunipima Cape York Health Council, and Chair of Indigenous Health at the University of Melbourne. Former president of Ecohealth International. Rebecca Pinkstone Chief Executive, Homes NSW, NSW GovernmentNon-executive director, Australian Housing and Urban Research InstituteFormer CEO of a social housing provider Catherine Robinson Associate Professor in Communities and Social Justice, University of TasmaniaNon-executive board director of Homelessness Australia , the Youth Network of Tasmania and Home Base . Co-host, Filthy Rich and Homeless on SBS TV Further information Reimagining Indigenous Housing, Health, and Wealth report (2020) Example: Denver Basic Income Project (Example of unconditional cash transfers approach) Example: Community of Schools and Services (COSS) model Example: Safe and Connected Youth Program (ACT Conflict Resolution Service) Example: Housing stabilisation initiative (Canada) Better futures: Supported accommodation for unaccompanied children and young people experiencing homelessness (AHURI, 2026) Yes, we see you. Why a national plan for homelessness must make thousands of children on their own a priority (The Conversation, 2023) NSW Homelessness Strategy 2025-2035 NSW Homelessness Strategy Action plan 2025-2027 Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) (organises the biennial Australian Homelessness Conference and National Housing Conference).

He's covered wars, elections and everything in between. But what happens when a hardened foreign correspondent goes looking for a lighter travel story - and comes home changed? Hear what his road trip to Africa taught him about our shared humanity. This talk was provided by the York Festival of Ideas . The Festival is led by the University of York, UK. Speakers Clive Myrie Multi-award-winning journalist, BBC foreign correspondents, host of Mastermind and Clive Myrie's African AdventureAuthor of Everything Is Everything: A Memoir of Love, Hate & Hope Joan Concannon (host)Director of York Festival of Ideas

A rundown t-shirt factory in Sydney's Surry Hills became the studio and home where Australian artist Brett Whiteley would spend the final years of his life. Now an art gallery, the building has recently reopened after an extensive two-year restoration, with a new exhibition celebrating Whiteley's life and legacy, Coming Home, featuring his artworks and personal items. His former wife, muse and champion, Wendy Whiteley, reflects on the history of the studio, her life with Brett Whiteley, and his artistic practice. This event was recorded at Brett Whiteley's Studio for Art Gallery of New South Wales on 24 July 2026. Speakers Wendy Whiteley Creator of Wendy's Secret Garden, Lavender Bay, artist, and former wife and muse of Brett Whiteley Wayne Tunnicliffe (host)Director of collections and exhibitions, Art Gallery of New South Wales

Every day, science and technology are being used to enhance the abilities of human beings — helping people hear, walk, see, think and more. But at the extreme end, transhumanism has become an obsession of the rich and powerful: Vladmir Putin wants to live forever, Elon Musk wants to merge your brain with AI, while eugenics has also become popular again. So what are the ethics of transhumanism? Where do we draw the line? The 2026 Plunkett Lecture for the Plunkett Centre for Ethics was recorded at the Australian Catholic University . Speakers: Jason T. Eberl Hubert Mäder Chair in Bioethics, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Albert Gnaegi Center for Bioethics at Saint Louis University

In a world where AI rules, what will it mean to be creative? First Nations poet and author Evelyn Araluen (The Rot, Dropbear) is already self-censoring because of AI theft. The characters in Steve Tolz's new novel A Rising of the Lights find weird ways to sabotage the robots amongst them. Digital safety expert and educator Kirra Pendergast is seeing AI reshape childhood - for better or worse - with an important warning for parents, carers, and educators. This event was organised by the 2026 Byron Writers Festival on Bundjalung Country. Speakers Dr Evelyn Araluen Goorie and Koori poet, editor, educator Stella Prize winning author, Dropbear (2021) and The Rot (2025) Co-editor, Overland literary journal Senior lecturer of Indigenous arts and culture, Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne Steve Tolz Booker Prize nominated author for A Fraction of Whole (2008) Author, A Rising of the Lights (2026) Screenwriter and producer Kirra Pendergast Digital safety advisor and educator Co-founder, Safe on Social and Crlt/Shift Co-author with Maggie Dent of Digital Freedom: A guide to less screen time for safer, happier and healthier families (2026) Thanks to Artistic Director of the Byron Writers Festival Jessica Alice, and team.

In just 32 years, more than 160,000 children were adopted internationally under China's One-Child Policy. About half were sent to the United States — almost all of them were girls.Award-winning journalist Barbara Demick's latest book tells the story of twin sisters who were separated as toddlers, with one adopted by a family in Texas, while the other stayed with her birth family in rural China. This event was recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers' Festival at Carriageworks . Speakers: Barbara Demick Author, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins, Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (Baillie Gifford prize-winner) and more Katrina Strickland Senior Writer, Good Weekend Magazine (Nine Newspapers)

From the fall of Rome to the climate crisis unfolding right now, history shows up a common pattern for how empires rise and fall. And two important factors are humans’ relationship with the natural world, as well as the unequal distribution of power and wealth. What can the wreckage of past civilisations teach us about avoiding our own? This event was recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival at Carriageworks . Listen to Big Ideas – Why civilisations vanish Speakers Amitav Ghosh Indian-born novelist, essayist, and public intellectual Author of The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis and Wild Fictions Luke Kemp Research Affiliate, Centre for the Study of Existential Ris, University of CambridgeAuthor of Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse Clare Wright (host)Professor of History and Professor of Public Engagement, La Trobe University and award-winning author

Artificial Intelligence is fundamentally reshaping education and learning in Australian schools, with 80 per cent of students and two thirds of teachers now using AI tools. So how can we take advantage of the technology, and avoid the risks? This event was recorded at the University of Technology Sydney on 17 June 2026. Speakers: Leslie Loble Industry Professor, University of Technology SydneyChair of the Australian Network for Quality Digital Education, Chair of the Council on Early Childhood Development, Deputy Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment & Reporting AuthorityFormer Deputy Secretary in the NSW Department of EducationAuthor, Artificial intelligence, cognitive offloading and implications for education Eddie Woo High school maths teacherLeader of teacher growth for the New South Wales Education DepartmentHost of the popular Youtube channel Wootube Ultimate Classroom (Channel 10), Teenage Boss (ABC ME) Professor of Practice at the School of Education and SocialWwork, University of SydneyAuthor, Woo's Wonderful World of Maths , It's a Numberful World: How math is hiding everywhere and more

If authoritarianism was pressing in, what personal choices would you make to resist? Foreign correspondent Melissa Chan and artist-in-exile Badiucao have collaborated on the gobsmacking new graphic novel You Must Take Part in Revolution. It's set in a dystopian near future. A proto-fascist USA is at war with the full-throttled techno-surveillance state of China, with Taiwan wedged in the middle. Three young characters confront questions of loyalty, legacy, and courage. But for Melissa and Badiucao, their fictional scenario started to feel all to real. They know. They've lived it. They join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at their Australian launch event in Naarm/Melbourne. Speakers Melissa Chan Emmy nominated Hong Kong-Taiwanese-American foreign correspondentCo-author, You Must Take Part in Revolution (Simon and Schuster Australia, 2026)Former Beijing correspondent with Al Jazeera Badiucao Chinese-Australian artist-in-exile and activistWalkley-Award-winning cartoonist, The AgeCo-author, You Must Take Part in Revolution (Simon and Schuster Australia, 2026)Winner, Human Rights Foundation's Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent. Thank to Readings Bookshop events manager Christine Gordon.

Forensics has gripped pop culture for decades. But what’s the reality of this job? From the crime scene to the laboratory, our expert panel examines the evidence, explains the science and reveals how the truth gets uncovered. In the real world, by people who do this work for a living. Forensics: The Science of Blood, Body Bags and Biohazards was presented at the World Science Festival Brisbane . The UQ Impact Series is presented in partnership with The University of Queensland . Speakers Inspector Donna Stewart Quality Manager of the Queensland Police Service’s Forensic Services Group Dr Kristen Clarke Senior Research Officer within the Forensic Services Group at the Queensland Police Service (QPS) Dr Jack Garland Specialist forensic pathologist with Queensland Health Dr Jeremy Watherston Deputy Director, Forensic Operations for Forensic Science Queensland Dr Jonathan Webb (host)Science journalist and broadcaster, Science editor at ABC Radio National

From the blue-collar man, to the professional woman. From the multigenerational Australian born citizen, to a predominantly migrant nation. From the inner city to the suburbs to the bush. Australia has changed. But have our politicians? This event was recorded at the Hawke Centre at Adelaide University on 20 August 2026. Speakers: George Megalogenis Political journalist, author, Three Shocks: Who We Are Becoming in the 21st Century , The Australian Moment (winner the 2013 Prime Minister's Literary Award for Non-fiction and the 2012 Walkley Award for Non-fiction), four Quarterly Essays, and more Tory Shepherd (host)Senior Reporter, Guardian Australia

Jane Goodall’s radical ideas that animals have individual personalities, relationships and even emotions reshaped how we understand primates. It also sparked fierce ethical debates that are still playing out today: Do great apes have rights? What responsibilities do researchers carry when studying minds so much like our own? Jan Goodall wasn't just a trailblazing scientist. She became one of the most influential conservationists of the last century and created the foundation of modern primatology. City of Science: Jane Goodall and Her Legacy was presented at the CUNY Graduate Cente r Speakers Kristin Andrews Professor of Philosophy, CUNY Graduate Center David Lahti Associate professor of Biology and Psychology at Queens College and the CUNY Graduate Center Jessica Rothman Program director in Human Biology and professor of Anthropology at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center Dr Mark Hauber (host)Professor of Biology and Psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center and executive director of the Advanced Science Research Center

Australia's population is getting older. In fact, by 2076, 45 per cent of us - that's 18 million people - will be aged over 65. What will ageing look like in 50 years time? Will science keep us healthier for longer? What role will older people play in the workforce, in the economy, and in our communities? Will robots wipe our bottoms, or keep us company? How will we respond to major health challenges—like dementia, already our leading cause of death— and the growing burden of chronic disease? This conversation explores the ethical and social challenges facing our ageing country, and the planning, research and policy systems needed to ensure a dignified, safe and healthy life for older people by 2076. This event was recorded at the fiftieth National Ageing Research Institute annual summit with the theme Imagine Australia in 50 years on 22 July in Melbourne. Speakers: Mark Dreyfus Former Attorney General, MP Member for Isaacs Professor Jenny Waycott Professor and Deputy Head of School (Research) in the School of Computing and Information Systems, Melbourne University Professor Andy Philp Head of the Centre for Healthy Ageing at the Centenary Institute and leads the healthy ageing research at the University of Technology Sydney where he leads the Biology of Ageing Laboratory in the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Professor Tim Adair Demographer and Principal Research Fellow in the Nossal Institute for Global Health at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. Jacinta Parsons (host) Broadcaster, author and speaker

What does the future look like to you? How can you prepare yourself for what's coming down the line? And how does what you do today, change what will happen tomorrow? Join three forward-looking thinkers for a conversation about how to shape a better tomorrow, today. The conversation Brave New Futures was recorded live at the annual 2026 WOMADelaide festival , produced and presented as part of their Planet Talks program, held on the traditional lands of the Guarna people. Speakers: Richard King Critic, cultural commentator and author, Brave New Wild: Can Technology Really Save the Planet? Clare Marshall Award-winning futurist, former lead of the National Futures Initiative at The Australian Centre for Social Innovation Grace Vegasana Climate justice organiser and youth advocate, National Director of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC), co-founder of The People of Colour Climate Network Lee Constable (host)Environmental communicator, TV presenter, author, How to Save the Whole Stinkin' Planet: A Garbological Adventure , and more

The Inter-Continental Hotel on a hilltop above Kabul has watched Afghanistan’s modern history unfold from its windows. Built in 1969, it has survived Soviet occupation, multiple coups, a civil war, a foreign invasion and waves of Taliban rule. This is the story of that hotel and of Afghanistan itself, told through forty years of visits, world-making headlines, and the people who called the finest hotel in Kabul home. This event was recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival at Carriageworks . Speakers Lyse Doucet BBC Chief International Correspondent and author of The Finest Hotel in Kabul, A People’s History of Afghanistan, Hutchinson Heinemann (2025) Debbie Whitmont (host)ABC Journalist and author