It's 50 years since one of the darkest periods in Queensland history, when police violently suppressed anti-apartheid protests against South Africa’s touring rugby team. Students, unions and Black Rights activists were among the protestors. This is the first episode in a two-part series discussing the legacy of that tumultuous time.

At a time when the South Pacific is a focus of geo-political tension, it’s also facing worsening economic and health challenges. There’s rising unemployment, food shortages and girls are being pulled out of schools. The pandemic has smashed tourism – the biggestindustry. Meanwhile, the islands are still recovering from last summer’s extreme cyclone, something forecast to be more common with climate change.

Australia produces world leading scientists, and world class scientific research. But, compared to the United States, the UK, and other countries, we don’t translate enough of our science into solutions or products. Do we lack an entrepreneurial culture? Are universities, and other institutions, doing enough to encourage innovation and industry collaboration? Is covid 19 changing how scientists work, for the better? Paul Barclay speaks to Australia’s Chief Scientist, and two entrepreneurial scientists

Black Lives Matter: Has anything really changed? The protests following the death of George Floyd generated a surprising solidarity against racism in many countries around the world. And BLM became a symbol against the oppression of many different minority groups. But looking at policies, organisations and the general society, experts say that not much has really changed. Governments have used the protests to clamp down on activism and re-define racism in a way that’s not posing a problem to them.

As Covid lockdowns drag on, there’s rising concern about a “shadow pandemic” of stress and mental illness, particularly among young people. Some are struggling with isolation, insecure work and housing and dislocation from higher education. Thirty percent of young people are reporting high or very high levels of psychological distress. Why is the pandemic taking the greatest mental toll on young people, and what can be done about it?

Do you ever think common knowledge doesn’t seem quite as common anymore? Philosopher, Dr Mike Wilby argues common knowledge is essential for a thriving democracy. But, he says it’s undermined by our increasingly polarised politics and society. It’s a dynamic exploited by populist and divisive leaders…like those of the last century in totalitarian Germany and Russia. So, does the past offer lessons about the importance of common knowledge?

Should soil be revered and celebrated? Our food and the air we breathe depend upon an intricate web of billions of healthy soil microbes. They even deliver messages underground between plants. But the best of the dirt beneath us – topsoil – is fast being degraded. Author, farmer and chef Matthew Evans shares his love of soil and growing great food.

We’ve never been so connected, or divided – thanks to the handful of powerful companies that dominate global computation. They bank billions in profit but take little responsibility for disinformation that harms people and democracy. Should they be forced to limit what billions of users can do on their platforms? Who’s afraid of Big Tech? A panel discussion presented by the Sydney Writers’ Festival.

The Troubles that saw Ireland locked in a violent conflict until the late 90s are still shaping community sensitivities today. The even played out in the recent Brexit negotiations. While some of the killings became notorious, many of the more than 3500 individual deaths disappeared into statistics. And - Big Ideas explores: Does religion cause terrorism?

It’s well known that pet ownership is surging as we navigate Covid solitude. But our affection goes way back – dogs are even celebrated on ancient rock art. Now some are treated like people, and author Simon Garfield questions whether it’s healthy. This talk is provided by the York Festival of Ideas. The Festival is led by the University of York, UK.