The fascinating backstories and controversies behind two architectural icons: the Sydney Opera House and the Parliament House.

Do corporations, mercenaries, and rogue states now hold more power than the nation-states? The strategies of conventional wars don’t work in a world of disorder: global terrorism, international criminal empires, dwindling natural resources and bloody civil wars.

What we will be eating in 30 years and where it will come from? Climate change is causing havoc for Australian food producers. Then there’s consumer concerns about how food is produced. And the pressure to feed a growing population. So how are Australian farmers responding and will indigenous foods form a greater part of our diet?

While trade is still strong, recent events have made us see China in a different light.  China’s attempt to influence Australian politics and detention of critics who are dual citizens has made us uneasy about its intentions. So how do we put our relationship back on a firm footing? Three prominent Australians respond to the idea of a new China narrative which seeks to build a constructive relationship aligned with our goals and values.

An investigation of the doomsday cult known as The Family, and its charismatic leader, Anne Hamilton Byrne

Where are the jobs of the future ? What kind of training will I need? These aren’t easy questions to answer as automation and artificial intelligence transforms the economy. A recent report suggests that up to five million Australians will be changing careers in the next decade as jobs come and go.

The received idea of Native American history has been that with the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 Native civilization died. David Treuer puts up a different narrative, because the Indian culture didn’t disappear.

Surveys suggest that most Australians support immigration and see the benefits but we’re worried about our capacity to absorb the rapidly growing population. People complain about traffic gridlock and overcrowding in capital cities, housing prices and environmental damage. So is it time to reduce the annual intake of migrants?

Can we better conserve our ecosystems and biodiversity by placing an economic value on it?

Migrant or refugee women are often particularly vulnerable to domestic violence. Not because there is more violence in these communities, but because they have more problems accessing help services.