Big Ideas

The federal government wants to restrict social media to Australians aged over 16. But will it work? Hear from the adults and kids in the know as they debate the arguments for and against.

The Great Debate was presented by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia as part of Social Sciences Week, recorded at the National Library of Australia on 10 September 2024.

Speakers

Kids debate - Years 7 and 8 students at the University of Canberra High School Kaleen

Misha, Sienna and Jacob Affirmative team

Umar, Addy and Shreya Negative team

Ivy Host

Adults debate

Lisa Given Professor of Information Sciences at RMIT University

Anthony Elliott Distinguished Professor of Sociology, University of South AustraliaAuthor, Algorithms of Anxiety: Fear in the Digital Age

Ginger Gorman (host) Journalist and author of the book Troll Hunting: Inside the World of Online Hate and Its Human FalloutHost of the Seriously Social podcast

Is social media a contagious force harming young minds, a life saver helping people find their neurodiverse tribes and support, or, for better or worse, a bit of both?

From the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, join Natasha Mitchell with renowned social psychologist Jean Twenge, neurodiversity advocate Sonny Jane Wise, technology policy campaigner Alice Dawkins, suicide prevention researcher Dr Sandersan Onie. 

Young people depressed, distressed, and anxious. ADHD and Autism diagnoses on the increase. All at record rates. Is it a renaissance in awareness, enabled by social media, or are people reaching for labels that risk losing meaning?

Speakers:

Jean TwengeProfessor of psychologySan Diego State UniversityAuthor ofiGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood (2017)Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future (2023)Alice DawkinsExecutive Director, Reset.Tech. Au

Dr Sanderson OniePsychologist and suicide prevention researcherBlack Dog InstituteUniversity of NSW

Sonny Jane WiseNeurodiversity advocateAuthor, We’re All Neurodiverse (2023) and The Neurodivergent Friendly Workbook of DBT Skills (2022)

Thanks to Danielle Harvey, Director of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, and the festival team.

Further information:

Not Just Algorithms: Online Safety, Children and Young People, Data Security, Privacy and Data Protection report (24 March, 2024)

Festival of Dangerous Ideas on-demand audio and video archive selected from over a decade of provocative events

Mediation in armed conflicts means sitting down with brutal war lords, hiding your true values and in an open dialogue trying to really understand  all sides of the parties involved. In the most pressurised environments, there are nearly always possible pathways to a win-win outcome — but finding the way requires a combination of imagination, goodwill, timing, and street smarts.

Reflections on Diplomacy and Peace Mediation was presented at the TheMHS Conference 2024

Speaker

Paul DziatkowiecDirector of Mediation and Peace Support, Geneva Centre for Security Policy

Listen to Big Ideas - Is making war more humane in fact prolonging the fighting?

Pressing a full-time  workload into four days sounds like simply adding more stress to your job – even if you keep your pay. But many people who have tried this model say that one would need to pay them double their salary to make them go back to a standard work week. And businesses enjoy better staff retention and get a completive edge on the job market.

Presented by UQ ChangeMakers

Speakers

Debbie BaileyConsultant Partner, 4 Day Week Global

Shannan QuainChief People Officer, Australian Digital Health Agency

Associate Professor James KirbyClinical Psychologist and the Co-Director of the Compassionate Mind Research Group, University of Queensland

Professor Tyler Okimoto (host)Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, University of Queensland

She was Andy Warhol's muse, she's been sampled by Notorious BIG, and her music was once voted on the ten best songs to dry-hump to. This is the amazing true story of how Indian-born singer Asha Puthli became a music legend.

This event was recorded at Rising Festival on 7 June 2024.

Speakers

Asha Puthli Singer

Adriana Lazaridis (host) DJ

The leading playwright Joanna Murray-Smith makes a powerful case for the role of the arts in Australian public life, arguing that moral righteousness is stifling artistic expression.

The last ever Stephen Murray-Smith Memorial Lecture was recorded at the State Library of Victoria on 8 October 2024.

Speaker

Joanna Murray-Smith Playwright, screenwriter and novelist

How should we reflect on wars, past and present? Do the rituals of Remembrance Day and Anzac Day hold meaning for young people?

Natasha Mitchell is joined by a crowd of high school students and special guests with opinions on the future of commemoration.

This event was hosted and organised by Victoria's Shrine of Remembrance to mark its 90th anniversary.

Speakers:

Che Weon (Michelle) LeeMasters of architecture student, University of Melbourne School of DesignGranddaughter of Korean war veteran(Michelle's Shrine design is linked to below)

William MuhlhauserYear 9 student, Haileybury CollegeMember, ‘Winjeels’ student club, Moorabbin Air MuseumRecipient of 2024 Spirit of Anzac Prize

Zackary MelvaineYear 11 student, Mill Park Secondary CollegeAustralian army cadetMember of Australian Defense Force's National Drone Racing TeamYouth Mayor of the City of WhittleseaRecipient of 2023 Premier's Spirit of Anzac Prize

Thanks to Sue Burgess and Laura Thomas at the Shrine of Remembrance.

Further information:

"First Songline" Che Weon (Michelle) Lee's design for the Shrine of Remembrance for her Masters degree in ArchitectureVictoria's Shrine of Remembrance 90th anniversary events

Drone warfare, technology and the psyche: an insider speaks [this episode of Science Friction by Natasha Mitchell is mentioned in this program]

What it's really like to live with drone warfare [illustrated feature]

Premier's Spirit of Anzac Prize

Shrine of Remembrance Young Ambassador Leadership program

It needs strong leadership and good coordination. But most of all, it needs public opinion to rise up and push policy makers to tackle this crisis. Canada can teach us a lesson in how to do that. Homelessness is a systemic housing problem – not caused by mental health issues or drug abuse. 

Presented at the Australian Homelessness Conference, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI)

Speakers

Tim RichterFounder, President & CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH)

Carmel HaughSystems and Community Lead for the Brisbane Zero collaboration, Micah Projects

David PearsonCEO Australian Alliance to End Homelessness  

Dr Tom AlvesHead of Development, Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI)

Further information

Big Ideas – Housing as a human right? With Alan Kohler and Kevin Bell

When you're alive, the idea of dying feels weird, remote, alien. Yet it's the one experience we will all have. Can philosophy help us make sense of that weirdness?  What can talking about death and dying teach us about living? Natasha Mitchell is joined by a philosopher, funeral director, and a First Nations' songman for an uplifting, insightful conversation on death.

This event is part of the Sophia Club live philosophy event series, presented by Aeon Media, publishers of Aeon and Psyche. 

Speakers:

Kimba GriffithCo-founder and co-owner, The Last Hurrah

Professor Klaus JahnPhilosopherSchool of Historical and Philosophical Studies and Graduate School of Humanities and Social SciencesUniversity of Melbourne

Fred LeoneButchella songman, musician, and performerGarrwa-Mambaliya Clan

Thanks to Sophia Club event creators and producers Brigid Hains (Editorial director, Aeon Media), Rosie Black, Jasmine Walter.

Further information:

LIsten and read a Days Like These feature and podcast about Fred Leone’s family story about a king, escape and connection to country.

From To Kill a Mockingbird to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are no shortage of options to include on those lists of "The Great American Novel". But which is the real plot in the story of America?

This event was recorded at the University of Melbourne on 24 October 2024.

Speaker

Sarah Churchwell Professor of American Literature and Chair in Public Understanding of the Humanities, University of LondonAuthor, Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and The Invention of The Great Gatsby, The Wrath to Come: Gone with the Wind and the Lies America Tells, and more