Big Ideas

The Australian economy has taken a big hit from Covid. We’re now on the road to recovery but what should that look like? Is it enough to go back to the way we were or is it time for something different? In these final two Reset Lectures, economist Ross Garnaut says the time is right for major economic reform. He proposes changes to corporate tax, the introduction of a universal basic income scheme and fast tracking the transition to a zero carbon economy.

Compared to many other countries, the Australian economy is in a better place as far as Covid is concerned. Yet we know uncertain times are ahead. You don’t emerge unscathed from a global shock of this magnitude. Economist Ross Garnaut says now is the time for bold policy to achieve full employment and incomes growth. In the Reset Lectures, he sets out his plan for restoring Australia after the pandemic recession.

It’s 30 years since the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Soviet Union. Mikhail Gorbachev inherited a country that had many problems but was not on the verge of collapse. Six years later, he ended the Cold War and allowed the break-up of the USSR. What were the social, political and global forces that led this result? And how did the hero of glasnost end up 

being regarded a traitor by so many in his home country?

By tracking purchasing habits, online retailers can discover a teenager is pregnant, before her parents do. US police are rolling out intrusive surveillance technologies, in the name of crime fighting, with little oversight.  Virtually every online activity is subject to some form of surveillance. In real life, too, cameras film us as we walk down the street and enter buildings. Can we be free in an era of constant surveillance?

In a modern world of our own making, we find ourselves 'unfit for purpose'. Human evolution that’s created us as an extraordinary functioning species, has at the same time set us up to fail. Big Ideas explores the health and social implications of living a modern-day life in a stone-age body. Many of our current woes like obesity, stress or violence have evolutionary causes.

Australia is on thin ice with China and struggling to rebuild the relationship. We disagree over many issues and China is pushing back against, what it sees , as unfair criticism and hostility to its national interest. So how are Chinese Australians responding to the tensions between the two countries? And how does Taiwan see its future as China restates its commitment to reunification?

It’s difficult to initiate social change - not only to make people understand that change is needed, but to get them to alter their behaviour and maybe even to get them to give up some things. Two young activists discuss strategies of how to motivate crowds and the power of taking action.

Shelter was found for the homeless, the unemployed were paid a living wage, banks offered loan repayment holidays, and we rediscovered our local communities. The pandemic seemed to have a silver lining. But can a major crisis deliver long term social change? How do we achieve a change in how we think, and act?

Changing the world begins in your own household, with the tree in your street and the bike path in your neighbourhood. Jess Scully has travelled the world, exploring the many ways of reshaping our world into a fairer and more sustainable place. She talks about how you can help. And that’s not only through public protests, but also through actively participating in council community consultations.

It’s difficult to initiate social change - not only to make people understand that change is needed, but to get them to alter their behaviour and maybe even to get them to give up some things. Two young activists discuss strategies of how to motivate crowds and the power of taking action.