Big Ideas

Our most recent summer brought with it some of the worst Australian bushfires in modern history and it seems there was more to it than climate change alone. 

As a dry–climate nation, we have some degree of fire damage every year, but why were these particular fires so severe? What can we learn from the history of bushfire in Australia, and how can we use that knowledge to plan for the future?

What does science have to do with gambling? Apparently, the two are intertwined. Enter the mathematician, who says if you want to win, you can, by using secret scientific measures to outwit your opponent. So whether you want to beat a casino, win a round of paper-scissors-rock, or just not lose your life savings, science could be the key to your success.

Regardless of how we individually view Captain James Cook and his legacy, his arrival 250 years ago was a moment of great significance. A panel of experts reflect on Cook, his impact on - and relationship with - indigenous people, and how we have commemorated him over the years.

How will this 'boom or bust' of the aviation industry be different from those of the past? Like the coronavirus pandemic, nobody saw this one coming. Head of Qantas, Alan Joyce, has the unenviable task of re-building the iconic Australian airline. What will we see when international travel finally makes a comeback?

The impact of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is still acute – 75 years after the events. Survivors have to live with the memories; people in the Asian-Pacific nuclear testing sites are still fighting for compensation; activists are still campaigning to abolish nuclear weapons. And the sale of uranium is still big business and a new nuclear arms race seems to be on the way. A panel of historians reflects on the social and political legacy of the atomic bombings.

Gender inequality in the workplace has been in the national consciousness for decades, but COVID-19 has exposed glaring evidence that it still requires urgent attention. Women have been far more adversely affected than men, during the coronavirus pandemic. But when this state of emergency eventually passes, we have an opportunity, through technology for example, to solve problems like the pay gap and the value of unpaid work. Can we can nudge the scales towards equality, and avoid further gender segregation in the workforce?

We live in an age of constant outrage. On social media, many people seem to be almost continually offended and outraged. We are shouting, retweeting, and "piling on" - but have we lost ability to tell the difference between genuine injustice and online feeding frenzies?

Why has the post-Cold War era given way to a world in which Russia challenges the United States in every corner of the globe? And how as Russia again become such a toxic and divisive subject in US politics? After the break-up of the Soviet Union it looked all so promising: a pro-west and open Russia seemed to be possible. Russia expert Angela Stent examines the country's turbulent past, how it has influenced Vladimir Putin, the Russians' understanding of their position on the global stage and their future ambitions.

What is it like to grow up Asian in Australia?  What are the stereotypes, myths and assumptions that Australian-Asians encounter? A decade ago Black Ink published an anthology about this, edited by Alice Pung.

How did people in 1945 deal with feelings of revenge, how were collaborators treated and after the trauma of war was it possible to return to any sense of normality? Big Ideas is revisiting this question for the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII. According to academic, author and historian Ian Buruma 1945 was a pivotal year not only for Europe but for the world at large. He discusses China, Japan, human rights and history, sexuality and murder.