Big Ideas

Do you enjoy a glass of wine or two? If you’re an older Australian – in the baby boomer age group – the chances are may be drinking too much. Younger people are drinking less. Join us for a fascinating discussion a new generational divide.

A good political cartoon is more than just funny. It makes you think about current events, holds truth to power and is a tool of criticism. What’s the power of political cartoons in the 21st century? Has their role changed?

Lebanese-Syrian writer, raised in Australia, Ruby Hamad, says privileged white women are using "white tears" to marginalise women of colour and shut down discussions about race and racism

Hostility to human rights is growing around the world. It’s making social justice work more difficult. Elizabeth Broderick says self-care is the ultimate act of empowerment, and in some cases – political defiance.

Physicist Klaus Fuchs leaked details about the development of the atomic bomb and the hydrogen bomb to the Russians – during the Second World war and the Cold War. Author Frank Close reveals insights into the life and work of the most dangerous scientist in history.

Would you pay thousands of dollars to get your DNA profile, in the hope of getting personalised medical treatment? Two decades after the human genome was sequenced, conventional medicine is still more successful and cheaper.

Is there such a thing as evil? Why do we so readily resort to labelling certain crimes and behaviours as evil?   Paul Barclay asks criminal psychologist, Dr Julia Shaw.

Do people get the democracy they deserve? And, is our democracy serving us well, or is it failing us? Do things like a better standard of living indicate democratic success, or are phenomena like our high turnover of Prime Ministers mean democracy is failing?

Do you feel grateful for avoiding smallpox, dyptheria or dying in childbirth? Perhaps these things rarely cross your mind. Hear why we need to pay more heed to public health expertise, with its multi-disciplinary and evidence-based approach touted as the answer to almost everything. Even, how to approach the challenge of climate change.

Climate change, the obesity crisis, plastic pollution in our oceans. Many crucial problems of our time require a change in behaviour – as individuals and as a society. But why is it so difficult to do that? Big Ideas looks at the challenges of behaviour change and how to do it.