Big Ideas

Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google - or FAANG - have disrupted our idea of privacy and created what some are calling ‘surveillance capitalism’. And there are other new disruptions ahead.

Violent extremism is a global threat. And we’re caught in a deadly cycle of action and reaction. The recent attacks on the mosques in Christchurch shifted the focus from jihadi terror to the growing threat of far-right extremism. What drives extreme right wing groups in Australia?

A new training program helps people with anxiety disorder to change their unhealthy thinking patters. It can be done online or even over the phone improving access to professional care.

Are there certain rights we're all entitled to as members of the human race? Former UK judge Jonathan Sumption says that the European Court on Human Rights has expanded the definition of rights and it's undermining the wishes of democratically elected parliaments.

John Birmingham discusses being blindsided by the depression that followed the death of his father. He also talks about the challenges of being a professional writer in a time of disruption in the media and publishing industries.

For the last sixty years the Antarctic Treaty has protected Antarctica from mining, military activity and environmental damage. The frozen continent is dedicated to peace and science but will it survive the next sixty years?

Australia is neglecting its role in the Pacific – Sean Dorney says that we’ve taken our position in the region for granted for too long and with China’s increased involvement it’s now time to wake up.

Parliaments are failing to resolve contentious issues and instead handballing them to the courts to decide. Former judge Jonathan Sumption says that the expansion of the role of the courts may not be good for democracy and politicians need to step up.

Long before colonisation, fire was shaping the Australian landscape. Burning was deliberately conducted by indigenous people. But for European Australians, fire quickly became something to fear.

Generous tax concessions and a real estate boom have widened the wealth gap between young Australians and their parents and grandparents. Is it time to change economic policy to rebalance the relationship between the generations?