Big Ideas

It's water and fireproof, versatile, warm and tough wearing. Wool not only expanded the British Empire, and created prosperity in the colonies, it also changed the nature of war and warfare. But wool's fortunes didn't last forever. This is the story of the rise and fall of wool.

This conversation was recorded at the National Library of Australia on 31 July 2025.

Speakers

Trish Fitzsimons Documentary film maker, exhibition curator, adjunct professor with Griffith Film School (Griffith University)Co-author of Fleeced: Unraveling the History of Wool and War

Madelyn Shaw Exhibition curator and co-author of Fleeced: Unraveling the History of Wool and War

Annabelle Quince (host) Host, Rear Vision, ABC Radio National

Has your doctor ever told you to go on a diet? Does that conversation put you off going to them in the first place, even if you need treatment for something not related to your weight? Has being in a larger body ever meant you can't access surgery or IVF? Some are pushing for a weight-inclusive approach to healthcare, which de-centres obesity, and focuses on 'health-at-every-size'. But what does that really mean, and why does it matter?

This event was held at the 11th Annual Weight Stigma Conference at Griffith University.

Speakers

Ana Ximena Torres, clinical psychologist and founder of the practice, Elemental Collective.

Dr Fiona WillerDietitian, bioethicist, President of Dietitians AustraliaLecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at Queensland University of TechnologyFounder, Health, Not Diets consultancyHost, Unpacking Weight Science podcast.

Tracy Taylor-BeckManager, Strategy and Health Promotion (interim CEO at the time of this event)Women's Health in the North, a women's health promotion and advocacy organisation in Melbourne's North.

Thanks to Dr Lily O'Hara from Griffith University, convenor of the conference.

In a world where rules are increasingly being broken, what role should business play in upholding human rights, international and domestic law, and environmental protection? And what are the rules and responsibilities of business to ensure supply chains, hiring practices, workplace safety, environment and social governance practices abide by global human rights standards?

This event was recorded at the inaugural UN Business and Human Rights Regional Forum: Australia and New Zealand on 26 August 2025.

Speakers

Robert McCorquodale Professor of International Law and Human Rights, UN working group on business and human rights

Helen Clark Head of the UN Development Programme, Co-Chair of the WHO Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, former Prime Minister of New Zealand

Sharan Burrow Former general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, former president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, fellow with the London School of Economics

Linda Kromjong President, amfori

Peggy O'Neal Vice Chancellor RMIT University, former president Richmond Football Club

Rock star and maverick Jimmy Barnes celebrates heritage, family, friends, music and the adventure of a grand life on stage. Get up close to the lead singer of Cold Chisel, author of Working Class Man and Working Class Boy. Learn how terrible experiences of family violence, but also a close bond to his brother shaped him into the performer he is now. Get a look behind the scenes of his music world, with wild characters and the occasional tall tale.

This conversation was recorded live at the 2025 Melbourne Writers Festival.

Listen to Big Ideas – Writers who rock

Speakers

Jimmy BarnesAustralian rock singer, solo performer and lead vocalist with Cold ChiselAuthor of Highways and Byways, Working Class Boy, Working Class Man

Brian Nankervis (host)Co-host of the music quiz show RocKwiz, Saturday Breakfast on ABC Radio MelbourneWriter, actor and comedian

Thirteen years ago, US political journalist Hanna Roisin wrote a book called The End of Men: and the Rise of Women. Since then, there's been President Donald Trump x 2, the manosphere, the broligarchy, and more. So what happened?

This event was recorded at the 2025 Women in Media Conference on 15 August 2025.

Speakers

Hanna Rosin — Senior Editor, The Atlantic, host Radio Atlantic, author, The End of Men: and the Rise of Women

Edwina Bartholomew — Host, Sunrise, Channel 7

Nuclear power is banned in Australia, and has been for decades, whilst some countries tilt towards nuclear energy again. Should or could Australia? The politics and power play over nuclear in the Sunburnt country, why the Coalition failed with the nuclear card at the last federal election, and what next? Join Big Ideas host and science journalist Natasha Mitchell and guests Simon Holmes à Court, Geoff Cousins, and Royce Kurmelovs at the Byron Writers Festival. Guess the nuclear nerd in this discussion. You might be surprised. 

Speakers

Simon Holmes à CourtEnergy analyst, clean tech investor, climate philanthropist, and founder of Climate200

Geoff CousinsBusinessman, board member, environmentalist, former president of the Australian Conservation Foundation, former consultant to former prime minister John Howard.

Royce KurmelovsJournalist and author of Slick: Australia's Toxic Relationship with Big Oil

Thank you to Festival artistic director Jessica Alice and team at the Byron Writers Festival.

Meet two men on a lifelong mission. They've ruffled a lot of feathers along the way. Some revere them, others revile them. John Wamsley set up Australia's first wildlife sanctuary, but he's perhaps best known as the "cat-hat-man" (sorry, cat lovers!). World renowned forest ecologist David Lindenmeyer has copped heat from Australia's forestry industry for his science. But these two trailblazing environmentalists aren't afraid of their critics - to them it's a case of life-or-death for Australia's extraordinary species. Join them with oral historian Greg Borschmann as part of his Heartlands Conversations series presented at the Blue Mountains Music Festival.

Speakers

John WamsleyEnvironmentalist

David LindenmayerDistinguished Professor of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Australian National UniversityAuthor of The Forest Wars: The ugly truth about what's happening in our tall forests

Gregg Borschmann (host)Writer, radio producer and oral historian for the National Library of Australia

It's estimated that one third of Australian school children can't read proficiently, and debates about the best way to teach reading have raged for years. Now, for the first time, explicit instruction is official policy in all states and territories - so can it turn things around?

This speech was recorded at the Advancing Effective Education Summit hosted by Multilit on 30 May 2025. 

Speakers

Jenny Donovan CEO, Australian Education Research Organisation

Students are dropping out, academics are burning out, so is enough being done to save higher education? It's a multibillion-dollar sector, employing and educating millions, with expectations it can deliver the solutions and the workers Australia needs. But Emeritus Professor Graeme Turner says universities are in serious trouble.

This conversation was recorded at Readings Books on 15 July 2025.

Speakers

Graeme Turner Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of QueenslandAuthor of 30 books including Broken: Universities, politics and the public good (From Monash University Publishing's In the National Interest series)

Dr Ben Eltham (host) Lecturer in the School of Media, Film and Journalism at Monash UniversityNTEU delegate, journalist and commentator

From the Big Ideas archive:

Higher education for everyone in Australia — is it doable? - Big Ideas, ABC Radio National, 18 June 2024

Some boys are being radicalised by misogynist online subcultures like the 'Manosphere' and the 'incel' (involuntarily celibate) scene. Parents are anxious and boys are confused. What's happening, why, and what can be done? Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell and guests at the 2025 Byron Writers Festival for an insightful exploration with three influential Australians.

Speakers

Jess Hill, investigative journalist specialising in gendered violence, author of See What You Made Me Do, and the Quarterly Essay Losing it: Can We Stop Violence Against Women and Children?

Thomas Mayo, Indigenous rights activist, maritime union leader, author of Always Was, Always Will Be, editor of Dear Son: Letters and Reflections from First Nations Fathers and Sons.

George Megalogenis, journalist, political and social commentator, and author of the Quarterly Essay Minority Report: the New Shape of Australian Politics.

Thanks to Byron Writers Festival artistic director Jessica Alice and team.