Big Ideas

Guardian Australia Editor Lenore Taylor takes us through the everyday challenges facing journalists in the digital age, from trying to fact check in a 24-hour news cycle to the potential plagiarism and disinformation dangers of AI and ChatGPT. 

Former ABC broadcaster and lawyer Jon Faine in conversation with Paul Barclay explains how as a young lawyer he discovers the story behind his new book, Apollo and Thelma: A True Tall Tale. 

For more than 100 years, birdwatchers have searched for evidence that one of Australia's rarest native birds is not extinct. And they might be a step closer to solving the mystery of the Buff-breasted Button Quail. It lives in the humid savannas of Cape York. And we know that this habitat is changing. If we want to have any chance of finding and even saving this bird, we have to act quickly.

Big Ideas brings you a riveting account of the downfall of former UK prime minister Boris Johnson. Scandals over parties in Downing Street breaking Covid restrictions and attempts to change ethic regulations to allegedly help a mate, stories of betrayals and rivalries. This behind-the-scene interview is a timely look at how power is gained, wielded and lost in Britain today.

Recent horrifying public headlines betray what is going on behind closed doors. In Perth, a woman is lit on fire. Forty per cent of her body is burnt. In Sydney, a woman is found dead before police can respond to a call. In Melbourne, an ex-Olympian pleads guilty to harassing an ex-girlfriend. Why do some men turn to deadly violence to deal with anger or difficult emotions? What are the root causes, and what can be done to change this brutal behaviour?

What do the streets feel like where you live? Unsafe for kids to ride to school, big busy highways, limited public transport, cars reign supreme? From electric vehicles to bike-friendly buses — be inspired by these globally renowned movers and shakers. They're using the regional town of Bendigo and international case studies to re-imagine how we can live and move. Transport accounts for a staggering quarter of global greenhouse emissions. Could one Australian town lead the way and hit zero transport emissions by 2030?

Australia is often described as the most vibrant multicultural nation in the world.  How are our policies and frameworks tracking to support that view?  

We need to better protect our oceans – but can we have it all: happy fish and happy fishermen? Currently only 3 per cent of the global oceans are protected. Environmentalists say that needs to grow to 30 per cent to make a difference. How do we get there? And how to design marine protected areas that help everyone?

Stealing water, smuggling our native species overseas, illegal logging, what are the frameworks to hold perpetrators to account? 

"Are they a girl or a boy?" That question is often asked about a newborn. But what if you're born with genetic variations in sexual development, also known as intersex conditions, and possess both typical male and female physical traits? New legislation tabled in the ACT is set to limit the scope of medical treatments and surgeries for such children. Intersex activists have campaigned hard for the law saying the human rights of the child to bodily autonomy is paramount. But some argue not all lived-experience voices are being heard, and are concerned the new laws could criminalise clinicians, carers and parents.