Big Ideas

From medicines to restoring damaged soil, the kingdom of fungi is the world's unsung hero playing a huge role in maintaining and supporting our ecosystems. 

What do coral reefs have to do with cancer? What does First Nations knowledge have to do with making the rice on your dinner plate more resilient? Can science save the world? Does the world need saving? Hopeful stories from 4 scientists, all big thinkers turning big ideas into life changing opportunities for humans and the air, water, food we rely on. 

Whether you keep the peace or go to war – it often depends on who your friends are. Alliances between nations have shaped our modern world. States make alliances out of self-interest, fear, or ideology, and the ensuing relationships are rarely easy, especially when they are put to the test. Historian Margaret MacMillan looks at the nature, dynamics and different types of alliances, and tells you why some succeed, and others fail.

University should be a place that nurtures big ideas; where curiosity and creativity thrive. But are our universities struggling with a lack of imagination? Increasingly, higher education in Australia has become transactional, relying heavily on students to bring in revenue. But if Australian universities are to meet the challenges of the future, is it time to rethink the current business model and think more boldly about the purpose and value of universities?

Science fiction’s most frequent alternative to human is 'alien', another rich imaginative resource with which to think about what makes us human. Whether aliens are imagined as conquerors or saviours, their superiority has often been used to explore human limitations.

Public shaming and boycotting has always been used to control or call out people's behaviour.  But has social media, social activism, and the rise of the keyboard warrior changed how it happens and who does it? Four prominent artists taking risks in the public eye debate the rise of 'cancel culture'. What happens when you are deemed to have gone too far? Is 'cancel culture' making our society better, or is it a punishment without a chance for redemption?

How can liberal democracies create a working partnership with authoritarian states – and at the same time maintain their values and succeed as open societies offering political freedom? For some years now, we have seen the splintering of the post war system of international order. The number of authoritarian states around the world is growing, and China is becoming an increasingly important player. The rise of Vladimir Putin and the struggles of Hong Kong offer valuable lessons about how to deal with authoritarian regimes.

Following the death of the longest reigning British monarch and coronation of a new King, discussion on whether Australia should become a republic is once more in the public sphere. Chair of the Australian Republic Movement, Craig Foster delivers the 2023 Manning Clark Lecture: Australia's Third Act: Reconciled, Independent, Truly Multicultural. 

Four distinguished guests argue the motion: 'We need to alter to the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice', presented by the Centre for Independent Studies

Renowned humanitarian Lt-General (ret) Roméo Dallaire headed up UN mission in Rwanda during the brutal genocide three decades ago. Today Rwandan survivors wear the scars of machetes on their skins like living shrines. He joins Natasha Mitchell to reflect powerfully on the aftermath of war — for him personally and for countless conflicts to come.