Big Ideas

Software programs can be a marvellous co-worker and make your life easier. Alternatively, you might feel that an algorithm is now the boss of your working life. Workplace analyst Professor David De Cremer says that organizations too often focus on the technical capabilities of AI rather than understanding how their workers relate to it. Organizations need to build trust and a positive workplace culture to get the best out of artificial intelligence.

Australian national ‘identity’ has long been contested, as has the narrative of the foundation of Australia. What does the history of Australian literature and theatre tell us about who we are, and how we have changed? Are we now ready to put the history and culture ‘wars’ behind us? This discussion brings together the authors of three books - all of which delve into our cultural history, and our shifting notions of identity and nationhood.

Without serious action by 2025 the planet is set to warm beyond one and a half degrees. That’s the unequivocal assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. To reach the target,  the IPCC says that governments should not approve more fossil fuel projects yet in Australia we continue to do so. A social scientist says our environmental protection laws need to be redesigned to give greater weight to the protection of future generations who’ll face the full impact of climate change.

Is sex really a good thing? It’s one of the most broadly accepted assumptions of society. But a group of people begs to differ. They call themselves Asexuals and insist that no-sex is a distinct sexual identity. What do these contrasting ways of thinking about abstinence tell us about modern sexual anxieties?

Wars cost a punishing amount of money and,  after they’re over,  there's the cost of reconstruction. Western Europe received a life-saving injection of money under the Marshall Plan following the second world war.

Other countries since , facing the devastation of war , have asked for a similar scheme. The Marshall Plan was successful but also cemented the Cold War rivalry between America and the Soviet Union according to economist Ben Steil.

Digital technologies are changing how we live, driving innovation and new industries. Governments are eager to foster Silicon Valley-like innovation hotspots in their state or local region. What role should government play in stimulating new industries? Why do plans for high tech digital ‘hubs’ often not come to fruition?

Queensland Chief Scientist Hugh Possingham is very annoyed with his fellow scientists as well as environmentalist and conservationists: They are too conservative, don’t debate respectfully, are too obsessed with growing their own organisations and can’t compromise a bit.

If you want an animated conversation in Australia mention first home buyers, investment properties, building costs , interest rates or negative gearing. Home ownership is our national obsession. But as house prices boom,  people on low or moderate incomes are pushed further to the margins. They struggle with high rents and face long waiting lists for public housing. And some will experience homelessness. How can we ensure that every Australian has a roof over their head?

There’ve been many shots fired in the gender wars over the last two years most notably the MeToo movement and the outcry over the treatment of women in federal parliament. On the positive side womens sport is on the up and up. So does this mean progress across the board or has the pandemic had an unequal effect on women? Natasha Stott Despoja looks at the on-going struggle for a level playing field.

Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon, but the internet has turbocharged the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation. A disturbing number of people are now getting sucked into online conspiracy cults. One of the most prominent is QAnon, whose believers think a cabal of Satanic worshipping paedophiles operate a global child sex trafficking ring, and conspired against former U.S. President, Donald Trump. Van Badham spent a year undercover in the online conspiracy community.