Ideas at the House

What is art if not a place where we can push the boundaries of what we know, what we do and what we can say? As his pioneering dance company DV8 developed and broke boundaries, choreographer Lloyd Newson found out that even in art there are limits, and times when no-one wants to speak out. What don’t we want art to talk about?

Born in Australia, Lloyd Newson studied psychology and social work at Melbourne University before embarking on a professional career as a dancer and choreographer. He has led and directed DV8 Physical Theatre’s work since its inception in 1986, winning over 50 national and international awards for his dance-theatre and film productions. In 2013 he was awarded an OBE for services to contemporary dance. Newson’s work straddles dance, text, theatre and film. Since 2007 he has specifically focused his attention on making work that combines verbatim text and movement, focusing on issues such as sexuality and religion in To Be Straight With You and Islam and Free Speech in Can We Talk About This?

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Shaken by a court's decision to acquit George Zimmerman over the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, Alicia Garza wrote, "Black people, I love you. I love us. Our lives matter." From there, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was born and then a social movement. It is a world away from the life she had growing up with her mother, stepfather, and brother, where they ran an antique shop in Marin County in San Francisco. Standing firmly in the national spotlight today in a divided America, she is a leading voice in what's widely viewed as America's new civil rights movement. This is the second episode of It's A Long Story - the new podcast project by Sydney Opera House Talks and Ideas. For more episodes search for It's A Long Story:  On iTunes: http://apple.co/2eY1bLY   On Stitcher: http://bit.ly/2ge2mwt

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Everything about the Arctic Inuit communities’ way of life depends on ice and snow, so is the failure of the world to act on climate change a gross violation of Inuit human rights?

Sheila Watt-Cloutier currently resides in Iqaluit, Nunavut. She was born in Kuujjuaq, Nunavik (northern Quebec), and was raised traditionally in her early years before attending school in southern Canada and in Manitoba. Ms. Watt-Cloutier was an elected political spokesperson for Inuit for over a decade. She is the past Chair of Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), the organization that represents internationally the 155,000 Inuit of Canada, Greenland, Alaska, and Chukotka in the Far East of the Federation of Russia and was previously the President of ICC Canada. During the past several years, Ms. Watt-Cloutier has worked through the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to defend Inuit human rights against the impacts of climate change. She has received many awards in recognition of her work. In November, 2015 she was one of 4 Laureates to receive “The Right Livelihood Award” considered the Nobel Alternative, awarded in the Parliament of Sweden. Her recently published book The Right To Be Cold has been shortlisted for the B.C. National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for political writing and the Cobo emerging writer prize.

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When is political advertising actually propaganda? And how do we tell the difference? In a fractured media environment with innumerable advocates clamouring for our attention, is it all propaganda now? 

Chaired by Michael Williams 

A high school teacher by trade, Dee Madigan joined the world of advertising in 1996 and since has been winner or finalist at most major ad awards, including Cannes. If ever there was a tampon ad shot on a foreign beach, you can be sure Dee wrote it – and attended the shoot. Her campaigns included some of the world’s biggest brands – HSBC, Powerade, Commonwealth Bank, Diet Coke, J&J, Rexona and Nestle – and Dee also has extensive social marketing experience ranging from federal government campaigns, to the National Heart Foundation, The Cancer Council, the Australian Breast Cancer Institute and the UNHCR. She has worked on 10 election campaigns and most recently she was Creative Director for the Queensland Labor Party for its 2015 election win. She is a panellist on the ABC show Gruen, a political commentator on Sky and is the author of The Hard Sell as well as a contributing author on Mothermorphosis (MU) and Perspectives on Change (ANU). She runs her own ad agency, Campaign Edge. She has three kids and drinks too much wine; these things are not unrelated.

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Do Asian-Australians experience a particular kind of racism? When Asian stereotypes are positive, are they still damaging? How can we break through the bamboo ceiling?

Sarah Dingle is a dual Walkley Award-winning investigative reporter and presenter with the ABC, working across radio and TV current affairs, news and documentary. Her work has also won the UN's Media Peace Prize, the Voiceless Media Prize, and the Australian College of Educators Media prize. Her radio documentaries have been recognised by the Australian Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International, and the National Press Club. In 2010 she was the ABC's Andrew Olle Scholar.

Ming Long is an influential thought leader in the property industry, with more than a decade of experience in real estate encompassing areas such as funds and capital management, property development; and over twenty years experience in financial management. Ming has held leadership positions including Board, CEO and CFO roles. She is first and only Asian female who has led an ASX-100 or 200 listed entity in Australia. She brings a unique insight from her leadership roles through corporate M&A and challenging markets, including successfully navigating the global financial crisis. Ming led the establishment of the Male Champions of Change in the property industry, was a finalist in the Telstra Business Womens Awards and is a member of Chief Executive Women.

Dr Tim Soutphommasane is Race Discrimination Commissioner and commenced his five-year appointment on 20 August 2013. Prior to joining the Australian Human Rights Commission, he was a political philosopher and held posts at The University of Sydney and Monash University. His thinking on multiculturalism, national identity and patriotism has been influential in shaping debates in Australia and Britain. Dr Soutphommasane is the author of four books, I’m not racist but … (2015), The Virtuous Citizen (2012), Don't Go Back To Where You Came From(2012), and Reclaiming Patriotism (2009). He was co-editor (with Nick Dyrenfurth) of All That's Left (2010). He has been an opinion columnist with The Age and The Weekend Australian newspapers, and in 2013 presented the documentary series “Mongrel Nation” on ABC Radio National. A first-generation Australian, Dr Soutphommasane was raised in southwest Sydney. He completed a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Philosophy (with distinction) at the University of Oxford, and is a first-class honours graduate of The University of Sydney. For those interested in the correct pronunciation of Dr Soutphommasane’s surname, the phonetic spelling of it is Soot-pom-ma-sarn.

A former Research Fellow at the Melbourne Business School and the University of Melbourne, Jennifer Whelan is a recognised academic expert and organisational consultant specialising in corporate diversity, inclusive leadership, and innovation. Jennifer is also the founder of boutique consultancy Psynapse, through which she advises on organisational diversity, inclusive leadership, collective intelligence, and innovation. Jennifer is an active thought leader and a regular contributor to industry forums, events, and public debate, including contributions to The Conversation, The Age, and Women’s Agenda; and engagements with The Sydney Opera House (Ideas at the House), The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), UNWomen, Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI), The Diversity Council of Australia (DCA), Women in Banking & Finance (WiBF) and the 100% Project.

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Whichever way we vote, politicians say the electorate always gets it right at the ballot box. Cynics are more inclined to think that we get the government we deserve. Did we get it right this time? What does the election tell us about our faith in our political leaders? Are we a nation that can't make up its mind?

Annabel Crabb is one of Australia’s most popular political commentators, is the presenter of Kitchen Cabinetand writes for The Drum. Annabel has worked extensively in newspapers, radio and television and has appeared on Insiders and as stand-in host for 7.30. She is Australia’s most-followed journalist on Twitter (@annabelcrabb), a platform she uses to share political news and recipes. Annabel is the author of several books, including Rise of the Ruddbot and the 2014 bestseller The Wife Drought.

David Marr has written for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Monthly, been editor of the National Times, a reporter for Four Corners, presenter of ABC TV’s Media Watch and now writes for The Guardian. His books include Patrick White: A Life, The High Price of Heaven, Dark Victory (with Marian Wilkinson) and five Quarterly Essays: His Master’s Voice, Power Trip, Political Animal, The Prince and Faction Man.

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Henry Rollins discusses his tumultuous childhood growing up in Washington DC, and how he transitioned from scooping ice cream at Haagen Dazs to fronting punk rock band Black Flag. A turning point came for Henry Rollins about a decade ago, marked by a departure from music into activism and spoken word performance,  "For me, music was a time and a place. I never really enjoyed being in a band. It was in me, and it needed to come out. Like a 25-year exorcism. One day I woke up and I didn't have any more lyrics."

This is the first episode of It's A Long Story - the new podcast project by Sydney Opera House Talks and Ideas. For more episodes search for It's A Long Story: 

On iTunes: http://apple.co/2eY1bLY   On Stitcher: http://bit.ly/2ge2mwt

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What galvanised African American activist Alicia Garza to co-found #BlackLivesMatter? How did Henry Rollins make the jump from shift manager at Häagen-Dazs to lead singer of US punk rock band Black Flag? How does NSW Australian of the Year Deng Thiak Adut’s former life as a Sudanese refugee and child soldier inform his practice of the law?   Find the answer to these questions and more in a new Sydney Opera House podcast It's A Long Story. A podcast that explores the the stories behind the big ideas of some of our most influential and acclaimed guests. 

Subscribe to It's A Long Story!

on iTunes:http://apple.co/2eY1bLYon Stitcher:http://bit.ly/2ge2mwt

 

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All around us, military spending is up. Are our neighbours arming for superpower confrontation over territory and influence? What does this mean for the peace and prosperity of Australia and our region?

Dr Bates Gill is Professor of Asia Pacific Strategic Studies with the Australian National University Strategic and Defence Studies Centre and one of the world's leading experts on Asia-Pacific security issues, especially with regard to China. From 2007 to 2012 he served as Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the world's most respected nongovernment authority on the global arms trade. Over his 30-year career, he has authored and edited numerous books and other publications on arms trade and proliferation issues, including Chinese Arms Transfers (Praeger), Arms, Transparency and Security in Southeast Asia (Oxford University Press), China's Arms Acquisitions from Abroad (Oxford University Press), and Governing the Bomb: Civilian Control and Democratic Accountability of Nuclear Weapons.

Sheryn Lee is an Associate Lecturer at the Department of Security Studies and Criminology, Macquarie University. She is also completing her doctoral dissertation on arms racing in the Asia-Pacific at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, the Australian National University. She was previously a non-resident WSD-Handa Fellow at Pacific Forum, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and holds an AM in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a Benjamin Franklin Fellow and Mumford Fellow. She was also a Robert O'Neill scholar at the International Institute of Strategic Studies-Asia in Singapore.

Peter Hartcher is a leading Australian journalist and author. He is the political editor and international editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, a visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy and a political commentator for Sky News television. He has been writing about power and politics, war and peace, booms and busts for more than 30 years. His latest book is The Adolescent Country.

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Is it time to forget about ‘border protection’? What would happen if we just opened our borders? Could it be the best response to all of our concerns about refugees and economic growth?

Philippe Legrain is a critically acclaimed thinker and communicator who has also been a senior policy adviser. A senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics’ European Institute, he is the founder of Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), an international think-tank. A columnist for Project Syndicate, Foreign Policy andCapX, he commentates for many international media outlets. From 2011 to 2014 he was economic adviser to the President of the European Commission and head of the team providing the president with strategic policy advice. Previously he was special adviser to World Trade Organisation director-general Mike Moore and trade and economics correspondent for The Economist. Philippe is the author of four successful books, includingImmigrants: Your Country Needs Them (2007), which was shortlisted for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year, and European Spring: Why Our Economies and Politics are in a Mess – and How to Put Them Right(2014), which was among the FT’s Best Books of 2014. His first study for OPEN is Refugees Work: A Humanitarian Investment that Yields Economic Dividends (2016).

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