Big Ideas

Nila Ibrahimi, Afghan refugee, activist and musician who co-founded Herstory and won the 2024 International Children's Peace Prize. She recalls how a banned school song became an anthem for Afghan girls. She describes fleeing to Canada, using social media to protest, building Herstory to amplify voices, and practical ways others can support Afghan girls and students.

Tim Flannery, paleontologist, climate advocate and author, argues for reimagining Bentham’s Panopticon to hold the powerful to account. He explores tribalism, social cohesion, geoengineering risks, justice beyond prisons, empathy with dislocated communities, boosting renewables while avoiding fatalism, and rebuilding trust, fun and local resilience to strengthen democracy.

Ray Martin, veteran journalist and reconciliation advocate, reflects on confronting Australia’s past and practical paths to change. Thomas Mayo, Kaurareg and Torres Strait Islander author and human rights advocate, explores racism, media narratives and collective action. They debate truth-telling, policy, education, philanthropy and who Australia might become.

Stephen Garton, distinguished historian and President of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, reflects on the wartime origins of Australian higher education and its role in national transformation. He explores how governments funded and shaped universities, the contested place of humanities in research policy, threats from funding shortfalls and cultural conflicts, and a call to renew investment and data to safeguard critical disciplines.

Kelly Gardiner, historical novelist and co-author of a Regency detective pastiche. Sharmini Kumar, theatre director who adapts Austen characters to stage and page. Alison Goodman, genre-spanning novelist driven by meticulous research. They debate Bridgerton’s appeal, recast Caroline Bingley as a sleuth, mix fantasy with Regency life, and weigh accuracy, empire and fashion in storytelling.

Tracey Hutchison, radio broadcaster and festival chair, steers a lively conversation. Jenny Valentish, journalist and author of The Introvert's Guide to Leaving the House, shares practical tactics for social anxiety. Brigid Delaney, journalist and Stoicism advocate, offers pragmatic Stoic perspectives on control, wellness and civic action. They swap life hacks on small talk, public events, acceptance versus activism and friendship.

Dr Ian Storey, a Southeast Asia foreign relations scholar and author on Russia’s regional policy. He discusses how Southeast Asian states responded differently to the Ukraine war. He explains Russia’s limited but persistent influence, public perceptions of Moscow in the region, and the strategic constraints shaping Russia’s pivot to Asia.

Joe Ball, Victoria's Commissioner for LGBTIQA+ Communities and a transgender leader with advocacy and policy experience, reflects on rising hostility toward LGBTIQA+ people. He links rights to past movements, exposes how fear and scapegoating shift blame from real issues, and calls for truth-telling, institutional repair and coalition-building to protect dignity and safety for future generations.

Tibor Kapu, Hungarian mechanical engineer and recent astronaut; Koichi Wakata, veteran Japanese commander with 500+ days in space; Joseph Acaba, NASA chief astronaut involved in Artemis; Katherine Bennell-Pegg, Australian Space Agency director and 2026 Australian of the Year. They discuss astronaut selection and intense training. They talk teamwork, coping with isolation, commercial space and spacesuit design. Re-entry and spacewalk experiences are also covered.

Steven Pinker, Harvard psychologist and bestselling author, discusses common knowledge, cancel culture and how public beliefs drive coordination. He talks about progress measured by data, tribalism and media fractionation, the psychology of punishment over argument, and how common knowledge shapes hoarding, markets, protest and authoritarian power.