Эпизоды
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From Robodebt to the banks, KPMG to the NDIS, whistleblowers have exposed egregious cases of corruption and misconduct. But it's often come at great personal cost, including risks to personal safety, liberty, relationships and reputations. So how could Australia's whistleblower protections be strengthened so that more people speak up when they witness wrongdoing?
This event was recorded at the Centre for Ideas at the University of New South Wales on 16 June 2026.
Speakers:
Kieran PenderAssociate Legal Director of the Human Rights Law CentreFounder, The Whistleblower Project
Gabriel ShiptonFilm maker, storyteller, human rights advocate, co-leader of the campaign to free WikiLeaks founder Julian AssangeFounder, The Information Rights Project
Lenore Taylor (host)Former editor, Guardian Australia
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The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wants AI in Australia's interests, and has announced steps to regulate the technology. So can Australia get the balance right between the opportunities offered by AI, and the risks? Australia's former Chief Scientist Alan Finkel, a serial tech entrepreneur, has some ideas — and argues governments have been asleep at the wheel on AI regulation.
This event was recorded at the Woodend Winter Arts Festival on 7 June 2026.
Speakers:
Professor Alan FinkelFounder, Proudly HumanFormer Chief ScientistFormer Chancellor Monash UniversityFounder of biotech and edtech companies Axon Instruments and Stile EducationFormer President of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE)Co-founder, Cosmos Magazine
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Пропущенные эпизоды?
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Jack Toohey was flying high. Then he crashed. But from despair came renewal, and a rebellious hope. In 2023, when his social media post about housing affordability attracted over 20 million views — he knew he was onto something. He joins BIG IDEAS host Natasha Mitchell at the Make Good Festival at Bundanon, NSW to talk about the big ideas in his new book Better Things Are Possible: How Rebellious Hope Can Change the World. He wants to help you stop doomscrolling and reclaim the possibilities for creating a more just world.
Speaker
Jack TooheyCreative director, strategist, film-maker, and activistAuthor, Better Things Are Possible: How Rebellious Hope Can Change the World (2026).Jack on SubstackJack on Instagram
Thanks to the Bundanon team and guest curator of the Make Good Festival Danielle Harvey
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The ocean calms us. It terrifies us. It heals us. Sometimes all at once. We explore the sea's complex hold on your mental health — from the fear of shark attacks and the medicine of a morning swim to how immersive ocean soundscapes work on the nervous system and ocean grief as part of climate change anxiety.
Presented at the Ocean Lovers Festival
Listen to Big Ideas — The shark net controversy — hear the debate at Bondi's Ocean Lovers Festival with Natasha Mitchell
Speakers
Dr Brianna Le BusqueProgram Director of Environmental Sciences and Geospatial Sciences at Adelaide University
Anika CraneyFreediver, ocean guide and citizen science research assistant
Kate MontagueWorking with somatic therapy and performance arts, creator of the Audiocraft podcasts
Kal GlanznigYouth ocean and climate champion, creator of the documentary RISING UP, co-founded Plastic Free Cronulla, and founder of the project Blue Minds
John Ireland (Host)Breath and somatic educator, Founder of Breathwork HQ
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We are seeing seismic shifts in our politics, as more people than ever turn away from the major parties. Could public policy failures be to blame? Former politician Dr Susan Close has spent her career in the engine room of democracy, and she believes this trend has been caused by successive government policies that have left people behind, created winners and losers and segregated our community — especially in the way Australia funds its schools.
The 2026 Hugh Stretton Oration was recorded at the University of Adelaide on 2 June 2026.
Speakers:
Dr Susan CloseCEO, McKinnon Institute for Political LeadershipMember of the CSIRO boardFormer Member for Port Adelaide 2013- 2025Former Labor Deputy Premier, Minister for climate science, defence, education and more
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Palestinians and Israelis are building common ground for peace where most say there is none. Since October 7 and the war in Gaza, the idea of cross-community dialogue seems impossible. But behind the headlines, more than 550 leaders from both communities, across politics, security, business, media, and civil society have come together to shape a peaceful future - for both peoples.
What does a just and peaceful solution actually require? Who is doing the work to get there? And is there a role for Australia to play?
Presented by the New Israel Fund Australia
Speakers
Hiba Qasas
Founding Executive Director of Principles for Peace, former senior UN official
Dr Gil Murciano
CEO of the “Mitvim Institute", a foreign policy research organisation in Israel
Dr Sally Warhaft (host)
Writer, journalist and host of the Wheeler Centre’s The Fifth Estate series
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When writer Hiroko Yoda's mother died, she found herself unmoored. They'd argued a fair bit over the years — as daughters and their mothers can — some things were unresolved. So now what? She found herself setting off an odyssey to understand Japan's surprisingly flexible, practical, pluralistic approach to spirituality, its infinite number of spiritual beings, its affection for angry ghosts, and the curious possibility of embracing belief and non-belief at the same time. She poured it all into a beautiful book called 8 Million Ways to Happiness. Yes, 8 Million! How can that be!? Find out in this poignant conversation she shares with Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell on peace, grief, meaning, and overcoming the mountains within.
This event was recorded live at the 2026 Melbourne Writers Festival. To explore more of the festival's events and talks, visit mwf.com.au.
Speaker
Hiroko YodaTokyo-based author, translator, folklorist, and certified kimono consultantAuthor, Eight Million Ways to Happiness: Find your own way to inner peace with the wisdom of Japan (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2026)
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Writers have access to endless worlds, perspectives and experiences — both real and imagined. So what should they do with that privilege? Do they have a responsibility to try to change the world? To cultivate empathy and understanding? Or to simply bear witness?
The Melbourne Writers Festival closing night address was recorded on Sunday 10 May 2026.
Speakers:
Professor Tony BirchAuthor, The White Girl, Women and Children, Ghost River, Blood and moreBoisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at the University of MelbourneHistorian, activist, teacher, long distance runner
Michael Williams (host)Editor, The Monthly magazineHost, Read This podcast
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What if the way we think about rivers as resources to be allocated, infrastructure to be managed, problems to be solved, is just fundamentally wrong. What if they are in fact living entities with rights? From Indigenous law to ecological soundscapes to frontline water justice, this panel of Indigenous leaders, scientists and artists share stories, sounds and strategies for protecting and changing your relationships with waterways.
River Listening was recorded live at the annual 2026 WOMADelaide festival, produced and presented as part of their Planet Talks program, held on the traditional lands of the Guarna people.
Listen to Big Ideas – Students win fight for climate justice before the world's highest court
Speakers
Dr Dan HikuroaMāori earth systems scientist, Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, UNESCO NZ Commissioner for Culture
Grant RigneyNgarrindjeri man, current Deputy Chair and past Chair of the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN)
Dr Leah BarclayAward-winning sound artist, researcher and environmental activist
Jo Shulman (host)CEO of the Environmental Defenders Office
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Forget climate change, forget nuclear Armageddon, did you know that the universe is unravelling? It's probably aeons away, but according to physics, dark energy could end us all. Join award winning theoretical physicist Tony Padilla at this Sophia Club live philosophy event, to explore the torrid birth of the early universe, traverse the twisted hearts of black holes, skip through the harmonic vibrations of string theory, and ponder how, according to physics, it all might one day end.
This event was recorded for the Sophia Club live philosophy in London on 21 April 2026.
Speakers:
Tony PadillaProfessor of physics, University of NottinghamAssociate Director of the Nottingham Centre of GravityHost, NumberfileAuthor, Fantastic numbers and where to find them: A Journey to the Edge of Physics
Sally DaviesEditorial lead for the Sophia ClubEditor, AEON magazine
Music by Oliver CoatesCellist, film composer and electronic music producer (Pillion, Aftersun and more)
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Need a mid-Winter pick me up? Well this is the conversation for you! You could call Astrid Jorgensen a choir conductor, but that really doesn’t capture what she does and the global phenomenon she’s created. On any one night, anywhere in the world, you’ll find Astrid on a stage in front of a few thousand people singing their hearts out. She’s the founder, the composer, and the host of Pub Choir — which has been described as the world’s biggest one night stand in song. But for a while there she could have become a nun. Yes, there's so much more to her story, and she joins Big Ideas' host Natasha Mitchell to tell it.
This event, organised by Northern Books, was held at the Fitzroy Town Hall in Naarm/Melbourne.
This episode was first aired on the 10 December 2025.
Speaker
Astrid JorgensenFounder and conductor of Pub ChoirAuthor, Average At Best (Simon and Schuster Australia, 2025)
Further information
How Astrid Jorgensen turned a suburban pub choir into a worldwide musical phenomenon (Australian Story/ABC News, 2025)
Watch Australian Story episode about Astrid on Youtube (2025)
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The gambling industry is targeting young people through digital platforms, personalised algorithms and the blurring line between gaming and betting. But also off-line, at the pokies, we see younger faces. We explore the strategies behind this trend, the human costs and what it would actually take to change the culture and the regulation around gambling in Australia.
This conversation is a cooperation with Shaun Micallef's Going for Broke, the new ABC three-part documentary series that you can find on ABC iView.
Speakers
Dr Charles LivingstoneAssociate Professor in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
Mark KempsterLived Experience Advocate with the Alliance for Gambling Reform
Reverend Stu CameronCEO and Superintendent of Wesley Mission
Dr Sally GainsburyAssociate Professor of Psychology and co-Director of the University of Sydney Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic
Steve Cannane (host)Reporter with the ABC's Investigations UnitABC Four Corners by Steve Cannane – Losing Streak
Further information
National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858
Wesley Mission Gamble Aware
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The arc of the moral universe may bend toward justice, but not without a whole lot of committed individuals doggedly banging on about it. Even when no one's listening, even when it's boring, even when it takes years or even lifetimes. So in this time of division and fracture, when hearts and minds seem out of reach, is there still value in preaching to the like-minded?
The 2026 Sheila Drummond Memorial Lecture was recorded at the Woodend Winter Arts Festival on 6 June 2026.
Speakers:
David MarrPresent Late Night Live, ABC Radio NationalAuthor, Killing for Country: A Family Story, Patrick White. A Life, Political Animal: The Making of Tony Abbott (Quarterly Essay) and more
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It is replacing our work, our relationships, even our capacity to think. It's the combined sum of all human knowledge — so how long until artificial intelligence surpasses our own? Are we already there? In her latest Quarterly Essay, Anna Goldsworthy confronts a near future where humans are no longer the most intelligent beings, inviting us to consider what is irreplaceable in us, in what we do, and what we want for our lives.
This conversation was recorded on 8 June 2026 at Woodend Winter Arts Festival.
Speakers:
Anna GoldsworthyAuthor, The God we made — the threat and promise of artificial intelligence, Quarterly Essay #102 and many moreClassical pianist, founding member, Seraphim TrioDean of the Elder Conservatorium of Music and School of Performing Arts, Adelaide University, and incoming Artistic Director of the Australian National Academy of Music
Jacqueline OgeilHarpsichordist, conductor, music teacherFounder and director, Woodend Winter Arts Festival
Further information:
Magnifica Humanitas - on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence - Encyclical letter by Pope Leo XIV
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Is there an art to forgiveness? Join Natasha Mitchell with popular Play School presenter, writer, actor, yoga and meditation teacher Rachael Coopes to explore why it's so hard to forgive people, why it's not what you think it is, and how it can be good for your health to try. Forgiveness may be hard work, but so is hanging on to hurt, hate, or a grudge — that can eat away at you or keep you tethered to the original harm — with consequences for your wellbeing, your relationships and your ability live to your full potential. Rachael Coopes has written a new book The Art of Forgiveness: Let Go, Find Peace. Join her and Natasha for this rich conversation about a complicated act.
This event was held at the 2026 Make Good Festival at Bundanon in NSW, on the traditional lands of the Dharawal and Dhurga people.
Speaker
Rachael CoopesActor, author, presenter of the long-running children's ABC TV show Play SchoolYoga and meditation teacherAuthor, The Art of Forgiveness: Let Go, Find Peace (2025)
Thanks to Make Good Festival guest curator Danielle Harvey and the whole team at Bundanon, NSW.
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They say we are what we eat, and in this big, migrant nation, every dish tells a story, about culture, about connection, about identity. But when traditional cuisines become mainstream, does cultural appreciation risk becoming cultural appropriation? Can you own a recipe?
This event was recorded at the Oz Asia Festival in Adelaide.
Speakers:
Durkhanai AyubiAuthor, Parwana: Recipes and stories from an Afghan kitchen and She Who Tastes, Knows
Elana BenjaminAuthor, Indian-Jewish Food: Recipes and Stories from the Backstreets of Bondi, and My Mother's Spice Cupboard: A Journey from Baghdad to Bombay to Bondi
Dr Sukhmani Khorana (host)Associate Professor of media and cultural studies, University of New South WalesCo-Director of the university's Media Futures HubAuthor, The Tastes and Politics of Inter-Cultural Food in Australia and more
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He is considered the first Hollywood action hero and had a rapid rise to stardom. But Errol Flynn also was on trial for rape and had relationships with underage girls. Behind the Hollywood legend — the sword fights, the swagger, the smouldering screen presence — is a far more complicated and surprising story.
This conversation was part of the Meet the Author series at the Australian National University.
Listen to Big Ideas – The rise of Australian actors in Hollywood
Speakers
Patricia O’BrienAdjunct Professor in the Asian Studies Program at Georgetown University; Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National UniversityAuthor of Errol Flynn: The True Story of Australia's Hollywood Icon
Frank Bongiorno (host)Donald Horne Professor of History and Public Ideas, University of Canberra
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It may be the least worst form of government, but faith in its leaders and its institutions is waning. From the US to the UK to Australia, democracy has also paradoxically delivered representatives who are proudly anti-democratic and openly undermine democratic institutions like electoral systems, the judiciary and a free media. So why do people see the likes of Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, and Pauline Hanson as the answer?
The Future of Democracy was recorded at the 2026 Sydney Writers Festival in partnership with the Resilient Democracy Lab at the University of New South Wales.
Speakers:
Jon SopelCo-host The News AgentsAuthor, Strangeland: How Britain Stopped Making Sense, UnPresidented: Politics, Pandemics and the Race that Trumped All Others and moreFormer editor, BBC North America
Nick Bryant (co-host)Host, Saturday Extra, ABC Radio NationalAuthor, The Forever War: America's Unending Conflict with Itself and moreFormer BBC Washington Correspondent
Rosalind DixonProfessor of Law, University of New South WalesFounder, Resilient Democracy LabAuthor, A People's Guide to the Australian Constitution
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A power panel on the future of truth. In a world of AI hallucinations and corporate algorithms, state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, and misinformation spreading like wildfire on social media — the truth feels more elusive than ever. What can we do to get the truth out of trouble? Join Natasha Mitchell with guests at this event recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers Festival at Carriageworks on Gadigal Country.
Speakers
Jimmy WalesEntrepreneur and Founder of Wikipedia: the free encyclopediaAuthor, The Seven Rules of Trust: Why It Is Today's Most Essential Superpower (2025)
Barbara DemickJournalist, former Beijing and Korea bureau chief for the LA TimesAuthor, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins (2025); Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (2010), Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town (2021);
Professor A.C GraylingPhilosopher and founder of Northeastern University London.Author, The Challenge of the Future: What Should We Keep from Yesterday as We Rush into Tomorrow? (2026); For The People: Fighting Authoritarianism, Saving Democracy (2025)
Professor Toby WalshScientist, Scientia Professor and head of the UNSW AI Institute, University of New South WalesAuthor, Faking It: Artificial Intelligence in a Human World (2023), The Shortest History of AI (2025)
Thanks to Artistic Director Ann Mossop and team at the Sydney Writers Festival.
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The fabric of multicultural Australia is under a kind of pressure it hasn't faced in a long time. Can it be renewed? And what role do artists, activists, and migrants have to shape what comes next? The landmark work The Elgar Companion to the Arts and Global Multiculturalism is asking exactly those questions. It traces multiculturalism from its origins as a political philosophy and as lived cultural practice right through to the complicated present. And it makes a case that the arts have been central to this story all along.
Presented at the Greek Australian Writers Festival
Speakers
Professor Nikos PapastergiadisDirector of the Research Unit in Public Cultures at the University of Melbourne Co-editor of the book The Elgar Companion to the Arts and Global Multiculturalism
Dr Alexandra DelliosSenior Lecturer, Centre for Heritage & Museum Studies, Australian National University
Andrew JakubowiczEmeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Technology Sydney
Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos (host)Journalist, academic and Director of the Greek Australian Writers Festival
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