Big Ideas

About this podcast

Big Ideas brings you the best of talks, forums, debates, and festivals held in Australia and around the world, casting light on the major social, cultural, scientific and political issues

Big Ideas

Episodes

2021
Ideas to draw us closer in the Covid era
The Covid pandemic has been a lonely time for many people. Physically distanced we’ve reached out to each other online but it’s not the same as being together in the same space. The Night of Ideas is a global conversation where speakers on arts, science and culture propose ways to bring us closer together.
April 8, 2021
55 min
What makes a great city?
What makes a city great, and how do we conserve it? Paul Barclay asks architect and writer, Elizabeth Farrelly, what it was she fell in love with, when she first arrived in Sydney in the late 1970'2, and what concerns she has about the city's future. They are in conversation about the Elizabeth's book, Killing Sydney
April 7, 2021
55 min
Journalism crisis in the Asia Pacific
Recent events in Hong Kong, the Philippines and also Australia suggest media freedom in the Asia-Pacific region is declining. Despite intimidation, trolling on social media, detention and even death, journalists and publishers continue to report stories and publish news. On Big Ideas a panel of prominent journalists and academics analyse the crisis of journalism in the Asia-Pacific region, ask why it matters and what might be done to try and safeguard it.
April 6, 2021
55 min
Should the law be more forgiving?
Are you able to forgive and forget or are there some things that are simply unforgiveable? Almost all religious teachings preach the power of forgiveness and Mahatma Gandhi said that the strong person is the one able to forgive. So should the law be more forgiving? Two eminent lawyers discuss the law, justice and forgiveness in the annual Gandhi Lecture.
April 5, 2021
55 min
Black holes and meteorites
The 2020 Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded for research into black holes and divided between Roger Penrose for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity and Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy. So what does this reveal about our universe? And the story of our solar system contained within the Murchison meteorite.
April 1, 2021
55 min
Confessions of a brain surgeon
UK Neurosurgeon, Henry Marsh, talks to Paul Barclay about the wonder and mystery of the human brain - and how, as brain surgeon, you are one tiny mistake away from complete catastrophe.
March 31, 2021
55 min
Should we inherit?
Is there a fair way to pass on assets from one generation to the next? Some think the inheritor has done nothing to earn the wealth - and therefore the state should get a portion for the good of society. For others, any inheritance tax should be abolished as theft. How we think about inheriting goes back to many centuries and is based in different legal cultures. Why are there such differences, and what impact do they have on social mobility and inequality?
March 30, 2021
55 min
How music boosts learning and wellbeing
Numeracy and literacy are the core business of Australian schools. But should we add music to that list? Too often in schools music is seen as an optional extra yet research shows that learning to play a musical instrument boosts cognitive development and gives children the edge at school. Music is also a tonic for emotional well being.
March 29, 2021
55 min
The Unfairness of birth
Meritocracy is a nice theory, but research shows that’s often by chance how your life plays out. Poverty and disadvantage are being passed on from parents to children. What does that mean for the mora obligations of society? What do you owe your fellow citizens if you have the luck of a good start to life? Glyn Davis discusses policies and practices to end entrenched poverty.
March 25, 2021
55 min
Noel Pearson calls for referendum on indigenous recognition
Constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians has had the support of both Coalition and Labor governments. Yet still, we wait for a referendum. If not now, then when, asks Indigenous leader, Noel Pearson. Recognition is not, Pearson says, a project of woke identity politics, but our longest standing and unresolved project for justice and inclusion.
March 24, 2021
55 min
Covid and women's leadership
The Covid pandemic has tested every political leader. And female leaders seem to have come out on top. Countries with women at the top have some of the lowest Covid infection and death rates. So could the pandemic deliver an unexpected boost to gender equality?
March 23, 2021
55 min
The devastating experience of being a witness in court
Born of her own brutal experience as a witness in the Cardinal Pell case, award winning journalist Louise Milligan lays bare the flaws of our adversarial court system and the devastating impact that can have on the delivery of justice. She describes how witnesses in sex abuse cases are being intimidated and belittled.
March 22, 2021
55 min
The political jury
Trial by jury is the cornerstone of our criminal justice system. Not all countries believe it’s the best way to get justice. They prefer judge-only trials instead. And when you think of it, trial by jury puts the fate of the accused in the hands of ordinary people, chosen at random, with no particular expertise. So why do we think this is the best system and how did it evolve?
March 18, 2021
55 min
Family law and children
Few things are more difficult for children than their parents separating. The Family Court becomes involved when parents are unable to agree on custody arrangements. Disputes between separating parties can get ugly. Sometimes family violence is involved. Are children listened to throughout the family law process? Do we put their rights first?
March 17, 2021
55 min
The true story of destroying Syria’s chemical weapons
The real-life thriller of destroying war-torn Syria’s stash of chemical weapons: Pulitzer winner Jody Warrick reconstructs the key decisions and the unprecedented international effort to remove the weapons under fire and then - when no country was willing to accept them - to destroy them at sea. The humanitarian crisis in the region could have been even bigger.
March 16, 2021
55 min
Where to now for Hong Kong and Jokowi's Indonesia
As China rolls back rights and freedoms in Hong Kong pro-democracy citizens are in a dilemma about whether to stay or go. And as Indonesia struggles with the economic damage of Covid-19, can President Joko Widodo deliver on his promise to make Indonesia an economic powerhouse?
March 15, 2021
55 min
History of women and crime
“Convicted for offences against good order” – that was the fate of many women in the early 20th century in Australia. Their crime was not so much being drunk in public or selling their bodies, but to fail social expectations. Regardless of the circumstances leading them down this path. Women simply don’t behave like that. Historian Leigh Straw analyses this past battle for gender equality.
March 11, 2021
55 min
Working from home and the future of the office
A year ago the pandemic arrived. En masse, we evacuated our offices and started working from home. For many, the home is now their permanent workplace, and they have little desire to return to the daily commute. The potential of telecommuting had been touted for decades, but it took Covid-19 for it to take off. Where to now for the office? Is working from home - and communicating via Zoom - all it's cracked up to be?
March 10, 2021
55 min
Does democracy have a future in Myanmar?
After decades of military rule it looked as if Myanmar had turned the corner with the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest and democratic elections. But all that changed a month ago with a military coup. The military are on the streets in Myanmar to shut down mass protests against the suspension of democratic government. They’ve opened fire on demonstrators yet citizens are still taking to the streets. So how should the international community and in particular Australia respond to the military takeover?
March 9, 2021
55 min
International World Women’s Day – Generation Women
An evening of love letters and storytelling. Women of six generations share their tales of love: love for a fulfilled dream, loving advice to an unborn daughter, passion for a past decade or the kind of love with the power to heal yourself. Each of their stories will not only make you feel love but will give you food for thought.
March 8, 2021
55 min

Big Ideas

About this podcast

Categories

About this podcast

Categories

Big Ideas

Episodes

Ideas to draw us closer in the Covid era

What makes a great city?

Journalism crisis in the Asia Pacific

Should the law be more forgiving?

Black holes and meteorites

Confessions of a brain surgeon

Should we inherit?

How music boosts learning and wellbeing

The Unfairness of birth

Noel Pearson calls for referendum on indigenous recognition

Covid and women's leadership

The devastating experience of being a witness in court

The political jury

Family law and children

The true story of destroying Syria’s chemical weapons

Where to now for Hong Kong and Jokowi's Indonesia

History of women and crime

Working from home and the future of the office

Does democracy have a future in Myanmar?

International World Women’s Day – Generation Women