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PODCAST

Big Ideas

Feed your mind. Be provoked. One big idea at a time. Your brain will love you for it. Grab your front row seat to the best live forums and festivals with Natasha Mitchell.

society & culture politics

All Episodes

1:05:15

The radicalisation of boys — Jess Hill, George...

Big Ideas ·

2025/09/03

Some boys are being radicalised by misogynist online subcultures like the 'Manosphere' and the 'incel' (involuntarily celibate) scene. Parents are anxious and boys are confused. What's happening, why, and what can be done? Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell and guests at the 2025 Byron Writers Festival for an insightful exploration with three influential Australians.SpeakersJess Hill, investigative journalist specialising in gendered violence, author of See What You Made Me Do,

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0:55:03

The AI Con — unpacking the artificial intelligence...

Big Ideas ·

2025/09/02

Is the world really in the midst of an AI revolution, or is it all just clever marketing, powered by immense amounts of money, capital and hype? This episode arms you to spot AI hype in all its guises, expose the exploitation and power-grabs it aims to hide, and push back against it at work and daily life.The conversation with Emily M Bender was recorded at RMIT University in partnership with Readings books on 1 July 2025.The panel discussion Reboot the Narrative was recorded at

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0:54:30

Barry Jones and Kerry O'Brien — on complexity,...

Big Ideas ·

2025/09/01

Barry Jones and Kerry O'Brien - Two titans of Australian political and social commentary share insights into how to think well, how to act well and how to make sense of politics, history, the fragility of civilisation, science and love.Presented at the Byron Writers FestivalSpeakersBarry JonesFormer science minister, Labor member of the Victorian and Commonwealth parliaments, authorKerry O'Brien (host)Award-winning journalist and broadcaster

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0:53:44

Tradwives — cosy cottage core fantasy, or something...

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/28

They cook, make babies, and look impossibly perfect while doing it.Tradwives are using social media to redefine femininity and womanhood… or are they just setting it waaaayyy back?The Tradwives Club was recorded at the All About Women festival at Sydney Opera House.SpeakersMegan Agnew — Senior Features Writer (New York), The Times of LondonRosie Waterland — Comedian, author of Broken Brains (with Jamila Rizvi), The Anti-Cool Girl and Every Lie I've Ever Told, host of podcasts Mum

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0:53:48

My Sister and Other Lovers — Esther Freud with...

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/27

Esther Freud’s first semi-autobiographical novel Hideous Kinky became a film starring Kate Winslet and told the wild story of two little girls living in Morocco with their bohemian mother. More than 30 years on, those girls are back and growing up fast in her sequel, My Sister and Other Lovers. Esther joins Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the Byron Writers Festival to explore the ties that bind, that tether, and that can traumatise in complicated families. Esther’s

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0:49:42

When dreams speak truth — exploring the relationship...

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/26

What happens when the harsh realities of our daily lives — death, war, illness, hardship — invade that most private of realms — our sleep? Four poets and writers explore how things show up in dreams that otherwise can't be expressed, and how they've used the subconscious to inspire their creative work.This conversation was recorded at the Addi Road Writers Festival on 17 May 2025.SpeakersMireille Juchau - Essayist, novelist, critic, author of The World Without Us and morePeter

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0:54:34

The US was meant to pivot to Asia — has Donald Trump...

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/25

With Donald Trump mediating conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, what has become of the United States' strategy in the Asia Pacific region?The event Asia Disrupted: Trump's First Six Months was recorded at La Trobe Asia on 1 August 2025.SpeakersDaniel Flitton — Managing Editor, The Interpreter The Lowy InstituteDr Lupita Wijaya — Research fellow, La Trobe AsiaAmbika Vishwanath — Principal Research Fellow, La Trobe AsiaProfessor Nick Bisley — Dean of the School of Humanities and

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0:53:54

Alison Lester and Jane Godwin on how children’s books...

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/21

Even years later, children's books can hold a special place in our hearts, and they also teach, comfort, inspire, and grow young minds, and set kids up for life. Two of Australia's best loved children's authors explore the importance of storytelling for children, and reflect on the books that have changed their lives.This talk was recorded at the Sorrento Writers Festival on 24 April 2025.SpeakersAlison Lester - Author, Magic Beach, Imagine, Noni the Pony, Kissed by the Moon and

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0:53:54

From devil horns to deep listening — Maxine Beneba...

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/20

From finding the right language to connect to Country, making the world a more poetic place for kids, to a Vulcan salute between two lovers — communication makes the world go round. Three brilliantly creative communicators join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the 2025 Byron Writers Festival to consider ways we communicate and how we can do it better. With great communication comes deep connection, understanding, meaning and that wonderful feeling of being understood and

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0:54:36

How a picnic started the fall of the Iron Curtain

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/19

A brass band, goulash cooking in giant pots over open flames, people dancing around a bonfire — a pan-European picnic at the border between Hungary and Austria in 1989 was the beginning of the end of the Cold War. Suddenly hundreds of East Germans stormed the border into the West and freedom. It's a moment in history where the power of ordinary people changed the world.An Escape to Freedom and the Collapse of the Iron Curtain was presented at the Adelaide Writers'

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1:00:46

Anna Funder — Bears out there, writing in the age of...

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/18

Without permission, or payment, artificial intelligence has stolen the published words of thousands of Australian writers, and it seems that they have little power to stop it. What does this mean for the future of human creativity?Anna Funder's speech was recorded live at the 2025 Sydney Writers Festival.The panel discussion, Can Australian literature survive in the age of streamers & AI? was recorded at Readings bookshop in Hawthorn.SpeakersAnna Funder - Author, Wifedom,

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0:52:55

The remarkable life of Marie Curie and the women...

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/14

Marie Curie is arguably the most famous scientist in history, for her breakthroughs in the field of radioactivity. But Curie also redefined what was possible for women in science, inspiring generations to follow her.Dava Sobel's 2025 For Future Reference Lecture A woman's word (about science) was recorded at the State Library of Victoria.SpeakersDava SobelAuthor, The Elements of Marie Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science and many moreBelinda Smith

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0:53:31

Wellness influencers will outlive us all! The Science...

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/13

It's Team Wellness Warriors versus Team Medical Miracles. Hear the arguments and you decide! The wellness industry is booming. It's worth billions and its influencers are all over social media spruiking miracle pills and mystery remedies, crystal healing and cancer cures. Some are even steaming their vaginas (hellooooo Gywneth Paltrow!). Have they done the research that mainstream medicine refuses to? Is your doctor really the best person to help you be the healthiest you can be

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0:49:45

How to live an experimental life

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/12

The American essayist, philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said that all life is an experiment, and the more experiments you make, the better. So can experimenting with your career, your health, where you live or who you love, improve your life, by helping you to make better decisions?This event Test and learn: living an experimental life was recorded at the University of Sydney's Raising the Bar night.SpeakersMay Samali - Founder and CEO of the Human Leadership Lab

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0:54:37

Dugongs — up close and personal

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/11

Their closest relative is the elephant; they eat about 60 kg of sea grass per day; and there are only three dugongs in captivity in the world. One in the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium. Big Ideas deep dives into the mysterious world of dugongs — with fascinating stories and surprising insights.Presented at the World Science Festival Brisbane in the Queensland Museum.Big Ideas — Turning a third of our oceans into marine parks. A good idea?SpeakersDr Janet LanyonWorld authority on dugongs,

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0:54:35

Do you know the size of your material footprint?

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/07

In your daily life you use more material than you think: metals, stones, wood, ceramics – the list goes on. We have sufficient resources to support growth, but not enough to support greed. A circular economy could support a more sustainable resource management. Presented by Planet Ark's Australian Circular Economy Hub (ACE Hub)SpeakerJanez PotočnikCo-Chair of UN Environment International Resource Panel, former EU Commissioner for responsible for Science and Research and for

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0:53:34

Sarah Wilson reckons with our civilisational collapse

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/06

If you knew the world as we know it was on the verge of collapse, would that change the way you live your life? Author, activist and podcaster Sarah Wilson has found many reasons to believe our post-industrial civilisation is nearing its end. So how does she live with this confronting reality?This conversation was recorded at the 2025 Melbourne Writers Festival. To explore more Melbourne Writers Festival talks, visit mwf.com.au.SpeakersSarah Wilson - Author, First, We Make the

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0:44:35

Mike Burgess — Espionage is a growing and costly...

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/05

Foreign spies attempt to infiltrate media organisations, break into restricted laboratories, target public servants on sites such as LinkedIn, approach academics at conferences … the list goes on. On Big Ideas, you have the rare opportunity to hear Mike Burgess give an unfiltered look at the threats of espionage and reveal for the first time the true costs it has on the Australian economy.Counting and Countering the Cost of Espionage, the 26th annual Hawke Lecture presented by The

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0:54:35

Plummeting vaccination rates threaten public health

Big Ideas ·

2025/08/04

For the ﬁrst time in human history, we have the scientific know-how to vaccinate against most of the infectious diseases that killed our ancestors. But an explosion of pseudoscience and disinformation makes people hesitate to accept the shot. And so once contained diseases like measles is on the rise again. Hear why we have to act now, or risk losing centuries of gains that vaccines have brought to the world.Presented at GleebooksSpeakersRaina MacIntyreProfessor of Global

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Not drowning waving, a modern media tale — with...

Big Ideas ·

2025/07/31

The decline of the mainstream media has forced many outlets to try new things to keep audiences engaged and informed. So what works, and what is the industry's future?The ABC's 2025 Andrew Olle Lecture was recorded in Sydney on Friday 25 July 2025.SpeakersGeraldine Doogue - Host (with Hamish Macdonald), Global Roaming, ABC Radio National

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