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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

0:54:35

We asked for workers and got people — life on the...

Big Ideas ·

2026/01/14

A workforce we rarely hear about, lives in limbo, and stories from the coalface. From economic gains and cultural exchanges to exploitation and absconding, what are the successes and problems of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme? Who picks and processes those yummy strawberries you're about to put in your shopping trolley, or the crisp veggies you might stir-fry tonight? Did you know it could be a nurse or a police officer from a Pacific Island or Timor Leste on

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0:53:30

When thinking together goes wrong — exploring the...

Big Ideas ·

2026/01/13

At face value, collaboration sounds like a good thing: collaboration in the classroom, with colleagues, or between nations. But throughout history, collaboration was not always considered a virtuous act, and those who were identified as collaborators were shunned, humiliated or worse. This talk explores how people justify their involvement in wrongdoing, and how, when collaboration devolves into conformity, it risks silencing dissent.This event was recorded at the Bundanon Art

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0:54:30

House security systems – who really benefits?

Big Ideas ·

2026/01/12

Your personal safety is big business, so much so that it’s given rise to “security capitalism”, a phenomenon where attempts to buy personal safety shape the world around us. As security becomes just another status symbol, do these gadgets make us safer or do they create a whole new list of anxieties – a self-fulfilling prophecy of perceived threat and risk aversion? This conversation 'Trapped: Does the security industry make us less safe?' was recorded at the CUNY Graduate

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0:54:09

Helen Garner on the beauty and grandeur of footy

Big Ideas ·

2026/01/08

"Homeric struggle", a desperate night-ballet, an ethical training ground for boys and men. Aussie Rules is a multimillion-dollar industry, but at its heart, to thousands of people, it's much more than that. Including to Australian literary great, Helen Garner.This event was recorded at the National Library of Australia on 20 February 2025.Original broadcast March 6, 2025.SpeakersHelen GarnerAuthor, The Season, Monkey Grip, The Children's Bach, The First Stone, Joe Cinque's

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0:54:35

Jem Bendell, the fake green fairytale, and how to...

Big Ideas ·

2026/01/07

We’re past the brink of civilisational collapse. And many environmentalists are pushing a “fake green fairytale”. Jem Bendell’s arguments have inspired the Extinction Rebellion movement’s civil disobedience pushing for climate change action. But Jem doesn’t think protest is enough now. Find out why the self-confessed eco-libertarian and author of Breaking Together: A freedom-loving response to collapse thinks we should break together not apart. Jem joins Big Ideas host Natasha

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0:54:35

Kara Swisher and Marc Fennell take on the Tech Bros

Big Ideas ·

2026/01/06

We know them as Zuckerberg, Musk, Bezos, Gates, Jobs. But to Kara Swisher, they're Mark, Elon, Jeff, Bill, and Steve. She was once a Silicon Valley insider, but now she's one of big tech's most vocal critics.This event was recorded at Adelaide Writers Week on Monday 3 March 2025.Original broadcast on April 15, 2025.SpeakersKara SwisherAuthor, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, aol.com: How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads and Made Millions in the War for the Web and There

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0:54:30

The relationship between brain and machine

Big Ideas ·

2026/01/05

Imagine a world where your brain is enhanced through cutting-edge technologies and next-generation AI, blurring the lines between organic and digital realms … and unlocking unprecedented potential. We are already some steps on the way in such a future. What would this mean for intelligence, human agency and consciousness?Your Brain on AI From organoids to consciousness was presented by the Sydney Opera House.Original broadcast on February 11, 2025.SpeakersPaul DaviesTheoretical

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0:54:35

On the art of music writing — with writers who rock!

Big Ideas ·

2026/01/01

You've got half an hour with Lou Reed/ Nick Cave/ Courtney Love: what do you ask them? Three of Australia's best music writers share their craft, and reveal what it's like to sit down with some of music's biggest names.This event was recorded on 2 November 2024 at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.Original broadcast on January 23, 2025.SpeakersStuart Coupe Author, journalist, radio broadcaster, music commentator, publicist at Stuart Coupe PublicityJane Gazzo Music Journalist, TV

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0:53:46

Can storytellers change the world? Tim Winton and...

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/31

Two of Australia’s most influential and legendary storytellers, author Tim Winton and filmmaker Rachel Perkins, join Natasha Mitchell at WOMADelaide’s Planet Talks to discuss the power of stories and the role of artists to create change in the world.Original broadcast on April 2, 2025.SpeakersRachel PerkinsMulti-award-winning filmmaker, and founder of Blackfella filmsDirector, presenter, co-writer, co-producer The Australian Wars series (available on SBS On Demand)Co-director,

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0:54:35

History of populist rage in America

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/30

Populism is part of American political history. It has been and still is the dominant vocabulary of dissent. But the current resurrection of authoritarian politics in the US is different. While the two parties could absorb populist movements in the past, this time populism has absorbed the party.Presented at the American Academy in BerlinOriginal broadcast on April 1, 2025.SpeakerJefferson CowieJames G. Stahlman Professor in American History at Vanderbilt UniversityAmerican Academy

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0:54:30

Meditation and mindfulness in the digital age

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/29

How many times have you checked your phone today? How many tabs are open in your web browser? Do you feel in control of your attention? In the digital age, attention is now a commodity. Can practices like meditation and mindfulness help us feel more free to focus on what really matters?This event was hosted at the Brunswick Ballroom by the Sophia Club in partnership with the University of Melbourne's Contemplative Studies Centre.Original broadcast on March 18, 2025.SpeakersJess

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0:54:35

The secrets of wildlife documentaries

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/25

Satyajit Das presents a provocative examination of the use and abuse of images of wild animals, and how they shape our relationships with the natural world. These pictures can create an impression of abundance and untouched ecosystems, and lull us into a false sense of security, at a time when the natural world faces ecological calamity.The Attenborough Effect — Shaping Our Relationship With Wild Animals was presented by the Australian National Maritime Museum.Listen to the rest of

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0:54:06

The Knowledge Gene — an incredible story of the...

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/24

Prepare to have your mind blown with a sweeping saga that connects human evolution, brains, genes, art, music, creativity, knowledge, dyslexia, autism, Indigenous memory systems, and more. A big, beautiful and biological saga about how to learn like a human again. Joining Natasha Mitchell are Australian Senior Memory Champion, scientist and author Dr Lynne Kelly with artist Jane Rusden and musician and educator Hilary Blackshaw. This event was hosted by the 2024 Mountain Festival

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0:54:33

Sarah Churchwell asks — Will American democracy...

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/23

Historian Sarah Churchwell takes you on a gripping and confronting journey into America's recent past to explain its extraordinary present, starting with dark story at the heart of that American classic Gone with the Wind. Knowledge lies at the heart of a healthy democracy, and its many custodians include libraries, universities, cultural institutions, and a free and independent media. So what happens when these institutions are intimidated, dismantled or destroyed, as is happening

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0:53:58

2025 Grammy winner Ruthie Foster talks about her life...

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/22

After five nominations, Ruthie Foster has taken home the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album - affirming her status as an American music legend. In this intimate conversation, she shares what made her want to be a singer; the roles of her grandmother and mother in her life; why faith is so important to her and why she wants to sing about real people. And much more…A Heartlands Conservation presented at the Blue Mountains Music Festival.Original broadcast May 12,

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0:53:53

Childless on purpose — the fertility crisis and the...

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/18

When you enter your childbearing years, it can feel like everyone from the treasurer, your mum, and probably your Instagram reels really wants you to have a kid. But is it the right decision? Few women escape this conundrum of modern family-making, and unfortunately there is no easy or simple answer. But in this talk presented by the Sydney Opera House at the All About Women Festival 2025, you’ll get the context, prompts and profound reflections to help you think through this

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0:54:34

Surfer Tim Baker and doctor Peter Goldsworthy on...

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/17

Meet two men who will change the way you think about an experience most of us fear but will be touched by in some way. In Patting the Shark, surfing writer Dr Tim Baker describes his wild ride to reclaim a sense of control and agency after a cancer diagnosis. Celebrated author and GP Peter Goldsworthy’s memoir The Cancer Finishing School started out as a journal but became so much more.They join Natasha Mitchell for intimate an intimate, revelatory, funny, and generous

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0:54:34

Understand your microbiome

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/16

Are fermented foods really good for us? Do antibiotics destroy our gut flora? And have you heard about poo transplants?Our gut is teeming with trillions of microbial cells, and we are learning more all the time about how this affects everything from our digestion, to immunity, to mental health.So crack open your kombucha, because these leading researchers will cut through the noise with some hard facts and pioneering science about the microbiome.This event was recorded at the World

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0:53:59

Doctor Who at 60 — still as attractive as ever

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/15

Doctor Who has acted as a mirror to more than six decades of social, technological and cultural change. It's been able to evolve and adapt more radically than any other fiction. Why we are so addicted to fiction, and why does this wonderful wandering time traveller mean so much to so many. This talk was provided by the York Festival of Ideas. The Festival is led by the University of York, UK.Original broadcast on July 21, 2025.SpeakerJohn HiggsAuthor of Exterminate/Regenerate: The

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0:54:36

The role of spirituality and religion in mental...

Big Ideas ·

2025/12/11

The connection between body and mind is well established. But mental health expert Daniel Fung also includes the soul in this 'ecosystem' that shapes your overall wellbeing. He envisions a future for mental health services, that is person-centred, holistic and consciously uses digital tools and social media.Beautiful minds, Loving hearts: Asian Mental Health Ecosystems in 2050 was presented at TheMHS (Mental Health Services) conference 2025 in BrisbaneListen to Big Ideas — How to

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