Big Ideas

ABC Australia

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

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Email: Bigideas@abc.net.au
SMS line for ABC Radio National: 0418 226 576

Airs Monday to Thursday 8pm, repeated Tuesday to Friday 12pm, on ABC Radio National.

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Yesterday · 54 min
Advance Australia Fair? Is "trickle-down racism" damaging social cohesion?
Australia's national anthem proclaims that: "for those who've come across the seas we've boundless plains to share". But with Australia's immigration program once again under the political spotlight, is that really true? How does what leaders say about refugees and migrants ripple out into the community, and what attitudes and behaviours does it give license to? Mariam Veiszadeh was born in Afghanistan and moved to Australia as a child. She's devoted her life's work to creating a fairer Austral
Wednesday · 54 min
The Witches at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas - Lucianne Tonti, Emma Quilty, Caroline Tully with Natasha Mitchell
Is the witch back? The word, the craft, the movement, and as a viral social media phenomenon #witchtok? Did the witch ever really disappear? Women who don't conform or who challenge certain kinds of power have long been persecuted as witches. An eye-opening conversation about the past and present of witchy women. Witchcraft is both ancient and modern. Could it be the radical response we need right now — in a world increasingly detached from Nature? This event was hosted by the 2026 Festival of
Tuesday · 1 hr 3 min
AI data centres — exploring the boom and the backlash
AI data centre developments are raising concerns in affected communities across Australia. The industry and its critics come together to cover the pros, the cons, and the concerns, at an event in the heart of a city where data centres have become a political hot potato in the lead up to the Victorian state election. This event hosted by RMIT University for Social Sciences Week was recorded on 17 September 2026. Speakers: Lisa Given Director & Co-Founder, Centre for Human-AI Information Envir
Monday · 54 min
The Odyssey — a nearly 3,000-year-old myth we can’t stop retelling
Homer’s Odyssey is back into the spotlight. Not just with Christopher Nolan’s new record breaking movie. Greek mythology is a publishing phenomenon with enduring appeal. So why are we reaching back to ancient myths for life lessons and a deeper understanding of the human condition? What was life actually like in Homer’s world... and where does history end and myth begin? This event was hosted at the Greek-Australian Writers’ Festival in Adelaide. Speakers Dr Alexandra Theodoropoulou Greece’s
November 5 · 53 min
The meaning of loss — whether it devastates you or saves you
When you lose people and places, you can't bear to be without - or the baggage that weighs you down, is loss really nothing more than change? This conversation goes looking for loss in all its shapes: the identity we misplace growing up between cultures, the self we lose and remake as our bodies change and the strange, unsettling experience of coming face to face with who we used to be. Griffith Review: Lost and Found was presented at the Melbourne Writers Festival Speakers Dr Ahona Guha Cli
November 4 · 53 min
Get neurospicy with The Bachelorette's Osher Günsberg and Kill Your Boomers author Fiona Wright
Two neurospicy minds talk neurodiversity, creativity, and what it's like to get a diagnosis like Autism or OCD as an adult. Can it bring clarity, upheaval, grief, or all of the above? And how can writing about it help? Host of The Bachelor and Bachelorette, podcaster, and mental health advocate Osher Günsberg and poet, essayist, editor and author of Kill Your Boomers Fiona Wright join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell. This event was held at the 2026 Byron Writers Festival on Bundjalung Nation Cou
November 3 · 58 min
Rupture — Niki Savva and Waleed Aly on how our politics is being transformed
From the rise of One Nation at home, to surprising election results abroad, recent events suggest that people feel that politics as usual is no longer delivering for them. So what alternatives are they reaching for? This conversation Political Rupture: Identity, Equality and Opportunity was recorded at the Canberra Writers Festival on 17 October 2026. Speakers: Niki Savva Author, Earthquake: the election that shook Australia and more Political commentator and columnist with The Sydney Morning
November 2 · 55 min
The end of neoliberalism? A guide to Trumpian world-making
Is there method in Donald Trump's madness? His plans for Venezuela, Iran, Ukraine, Greenland — even Canada. His disdain for global institutions and democratic processes. His preference for traditional values. What is the logic behind "Trumpian world making", and how is it reshaping the globe? This event was recorded at the Ultimo Institute at the University of Technology Sydney on 14 October 2026. Speakers: Gary Gerstle Emeritus Paul Mellon Professor of American History at the University of C
October 29 · 54 min
Does fuel reduction burning make us safer?
The fire season is changing across Australia, becoming hotter, drier and longer. The evidence about the best ways to protect lives, property, and the environment is changing too. While fuel reduction burning has become a vital tool in the arsenal for land managers in every state and territory, some are now questioning whether we are doing it right - or whether we should be doing it all. The Burning Conversation was recorded at the Royal Society of Victoria on 21 September 2026. Speakers: Prof
October 28 · 53 min
In 2046 women run the world — what's changed?
The year is 2046. After 2026, a whole lot changed in the world. Citizens started to vote women into power in parliaments everywhere. What happened next? Four Far North Queensland leaders are leaping into a tardis to hurtle twenty years into the future. Jump in, if you want the world to be different, this could be the ride of your life. Join Natasha Mitchell and guests in Cairns on Yidinji Country at the 2026 WOW (Women of the World) Festival. Speakers Dr Rana Dadpour Research Fellow at The Cai
October 27 · 54 min
The stigma of obesity and what it means for your healthcare
Has your doctor ever told you to go on a diet? Does that conversation put you off going to them in the first place, even if you need treatment for something not related to your weight? Has being in a larger body ever meant you can't access surgery or IVF?Some are pushing for a weight-inclusive approach to healthcare, which de-centres obesity, and focuses on 'health-at-every-size'. But what does that really mean, and why does it matter? This event was held at the 11th Annual Weight Stigma Confer
October 26 · 54 min
Gut health: Is the food on your plate quietly rewriting your brain chemistry?
Scientists are uncovering the surprising power of the trillions of microbes living inside you and how they can shape your mood, your thinking, even your sense of self. How might the health of your gut change the course of serious mental illness? This a deep dive into the mind-body connection offers a glimpse of where the future of mental and physical health might be headed. Healthy microbiome. Happy brain? was presented at the World Science Festival Brisbane. Speakers Gordon Parker Scientia P
October 22 · 57 min
Wrapped? Or Warped? How the internet changed music criticism
Once, a musician’s success could live or die on the opinions of its reviewers. But now, music culture is being shaped by algorithms and PR companies. So what is the future of music journalism? This podcast episode was originally recorded on 19 August 2026 in partnership with The Wheeler Centre and Now or Never Festival. Discover more talks and bold conversations by following The Wheeler Centre wherever you get your podcasts or at wheelercentre.com. Speakers Al Newstead Double J music and pop
October 21 · 52 min
What stops you from becoming homeless? 2026 Australian Homelessness Conference with Natasha Mitchell and guests
What will stop you slipping into homelessness? In a cost-of-living crisis, it's getting harder to keep a secure roof over your head. And did you know that 14% of people accessing specialist homelessness services in Australia are unaccompanied children? That's thousands of children, homeless, alone. A conversation about what kind of community we want to create together, and how to prevent a crisis before it comes. Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell and guests at the 2026 Australian Homelessness
October 20 · 54 min
Clive Myrie on what Africa taught a foreign correspondent about our common humanity
He's covered wars, elections and everything in between. But what happens when a hardened foreign correspondent goes looking for a lighter travel story - and comes home changed? Hear what his road trip to Africa taught him about our shared humanity. This talk was provided by the York Festival of Ideas. The Festival is led by the University of York, UK. Speakers Clive Myrie Multi-award-winning journalist, BBC foreign correspondents, host of Mastermind and Clive Myrie's African Adventure Author
October 19 · 53 min
Bringing Brett Whiteley's studio back to life — with Wendy Whiteley
A rundown t-shirt factory in Sydney's Surry Hills became the studio and home where Australian artist Brett Whiteley would spend the final years of his life. Now an art gallery, the building has recently reopened after an extensive two-year restoration, with a new exhibition celebrating Whiteley's life and legacy, Coming Home, featuring his artworks and personal items. His former wife, muse and champion, Wendy Whiteley, reflects on the history of the studio, her life with Brett Whiteley, and his
October 15 · 58 min
The ethics of transhumanism
Every day, science and technology are being used to enhance the abilities of human beings — helping people hear, walk, see, think and more. But at the extreme end, transhumanism has become an obsession of the rich and powerful: Vladmir Putin wants to live forever, Elon Musk wants to merge your brain with AI, while eugenics has also become popular again. So what are the ethics of transhumanism? Where do we draw the line? The 2026 Plunkett Lecture for the Plunkett Centre for Ethics was recorded a
October 14 · 58 min
AI, art, and staying human - is creativity at a crossroad? Evelyn Araluen, Steve Tolz, Kirra Pendergast
In a world where AI rules, what will it mean to be creative? First Nations poet and author Evelyn Araluen (The Rot, Dropbear) is already self-censoring because of AI theft. The characters in Steve Tolz's new novel A Rising of the Lights find weird ways to sabotage the robots amongst them. Digital safety expert and educator Kirra Pendergast is seeing AI reshape childhood - for better or worse - with an important warning for parents, carers, and educators. This event was organised by the 2026 Byro
October 13 · 54 min
China's one-child policy and a true tale of abduction, adoption and separated twins
In just 32 years, more than 160,000 children were adopted internationally under China's One-Child Policy. About half were sent to the United States — almost all of them were girls.Award-winning journalist Barbara Demick's latest book tells the story of twin sisters who were separated as toddlers, with one adopted by a family in Texas, while the other stayed with her birth family in rural China. This event was recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers' Festival at Carriageworks. Speakers: Barbar
October 12 · 54 min
Amitav Ghosh and Luke Kemp on learning from collapsed empires
From the fall of Rome to the climate crisis unfolding right now, history shows up a common pattern for how empires rise and fall. And two important factors are humans’ relationship with the natural world, as well as the unequal distribution of power and wealth. What can the wreckage of past civilisations teach us about avoiding our own? This event was recorded live at the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival at Carriageworks. Listen to Big Ideas – Why civilisations vanish Speakers Amitav Ghosh In

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