Shows / Big Ideas
Big Ideas
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. We love hearing from you about the show or events you are planning. Get in touch! 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.
Episodes
Big IdeasThe diplomats — the ups and downs of life in Australia's foreign embassies
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia has some 120 embassies, high commissions, consulates-general and representative offices…
Big IdeasSix years of writing, 200 rejections — how Miles Franklin award-winning writer Siang Lu learned to live with failure
Failure is a part of life, whether we like it or not. While most of us don't ever want to fail, failure does have things to teach us — about ourselves, about…
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Disinformation, deep fakes, and other dodgy doings — the threat to Australian security, democracy, and you
Misinformation, disinformation, deep fakes, false news — do you feel confident spotting them? They’re doing real harm to our relationships, our communities…
Big IdeasA human rights agenda for Canada (2025 CBC Massey lecture 5)
In more than 40 years on the front lines of international human rights Alex Neve has heard Canada described as ‘the land of human rights’ — and seen the…
Big IdeasHow people power makes human rights real (2025 CBC Massey Lecture 4)
Eleanor Roosevelt once said that universal human rights begin in “small places, close to home — so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any map of…
Big IdeasHuman Rights don't have to be earned (2025 CBC Massey lecture 3)
Our inherent human rights belong to us from the moment we are born. There is nothing we need to do to earn them, and they are supposed to apply to us until the…
Big IdeasThe six years that remade human rights (2025 CBC Massey Lecture 2)
The ideals behind the concept of human rights — such as the sacredness of life, reciprocity, justice and fairness — have millennia-old histories. After the…
Big IdeasRenewing the broken promise of universal human rights. Alex Neve (2025 CBC Massey lecture 1)
Human rights are universal, right? For everyone, everywhere, without exception. That promise, born out of the Holocaust and World War II, has been broken…
Big IdeasFrom breadwinners to Bluey's Bandit — a history of Australian fathers and their families
This episode explores the past and present expectations and experiences of Australian fathers, in the workforce, domestic duties, and child-rearing, and…
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Girl on Girl — How pop culture turned a generation of women against themselves with The Atlantic's Sophie Gilbert
Dive into the world of heroin chic and Girl Power to make sense of the mixed messages Millennial women experienced as they came of age. Before social media…
Big IdeasRanda Abdel-Fattah and Louise Adler on the cost of speaking out in a time of division
She's attracted controversy and cancellation, but Palestinian Australian author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah has not been deterred from speaking out about…
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Mental illness —Taking stigma out of media reporting
When a violent crime makes the news, mental illness is often part of the story. But how that story is told, the words chosen, the details included, the…
Big IdeasShattered lands — Sam Dalrymple on the five partitions of British India
Over five decades, one single, sprawling dominion, from Yemen to Myanmar, became twelve modern nations. This is the story of how the actions of politicians in…
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Three Nobels! Are we backing young minds today to pull off what Brian Schmidt, Peter Doherty, Rolf Zinkernagel did?
Nobel Prize winning work often happens in a young scientist's 20s or 30s — early in their careers. Are the conditions right in Australian universities today…
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The secret of how to topple tyrants and dictators — and crimes against humanity under the microscope
Presenting a road map to a world with fewer Putins and Kim Jong Uns. Political scientist Marcel Dirsus exposes the precarious reality behind the façade of the…
Big IdeasABC National Forum
The inaugural ABC National Forum is a live, televised panel discussion bringing together Jewish Australians to examine their lives in Australia in 2026, amid a…
Big IdeasAntisemitism's religious roots
The roots of antisemitism run deep. Christians and Muslims have told stories for centuries about Jewish people. Stories that have weaponised the relationships…
Big IdeasIn a time of division, how can we rebuild social cohesion? — with Australian Human Rights Commissioner Hugh de Kretser
A global pandemic, a foreign war, a failed referendum on Indigenous rights, increasing inequality and a fractured media — these and other forces have been…
Big IdeasHow a song became a movement for Afghanistan's women and girls — with International Children's Peace Prize winner Nila Ibrahimi
In March 2021, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers banned female students over the age of 12 from singing in public. The prohibition sparked a wave of online protests…
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Scientist Tim Flannery — a Panopticon for our times?
The Panopticon was a prison design by the famous philosopher and social reformer Jeremy Bentham which placed prison guards in a central tower overlooking…
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Who can we become? Thomas Mayo and Ray Martin speak Black and White about Australia's future
Join acclaimed author and human rights advocate Thomas Mayo and media icon Ray Martin AM as they deliver two powerful orations on justice, reconciliation, and…
Big IdeasCan an arts degree change the world? A defence of the study humanities at Australian universities
Universities are under pressure — particularly the study of subjects like languages, history, social sciences and the creative arts. This lecture looks back to…
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Dearest Gentle Reader, a very Bridgerton Big Ideas! Australian novelists dissect the regency era
As Bridgerton continues to captivate millions and we just marked the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, the Regency era has never been more thrilling…
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The Stoic and the introvert — life hacks from Brigid Delaney and Jenny Valentish
Feeling a little world weary? Is Stoicism the philosophy you need a little more of in your life? Can an introvert be your guide to getting out the front door?…
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Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya fights for a free Belarus − and what are Russia's strategies in Southeast Asia?
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is calling for a braver response to the actions of the Belarusian dictatorship. She explores the impact of the war against Ukraine on…
Big IdeasBacklash against LGBTIQA+ community — why now? Joe Ball
The hard fought for gains of one generation can pave the way for the next, but the road to equality is never straight. After meaningful progress for LGBTQIA+…
Big IdeasThe life of astronauts — with 2026 Australian of the Year Katherine Bennell-Pegg
What is it really like to be an astronaut? How do you even become one? What happens when an argument breaks out on the International Space Station? And why are…
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Harvard firebrand on intellectual freedom Steven Pinker with Natasha Mitchell
Harvard psychologist and bestselling author Steven Pinker is a fierce advocate for intellectual and academic freedom — and one of the world’s most prominent…
Big IdeasWhat does Labor stand for? With Sean Kelly and Misha Ketchell
In its second term, the Albanese Government enjoys a large majority in parliament and an opposition in disarray. But faced with a fragmented, fractious…
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What does liberalism mean today?
Liberalism is one of the most influential — and contested — political philosophies of the modern age. But what does it actually mean in contemporary Australia?…
Big IdeasThe history of money — with Irish economist David McWilliams
It makes the world go round, but it's also the root of all evil. It hasn't always had a great rap, yet most of us would like more of it. From clay tablets to…
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The Australian Wars with Rachel Perkins and Henry Reynolds — a watershed event at the Australia War Memorial
For decades, a debate has been waged over whether the colonial massacre and resistance of First Nations Australians should be recognised and memorialised by…
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Bob Brown on the role of defiance in the climate crisis — with Gardening Australia's Hannah Moloney
For more than 50 years, Dr Bob Brown has been breaking and making laws to protect the environment. Now aged 81, he is hoping to give strength to new…
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War is changing and the laws meant to protect civilians aren't cutting it anymore
International humanitarian law, the law of armed conflict, was meant to protect civilians from the worst of war. But in today's wars civilians have become…
Big IdeasStan Grant — when words fail us, reclaiming the language of love
Most of us, in our lives, will witness things we cannot comprehend, when words fail to do justice to the moment. In those moments, to whom or what can we turn?…
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How conspiracy theories get inside our heads and take hold — Ariel Bogle, Cam Wilson, Gavin Fang, Tracey Kirkland
Conspiracy theories have always been with us, but now they're finding new ways to get inside our heads and take hold — and Australia is seeding some uniquely…
Big IdeasPRESENTS — The Challenger Legacy
Forty years ago this January, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated on its way into orbit. All seven astronauts on board were killed. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki…
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If we can make space accessible, we can make any space accessible
Meet Dwayne Fernandes, a man training to be the first double amputee in space. He brings you a powerful perspective based on his lived experience: in zero…
Big IdeasThe Great Debate — that Australia's history unites us
From the world's oldest continuous living culture, to the arrival of Captain Cook, the goldrush to the ANZACs, from Federation to elections to referendums, and…
Big IdeasTrump's USA — is it fascism yet? Masha Gessen, Anna Funder, Jason Stanley
He’s been called a “hypercapitalist”, a “new authoritarian” and a “post fascist”. Twelve months into Donald Trump’s second term as United States President, he…
Big IdeasMeet Australia’s next woman prime minister? Four changemakers here to WOW
Don't miss meeting these four resilient women creating the change they want to see in the world. At 20, Monique “Mermaid” Murphy’s had a catastrophic accident…
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James Bond and Jason Bourne move over – a real spy talks about his workday
He jumped off a plane, exchanged the notorious briefcase on a park bench and got his identity blown by an asset under torture. Sounds like fiction? But the…
Big IdeasFinding skeletons in the closet — the ethics of DNA testing in family history research
DNA testing has helped family history researchers fill in the blanks in their family trees. While that can be a good thing, it can also lead to unexpected…
Big IdeasVested interests vs public interest? The relation of Australian governments with the fossil fuel industry
How has the fossil fuel industry wielded influence over Australian governments and their policies? What does it take to make ambitious change in the public…
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We asked for workers and got people — life on the controversial visa putting food on your plate
A workforce we rarely hear about, lives in limbo, and stories from the coalface. From economic gains and cultural exchanges to exploitation and absconding…
Big IdeasWhen thinking together goes wrong — exploring the dark side of collaboration
At face value, collaboration sounds like a good thing: collaboration in the classroom, with colleagues, or between nations. But throughout history…
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House security systems – who really benefits?
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…
Big IdeasHelen Garner on the beauty and grandeur of footy
"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…
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Jem Bendell, the fake green fairytale, and how to survive civilisational collapse
We’re past the brink of civilisational collapse. And many environmentalists are pushing a “fake green fairytale”. Jem Bendell’s arguments have inspired the…
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Kara Swisher and Marc Fennell take on the Tech Bros
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…
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The relationship between brain and machine
Imagine a world where your brain is enhanced through cutting-edge technologies and next-generation AI, blurring the lines between organic and digital realms ……
Big IdeasOn the art of music writing — with writers who rock!
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…
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Can storytellers change the world? Tim Winton and Rachel Perkins join Natasha Mitchell
Two of Australia’s most influential and legendary storytellers, author Tim Winton and filmmaker Rachel Perkins, join Natasha Mitchell at WOMADelaide’s Planet…
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History of populist rage in America
Populism is part of American political history. It has been and still is the dominant vocabulary of dissent. But the current resurrection of authoritarian…
Big IdeasMeditation and mindfulness in the digital age
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…
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The secrets of wildlife documentaries
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…
Big IdeasThe Knowledge Gene — an incredible story of the origins of human creativity
Prepare to have your mind blown with a sweeping saga that connects human evolution, brains, genes, art, music, creativity, knowledge, dyslexia, autism…
Big IdeasSarah Churchwell asks — Will American democracy survive the Dark Enlightenment?
Historian Sarah Churchwell takes you on a gripping and confronting journey into America's recent past to explain its extraordinary present, starting with dark…
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2025 Grammy winner Ruthie Foster talks about her life and music
After five nominations, Ruthie Foster has taken home the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album - affirming her status as an American music…
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Childless on purpose — the fertility crisis and the big decision
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…