Is the war on drugs unwinnable? Illegal drugs are killing hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and the largest drug market is the US. Most drugs there come into the country via Latin and Central America. But counter-drug programs, local in

Finland's PM on the Ukraine war and European security

Feb 13th, 2023

The war in Ukraine has up-ended the security landscape in Europe.The EU is using every measure , short of troops on the ground, to punish Putin and countries like Sweden and Finland want to join NATO .The Finnish Prime Minister , Sanna Marin, v

Why the eucalypt tree is so important for Australia

Feb 9th, 2023

From the bush to our own backyards, the Eucalypt is the stalwart of the Australian landscape. With over 800 species spread across the country facing extreme heat, drought and bushfire, the future of the iconic eucalypt is tied to our own surviv

Food, glorious food

Feb 8th, 2023

The best of talks, forums, debates, and festivals held in Australia and around the world.

Australia's Wild Odyssey

Feb 7th, 2023

Australia belongs to a club you’d rather not join. We’re losing animal and plant species at an alarming rate. As one species goes extinct, it threatens the complex web of life that’s grown up around it. A three-part ABC TV documentary showcases

Teaching empathy through story telling

Feb 6th, 2023

Empathy has power – to maintain relationships and prevent conflict. But can empathy be learned? It seems empathy has never been more important: From natural disasters and fallouts of the pandemic, to the surge of women's voices against harassme

Can radical centre strategies solve inequality?

Feb 2nd, 2023

In an age of increasing tribalism, how can Australians break through groupthink and achieve bold reforms to address inequality? The answer is radical centre solutions. Shireen Morris was part of collaborative efforts which forged a progressive-

The ingredients to 'ageing well'

Feb 1st, 2023

What does it mean to 'age well', what gets in the way, and what needs to change? Ageist attitudes can be a barrier to ageing well, as can residential aged care — which tends to discourage older people from being more independent. But we can lea

For the public good and fixing aged care

Jan 31st, 2023

Governments argue if they spend too much on social services they’ll blow the budget. But economist Richard Denniss says that’s a choice not an iron law of economics. And ageing well at home or in residential care.

How new is the Metaverse really?

Jan 30th, 2023

What exactly is the Metaverse? And is it really that new? Big Ideas explores our emotional connections to cyberspace, our feelings of presence and immediacy in online environments and what this means for the intensity of our experiences. Some o

CBC Massey lecture: On Death

Jan 26th, 2023

Is there an afterlife? How does your time on earth determine how you’ll spend eternity? Every culture has its own version of the answer to these questions. Tomson Highway says the Cree indigenous community doesn’t fear death. Your body and spir

CBC Massey Lecture: On humour

Jan 25th, 2023

Why do humans exist? What is the meaning of life?Cree Indian writer, Tomson Highway, says joy and laughter is the reason for existence .The Christian doctrine of sin and damnation , so much a part of his Catholic education , does not sit well

CBC Massey Lecture: On sex and gender

Jan 24th, 2023

Monotheism imposes limits on our understanding of gender and the human body. In the world of Indigenous peoples,“the circle of pantheism has space for any number of genders”. So says Cree writer, musician and humorist, Tomson Highway, in this C

CBC Massey lecture: On creation

Jan 23rd, 2023

What do Christian, classical, and Cree mythologies contribute to Western thought and culture? And how does North American Indigenous mythologies provide unique, timeless solutions to our modern problems? Let's start with creation. How we think

Is Australia 'sleepwalking' to war with China?

Jan 19th, 2023

Defence and security analyst, Hugh White, is concerned Australia may be 'sleepwalking' to war with China, because of our alliance with America.He believes the US is unable to constrain a growing China in East Asia, nor win a future war agains

Why too much medical treatment is causing more harm than good

Jan 18th, 2023

Much of medicine doesn't do what it is supposed to do: improve health.That is the view of orthopaedic surgeon, Ian Harris.He believes too many drugs are being prescribed, too much surgery is being performed, and there are too many unhelpful

Foreign correspondents and the news of the world

Jan 17th, 2023

In a global community it’s more important than ever to understand what’s going on in the rest of the world. Despite instant communication over the internet there's nothing like the considered view of a seasoned foreign correspondent. They bring

Why environmentalists and conservationists can be a problem for the environment

Jan 16th, 2023

Queensland Chief Scientist Hugh Possingham is very annoyed with his fellow scientists as well as environmentalist and conservationists: They are too conservative, don’t debate respectfully, are too obsessed with growing their own organisations

Mortals and the fear of death

Jan 12th, 2023

Make the most of your life and be at peace with death. Easy to say but hard to do.Death is not a topic we’re encouraged to talk about. But its shadow shapes many of the things we do.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert on being imprisoned in Iran for 804 days

Jan 11th, 2023

Australian, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, endured a living nightmare.She was arrested and convicted of espionage in Iran, and then sentenced to 10 years in prison.The charges were baseless; the trial was a sham.Kylie became a pawn in a high stakes

Being healthy on a sick planet, how climate change impacts health

Jan 10th, 2023

The impacts of climate change on our health are growing, as surely as global temperatures and sea levels are rising. So how can we strive to live as healthy people on an increasingly sick planet? What are the major ways global warming is threat

The key to happiness and the history of emotions

Jan 9th, 2023

Is happiness the natural order of things and, if so, should you be worried if you’re not happy? And how our emotional experiences have changed over time and in different cultures.

Hidden homelessness, revealed by those who've lived it

Jan 5th, 2023

Some 116,000 people experience homelessness every night in Australia, and that number is expected to grow. What is it like to be homeless? What do those who've been in that awful circumstance think is the answer?

AI and the rise of smart machines

Jan 4th, 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will revolutionise medicine, and help to combat climate change.But it also threatens to usher in a new age of automated drone warfare.With smart machines poised to take more decisions out of our hands, how can w

For the love of birds

Jan 3rd, 2023

Are you a bird lover? Were you one of the many people to discover the delights of birdwatching during the pandemic lockdowns? Birds play a crucial role in our ecosystem, but their very existence is under threat. What can we do to protect the fu