UNSW Centre for Ideas

Anne Summers’s Damned Whores and God’s Police was first published 50 years ago – a time when sexual harassment, domestic violence and date rape were unnamed and often ignored experiences for women in Australia. It would be another nine years before the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984. Hear Anne as the bestselling and multi-award-winning writer and journalist – also an Officer of the...

Economics Professor at UNSW Sydney Richard Holden (Money in the Twenty First Century) and Parliamentarian Andrew Leigh (The Shortest History of Economics) unpack economics as a global force that impacts wars, technological innovation and social change. 

In our contemporary world, what are the causes and consequences of economic inequality? And can economics be used as a tool for justice for the oppressed?

This event ...

Miles Franklin is a literary legend now, but her story, and those of women like her, were nearly lost to the passage of time. 

Kerrie Davies unwinds the mysteries of Miles Franklin’s lost years in Miles Franklin Undercover: The little-known years when she created her own brilliant career, constructing a real-life sequel to My Brilliant Career using never-before-published material. Yves Rees dives into...

The climate crisis is vast, complex and often feels both imminent and frustratingly out of our control. With global systems slow to change and the scale of the challenge immense, it’s easy to wonder if individual action could ever be enough.

On World Environment Day, Climate Warriors brought together four transformative voices; renewable energy expert and former Biden administration advisor Saul Griffith, Solar Citi...

Artificial intelligence’s collision with human creativity is one of the most important stories of our time. 

With the accelerating impact of AI, so much of what we understand about being human is being re-written.  

Acclaimed writer Jeanette Winterson (12 Bytes: How artificial intelligence will change the way we live and love) sees AI changing our lives in unprecedented ways. Academic and researcher Toby Walsh ...

Acclaimed Indonesian author Norman Erikson Pasaribu and award-winning Australian writer Dylin Hardcastle explore the joy, tenderness and triumphs of queer storytelling.  

Norman, best known for Happy Stories, Mostly, and their latest book My Dream Job, crafts tender yet sharp narratives about identity, faith and belonging, challenging the expectations of queer life in Indonesia. While Dylin, acclaimed for A Language of Li...

Beneath the ocean’s surface, fibre-optic cables pulse with the entirety of our human existence – memes and messages, stock trades and state secrets. But when these fragile threads break, so too can the connections that bind us. 

Hear award-winning author Colum McCann join The Daily Aus’ Sam Koslowski to explore truth, misinformation and human connection in a world driven by technology, and his latest boo...

Richard Holden | Alan Kohler

Australia, a land of sweeping plains, has one of the lowest population densities on the planet. So, how did we end up with a housing shortage? 

In conversation with economist and author Richard Holden, veteran finance journalist Alan Kohler’s new Quarterly Essay, The Great Divide: Australia’s Housing Crisis and How to Fix It, investigates where things went wrong at the start of the 21st century w...

Machines lead the charge on today’s battlefields, but what does this mean for the people caught in the crossfire? 

Learn from journalist Antony Loewenstein, whose Walkley Award-winning investigation, The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World, uncovered the widespread commercialisation and global deployment of Israeli weaponry tested in Palestinian territories. Antony is joined...

How did sex begin? How did it evolve to become so varied and complex in humans? And what could sex look like for future generations? 

Hosted by evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks, this blush-worthy panel discussion features sex historian Esmé Louise James and historian David Baker. Esmé adapted her wildly popular TikTok series into a book, Kinky History: The Stories of Our Intimate Lives, Past and Pres...

Economist John N. Friedman has made a career researching the causes of inequality and its long-term consequences for children in the US. His findings are grim. Social mobility is in sharp decline. Where you live and go to school increasingly determines your success and future. Joining fellow economist, Richard Holden, Friedman will explore how policy can harness schools, neighbourhoods, universities, and social capital to reverse t...

Brigitte Gerstl | Luara Ferracioli | Mianna Lotz | Chaired by Kathryn MacKay

Is the emergence of artificial wombs and womb transplants a ‘boon’ or a ‘bane’ for women? Listen now to explore the transformative possibilities for reproductive autonomy that could redefine the very essence of motherhood. 

This session is presented as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, and supported by UNSW Syd...

The late philosopher and scientist, Daniel Dennett talked about ‘counterfeit people’ as one of the great dangers of AI – but are we now willing to court the same dangers through our adoption of multiple identities across the metaverse. Moving from the confinement of physical reality to the landscape of the metaverse, where looks, preferences, and genders are limitless, we can each acquire many digital selves.

Is a...

Over 40 years ago, Deborah Lawrie broke barriers to become Australia’s first female commercial airline pilot. Her path wasn’t easy — she battled a landmark High Court case to challenge gender discrimination in employment and prevailed, all while facing blatant prejudice and unapologetic misogyny.

Deborah’s determination didn’t just open cockpit doors; it helped pave the way for equal opportunity across...

In a timely and thought-provoking discussion, essayist and author of the recently released The World After Gaza, Pankaj Mishra reflects on the ongoing war in Gaza, examining how competing narratives of colonialism, national identity and justice collide with tragic consequences for all.

In a conversation with philosopher and Executive Director of The Ethics Centre Simon Longstaff, Mishra delves into the historical, political an...

More than one in four women in Australia have experienced domestic or family violence, and one in five have experienced sexual violence. Yet, despite survivors increasingly speaking out, systemic barriers to addressing gender-based violence persist.  

In a powerful and necessary conversation, internationally acclaimed lawyer Jennifer Robinson, NSW’s inaugural Women’s Safety Commissioner Hannah Tonkin and UNSW ...

In a world where urban congestion and traffic delays plague our daily lives, Arian Prabowo examines how artificial intelligence can transform urban progress. He delves into practical solutions like improving traffic flow through AI-powered traffic lights and real-time navigation systems that adapt to changing conditions.

Prabowo also tackles the critical issue of AI systems' vulnerability to errors in new and unexpected situations,...

In a stirring exploration of history and justice, Leah Lui-Chivizhe delves into the profound impact of colonial practices on Indigenous communities. She unravels the poignant narrative of Ancestral Remains taken from their lands and stored in museums—far from their people.

Through her personal journey and research, Lui-Chivizhe illuminates the ongoing pain and historical injustices inflicted by these acts. She calls for a transform...

Despite the rush of technological breakthroughs, we find ourselves drifting into a crisis of connection—profound loneliness and division. Nevena Krups takes us on a heartfelt journey, revealing how the ancient and seemingly simple art of friendship can serve as a powerful source to bridge divides and heal a fragmented society.

Drawing from her poignant experiences in former Yugoslavia, Krups illuminates how true friendship, with it...