Big Ideas

He's got a rags to riches origin story, a hit Youtube channel and a bestselling memoir. Now Gary Stevenson is using his platform to fight the growing divide between rich and poor across the western world — including in Australia.
This conversation was recorded at the Melbourne Town Hall on 28 February 2026 with thanks to Thinkable events.
Speakers
Gary Stevenson Author, The Trading Game: A Confession host, Gary Economics Youtube Channel, former Citibank financial trader
Alison Pennington (host) Chief Economist, McKell Institute, author, Gen F'd? How Young Australians Can Reclaim Their Uncertain Futures

A year on from its landslide victory, has Labor used its historic win to deliver big on BIG ideas to set Australia up for the future? Or is Prime Minister Albanese and his cabinet erring on the side of caution in this second term?  What allowed notable reformer prime ministers in the past to prosecute ambitious agendas? Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell at the Sorrento Writers Festival with three seasoned and savvy politics watchers, journalists and authors Paul Kelly, Niki Savva, and Amy Remeikis. A lively conversation not to miss as we head towards the May Federal budget.
Speakers
Amy RemeikisSenior political analyst, The Australia InstituteContributing editor, The New DailyCommentator as Pyjama PoliticsAuthor, Where it All Went Wrong: The Case Against John Howard (Simon and Schuster Australia, 2026)
Niki SavvaPolitical journalist and authorAuthor, Earthquake: the election that shook Australia (Scribe, 2025)Bulldozed: Scott Morrison’s Fall and ANthony Albanese’ Rise (Scribe, 2022)
Paul KellyEditor-at-Large, The AustralianAuthor of The Twilight of Exceptionalism: the Liberal and Conservative Era (Melbourne University Publishing,  forthcoming in July 2026)
Thank you to Sorrento Writers Festival founder and director Corrie Perkin, Isabel Pinkster, Mark Bollenberg, and the whole festival team.

Indigenous participation in the economy is not just a social imperative — it's a strategic economic opportunity crucial to Australia's long-term growth. Corporate Australia has the greatest power to harness Indigenous talent and unlock economic opportunities and pathways for leadership. Martin Luther King III on Indigenous talent and the link to Australian economic prosperity was presented by The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and CareerTrackers.
Speakers
Martin Luther King IIICivil Rights Leader and Global Humanitarian
Linda BurneyFormer Minister for Indigenous Australians
Melinda CilentoChief Executive CEDA
Renee Wootton TomlinFounder and CEO New Era Energy
Ben WyattFormer WA Treasurer and Non Executive Director of serval companies
Adam Davids (host)CEO and Managing Director CareerTrackers

They're Australia's highest form of inquiry on matters of public importance. But they've also become the go-to solution when corruption, misconduct or systems failures are exposed. So are they just a lawyer's picnic? Or a necessary reckoning?
The conversation How do Royal Commissions work? And How Do We Assess Their Impact? was recorded at the Sorrento Writers Festival on Friday 24 April 2026.
Speakers
Betty King QCFormer Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria (2005 - 2015), former County Court judge, former state prosecutor, former criminal barristerChairperson of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board
Jack Rush KC Barrister, counsel assisting the Victorian Royal Commission into the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires
Jon Faine (host)Former longtime presenter Mornings, ABC Radio MelbourneFormer lawyerVice Chancellors Fellow, University of MelbourneAuthor, Apollo & Thelma

Malcolm Fraser's legacy remains contested territory in Australian politics. Decades after he left office, we still can't quite figure him out. The Prime Minister who came to power in controversy, governed for seven years, then spent the rest of his life surprising everyone with his increasingly progressive views. Whether Fraser was cautious conservative, pragmatic reformer, or something more complex entirely, this discussion seeks to understand both the man and the government he led during a pivotal period in Australian history.
Presented at the Malcolm Fraser Symposium by the Trinity College, University of Melbourne.
Listen to Big Ideas - The Art of opposition
Speakers
Troy BramstonSenior writer and columnist with The AustralianAuthor of Gough Whitlam: The Vista of the New (2025)
Dr Scott PrasserFormer Senior Adviser to three Federal Cabinet Ministers, Academic and independent researcher
Georgina Downer (host)Chief Executive Officer of the Robert Menzies Institute