Big Ideas

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? To God? To philosophy? To music? To ourselves, or to our fellow humans? In a noisy world, Stan Grant wrestles with the fragility of language, and the power of silence, and of listening, to find a path to connection, compassion, and love.
The Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value was held at the School of Philosophy at the Australian Catholic University.
Speakers
Stan GrantProfessor of TheologyVice Chancellor's Chair of Australian/Indigenous Belonging at Charles Sturt UniversityAuthor, Talking to My Country, The Queen is Dead, Australia Day and the soon to be published, When Words Fail Us: Truth beyond time (May 2026, UNSW Press)

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 homegrown varieties. Investigative technology journalists Ariel Bogle and Cam Wilson went down the rabbit hole for their book Conspiracy Nation: Exposing the dangerous world of Australian conspiracy theories. To discuss the why, what, and how of conspiratorial thinking, they join seasoned editorial leaders Gavin Fang and Tracey Kirkland, co-editors of Age of Doubt: Building Trust in a World of Misinformation and Pandemedia: How COVID changed Journalism.
This event was held at the 2025 Canberra Writers Festival.
Speakers
Ariel BogleInvestigations reporter specialising in technology, internet and the lawGuardian Australia
Cam WilsonAssociate Editor, CrikeyJournalist specialising in technology, internet culture, and politicsEditor of the daily technology newsletter, The Sizzle
Tracey KirklandManaging editor, ABC NewsJournalistGavin Fang (host)Editorial director, Australian Broadcasting CorporationJournalist and editor

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 and Fiona Pepper investigate how the Challenger disaster unfolded – and what that has meant for space exploration from 1986 to now.
In the days after the tragedy, the world wanted answers. What really caused the shuttle to explode? And should the launch have been stopped altogether?
The Challenger Legacy is a five-part series from Science Friction and is out now.

Forty years ago this January, the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated on its way into orbit. All seven astronauts on board were killed.
In the days after the tragedy, the world wanted answers. What really caused the shuttle to explode? And should the launch have been stopped altogether?
For season five of Science Friction, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and Fiona Pepper investigate how the Challenger disaster unfolded – and what that has meant for space exploration from 1986 to now.
The Challenger Legacy is a five-part series from Science Friction. Episode 1 is out Wednesday 21st January.

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 gravity, his disability disappears and human potential soars free. He explores how the social model of disability transforms our understanding of accessibility, showing that environments either create barriers or unlock possibility. His message is both challenging and hopeful: if we can make space accessible, we can make any space accessible.
The 2025 Disability Oration presented by the Disability Leadership Institute
Speakers
Dwayne FernandesAstroAccess Flight 2 Ambassador, accessibility consultant with IDEA Services, co-founder of Minds at Play, and advocate with the Australian Space Diversity Alliance
Christina RyanCEO and Founder of the Disability Leadership Institute