Can citizen juries put the people back in democracy?
Australia faces many big challenges, but is our democracy up to the job of solving these, or are we experiencing a decision deadlock?One process that could help governments meet the moment is known as citizen jury or assembly, where a cross section of ordinary people deliberate together over a thorny policy issue, then provide advice.How do these work, are they effective, and should they play a more central role in Australia's democracy?The session, The Place for Citizens Assemblies in Australia — where do they best fit? was recorded at Policy without Politics conference, hosted by Citizen Assemblies for South Australia, at the Woodville Town Hall in Adelaide on 14 June 2025.SpeakersJay WeatherillDirector of Democracy, McKinnonFormer South Australian Premier (2011 to 2018)Simon BirminghamFormer South Australian Liberal Senator (2007 to 2025)Emma FletcherCo-CEO, Democracy CoElizabeth Farrelly (host)Writer, columnist, critic, academic, broadcasterFormer councillor, City of SydneyDirector, Better Cities InitiativeAuthor, Bubberland; the Dangers of Happiness and Killing Sydney; the fight for a city's soul
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Join Jodi Edwards and her Sea Kin on a journey that flows like salt water. You won't see the sea in the same way.
We bathe in the amniotic fluid our mother's womb. Our cells are full of water. For Walbanja woman, artist, educator and researcher Dr Jodi Edwards, this ocean-within intimately connects her to the ocean she grew up with on Sea Country. From saving the Sea kin to sensing the Gaia imperative — join Jodi with Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell, and also hear from award-winning author James Bradley and CEO-turned-climate-action advocate Mark Rowland as they explore why the ocean's function is so vital to your own.This event was hosted by the 2025 Ocean Lovers Festival at Bondi Beach as part of its Ocean Talks program.Dr Jodi EdwardsCreative arts practitioner, story sharer, educator, researcherAssociate professor and Vice Chancellor Indigenous Research FellowNational Centre for Ocean Resources & SecurityUniversity of Wollongong.James BradleyAuthor of Deep Water: The World in the Ocean (2024)Mark RowlandConsultant, systems-thinker, climate-action advocateGAIA ImperativeThanks to Lorna Parry and Carolyn Grant from the Ocean Lovers Festival.Further informationUnbroken whispers: the ripples connecting sea kinA project run by Dr Jodi Edwards and Gumbaynggirr woman and ecologist Dr Chels Marshall
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Behrouz Boochani and Arnold Zable on the radical act of friendship
The Kurdish poet Behrouz Boochani and the Australian writer Arnold Zable explore the power of friendship as an act of resistance, nourishment and healing.This event was recorded with the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne 29 April 2025.SpeakersBehrouz BoochaniKurdish-Iranian writer, journalist, scholar, cultural advocate, filmmaker, and public advocate for human rightsAuthor, No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison, and Freedom Only FreedomAdjunct Associate Professor in Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales, McGeorge Fellow, University of MelbourneArnold ZableAuthor, Jewels and Ashes, Café Scheherazade, The Fig Tree,The Watermill and moreWinner, Australia Council Award for a Lifetime Achievement in Literature, 2021Nikos Papastergiadis (host)Cultural critic, essayist and author, John Berger and Me: A Migrant's EyeFormer Director of the Research Unit in Public Cultures at the University of Melbourne
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Where to now — transforming anger into action after the Voice referendum
In October 2023, Australians voted no to a Voice to Parliament for First Nations people. In this panel from the 2025 Melbourne Writers Festival, four speakers who saw the campaign up close discuss what went wrong, and even whether the whole endeavour was worth it. Ultimately they’re all trying to answer the question, where do we go from here? Speakers Thomas MayoKaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander, author, activist and 'yes' campaignerBen AbbatangeloGunaikurnai and Wotjobaluk journalist Nardi SimpsonYuwaalaraay artist, musician and author Daniel Browning (host)Bundjalung and Kullilli man, Professor of Indigenous Cultural and Creative Industries at University of Sydney and former ABC arts journalist
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What would a feminist utopia look like?
What would religion, work, sex or technology look like if we lived in a truly feminist world? In a perfect world would the messy stuff make the cut? Or would stuff that makes us human be left in the real world? Join two big thinkers who unpack it all as they build their own feminist utopia in this episode of Big Ideas. This was a live philosophy event presented in London at the Sophia Club, from the creators of Aeon and Psyche magazines. You can find out more about the series at sophiaclub.co. SpeakersChine McDonaldAuthor of Unmaking Mary: Shattering the Myth of Perfect Motherhood and director of religion and society think tank TheosKate DevlinProfessor of artificial intelligence and society at King’s College London and author of Turned On: Science, Sex and RobotsSally Davies (host)Writer and contributing editor at Aeon magazine
Feed your mind. Be provoked. One big idea at a time. Your brain will love you for it. Grab your front row seat to the best live forums and festivals with Natasha Mitchell.
New Zealand