Big Ideas

From the Frontier Wars, to foreign wars experienced by migrant Australians, to the threat of Australia's involvement in future conflict, war means many different things to different people. So as Australian society evolves, should our culture of war commemoration change too? 
The 2026 Wilks Oration was recorded at the Effective Living Centre, at Christ Church Uniting in Wayville, Adelaide.
Speakers:
Professor Peter StanleyAuthor of more than 50 books including Beyond The Broken Years, Australian military history in 1000 books, Bad Characters (joint winner of the Prime Minister's Prize for Australian History in 2011) and moreFormer Research Professor at UNSW CanberraInaugural head of the Research Centre at the National Museum of AustraliaFormer principal historian at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra (1980-2007)Founding member and President of Defending Country

Pacific communities have long led the global climate fight — not from the margins, but from the front. Australia's hopes of co-hosting COP31 alongside Pacific Island nations have been dashed. So, what does genuine partnership now look like and what does it demands of Australia? 
This live conversation was recorded at the 2026 WOMADelaide festival, produced and presented as part of their Planet Talks program, held on the traditional lands of the Guarna people.
Listen to Big Ideas — Changing minds on climate change
Speakers
Moemoana Safaʻatoʻa SchwenkeSamoan climate activist, cultural ambassador, former Miss Samoa and Miss Pacific Islands
Salā Dr. George CarterHead of the Pacific Institute and Deputy Head of the Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University
'Alopi LatukefuDirector Edmund Rice Centre for Justice & Community Education
Tukini Tavui (host)CEO of the Pacific Islands Council of South Australia

He was there at the birth of a movement. He's been a champion for the rights of gay people both in Australia and abroad ever since. The son of Jewish refugees, he's also been forced to reckon with other parts of his identity, especially since 7 October 2023. Dennis Altman looks back at 50 years of activism, writing, and social change.
This event was recorded at the Williamstown Literary Festival on 13 June 2026.
Speakers:
Professor Dennis AltmanAuthor, Righting My World: Essays from the past half century, and many moreVice Chancellors Fellow at LaTrobe UniversityFormer President of the AIDS Society of Asia and the PacificPatron of the Australian Queer ArchivesPatron, the Pride Foundation
Sam Elkin (host)Author, Detachable Penis: A Queer Legal SagaHost, Queer View Mirror Triple R community radio stationFormer lawyer

Think of a history textbook you had at school. Could you relate to the characters inside its pages? These women are proving Australian history contains multitudes. You just have to go looking for the version of Australia that never made it into the textbooks.
Meet four women reshaping how and whose history is told. Hidden histories with a Wiradjuri woman and nurse turned oral historian, a South Indian finance student turned storyteller, a Zambian born film-maker and author, and the founder of She Shapes History. 
This event was hosted at the National Library of Australia in partnership with She Shapes History.
Speakers
Sita SargeantSocial entrepreneur, author, founder and CEO of She Shapes History2026 ACT Young Australian of the Year
Santilla ChingaipeZambian-born filmmaker, historian and author of Black Convicts - how slavery shaped AustraliaHost of the SBS documentary Our African RootsHost of monthly literary and listening events in Melbourne. Find more information at firstchapterpresents
Jacinta MackayWiradjuri woman, nurse, researcher and oral historian completing her PhDLecturer, University of Sydney School of Nursing2024 National Library Scholar
Harini RangarajanChennai-born, Canberra-raised storyteller, archivist and musicianACT Greens candidate
Further information:
Relevant reading notes and tips for this event if you're interested to discover more.

The conversation around men's mental health, identity and emotional lives is changing. Literature is one of the places where that shift is happening. On the page, writers are exploring what it costs men to conform, to hide, to perform strength they don't always feel.
Masculinity and Mental Health was presented at the Newcastle Writers Festival.
Listen to Big Ideas: The radicalisation of boys — Jess Hill, George Megalogenis, Thomas Mayo with Natasha Mitchell at Byron Writers Festival
Speakers
Tyree BarnetteAuthor of Stolen Man on Stolen Land: Being African-American in Australia
Brandon JackFormer AFL player and author of Pissants and 28: A memoir of football, addiction, art, masculinity and love
Andrew PipposAuthor of The Transformations and Lucky's
Michael Williams (host)Editor of The Monthly