Big Ideas

Through the stories of five women across three generations of his family, the influential Greek economist, author, politician and public intellectual Yanis Varoufakis tells the tumultuous tale of Greece's modern history, and reflects on its parallels with the once again global rising tides of fascism, authoritarianism, and the actions of those who resist. This conversation was recorded on 6 March 2026 at the Sydney Greek Festival. Speakers Yanis Varoufakis Economist, former Greek Finance Minister (2015), founder and General Secretary MeRA25 Author, Raise your soul: A Personal History of Resistance, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism? and more Dr Helen Vatsikopoulos (host) Journalist, Doctor of Creative Arts University of Technology Sydney

Every scientist dreams of a breakthrough — a new discovery that will change everything. Professor Georgina Long is someone who has done it — as a pioneer of life saving cancer treatments. So what are the ingredients for breakthroughs to occur? And why are the conditions that can lead to new discoveries under threat right now? The 2026 Ann Moyal lecture When groundbreaking cancer treatments save 50% of patients, what happens to the other half? was recorded at the National Library of Australia on 19 March 2026. Speakers Professor Georgina Long Medical Director of the Melanoma Institute of Australia Chair of Melanoma Medical Oncology and Translational Research, University of Sydney Co-recipient (with Professor Richard Scolyer) of the 2024 Australian of the Year Award Further information: Patient Zero - Richard Scolyer - Australian Story 2024 Dr Richard Scolyer speaks on his fight with brain cancer - ABC 730, 30 October 2025

The explosion of reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is not only a story of the past. Right now, nuclear plants are weaponised in the Iran war. It happened in 2022 when Russian forces occupied the Chernobyl exclusion zone. A new way of weaponising nuclear power. What have we learned from the worst nuclear accident in history — and what have we failed to learn? This conversation was presented by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and the Ukrainian Institute London. Speakers Serhii Plokhy Mykhailo S. Hrushevs'kyi Professor of Ukrainian History; Director, Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University Eglė Rindzevičiūtė Professor of Criminology and Sociology at Kingston University London Jonathon Turnbull Assistant Professor of Human Geography at Durham University Dr Sasha Dovzhyk (host) Writer, Curator and Head of INDEX: Institute for Documentation and Exchange (Lviv, Ukraine). Editor of the London Ukrainian Review

Is President Trump a new Nero, or a contemporary Caligula? The Roman Empire was full of merchants of chaos, power-hungry emperors, epic wars, backstabbing, betrayals — the whole horror show. And it was a time of civilisational scale change. As we grapple with a rewriting of the world order,  does Ancient Rome have lessons for us today — about the building and breaking of empires, or the rise and fall of autocrats? Or are these sorts of comparisons with the past fraught with complication?  Join Natasha Mitchell and guests at this Melbourne Museum event to coincide with the opening of the ROME: Empire, Power, People exhibition. Speakers Rhiannon Evans Co-host of the Emperors of Rome podcast Author, Utopia Antiqua: Readings of the Golden Age and decline at Rome (Routledge, 2007) Adjunct Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient History La Trobe University  Nick Bisley Author, Asian Crucible: Globalization, Geopolitics and the Contest for the Future (Bristol University Press, 2026); The Belt and Road Initiative and the Future of Regional Order in the Indo-Pacific (Rowman and Littlefield, 2020), Issues in 21st Century World Politics, 3rd Edition (Palgrave, 2017) and Great Powers in the Changing International Order (Lynne Rienner, 2012) Professor of International Relations Pro Vice-Chancellor Research La Trobe University    Thanks to event producer Jennifer Brookings, Nick Marchand (Director of Global Engagement at Museums Victoria), and team the Melbourne Museum.

What happens to a community when it punishes its most vulnerable instead of protecting them Drawing on her own story of addiction, imprisonment, and recovery, as well as her frontline work supporting women behind bars and post-release, Tahlia Issac challenges the "tough on crime" narrative. The typical incarcerated woman in Australia is First Nations, a mother, a survivor of violence, and imprisoned for a low-level offence. Locking her up doesn't make communities safer — it makes them more fragile. This is the 2025 International Women's Day Address at the National Press Club of Australia. Speakers Tahlia Isaac Founder and CEO of Project: herself with lived experience as a woman in prison Emma Macdonald Associate Editor or Her Canberra, an online media company, magazine, and community hub tailored specifically for women, and Canberra Convenor of Women in Media