Liberalism in Question | CIS

On this episode, Rob chats with Joanna Williams, author and former academic now running her platform Cieo, delve into the catastrophic impacts of wokism on society. Joanna defines wokism and discusses how it has prevailed, emphasising the widespread emphasis on victimhood in our culture. She addresses the core issue, asserting that the focus of woke anti-racism is on 'structural' racism ingrained...

David de Carvalho is the Executive Dean, Faculty of Education, Philosophy and Theology at The University of Notre Dame Australia. Prior to this role, David was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). He has extensive experience in leading major reforms at both national and state level and a deep personal passion for, and understan...

In this enthralling episode of Liberalism in Question, host Rob Forsyth engages in a deep dialogue about Indigenous affairs in Australia with influential Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Distinguished as one of Australia's most notable figures in 2023, Price imparts a fresh perspective on her experiences and shares her critical views on the prevailing policies affecting Indigenous Australians. Th...

In this engaging episode of "Liberalism in Question", host Rob Forsyth dialogues with Fraser Nelson, renowned UK journalist and editor of The Spectator. The conversation plunges deep into the dynamics of liberalism, the wrestle for "social justice", and the influence of government on societal transformation. Nelson, an avowed liberal, articulates his understanding of social cohesion's significance...

On this episode Rob chats with 17-year-old founder of Australia’s first youth-lead campaign for nuclear energy: Nuclear for Australia, William Shackel. William is actively pushing for the reconsideration of Australia's unique ban on nuclear energy, positioning himself at the forefront of this crucial debate in the Australian landscape. Motivated by his youthful perspective, he is dedicated to addr...

In this episode, Rob chats with John Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. Mearsheimer presents a nuanced perspective on liberalism, emphasising a crucial distinction between its positive impact domestically and its potential pitfalls when applied as a foreign policy approach. He delves into his views on modern-day l...

Watch this episode here Andrew Blyth was manager of the John Howard Prime Ministerial Library and Exhibition located at Old Parliament House, 2016-2023. He was chief of staff and a senior adviser in the Howard Government. He lectures in ideals and power to cadets and midshipmen at UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy and is undertaking a doctorate in public leadership at UNSW Canb...

David Hart is the Online Library director at the Liberty Fund and academic editor of the Collected Works of Frédéric Bastiat. Dr. Hart is an historian and a libertarian with interests in the history of the classical liberal tradition (especially the French), war and culture, libertarian class theory, and film. He has a PhD from King's College, Cambridge, a masters from Stanford University, and a B...

In this new special episode of 'Liberalism in Question,' Robert Forsyth and his guest Jason Riley, a member of The Wall Street Journal's editorial board and distinguished conservative commentator, delve into the dynamics of liberalism, the Trump presidency, and the African-American legacy in the United States. 'Liberalism in Question' offers rich perspectives on crucial issues, encouraging reflect...

What is "Post Liberalism"? Do you have to be a Christian to understand it? Can the free market give us ethics? What happens when individual rights class with collect rights? Do collectives like churches, schools and other institutions even have rights? Join Dr. Joel Harrison, an expert in constitutional law and religious freedom, and CIS's Robert Forsyth, for an in depth discussion of these questi...

Patrick Parkinson is a Professor of Law at the University of Sydney and an internationally renowned expert on family law. He has played a major role in shaping family law in Australia. His proposal for the establishment of a national network of family relationship centers, made to the prime minister in 2004, became the centerpiece of the Australian government's family law reforms. He was also inst...

Should Michael Jordan mow his own lawn? What is the role of the Reserve Bank? Is liberalism "right-wing"? Robert Forsyth interviews CIS Chief Economist, Peter Tulip, a "classical liberal" thinker otherwise known as a "mainstream economist". Throughout the conversation Peter distinguishes liberalism from conservatism and argues that is it usually better to have the government out of the way. He poi...

In a wide ranging and nuanced discussion Rob Forsyth questions Duncan Ivison, Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Sydney, on his claim that the granting of indigenous rights is compatible with liberalism rather than its repudiation. They agree that the constitutional Voice cannot be justified simply on terms of closing the gap and explore how and if this particular form of recog...

Rob chats to Lorraine Finlay, Human Rights Commissioner with the Australian Human Rights Commission, about the importance and nature of human rights. A convinced believer is liberalism, Lorraine understands human rights as absolutely important which give is our humanity. She is also aware that they are not inevitable. Nor do they come from government but are only expressed through government.

On this episode Rob chats to author Roslyn Fuller. Liberals believe in the value of democracy, but Roslyn tells Rob there is truly little of it in the word today. This is because there is little direct power given to people in our system of government. Drawing on the example of ancient Athens, Roslyn outlines her preferred model of direct democracy. Her critique of the current representative democ...

Speaking from Berlin, Sabine speaks with Rob about why she set up the Freiblickinstitut (Free Vision Institute) to promote open freedom of discussion and tolerance in public debate. They discuss some of the tragic moments of lost opportunity for liberalism in Germany history. Sabine explains why there is no German word for ‘Cancel Culture’ in German, even though the phenomenon exists in a country...

Claire Lehmann, founding editor of Quillette sits down with Rob. Claire explains the philosophy of the Quillette project in promoting Enlightenment values of reason, the use of evidence, and free thought which first arose to confront unconscious left-wing bias in psychology. She believes ideological diversity is helpful in any search for truth because everyone has blind spots. Rob and Claire discu...

Rob talks to Mike Bird, the Academic Dean at Ridley Theological College Melbourne, on the importance of secularism in contemporary Australian life and about his recent book Religious Freedom in a Secular Age (Harper Collins, May 2022). Mike contends that with a secular government religious bodies do not control the state and the state does not control religious bodies—to the benefit of both. They...

On this episode Rob chats with former university vice-chancellor Steven Schwartz. Steven understands liberalism as an attitude that gives everyone an opportunity to flourish — an attitude of ‘live and let live’ so long as you do not interfere with others living their lives. He believes liberalism has won the big battle of ideas, but that it keeps on being undermined in the narrow world of practica...

In this discussion we hear a youthful take on Liberalism, Emilie is Australian Lead at Young Voices, an Advisor at GT Communications and former policy director at the Australian Taxpayers Alliance. Emily understands Liberalism as based on the understanding that only an individual can know what is best for their life. However, she is also aware that many of her generation are disillusioned with how...

Rob sits down the Centre for Independent Studies executive director Tom Switzer. Tom discusses with Rob what so called ‘Classical Liberalism’ is and why he is convinced it is best for society. This leads to the question if it works better, why don’t more people believe in it?

A fierce reformer for liberalism, Ruth Richardson is asked whether the ship of reforming liberalism has sailed in the light of the many setbacks it has experienced in the last decades. They discuss how the restoration liberalism to its dynamic rightful place will depend on three things, the ideas of freedom, the institutions that buttress that freedom, and the individuals who champion that freedom...

Rob and Nick discuss the liberalism of Robert Menzies for whom the independence of the individual was paramount and whether liberalism is somehow in tune with the human soul and, if so, why is it not widespread in today’s connected world? Nick explains to us that liberalism has a strong moral vision that works in practice. Good policy leads to great outcomes. CIS promotes free choice and individua...

Rob and Gordon discuss issues arising from Gordon’s 2020 book, Western Fundamentalism, in which he critiques the unquestioning, and therefore ‘fundamentalist,’ adoption of democracy, free marked economic liberalism and sexual freedom as basic. Rob and Gordon discuss why liberalism has been so effective in producing economic prosperity but why it is ineffective if spread to other areas of human lif...

Rob and Simon discuss how important liberalism is as philosophy of freedom and equality, despite concerns it is not applied uniformly across the board. Simon is particularly concerned about what he sees as a widening divide between haves and have-nots. Although there are limits to liberalism, larger government is not the solution. Business leaders and the community need to have a stronger voice in...