Sydney Ideas

How can you ensure that your money is not supporting industries that accelerate climate change, but instead is part of the climate solution? Data, and public pressure, is shifting the conversation on investment in fossil fuels. This dynamic panel brings together industry, activists and researchers to explore how we might achieve actions around investing and divesting to build a clean and prosperou...

By 2030 supply of natural resources will not meet demand. What can we do? Hear about leading research – from smart sensors to new treatment processes –that rethink how we clean, transport, distribute water within ourselves that is equitable and sustainable. THE SPEAKERS – Professor Sally Cripps, Director, ARC Centre in Data Analytics for Resources & Environments (DARE) – Professor Benjamin Eggleto...

Rising temperatures and heatwaves; drought and interruptions to food supply; rising infectious diseases; air pollution; and extreme weather events all have a very real impact on one’s physical and mental health. With these extreme events occurring more frequently, what effect will they have on our population? THE SPEAKERS - Professor Joel Negin, Head of School, Sydney School of Public Health - Ass...

Young Australians are in danger of being the first generation in memory to have lower living standards than their parents’ generation. What is the future of asset-sharing? Are we going back to an old class line: those with property, and those without? THE SPEAKERS – Professor Lisa Adkins (Moderator), Head of the School of Social and Political Sciences – Dr Gareth Bryant, political economist, Depar...

Hear from one of the most influential designers of his generation. Marc Newson has collaborated with the likes of Apple, Nike, Louis Vuitton, Qantas – to name a few – and his work is held in the collections of major museums including MoMA, Centre Pompidou (Paris) and more. Marc is in-conversation with Andrew Lavery, Director of Sydney College of the Arts (SCA). The 'Art of influence' series featur...

The global pandemic has harshly exposed pre-existing gender inequalities, particularly around paid and unpaid work. How is the landscape shifting for women and work, and where might we nudge the scales towards equality? FEATURING: – Elizabeth Broderick AO, former Sex Discrimination Commissioner and member of the UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Discrimination Against Women – Professor Ra...

How are organisations and industry utilising the UN Sustainable Development Goals to envisage a better future? To understand the challenges – and consider possible solutions – the University of Sydney has launched a new program of innovation and impact, "Connect For: A Better Future". Hear an insightful discussion marking the launch of the program and delves deeper into the key issues at play. FEA...

COVID-19 has revealed the precariousness of our lives and systems. How can employment & education help us temper the long term impacts of continued social distance. As we start talking about rebuilding, many are left vulnerable, facing uncertain futures. How can we ensure the cracks don’t become chasms and instead develop a plan that supports an inclusive future and supports social cohesion? Our p...

Against the backdrop of COVID-19, what's been going on with China and the US, and what does this mean for the global economic and strategic landscape? We discuss civil unrest in the US, trade wars, situation in Hong Kong, and more – with Chinese politics scholar Minglu Chen, Asia-Pacific security expert Jingdong Yuan and political scientist David Smith. Bill Birtles, ABC's China Correspondent, mod...

'In this together' is the theme for National Reconciliation Week 2020 in Australia. Professors Jaky Troy and Lisa Jackson Pulver, lawyer Teela Reid and GUIR founder Ken Zulumovski, come together to discuss whether true reconciliation is achievable, without Australia first meeting the objectives of truth and justice. For more information and further resources, including the transcript, visit our we...

As we start down the long road of recovery there are many discussions being had about how we live, work and rebuild. In this, we need to have a discussion about Australia’s economic future – and the role education and research will play in our recovery, rebuilding and reimagining. This conversation brings together leaders in government, higher education and finance to consider the complex issues –...

Vaccines have controlled or even eradicated some of the world’s most serious diseases. But the success of immunisation is limited by motivational and practical issues. Scientists are currently working hard to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, yet the safest and most effective vaccines won’t be of any use if the public will not, or cannot, take them. On International Nurses Day, Professor Julie Leask...

As we start to chart a COVID-19 recovery course, there are a number of complex issues to consider. Last week, the Australian government announced and released the COVIDSafe app, designed to help us all to return to some sort of normal. Since its release, there've been a lot of discussion about the functionality and security of the app. The purpose of this conversation is to give you access to expe...

COVID-19 has put health firmly at the top of the agenda. While we’re practising physical distancing to maintain our physical health, how do we maintain our wellbeing and cope constructively through this time? THE SPEAKERS – Professor Maree Teesson, Director of the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use and NHMRC Principal Research Fellow at the University of Sydney – Dr Lex...

As the COVID-19 situation unfolds, now is the time to rethink how we do things, during this pandemic and beyond. What could a digital present and future look like for mental health? Hosted by The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre and facilitated by ABC broadcaster Dr Norman Swan, this conversation will ask how can the mental health system to best support communities and consider a menta...

We're peeling back the layers of language and cognition and how it relates to COVID-19. Particularly at this time, the way we talk about the disease and the current situation, can be helpful or harmful, comforting or confusing. What should we be conscious of? We speak with Nick Enfield, Professor of Linguistics at the University of Sydney. WHAT WE COVER – From "mild" to "extreme" cases: the need f...

The situation around COVID-19 is evolving at an astounding rate. Thinking beyond the physical health ramifications to the mental health, anxiety, communication and sense-making aspects, our panel looks at what's going on and do their best to make sense of the rapidly shifting series of events. THE SPEAKERS – Professor Nick Enfield, Department of Linguistics – Professor Ian Hickie, Brain and Mind C...

It's a natural, human response to fear disease. Yet we've seen this fear heightened with the outbreak of COVID-19. After all, the disease has reached into virtually all corners of life: public health, security, jobs, businesses, our culture and communities. It's an uncertain time. People are anxious. So, how do we communicate and channel our anxiety to respond productively? We're taking a look at...

Since COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus) first emerged in December last year there’s been a lot of uncertainty, anxiety and misinformation. As of Thursday 12th March, the World Health Organisation has officially declared a pandemic. The situation is of course rapidly developing. But it’s useful to get some perspective. What can we do to prepare and respond to this issue? On Wednesday 11 March we hos...

We're talking about the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak and the social and political responses to it. Has fear of the disease taken on a racial dimension? We bring together an epidemiologist, historian, politician, student leader and the University's Vice-Chancellor to help make sense of this rapidly evolving issue. WHAT WE COVER – Brief timeline by Tim Soutphommasane – Pandemic: what does m...

Nanotechnology is unlocking new ways to understand human biology. Scientists expect discoveries in this field will completely revolutionise medicine, from detecting arterial blockages to neural disorders in the brain. Hear from researchers at the forefront of this space discuss the latest developments and applications. WHAT YOU'LL HEAR – Introduction by Professor Benjamin Eggleton, Director of the...

Do the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) outweigh the potential negative effects, in the context of social responsibilities for the entire human race? Will intelligent machines soon take over, turning us into their slaves or raw materials? In his talk, Professor Mark Coeckelbergh shifts the conversation away from science fiction fantasies about AI and into the realms of real ethical issues...

Australia and India have much to learn from each other, because while our economies are quite different, we face similar problems, particularly around energy and the future direction of our cities. Hear from three of the University of Sydney’s leading researchers from Business, Urban Studies and Chemistry. Professor John Shields from the Business School suggests a need to rethink the nature of lea...

Award-winning filmmaker Genevieve Clay-Smith has channelled her passion for social justice and desire to equitise the film industry into the practice of inclusive filmmaking. Hear about Genevieve's passion for inclusivity and creative approaches to making innovative work with Bus Stop Films. Joining Genevieve is emerging filmmaker Ricky Kremer, who is currently studying the accessible films studie...

Bushfires, hurricanes, life-threatening heatwaves and floods have ravaged our planet in recent years. There is a mounting pool of evidence that climate change, including global warming, is a major cause of these extreme weather events. What we need to do to govern such disasters effectively? Who should govern environmental disasters and how? Hear from scholars working on environmental disasters fr...