Big Ideas - Full Program Podcast

Do you get phone calls warning you that your home computer has a security problem or a text message about a parcel you can’t recall having ordered? Scammers and hackers are using every trick in the book to make the most of digital technology and cyber security is now a growth industry.

When we've spent 95% of our evolutionary past living in small tribal groups, what's prepared us to live and work in vast metropolises with millions of others?

As Australia’s population expands wild places shrink. To protect the remaining patches we want to lock it up and keep people out. But what exactly is wilderness? Is it a place untouched by human hands? An indigenous geographer says that what we call wilderness is not nature left to its own devices but the result of thousands of years of indigenous landcare.

We are aware of the impact racism can have on black, Indigenous, and other racialized people. We condemn white supremacy and hate crimes. But what if the most harm to people of colour is caused by white 'progressives'? What if they are the problem, but they are in denial?

How do you feel about insects? You might love bees because they pollinate food crops but not be a fan of mosquitos or the aphids munching their way through your garden. Love them or hate them insects are a vital part of the ecosystem. They outnumber us on the planet by twenty million to one and they feed an army of animals. How can we protect them from habitat loss, climate change and pesticides?

Why are human societies unique among animals for their ability to accumulate knowledge and technologies? Most of us invent nothing, so how have we achieved this while no other species has?

Satellites orbiting the earth are put to many uses helping us to navigate, predict the weather and connect to the internet. Not to mention spying on other countries. But it’s getting crowded up there with more rockets , satellites and pieces of space junk and no-one is directing traffic. So who decides the future of space?

The legal system is far from perfect. How can laws be used, or reformed, to help bring about social change? Can they assist indigenous Australians to protect their cultural and intellectual property, or deliver justice to survivors of sexual violence? What are the limits of class action litigation in contributing to a better future for young Australians about to bear the full brunt of climate change? Three lawyers talk about the power, potential, and limits of the law.

After the moon, Mars is the next big thing . So what do we know about Mars and who’s likely to get there first? Spacecraft flying through the atmosphere collect data on Mars chemistry and geography while rovers on the Martian surface act as forward scouts for a human mission. Then there's the tantalizing hope we'll find life.

All animals communicate, but only humans have language. Why only us? Why has language been more important to human success than have our genes?

Make the most of your life and be at peace with death. Easy to say but hard to do. Death is not a topic we’re encouraged to talk about but its shadow shapes many of the things we do. Can you have a happier life if you let go of death anxiety?

Whatever happened to visionary politics, big policy ideas, and governments with bold reform agendas? Australia faces a range of daunting challenges, yet Coalition and Labor governments have been in the grip of policy paralysis. That’s the view of public policy experts, Martin Parkinson and John Daley. Why has policy ambition stalled, and what can be done about to address it?

Australia’s relationship with China is at an all-time low. And you’ll be hearing alot about security and defence in the upcoming federal election. As China’s star continues to rise, politicians warn that China is a threat to Australia’s security. But is that threat exaggerated? Should we step back and see a more complex picture?

How do you get to the essence of an activity that is part sport, part leisure, and a large part cultural identity?

The world is online and so are the criminals. Police are using artificial intelligence to find the needles in criminal haystacks but should there be limits on what they can do? And how neural implants connect to the brain and the power of the nocebo effect. Nocebo is placebo's evil twin.

Illegal drug taking, alleged bullying and harassment, and deliberately losing matches to gain access to prized young recruits. These are some of the scandals that, over the years, have plagued the biggest sporting competition in the country, the AFL – the Australian Football League.  But despite these, and other, crises, governance of the 700 million dollar a year competition leaves a lot to be desired.  So says investigative journalist, Mick Warner.

After almost 150 years of exploration and research we understand the sea is deep, dark and definitely different - the earth's last great frontier perhaps - but how much do we know of what's beneath the surface?

At the end of the week does your fridge contain lots of uneaten leftovers and fresh food that’s past its use-by date? Food waste is bad for your budget and dire for greenhouse emissions so how do we reduce it? And the history of exercise from the ancient Greeks to the gym bunnies.

Is nature as important to you as the human species? Using legal imagination to create a sustainable economy and being a loud and proud nature freak might just be what's needed now. And how do we revitalize city life after the Covid shutdowns?

Judged by our foreign aid budget, human rights, how we treat refugees, and intransigence on climate change action, Australia’s record as a good international citizen is looking tarnished. So argues former Australian foreign minister, Gareth Evans. He also gives his assessment of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.