Richard Holden | Alan Kohler

Australia, a land of sweeping plains, has one of the lowest population densities on the planet. So, how did we end up with a housing shortage?

In conversation with economist and author Richard Holden, veteran finance journalist Alan Kohler’s new Quarterly Essay, The Great Divide: Australia’s Housing Crisis and How to Fix It, investigates where things went wrong at the start of the 21st century with escalating property prices leading to a rental crisis, a dearth of public housing and a mortgage crunch.

This event is presented by the Sydney Writers' Festival and supported by UNSW Sydney.

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Machines lead the charge on today’s battlefields, but what does this mean for the people caught in the crossfire?

Learn from journalist Antony Loewenstein, whose Walkley Award-winning investigation, The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World, uncovered the widespread commercialisation and global deployment of Israeli weaponry tested in Palestinian territories. Antony is joined by AI expert Toby Walsh, whose new book, Faking It: Artificial Intelligence in a Human World, explores how AI impersonates human intelligence.

Listen to this vital conversation with host Michael Richardson about the intersection of technology, conflict, occupation and surveillance.

This event is presented by the Sydney Writers' Festival and supported by UNSW Sydney.

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How did sex begin? How did it evolve to become so varied and complex in humans? And what could sex look like for future generations?

Hosted by evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks, this blush-worthy panel discussion features sex historian Esmé Louise James and historian David Baker. Esmé adapted her wildly popular TikTok series into a book, Kinky History: The Stories of Our Intimate Lives, Past and Present, and David’s Sex: Two Billion Years of Procreation and Recreation charts sex’s evolution from early life to sexbots.

Listen now to bone up on carnal knowledge across the centuries and find out what the future of fornication holds.

This event was presented by the Sydney Writers' Festival and supported by UNSW Sydney.

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Economist John N. Friedman has made a career researching the causes of inequality and its long-term consequences for children in the US. His findings are grim. Social mobility is in sharp decline. Where you live and go to school increasingly determines your success and future. Joining fellow economist, Richard Holden, Friedman will explore how policy can harness schools, neighbourhoods, universities, and social capital to reverse this trend, and revive a fading “American Dream” of progress and social mobility. Explore what this could mean in a country like Australia.

Presented as part of The Ethics Centre's Festival of Dangerous Ideas, supported by UNSW Sydney.

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Brigitte Gerstl | Luara Ferracioli | Mianna Lotz | Chaired by Kathryn MacKay

Is the emergence of artificial wombs and womb transplants a ‘boon’ or a ‘bane’ for women? Listen now to explore the transformative possibilities for reproductive autonomy that could redefine the very essence of motherhood.

This session is presented as part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, and supported by UNSW Sydney.

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The late philosopher and scientist, Daniel Dennett talked about ‘counterfeit people’ as one of the great dangers of AI – but are we now willing to court the same dangers through our adoption of multiple identities across the metaverse. Moving from the confinement of physical reality to the landscape of the metaverse, where looks, preferences, and genders are limitless, we can each acquire many digital selves.

Is a ‘virtual you’ a truer reflection of your deepest self – revealing desires and aspects that otherwise remain hidden? What is the human cost of leaving the physical world behind? Hear Lizzie O'Shea, Patrick Stokes, Emily van der Nagel and Rob Brooks discuss.

Presented as part of The Ethics Centre's Festival of Dangerous Ideas, supported by UNSW Sydney.

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Over 40 years ago, Deborah Lawrie broke barriers to become Australia’s first female commercial airline pilot. Her path wasn’t easy — she battled a landmark High Court case to challenge gender discrimination in employment and prevailed, all while facing blatant prejudice and unapologetic misogyny.

Deborah’s determination didn’t just open cockpit doors; it helped pave the way for equal opportunity across male-dominated industries, opening economic doors for women Australia wide.

Hear Deborah Lawrie in conversation with journalist Sarah Malik, on her story and how we can accelerate action for gender equality through education, allyship, and the dismantling of systemic barriers.

Presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas and supported by UNSW Aviation.

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In a timely and thought-provoking discussion, essayist and author of the recently released The World After Gaza, Pankaj Mishra reflects on the ongoing war in Gaza, examining how competing narratives of colonialism, national identity and justice collide with tragic consequences for all.

In a conversation with philosopher and Executive Director of The Ethics Centre Simon Longstaff, Mishra delves into the historical, political and ethical forces shaping our world, the waning influence of the Global North and the role of journalism in actively constructing and distorting reality.

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