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Talks & Ideas

Good conversations start here. Hear from bestselling authors, podcasters, politicians, activists, scientists and cultural leaders through inspiring talks, lively panel discussions, exclusive conversations and audience Q&As that spark curiosity long after the evening ends.

4 Oct 2026

Sami Tamimi’s Garden

Can the simple act of cooking dinner help preserve a culture? Sami Tamimi celebrates the flavours‚ stories and traditions of his homeland.

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Sam Tamimi smiling

Talks and Ideas

Octavia Butler Told You This Would Happen

4 Oct 2026

Two images side by side. The first is a black silhouette of a person. The second is a book being flipped through with a hand.

Talks and Ideas

Caligula on the Potomac

4 Oct 2026

A dark stormy sky above the American White House. The American flag can be seen on top of the building among the storm and there is lush greenery and a fountain in the front garden.

Magda Szubanski

4 Oct 2026

Concert Hall

Magda Szubanski wearing glasses with one hand resting on her face

Talks and Ideas

Bonfire of the Murdochs

4 Oct 2026

A bright orange and red fire against a black backdrop

Talks and Ideas

Where’s the AI Off Switch?

4 Oct 2026

Yellow background with pictured close up-shot of an eye and pictured hand sketching on paper

Talks and Ideas

One Revolution After Another

4 Oct 2026

An old sepia family portrait. A man is seen with his arm around a woman. The man has an infant on his back, and a toddler stands between them.

Talks and Ideas

Can it Happen Here?

4 Oct 2026

Two people walking, wearing the Australian flag on their back as if it were a cape.

Theatre

Australian Poetry Slam ’26

25 Oct 2026

Playhouse

Graphic art of a microphone being handed between two people.

Talks and Ideas

Michael Pollan’s Journey into Consciousness

4 Nov 2026

Concert Hall

A man wearing a blue denim shirt and spectacle glasses thinking and smiling

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