Sydney Ideas

From ending poverty to climate action, reducing inequality and ensuring quality education — the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The aim is to set the agenda for 2030 with a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity, now and into the future. Where does Australia sit with this plan now, almost five years since its inception? Hear from leading advocates including John McArthur, Dr Alana Mann, Patricia Garcia AO and Sam Mostyn. Anthony Capon, Professor of Planetary Health at the University of Sydney moderated the conversation. This event was held on Thursday 28 March at the University of Sydney, and was co-presented with the University's Planetary Health Platform and Sydney Environment Institute. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2019/sustainable-development-goals-john-mcarthur.html

What are the pathways to cultural change? How do we initiate, nurture, but most importantly, entrench cultural change? The University's Vice-Chancellor, Dr Michael Spence, gender equality advocate Elizabeth Broderick AO and journalist Sarah Ferguson explored the most important factors in cultural change movements, and the positive impact for individuals, organisations and society. This event was held on Wednesday 27 March at the University of Sydney. Visit the website to access a transcript of the event: http://bit.ly/2K4KCmi

How is hate shaping society? And what must we do about it? Political philosopher Tim Soutphommasane, reflects on race relations and multiculturalism in Australia and beyond, and what it means for democracy worldwide. In his new book, On Hate, Tim Soutphommasane analyses the troubling rise of nationalist populism and the return of race politics. This event was co-presented with Sydney Policy Lab and School of Social and Political Sciences. It was held on Thursday 21 March, 2019 at the University of Sydney: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2019/on-hate-and-race-politics-tim-soutphommasane.html

Hear from women’s rights champion, Tina Tchen, who delivered a keynote address as part of the University of Sydney’s celebrations for International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March, 2019. Sydney Ideas has partnered with the University’s Diversity and Inclusion team to welcome Tina to our Camperdown campus. She is a leading global voice on issues of gender inequity, sexual harassment, and diversity at work, and co-founder of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, which connects survivors of workplace sexual harassment with legal and public relations assistance. Tina was joined in conversation with two of the University’s most influential and respected female leaders – Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver (Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy and Services) and Professor Annamarie Jagose (Dean of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences). The Vice-Chancellor, Dr Michael Spence, provided closing remarks. Tina Tchen also appeared at the Sydney Opera House’s annual festival ‘All About Women’ on Sunday 10 March, 2019. https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/all-about-women

What is the cost of cashing in on global surveillance? Surveillance has become an unavoidable presence in our everyday lives - it's embedded in our culture. As corporations profit from its rapid growth, inevitable questions about the impact on our society and ethics must be addressed. This Sydney Ideas discussion includes a talk from David Lyon the Director of the Surveillance Studies Centre and Professor of Sociology and Professor of Law at Queen’s University and Dr Benedetta Brevini the Senior Lecturer in Communication and Media at the University of Sydney and Visiting Fellow of the Centre for Law, Justice and Journalism at City University. Held on 7 March 2019: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2019/surveillance-capitalism-david-lyon.html

Are brain and mind conditions such as dementia a case of luck of the draw, or are our body clocks and sleep cycle integral for keeping our brains healthy? Hear from Professor Sharon Naismith, whose research explores sleep and dementia prevention. This talk includes a welcome from Dr Michael Spence AC, Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Sydney, and a keynote address from Professor Naismith. This event was held on Tuesday 26 February at the University of Sydney. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2019/how-sleep-improves-brain-health-and-dementia.html

As many as one million Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities in China have reportedly been detained indefinitely in "re-education camps" since 2017. Why is it happening and what are the political ramifications for us all? This Sydney Ideas discussion explores these issues from a range of perspectives. Erkin Sidick, a Uyghur scientist, offers his analysis of the crackdown in Xinjiang. David Atwill, a historian of Islam in China, discuss the wider questions of the Chinese state’s approach to Islam, and Ruth Gamble offers a comparative perspective on these issues drawing on her knowledge of Tibet. Held on 20 February 2019: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2019/xinjiang-china-reeducation-camps.html

How post-truth politics is wrecking public discourse Hear from Don Watson, award-winning author and former speechwriter for Paul Keating, as he decodes political language and reveals its influence on democracy and civil debate. This Sydney Ideas conversation between Don Watson and Benedetta Brevini considers how post-truth, bullshit and management speak have taken over and fundamentally undermine the quality of public discourse and policy-making. This event was held on Wednesday 13 February at the University of Sydney. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2019/weasel-words-don-watson.html

How much do governments and private corporations really know about our online history? Hear from Ron Deibert, digital detective and founder of Citizen Lab, as he reveals the hidden surveillance systems used to spy on civil society. Ron is joined by Sydney Cybersecurity Network co-founder Aim Sinpeng and James Der Derian, Director of Centre for International Security Studies. This event was held on Tuesday 12 February at the University of Sydney. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2019/digital-espionage.html

To mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019, the University’s Westmead Initiative hosted a discussion about the achievements of women in the field and their ongoing challenges. This was held in collaboration with Westmead Research Hub. Hear from Dr Christina Adler, Professor Nadia Badawi AM, Professor Jenny Gunton, Associate Professor Ruby Lin, Professor Phil Robinson and Elizabeth Wojciechowski with Jenny Brockie (SBS Insight) as moderator. This event was held on Monday 11 February 2019 at the Westmead Education and Conference Centre in Westmead Hospital.