
Sydney Ideas
Sydney Ideas is the University of Sydney's premier public lecture series program, bringing the world's leading thinkers and the latest research to the wider Sydney community.
Latest episodes

Nov 5, 2018 • 1h 10min
Satire is a new global saviour for news, seriously
For this year's annual Chaser Lecture, the star speaker is Nigerian satirist and journalist Adeola Fayehun. In conversation with The Chaser's Julian Morrow, Professor Umberto Ansaldo, and the audience, she unpacks the place, power and potential of political satire.
TIME STAMPS
00:20 - 6:00: Introduction by Professor Umberto Ansaldo
6:10 - 32:10: Keynote address by Adeola Fayehun
32:15 - 42:25: Facilitated conversation between Adeola Fayehun, Julian Morrow and Professor Umberto Ansaldo
42:30 - 60:08: Audience Q&A
60:08 - end: Concluding remarks by Julian Morrow
This Sydney Ideas event was held on 5 November 2018 at the University of Sydney: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/chaser-lecture-political-satire.html

Oct 31, 2018 • 58min
Meet a Living Legend: Bruce Beresford
Hear from award-winning director and University of Sydney alumnus Bruce Beresford as he discusses his 50-year, Oscar-nominated journey in cinema with Dr Bruce Isaacs, Head of Film Studies at the University of Sydney.
TIME STAMPS
0:00 - 2:29: Introduction and acknowledgement of country
2:32 - 3:07: Introduction by Bruce Isaacs
3:19 - end: Bruce Beresford in conversation
This Sydney Ideas event was held at the University of Sydney on Wednesday 31 October 2018.
https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/bruce-beresford.html

Oct 30, 2018 • 59min
Why climate change law is such a hot debate
Hear from Professor Liz Fisher (University of Oxford), as she makes the case for why 'hot' situations such as climate change needs 'hot' law, if Australia is to catch up with the rest of the world on governing and tackling climate change effectively.
TIME STAMPS
0:00 - 9:08: Introduction by Professor Rosemary Lyster
9:13 - 46:10: Keynote lecture by Professor Liz Fisher
47:00 - 56:55: Reflection by Dr Kate Owens
57:03 - end: Concluding remarks by Rosemary Lyster
This Sydney Ideas event was the University of Sydney on Tuesday 30 October 2018.
https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/governing-climate-change-hot-situations-need-hot-law.html

Oct 29, 2018 • 1h 31min
Is there anything wrong with medicinal cannabis?
An expert panel addresses the challenges faced by patients, researchers, doctors and regulators in Australia and around the world.
This Sydney Ideas panel discussion was held on29 October: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/is-there-anything-wrong-with-medicinal-cannabis.html

Oct 23, 2018 • 1h 17min
The birth of the state in Greater Mesopotamia
Join Professor Marcella Frangipane to uncover important new insights into the birth of early state societies in the greater Mesopotamian world. Timestamps below.
0:00 - 2:00 - Welcome by Professor Barbara Caine AM
2:10 - 3:55 - Introduction by Professor Barbara Helwing
4:05 - 1:16:48 - Keynote by Professor Marcella Frangipane
This event was held at the University of Sydney on Tuesday 23 October 2018. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/birth-of-state-greater-mesopotamia.html

Oct 23, 2018 • 1h 37min
Hope on the horizon for Indigenous youth mental health
Research on Australia's rates of youth mental health and suicide paint a grim picture. Australian Bureau of Statistics data show that Indigenous youth are more than twice as likely to commit suicide as non-Indigenous youth. In an ever-changing 21st century world, what challenges do our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth face, and how can we support them to combat and hopefully overcome them?
This Sydney Ideas event was held on 23 October 2018: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/hope-on-the-horizon-for-indigenous-youth-mental-health.html

Oct 15, 2018 • 1h 18min
Reading and writing slowly in a digital age
If literature, as romantic poet John Keats said, is for soul making, how will our souls be made and remade in a digital age when most reading, if it happens at all, occurs on screens and at light speed? What are the threats to knowledge acquisition, modes of teaching, learning and wisdom?
This Sydney Ideas panel discussion took place on 15 October 2018: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/reading-and-writing-slowly-in-a-digital-age.html

Oct 10, 2018 • 51min
Fighting Truth Decay: How to navigate health in a post-truth world
Join us to unravel the role of corporate interests in influencing public perception of science, particularly health research.
This event was held at the University of Sydney on Wednesday 10 October 2018.
https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/fighting-truth-decay-health-in-post-truth-world.html

Oct 4, 2018 • 1h 28min
Planet versus profit: striking a balance
What is the role of Australia in sustaining our region's seas, skies and soil?
A multidisciplinary panel of experts examines the role and responsibilities in balancing environmental sustainability and economic growth in Southeast Asia. What part can – and should - Australia play in negotiating the tensions between economic growth and environmental sustainability?
This event was held on Thursday 4 October, 2018 at the University of Sydney: https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/planet-versus-profit.html

Oct 4, 2018 • 1h 25min
How Australia can save democracy for the world
In this Sydney Policy Lab's inaugural lecture, leading academic, political strategist and its new Director, Marc Stears argues that it is possible for democracy to thrive, even in our very turbulent times, but only if people act to save it.
This Sydney Ideas event was held on 4 October 2018 at the University of Sydney. https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/sydney-ideas/2018/how-australia-can-save-democracy-for-the-world.html