
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

Aug 6, 2020 • 35min
Art of influence: Marc Newson CBE
Hear from one of the most influential designers of his generation. Marc Newson has collaborated with the likes of Apple, Nike, Louis Vuitton, Qantas – to name a few – and his work is held in the collections of major museums including MoMA, Centre Pompidou (Paris) and more.
Marc is in-conversation with Andrew Lavery, Director of Sydney College of the Arts (SCA).
The 'Art of influence' series features pioneering SCA alumni, as they reflect on their careers, creative practice and the themes that inform their work.
For further links and resources, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3ePTc2j
TRANSCRIPT available: https://bit.ly/3kA9Ff0

Jul 31, 2020 • 1h 4min
What will the future look like for women and work? (24 July 2020)
The global pandemic has harshly exposed pre-existing gender inequalities, particularly around paid and unpaid work. How is the landscape shifting for women and work, and where might we nudge the scales towards equality?
FEATURING:
– Elizabeth Broderick AO, former Sex Discrimination Commissioner and member of the UN Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Discrimination Against Women
– Professor Rae Cooper AO from the University of Sydney Business School
– Mariam Mohammed, co-founder of MoneyGirl;
– Harinder Sidhu, who has recently returned from a post as Australia's High Commissioner to India
– Anna Burns, Public Programs Manager at the University of Sydney, moderates this conversation.
For more information visit the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3fh8z4O

Jul 28, 2020 • 30min
Connect For: A Better Future (23 July 2020)
How are organisations and industry utilising the UN Sustainable Development Goals to envisage a better future?
To understand the challenges – and consider possible solutions – the University of Sydney has launched a new program of innovation and impact, "Connect For: A Better Future".
Hear an insightful discussion marking the launch of the program and delves deeper into the key issues at play.
FEATURING:
- An introduction by Belinda Hutchinson AC, University of Sydney Chancellor
- A panel discussion with Louise Herron AM, CEO of Sydney Opera House, and Innes Willox, Chief Executive of Australian Industry Group; facilitated by Professor Duncan Ivison, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)at the University of Sydney
- Closing remarks by Dr Michael Spence, University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and Principal
Connect For: A Better Future runs from July–September 2020. Learn more about the program here: https://bit.ly/3jqOVGf
TRANSCRIPT available here: https://bit.ly/39Yq9ZE

Jun 19, 2020 • 59min
Road to recovery: employment opportunities post-pandemic (18 June 2020)
COVID-19 has revealed the precariousness of our lives and systems. How can employment & education help us temper the long term impacts of continued social distance.
As we start talking about rebuilding, many are left vulnerable, facing uncertain futures. How can we ensure the cracks don’t become chasms and instead develop a plan that supports an inclusive future and supports social cohesion?
Our panel tackle these big questions and consider how we rebuild, or at least think about the future.
THE SPEAKERS
– Professor John Buchanan, University of Sydney Business School
– Professor Allan Fels AO, University of Melbourne
– Emeritus Professor Geoff Gallop AC, University of Sydney
– Sam Mostyn, non-executive director and sustainability advisor
– Professor Jaky Troy, Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research at the University of Sydney.
– Professor Ian Hickie (Moderator), Co-director of the Brain and Mind Centre
For more information, visit the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/2MJred8

Jun 3, 2020 • 57min
Geopolitics in a post-pandemic world (2 June 2020)
Against the backdrop of COVID-19, what's been going on with China and the US, and what does this mean for the global economic and strategic landscape? We discuss civil unrest in the US, trade wars, situation in Hong Kong, and more – with Chinese politics scholar Minglu Chen, Asia-Pacific security expert Jingdong Yuan and political scientist David Smith. Bill Birtles, ABC's China Correspondent, moderates this conversation.
For more information, including the podcast transcript, visit our website: https://bit.ly/2LsUpAl

Jun 1, 2020 • 45min
In this together: reckoning before reconciliation (29 May 2020)
'In this together' is the theme for National Reconciliation Week 2020 in Australia. Professors Jaky Troy and Lisa Jackson Pulver, lawyer Teela Reid and GUIR founder Ken Zulumovski, come together to discuss whether true reconciliation is achievable, without Australia first meeting the objectives of truth and justice.
For more information and further resources, including the transcript, visit our website: https://bit.ly/2XfAhHI

May 28, 2020 • 43min
The road ahead: Australia's economic future (28 May 2020)
As we start down the long road of recovery there are many discussions being had about how we live, work and rebuild. In this, we need to have a discussion about Australia’s economic future – and the role education and research will play in our recovery, rebuilding and reimagining.
This conversation brings together leaders in government, higher education and finance to consider the complex issues – and potential solutions – for a recovery.
THE SPEAKERS
– Dr Michael Spence AC, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney
– Cathryn Carver, Executive General Manager (Client Coverage) at NAB
– Mark Scott AO (moderator), Secretary of the NSW Department of Education
For more information and further resources, including the transcript for the podcast, visit our website: https://bit.ly/2XdLus3

May 12, 2020 • 31min
Julie Leask: The vaccination gap (12 May 2020)
Vaccines have controlled or even eradicated some of the world’s most serious diseases. But the success of immunisation is limited by motivational and practical issues.
Scientists are currently working hard to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, yet the safest and most effective vaccines won’t be of any use if the public will not, or cannot, take them.
On International Nurses Day, Professor Julie Leask gave a talk about current research into routine immunisation and the critical role of nurse and midwives in influencing vaccination uptake.
Julie is a social scientist specialising in immunisation and an advisor to the World Health Organization. She is based at the University of Sydney Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery (Sydney Nursing School).
Professor Donna Waters, Head and Dean of the Sydney Nursing School provided the introduction.
For further resources, including the transcript, visit our website: https://bit.ly/2xCcEQA

May 7, 2020 • 50min
COVIDSafe app: safe to use? (5 May 2020)
As we start to chart a COVID-19 recovery course, there are a number of complex issues to consider. Last week, the Australian government announced and released the COVIDSafe app, designed to help us all to return to some sort of normal. Since its release, there've been a lot of discussion about the functionality and security of the app.
The purpose of this conversation is to give you access to expert insights and facts. Our panel will consider questions such as, how is this going to work? Can it keep us safe? And also what are the risks to us all if we do download it, or if we don't?
THE SPEAKERS:
– Professor Robert Slonim, behavioural economist from the School of Economics
– Associate Professor Adam Dunn, Head of Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health in the School of Medical Sciences
– Associate Professor Jeanne Huang, international law expert from the Sydney Law School
– Dr Suranga Seneviratne, Lecturer in Security at the School of Computer Science
– Anna Burns (moderator), Sydney Ideas
For further resources, including the transcript, useful links and ways to give back, visit our website: https://bit.ly/2SN4bBJ

Apr 21, 2020 • 42min
Wellbeing and COVID-19 (21 April 2020)
COVID-19 has put health firmly at the top of the agenda. While we’re practising physical distancing to maintain our physical health, how do we maintain our wellbeing and cope constructively through this time?
THE SPEAKERS
– Professor Maree Teesson, Director of the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use and NHMRC Principal Research Fellow at the University of Sydney
– Dr Lexine Stapinski, Senior Research Fellow, Clinical Psychologist and Lead in Intervention and Implementation at the Matilda Centre
WHAT WE COVER
– Concerns for community wellbeing: fear of the virus; impacts of isolation; and long-term impacts (1.45)
– What can we do right now? Practical steps and coping mechanisms (5.00)
– Work-life balance: juggling multiple roles and responsibilities (8.50)
– Dealing with financial stress and job loss (10.30)
– Working remotely, productivity and role of managers (14.30)
– Social anxiety and impacts of social distancing (17.40)
– Managing our passive digital and screen time (18.40)
– Avoidance and alcohol use (21.00)
– Support for health care workers (27.30)
– Support for young people (28.50)
- Giving ourselves time and space, and strategies for politely declining invitations to connect (35.50)
– Riding the rollercoaster of emotions (37.30)
For further resources, including the transcript, useful links and ways to give back, visit our website: https://bit.ly/2Vnfimh