Boyer Lectures

Absence of the nurturing and presence of the harmful are important for the whole of life and are strong contributors to inequalities in adult health. There is much we can do to make things better at both the level of national policy and at the local level supporting families and children.

There are large inequalities in health within and between countries. To explain this we have to look at the social determinants of health—the conditions in which people are born, grow, live work and age; and inequities in power, money and resources.

Australia now finds itself on the centre stage. Staying there is the challenge. In the final of the 2015 Boyer Lectures series, Dr Michael Fullilove calls for a larger and more ambitious foreign policy; one that ensures that our national interests once again align with our national capabilities.

In his third Boyer lecture, Michael Fullilove argues the need for a larger politics and some big thinking on the economy in order to respond to global challenges, like immigration and climate policy.

In his second Boyer Lecture, Dr Michael Fullilove examines how the dizzying rise of China has pulled Australia onto a new world stage as a key player, a leap that calls for a serious examination of foreign policy

In this first lecture, delivered at Peking University in Beijing, Dr Michael Fullilove explains the crumbling of world order. As wealth and power shifts to the East,  Australia finds itself in a new and precarious position.

In the fourth and final lecture Professor Cory highlights the concerning scientific brain drain in this country: "We are losing women from all areas of science and the deficit at senior levels is particularly disturbing."

In the third lecture Professor Suzanne Cory reflects on her other great passion, the environment, and warns that 'humankind is fouling the nest' and that if action is not taken soon, by 2100 Earth will be hotter than any time in the last few million years making mass species extinctions and global human conflicts over energy and water inevitable.

In the second lecture Professor Cory shows how extraordinarily important scientific research and development is for our economy.

In this first lecture Professor Cory reflects on where medical science has come from and where it is heading, drawing out implications for health and the economy.