Big Ideas

The fire season is changing across Australia, becoming hotter, drier and longer. The evidence about the best ways to protect lives, property, and the environment is changing too. While fuel reduction burning has become a vital tool in the arsenal for land managers in every state and territory, some are now questioning whether we are doing it right - or whether we should be doing it all.
The Burning Conversation was recorded at the Royal Society of Victoria on 21 September 2026.
Speakers:
Professor Trent Penman Bushfire risk modeler and Team Leader of FLARE Wildfire Research at the University of Melbourne
Dr Phil Zylstra Adjunct professor, Curtin University and the Australian National University
Gregg Borschmann (host) Writer and oral historian, Driector, Talking Country

The year is 2046. After 2026, a whole lot changed in the world. Citizens started to vote women into power in parliaments everywhere. What happened next? Four Far North Queensland leaders are leaping into a tardis to hurtle twenty years into the future. Jump in, if you want the world to be different, this could be the ride of your life. Join Natasha Mitchell and guests in Cairns on Yidinji Country at the 2026 WOW (Women of the World) Festival.
Speakers
Dr Rana DadpourResearch Fellow at The Cairns Institute at James Cook University.Director of AUSIRAN, an advocacy group for Australian Iranians.
Francoise LaneDescendant of the Meriam and Kaurareg peoples of Zenadth KesArtist, curator, designerCo-founder and director of Indij Architecture and DesignFounder, Francoise Lane FashionFormer Artistic Director, Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair.
Claudia KurowskiYear 12 student and 2026 Youth Mayor of Cairns2026 Cairns Young Citizen of the Year, 2025 Cairns Young Woman, and co-founder of The Gratitude Initiative.
Anita VeiversExecutive Director, Centacare Far North QldChair, Cairns Regional Jobs CommitteeBoard Member, Regional Development Australia Tropical North.
Further information
Women of the World WOW Australia

Has your doctor ever told you to go on a diet? Does that conversation put you off going to them in the first place, even if you need treatment for something not related to your weight? Has being in a larger body ever meant you can't access surgery or IVF?Some are pushing for a weight-inclusive approach to healthcare, which de-centres obesity, and focuses on 'health-at-every-size'. But what does that really mean, and why does it matter?
This event was held at the 11th Annual Weight Stigma Conference at Griffith University.
Original broadcast on September 17, 2025.
Speakers
Ana Ximena Torres, clinical psychologist and founder of the practice, Elemental Collective.
Dr Fiona WillerDietitian, bioethicist, President of Dietitians AustraliaLecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at Queensland University of TechnologyFounder, Health, Not Diets consultancyHost, Unpacking Weight Science podcast.
Tracy Taylor-BeckManager, Strategy and Health Promotion (interim CEO at the time of this event)Women's Health in the North, a women's health promotion and advocacy organisation in Melbourne's North.
Thanks to Dr Lily O'Hara from Griffith University, convenor of the conference.

Scientists are uncovering the surprising power of the trillions of microbes living inside you and how they can shape your mood, your thinking, even your sense of self. How might the health of your gut change the course of serious mental illness? This a deep dive into the mind-body connection offers a glimpse of where the future of mental and physical health might be headed.
Healthy microbiome. Happy brain? was presented at the World Science Festival Brisbane.
Speakers
Gordon ParkerScientia Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New South Wales and founder of the Black Dog InstituteAuthor of A Gut Mood Solution
Associate Professor Heidi StaudacherDietitian and lead of the Diet, Gut and Brain Group at Monash University
Damien KeatingMatthew Flinders Professor of Physiology in the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute (FHMRI) and Head of the Gut Sensory Systems research group
Julia Baird (host)Award-winning journalist and co-host of the podcast Not Stupid on ABC Listen

Once, a musician’s success could live or die on the opinions of its reviewers. But now, music culture is being shaped by algorithms and PR companies. So what is the future of music journalism?
This podcast episode was originally recorded on 19 August 2026 in partnership with The Wheeler Centre and Now or Never Festival. Discover more talks and bold conversations by following The Wheeler Centre wherever you get your podcasts or at wheelercentre.com.
Speakers
Al Newstead Double J music and pop culture reporter Author, Tame Impala's Currents
Sose Fuemoli Host of Sista Sounds and On the Record on ABC Radio AustraliaMusic correspondent, ABC News BreakfastHost of, Window Seat, Triple R
Sarah Smith Former music editor at The Big Issue magazineFormer editor of Faster Louder Host, Sometimes Always, Triple R
Simon Winkler (host)Double J Assistant Music DirectorFormer music coordinator (for 18 years) Triple RFormer co-host of Breaking and Entering, Triple RCo-founder, Good Question