Big Ideas

The inaugural ABC National Forum is a live, televised panel discussion bringing together Jewish Australians to examine their lives in Australia in 2026, amid a sharp rise in antisemitism since October 7, 2023. Moderated by Insiders presenter and National Political Lead David Speers, the forum launches a new series designed to create a space for Australians to confront major national challenges and seek common ground.

The roots of antisemitism run deep. Christians and Muslims have told stories for centuries about Jewish people. Stories that have weaponised the relationships among these world religions.  
In a world of ongoing conflict, how do we recognise, and then bridge, the divide of religious prejudice? 
This is a special episode of Big Ideas, prepared by the ABC's specialist religion and ethics team.The best of talks, forums, debates, and festivals held in Australia and around the world.
Guests
Amy-Jill LevineRabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, Hartford International University for Religion and Peace.Magda Teter Shvidler Chair in Judaic Studies and Professor of History at Fordham University. 
Adis Duderija Associate Professor of Islam and Society at Griffith University. 
Geoffrey Levey  Associate Professor of Political Science at University of New South Wales.
Rabbi Zalman KastelFounder of Together for Humanity, an Hasidic Rabbi, Chabad House North Shore in Sydney.

A global pandemic, a foreign war, a failed referendum on Indigenous rights, increasing inequality and a fractured media — these and other forces have been causing deep divisions in Australian society. So how can we instead focus on the ties that bind this country together, to reconcile our differences and foster community? What can be done to strengthen our social cohesion?
The 2026 Menzies Oration was recorded at Federation University with the Menzies Leadership Foundation on 18 February 2026.
Speakers
Hugh de Kretser President, Australian Human Rights Commissioner
Liz Gillies (host) CEO, Menzies Leadership Foundation

In March 2021, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers banned female students over the age of 12 from singing in public. The prohibition sparked a wave of online protests across the country, with women and girls posting videos of themselves singing, using the hashtag "I am my song". Aged just 14, Nila Ibrahimi's song, Boro Bakhair Ba Maktab or "Go to school" became an anthem of the movement.
The 2025 Gandhi Oration was recorded at University of NSW Centre for Ideas on 2 October 2025.
Speakers
Nila IbrahimiAfghan refugee, advocate and activist, co-founder and president Herstory, winner of the 2024 International Children's Peace Prize, university student
Verity Firth (host) Professor of Practice at the School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, Vice-President Societal Impact, Equity and Engagement, University of New South Wales, former New South Wales Minister for Women and Minister for Education
Further information
Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) program, based on the Canadian model
Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP)Support Association for the Women of Afghanistan (SAWA)

The Panopticon was a prison design by the famous philosopher and social reformer Jeremy Bentham which placed prison guards in a central tower overlooking inmates. So why does scientist and climate advocate Tim Flannery want us to re-imagine the Panopticon as a path towards a more compassionate society? And why does he find warmth and connection even in conflicted communities angry about climate change policies?
This event was hosted by RMIT University and Now or Never, Melbourne's festival of art, ideas, sound, technology.
Speaker
Tim FlanneryPaleontologist, climate and environment advocate, author, and former Australian of the Year.
Hilary Harper (host)ABC Radio National presenter