Big Ideas

Tastemakers, culture shapers, gatekeepers and record-keepers. Once, a musician’s success could live or die on the opinions of its reviewers. Monthly music magazines like Rolling Stone and NME were gospel, and critics played a central role in the music ecosystem.  Now, artists have a direct line to their fans via social media, personal playlists are shaped by algorithms and it can take a brave critic to take on evangelical fan bases like the Swifties or the Beyhives. Not only that, but like all journalism, the music press is ailing, and PR companies are stepping in.
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

What will stop you slipping into homelessness? In a cost-of-living crisis, it's getting harder to keep a secure roof over your head. And did you know that 14% of people accessing specialist homelessness services in Australia are unaccompanied children? That's thousands of children, homeless, alone. A conversation about what kind of community we want to create together, and how to prevent a crisis before it comes. Join Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell and guests at the 2026 Australian Homelessness Conference on Larrakia Country in Darwin. 
Speakers
Professor Kerry ArabenaDescendant of the Meriam people from the Torres StraitManaging Director, Karabena ConsultingFormer co-Chair of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, Executive Director of Apunipima Cape York Health Council, and Chair of Indigenous Health at the University of Melbourne. Former president of Ecohealth International.
Rebecca PinkstoneChief Executive, Homes NSW, NSW GovernmentNon-executive director, Australian Housing and Urban Research InstituteFormer CEO of a social housing provider
Catherine RobinsonAssociate Professor in Communities and Social Justice, University of TasmaniaNon-executive board director of Homelessness Australia, the Youth Network of Tasmania and Home Base. Co-host, Filthy Rich and Homeless on SBS TV
Further information
Reimagining Indigenous Housing, Health, and Wealth report (2020)Example: Denver Basic Income Project (Example of unconditional cash transfers approach)
Example: Community of Schools and Services (COSS) model
Example: Safe and Connected Youth Program (ACT Conflict Resolution Service)
Example: Housing stabilisation initiative (Canada)
Better futures: Supported accommodation for unaccompanied children and young people experiencing homelessness (AHURI, 2026)Yes, we see you. Why a national plan for homelessness must make thousands of children on their own a priority (The Conversation, 2023)NSW Homelessness Strategy 2025-2035NSW Homelessness Strategy Action plan 2025-2027Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) (organises the biennial Australian Homelessness Conference and National Housing Conference).

He's covered wars, elections and everything in between. But what happens when a hardened foreign correspondent goes looking for a lighter travel story - and comes home changed?
Hear what his road trip to Africa taught him about our shared humanity. This talk was provided by the York Festival of Ideas. The Festival is led by the University of York, UK.
Speakers
Clive MyrieMulti-award-winning journalist, BBC foreign correspondents, host of Mastermind and Clive Myrie's African AdventureAuthor of Everything Is Everything: A Memoir of Love, Hate & Hope
Joan Concannon (host)Director of York Festival of Ideas

A rundown t-shirt factory in Sydney's Surry Hills became the studio and home where Australian artist Brett Whiteley would spend the final years of his life. Now an art gallery, the building has recently reopened after an extensive two-year restoration, with a new exhibition celebrating Whiteley's life and legacy, Coming Home, featuring his artworks and personal items. His former wife, muse and champion, Wendy Whiteley, reflects on the history of the studio, her life with Brett Whiteley, and his artistic practice.
This event was recorded at Brett Whiteley's Studio for Art Gallery of New South Wales on 24 July 2026.
Speakers
Wendy Whiteley Creator of Wendy's Secret Garden, Lavender Bay, artist, and former wife and muse of Brett Whiteley
Wayne Tunnicliffe (host)Director of collections and exhibitions, Art Gallery of New South Wales

Every day, science and technology are being used to enhance the abilities of human beings — helping people hear, walk, see, think and more. But at the extreme end, transhumanism has become an obsession of the rich and powerful: Vladmir Putin wants to live forever, Elon Musk wants to merge your brain with AI, while eugenics has also become popular again. So what are the ethics of transhumanism? Where do we draw the line?
The 2026 Plunkett Lecture for the Plunkett Centre for Ethics was recorded at the Australian Catholic University.
Speakers:
Jason T. EberlHubert Mäder Chair in Bioethics, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Albert Gnaegi Center for Bioethics at Saint Louis University