In the fourth Boyer Lecture for 2025, Amelia Lester, deputy editor at Foreign Policy Magazine in Washington, explores why it is so difficult to have meaningful discussions about the possible repercussions of Artificial Intelligence in all our lives. Given it is being described as possibly more transformative than electricity, even more transformative than fire, and even worthy of threatening our very human nature, what needs to happen?If it seems that we are being carried along a road without return, Amelia begs to differ, arguing that given Australia’s track record in standing up for workers’ rights and human rights puts us in a good place to exercise action against these threats to our very humanness.“A handful of big tech companies control what we know about AI, and because these companies want to consolidate oligopoly control over the AI ecosystem, we’re constantly having to parse what’s factual and what’s hype. But just because AI’s hard to talk about, doesn’t mean we have to resign ourselves to it, or any technology, being harmful to humanity.”Credits:Presented by Amelia Lester, deputy editor at Foreign Policy Magazine in Washington.Series curated and introduced by Dr Julia BairdExecutive Producer, Julia BairdProducer, Gail BoserioSound Engineer, Simon Branthwaite
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03 | Larissa Behrendt: Justice, ideas, inclusion
Larissa Behrendt, AO a Euahleyai/Gamillaroi woman and Distinguished Professor of Law and Inaugural Chair in Indigenous Research at the University of Technology, is passionate about the Australian courts’ record of upholding democracy, but reminds us the legal system has been used to exclude and discriminate against First Nations people. In the third Boyer Lecture for 2025, she presents a three-point remedy to get us past the ‘us and them’ mentality, highlighting the necessity and importance of truth and story-telling and the critical importance of universities, the arts and creative and cultural institutions to forge a truly healthy democracy.Larissa Behrendt also advocates for the inclusion of ancient Indigenous philosophies into our traditional Western liberal traditions, to create a truly inclusive and engaging democracy.“The law is shaped by power. It reflects who has a voice, and who does not. If we want a fairer society, we must ensure the law listens to those too often silenced. And we have to acknowledge that at the heart of the Constitution, there lies an historic and structural wound.”CreditsPresented by Larissa Behrendt, AO Series curated and introduced by Julia BairdExecutive Producer, Julia BairdProducer, Gail BoserioSound Engineer, Simon Branthwaite
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02 | Hon John Anderson AC: Our civilisational moment
In the second Boyer Lecture for 2025, the Hon John Anderson, AC, farmer, grazier and former deputy prime minister of Australia, takes a sweeping look over our history and concludes that the liberal world order that has so far defined us, is ending.While such turning points require big and important decisions, what happens to Australia, he understands, is inextricably linked to what happens to the global democratic order.John Anderson argues for the need to counter distrust, disengagement and other pressing social issues, and has found in talking to many young participants in his podcast series, that the views of the young need to be far better respected to foster new Australian leadership.“As the great American economic historian Thomas Sowell put it best, ‘Civilisation doesn’t always sustain itself, it has to be built, maintained, defended, and most importantly understood.’ When that understanding is lost, decline is not just likely, it becomes inevitable. And that’s the illusion we’re living under today – that civilisation is permanent – but it isn’t.”Credits:Presented by Hon John Anderson, AC, farmer, grazier and former deputy prime minister of AustraliaSeries curated and introduced by Dr Julia BairdExecutive Producer, Julia BairdProducer, Gail BoserioSound Engineer, Simon Branthwaite
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01 | Professor Justin Wolfers: Australia is freaking amazing
The Keynote Boyer Lecturer for 2025 is Justin Wolfers, Professor of Economics and Public Policy from the University of Michigan and visiting Professor at the University of NSW.After many years teaching in the USA, he argues that Australia’s political institutions are unique; in fact, they are the very key to its prosperity and asks if we require a form of conservative radicalism to preserve them.“Australia’s institutions are world-leading – which might seem like an unlikely argument if you follow the news. Every day we’re bombarded by bulletins of broken institutions: Power-hungry politicians; dysfunction and deadlocked debate, and the maddening messiness of democracy. But travel the world and you’ll get a different perspective. Australia’s rules aren’t perfect, but just about every other country is imperfect-er.”Credits:Presented by Justin Wolfers., Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Michigan.Series curated and introduced by Julia BairdExecutive Producer, Julia BairdProducer, Gail BoserioSound Engineer, Simon Branthwaite
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04 | Lyn Williams: The Artistry of Children
"Whilst our new Australian choral music began in a classical context, artistic collaborations have extended our musical realm to a point where it no longer fits this classification – it is simply choral music." As the founder of Gondwana Choirs, Lyn Williams AM is particularly well placed to talk about the future of classical music. Her work with children over 30 years has created a whole new choral repertoire and a new standard for children’s choirs. In the final Boyer Lecture for 2024, she looks at different kinds of excellence, what accessibility really means, and the pathways that choral singing reveals to young musicians.
2025 ABC Boyer Lecture Series: Australia: A Radical Experiment in Democracy
Curated and hosted by respected journalist, author and broadcaster, Dr Julia Baird, this year's Boyer Lecture Series explores the theme Australia: A Radical Experiment in Democracy, through five distinct orations examining the strengths and challenges of our democracy as we navigate unprecedented global changes in politics, society and technology.
The speakers—drawn from academia, literature, and policy— reflect on the paradox of Australians' declining trust in politicians alongside their continued faith in the integrity of electoral processes.
This year's keynote is Justin Wolfers, Professor of Economics and Public Policy from the University of Michigan and visiting professor at the University of NSW, whose lecture "Australia is Freaking Amazing", is enthusiastic about our strong institutions and asks whether Australia needs a form of conservative radicalism?
The second lecturer is the Hon John Anderson, AO, farmer, grazier and former deputy prime minister, whose talk, 'Our Civilisational Moment' argues that Australia lacks the spirit, not the machinery of democracy.
Our third lecturer is Larissa Behrendt, a Euahleyai/Gamillaroi woman, Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Technology, Sydney, and host of the ABC Radio National's Speaking Out program. Her lecture, 'Justice, Ideas and Inclusion' outlines the strengths and pitfalls of our country's legal system, and how our democracy might be enriched by our First Nations' peoples' wisdom of interdependence.
Amelia Lester, a deputy editor at Foreign Policy magazine, our fourth lecturer, examines how Artificial Intelligence could potentially undermine democracy here, in her lecture entitled 'AI, On Australia's Terms'.
And in the final lecture, James Curran, author and professor of modern history at the University of Sydney, will argue that the US Presidency holds advantages for Australia, if we are brave enough to take them, and to confront possible changes in our historic alliance, in his speech, 'Trump's Gift'.
The keynote lecture will be broadcast on October 18 on ABC-TV and on consecutive Sundays starting October 19 on ABC Radio National's Sunday Extra program, at 8.05am.
Sunday 26th October at 8.05am you can hear Hon John Anderson's lecture
Sunday 2nd November at 8.05am tune in to hear Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt
Sunday 9th November at 8.05am on Radio National Amelia Lester will give her lecture
Sunday 16th November at 8.05am on Radio National you can hear Professor James Curran's lecture 'Trump's Gift'
All lectures can also be watched via ABC iview and heard at any time on the ABC ListenApp.
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