Festival of Dangerous Ideas

The increase in mental health and neurodivergent diagnoses in recent years indicates that we’re more aware of our brains than ever before.   Does improved social awareness, self-identification, representation and access mean we’ve reached a turning point in the way we acknowledge and treat mental health and neurodivergence in society? Or are we at risk of over-pathologising ourselves and the world around us? Alice Dawkins is the Executive Director of Reset.Tech Australia, a policy organisation with a focus on regulating digital risks and online harms.  Sandersan Onie is an award-winning researcher at the Black Dog Institute and Harvard Medical School and is passionate about a mentally healthier world, especially how culture, AI, and tech can contribute to this vision.  Jean M. Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of more than 180 scientific publications and seven books, including Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future and iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious. Sonny Jane Wise is an Autistic Bipolar ADHDer, who offers a powerful and relatable voice in the neurodiversity space. Their books resources, workshops and talks have led to organisations and services adopting a neurodiversity affirming framework and embedding inclusion within their policies.  Chaired by journalist, radio presenter, and podcaster Natasha Mitchell.

Masculinity has become a battle ground. From the gender pay gap, to domestic violence and rape, the idea of what it means to be a man has been heavily scrutinised in recent times.  Meanwhile the gender wars – fuelled by mainstream conservatives, technology and social media – has shifted society’s ideas in a dangerous direction. Has the recent focus on women had a negative effect on masculinity? Are men and boy’s feelings of shame and exclusion contributing to a crisis? And is masculinity necessarily toxic?  Tarang Chawla is an award-winning keynote speaker, writer, advocate and recovering lawyer. He serves as Commissioner at the Victorian Multicultural Commission where he works to bring the voices and lived experiences of culturally diverse people to policymakers. He is also the co-founder of Not One More Niki, a grassroots non-profit working to end men’s violence against women. Professor Michael Flood is an internationally recognised researcher on men, masculinities, and gender, violence against women, and violence prevention.  Anna Krien is an author and regular contributor to The Monthly magazine and The Saturday Paper.  Chaired by anthropologist and the founder of Habitus, Monty Badami.  

In an age of creeping authoritarianism, anyone who questions the logic of competing narratives when it comes to historical conflicts risks being silenced. Russian American journalist Masha Gessen says however, in order to learn from history we have to question our world and recognise the signs of when we're sliding into darkness.  Gessen examines how the intersection of history, memory, propaganda and censorship enforces the narratives of today – and what happens when narrative becomes dogma. Masha Gessen is an opinion columnist for The New York Times and a Distinguished Professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York. They have written extensively on The Russian-Ukrainian war, Israel/Palestine, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump. They have won numerous awards, including the George Polk Award, the Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thinking, and the National Book Award.  Chaired by journalist Hamish Macdonald.

The culture wars are seeping out of the real world and infiltrating our pages and stages.  Art has always traversed unfamiliar and even dangerous territory. But with recent calls to boycott cultural institutions, donors pulling funding, and the cancellation of works and talent, are some discussions too fraught to engage with? Louise Adler is the Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week. She has spent over 30 years in the culture business and continues to be committed to the dissemination of dangerous ideas. Brook Garru Andrew is an artist, curator and writer who is driven by the collisions of intertwined narratives emerging from the mess of the “Colonial Wuba (hole)”. His practice is grounded in his perspective as a Wiradjuri and Celtic person from Australia. Violette Ayad was born on Whadjuk Noongar Boodja to Palestinian and Lebanese parents. She is now based on Gadigal land where she works as an actor, writer, director, and voice artist.  Gil Beckwith has a significant career in the Arts and Not For Profit industry in senior finance and administration management roles. Her working career spans over 40 years and includes working for Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Festival, the Victorian AIDS Council, and most recently CEO of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Declan Greene is a playwright, director, and dramaturg. As a director he has worked for many of Australia’s major theatre companies, including Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Malthouse, Belvoir, and Griffin Theatre Company.  Emile Sherman is an Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning film and television producer who co-founded See-Saw Films in 2008. Based in Sydney and London, See-Saw Films has worked with many of the world’s leading filmmakers and actors.  Chaired by philosopher and Executive Director of The Ethics Centre, Simon Longstaff.