Sydney Ideas

Sydney Ideas

<p>Great minds don't always think alike</p>

Sydney Ideas

Great minds don't always think alike

Sydney Ideas is the University of Sydney's flagship public talks program.

We believe in the value of ideas that make a difference and have been bringing leading thinkers from around the world to the Sydney community since 2006.

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Upcoming event

Critical minerals: The global race for resources

Why are nations around the world racing to secure critical minerals? What’s at stake, and what does it mean for you?
Register

Our latest conversations

The Solutionists live with Alan Rusbridger

British journalist and editor Alan Rusbridger sits down with Mark Scott, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney and host of The Solutionists, for a conversation about media and politics.

Is language power?

Unpack language, culture and power in a conversation with linguist and Columbia University Professor John McWhorter. Hosted by University of Sydney Professor Nick Enfield.

An evening with Sir Simon Schama

Join us at Sydney Ideas for an in-conversation with Simon Schama, acclaimed historian, writer and Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University. Hosted by Professor Avril Alba.

Explore our talks and ideas

  • Event Name: Critical minerals

    Event Location:

    Summary: Why are nations around the world racing to secure critical minerals? What’s at stake, and what does it mean for you?

    Event Start Date: 2025-05-20T18:30:00.000+10:00

    Event End Date: 2025-05-20T19:30:00.000+10:00

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    Event Name: Alastair Campbell: Setting the mental health agenda

    Event Location:

    Summary: Alastair Campbell and leading experts discuss what we can do to move the needle on mental health outcomes.

    Event Start Date: 2024-03-04

    Event End Date: 2024-03-04

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    Event Name: Art of good health and wellbeing

    Event Location:

    Summary: Explore how the arts are transforming health and education to improve care and wellbeing.

    Event Start Date: 2024-03-21

    Event End Date: 2024-03-21

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    Event Name: Oceanic narratives: Interweaving past, present and future

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    Summary: Explore the natural world, deep sea, and life through time with Dr. James Bradley, Professor Maria Byrne, and Tishiko King.

    Event Start Date: 2024-04-08

    Event End Date: 2024-04-08

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    Event Name: Music on your mind

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    Summary: Lee-Fay Low, Neal Peres Da Costa, and Helen Mitchell explore whether music participation can prevent dementia.

    Event Start Date: 2024-06-20

    Event End Date: 2024-06-20

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    Event Name: Medical moonshots

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    Summary: Can we fast-track cures for diseases? Researchers Michael Bowen, Victoria Cogger, and Chenyu Tim Wang discuss.

    Event Start Date: 2024-08-22

    Event End Date: 2024-08-22

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    Event Name: The Solutionists live: Liberalism may be the source of your soul

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    Summary: Can liberalism be the basis of a meaningful and fun way of life? Philosopher Alexandre Lefebvre explores this with Mark Scott.

    Event Start Date: 2024-09-19

    Event End Date: 2024-09-19

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    Event Name: Trust and error

    Event Location:

    Summary: Fake research papers are on the rise. Explore what's fuelling this, why it's concerning, and how we can address this issue.

    Event Start Date: 2024-10-22

    Event End Date: 2024-10-22

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    Event Name: Battlers and Billionaires: The updated story of inequality in Australia

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    Summary: Economist and parliamentarian Andrew Leigh discusses his book, Battlers and Billionaires with entrepreneur Cliff Obrecht.

    Event Start Date: 2024-10-23

    Event End Date: 2024-10-23

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    Event Name: Mental wealth forecast

    Event Location:

    Summary: Jo-An Occhipinti, John Buchanan, and Richard Denniss explore mental wealth as a new measure of national wellbeing.

    Event Start Date: 2024-10-24

    Event End Date: 2024-10-24

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    Event Name: Is storytelling essential to innovation?

    Event Location:

    Summary: Defining the elements of a breakthrough, can we engineer the next great discovery in business, science, policy and civic life?

    Event Start Date: 2024-11-26

    Event End Date: 2024-11-26

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    Event Name: The Solutionists live with Alan Rusbridger

    Event Location:

    Summary: British journalist and editor Alan Rusbridger sits down with Mark Scott, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney.

    Event Start Date: 2025-03-26

    Event End Date: 2025-03-26

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Archive

On-demand

Catch past talks and conversations on video and podcast.
Dive into the archive

Sydney Ideas recommends

Thought-provoking talks and ideas regularly take place across the University beyond the Sydney Ideas program. Here are our recommendations.

  • Event Name: 'Sham el-Naseem' Egyptian Festival

    Event Location:

    Summary: Visit CCWM for an Egyptian day of picnicking, authentic Egyptian food, music, puppetry, and bilingual English-Arabic floor talks.

    Event Start Date: 2025-04-27T10:00:00.000+10:00

    Event End Date: 2025-04-27T16:00:00.000+10:00

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    Event Name: Glass Child

    Event Location:

    Summary: Hear from Australia’s brightest minds as they share ideas within the Three Horizons approach: Triage, Transition & Transformation.

    Event Start Date: 2025-05-09T12:30:00.000+10:00

    Event End Date: 2025-05-09T19:30:00.000+10:00

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    Event Name: Supporting Peace and Humanitarian Aid Efforts in Sudan

    Event Location:

    Summary: Explore the health and humanitarian crisis & the global response to what is now considered the world's worst displacement crisis.

    Event Start Date: 2025-05-09T17:00:00.000+10:00

    Event End Date: 2025-05-09T18:30:00.000+10:00

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    Event Name: Glass Child

    Event Location:

    Summary: This performance depicts the real-life sibling relationship between Kayah, a young man with Down Syndrome & his sister Maitreyah.

    Event Start Date: 2025-05-09T19:30:00.000+10:00

    Event End Date: 2025-05-16T19:30:00.000+10:00

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    Event Name: The 2025 Iain McCalman Lecture

    Event Location:

    Summary: Dr Mitch Gibbs presents the lecture entitled, Co-creating futures: embedding Indigenous knowledges in environmental research.

    Event Start Date:

    Event End Date:

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Contact

Email the Sydney Ideas team

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