Sydney Papers Online – Full Archive

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23/03/2020FIFTY YEARS SOBER: AN ALCOHOLIC’S JOURNEY, Ross Fitzgerald AM is Emeritus Professor of History & Politics at Griffith and author of 42 books, including two memoirs and seven Grafton Everest adventures. Most recently he has published Fifty Years Sober: An Alcoholic’s Journey …
05/02/2020AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRES: A HISTORY,
18/03/2020REMEMBERING THE VIETNAM WAR – THE BITE OF THE LOTUS, Carl Robinson lived the Vietnam War first as what he calls “an idealistic US do-gooder” and later as a journalist until he fled Saigon with his Vietnamese wife and some …
31/03/2020CHILDREN, READING AND LIBRARIES, Ursula Dubarsovsky is a much awarded Australian writer of fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults, whose work is characterised by a child’s vision and comic voice of both …
08/04/2020REFLECTIONS ON THE HILTON BOMBING  , Imre Salusinszky is a journalist and author, most recently of The Hilton Bombing: Evan Pederick and the Ananda Marga? On Wednesday 8 April 2020, Imre Salusinszky recorded a talk for …
11/03/2020AINSLEY GOTTO – WORKING WITH JOHN GORTON, In 1968 the new Prime Minister, John Gorton, appointed Ainsley Gotto, aged 22, as his principal private secretary. She became one of the most talked about young women in Australia.  …
04/02/2020KANGAROO VALLEY: AUSTRALIANS IN BRITAIN IN THE 1960s, Nicholas Hasluck has served as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and as Chair of the Literature Board. Well-known as a writer, his latest work is Beyond …
10/02/2020A POLITICAL UPDATE – SETTING THE SCENE FOR 2020, Summer in south-eastern Australia was particularly severe with continuing drought being added to by a prolonged bushfire season. The Morrison Government – having won the “unwinnable election” in May 2019 …
24/02/2020LABOR – THE STATE OF THE PARTY, Labor’s loss at the May 2019 federal election sent shock waves through the party that had been predicted to win the unloseable election. Polls over months had predicted a Labor …
05/02/2020A NEW ERA OF FIRE, Summer 2019-2020 was a difficult and dangerous one in many parts of Australia due to a long period of destructive bushfires. Debate continues over their causes and their aftermath. At …
24/02/2020LABOR – THE STATE OF THE PARTY, Labor’s loss at the May 2019 federal election sent shock waves through the party that had been predicted to win the unloseable election. Polls over months had predicted a Labor …
10/02/2020A POLITICAL UPDATE – SETTING THE SCENE FOR 2020, Summer in south-eastern Australia was particularly severe with continuing drought being added to by a prolonged bushfire season. The Morrison Government – having won the “unwinnable election” in May 2019 …
24/07/2019Seven Big Australians: Adventures With Comic Actors, Dr Anne Pender is Professor of English and Theatre Studies at the University of New England. Her most recent book, Seven Big Australians: Adventures with Comic Actors, is published by …
31/07/2019A Life Writ Large, Now in his late-eighties, and listed by the National Trust as a “Living Treasure”, Geoffrey Blainey has now published the first volume of his memoires – Before I Forget.  In it, …
07/08/2019Religious Freedom – Two Views, In 2019, the Morrison government tasked the Australian Law Reform Commission to review current legislation around religious freedom. This was in response to the recommendations put to the government by …
13/08/2019Immigration, Humanitarian Pathways, Sovereign Borders, Skilled Migration and Population, Australia’s immigration policies are the envy of other multicultural Western nations – recently having won the praise of the leaders of the UK and the USA. Some of the most …
20/08/2019Far Left and Far Right Populism in Europe, James Kirchick is a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, journalist and author of The End of Europe: Dictators Demagogues and the Coming Dark Age [Yale, 2017] In an article for The …
27/08/2019Policies Supporting Opportunity and Aspiration Prevailed, Senator the Hon. Mathias Cormann, a Senator for Western Australia, is the Minister for Finance and Leader of the Government in the Senate. Senator Corman has been Australia’s Finance Minister …
11/09/2019Why I Blog – The Quiet Australians, The Hon John Anderson is a sixth-generation farmer and grazier from New South Wales, who spent 19 years from 1989 in the Australian Parliament.  This included six years as Leader …
17/09/2019A Remarkable Ten – They Left Their Mark On Australia and Were Then Forgotten, Ian Macfarlane AC is an Australian economist and was Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, from 1996 to 17 September 2006. He has not let retirement end his endeavours, …
09/10/2019The World Is Moving On While Australia Stands Still, The Hon Joel Fitzgibbon is Member for Hunter & Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Resources. After watching his regional seat in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley come very close to …
17/10/2019Myall Creek Massacre: The Trial That Defined A Nation, In 1838, eleven convicts and former convicts were put on trial for the brutal murder of 28 Aboriginal men, women and children at Myall Creek in New South Wales. The …
23/10/2019Tasmania the Turnaround State, In 2014, The Hon Will Hodgman led his Liberal Party to am historic win in the Tasmanian state elections. On a visit to Sydney, on Wednesday 23 October 2019, the …
07/08/2019Religious Freedom – Two Views, The Coalition government of Scott Morrison has tasked the Australian Law Reform Commission to review current legislation around religious freedom. This was in response to the recommendations put to the …
28/10/2019Housing In Australia – How The Morrison Government Is Backing Australians’ Housing Choices, Housing has become on of the most pressing issues in Australian politics. The cost of housing, the lack of housing and how to fix the problems. The Hon Michael Sukkar …
20/11/2019The Crisis on Campus, Universities across the Western world are now educating a majority of high school graduates. What are they being taught? How high are standards? Why is freedom of expression under attack …
04/11/2019Israel: Netanyahu, Gant or Other Options, Ehud Ya’ari is an Israel-based Lafer international fellow of The Washington Institute and author of Toward Israeli-Palestinian Disengagement and Peace by Piece: A Decade of Egyptian Policy and Sinai: The …
19/08/2019Billy Hughes at Versailles: The New Evidence, Australia was represented at the Versailles Peace Conference in 1919 by the Prime Minister, the colourful Billy Hughes, whom Woodrow Wilson called “a pestiferous varmint” after their repeated clashes over …
25/11/2019Accelerating R&D in NSW, The Hon Gabrielle Upton MP is Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier of New South Wales. On Monday 25 November, Gabrielle Upton addressed The Sydney Institute to outline a new initiative …
06/08/2019A Pope and a Greenie: Why More Power Should Be Given to Locals, Ninety years ago, Pope Pius XI warned against the problems of taking power away from individual communities when he coined the modern principle of “subsidiarity”. The malaise affecting modern, western …
06/11/2019Sydney – What is to be Done?, Australia’s premier city of Sydney has its development problems – and issues of debate. Trams in George Street, high rise in Pyrmont, homeless people in parks and streets, bike lanes …
The Crisis on Campus, Universities across the Western world are now educating a majority of high school graduates. What are they being taught? How high are standards? Why is freedom of expression under attack …
11/12/2019A Year to Remember – How the Coalition Went from Chaos to Comeback, Disunity is said to be death in politics – but not for Scott Morrison’s Liberal Party in election 2019. Morrison and his team took their chance and won a remarkable …
28/08/2019Australian Labor – Looking Back and the Way Forward, Dr Adrian Pabst is Reader in Politics at Kent University and author Story of Our Country: Labor’s vision for Australia.  In 2018, Adrian Pabst spent months in Australia researching Labor’s appeal, …
12/11/2019Australia and the Pacific – Their Prosperity is Our Prosperity, The strategic, economic, technological and environmental changes taking place in the Indo-Pacific, including increased investment and competition for influence, present both opportunities and challenges for our region. Through the Pacific …
12/09/2019Iran and the United States: An Update, Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior fellow at Foundation For The Defence of Democracies (FDD) where he focuses on Iranian security and political issues. Behnam previously served as a research …
MOBILITY, DRIVING INNOVATION AND ENHANCING OUR LIVEABILITY – TRANSPORT AS A TRUE TECH BUSINESSWith the NSW Berejiklian Government’s win at the state election in March 2019, issues around transport in Sydney and NSW took centre stage as vast underway projects started coming to …
LABOR AFTER THE 2019 FEDERAL ELECTION – WHERE TO NEXT?, Michael Sexton SC is the NSW Solicitor General and author of The Great Crash: the short life and sudden death of the Whitlam Government. Brad Norington is Associate Editor at The Australian …
LISTENING TO THE NATION – WHAT DO AUSTRALIANS MOST WANT FROM THEIR GOVERNMENT?, Rebecca Huntley is a social Researcher and author, most recently of the Quarterly Essay Australia Fair. Dr Tanveer Ahmed is a psychiatrist, a regular contributor to the Australian Financial Review and author, most recently, …
WHERE TO NOW? LABOR AFTER THE 2019 FEDERAL ELECTION, Brad Norington is the Associate Editor at The Australian and has been writing about national and international politics over two decades. He was alsoThe Australian’s Washington Correspondent during the Obama presidency. …
FEDERATION’S MAN OF LETTERS – PATRICK McMAHON GLYNN, On Thursday 6 June 2019, the Vice-Chancellor of Australian Catholic University, Professor Greg Craven, joined The Sydney Institute’s Anne Henderson to launch the P M Glynn Institute’s Federation’s Man of …
TAKING BACK THE CLASSROOM – RECLAIMING EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA, Dr Catherine Runcie is a contributing editor of Reclaiming Education: Renewing Schools and Universities in Contemporary Western Culture and David Furse-Roberts, Research fellow at the Menzies Research Centre and editor of Menzies …
DONALD TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST POLICY, Michael Doran is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC. He specialises in Middle East security issues. In the administration of President George W. Bush, Doran served …
REVISITING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ROBERT MENZIES, Who was Robert Menzies, what did he stand for, what did he achieve. Columnist with The Australian and author – most recently – of Robert Menzies The Art of Politics, Troy Bramston …
AUSTRALIA VOTED – AN EVENING AFTER THE ELECTION, On Saturday 18 May 2019, Australia voted and the opinion polls were wrong. Prime Minister Scott Morrison pulled off what had been predicted to be an impossible win. In March …
LISTENING TO THE NATION – WHAT DO AUSTRALIANS MOST WANT FROM THEIR GOVERNMENT?, Rebecca Huntley is a social Researcher and author, most recently of the Quarterly Essay Australia Fair. Dr Tanveer Ahmed is a psychiatrist, a regular contributor to the Australian Financial Review and author, most recently, …
THE BATTLE FOR LAE AND THE PACIFIC WAR, The capture of Lae was the most complex operation for the Australian army in the Second World War. In many ways it was also a rehearsal for the D-Day invasion …
WRITING BIOGRAPHY IN THE 21ST CENTURY – THE LIFE OF WILLIAM MCMAHON AND OTHERS, Today, biographies seek to reveal and understand the lives of their subjects, shedding light on both their times and the people who rose in them, while avoiding the temptation to …
STATECRAFT AND WORLD ORDER        , The ancient Greeks hard-wired a tragic sensibility into their culture. By looking disaster squarely in the face, by understanding just how badly things could spiral out of control, they sought …
CHARLES KINGSFORD SMITH – KING OF THE AIR, Charles Kingsford Smith was the most commanding flyer of the golden age of aviation. In three short years, he broke records with his astounding and daring voyages: the first trans-Pacific …
LAUNCHING FEDERATION’S MAN OF LETTERS – PATRICK MCMAHON GLYNN, On Thursday 6 June 2019, the Vice-Chancellor of Australian Catholic University, Professor Greg Craven, joined The Sydney Institute’s Anne Henderson to launch the P M Glynn Institute’s Federation’s Man of …
 FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE MEDIA, Australian Federal Police raids on the offices of the ABC and the home of a journalist with The Australian provoked a heated debate over press freedom in Australia during June …
FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE MEDIA, Australian Federal Police raids on the offices of the ABC and the home of a journalist with The Australian provoked a heated debate over press freedom in Australia during June …
LABOR AFTER THE 2019 FEDERAL ELECTION – WHERE TO NEXT?, Michael Sexton SC is the NSW Solicitor General and author of The Great Crash: the short life and sudden death of the Whitlam Government. Brad Norington is Associate Editor at The Australian …
AUSTRALIA VOTES – AN EVENING AFTER THE ELECTION, On Saturday 18 May 2019, Australia voted and the opinion polls were wrong. Prime Minister Scott Morrison pulled off what had been predicted to be an impossible win. In March …
ROBERT MENZIES’ PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION, David Furse-Roberts, Research fellow at the Menzies Research Centre and editor of Menzies – The Forgotten Speeches joined forces with Dr Catherine Runcie, contributing editor of Reclaiming Education: Renewing Schools and Universities …
HOW THE GREAT NAVIGATOR MISSED BASS STRAIT– LOOKING BACK AT JAMES COOK, Margaret Cameron-Ash is the author of Lying for the Admiralty: Captain Cook’s Endeavour Voyage. In her book, she mounts a strong circumstantial case that Cook both discovered Bass Strait and actually …
THE CROATIAN SIX – AN OLD TERRORISM PANIC, One summer night in 1979, Roger Rogerson and a posse of tough Sydney cops raided a Sydney house where sticks of gelignite were discovered. The Croatian family’s young men were …
27/03/2019Has Politics Really Changed – from Menzies to Morrison, At The Sydney Institute’s Annual Dinner held at The Star on Wednesday 27 March 2019, the Institute celebrated its thirtieth year. Guest speaker at the dinner was The Hon John …
25/03/2019Welfare, Personal Responsibility and the Cashless Debit Card, On Monday 25 March 2019, The Hon Paul Fletcher MP, Minister for Families and Social Services, addressed The Sydney Institute. Paul Fletcher is the Member for Bradfield and entered parliament …
21/03/2019What’s Wrong with North Fitzroy?, Most of the Victorian terraces and workers’ cottages in inner Melbourne (and Sydney/Brisbane) have been thoroughly renovated by affluent professional couples and are valued in seven figures. And the pensioners, …
14/03/2019Communications Policy in Australia – The Road Ahead, With the polls suggesting that a Labor win at the 2019 federal election – due in May  – was all but a certainty, The Sydney Institute invited Labor MP and …
11/03/2019Escaping from the Rat Race – A Cradle Mountain Love Story, Gustav Weindorfer arrived in Melbourne from Austria in June 1900 and later met and married Tasmanian Kate Cowle. Their love of the natural and wild led them to Cradle Mountain …
06/03/2019An Evening Before the Election, With a federal election looming by May 2019, and the polls for many months predicting an easy win for the Labor opposition led by Bill Shorten, The Sydney Institute held …
06/03/2019An Evening Before the Election, With a federal election looming by May 2019, and the polls for many months predicting an easy win for the Labor opposition led by Bill Shorten, The Sydney Institute held …
25/02/2019Arguing with Family Ghosts – The Unsafe Memoir, Geoffrey Lehmann – writer, poet and tax lawyer – has written his memoirs which he has entitled Leeward – A Memoir. Old Sydney is part of Lehmann’s identity – its harbour …
20/02/2019Crafting the Nation: The Story of a Banner, a Bicentennial and a Berth in the Big House of Australian Democracy, Dr Clare Wright is Associate Professor of History at La Trobe University and author of (most recently) You Daughters of Freedom. In an address to The Sydney Institute on Wednesday …
18/02/2019Voluntary Euthanasia: Impacts on Individuals and Society, The Rev Peter Kurti is Senior Research Fellow, Culture, Prosperity & Civil Society program at the Centre for Independent Studies and an author, most recently, of Euthanasia – Putting The Culture …
18/02/2019Voluntary Euthanasia: Impacts on Individuals and Society, The Rev Peter Kurti is Senior Research Fellow, Culture, Prosperity & Civil Society program at the Centre for Independent Studies and an author, most recently, of Euthanasia – Putting The Culture …
11/02/2019Democratic Pushback: How to Confront the New Authoritarian Powers without Going to War, In the last week of federal parliament prior to Christmas 2018, Michael Danby MHR introduced a Private Member’s Bill to have Australia adopt a Global Magnitsky Act against authoritarian powers’ …
06/02/2019Australia and China – Different Views, , The Hon Bob Carr, former NSW premier and author and Dr Alan Dupont, founder and CEO of Cognoscenti are both close watchers of Australian-Chinese relations. Yet they differ on how …
04/02/2019Religious Schools and the Sex Discrimination Act, In November 2017, in the midst of parliamentary debate about how to legislate marriage equality after the historic yes vote, the Turnbull government asked former attorney general Philip Ruddock to …
04/02/2019Religious Schools and the Sex Discrimination Act, In November 2017, in the midst of parliamentary debate about how to legislate marriage equality after the historic yes vote, the Turnbull government asked former attorney general Philip Ruddock to …
22/01/2019Creating Opportunity and Encouraging Aspiration: The Key to a Growing Economy and a Stronger Australia, , The Hon Josh Frydenberg was elected Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party on August 2018. Prime Minister Scott Morrison soon after appointed him Australia’s treasurer. As the member for Kooyong …
17/12/2018Political Choices Matter, On Monday 17 December 2018, The Hon Mathias Cormann – Australia’s Finance minister – addressed The Sydney Institute. It was the day the Morrison Government had released its Mid-Year Economic …
15/12/2018International Relations, The Hon Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, addressed The Sydney Institute on Saturday 15 December 2018. His speech was a wide ranging and comprehensive review of the government’s approach …
10/12/2018Growth: Why it Matters, Grant King is President of the Business Council of Australia. In an address to The Sydney Institute on Monday 10 December 2018. Grant King outlined why good economic growth equals …
06/12/2018James Packer and His World, The Packer family – Sir Frank Packer, Kerry Packer and James Packer – has dominated Australia’s media and gaming world for decades. In 2019, James Packer opened up about life …
Enid Lyons: Her Life and Times, To mark the 75th anniversary of Dame Enid Lyons’s maiden speech in the House of Representatives in September 1943, the Menzies Research Centre produced an anniversary edition of Anne Henderson’s …
14/11/2018Ending the Culture Wars, Across the Western world, nations are dividing along sharply separated lines around identity and individual belief structures. Some columnists write that traditional institutions are under threat as cynicism and disruptive action around campuses …
29/10/2018The Art of Counter-Terrorism, Professor Boaz Ganor is Dean & Ronald Lauder Chair for Counter-Terrorism, Lauder School of Government; Founder & Executive Director, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, Israel. On a visit to Australia in, …
03/12/2018Why I Am No Longer A Feminist, Bettina Arndt completed a Master of Clinical Psychology before becoming well known as one of Australia’s first sex therapists. She is also a commentator and author, most recently of #MenToo. Bettina …
27/11/2018Australia’s Part in Man’s First Walk on The Moon, Many still remain unaware of the significant role played by Honeysuckle Creek, near Canberra, in the telecast of man’s first steps on the moon. The NSW town of Parkes has …
20/11/2018John Russell: And the Importance of the Australian Arts Documentary, , He grew up in Sydney’s Darlinghurst, but Australian John Russell was to become one of the most influential impressionist painters in 19th-century France. He was friends with Rodin, painted with …
07/11/2018Villers-Bretonneux: What Really Happened, In March 1918, the Germans launched an immense offensive that led to Britain’s gravest crisis of WWI. There was widespread concern — under-recognised today — that after years of terrible …
24/09/2018Enid Lyons – Her Life and Times, To mark the 75th anniversary of Dame Enid Lyons’s maiden speech in the House of Representatives in September 1943, the Menzies Research Centre produced an anniversary edition of Anne Henderson’s …
24/10/2018The Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund, The Hon John Barilaro is the NSW Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional New South Wales, Minister for Skills and Minister for Small Business. He is also the leader of the …
17/09/2018Australian Federal Politics on the Eve of The Wentworth By-Election, In August 2018, the Westminster system of government took its toll, yet again, of an Australian prime minister. And, after three weeks of parliamentary power play, former PM Malcolm Turnbull …
22/10/2018Twentieth Century Communism – What Millennials Need to Know, The evil of totalitarian Nazism is a living memory, due in particular to the establishment of Holocaust museums. However, memory of totalitarian communism – in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, …
16/10/2018Fighting Back to Preserve our Freedom, The Hon Dominic Perrottet MP has been the New South Wales Treasurer and the Minister for Industrial Relations since January 2017 in the Berejiklian Government. Perrottet was also elected as …
10/10/2018Rusted Off: Navigating the Gulf between Parliament and Rural Australia, Gabrielle Chan is a journalist who became a farmer. In her new book Rusted Off, she looks to her own rural community’s main street for answers to the big questions driving …
08/10/2018The Internet – Not an Ungoverned Space, The internet is arguably the greatest technological development in human history, enabling people and business to connect and engage in ways never thought possible. But it has also produced its …
Australian Federal Politics on the Eve of The Wentworth By-Election, In August 2018, the Westminster system of government took its toll, yet again, of an Australian prime minister. And, after three weeks of parliamentary power play, former PM Malcolm Turnbull …
11/09/2018Rotten Luck and Self-Inflicted Wounds – How the U.S. Pollsters Failed in the 2016 Presidential Election and Why a Similar Result is Unlikely in Australia, Martin O’Shannessy is a partner at OmniPoll and a former CEO of Newspoll with a 100 per cent record of calling state and federal election outcomes. Polling is now part …
03/09/2018Australia, the Soviet Union & the Cold War – and Russia Today, Professor Paul Dibb works at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the ANU, is a former defence intelligence official and is the author of (most recently) Inside the Wilderness of …
29/08/2018Absolute Power – God, Belief and The Pope, In 1799, the papacy was at rock bottom: The Papal States had been swept away and Rome seized by the revolutionary French armies. The cardinals were scattered across Europe, and …
31/07/2018Liberal Party Women MPs – Where Are They?, August 2018 marked the 75th anniversary of the first Australian woman to be elected to the House of Representatives – Dame Enid Lyons, who stood for the United Australia Party, …
29/09/2018The Power of the Pope, In 1799, the papacy was at rock bottom: The Papal States had been swept away and Rome seized by the revolutionary French armies. The cardinals were scattered across Europe, and …
27/08/2018The Sydney Opera House: Its History and its People, The best loved building in Australia nearly didn’t get off the drawing board. When it did, the lives of everyone involved in its construction were utterly changed: some for the …
14/06/2018The Case for English: Why a Shared Language is Key to Social Cohesion and Economic Success, The Hon Alan Tudge is Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. In a speech to The Sydney Institute on Thursday 14 June 2018, Minister Tudge outlined the many reasons for …
25/06/2018Transforming Australia into an Outward-Looking Economy: Why the 1940s Matter, David Vines is Emeritus Professor of Economics and Emeritus Fellow of Balliol College at the University of Oxford. He is also the Director of the Ethics and Economics Programme at …
06/08/2018The Queen’s Role in the Appointment and Dismissal of the Governor General, Professor Anne Twomey is Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Sydney. She is the author of (most recently) The Veiled Sceptre – Reserve Powers of Heads of State …
08/08/2018Cambodia: After the Election, Ms. Monovithya Kem is a member of the Permanent Committee of Cambodia’s principal opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP). Within the Public Affairs Directorate, she oversees the departments …
31/07/2018The Liberal Party’s Women MPs – Where are They?, August 2018 marked the 75th anniversary of the first Australian woman to be elected to the House of Representatives – Dame Enid Lyons, who stood for the United Australia Party, …
31/07/2018The Liberal Party’s Women MPs – Where are They?, August 2018 marked the 75th anniversary of the first Australian woman to be elected to the House of Representatives – Dame Enid Lyons, who stood for the United Australia Party, …
18/07/2018My Life In Journalism: From Adelaide to London and New York, Fifty-two years after being sent out to buy a sandwich for his first boss, one Rupert Murdoch, when Les finally left Murdoch’s employment in 2011, the business of news had …
11/07/2018Partnering with our Cities, The Hon Anthony Albanese is Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Cities & Regional Development. Anthony Albanese, who grew up in public housing in the inner Sydney suburb of Camperdown, was …
09/07/2018On Disruption: A Report from the Australian Coalface, The internet has shaken the foundations of life: public and private lives are wrought by the 24-hour, seven-day-a-week news cycle that means no one is ever off duty. Katharine Murphy …
04/07/2018Australian Freedom and an Australian Modern Slavery Act, Assistant Home Affairs Minister Alex Hawke says as many as 4000 Australians are victims of modern slavery, found in mines, factories, brothels, construction sites and farms around the world. Under …
26/06/2018The Year That Changed Everything, 2001 marked the halfway point of 20 years of continuous economic growth in Australia. In Sydney, the median house price was $322,500, a loaf of bread cost $2.30 and a …
20/06/2018A Silent Force – Colonial Businesswomen in Sydney, Dr Catherine Bishop is an Honorary Associate of the History faculty at the University of Sydney and also the Author of Minding Her Own Business – Colonial Businesswomen in Sydney which …
19/06/2018Syria 2.0: The Current Situation in Syria and How it Affects The Region, Dr Jonathan Spyer is a Jerusalem-based journalist and author and an analyst with the Jerusalem Institute of Strategic Studies. Spyer has been covering the rumble and crumble of Iraq and …
16/05/2018Home Affairs: Our Achievements and Views to the Future, The Hon Peter Dutton is the Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Mr Dutton was sworn in as Minister for Home Affairs in December 2017. …
22/05/2018Budget 2018: The Aftermath, Budget 2018 handed down by Treasurer Scott Morrison on Tuesday 8 May 2018 was described by the Australian Institute of Company Directors as “heroic” in its wage growth forecasts, by …
22/05/2018Budget 2018: The Aftermath, Budget 2018 handed down by Treasurer Scott Morrison on Tuesday 8 May 2018 was described by the Australian Institute of Company Directors as “heroic” in its wage growth forecasts, by …
15/05/2018Catholic Schools – the Education Option Australia Can’t do Without, With 2018 changes in the administration of funding to Australian schools, low paying systemic non-denominational schools will lose millions, in particular Catholic schools. The funding model has been questioned and …
03/05/2018Owning the Future, On Thursday 3 May 2018, The Hon Gladys Berejiklian gave The Sydney Institute Annual Dinner address for 2018. Ms Berejiklian was introduced by The Hon John Howard and the vote …
03/05/2018The Sydney Institute Annual Dinner – Introduction to the Premier, On Thursday 3 May 2018, The Hon Gladys Berejiklian gave The Sydney Institute Annual Dinner address for 2018. Ms Berejiklian was introduced by The Hon John Howard and the vote …
26/06/2018The AIF Heroes of Tobruk, El Alamein, New Guinea and Borneo, Dr Mark Johnston is an Australian historian, teacher and author. He is currently the Head of History at the Scotch College in Melbourne. He has written several publications about Australian …
24/04/2018Jewish Settlement in Australia – The Aunt’s Mirrors, Settlers with Jewish religious or cultural backgrounds have been part of Terra Australis since the First Fleet landed in 1788. As early as 1844 the first synagogue was formed in …
11/06/2018Revolutions, and the Revolutionary Ideas of Edmund Burke, Dr Jesse Norman, an author and writer, is Member of Parliament for Hereford and South Herefordshire and UK Minister for Roads. He is also one of the rising stars in …
24/04/2018Jewish Settlement in Australia, Settlers with Jewish religious or cultural backgrounds have been part of Terra Australia since the First Fleet landed in 1788. As early as 1844 the first synagogue was formed in …
13/06/2018Pol Pot Solved the Leprosy Crisis, Dr Milton Osborne is a former Australian diplomat and author, most recently, of Pol Pot Solved the Leprosy Problem. Milton Osborne’s early experience in Australia’s Phnom Penh embassy shaped the …
06/06/2018Solutions for a Society Facing New Threats, The Hon Angus Taylor is the Minister for Law Enforcement & Cyber Security and the Member for Hume. He grew up on a up on a sheep and cattle property …
31/05/2018Myanmar and The Rohingya Crisis, Myanmar, today, is enmeshed in a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions – the Rohingya Crisis as it’s commonly known.  The nature of events has seen Bangladesh now hosting upwards of …
13/03/2018The Trump Administration and the US Economy, Key economic indicators have judged the current US economy to be in good health. Inflation is low and US manufacturing is picking up. Employment figures are improving but structural unemployment …
04/04/2018Cardinal Gilroy, In 2018, historian Dr John Luttrell, a lecturer in Church history in tertiary institutions in Australia for many years, published the first full biography of Australia’s first Australian born cardinal. …
10/04/2018Australia’s Women Writers in a Man’s World, Gwen Harwood, Ruth Park, Dorothy Hewitt and Christina Stead – all went on to become notable Australian writers. They were very different women from very different backgrounds, but they shared …
04/04/2018A Cardinal and Servant – Norman Thomas Gilroy, In 2018, historian Dr John Luttrell, a lecturer in Church history in tertiary institutions in Australia for many years, published the first full biography of Australia’s first Australian born cardinal. …
21/03/2018Turnbull, Joyce, Shorten and all that – What’s Happening?, In  2018, Australian federal politics went through some headline grabbing times – but what to make of the froth and bubble in much of the turmoil? Is social media out …
21/03/2018Turnbull, Joyce, Shorten and all that – What’s Happening?, In  2018, Australian federal politics went through some headline grabbing times – but what to make of the froth and bubble in much of the turmoil? Is social media out …
19/03/2018China’s Growing Influence on the West – and its Politics, Chris Chappell is the host of New York’s China Uncensored, an online show that entertains while reporting on China. Says Chappell of his show, “I like humour and really ultimately I …
07/03/2018The Value of Private Health Insurance, Senator Richard Di Natale is the Leader of the Greens Party and was first elected to the Senate at the federal election of 2010. A former general practitioner, Di Natale …
28/02/2018Sulman – Prodigy of His Generation, The Annual Sulman Art Prize awarded by the Art Gallery of NSW is named after him, John Longstaff’s portrait of him won the Archibald Prize in 1931 and he is …
21/02/2018Wednesdays on My Mind – Seeing The World with Bob Hawke, , The Hon Bob Hawke was one of the most popular Australian prime ministers who lived his life in a privately adventurous bubble that never held him back – whether the …
20/02/2018Australian Politics Today, Former prime minister, The Hon Tony Abbott MP, has a lot to say about politics in Australia. In a speech to The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 20 February 2018, Tony …
19/02/2018Managing Climate-Related Financial Risk – Lessons from Adani, The Hon Mark Butler has been the Labor Member for Port Adelaide in the federal parliament since 2007 and is the Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy. As Shadow …
12/02/2018The Trump Administration and the Middle East, Dr Jonathan Schanzer oversees the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ research. He worked as a terrorism finance analyst at the US Department of the Treasury, where he played an integral …
06/02/2018Caroline Chisholm – A Game-Changer in Early Australia, Caroline Chisholm was a take-no-prisoners game-changer of colonial Australia – as well as a charming, wholly committed, and utterly determined force of nature. Arriving in Australia in 1838, she was …
31/01/2018Old Wine In New Bottles – Strengthening Liberal Values, The Hon Kelly O’Dwyer was appointed as the Minister for Revenue and Financial Services in the Turnbull Government in July 2016. In December 2017, she was also appointed as the …
23/01/2018Race, Politics and Changing Australia, Warren Mundine AO IS A former ALP president, Abbott Government adviser and author of Warren Mundine in Black and White. Warren Mundine believes that Indigenous potential is real and – as …
12/12/2017The Rainbow in Asia, With Australia’s historic legislative change to its Marriage Act to allow marriage between gay couples, a new age has begun Down Under. But not so for many of Australia’s nearest …
29/11/2017The Great Barrier Reef, and the Need for Better Quality Assurance Processes in Science, What are the disputed facts on climate science? The debate is widening as scientists disagree on weather measurements and coral bleaching. Earlier this year, Jennifer Marohasy challenged the CSIRO’s weather …
15/11/2017Beersheba 1917-2017: The Commemoration, The Park of the Australian Soldier in Beersheba is dedicated in the memory of the Australian Light Horse Regiment, and was developed as a permanent memorial by the Pratt Foundation in …
09/11/2017Collaboration and Compassion: Hallmarks of a Modern Liberal Government, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian addressed The Sydney Institute on Thursday, 9 November 2017. In her address, the premier  argued the case for liberalism within the context of the Liberal Party …
08/11/2017Peter Hall and The Sydney Opera House, In her recently published The Poisoned Chalice: Peter Hall and The Sydney Opera House, architecture and design curator Dr Anne Watson has forensically researched the story of the building the …
31/10/2017Security and Australia in the Pacific, From the first years of federation, the Australian government has taken the view that Australia has responsibilities to its nearest neighbours in the Pacific. That relationship has waxed and waned …
07/12/2017After the Fall of the Caliphate: International Terrorism’s On-Going Concerns & Challenges, Defeated in Iraq, the ISIS inspired terrorist movement is by no means dead. Terrorism expert Dr Sajjan Gohel, speaking after London Bridge and Borough Market terrorist attacks in 2017, has …
29/11/2017Good Tidings: A Book for Your Neighbour on Climate, The debate on climate change is widening as scientists disagree on weather measurements and coral bleaching. Earlier this year, Jennifer Marohasy challenged the CSIRO’s weather and temperature measuring methods and …
22/11/2017Technological Change: Making the Most of the Technological Revolution, Digital disruption is contributing to a flakiness in Western governments as phenomena such as 24/7 news, fake news and technological disruption threaten stability. How to deal with it is a …
08/11/2017The Poisoned Chalice – Peter Hall and The Sydney Opera House, Dr Anne Watson is a design curator and writer whose specialist areas include the history of the Sydney Opera House and the lives and work of Walter Burley Griffin and …
26/10/2017The Protestant Reformation: 500 Years On, Peter Elliott is an Auxiliary Bishop in the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, with responsibility  for the Southern Region of the Archdiocese.  He is Director of the John Paul II Institute …
26/10/2017The West after the Protestant Reformation, 500 Years On- Catholic and Protestant: an Anglican Perspective, Rev Canon Professor Scott Cowdell is Canon Theologian of the Canberra-Goulburn Diocese and the author of seven books exploring Christian faith and contemporary culture, most recently Abiding Faith: Christianity Beyond Certainty, …
26/10/2017The Protestant Reformation- 500 Years On, Frank Brennan SJ AO is Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Social Services Australia. His many books include books on Aboriginal issues such as The Wik Debate, One Land One Nation, Sharing …
23/10/2017Discussion Chaired by Geraldine Doogue with Professor Megan Davis, Danny Gilbert AM & Noel Pearson, , , , On Monday 23 October 2017, Danny Gilbert, Co-Chair of the Cape York Partnership Group and Co-founder and Managing Partner of the law firm Gilbert & Tobin, initiated a Sydney Institute …
23/10/2017Constitutional Recognition after the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Danny Gilbert AM is Co-Chair of the Cape York Partnership Group and Co-founder and Managing Partner of the law firm Gilbert & Tobin. On Monday 23 October 2017, Danny Gilbert …
10/10/2017Is Life too Short for Politics?, Terri Butler MP is Shadow Assistant Minister for Preventing Family Violence, Shadow Assistant Minister for Universities and Shadow Assistant Minister for Equality. Sje is also the federal member for Griffith. …
04/10/2017Reflecting on Edmund Burke and Australia’s Liberal Party, The Hon Tony Abbott MP was prime minister of Australia from September 2013 to September 2015. In Damien Freeman’s Abbott’s Right he is seen as a conservative in the tradition …
04/10/2017Edmund Burke’s Conservatism and Tony Abbott’s Policy Making, In spite of being a Rhodes Scholar, some commentators believed Tony Abbott offered nothing more than three-word slogans. Damien Freeman, writer, lawyer and philosopher, has now published Abbott’s Right. In it, …
28/09/2017Australia, the Region and the US Alliance, After North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test in the first week of September 2017, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Minister of Defence Senator Marise Payne issued their strongest …
20/09/2017Sydney Noir – Prosperity and Crime, 1966 to 1972, Michael Duffy is an Australian writer and former editor and publisher. He edited The Independent Monthly from 1993 to 1996. He presented ABC Radio National’s Counterpoint with the late Paul Comrie-Thomson and wrote for …
12/09/2017China’s Baby Trade, Former Foreign Correspondent journalist and host of ABC TV’s “One Plus One”, Jane Hutcheon met Linda Shum, a not-so-ordinary grandmother and widow from Gympie whose compassion for China’s forgotten children …
24/10/2017Pompey Elliott at War, Ross McMullin is an historian and biographer who has written extensively about Australia’s involvement in World War I. Dr McMullin’s biographies include the award-winning Pompey Elliott and Will Dyson: Australia’s radical genius. His …
05/09/2017Remembering Alfred Deakin, Professor Judith Brett has produced a new biography of Alfred Deakin – The Enigmatic Mr Deakin – Australia’s second prime minister, to shine fresh light on one of the nation’s …
08/08/2017Australia’s Workplace Relations Framework: The Case for Reform, An outspoken critic of the CFMEU and the influence of trade unions on members of the Labor caucus, Martin Ferguson is the maverick voice of the ALP. A former minister …
31/07/2017Joseph Lyons and the Management of Debt, Three figures emerged from the fracas in Australia brought on by the stock market crash of 1929 and the Depression which followed. These political players were the federal treasurer “Red …
30/08/2017Identity and the Politics of Place- Why Australia Is on the Road to Somewhere, Respect for traditional Western institutions is at an all time low. Education, social media and the many variations of the “world wide web” have given individuals a sense of power …
23/08/2017Identity, Tolerance, and the Politics of Place, Respect for traditional Western institutions is at an all time low. Education, social media and the many variations of the “world wide web” have given individuals a sense of power …
02/08/2017The Changing Face of the Labour Market: Where to From Here?, The Hon Brendan O’Connor is Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and the Member for Gorton. As unions herald an aggressive campaign, claiming that the current industrial relations system is “broken­”, …
23/08/2017Policies for Opportunity VS Politics of Envy, Senator The Hon Mathias Cormann has been Australia’s finance minister since September 2013. In a speech to The Sydney Institute on Wednesday 23 August 2017, Senator Cormann attacked the populist …
14/08/2017Israel in a Changing Middle East, The impact of Iran, Islamic State and the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East has changed the region. Israel, the only democracy in the region, has improved relations with Egypt, …
07/08/2017A Changing Australian Religious Landscape, Dr Ruth Powell has been a researcher and writer with the National Church Life Survey Research since 1991, completing her PhD on age differences among church attenders. Prior to becoming Director …
18/07/2017Jane and D’Arcy: Fact and Fiction, As a nephew of The Hon Bill Wentworth MP, Wal Walker heard the Wentworth family story handed down the generation in Sydney. Asked by his uncle in his last years …
25/07/2017Lessons in Terror: the Lindt Café Siege and Brighton Attack, Janet Fife-Yeomans is Chief Reporter with the The Daily Telegraph, a best selling author and award winning journalist. In May 2017, Janet Fife-Yeomans wrote a series of articles for The Daily …
26/07/2017Australia: A Small Business Success, The Hon Michael McCormack MP, a National Party MP, is the Minister for Small Business and the Member for Riverina. Before entering politics, Michael McCormack was a journalist and editor …
31/07/2017Money, Men and Depression- “Red” Ted Theodore, Three figures emerged from the fracas in Australia brought on by the stock market crash of 1929 and the Depression which followed. These political players were “Red Ted” Theodore, Joseph …
07/08/2017Why Muslims are the World’s Fastest-growing Religious Group, Dr Conrad Hackett is associate director of research and senior demographer at Pew Research Center. He works in international religious demography, sociology of religion, and how religion relates to characteristics including …
08/08/2017Australia’s Workplace Relations Framework: The Case for Reform, , Following Martin Ferguson’s address to The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 8 August, Jennifer Hewett, National Affairs Columnist for The Australian Financial Review, discussed some of the issues he had raised …
Why Marriage Is Too Risky For Men, Karen Straughan is a Canadian spokesperson for Men’s Rights who featured prominently in the controversial film The Red Pill. In 2013, Karen created her YouTube channel What Girls Write. She has used …
How Victoria Differs from New South Wales and Tasmania – AN Historical Case Study, Patrick Morgan has published and edited a number of books on topics where history, literature and politics converge. His most recent book is The Vandemonian Trail – Convicts and Bushrangers …
Low Wage Growth Risks Australia’s Future Prosperity, The Hon Tanya Plibersek is Deputy Leader of the Federal Opposition, Shadow Minister for Education & Shadow Minister for Women. With Labor well placed to defeat the Liberal/National Government of …
Ways Forward for Women in the Workplace, Television journalist and presenter Tracey Spicer was always the good girl. Inspired by Jana Wendt, this bogan from the Brisbane backwaters waded through the “cruel and shallow money trench” of …
03/05/2017Pauline Hanson: One Nation & The Politics of Race, David Marr, journalist, author and political & social commentator, is the author (most recently) of Quarterly Essay’s The White Queen – One Nation and The Politics of Race. As Marr …
Sydney’s Anglicans, Rev Canon Dr Bruce Ballantine-Jones OAM is a former member of the Sydney Anglican Synod and the author of Inside Sydney – An insider’s view of the changes and politics in the …
E-Cigarettes. Threat Or Opportunity?, Associate Professor Colin Mendelsohn is a full time Tobacco Treatment Specialist. He is conjoint Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of New …
Martin Sharp: Taking On The Establishment, Martin Sharp’s art was as singular as his style. He blurred the boundaries of high art and low with images of Dylan, Hendrix and naked flower children that defined an …
Family Ties & Euthanasia- The Modern Dilemma, Nikki Gemmell is an internationally acclaimed author, most recently of After,  and a columnist with The Australian. She has written of Australia’s dry centre and the Antarctic, of sex and …
The Federal Budget 2017- Two Views, Sharri Markson is National Political Editor for The Daily Telegraph. Prior to this, Markson became media editor of The Australian in February 2014 where she was noted for her “aggressive …
Federal Budget 2017- Two Views, Mark Di Stefano is BuzzFeed’s political editor based in Australia. He is a former ABC News reporter. Mark regularly appears as a political commentator on ABC’s Insiders, Channel 10’s The Project and on …
Beyond the Tragedy of Otto Warmbier, The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG is an international jurist, educator and former judge. From 1996-2009, he served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia and in 2013-14 he was …
04/03/2017Can Wealth Concentration be Stopped?, Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur, banker, economist, and civil society leader who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the concepts of …
30/03/2017Disruption Goes Mainstream: Report From America, The Hon Joe Hockey is Australia’s Ambassador to the United States of America, taking up his posting in Washington in January 2016 after retiring from Australian politics having served as …
20/03/2017Donald Trump and the Trump Phenomenon – An Update, The Donald Trump Administration had forced global politics to accept a new style of leadership from the US. A president who talks tough about America’s place in the world has …
15/03/2017A Personal Journey Into the World of the Brain, Barbara Arrowsmith Young is the Canadian educator, author, entrepreneur and lecturer. She is the founder of Arrowsmith School in Toronto and the controversial Arrowsmith Program which forms the basis of …
03/09/2017Is Good Government Enough?, Transport and infrastructure are transforming city life in New South Wales – especially in the outer areas of western Sydney and the congested parts of inner Sydney. Disruption is part …
03/01/2017Wilmot Verses Blamey, Chester Wilmot (1911–1954) was a renowned Australian war correspondent, broadcaster, journalist and writer. Covering the first triumphant North African battles of Bardia, Tobruk and Derna, the heartbreaking disaster of the …
03/01/2017Australian War Reporters- John Hinde, Chester Wilmot and More Besides, Tony Hill is the managing editor of ABC News 24, the ABC’s television news channel. As an ABC foreign correspondent in Indo-China/South East Asia and the Middle East he covered …
22/02/2017The State of the Nation- Breakdown or Happiness?, Dr Tanveer Ahmed is a Sydney based psychiatrist working in private practice and the author of Fragile Nation – Vulnerability, Resilience and Victimhood. At a time of increasing unease across …
22/02/2017The State of the Nation – Breakdown or Happiness?, Rebecca Huntley is a researcher on social trends, broadcaster and the author, most recently, of Still Lucky. On Wednesday 22 February 2017, Rebecca Huntley joined psychiatrist Tanveer Ahmed in a discussion …
20/02/2017Ensuring Energy Security and Affordability, as we Transition to a Lower Emissions Future, The Hon Josh Frydenberg is Australia’s Minister for Environment and Energy. With the federal government looking at all options in working to secure the most efficient and  affordable energy for Australians and …
15/02/2017Labor Icons- Lionel Murphy, Stephen Walmsley SC is a former judge of the District Court of NSW and the author of The Trials of Justice Murphy [2016]. In his book, Stephen Walmsley unravels a …
15/02/2017Paul Keating: The Big Picture Leader, Troy Bramston is a senior writer and columnist with The Australian and the author of Paul Keating: The Big-Picture Leader, [2016]. That there is yet more to examine and tell …
13/02/2017The Search for a New National Identity: The Rise of Multiculturalism in Canada and Australia, Dr Jatinder Mann is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at King’s College London and a former Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alberta. He is the author of The …
02/08/2017The Australian Dream: Blood, History and Becoming, Stan Grant is Indigenous Affairs editor for the ABC and Chair of Indigenous Affairs at Charles Sturt University. He won the 2015 Walkley Award for coverage of Indigenous Affairs and …
31/01/2017The Red Pill – The Movie About Men’s Lives that Gender Warriors Didn’t Want You to See, The Red Pill is a new documentary that activists have prevented being shown in Australian cinemas. Writer, commentator and blogger Bettina Arndt argues that activists are right to be concerned …
04/05/2017Fighting For the Forgotten People: 75 Years On, Formerly a senior lawyer with the national law firm Freehills in its Perth employment and industrial relations practice, Senator Michaelia Cash was first elected to the Senate in 2007 and took …
04/06/2017Keynote Address at The Sydney Institute’s 2017 Annual Dinner, On Thursday 6 April 2017, at The Star Event Centre in Sydney, The Hon Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia, delivered The Sydney Institute’s 2017 Annual Dinner Lecture. The Prime …
Victoria’s Secrets, Fifth in line to the throne at the time of her birth, Victoria was an ordinary woman thrust into an extraordinary role when she inherited the British throne at 18. …
Australia’s Secret Cold War, Dr John Blaxland is the co-author of The Secret Cold War, the third and final volume of the Official History of ASIO which uncovers behind the scenes stories of the …
Sir James Plimsoll – Man for All Seasons, Sir James Plimsoll was a remarkable and most influential Australian diplomat in the post war years from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was renowned for his handling of various …
Married With Children, In the heated debate over Same Sex Marriage or Marriage Equality being allowed by law in Australia and the debate over whether there should be a parliamentary vote to enable …
The Injustice Of Marriage Equality, In the heated debate over Same Sex Marriage or Marriage Equality being allowed by law in Australia and the debate over whether there should be a parliamentary vote to enable …
Thea Astley – Iconic Australian Writer and Reluctant Feminist, Dr Karen Lamb is a Senior Lecturer at the Australian Catholic University and the author of Thea Astley: Inventing Her Own Weather for which she was a co-winner of the …
Putting a Price on Australia’s Resources, On Malcolm Turnbull becoming Prime Minister in July 2015, Senator Matthew Canavan was promoted to Cabinet in the role as Minister for Resources in what Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called …
Sir Paul Hasluck And The Menzies Era, Nicholas Hasluck AM QC studied law at the University of Western Australia, then Oxford, before practising law in Perth. He served as a part-time President of the Equal Opportunity Tribunal …
The NBN and Media Regulation – Reshaping the Future, Senator The Hon Mitch Fifield is Manager of Government Business in the Senate, Minister for the Arts and Minister for Communications. The Communications and Arts portfolio touches every home and …
Welfare Reform – Reducing Dependency and Setting Higher Expectations, The Hon Alan Tudge is the Turnbull Government’s Minister for Human Services. As the minister in charge of a 30-year old system that runs Australia’s welfare payments system, he has …
Robert Menzies and the Visual Arts, Australia’s Commonwealth government has been involved in the arts virtually from federation. The visual arts especially attracted government involvement with the 1912 Fisher Government appointment of a Commonwealth Art Advisory …
Making Headlines, Chris Mitchell retired at the end of 2015 after more than 12 years as editor-in-chief of The Australian and 24 years as a daily newspaper editor at The Australian, The …
Politics and the English Language: an Introduction to Professor Barry Spurr, Professor Barry Spurr was a member of the academic staff of the Department of English in the University of Sydney for 40 years and was Australia’s first Professor of Poetry. …
Politics And Language, Professor Barry Spurr was a member of the academic staff of the Department of English in the University of Sydney for 40 years and was Australia’s first Professor of Poetry. …
Telling it Straight: Behind the Albo Bio, In 2016, political reporter Karen Middleton published Albanese – Telling it Straight which chronicles the life and career of Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese (Albo) who learned his political craft among …
The Hilton Bombing – Unravelling The Mysteries, Rachel Landers is the author of Who Bombed the Hilton and Head of Documentary at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. As an award-winning film maker and historian, in …
Why Music Matters, Music can rally armies – for good and evil; it can soothe the soul and recall tragedy. Music brings the touch of a higher presence – whether in our heightened …
The 2016 Election: A Reflection, Caroline Overington is Associate editor of The Australian and an award winning author, most recently of The Last Woman Hanged. During the 2016 election campaign, The Australian Financial Review’s Aaron …
Tom Hughes QC – Many Sides to A Character, For more that 30 years, Tom Hughes, a scion of a notable Sydney family of high achievers, was one of Australia’s top barristers, renowned, respected and sometimes eared for his …
Randolph Stow’s Politics, Novelist and poet Randolph Stowe was an Australia artistic giant who found himself unwelcome in his own land. Why is it that so many creative Australians find their natural surroundings …
Britain: After David Cameron, Brexit And The Chilcot Report, Tom Tugendhat MP is a former Army officer, Foreign Office adviser, fluent Arabic speaker, and now the new Member for the tranquil Kent towns of Tonbridge, Edenbridge and Malling in …
Jobs, Growth And The Importance Of Living Within Our Means, Senator The Hon Mathias Cormann, Australia’s Minister for Finance in the Abbott and Turnbull Governments, has been one of the standout successes of the Turnbull Abbott period of Australian government. …
The Saudi Arabia/Iran Conflict, Simon Henderson is the Baker fellow and director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Program at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, specialising in energy matters and the conservative …
Justice Must Serve, The Hon Gabrielle Upton is the Member for Vaucluse and NSW Attorney General. She previously held the position of Minister for Family and Community Services, a role in which she …
Clinton v Trump: American Politics as Reality Television, Matt Bai is the national political columnist for Yahoo! News. Before joining Yahoo, at the end of 2013, he was the chief political correspondent for the New York Times Magazine, …
Planet Australia, On Monday 12 September 2016, The Sydney Institute held a discussion on a challenging new collection of essays on Australia published by Oxford University Press titled Only in Australia. The …
Science Down Under In The Age Of Disruptive Technology, Innovation And Uncertainty, David Thodey, former CEO of Telstra and now Chairman of the CSIRO, is the government’s on-hand adviser in matters of innovation and technology. He also has board advisory roles at …
The 2016 Election: A Reflection, Aaron Patrick is Deputy Editor, The Australian Financial Review & author Credlin & Co – How the Abbott Government Destroyed Itself. During the 2016 election campaign, The Australian’s Caroline Overington …
From Closed Circle to Fault Lines – A Life, Born in Vienna in 1936, David Pryce-Jones is the son of the well-known writer and editor of the Times Literary Supplement Alan Pryce-Jones and Therese “Poppy” Fould-Springer. He grew up …
Why The Democratic Deficit In The NSW Liberals Must Be Fixed, After resounding success at State level in 2011 – after years in opposition – it appears the NSW Liberal Party rank and file, and significant office holders, have serious questions …
Australian Exceptionalism, On Monday 12 September 2016, The Sydney Institute held a discussion on a challenging new collection of essays on Australia published by Oxford University Press titled Only in Australia. The …
The Challenge Of Funding Australia’s Road System, Broadband, transport, cities, environmental issues are just some of the areas that depend on vigorous investment in infrastructure. What is to come, how is it to be paid for and …
Australia’s Strategic Origins In The South Pacific And Its Future In East Asia, The Hon Justice Michael Pembroke SC is a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. He is also a writer and author, most recently, of Arthur Phillip – …
A Practical, Constitutional Promise to do Things with Aborigines, Not to Them, Shireen Morris is a senior policy adviser at Cape York Institute and a PhD candidate at Monash University. She is the co-editor, with Damian Freeman, of The Forgotten People: liberal …
The Killing Season – Behind The Scenes In The Rudd/Gillard Contest, Sarah Ferguson is an ABC journalist. Her TV documentary The Killing Season, on the fall of the Rudd/Gillard partnership, mesmerised viewers. This was followed up by a book version – …
Election Score At Half Time – The Players, The Stumbles, The Issues, Caroline Overington is associate editor at The Australian and award winning author, most recently of The Last Woman Hanged. Overington has written ten books, including seven works of fiction. Her …
Armenia, Australia And The Great War, 24 April 1915 marks the beginning of two great epics of the First World War. It was the day the allied invasion forces set out for Gallipoli; and it marked …
Indigenous Recognition – A Conservative Answer, Julian Leeser, a lawyer by training, was Director of Government Policy & Strategy at the Australian Catholic University before becoming the Liberal Party candidate for Berowra in the 2016 federal …
Election Score At Half Time– The Players, The Stumbles, The Issues, Aaron Patrick is Deputy Editor of The Australian Financial Review and the author Credlin & Co – How the Abbott Government Destroyed Itself. Over 20 years, Aaron Patrick has worked …
The New Economy: More Than Just A Slogan, Senator Richard Di Natale is the leader of the Australian Greens Party. He was elected to the Senate in the 2010 federal election. He is a medical doctor by profession and was …
Green Party Liberal Deal 2016: A Permanent Shift In Australian Politics, Labor MPs representing inner city areas of Melbourne and Sydney – areas that have traditionally been safe Labor –  such as Michael Danby, Tanya Plibersek and Anthony Albanese, have been …
The 2016 Australian Federal Election – The Christian Democratic Party, The Rev Hon Fred Nile is Federal President of the Christian Democratic Party and a member of the Legislative Council of New South Wales, a position he has held since …
The 2016 Federal Election – The Australian Sex Party, Professor Ross Fitzgerald AM is the Australian Sex Party’s lead Senate candidate in NSW. He is the author of 39 books, most recently of Going Out Backwards – a sexual/political satire …
The Budget – Some Context, John Fraser was appointed Secretary to the Treasury effective 15 January 2015. Prior to taking the Treasury position, John Fraser was Chairman and CEO of UBS Global Asset Management from …
Israel’s Politics Today, Efraim Inbar is the Director of the Begin-Sadat (BESA) Center for Strategic Studies, is Professor Emeritus at Bar-Ilan University and Fellow of the Middle East Forum. A Professor in Political …
The Fantasy, The Reality, The Aftermath – One Australian’s Obsession With Paris, Alice Grundy is Managing Editor at Giramondo Publishing. With her partner David Henley, Alice spent a year living in Paris recording their experiences on a website they named “Paris Fixe”. …
Why, Oh Why, Do We Love Paris?, Oleh Butchatsky and Alice Grundy are two very different Australians – in age and in background. One from the business end of busy Sydney; the other from Canberra eager to …
S.T. Gill – Respectable Colonial Painter Or Convict Forger?, One of Australia’s most significant colonial artists was S T Gill. His output was prodigious. Gill’s sketches and paintings are a glimpse of early European settlement in the south eastern …
Modern Government: Less Can Be More, On Monday 29 February 2016, NSW Treasurer The Hon Gladys Berejiklian MP addressed The Sydney Institute with a speech outlining the way ahead for NSW to continue its record breaking …
Australia’s Multiculturalism – Success or Not?, The idea of multiculturalism has always been connected to immigration in Australia, but is not necessarily that. Australians of both immigrant and indigenous heritage have embraced the idea of a …
Australia’s Multiculturalism – Success or Not?, The idea of multiculturalism has always been connected to immigration in Australia, but is not necessarily that. Australians of both immigrant and indigenous heritage have embraced the idea of a …
A New Agenda For Australian Cities, The Hon Anthony Albanese MP is the Labor Member for the Sydney electorate of Grayndler and also Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Shadow Minister for Tourism and Shadow Minister …
Aussie Rules & Heartfelt Moments, Journalist and commentator Chris Kenny is an associate editor at The Australian and presenter on Sky TV. He is also a contributor to Ross Fitzgerald’s edited Aussie Rules & Heartfelt …
Aussie Rules & Heartfelt Moments, A life-long Collingwood supporter, Professor Ross Fitzgerald AM is the author of 39 books, including his memoir My Name is Ross: An Alcoholic’s Journey and the co-authored political/sexual satire, Going …
Opportunities And Challenges In Australia’s Resources And Energy Sectors, The Hon Josh Frydenberg – Member for Kooyong and Minister for Resources and Energy – has proven he is the parliamentarian to watch. His rise through the ranks in both …
Birds on an Ethics Wire – Battles About Values in the Culture Wars, Dr Margaret Somerville is from the McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law in Quebec, Canada. Her most recent book, Bird on an Ethics Wire, has been described as – …
The Art of Argument, , , On Wednesday 10 February 2016, The Sydney Institute organised a discussion on the art of argument between David Marr, author, Sydney journalist and former ABC TV Media Watch presenter and Gerard …
Aussie Rules & Heartfelt Moments, Gabrielle Trainer is a Sydney lawyer, business woman and a Commissioner with the Australian Football League. She is also a devoted supporter of North Melbourne. In 2015, she joined other …
Passage To Pusan – The Impact Of The Korean And Vietnam Wars On An Australian Family, In a 30-year career, Louise Evans has worked around Australia and the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive. She’s been lucky to report on many great …
Australia’s Multiculturalism – Success or Not?, The idea of multiculturalism has always been connected to immigration in Australia, but is not necessarily that. Australians of both immigrant and indigenous heritage have embraced the idea of a …
Australian Crime And History, Early colonial Australia was rife with ambiguities – a small and tarnished population, adrift in the south Pacific where, so far from home and the administration of the Empire, petty …
Australian History And Crime – The Soldier’s Curse, Early colonial Australia was rife with ambiguities – a small and tarnished population, adrift in the south Pacific where, so far from home and the administration of the Empire, petty …
Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin: The Canberra Story, Marion Mahony Griffin was the American woman who changed Australian history and broke through barriers for women in architecture. Marion Mahony spent 15 years working for Chicago architect Frank Lloyd …
Lessons from Prime Ministers’ Chiefs of Staff, Professor Anne Tiernan from the 
School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University is also the co-author of The Gate Keepers compiled from interviews with the most prominent among the …
“Can Do” – The Campbell Newman Story, Gavin King is a journalist and former parliamentarian, as well as the author of Can Do, which charts the life of former Queensland premier Campbell Newman. The biography also merges …
Heading in the Right Direction: Much More Work to Do, In the political upheaval that saw The Hon Tony Abbott replaced as PM by The Hon Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s Minister for Finance, Senator The Hon Mathias Cormann, was a survivor. …
Kidnapping for Ransom – The Graeme Thorne Tragedy, When eight-year-old Graeme Thorne was kidnapped on his way to school, in July 1960, Australia was gripped with fear and loathing. Just weeks earlier, Graeme’s parents had won a fortune …
Building Life After 70 – Frank Lowy’s Story, Jill Margo
AM is a columnist with The Australian Financial Review and a biographer and author, most recently of Frank Lowy – A Second Life which is a sequel to her …
Defending Australia’s National Interests in a Changing World, Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy is Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Shadow Minister for Defence. In the Rudd Labor Government, Stephen Conroy was the Minister for …
Tragedy and Scandal – Mrs Mort, Eugenia and the Courts, Suzanne Falkiner is a publisher and author, most recently, of Eugenia (XOUM 2014) and Mrs Mort’s Madness, a forensic study of the story of one of New South Wales’ most …
1975 – Myths Revisited,  Professor Anne Twomey is Director of the Constitutional Reform Unit at Sydney University and author of  numerous constitutional law studies especially The Chameleon Crown – The Queen and her Australian …
Canberra Knights: The Rise and Fall of the Public Service Mandarins, The word “mandarin”, as applying to those government bureaucrats closest to political leaders, first became commonly used in Australia after the election of Gough Whitlam’s government in 1972. Since then, …
Remembering The Dismissal, The Hon John Howard, prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, is also an author – his most recent work The Menzies Era – and commentator on Australian politics. …
Fear and Greed – Australia and the Rise of Asia, Professor Michael Wesley is director of the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs and an author, most recently of Restless Continent: Wealth, Rivalry & Asia’s New Geopolitics which is …
Remembering The Dismissal, Paul Kelly is editor-at-large at The Australian, journalist, commentator, author of numerous books and co-author of The Dismissal – in The
 Queen’s Name. With Troy Bramston, Kelly has pulled together …
The Dismissal- Different Views, Dr Gerard Henderson is the executive director of The Sydney Institute, a columnist with The Weekend Australian and a political commentator. In 1987, Gerard Henderson interviewed Sir John Kerr for …
Offshore Processing: The Way Forward, THE HON RICHARD MARLES MP is the Member for Corio and the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. In the Rudd Labor Government, Richard Marles was the Minister For Trade. In 2015 the Australian …
On the Edges of History, A graduate of the law schools of the universities of Melbourne and Virginia, Michael Sexton SC, spent some years as an academic lawyer before taking up practice at the NSW …
“Can Do” – The Campbell Newman Story, The Hon Campbell Newman is the former premier of Queensland and former Lord Mayor of Brisbane. In 2012, Newman led the newly formed Liberal National Party to a landslide victory …
Launch of Santamaria: A Most Unusual Man, The Hon Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister of Australia, launched Gerard Henderson’s Santamaria: A Most Unusual Man (MUP) on Thursday 30 July 2015 at the Melbourne offices of Arnold Bloch …
Magna Carta and the Rule of Law in the Digital Age, Communication Minister The Hon Malcolm Turnbull has a special interest in the Magna Carta – seeing it as establishing many precedents for the rule of law so many centuries later. …
The “Joh for Canberra” Political Drama – what really happened?, From 1983 to 1992, Davey was the National Party’s federal director and has written widely on the party’s history. In his new book, Joh for PM, Paul Davey tells the …
Delivering the best service – Addressing family and domestic violence, Around one in three Australian women will experience some form of domestic or family violence, with the majority reporting the perpetrator was a current or previous partner.  Senator The Hon …
Narendra Modi At The Crossroads: Will The Indian PM Fulfil His Potential?, Sadanand Dhume is a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington DC. He writes about South Asian political economy, foreign policy, business, and society, with a focus on …
Restoring Australia’s Competitiveness, Australia is slipping down global competitiveness rankings as other countries undertake the difficult reforms Australia is struggling to enact. From workplace relations to tax, competition policy and skills training, there …
Divided Palestinians – The Consequences, Bassem Eid is a human rights activist, political analyst and commentator on the internal Palestinian politics who has been fighting for the human rights of Palestinians for decades. But Eid reports …
Launch of Santamaria – A Most Unusual Man, The Hon Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister of Australia, launched Gerard Henderson’s Santamaria: A Most Unusual Man (MUP) on Thursday 30 July 2015 at the Melbourne offices of Arnold Bloch …
Launch of Santamaria: A Most Unusual Man, The Hon Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister of Australia, launched Gerard Henderson’s Santamaria: A Most Unusual Man (MUP) on Thursday 30 July 2015 at the Melbourne offices of Arnold Bloch …
The Future for Christians in the Middle East, Samuel Tadros is a Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom. He is researching the rise of Islamist movements in the Middle East and its implications for religious …
Launch of Santamaria: A Most Unusual Man by Gerard Henderson, The Hon Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister of Australia, launched Gerard Henderson’s Santamaria: A Most Unusual Man (MUP) on Thursday 30 July 2015 at the Melbourne offices of Arnold Bloch …
Remembering B.A. Santamaria (1915-1998): Ten Myths Demolished, Much has been written about BA (Bob) Santamaria – and much has been both exaggerated and misunderstood. Political commentator and executive director of The Sydney Institute Gerard Henderson – author …
Australia’s Top 12 Treasurers, The Hon Chris Bowen MP is the Member for McMahon and shadow Treasurer. He is one of the federal opposition’s most experienced shadow front benchers and effective parliamentary operators. After …
From India With Love, Indian born and Bathurst (NSW) raised from the age of eight months, Australian journalist Latika Bourke grew – happily settled and loved – in a large Australian family of three …
Australians and Foreign Investment, Australia’s economy has been built on the back of foreign capital – alone among nations advanced or emerging, we have been able to run deficits with the world throughout our …
My Misguided Youth: With Tony Abbott, Bob Carr And Many More, Australian columnist and commentator Greg Sheridan’s early life saw him become intimate friends and colleagues with a fascinating list of people who went on to be part of Australia’s political …
Reflections On Leadership, Love And Survival, The Hon Anna Bligh – Queensland Premier September 2007-March 2012 – was the first woman to be elected a premier of an Australian state. Having spent over 17 years in …
Address to 2015 Annual Dinner, Sydney Institute, The guest speaker for The Sydney institute’s Annual Dinner 2015, held on Monday 27 April, was The Hon Julie Bishop MP, Australia’s Foreign Minister.  The Hon Julie Bishop is also …
THE UNTOLD STORY OF AUSTRALIA AND THE SOVIET JEWS 1959-1989, For 50 years, until the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the Soviet Union ran a campaign of repression, imprisonment, political trials and terror against its three million Jews.  In Australia, …
SMALL BUSINESS AFTER THE 2015 BUDGET, The Hon Bruce Billson is the Minister for Small Business and was also a minister in the Howard Government in 2007. As reported in the Herald Sun business section after …
CONSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITION FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA, At the 1967 referendum, Australians voted overwhelmingly to amend the constitution to include Aboriginal people in the census and allow the Commonwealth to create laws for them. Today, nearly 50 …
UNHOLY FURY: WHITLAM AND NIXON AT WAR, As the Nixon White House went increasingly on the defensive in early 1973, reeling from the lethal drip of the Watergate revelations, the first Austraian Labor prime minister in twenty-three …
INTRODUCTION TO THE HON JULIE BISHOP,   INTRODUCTION TO THE HON JULIE BISHOP MP MIKE BAIRD   I would like to acknowledge, first and foremost, Sydney Institute chairman Nick Johnson. Congratulations on your work. And, of …
THE LEGACY OF THE MAGNA CARTA, On 15 June 1215, English King John, in the meadow of Runnymede beside the Thames between Windsor and Staines, sealed the document now known as the Magna Carta. It is …
THE ORIGINS AND IMPACT OF MAGNA CARTA, On 15 June 1215, English King John, in the meadow of Runnymede beside the Thames between Windsor and Staines, sealed the document now known as the Magna Carta. It is …
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DOWN UNDER – WHERE TO NEXT?, In 2015, Australia is experiencing lower growth and higher unemployment – especially for younger Australians. The slow growth across the Western world suggests this is a global problem but many …
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DOWN UNDER – WHERE TO FROM HERE?, In 2015, Australia is experiencing lower growth and higher unemployment – especially for younger Australians. The slow growth across the Western world suggests this is a global problem but many …
THE ABBOTT GOVERNMENT – A MID-TERM REPORT, With reaction to the Abbott Government’s second budget a great deal more favourable that that which greeted the budget for 2014, The Sydney Institute brought together four political commentators to …
THE ABBOTT GOVERNMENT – A MID-TERM REPORT, With reaction to the Abbott Government’s second budget a great deal more favourable that that which greeted the budget for 2014, The Sydney Institute brought together four political commentators to …
THE ABBOTT GOVERNMENT – A MID-TERM REPORT, With reaction to the Abbott Government’s second budget a great deal more favourable that that which greeted the budget for 2014, The Sydney Institute brought together four political commentators to …
THE ABBOTT GOVERNMENT – A MID-TERM REPORT, With reaction to the Abbott Government’s second budget a great deal more favourable that that which greeted the budget for 2014, The Sydney Institute brought together four political commentators to …
THE BANDAR LOG – A LABOR STORY OF THE 1950s, Australian Canberra Press Gallery journalist Alan Reid was both a player and an observer of the great Labor split of the 1950s. From his experience, he not only came to …
MEMOIRS OF A SLOW LEARNER, Joining Helen Trinca and Ross Fitzgerald for a discussion of Canberra journalist Alan Reid’s novel on the Labor Split of the 1950s, journalist, former Quadrant editor and MP Peter Coleman …
POLITICAL FICTION AND NON-FICTION – ALAN REID’S THE BANDAR LOG, Australian Canberra Press Gallery journalist Alan Reid was both a player and an observer of the great Labor split of the 1950s. From his experience, he not only came to …
The Legacy Of The Magna Carta – 800 Hundred Years On, On 15 June 1215, English King John, in the meadow of Runnymede beside the Thames between Windsor and Staines, sealed the document now known as the Magna Carta. It is …
No Small Change, At the 1967 referendum, Australians voted overwhelmingly to amend the constitution to include Aboriginal people in the census and allow the Commonwealth to create laws for them. Today, nearly 50 …
The Rise And Fall Of Ancient Australia, The long Aboriginal occupation of Australia witnessed spectacular changes. The rising of the seas isolated the continent and preserved a nomadic way of life as agriculture revolutionised other parts of …
Vote Of Thanks To The Hon Julie Bishop MP, VOTE OF THANKS TO THE HON JULIE BISHOP MP ANDREW PENN On behalf of everybody this evening, it is my pleasure to offer a vote of thanks to the Foreign …
The War With The Ottoman Empire: A Century Perspective, Professor Jeffrey Grey, from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) at UNSW Canberra, is one of Australia’s finest military historians. His publications include A Military History of Australia, …
The Wife Drought, Annabel Crabb is a political journalist & commentator; author most recently of The Wife Drought. In her book she argues that working women are in an advanced, sustained, and chronically …
The New Generation Gap – Why The Age Of Entitlement Is Over For Governments, NSW Finance Minister The Hon Dominic Perrottet MP has been described as “one of the rising talents in the NSW Liberal Party”. When Mike Baird took over the role of …
Passion and History, , In 1154, Henry Plantagenet avenged his family honour by taking back the English throne. The kingdom he inherited was impoverished, and lawless. With his beautiful and indomitable Eleanor of Aquitaine, …
Telling The Secrets – Writing The Official History Of ASIO, Professor David Horner is Official Historian and Professor of Australian Defence History, School of International, Political & Strategic Studies. He has now completed and published the first volume in the …
The Australian Century – The One Just Gone And The One To Come, In his most recent publication, Australia – 1901-2001, former NSW MP turned author and historian Andrew Tink has brought together many of the stories that made Australia in the twentieth …
The Australian Century, The One To Come, Asher Judah is Deputy Executive Director, Property Council of Australia the author
The Australian Century (Connor Court). Asher Judah’s vision is of the future – the century to come for the …
How “Progressives” Got The Khmer Rouge So Wrong, Milton Osborne is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Lowy Institute and the author of ten books on the history and politics of Southeast Asia. His long association with Cambodia began …
Our Troubled Youth – Some Answers, David Cole is the co-founder, with his wife Mim Cole, of the Northern Territory’s Balunu Foundation, an organisation that helps Indigenous youth at risk to break the negative cycle that …
London Launch Of Menzies At War, On Wednesday 10 December 2014, at Australia House in London, Australia’s High Commissioner The Hon Alexander Downer AC gave the London launch of Anne Henderson’s Menzies at War (University of …
A Square Deal For Families And Young Australians, The Hon Scott Morrison MP is the Minister for Social Services in the Abbott Government. Prior to December 2014, Scott Morrison established his credentials as the Abbott Government’s Minister for …
The Nuclear Opportunity, South Australian Liberal Senator Sean Edwards believes South Australia could access tens of billions of dollars in the nuclear industry to store rods and rid the state of $4.4 billion …
The Outbreak Of The Great War In The Pacific: Germany Vs The Allies, In our commemorations of the battles of World War I, there is little recognition of the Allied fight with the Germans in the Pacific, where Germany had territorial possessions and …
Stimulating The Economic Growth Through Tax Reform, US economist and member of President Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board, Arthur Laffer’s career has been marked by experience and success in business, in public policy, and as an academic …
Our Troubled Youth – Some Answers, Dr Lane Hinchcliffe is a medical doctor, composer, singer and pianist as well as the Managing Director and Program Co-ordinator of Project 15. Lane thinks of his work with adolescents …
Our Troubled Youth – Some Answers, Wendy McCarthy AO is the Chair of headspace – Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation. Over a long career in public life, Wendy McCarthy Wendy McCarthy has held executive and …
Our Troubled Youth – Some Answers, Matt Noffs is the co-founder – with his wife Naomi – of Sydney’s Street University with centres at Liverpool and Mount Druit. The grandson of Ted Noffs who set up …
Repairing Social Housing – A Big Job That Can’t Wait, As NSW Minister for Family and Community Services, The Hon Gabrielle Upton, a lawyer, and former investment banker and company director, is using her outside experience to drive new approaches …
Launch of Linda: Unfinished Journey, , , On Monday 10 November 2014, Her Excellency Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO launched Noel Beddoe’s Linda Burney – A Life at The Sydney Institute. The book’s launch brought together an …
Reaching for the Summit – Australian Women in Power, Television presenter Geraldine Doogue recently turned her attention to an issue central to our times. How are women, represented at the top levels of power in Australia? In her book, …
Poetry And Science – And The Future, Renowned Australian poet Geoffrey Lehmann has been described by Geoff Page in the  Sydney Review of Books as “the most protean Australian poet of his generation, a user of masks, …
Beyond The Boom – How Has The Mining Boom Changed Australia?, Australian economist Dr John Edwards is a member of the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute.  In his Beyond The Boom, John …
Defending Australian History, Robert Murray has been a freelance journalist and independent historian since 1981. He is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books on aspects of Australian history – …
Australia’s Competitive Edge In The Industries Of The Future, On Tuesday 9 September 2014, The Hon Ian Macfarlane, Minister for Industry, addressed The Sydney Institute to outline the Abbott Government’s Industry policy. In the Minister’s opinion, Australia needs to …
The Australian Model For Inclusive Growth, As the G20 leaders prepared to meet in Brisbane, The Hon Bill Shorten addressed The Sydney Institute on 13 November 2014 Sydney. Taking as his theme his vision for future …
Childcare And Early Childhood Learning, The 2014 Productivity Commission’s draft of its investigation into childcare has recommended a single, means-tested childcare payment should replace the existing array of government subsidies to parents, nannies should be …
Robert Menzies: December 1949 – January 1966, The Hon John Howard OM AC, was Prime Minister from March 1996 to December 2007. Since retirement from politics, John Howard has proved to be a successful author with his …
Murder Most Foul? – The Disturbing Case Of Louisa Collins, Caroline Overington is the Associate editor of the Australian Women’s Weekly and the author of a number of books, of which the most recent is Last Woman Hanged which forensically …
John Monash – His Life And Times, Who was the most innovative general of World War One? For The Hon Tim Fischer, former National Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister, the answer has to be Australia’s “Maestro” …
Transforming NSW In The Context Of Federation Reform, NSW State Treasurer, The Hon Andrew Constance, delivered his first Budget in 2014 for the new government of Premier Mike Baird. His first year as State Treasurer was marked by …
Foreign Fighters In Syria And Iraq, Aaron Y. Zelin is the Richard Borow fellow at The Washington Institute. His research focuses on how jihadist groups are adjusting to the new political environment in the era of …
Trials Of Dishonour, Gabrielle Lord has written 15 books as well as a 12-volume thriller series for young adults. She started writing seriously at the age of 30 and resigned from her position …
Competition Policy – the next 20 years, Professor Ian Harper is Chair of the Independent Competition Policy Review. The Draft report handed down in September 2014 contained a few surprises, recommending restrictions on retail trading hours, taxis, …
Triumph and Demise: the story of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government, Following his study of the Howard/Keating years of government in Australia, Australian journalist Paul Kelly has produced Triumph and Demise which probes the dynamics of the Rudd-Gillard partnership and dissects …
Energy Innovation: Proving The Catastrophists Wrong, Robert Bryce has been writing professionally about energy, innovation, and other topics for nearly three decades. He is the author most recently of Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper: How Innovation …
Learning Let Loose: Reforming Our Universities, Professor Warren Bebbington is Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Adelaide. Professor Bebbington’s publications include the Oxford Companion to Australian Music, and he was, for a decade, the music …
Launch of Anne Henderson’s Book Menzies at War – Introduction, On Friday 18 July 2014, The Sydney Institute held a Melbourne launch of Anne Henderson’s Menzies at War. The function was hosted by law firm Arnold Bloch Liebler and the …
Launch Of Anne Henderson’s Book Menzies at War, On Friday 18 July 2014, The Sydney Institute held a Melbourne launch of Anne Henderson’s Menzies at War. The function was hosted by law firm Arnold Bloch Liebler and the …
Melbourne Launch Of Menzies at War – Concluding Remarks, On Friday 18 July 2014, The Sydney Institute held a Melbourne launch of Anne Henderson’s Menzies at War. The function was hosted by law firm Arnold Bloch Liebler and the …
The Making Of The Australian Working Class, The luck of the Irish so often in history was chronic bad luck. That’s how it looked for 250 Irish convicts when theirship, the Hive, sank ignominiously off the NSW …
Looking Back On The United Nations Commission Of Inquiry On North Korea, In 2013, the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) established the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) (North Korea). This mandated …
The Sociology Of Online Dating, Online dating came along just at the right time – a magical solution for a world where many people now spend long periods of their lives unwillingly unattached.Having started out …
Forrest, Indigenous Employment And Closing The Gap, In July 2014, mining magnate and Indigenous advocate Andrew Forrest handed the Abbott Government a radical new report on welfare distribution and income management among Indigenous Australians. The Forrest Report …
Making History – The Execution Of Ellen Thomson, Ellen Thomson was only woman ever to be executed in Queensland. Convicted of murder in 1887, the case still inspires considerable passion among those familiar with the facts, including her …
The Hanging Of Jean Lee, Jordie Albiston studied flute at the Victorian College of the Arts but went on to become a published poet – her first collection of poetry, Nervous Arcs, in 1995, was …
The Men Behind The Masks: The New Leadership Of China And The World They Live In, Professor Kerry Brown is Executive Director of the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. He is also the author of the newly released The New Emperors – Power …
Australia Needs A Fiscal Reality Check, As Finance Minister in the Abbott Government, Senator The Hon Mathias Cormann has played a key role in the Budgetary reform process. With protracted negotiations in the wake of the …
Responding to the Caliphate – From Israel to Iraq, In July 2014, Australian Labor MP Michael Danby, the Member for Melbourne Ports, found himself in Israel in the midst of the latest missile attacks by the Gaza-based Jihadists of …
Launching Menzies at War, On Friday 18 July 2014, The Sydney Institute held a Melbourne launch of Anne Henderson’s Menzies at War. The function was hosted by law firm Arnold Bloch Liebler and the …
A Budget For Opportunity, In 2014, the new Abbott Government handed down a Budget that stirred protest at its unfairness even as the government proclaimed it to be a Budget of reform to more …
Diary Of A Foreign Minister, Six years after vacating his position as the longest-serving Premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr returned to politics in his dream job: as Foreign Minister of Australia and a …
Freedom Wars? Or The 21st Century Contest Of Ideas?, , , Tim Wilson was appointed as the new Human Rights Commissioner by the Abbott Government in 2013. formerly he was Director of Climate Change Policy and the Intellectual Property and Free …
Ten Ways To Tackle Drugs Today – The Story Of The Street University, Tony Abbott kept his promise in the 2014 Budget to fund ten Headspace centres across Australia, bringing their total to 100. But a review of the Headspace program, an initiative …
The Street University- What Is It And How Could It Contribute To Our Next Resource Boom?, Tony Abbott kept his promise in the 2014 Budget to fund ten Headspace centres across Australia, bringing their total to 100. But a review of the Headspace program, an initiative …
How Australia Goes To War: Some Lessons Of The Vietnam Era, Dr Peter Edwards is Australia’s Official Historian of Australia’s involvement in Southeast Asian conflicts 1948-75 (Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam) and most recently the author of The Essential History of Australia …
The Price Of A Wife – Test Cricketer Arthur Coningham V Catholic Priest Denis O’Haran, In December 1900, Fr Denis O’Haran, Dean of Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral, became entangled in a bitter divorce dispute. Australian cricketer, Arthur Coningham, accused the priest of having an affair …
One Stop Shop: The Abbott Government’s McClure Report & Its Consequences, In December 2013, the Hon Kevin Andrews, Minister for Social Services, announced that Patrick McClure would chair a Reference Group on Welfare Reform. Handed to the Minister in June 2014, …
Launch Of Anne Henderson’s Menzies at War , The Hon Barry O’Farrell is the Member for Kur–ing–gai and a former Liberal premier of New South Wales. On Tuesday 1 July 2014 Barry O’Farrell addressed The Sydney Institute to …
Modelling Global Temperatures – What’s Wrong. Bourke & Amberley As Case Studies, The paper which follows –Modelling Australian and Global Temperatures: What’s Wrong? Bourke and Amberley as Case Studies is the result of work by Jennifer Marohasy, John Abbot, Ken Stewart and …
The Sydney Institute Annual Dinner Address, The Sydney Institute’s Annual Dinner for 2014 was a gala event for close to 1000 guests in celebration of its twenty-five years anniversary. Sponsored by Telstra, the Dinner was held …
Australia’s Iconic Houses, From the 1950s to the 1970s, the work of Lloyd Wright, Gropius and Mies Van Der Rohe strongly influenced a generation of young Australian architects, who adopted modernist principles in …
Launching Menzies at War, On Tuesday 1 July 2014, The Hon Barry O’Farrell launched Anne Henderson’s Menzies at War (NewSouth 2014). In response to Barry O’Farrell’s comments on the book, Anne Henderson responded to …
The Geopolitics of America’s Pivot to the Pacific, Andrew Neil is a leading BBC politics host (the Tony Jones of Britain but with a conservative bent) and former editor of The Sunday Times who fell out spectacularly with Rupert …
Reopening the Whitlam File, The Hon Nicholas Hasluck AM, QC is a former Judge and well-known also as a novelist. His novel The Bellarmine Jug won The Age Book of the Year Award. His …
Industrial Relations: After the Thirty Years War, Since 2007 and the election of Labor’s Rudd/Gillard government, regulation of the workforce, wages and conditions have returned to a pre-1980s, pre-reform state. Senator The Honourable Eric Abetz is the …
1914 – A Century Later, The Great War is, for many Australians, the event that defined our nation. The larrikin diggers, trench warfare, and the landing at Gallipoli have become the stuff of the Anzac …
Fiscal Sustainability & Living Standards – The Decade Ahead, Dr Martin Parkinson PSM is the Secretary to the Treasury. With an ageing population poor productivity growth over the last decade and falling commodity prices an terms of trade over …
Kings Cross – Its Life and Times, Kings Cross is a no-holds barred place, where backpackers, prostitutes, strippers, chefs, mad men, poets, beggars, booksellers, doctors, gangsters, sailors, musicians, drug traffickers, eccentrics, judges and artists live side by …
The Empress Who Launched Modern China, Jung Chang became an overnight sensation in the 1990s with the publication of Wild Swans, the story of her family and their account of life  during China’s Cultural Revolution. She …
Friends and Neighbours: Australia and the World, The Hon Julie Bishop is Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and Member for Curtin, Western Australia. On Thursday 6 March 2014, Julie Bishop …
Ukraine: Strategic Lynchpin or the Next Bosnia?, Walter Zaryckyj is Executive Director of the Center for US-Ukrainian Relations (CUSUR). The Center provides “informational platforms” or venues for senior-level representatives of the political, economic, security, diplomatic and cultural/academic establishments of …
Demographics, Productivity and Innovation,   Dr Phil Lowe is Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, a position he has held since February 2012. He is also Deputy Chairman of the Reserve Bank …
Labor’s Future, NSW Labor leader John Robertson has a mission to define Labor once more as the party that cares. Over time, the electorate has viewed Labor as the compassionate party. Robertson …
Britain And The World Economy In 2014, The Rt Honourable George Osborne is the UK Conservative MP for Tatton. He became UK Chancellor of the Exchequer in May 2010. Osborne entered Westminster as the youngest Conservative MP …
Implications Of The Upheaval In The Middle East, Ehud Ya’ari is Israel’s most authoritative and influential foreign affairs analyst and commentator, having reported on the politics of The Middle East, particularly Palestinian affairs, since the 1970s. He now …
Harry Seidler’s Sydney Vision, Helen O’Neill, a British/Australian writer, who has worked as a journalist for over 25 years, on The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and Vogue Australia, The Independent, The Observer and …
Beyond The Horror – Gardens, Ghettos And Georgina, In December 1944, whilst heavy snows fell over Budapest and soldiers battled for the streets, Georgina, a young Jewish woman was nearly starving to death with her newborn child. … …
Responding To Crises Of Human Rights – From North Korea To Syria, Kenneth Roth is the executive director of Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s leading international human rights organisations, which operates in more than 90 countries. Prior to joining Human …
Beyond the Horror – Gardens, Ghettos and Georgina, Jacquelynne Willcox is Senior Vice President at Weber Shandwick and the author of a PhD thesis on “Gardens & Ghettos”. The study in Willcox’s thesis covers the incredible phenomena of …
The Abbott Government’s First 200 Days, After 200 days of Abbott Government, the polls were mixed, the new Senate oddly divided and the way ahead full of humps and challenges for Australia’s leaders. Labor faced a …
Enabling, Efficient & Effective Environmental Management, Australia’s environment came under new government management after September 2013. While repeal of the carbon tax has been a media focus with the new Liberal government of Tony Abbott, much …
The Abbott Government’s First 200 days, After 200 days of Abbott Government, the polls were mixed, the new Senate oddly divided and the way ahead full of humps and challenges for Australia’s leaders. Labor faced a …
The Abbott Government’s First 200 Days, After 200 days of Abbott Government, the polls were mixed, the new Senate oddly divided and the way ahead full of humps and challenges for Australia’s leaders. Labor faced a …
Labor after the 2013 Election, They were the smart “new” Australian Labor Party. In the 2007 election, led by Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, they made the country look fresh and optimistic again. But under …
Norma Haire-Studying Sex in the Early 10th Century, Dr Diana Wyndham is an Australian historian and co-author (Control with Stefania Siedlecky) of Populate and Perish: Australian Women’s Fight for Birth  and Norman Haire and The Study of Sex. …
Freedom of Speech: How can it be balanced with racial vilification, Professor Gillian Triggs is the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, taking up her appointment in 2012. She was Dean of the Faculty of Law and Challis Professor of …
Trust in Politics: Who Cares?, The Hon Mike Baird is the New South Wales Treasurer in the Barry O’Farrell Government. And Minister for Industrial Affairs. He has been the Member for Manly since 2007. Before …
The Liberal Party (NSW Division): The Case for Reform, The Liberal Party of Australia’s NSW Division is under pressure to carry out long called for reforms over pre-selections and the influence of isolated sections of the Division in party …
Gough Whitlam’s Legacy – What Worked; What Didn’t, The Whitlam Governments – from December 1972 to November 1975 – led a reform revolution in many areas, from education and health to the environment and foreign policy. But alongside …
Labor After the 2013 Election, They were the smart “new” Australian Labor Party. In the 2007 election, led by Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, they made the country look fresh and optimistic again. But under …
Gough Whitlam’s Legacy – What worked; What Didn’t, The Whitlam Governments – from December 1972 to November 1975 – led a reform revolution in many areas, from education and health to the environment and foreign policy. But alongside …
Gough Whitlam’s Legacy – What worked; What Didn’t, The Whitlam Governments – from December 1972 to November 1975 – led a reform revolution in many areas, from education and health to the environment and foreign policy. But alongside …
Gough Whitlam’s Legacy – What worked; What Didn’t, The Whitlam Governments – from December 1972 to November 1975 – led a reform revolution in many areas, from education and health to the environment and foreign policy. But alongside …
The Unravelling Middle East, Frederick Kagan is the Christopher DeMuth Chair and director at the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute and a former professor of military history at the US Military …
The Unravelling Middle East, Dr Kim Kagan is the founder and president of the Institute for The Study of War. She has taught military history at the US Military Academy at West Point, and at …
James Cook’s Three Remarkable Voyages of Discovery in the Pacific, Rob Mundle is a sailor by background. He is also, the internationally recognised author of Fatal Storm – now published in six languages having sold over 200,000 copies. More recently …
The Abbott Government’s Deregulation Agenda, Josh Frydenberg is the Member for Kooyong and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister – with responsibility for de-regulation. Prior to entering politics, he qualified as a lawyer and was …
Remembering Sir Robert and Dame Pattie Menzies, Heather Henderson is the daughter of Sir Robert and Dame Pattie Menzies, the editor of Letters to My Daughter and, most recently, author of A Smile for My Parents. Heather …
Egypt Today – The Way to Peace, Ambassador Mohamed El-Orabi is Head of Congress Party, Egypt, and a former Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs. As Assistant Minister for Multi-Lateral Economic Affairs, from September 2008 until January 2011, …
Franklin D Roosevelt and America’s European Pivot, Dr Michael Fullilove is the executive director of the Lowy Institute in Sydney, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. A Rhodes scholar and a …
Nick Greiner – A Political Life, Nick Greiner came into office as Premier of New South Wales in 1988, wanting to do more than change lifestyles, win re-election and remain popular, and he proceeded to implement …
Henry Plantagenet, Eleanor of Aquitane, Power, Seduction and Politics, Blanche D’Alpuget is an award winning author and essayist. In 1982, her perfectly timed biography of Bob Hawke, a year before he won power and became Australian prime minister, won …
Going to the People-Election Campaign 2013, The Australian federal election 2013 was a clear win for Tony Abbott and the Liberal/National party coalition. But some individual campaigns were especially outstanding. Michelle Rowland MP, formerly a senior …
Going to the People – Election Campaign 2013, The Australian federal election 2013 was a clear win for Tony Abbott and the Liberal/National party coalition. But some individual campaigns were specially outstanding. Sarah Henderson MP was born in …
Rome and the Holy See, The Hon Tim Fischer AC, former Australian Ambassador to the Holy See, has since published his account of his 1000 days in his ambassadorial job in the book Holy See, …
Women in the Australian Defence Force, In April 2011, the Australian Department of Defence asked Sex Discrimination Commissioner to conduct an independent Review into the Treatment of Women – both in the Australian Defence Force Academy, …
Choosing The Right Market Mechanisms For Addressing Environmental Problems, The Hon Greg Hunt was a minister in the Howard Government and became Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water in opposition after the 2007 election. In December …
Efficiency in Government, Paul Fletcher MP has been the member for Bradfield since 2009. Prior to entering parliament, he was the principal of a strategic consulting firm serving the communications sector and before …
The Real Marriage Question, Bettina Arndt in a sex therapist, journalist and clinical psychologist. Early in her career she edited Forum, an Australian adult sex education magazine. In the 1980s, Arndt shifted her focus …
Australian Politics and the Carrick Era, Dr Graeme Starr is a Visiting Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of the Australian Catholic University. He has written extensively on politics and public policy and taught at several …
The Greens And Labor – Allies Or Enemies?, In Why Labor Should Savour Its Greens, former investment banker and economist Brad Orgill reviews the Greens’ major economic, social, and environmental policies; and argues that progressive voters, and the …
The Politics Of Small Differences, Cassandra Wilkinson is a columnist with The Australian. She is also an author, strategy consultant and co-founder of FBi Radio and a regular commentator for Sky News Agenda, The Bolt Report and ABC …
Australia’s Game: Football as Art and Culture, Barry Oakley well known Australian author, lecturer and former literary editor of The Australian has published numerous books and plays including A Wild Ass of a Man, and Let’s Hear …
Forty Years in the Making – Why Leadership is the Least of Labor’s Troubles, Nick Cater is an Australian journalist and author and Chief Opinion Editor at The Australian. He has held editorial executive posts at The Weekend Australian, The Sunday Telegraph and The …
God in the Lodge: The Religious Beliefs of Australia’s Prime Ministers, and Why They Mattered, Roy Williams is the author of In God They Trust – The Religious Beliefs of Australia’s Prime Ministers 1901-2013. As an emerging writer, Williams’ book reviews appear in The Weekend Australian …
Party Time: Who Runs China and How?, Nearly a century after its underground beginnings in a Shanghai schoolroom, the Chinese Communist Party today exerts remarkable control. Business deals require party approval. University courses reflect party doctrine. Party …
Whatever Happened to Economic Reform? A Gen X Reflection, Dr John Kunkel is an economist and Deputy Chief Executive of the Minerals Council of Australia. He is also the author of America’s Trade Policy Towards Japan: Demanding Results published …
International Law, Climate Change and National Security, The Hon Mark Dreyfus QC became Australia’s Attorney in February 2013. He is the Member for Isaacs in Victoria. Mark Dreyfus entered parliament in 2007 and was appointed Cabinet Secretary and …
Literary Festivals: Classroom, Amusement Park or Sandpit?, Alice Grundy is Managing Editor of Giramondo, an independent university-based Australian literary publisher of award-winning poetry, fiction and non-fiction. She also is an editor of the literary journal Seizure. Alice …
Australia’s Immigration Future under a Coalition Government, A few days before the 2013 federal election, Shadow Minister for Productivity and Population and Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Scott Morrison MP addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday …
Australia in the next decade – A Gen X Point of View, Australians prepared to vote in a new government in September 2013 with Liberal Party and Labor Party leaders, Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd, campaigning on a new start, with “change” …
Australia in the next decade – A Gen X Point of View, Australians prepared to vote in a new government in September 2013 with Liberal Party and Labor Party leaders, Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd, campaigning on a new start, with “change” …
The Middle East in Upheaval: Interpreting and Predicting, Daniel Pipes is founder and head of the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum (MEF). He is also an American writer and political commentator, and widely regarded as one of the most …
Iran, Red Lines and Other Threats, Michael Singh is Managing Director of The Washington Institute and a former senior director for Middle East Affairs at the National Security Council. Singh has written extensively on Iran, the …
Australia’s Game, Award winning crime writer Peter Corris began his career as a lecturer and researcher, publishing his PhD thesis on Solomon Islands labour migration in 1973. In 1979 he became literary …
The Rise And Rise Of The Literary Festival, Michael Sexton SC is the New South Wales Solicitor-General, appointed in 1998. Apart from his accomplished career at the bar, Michael Sexton is also co-author of the leading Australian text …
Air Disaster Canberra, After 11 years as a NSW state Liberal MP, Andrew Tink left parliament in 2007 to pursue his passion for history and writing. His first book, William Charles Wentworth, Australia’s …
Australia In A More Competitive World, Senator Arthur Sinodinos AO is an expert on national politics, public policy issues and government and business leadership and was Chief of Staff to Prime Minister John Howard from 1997-2006. …
Italian Politics After The 2013 Election, Giulia Massotti is a project manager with the Institute of European Democrats, a research institute established in 2007 and based in Brussels. On Monday 22 April 2013, at The Sydney Institute, she …
Scientists And Policy Makers; Why Are They Incompatible?, Science and scientific thinking play an ever-increasing role in our everyday lives.  Governments need to make decisions, which should often be based on scientific evidence and arguments. In general, however, positive …
Business And The Cyber Wars, John M Green is an author, former merchant banker and non-executive director at Worley Parsons and QBE Insurance. His most recent novel, The Trusted, an eco-cyber-thriller, tackles the underworld surrounding …
Italian Politics After The 2013 Election, Luca Bader, CEO of the Institute of European Democrats in Brussels and an Honorary Research Fellow at La Trobe University’s Centre for Dialogue. On Monday 22 April 2013, at The Sydney Institute, …
The Gonski Report – Yes Or No, Dr Kevin Donnelly was a secondary school teacher in Victoria for 18 years and is now one of Australia’s leading education authors and commentators and the Director of the Melbourne …
Surrounded On All Sides – Five Lessons In Leadership From History, The 2013 Sydney Institute Dinner lecture was given by Dr Amanda Foreman, award-winning historian and international best-selling author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (1998 Whitbread Prize for Biography) and A World on Fire: …
Searching For Madeleine St John: The Craft Of Biography, Helen Trinca is an author and Managing Editor of The Australian. Her early books were co-written – Waterfront: The Battle that Changed Australia and Better than Sex: How a Whole …
Sir Thomas Daly And Australia’s Military Commitments – From Tobruk To Vietnam, Jeffrey Grey, Professor History Program UNSW Canberra, is both teacher and author of Australian military history. His books have included A Military History of Australia (1990), Australian Brass: The Career …
Politics And The Australian Coal Industry: What’s Next?, Dr Nikki Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of Australian Coal Association. With the environmental debate entering a new phase where activists are no longer seeking to improve the environmental …
Introduction – Dr Amanda Foreman, The Hon Barry O’Farrell, Premier of New South Wales, gave the introduction to Dr Amanda Foreman at The Sydney Institute’s Annual Dinner 2013 on Tuesday 30 April. The premier highlighted …
The Freedom Wars, Senator The Hon George Brandis is Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for the Arts Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate in the Abbott Shadow Ministry. In the Howard …
In Defence Of Silliness, Prurience And Sedition – Being A Gossip Columnist, Rear Window columnist Joe Aston has taken the Sydney finance community by storm with his irreverent gossip write-ups in The Australian Financial Review. From Tasmania, Joe Aston turned up in …
06/11/2013US Policy Priorities and the ‘Rebalance’ to the Asia-Pacific, Bonnie Glaser is a senior adviser for Asia in the Washington DC Freeman Chair in China Studies, a senior associate with CSIS Pacific Forum and a consultant for the US …
Geelong Grammar School and its Place in Australian History, Former Head of History at Geelong Grammar School, and curator and friend to a host of old boys and girls, Michael Collins Persse has helped to educate some 10,000 youngsters …
The Gonski Report – Yes Or No?, Jane Caro in an author, novelist, journalist, columnist, lecturer and media commentator, and most recently the co-author of What makes a Good School? On Tuesday 16 April 2013, Jane Caro …
Australian Women and Online Communication, Mia Freedman built her career around creating communities of women in magazines  – as Editor of Cosmo and then Editor-in-Chief of Cosmo, Cleo & Dolly – and is now the …
Infrastructure – Driving Productivity, As Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, The Hon Anthony Albanese holds the key to transport decisions that will affect industry, city growth, regional communication and an easier life for …
Australia’s Foreign Relations – A Conversation with Bob Carr, , , Senator The Hon Bob Carr is Australia’s Foreign Minister – and a hard man to catch since taking up this position in March 2012 after joining the Senate. A former …
Why The Eureka Rebellion Still Matters, Peter FitzSimons, author and journalist with The Sydney Morning Herald  and Sun-Herald has written Eureka: The Unfinished Revolution to investigate the hearts and minds of those on the battlefield, and those behind …
Integrity In Politics, Senator John Madigan took his seat in the Senate on 1 July 2011. As a Democratic Labor Party senator, he reminded many that old style politics is not dead. In …
Australian Politics In 2013, Budget deficit, national debt, spending, employment, unemployment and under employment, promises, promises, promises and the Gonski Report on education, the National Broadband Network, the Mining tax and Carbon tax, a …
Australian Politics In 2013, Budget deficit, national debt, spending, employment, unemployment and under employment, promises, promises, promises and the Gonski Report on education, the National Broadband Network, the Mining tax and Carbon tax, a …
US – Middle East Relations: New Administration; New Relationship?, Dr Steven Rosen is head of the Washington project of the Middle East Forum in Washington DC. For many years he was policy director of the American Israel Public Affairs …
From “The Bride Stripped Bare” To “Notes On Life” – With Nikki Gemmell, Wake up on Saturday and reach for The Australian Weekend Magazine – then flip to Nikki Gemmell’s column. Nikki is famous for her lyrical honesty and for fearlessly saying those …
John Kerr and the Dismissal: A Response to Jenny Hocking, Australian historians – Professor Jenny Hocking especially – have largely taken Gough Whitlam’s side in his dismissal by Governor General Sir John Kerr in November 1975. Sir David Smith played …
Indigenous Australians and Violence – Some Answers, Australian indigenous leader Bess Nungarrayi Price has said, “We need to support those who tell the truth.” She has said this in respect to policy and programs relating to Aboriginal …
Indigenous Australians and Violence – Some Answers, Australian indigenous leader Bess Nungarrayi Price has said, “We need to support those who tell the truth.” She has said this in respect to policy and programs relating to Aboriginal …
Remembering The Katyn Massacre, The discovery of the mass grave of over 4000 Polish soldiers in the Katyn forest in the Soviet Union by the Nazis in 1943 began the recording of a Polish …
Indigenous Affairs In An Abbott Government, The date for the 2013 federal election was set more than six months out – it would be be held on Saturday 14 September 2013. This announcement was made with …
Why the Australian Labor Party is the Party of Small Business, The Hon Brendan O’Connor is the Minister for Small Business, and Minister for Housing and Homelessness in the Gillard Government. He was the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industrial Relations from …
Melbourne Before Archbishop Daniel Mannix,  Patrick Morgan is an Australian academic who has written a number of books and articles on the connections between literature, history and politics, and has edited two volumes of the …
Other People’s Wars, Dr Craig Stockings is a senior lecturer in History and Strategic Studies at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy. Focusing on Australian military history …
Retail And Its Competitive Future, Margy Osmond is Chief Executive of the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA), which was established in 2006 as a lobby and research organisation to be the voice of Australia’s largest …
A Political Life – And Kevin Rudd, Maxine McKew was an award-winning broadcast journalist, who the seat of Bennelong at the 2007 federal election, defeating John Howard and becoming only the second candidate to have beaten an …
America Today : The Good News, Leonard M. Harlan is Co-Founder and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Castle Harlan, Inc. and a member of the Executive Committee of Castle Harlan Australian Mezzanine Partners (CHAMP), the …
War Crimes Trials: From Nuremberg To Guantanamo Bay, On Wednesday 12 December 2012, William Shawcross CVO delivered the Jim and Janette Bain Occasional Lecture for 2012. William Shawcross is an internationally acclaimed writer, author and commentator who was …
The Treason Of The Intellectuals, David Pryce-Jones is an internationally acclaimed writer, historian and commentator. In his early career, David Pryce-Jones was the literary editor of the Financial Times (1959-1961) and the Spectator (1961-1963), and …
India at crossroads: Will its politics allow it to fulfill its promise?, Sadanand Dhume is an Indian writer and journalist based in Washington, D.C. who writes on Asian affairs and also a South Asia columnist for the Wall Street Journal. He has …
The Transport Future for NSW, The Hon Gladys Berejiklian is the New South Wales Minister for Transport in the O’Farrell Government. She is also the first Armenian descendant to be elected to the NSW Parliament. …
Farewell, Dear People: Biographies of Gifted Australians who Died in the Great War, Dr Ross McMullin is a senior History fellow at the  University of Melbourne and the author (most recently) of Farewell, Dear People: Biographies of Australia’s Lost Generation. He is also the author …
Time To Bring Our Troops Safely Home From Afghanistan, Senator Christine Milne is a Senator for Tasmania and Leader of the Australian Greens Party. Senator Milne has a career spanning 30 years, dealing with environmental and community concerns. Elected …
The Colonisation of Antarctica, David Day is an Australian historian and author who has written extensively on Australian history, particularly focusing on World War Two. Among his works of note are the biographies of …
Four Corners’ Stories that Changed Australia, Liz Jackson is an Australian Journalist, most known for her work on Four Corners and Media Watch. Prior to her work in journalism, Jackson worked as a lawyer in both Australian and …
The Battle of Mont St Quentin-Peronne – Lest we forget, The story of the battle of Mont St Quentin-Peronne in 1918 involved the capture of the “unattackable” Mont and the “invincible” fortress town of Péronne, two of the great feats …
Facing History: Denial And The Turkish National Security Concept, Sociologist and historian Taner Akçam was born in the province of Ardahan, Turkey. As the editor-in-chief of a student political journal, he was arrested in 1976 and sentenced to 10 …
Non-Muslim Minorities and The Arab Spring, Lydia Khalil was born in Cairo and is a native Arabic speaker. She is an internationally recognised expert in international politics and security and currently a visiting fellow at the …
The China Story : A Matter of Facts, Geremie R Barmé is an historian, cultural critic, filmmaker, translator and web-journal editor who works on Chinese cultural and intellectual history from the early modern period (1600s) to the present. …
Gazing Again At Gough, Professor Jenny Hocking is foundation Head of the School of Journalism, Australian and Indigenous Studies, and a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. She is a well-known …
Australia in the Asian Century, Dr Craig Emerson was first elected to the House of Representatives as the Member for Rankin in Queensland in 1998. He served as an Opposition shadow minister in the Howard …
Building a New Age of Certainty, The Hon Joe Hockey is the Member for North Sydney and shadow treasurer. He was first elected to the federal parliament in 1996 and held a number of ministerial portfolios …
Writing About the Holocaust – and its Australian Connections, Belinda Castles has a Masters in Novel Writing from the University of Manchester and, when not writing, works as an editor in Sydney. Her first novel was Falling Woman, and …
Observational Film Making And Mrs Carey’s Concert, In 2008, documentary filmmakers Bob Connolly (Rats in the Ranks) and Sophie Raymond approached Sydney’s MLC School to document in film the work of Karen Carey and her Music Department …
Mrs Carey’s Concert And Music Education, In 2008, documentary filmmakers Bob Connolly (Rats in the Ranks) and Sophie Raymond approached Sydney’s MLC School to document in film the work of Karen Carey and her Music Department …
Making Mrs Carey’s Concert, In 2008, documentary filmmakers Bob Connolly (Rats in the Ranks) and Sophie Raymond approached Sydney’s MLC School to document in film the work of Karen Carey and her Music Department …
Sydney as a Global City, Andrew Low is the CEO of Redbridge Grant Samuel and has just published the Global Sydney report which lays out a strategy for Sydney to restore its place as the …
Sydney as a Global City, Jacquelynne Willcox is a Senior Vice President and Head of Public Affairs at Weber Shandwick – a leading public relations agency in Sydney. Jacquelynne is busy selling Sydney and can …
Climate Change: What We Know and What We Don’t, Professor Murry Salby holds the Climate Chair at Macquarie University and has had a lengthy career as a world-recognised researcher and academic in the field of Atmospheric Physics. He has …
Bishop John Moyes Versus Robert Menzies On Banning Communism And The Vietnam War, Paul Terracini teaches in the Department of Studies in religion at the University of Sydney. His PhD studies involved him in research on the role played by Bishop John Moyes …
Syria: The Assad Regime And The Rebels, Dr Jonathan Spyer is a Senior Fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Centre in Herzliya, Israel and the author of Transforming Fire – The Rise of the …
Achieving Teacher Quality – The Coalition’s Approach, The Hon Christopher Pyne is the Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training andManager of Opposition Business in the House. After decades of focus on material resources,computers, libraries, class sizes, …
Noel Beddoe’s The Yalda Crossing, Linda Burney is the Member for Canterbury, a member of the Wiradjuri nation and the first Aboriginal Australian elected to the NSW Parliament. After the 2011 NSW election, Linda Burney …
Launch Of The Yalda Crossing, Noel Beddoe worked as a high school principal for 20 years and has been involved in Aboriginal education for most of his adult life, becoming the inaugural chairperson of the …
Hitler’s Germany Down Under, David Bird is an independent historian based in Melbourne. He was born in Tasmania and studied Classics and History at the University of Tasmania, later taking his doctorate in Australian …
Opportunities For Women – Is The Battle Fought And Won? Launch Of Women In NSW 2012, On 3 July 2012, The Hon Pru Goward, NSW Minister for Women, addressed The Sydney Institute to launch the Women in NSW 2012 Report. The launch fulfilled an election commitment …
Living With The Carbon Tax, As Australia introduced a tax on carbon, from 1 July 2012, Australians – from commentators totaxpayers – were left to consider what lay ahead. To offer some informed thoughts on …
Living With The Carbon Tax, As Australia introduced a tax on carbon, from 1 July 2012, Australians – from commentators to taxpayers – were left to consider what lay ahead. To offer some informed thoughts …
Tibet in the Asian Century, Dr Lobsang Sangay is the political leader of the Tibetan people since the Dalai Lama’s full transfer of his political power to an elected leadership in exile in 2011. Born …
Losing – And Finding – Italy Down Under, Dr Rebecca Huntley is a researcher with a background in publishing, academia and politics. She holds degrees in law and film studies and a PhD in Gender Studies and is …
Where To From Here For Labor?, Cassandra Wilkinson is a founder of Australia’s youth arts and culture FM radio station FBi and a social commentator who writes and speaks about the virtues of freedom from rock …
The Struggle For The Soul Of The Labor Movement, The Hon Rodney Cavalier AO is a former NSW Minister in the Wran and Unsworth Governments. He is also the author of a powerful critique of contemporary Labor – Power …
The Struggle For The Soul Of The Labour Movement, Jim Macken is one of the Australian labour movement’s icons and dissidents. A former judge of the Industrial Commission of New South Wales, Jim Macken was among those union leaders …
How The North Was Won, In March 2011, Campbell Newman – then Lord Mayor of Brisbane – announced hewould seek pre-selection for the Queensland state seat of Ashgrove, held by Laborand needing more than a …
Predictability In Australia’s Foreign Policy, The Hon Julie Bishop was a minister in the Howard Government and held the portfolios of Ageing and Education, Science and Training and was the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister …
The Finkelstein Media Report And Media Regulation, Gail Hambly holds degrees in Law, Science and Economics and is Group General Counsel and Company Secretary of Fairfax Media Ltd, responsible for legal services across Fairfax Media Ltd. She …
The Finkelstein Media Report and Media Regulation, Matthew Ricketson is a journalist and academic who has worked on staff at The Australian and Time Australia magazine, among other publications. He has held the position as Media and Communications Editor of The …
Larger Than Life: Roddy Meagher QC, Damien Freeman studied law, philosophy and classical Hebrew and Aramaic at Sydney University and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He is the author of Art’s Emotions: Ethics, Expression and Aesthetic Experience, is …
A Psychiatrist On The Couch – Views From The Other Side, Gordon Parker AO is one of Australia’s foremost clinical psychiatrists. He has been described as “charming, witty and erudite” but also sometimes “intimidating and intolerant”. But he is also an …
Dame Nellie Melba, Ann Blainey is an author of five biographies. Her most recent biography is I Am Melba which records anew and with particular detail the life story of Australia’s renowned opera …
Politics in 2012, Troy Bramston is a columnist with The Australian, a former speech writer for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the author of Looking for the Light on the Hill. On Tuesday …
Australian Dreaming – Sun, Camels And Grumpy Kelpie, Heidi Douglas is a veterinarian and ex-RAAF pilot who set herself the challenge of travelling around the brim of the Australian continent on foot. Catch Up with the Sun (Finch …
The Other Life of the King James Bible, The Sydney Institute’s Annual Dinner Lecture 2012, on 20 March, was given by Lord Bragg of Wigton, otherwise known as Melvyn Bragg, award-winning documentary producer and presenter, historian and author. …
Developing A Uniquely Australian School Education System, The Hon Peter Garrett AM MP is Australia’s Minister for School Education & Minister for Early Childhood and Youth. In the wake of the Gonski Report “Review of Funding for Schooling”, Peter …
The Future Of Work Is Having A Good Job, Australia’s Minister for Employment and Workplace relations, Financial Services and Superannuation is the Hon Bill Shorten, Member for Maribyrnong. Industrial relations and the Howard Government’s Workchoices legislation was a key …
Sustainable Finances – Why Bother?, Mike Baird is the NSW Treasurer and has held this position since the O’Farrell Government was elected in March 2011. He was first was elected to the New South Wales …
The Ottoman Empire and the Contemporary Middle East, Ehud R. Toledano is Professor of Ottoman and Middle Eastern History and the Director of the Graduate School of Historical Studies at Tel-Aviv University. He holds a Princeton PhD (1979), …
Bringing the House Down, Barry Cohen AM served as the Member for Robertson from 1969-1990. During his time in parliament, he was Minister for Home Affairs (1983-84) and Minister for Arts, Heritage and the …
Lord Sydney and the Creation of Sydney, Andrew Tink was the Member for Eastwood in Sydney from 1988-99 and the Member for Epping from 1999-2007. Since leaving politics, Andrew Tink has published a biography of Australian pioneer …
How Numbers Came To Rule The World, Jane Gleeson-White has worked as an editor, writer and reviewer in Sydney and London since completing her degrees in English and Australian literature, and economics, at the University of Sydney …
Australian Politics, Niki Savva joined the Canberra press bureau in 1972 and today is a columnist for The Australian and commentator on ABC TV’s The Drum. During the Howard Government, in 1998, …
The Army After Afghanistan, Lieutenant General David Morrison is Australia’s Chief of Army. He served as Colonel Operations, Headquarters International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) from October 1999 and on his return to Australia, …
Hazel’s Journey, Sue Pieters-Hawke is the daughter of Bob and Hazel Hawke. She has just published a second book on her mother, Hazel – My Mother’s Story, which is a full biography …
Thinking of Margaret Thatcher, Lord Alistair McAlpine, businessman, collector and adventurer became a life peer in 1984. After Margaret Thatcher became leader of the UK Conservatives and opposition leader in 1975, she enlisted McAlpine …
Save The Murray: Restore The Estuary, Jennifer Marohasy is an Australian biologist who works to worked to provide an important counterpoint in public debate and discussion. She is a regular speaker on environmental issues particularly as they …
Why Give a Dead War Criminal a Counterfeit Get-Out-of-Gaol Card?, “Breaker” Morant was an Englishman who spent his early adulthood in New South Wales. In 1900, he joined the Boer War as a lieutenant in a British unit, the Bushveldt …
Inequality Matters – What is to done?, Labor MP Dr Andrew Leigh is the Member for Fraser. With a Ph D from Harvard, Andrew was a professor of economics at the Australian National University prior to being elected …
Inequality Matters – What is to done?, The Hon Tony Smith is the federal Member for Casey and was first elected to parliament in 2001. Tony is the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Tax Reform and a member …
Captain Thunderbolt – History or Myth?, The history of Australian bushranger Frederick Ward who became known as Captain Thunderbolt is surrounded by folk lore and myth. But in her Captain Thunderbolt and His Lady, writer and …
Captain Thunderbolt – History or Myth? – Part Two, David Roberts, a senior lecturer at the University of New England the editor of the Journal of Australian Colonial History. His interest in Captain Thunderbolt developed out of the campaign …
Breaker Morant – The Case For Review And A Pardon, “Breaker” Morant was an Englishman who spent his early adulthood in New South Wales. In 1900, he joined the Boer War as a lieutenant in a British unit, the Bushveldt …
Christianity’s Story, Professor Geoffrey Blainey is one of Australia’s foremost historians and certainly its most prolific. In recent times, Professor Blainey has published A Short History of the World to which he …
Launching “Joseph Lyons – The People’s Prime Minister”, On Tuesday 18 October, the Hon John Howard launched Anne Henderson’s Joseph Lyons – The People’s Prime Minister (New South Press). John Howard was introduced by Stuart Clark, a managing …
Pluralists, Partisans and Public Discourse, In a speech to the staff of the Australian Broadcasting Commission in March 2010, ABC Chairman Maurice Newman said, “At the ABC, I believe we must re-energise the spirit of …
Prime Minister Joseph Lyons’ Place in History, On Monday 24 October 2011, The Hon Tony Smith MP, who is the Member for Casey and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Tax Reform and Deputy Chairman, Coalition Policy Development Committee, …
A Year in Retrospect, a Decade in Prospect, Dr Martin Parkinson PSM, is Secretary to the Treasury. As Secretary, he is a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Chair of the Advisory Board of the …
Security and Intelligence in Australia, On Tuesday 24 January 2012, David Irvine, Director-General of Security (ASIO), addressed a capacity crowd at The Sydney Institute to outline comprehensively the work of Australia’s Intelligence forces, their purpose …
Politics and the Media – My Kingdom for an Audience, One of Australia’s most popular political commentators, Annabel Crabb is the ABC’s chief online political writer. She has been a journalist for more than 12 years, covering national politics for …
The ABC and the Arts – A Matter of Consequence, Jonathan Mills is the director of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Artistic Adviser of the Melbourne Recital Centre. Born in Sydney, Mills studied architecture at the Royal Melbourne Institute …
Are Australians better at poetry than sport?, Robert Gray has been a writer-in-residence at Meiji University in Tokyo and at several Australian universities and has won the Adelaide Arts Festival and the New South Wales and Victorian …
Sharia in the West – Is This a Reality?, Raheel Raza is an award winning writer, professional speaker, diversity consultant, documentary filmmaker, playwright and author of Their jihad… not my jihad; A Muslim Woman Speaks Out. Born in Pakistan, …
Building your Own Luck: A stronger economy for a stronger Australia, In 2011, Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s Labor government struggled against the ongoing attacks from opposition leader Tony Abbott. In this, and in spite of leading comfortably in the polls, Tony …
Foreign Affairs – A Life in the Service, , Philip Flood AO is a former head of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Office of NationalAssessments and the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau. During Philip Flood’s …
From Managing Disadvantage to Breaking it, The Hon Pru Goward is the New South Wales Minister for Family and Community Services and Minister for Women. Her portfolio is one of the most complex and delicate to …
The Political Phenomenon Sweeping Across The Arab World, Ambassador Idriss Jazairy is Permanent Representative of Algeria to the UN in Geneva and Chair of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Executive Committee. Prior to his appointment as Permanent …
The Challenge Of Palestinian State-Building, Khaled Abu Toameh, an Arab Muslim who lives in Israel, is a veteran award-winning journalist who has been covering Palestinian affairs for nearly three decades. He studied at Hebrew University …
It’s Time to Get Real, Senator Barnaby Joyce is one of a family of eight from a cattle and sheep business in southern New England. He is an accountant who entered the Senate after the …
God In the 21st Century, Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins from the Emanuel Synagogue in Sydney addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 23 August 2011 as part of a discussion on God in the twenty-first century. He …
John Henry Newman: A Cardinal for our Times, Edmund Campion is a Sydney priest, writer, editor, literary judge and academic. Among his published works are Rockchoppers: Growing up Catholic in Australia, Australian Catholics and A Place in the …
God in the 21st Century, Dr Shakira Hussein, from the National Centre for Excellence in Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne, addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 23 August 2011 as part of a …
Letters From My Father, Robert Menzies – Book Launch, In 2011, Sir Robert Menzies’ daughter Heather Henderson published her father’s letters to her, written over the years she had been living overseas with her diplomat husband Peter Henderson. These …
London Schools and The London Riots – Too Much Nanny State?, In 2011, The Sydney Institute instituted the Occasional Jim and Janette Bain Lecture to honour the contribution made by Jim and Janette Bain to the establishment of The Sydney Institute. …
God in the 21st Century, Robyn Williams addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 23 August 2011 as part of a discussion on God in the twenty-first century. Robyn Williams, who is the ABC Radio National …
The US and Australia: Partners in Sustaining Prosperity in the Asia-Pacific, Thomas Nides is Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, serving as Chief Operating Officer of the Department and as alter ego to Secretary Clinton. Appointed by President Obama, …
The Case for Coal Seam Gas, The issue of mining coal seam gas became a much debated  topic in 2011, resulting in the NSW government announcing a tough new regime for the coal seam gas mining, …
Living with Depression, The Hon Andrew Robb was introduced by the Hon Barry O’Farrell at The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 8 August 2011, click here to view. LIVING WITH DEPRESSION ANDREW ROBB I’d …
The Case for Social Inclusion, The Hon Tanya Plibersek is the Minister for Human Services and the Minister for Social Inclusion.  She has been the Member for Sydney since 1998 and is one of the …
God in the 21st Century, Angela Shanahan, a columnist with The Australian, addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 23 August 2011 as part of a discussion on God in the twenty-first century. She was joined …
The Carbon Tax and Regional Australia, On Wednesday the 8 June 2011, The Hon. Richard Marles, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, joined Sophie Mirabella, Opposition Shadow Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, to discuss the …
Governing For The Long Term National Interest, The Hon Anthony Albanese is Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 28 June 2011. Looking back on three years of Labor government from …
Tobacco Labelling – A View, In 2011, Australia prepared to legislate plain packaging for all cigarette sales in a bid to curb the damaging effects of smoking. A global first. So is this an example …
Reflections on Age Discrimination: The price we pay for growing older, Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Commissioner responsible for Age Discrimination Australian Human Rights Commission Elizabeth Broderick addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 21 June 2011. The speech marked the end of …
Is the war on Terrorism still necessary?, Michael Rubin is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a senior lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School’s Centre for Civil-Military Relations. He is also a senior editor …
Westmin-Ovation: Valuing people in reform of NSW public services., The Hon Barry O’Farrell, Premier of New South Wales, addressed The Sydney Institute on Monday 4 July 2011. His speech marked the end of the first 100 days of the …
Mother and Son – Life with Austen Tayshus, Margaret Gutman is a former executive director of the Jewish Board of Deputies in Sydney. She is also the mother of Australian comedian, Sandy Gutman, aka Austen Tayshus. Margaret Gutman’s …
Compulsory Superannuation – A View, In a presentation to The Sydney Institute on Wednesday 6 July 2011, on compulsory superannuation and its future benefit to Australians, Ross Cameron, former Liberal Party Member for Parramatta and …
Environmental Issues and the Murray Darling Basin, The Hon Tony Burke is the Minister for sustainability, environment, water, population and communities. The drought years in Australia from 2000, have focussed government attention to a host of environmental …
The Social Media of Natural Disasters: The Queensland experience., Queensland Premier Anna Bligh made history, on 21 March 2009, when she became the first popularly elected female Premier in Australia. Prior to the election, she served as Queensland Premier …
Building the foundations for change: Indigenous affairs in the Gillard Government, Following a report, in 2011, on Indigenous Affairs that highlighted continuing problems in Indigenous living conditions, Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin responded by pointing out that such problems had developed …
Climate Change and Carbon Dioxide Storage, Professor Herbert Huppert is an internationally recognised geophysicist. In 2007, he was awarded the Murchison Medal of the Geological Society of London and, in May 2011, gave the Bakerian Prize …
My Life As A Political Blogger, , Iain Dale, who founded London’s Politicos bookshop, is one of Britain’s leading political commentators, appearing regularly on TV and radio. Iain Dale is best known for his political blog, Iain …
The Carbon Tax and Regional Australia, On Wednesday the 8 June 2011, Sophie Mirabella MP, Opposition Shadow Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, joined the Hon. Richard Marles, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, to discuss …
Communism and the Labour Movement During the Cold War, On Tuesday 24 May 2011, writer and former political adviser Mark Aarons joined former NSW  premier Bob Carr to address The Sydney Institute for a discussion on the left’s involvement …
David Cameron’s Educational Revolution, Sajid Javid is the Conservative MP for Bromsgrove and was elected to the House of Commons at the 2010 general election. The son of bus driver, Sajid Javid was born …
Green Light for Senate Chaos, Senator Eric Abetz is Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Elected to the Senate at the 1998 federal election, Senator Abetz …
Communism and the Labor Movement, On Tuesday 24 May 2011, former NSW premier Bob Carr joined writer and former political adviser Mark Aarons to address The Sydney Institute for a discussion on the left’s involvement …
Tobacco Labelling: A View, In 2011, Australia prepared to legislate plain packaging for all cigarette sales in a bid to curb the damaging effects of smoking. A global first. So is this an example …
Compulsory Superannuation and the Liberals, Dallas McInerney has worked in financial service regulation at ASIC and is currently Group General Manager, Government Affairs at the National Australia Bank. In a presentation to The Sydney Institute on Wednesday …
Kapyong: The Forgotten Battle of The Forgotten War (Korea), John Lewis, a documentary film maker, runs Arcimedia which produces Australian historical documentaries. His most recent is Kapyong, the story of the remarkable feats of Australian diggers in a crucial …
In Defence of Opportunity, Shadow Treasurer The Hon Joe Hockey MP addressed The Sydney Institute on Wednesday 9 March 2011.  His address took up the themes of how government can best promote Australia’s long …
Politics & Language: Political Abuse and the Web, On Tuesday 15 March 2011, The Sydney Institute held a discussion on the use of language in political debate developing with a multi-media world, the free use of the web …
Politics & Language: Political Abuse and the Web, Shelley Gare is the founding editor of The Australian Review of Books, columnist and author of The Triumph of Airheads. On Tuesday 15 March 2011, The Sydney Institute held a …
Politics & Language: Political Abuse and the Web, Tom Switzer is editor of Spectator Australia and a former opinion editor of The Australian . On Tuesday 15 March 2011, The Sydney Institute held a discussion on the use …
John Curtin and “Greater Britain”, Dr James Curran is a senior lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Sydney. His most recent book is Curtin’s Empire (Cambridge University Press, 2011). Dr Curran …
Facing the Dragon: Meeting Life’s Challenges Head On, Elizabeth Lancaster began her working life as an occupational therapist in Australia until she unexpectedly found herself in a writing course in New York, whilst living there with her husband …
Facing the Dragon: Meeting Life’s Challenges Head On, Joanne Jones was just 16 when she was hired as a copywriter by Leo Burnett Advertising agency in Sydney. Her subsequent 35 years in advertising included a move to Hong …
Liberalism and the Simplification of Government, The Hon Greg Hunt MP is Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment & Heritage. He spoke at The Sydney Institute on Wednesday 6 April, 2011
What makes us tick: The 10 desires that drive us, Social researcher Hugh Mackay has written thirteen books, mostly on issue relating to the way Australians behave. His most recent, What makes us Tick – The Ten Desires that Drive …
Social Entrepreneurs and the Big Society, Alastair Wilson is the Chief Executive Officer of the School for Social Entrepreneurs, based in the United Kingdom. He was also the Development Director of the SSE Network of Associate …
Kapyong: The Forgotten Battle of the Forgotten War, Cameron Forbes was born in Rockhampton, Queensland. He has been foreign editor of The Age, European and Asia correspondent for The Age and Washington correspondent for The Australian. He has …
Australians Behaving Badly, Ita Buttrose AO, OBE, the founding editor of Cleo magazine, began her long career in journalism at the age of 15. In 1975, Ita Buttrose moved on the edit The …
My School: Parents, Pupils and the Public Interest, Dr Helen Proctor is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Sydney. She has written extensively on education and schooling and is co-editor …
My School: Parents, Pupils and the Public Interest, Maralyn Parker is a the education columnist for The Daily Telegraph and has won awards for her journalism. She has published several books on education, the most recent is My …
Remembering Stanley Melbourne Bruce, On Tuesday 17 May 2011, Dr Ann Moyal was to have joined Dr David Lee to discuss the legacy of Viscount Stanley Melbourne Bruce in the Australian story. At late …
Remembering Stanley Melbourne Bruce, Dr David Lee is the director of the Historical Publications and Information Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. On Wednesday 18 May 2011, David Lee addressed The …
Australia’s Colonial Experience in New Guina between the Wars, Michael Waterhouse is a historian and author of the book Not a Poor Man’s Field. The New Guinea Goldfields to 1942 – An Australian Colonial History. Foreword by Ross Garnaut. …
Multiculturalism in the Australian Context, The Hon Chris Bowen MP was sworn in as the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship on 14 September 2010. He was born and grew up in the western suburbs of …
White Savages? Sketches of Colonial Manners, Associate Professor and author Penny Russell is fascinated by snobs and social climbers, scandals large and small, and the mysterious ways people lived, loved and learned in times past. Firmly …
In Search of Sydney, Delia Falconer is a senior lecturer at the University of Technology in Sydney and an acclaimed writer – most recently of Sydney (New South Press). Her two novels are the …
Georgia in 2010: Afghanistan, Georgian foreign policy and trade and investment, As the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, a contributor to the NATO-led military campaign in war-torn Afghanistan, Alexander Nalbandov made a visit to Sydney in 2010. Georgia has …
“Poor old pinko conservative, half-arsed political puritan, cyrpto-fascist”: Barry Humpries and the politics of satire, Barry Humphries has twice written his life in autobiographies – with different takes on the same life. But neither account gives the whole story. Dr Anne Pender took years researching, …
Afghanistan Today, Malalai Joya was elected to the 249-seat National Assembly, or Wolesi Jirga, in September 2005, as a representative of Farah Province. Shei won the second highest number of votes in …
Minority Government in Australia and Canada, Professor Anne Twomey, from Sydney University Law School, has also worked for the High Court of Australia as a Senior Research Officer, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Research Service as a researcher …
Minority government – Canada and Australia, Jeffrey Simpson, national affairs columnist for Canada’s Globe and Mail, is the recipient of all three leading Canadian literary prizes. Author of six books, Jeffrey Simpson speaks at dozens of …
The World Needs a Different China, Wu’er Kaixi made his name as one of the prominent student leaders in the Tiananmen Square student protests of 1989. He fled to France, then studied at Harvard University and …
The World needs a Different China, Chin Jin is a Chinese-born Australian who has lived in NSW since 1988. He has been active in the overseas Chinese democratic movement since early 1989. Chin Jin is an …
Wikileaks – A Discussion, Gerard Henderson, Executive Director of The Sydney Institute, is also a weekly columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald. In his weekly Sydney Institute blog Media Watch Dog, Gerard Henderson has …
Wikileaks and The Mainstream, Sydney Morning Herald columnist Richard Ackland has spent more than 30 years in journalism and publishing. He has also hosted Late Night Live on ABC Radio National and later the …
Wikileaks – A discussion, Professor Wendy Bacon is the Director of the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism and a well known Australian investigative journalist and non-practising lawyer. Her current research interests include the reporting …
Lessons of Liberty from Republicans Past, Dr Tony Moore is a Senior Lecturer of Communications and Media Studies at Monash University and the Director of the National Centre for Australian Studies. He is also Director of …
Election 2010 and Beyond, In the aftermath of the 2010 election, George Megalogenis began to analyse what had happened to politics in Australia. Was it a new phase, with minority government and the rise …
From Migrant to Citizen: Testing Language, Testing Culture, Christina Slade is Dean of Arts and Social Sciences at City University London. She was Dean of Humanities at Macquarie University from 2003-8 and has taught at a number of Universities …
From Migrant to Citizen: Testing Language, Testing Culture, Professor Martina Möllering is Head of International Studies and Professor Co-ordinator of German Studies at Macquarie University. One of her research interests is the linguistic analysis of Turkish-German identity construction …
Wikileaks – A discussion, Janet Albrechtsen is a columnist for The Australian and a social and political commentator. From 2005-2010, Janet Albrechtsen was a member of the ABC Board. A conservative, in her chapter …
Security in a Dangerous World, UK Labour’s Rt Hon John Spellar is Shadow Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister and is well known in Australia, having visited many times. He is one of the best informed …
The World Financial Crisis: How Did it Happen?, , On Wednesday 28 January 2009, The Sydney Institute held an early evening seminar to discuss the causes of the Global Financial Crisis then unfolding. The speakers were Mark Johnson, a …
Campaign Diary of a Faceless Man, Paul Howes has been branded one of Labor’s faceless men, the union boss accused of helping to remove Kevin Rudd and installing Julia Gillard. Howes’ diary of the 2010 election …
Saying the Unsayable: A Short Discussion on Grief, In a world where life can so often involve many contradictory emotions and experiences, historian Maggie Mackellar left her academic post to recover from two deaths. Taking her two small …
Lazarus Rising: The Howard Memoirs, The Hon John Howard AC was one of Australia’s most successful prime ministers, leading the Liberal Party to victory over four elections and becoming the second-longest-serving Prime Minister in the …
27/10/2010Growing the NSW Economy: Why Honesty is the Best Policy, Barry O’Farrell is the leader of the NSW Liberal Party and State Opposition leader. Elected to State Parliament in 1995, he has held numerous shadow portfolios including Leader of the …
Lillian Roxon and the Counterculture: An Australian Writer’s Legacy, Robert Milliken addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 26 October 2010. Milliken is a Sydney based journalist and the author of Mother of Rock: the Lillian Roxon Story (Black Inc, …
Kevin Rudd & Malcolm Turnbull: Party Thieves – The Real Story Behind the 2010 Election, Barrie Cassidy is a veteran political journalist. In a career spanning over 40 years, Cassidy has worked in print, radio and television, served as Bob Hawke’s press secretary and as …
Power Crisis: New Labor, Rodney Cavalier was Minister for Education in the NSW Wran and Unsworth Labour governments. After leaving politics, Cavalier has served on numerous committees and government bodies, as chairman of the …
The Privilege of Making a Difference, Baroness Caroline Cox, an Anglican laywoman and former deputy speaker of Great Britain’s House of Lords, is a champion of human rights for the weak and defenceless. Due to her …
The Importance of Being Us, Scott Morrison MP is the federal Member for Cook and Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. Elected to Federal parliament in 2007, Scott Morrison has served as Shadow Minister for …
What Men Want – In Bed, Bettina Arndt is a leading commentator on issues of sexuality. Trained as a clinical psychologist, Bettina Arndt entered public debate in the 1970s as the editor of Forum, a controversial …
The US and Australia: Taking Note of Conservatives, Mary Kissel is an editorial board member of The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board and from 2005 to 2010 was editor of The Wall Street Journal Asia’s editorial page. Kissel …
Moving Forward: Where To?, Simon Benson is the chief national political reporter at the Daily Telegraph, and one-time President of the NSW Press Gallery. In 2001, Simon Benson won the Eureka prize for Environmental …
Moving Forward: Where To?, Margot Saville is a freelance reporter and contributor to Crikey. After two years as a junior solicitor at Allen Allen & Hemsley, Margot Saville turned to journalism, working at ABC …
Moving Forward: Where To?, Glenn Milne is a Canberra journalist and political commentator. He has worked as chief political correspondent and as political editor of The Australian. and is a former columnist for The …
Politics in Britain and the US: The Cameron/Clegg and Obama Governments, William Shawcross is a widely renowned British writer and broadcaster. His articles have appeared in the Sunday Times, the Sunday Telegraph, the Washington Post and the Sydney Morning Herald. His …
A Portrait of Leadership, Blanche d’Alpuget is the author of seven books including novels, political biographies and essays. She has won of a number of literary prizes including the PEN Golden Jublilee Award, The …
Mary Mackillop, A View from Rome, The Hon Tim Fischer was Australia’s deputy Prime Minister in the Howard Government from 1996-99. He retired from politics in 2001 and is currently Australia’s Ambassador to the Holy See. …
Remembering Pamela Travers: Creator of Mary Poppins, Valerie Lawson is one of Australia’s leading journalists, and the author of the critically acclaimed The Allens Affair. Her Mary Poppins, She Wrote – The Life of P  L Travers, …
A Future Full of Promise, The Hon Wayne Swan is Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer. Elected to federal parliament in 1993, Wayne Swan has been both Campaign Director and State Secretary for the Queensland branch …
What’s Wrong with Microeconomic Reform Today?, Professor Fred Hilmer is President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of New South Wales. From 1998–2005, Fred Hilmer was the Chief Executive Officer of John Fairfax Holdings Limited and from …
The 2010 Federal Election Campaign: What Happened?, Peter Hartcher is the Political and International Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, the Chair Editor of The Diplomat and a visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute. A prominent journalist, …
The Federal Election Campaign: What Happened?, Claire Harvey is a columnist with The Daily Telegraph. Her coverage of the 2010 federal election campaign marked her out as one of Australia’s most talented and up and coming …
The 2010 Federal Election Campaign: What Happened?, Paul Kelly is an insightful, prominent and prolific political commentator. He is editor-at-large of The Australian and has authored seven books on the modern Australian political landscape – the most …
Timor 1942: Australia’s Special Commando Campaign, Paul Cleary is a senior writer with The Australian and a researcher in Indigenous development at the Australian National University. In a career spanning 20 years he has reported on …
The Rudd Prime Ministership, Nicholas Stuart is the author of three books about Australian politics, most recently Rudd’s Way: November 2007 – June 2010. Stuart is currently a columnist with The Canberra Times and …
The Rudd Prime Ministership, David Marr is an Australian journalist, author, and political and social commentator. His areas of expertise include the law, Australian politics, censorship, the media and the arts. He writes for …
Board Representation: Balancing the Gender Mix, David Gonski, Chancellor of the University of New South Wales and chairman of ASX Ltd, Coca Cola Amatil Ltd and Investec Bank Ltd, is well known to Australians for his …
Board Representation: Balancing the Gender Mix, Elizabeth Broderick is the Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Commissioner responsible for Age Discrimination in the Australian Human Rights Commission. Prior to her appointment, Elizabeth Broderick was a partner at Blake …
Trouble: The Art of Sticking Your Head Above the Parapet, Kate Jennings, Australian poet and writer, made her home in New York four decades ago, from where she has charted her age from a liberal and feminist perspective. Her novel …
Trouble: The Art of Sticking Your Head Above the Parapet, Shelley Gare is a well-respected editor and author and has been editor of The Good Weekend and Sunday Life, consultant editor of WHO magazine, deputy editor of The Australian and …
Social Policy Under the Coalition, The Hon Tony Abbott is the Leader of the Opposition and federal leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Elected to federal parliament in 1994, Tony Abbott has served as …
The Politics of Stimulating the Economy, Lenore Taylor is an award winning political journalist who has covered federal politics for twenty-two years. She is national affairs correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and a regular commentator …
The Politics of Stimulating the Economy, David Uren has 35 years of experience in economic journalism, working from the Canberra Press Gallery since 2004. As Economics Correspondent The Australian he covered the global financial crisis of …
90 Not Out: The Nationals 1920-2010, Senator Fiona Nash was elected to the Senate for the National Party at the 2004 federal election – taking her seat in the Senate in July 2005. An active party …
Ninety Not Out: The Nationals 1920-2010, From 1978 to 2000 Paul Davey held several senior positions with the National Party of Australia, including nearly ten years as Federal Director and more than three years as NSW …
Armistice Now: An Interim Agreement for Israel and Palestine, Ehud Ya’ari has been a Middle East commentator for Israeli television since 1975. Among his numerous awards for journalism are the Israeli Press Editors-in-Chief prize for coverage of the peace …
The Future of Disability in Australia, As Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services in the Labor government, The Hon Bill Shorten Prior addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 13 July, Prior to his election to …
The Waiting City – Australian Movies That Work, Sydney based writer, director, producer and visual artist, Claire McCarthy has written, directed and produced a number of documentaries, short films and music videos in Australia, India, Germany and Mexico.Following …
The National Health And Hospitals Network – From Little Things, Big Things Grow, The Hon Nicola Roxon MP retained her position as the Minister for Health and Ageing in the new Julia Gillard ministry. In a speech to The Sydney Institute on Monday …
Mining: The Super Profits Tax and The Australian Economy, The debate over the Rudd Government’s proposed Resources Super Profits Tax (RSPT) engulfed both government and media during June 2010. A leading critic of the tax was Australian journalist Jennifer …
Mining The Super Profits Tax and The National Economy, The debate over the Rudd Government’s proposed Resources Super Profits Tax (RSPT) engulfed both government and media during June 2010. A leading critic of the tax was Australian journalist Jennifer …
Treason And The Traitors Post World War Two, Judith Keene is Associate Professor in History at the University of Sydney, where her work focuses on the twentieth century European cultural and political history and Inter-war Europe and European …
Alan Reid and The Thirty Six Faceless Men, Stephen Holt is a Canberra-based historian and speech writer, and the author of biographies on historian Manning Clark and trade union leader Lloyd Ross. His latest book, co-authored with Ross Fitzgerald, …
The Coalition Roadmap to Responsible Economic Management And Growth, The Hon Andrew Robb, Member for Goldstein, was appointed Shadow Minister for Finance and Debt in March 2010. A former Federal Director of the Liberal Party and minister in the …
My Life in Italy: Tales about Shirley Hazard, Peter Robb, Morris West, Doris Lessing and others, Melbourne born Desmond O’Grady has lived in Italy for decades where he worked as the Rome correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. His many books include   Dinny …
Nationhood Before Gough Whitlam: Australia in the 1960s, Dr James Curran, a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, specialises in twentieth century Australian political culture. Dr Stuart Ward held the Keith Cameron Chair of Australian History at …
Nationhood Before Gough Whitlam: Australia in the 1960s, Dr James Curran, a senior lecturer at the University of Sydney, specialises in twentieth century Australian political culture. Dr Stuart Ward held the Keith Cameron Chair of Australian History at …
Gallipoli Versus Kokoda: Did Australians Fight Other People’s Wars?, Dr Neville Meaney, Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, has a long standing research interest in international history, especially concerning the way in which ideology, culture and geopolitics have …
Australia Without A Bill of Rights, Dr Margaret Kelly is a lecturer in Law at Macquarie University and teaches Constitutional and Administrative Law. Before taking up an academic career, Margaret Kelly worked in the Cabinet Office …
Australia Without A Human Rights Act or Charter?, The Honourable Susan Ryan is a strong supporter of a Charter of Rights for Australia. A Minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, her legislative contributions included the Sex Discrimination …
In Depth Working Lives, Jana Wendt is one of Australia’s best known journalists, having presented segments of Network 9’s 60 Minutes, A Current Affair, Dateline and Sunday. Since leaving television, Jana Wendt has written …
Robert Hughes – The Australian Years, For writer and art historian Patricia Anderson, Robert Hughes before his US life and fame is almost another person. His years at Sydney University marked him out and Anderson captures …
Revisiting Gallipoli, War historian C.E.W. Bean’s correspondence from WWI made him a household name in Australia. In 1919, Bean returned to Gallipoli to fill in the missing pieces of what happened during …
A Future Fair for All – School Funding in Australia, The Hon Julia Gillard is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and Minister for Social Inclusion. Julia Gillard was elected to Federal Parliament …
Reform Unleashes Transformation, Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy was appointed Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy in December 2007. He is also Deputy Leader of the government in the Senate. On …
Why Productivity is Not Just for Nerds, The Hon Craig Emerson is the Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy and Minister Assisting the Finance Minister on Deregulation in the Rudd Government. In 2009, …
Irregular Migration – The Global Challenge, Senator The Hon Chris is the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship in the Rudd Government and Leader of the government in the Senate. Tackling the Immigration portfolio at a time …
Obama And America, Professor Simon Schama, award winning author, historian and documentary maker, delivered The Sydney Institute’s Annual Dinner Lecture for 2010. Speaking to a capacity crowd of over 870 guests at the …
Modern Girls And Anorexia, Lucy Howard-Taylor’s memoir of her battle with anorexia nervosa was published in 2008, when she was just nineteen. Biting Anorexia describes Lucy’s despair at the darkest points of her illness, …
Why Australia Should Sell Uranium To India, Why should Australia sell uranium to India? This has become a controversial issue Down Under. Dr Lavina Lee is a lecturer in politics and international relations at Macquarie University, Sydney. …
A New Age Of Energy, Following the Australian Labor Party’s win in 2007, Martin Ferguson AO was appointed to Cabinet as Minister for Resources and Energy and Minister for Tourism. Prior to entering Parliament, Martin …
Mining Booms And The Australian Economy, According to Ric Battellino, there are lessons and experience to be drawn on from a two centuries of Australian mining booms. Ric Battellino Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of …
Older And Wiser – Remembering Frank Devine, Growing old is an aspect of human experience only thinly covered in literature. Frank Devine was a columnist and long-time newspaper man for News Limited. When Frank reached 70, he …
Progressive Conservatism In Contemporary Britain, Jonty Olliff-Cooper leads the Progressive Conservatism Project at Demos where he focuses on community, childhood, welfare reform and public service innovation. He has served in the Conservative Party’s Policy Unit, …
An Alcoholic’s Journey, Professor Ross Fitzgerald is a writer and broadcaster. He is the author of many books – both fiction and non-fiction, his most recent, a memoir, My Name is Ross: An …
Launching My Name is Ross, Gerard Henderson, Executive Director of The Sydney Institute and columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald, launched Professor Ross Fitzgerald’s My Name Is Ross: An Alcoholic’s Journey at The Sydney Institute …
What Constitutes Bad Language For A Dictionary Editor?, Susan Butler has worked on the Macquarie Australian Dictionary since it began in 1970, and was involved in the production of the first edition in 1981. She also oversees The …
Bad Language, Don Watson is one of Australia’s most distinguished writers and public speakers. In 1992 he became Paul Keating’s speech-writer and adviser and his best-selling account of those years, Recollections of …
Pakistan Today, Ms Embesat Khan was born in Lahore, the capital of the Punjab province in Pakistan and was elected Member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab in General Elections 2002, …
“Dial-In Democracy”?: Forty Years of Talkback, From Andrea To Kyle, Associate Professor Bridget Griffen-Foley primary research focus is in the history of Australian media. She is the Director of the Centre for Media History at Macquarie University, the Convenor of …
The Nuclear Echo post-Copenhagen, Dr Ziggy Switkowski, a Ph.D. in nuclear physics and Chairman of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), believes that nuclear power should be the at the centre of …
Early Australia: Nobles And Convicts In The Age Of Liberty, Kirsten McKenzie has a BA (Hons), an MA from the University of Cape Town and completed her D Phil at Magdalen College, Oxford in 1997. She began teaching Australian history …
Early Australia: Nobles And Convicts In The Age Of Liberty, Andrew Tink was educated at the Australian National University. He practised as a barrister, before his election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party in 1988. …
Unfettered Free Market Bad, Public Interest Good?, Blind since birth, the Rt Hon David Blunkett was elected to the House of Commons as Member for Sheffield Brightside in 1987. A former Cabinet minister in governments led by …
In Defence of God, The Hon Joe Hockey, Shadow Treasurer and Member for North Sydney, addressed The Sydney Institute on Monday 9 November 2009. Departing from his portfolio responsibilities, Joe Hockey spoke on religion …
The Evolution Of Radical Islam, Daniel Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum and Taube distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. His column appears regularly in the Jerusalem Post and …
Changes In Radical Islam, In her book, Muslim Women Reformers: Inspiring Voices Against Oppression, Dr Ida Lichter gives voice to the courageous, and often overlooked, women reformers of the Muslim world. They speak out …
From Collins To Force 2030: The Challenge Of The Future Submarine, The Hon Greg Combet is the Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science and the Minister assisting the Minister on Climate Change. From 1999 to 2007 he was leader of …
Writing Readable History, Professor Ann McGrath has made a career of writing history, for academic as well as public audiences. She has lectured at the University of New South Wales, been a Senior …
Angels Of Aceh – Australian Aid Abroad, After the devastating Boxing Day Tsunami hit Indonesia in 2004, Australian aid was a key to the emergency effort. Among the volunteers, Defence personnel and government aid workers who rushed …
The Angel Of Death And The Elderly, Writer Susan Varga’s, Heddy and Me, won international acclaim for its portrayal of Heddy, a character based on the author’s mother, whose flight from the Nazis in World War II …
Now, Not Then – The Australian Army In The 21st Century, Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie enlisted in the Australian Army in 1968. Appointed as Chief of Army in 2008, he is now responsible for the command, corporate policy formulation and management …
World War II: How It Began And Why, In June 2009, an article on Russia’s Defence Ministry website blamed Poland for commencing World War 11. In August 2009, on the 70th anniversary of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, senior Polish …
Communicating Climate Change, Professor Andy Pitman did his BSc and Ph D at Liverpool University in the UK, graduating in 1988. He is now Professor in Atmospheric Science and Co-director of the Climate …
In Trouble Again: The Perils Of Memoir, Gabrielle Carey (with Kathy Lette) wrote her first novel, Puberty Blues, at the age of 20. Since then she has authored seven books of both fiction and non-fiction. Over 13 …
Accumulating Poverty: Women’s Experiences Of Inequality Over The Lifecycle, Elizabeth Broderick was appointed Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Commissioner for Age Discrimination in 2007. In 2002, she was named Telstra NSW Business Woman of the Year and Australia Corporate Business …
The March Of The Patriots, Paul Kelly is an insightful, prominent and prolific political commentator. He is editor-at-large of The Australian and has authored seven books on the modern Australian political landscape – the most …
Over The Nullarbor And Over The Horizon, The Hon Colin Barnett was first elected to the Western Australian State Parliament in 1990 as the Liberal member for Cottesloe. On 6 September 2008, he was elected Premier of …
Address To The Sydney Institute, On Tuesday 1 September, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Governor General of Australia delivered The Sydney Institute’s Annual Dinner Lecture for 2009 at Star City Harbourside Ballroom to a …
Energy Policy for Australia, Paul Howes is the National Secretary of The Australian Workers’ Union. He became a Union official at the age of 17, and since then as worked in reforming the union’s …
What’s Happening In Retail?, Margy Osmond is the Chief Executive of the Australian National Retailers Association, which was formed in 2006 to represent, lobby and research in the interests of Australia’s large retailers. She …
The Charter of Rights and Abuses of Overcentralised Power, The Hon John Hatzistergos is the NSW Attorney General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Vice President of the NSW Executive Council. Since entering parliament in 1999, he has handled a …
Reflections on the Global Financial Crisis, David Gruen is the Executive Director of the Macroeconomic Group at the Australian Treasury. David Gruen moved to the Treasury from the Economic Analysis and Economic Research Departments at the …
Telecommunications: The Way Forward, Professor Henry Ergas is a leading economic policy advisor and author of Resolving Australia’s Telecommunications Impasse. He is currently an Honorary Professor in the Faculty of Economics at Monash University. …
What’s Right?, The Hon Tony Abbott is the Federal Member for Warringah and Shadow Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. He served in Cabinet during the Howard government as …
The Triumph of Trade Liberalisation over Protectionism, The Hon Simon Crean is Minister for Trade in the Rudd Labor goernment. Prior to his election to parliament in 1990, Simon Crean was President of the Australian Council of …
Islamic States – A Look at Pakistan and Iran, Dr Tanveer Ahmed has a unique multidisciplinary background. A prominent voice in the media, he writes for the Sydney Morning Herald, has worked as a foreign affairs television journalist for …
Searching for the Lost Mother – The Painting and the Person, Anne Summers has been the Canberra Bureau Chief for the Australian Financial Review, Editor-in-Chief of Ms., a prominent American feminist magazine, and co-owned Ms. and Sassy magazines. She was head …
The Internet: Australia’s Role and Opportunities, Dr Paul Twomey is President and Chief Executive Officer of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ([ICANN]) and currently Senior President of ICAN. Before joining ICANN, Paul was the …
Creatures Of The Liberal Party, As a regular columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald, Annabel Crabb has become well-known for her incisive and engaging political commentary. In 2005, she published Losing It: The Inside Story …
A Progress Report on the National Human Rights Consultation, Frank Brennan SJ’s commitment to human rights advocacy spans 30 years. He is Chair of the National Human Rights Consultation and Professor of Law at the Australian Catholic University. Frank …
The National Human Rights Consultation, Dr Helen Irving is a Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Sydney and is the Director of the Julius Stone Institute of Jurisprudence. She has served as historical …
Australian Banks: Sinners or Saints?, Joseph Healy was appointed Group Executive Business Banking, National Australia Bank, in March 2009. He has also worked for ANZ, Lloyds Bank in London, CIB World Markets and Citicorp. Joseph …
Climate Change – The Case For Emergency Action, Ian Dunlop began his professional career as an engineer and progressed to be a senior executive in the oil, gas and coal industry, acting as Chair of the Australian Coal …
Climate Change, Ray Evans is the Secretary of the Lavoisier Group, which was founded in 2000. The Lavoisier Group argues that the necessity to decarbonise the economy has not yet been sufficiently …
The Theology of Climate Change, Ian Plimer is a Professor of Mining Geology at The University of Adelaide and Emeritus Professor of Earth Sciences at The University of Melbourne. He is the author of a …
Telecommunications: The Way Forward, Paul Fletcher is Principal at Fletchgroup Advisers. Before this he was Director of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at Optus, and worked for a time as Chief of Staff to the …
Vietnam and China: The Spratly and Paracel Islands Dispute, Dr. Nguyen Van Canh is the Director, Center for Vietnam Studies, San Jose, California and a former visiting scholar of the Hoover Institution on Peace, War and Revolution. He has …
Greenspan, Bush and Obama: Who’s Responsible For The Financial Crisis?, Peter Hartcher has worked in Washington DC for the Australian Financial Review, and was a visiting fellow at The Lowy Institute in 2003. He is currently Chair Editor of The …
Getting It Right In The Early Years, The Hon. Maxine McKew MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care, addressed The Sydney Institute on 7 April 2009. Before being elected to Federal Parliament, in 2007, …
Addressing The Challenges Of An Ageing Australia, Jenny Macklin is the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. She has been the Member for Jagajaga since March 1996 and on taking her seat in parliament …
Marriage, Melbourne And The Middle Class, Kate Legge is a multi award winning journalist who has covered federal politics out of Canberra and US presidential elections in Washington DC. She now writes on social affairs for The …
John Stuart Mill For Today, Helen Pringle, a Presiding Member of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales, has researched and written extensively on social and political issues …
Combating The Financing Of International Terrorism, Dr Matthew Levitt is a senior fellow and director of The Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute. He is also a lecturer in international relations and …
Arab Culture and Modernity, Tarek Heggy is an Egyptian businessman and intellectual, and perhaps the most prolific liberal writer in the Arab world. He is a no-holds-barred advocate of political and economic freedom and …
Renovation Nation — Redefining Prosperity, On Wednesday 13 May 2009, Fiona Allon spoke to The Sydney Institute. Dr Fiona Allon is a lecturer at the University of Sydney and a recipient of an Australian Postdoctoral …
Living With David Williamson, Kristin Williamson has been an actor, journalist, and teacher and is also the author of eight books. She addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 12 May 2009, to discuss her …
The Politics of Desire, As one of Australia’s first sex therapists, Bettina Arndt has focussed her professional life on the changing nature of relationships between men and women. She has spent 20 years researching, …
Magic Pudding Economics: The Economy Under Labor, , Senator Helen Coonan is the Shadow Minister for Finance, Competition Policy and Deregulation and, on Tuesday 31 March 2009, addressed The Sydney Institute to put the Opposition’s case against the …
Rethinking Education with the Little Black School Book, , What is happening to the teaching of history? Academics like Anna Clark believe that for many Australian school students, learning about their nation’s history is about as bad as history …
“Doing” History in the Classroom, , What is happening to the teaching of history? Academics like Anna Clark believe that for many Australian school students, learning about their nation’s history is about as bad as history …
A Future of Promise, , On Monday 23 March 2009, as the Global Financial Crisis continued to deepen, Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan addressed The Sydney Institute. His message was frank but also one of steady …
Room for More: Boosting Providers of Social Housing, , In March, the federal Minister for Housing and the Status of Women, The Hon Tanya Plibersek, announced that more than 31,000 public and community homes in NSW – including 7845 …
Remembering Jack Fingleton, , Jack Fingleton is one of many Australian cricketers whose career was played out in the shadow of Don Bradman. The outspoken, sometimes caustic Fingleton was renowned for his clashes with …
Clifton Pugh: Art and Politics in the 1970s, , Judith Pugh is an art dealer and award winning writer. She writes journalism, essays and poetry (some of which has been set to music by the composer Philip Nunn). Her …
Restoring Good Governance, , NSW Opposition leader Barry O’Farrell has long questioned what he perceives as the lack of good governance in the state of New South Wales. On Thursday 12 March 2009, Barry …
Journeys from Vietnam: A Vietnamese Australian’s Reflections, , On Tuesday 3 March 2009, The Sydney Institute held a discussion of the Vietnamese contribution to Australian settlement presenting Quang Luu, a Board Director of Austcare and former Head of …
Journeys from Vietnam, , On Tuesday 3 March 2009, The Sydney Institute held a discussion of the Vietnamese contribution to Australian settlement presenting Quang Luu, a Board Director of Austcare and former Head of …
Freedom and Prosperity – Liberal Party Legacy, , The Hon Julia Bishop is Deputy Opposition Leader and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. On Monday 2 March, Julie Bishop addressed The Sydney Institute and spoke of the fundamentals of …
E-Campaigning in the Democratic Party, , On a visit to Australia sponsored by Microsoft, Joe Trippi, United States media consultant and campaign manager and  author of The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Democracy, the Internet and …
A Resilient Australia, , The Hon Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations; Minister for Education; Minister for Social Inclusion, returned to The Sydney Institute on Thursday 19 February …
Indigenous Affairs – A New Conversation, As the anniversary of the Australian federal government’s Apology to Indigenous Australians approached, Dr Marcia Langton, head of the Australian Indigenous Studies Program at the University of Melbourne, and Warren …
Indigenous Affairs – A New Conversation, , As the anniversary of the Australian federal government’s Apology to Indigenous Australians approached, Dr Marcia Langton, head of the Australian Indigenous Studies Program at the University of Melbourne, and Warren …
Beyond the Wire: Refugee Advocacy in Australia, , Australia’s recent policy of mandatory detention for unlawful arrivals on its shores is a chequered and distressing history. Journalist and author Margot O’Neill spent a couple of years researching how …
The World Financial Crisis: How Did it Happen?, , On Wednesday 28 January 2009, The Sydney Institute held an early evening seminar to discuss the causes of the Global Financial Crisis then unfolding. The speakers were Mark Johnson, a …
Causes of the Global Financial Crisis, , On Wednesday 28 January 2009, The Sydney Institute held an early evening seminar to discuss the causes of the Global Financial Crisis then unfolding. The speakers were Mark Johnson, a …
Australia, The Netherlands and the World, , H.E Maxime Verhagen, Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs, addressed The Sydney Institute on Tuesday 20 January 2009, an important time in global affairs – as the US welcomed its new …