Big Ideas - Full Program Podcast

Are e-cigarettes an effective way to give up tobacco smoking? Health authorities weigh up the pros and cons and acknowledge we need long term studies to be clear about their safety. And sleep experts explain why you should make sleep a priority in your busy life .

For too long ordinary people have been singled out - their actions, and consumption habits, blamed for climate change. Instead, we should be pointing the finger at large corporations, and growth-based economics. So believes writer Jeff Sparrow, whose book Crimes Against Nature argues that unless the economic system changes, no amount of recycling, or individual action, is likely to achieve much. He tells Paul Barclay that, despite this, he is optimistic, because he believes collective action can bring about real change.

Women are moving up the ladder in business and politics but are they taken as seriously as men? Leadership research says there’s an authority gap between men and women with men seen as naturally better suited for positions of authority. They’re more likely to be listened to and judged in a positive light. So how do we close the gender authority gap?

Christmas has always been about riotous feasting and getting drunk – never about renewing your faith. Presents are not really part of a proper Christmas party. Social historian Judith Flanders debunks Christmas myths and traditions and explores how everything you think you know about Christmas is wrong. She even questions whether Christmas ever really existed at all.   

Nanotechnology opens up a world of possibilities from powering mobile phones to nano devices which restore sight, treat chronic disease or turn your roof into a water collector. And faced with the threat of climate change , marine scientists are proposing lateral solutions for coral reefs. The race is on to assist the evolution of corals which are resilient to warming oceans.

Caroline De Costa was the first woman in Australia to become a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology. She has been at the forefront of the political struggle to legalise the medical abortion drug, RU486, in Australia. Caroline has also successfully advocated for the decriminalisation of abortion in Australia. Her memoir is titled The Women's Doc.

As the global population steadily grows and climate change bites, food producers need to do more with less. Less water, less energy, less land, and fewer emissions. To further upset the apple cart , we face an increased number of extreme weather events which will play havoc with harvests and livestock. So how can Australian farmers meet their climate targets and feed the world ?

Every interaction between people follows four styles: Control (the lion), Capitulate (the mouse), Confront (the Tyrannosaur) and Co-operate (the monkey). Forensic psychologists Emily and Laurence Alison have developed a successful model of interpersonal communication. They tell you how to get what you want. And how to talk to anyone in a difficult situation.

The value of the arts is often expressed in economic terms. The creative industries create jobs and are a valuable global export. But rather than economics telling us something about the arts, can the arts tell us something about economics? And how to reimagine economics after Covid?

Australia has a larrikin tradition, stretching back to Ned Kelly and Henry Lawson. But, is a lot of what passes for larrikinism, a fabrication? Has it been used as a form of class cover: a disguise for those who aren’t genuine larrikins? Has this faux-persona been exploited by political leaders for electoral gain? Paul Barclay asks author Lech Blaine

As womens’ roles have changed so too have ideas about mothering , its appeal and challenges. Historian Carla Pascoe Leahy charts the way different generations of Australian mothers have responded to their role. From the stay-at-home mums of the post-war era to the contemporary mother trying to balance career and family, becoming a mother has always been a watershed moment in a woman's life..

Like other animals birds have adapted to living in cities. Lorikeets, powerful owls, cockatoos , brush turkeys and white ibis are just some of the birds who've learned to live in the suburbs. And to befriend the humans who feed them. Our understanding of urban birds is greatly enhanced by the citizen scientists who observe and record their numbers and behaviour in backyards and neighbourhoods.

Soon after entering the White House,  President Biden told the world: America is back. That sentence drew a line under his predecessor and summed up his intention to restore America to its leading position in global affairs. And there’s lots to do as he navigates the pandemic, the climate emergency and intense competition with China and Russia. Biden’s National Security Advisor outlines the Biden plan.

The world has entered a post-American era. Some call it the ‘Asian century’. US global leadership is in decline, and Asia is now in the ascendancy. China, in particular, is asserting itself as a global power. So believes Michael Pembroke, who argues in his book, Play By the Rules, that after leading the creation of the post Second World War rules based order, US moral authority has since been diminishing.

Sir Henry Parkes’ vison for Federation has taken a beating over the last two years. The Father of the Federation has fought for over a decade to convince Australia that a Commonwealth is stronger than a collection of colonies – or states. Big Ideas reflects on the life of Henry Parkes – and what motivated him to help forge Australia into nationhood.

Australia is a federation. But how much have you ever identified with your state? That is before the pandemic hit. The COVID-sponsored resurgence of the states has revealed how little notice we typically take of our federal compact. On Big Ideas, we look at its history and in particular at Western Australia’s relationship to the rest of the federation - a state that has often felt like ‘the Cinderella state of the Australian Federation’.

For all our sophistication, deep down , humans are highly evolved social animals And basic instincts continue to shape behaviour in the modern world. In daily life, on social media, in the groups we join,  we find our tribe , defend our tribe and seek social status within the tribe. It’s our greatest strength and our greatest weakness.

The reputation of Australia’s elite Special Air Service, the SAS, has been seriously undermined by disturbing allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan. The allegations shocked the nation, and led to an Australian Federal Police investigation, and the Brereton inquiry into war crimes. Paul Barclay speaks to ABC journalist and author, Mark Willacy, whose Gold Walkley award winning 4 Corners program included video footage of an illegal killing.

It’s a dream for many young Australians to be a sports star. You win games. Win medals. You’re a hero to the fans. AFL star Adam Goodes had ticked all the boxes when he came up against career-destroying racist abuse. His experience has forced clubs to confront racist attitudes and take affirmative action.

Cruel mass production or happy cows on Old MacDonald’s farm - people often have a distorted idea of how agriculture works. It’s a business, yes. And often the price of food doesn’t cover the costs of production, resulting in the exploitation of workers and the environment. But farmers are also in the front line of protecting soil quality and improving water recourses. Our relationship with food impacts farming in  Australia.