Join us for An Afternoon with Yanis Varoufakis and Friends, featuring Yanis Varoufakis, Dr Bob Brown, Professor Clare Wright, Hannah Ferguson and Dominic Guerrera.

In his most personal book yet, Raise Your Soul: A Personal History of Resistance, Yanis Varoufakis tells the engrossing story of his political awakening. This captivating portrait is told through the extraordinary lives of five women, and the West’s tumultuous history from 1924 to the present.

In his chapter in A Time for Bravery: What happens when Australians choose courage?, he tells the story of Piero, a political refugee from Chile, using his story to urge governments to return to a time where we recognised the importance of taking in refugees.

In What’s the Big Idea:32 Ideas for a Better Australia, Yanis explains why Australia must shed the fear of a larger state. Bob Brown discusses the ‘price of extinction’, how monetising the environment won’t save it, the corporate capture of democracy and the failure of the major parties to truly protect the environment.

Yanis Varoufakis will be joined by award-winning historian, author, broadcaster, podcaster and public commentator Professor Clare Wright for a panel discussion, hosted by the Australia Institute’s Director of International & Security Affairs, Dr Emma Shortis.

This will be preceded by a panel discussing culture, community, and the stories we tell, featuring environmentalist, doctor, campaigner, and former Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens, Dr Bob Brown. Bob is the founder of the Bob Brown Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that works to protect nature through direct action, legal defence, and science. He will be joined by Hannah Ferguson, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cheek Media Co., and Dominic Guerrera, Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna poet, writer, artist and curator, recipient of the 2021 Oodgeroo Noonuccal Indigenous Poetry Prize and 2024 David Unaipon Prize. This panel will be hosted by the Australia Institute’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, Noah Schultz-Byard.

Books and publications from Australia Institute Press and the authors attending will be available for purchase at the venue. A book signing will follow the event.

SPEAKERS:

Dr Bob Brown

Dr Bob Brown is an environmentalist, doctor, environmental campaigner and former Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens, the party which he co-founded. He is the founder of the Bob Brown Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which works to protect nature through direct action, legal defence, and science.

Hannah Ferguson

Hannah Ferguson is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cheek Media Co and a Forbes 30 under 30 honouree. She is also the co-host of the news and pop culture podcast, Big Small Talk. Hannah has a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Master of Writing, Editing and Publishing from The University of Queensland.

Dominic Guerrera

Dominic Guerrera is a Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna poet, writer, artist and curator who resides on Kaurna Yarta. His writings have been published in Artlink and Debris magazine. Guerrera was the recipient of the 2021 Oodgeroo Noonuccal Indigenous Poetry Prize and 2024 David Unaipon Prize. He is a co-editor of The Rocks Remain anthology (Wakefield Press, 2024) and the First Nations Literary Editor at Cordite Review.

Noah Schultz-Byard

Noah is a communications professional and former ABC reporter who now leads the development and optimisation of the Australia Institute’s national strategic partnerships. His work has a particular focus on issues relating to climate change, environmental sustainability, and economic inequality. He has previously worked in the Federal Senate and as a communications consultant for a range of organisations, combining evidence-based research with engaging storytelling. Originally hailing from Adelaide, he aims for his work to help improve the level of conversation around public policy issues, both in South Australia and across the nation.