Events
Sign up to our list to ensure you are kept up to date with upcoming events from the Australia Institute.
May 2025
Sydney Writers Festival: Barrie Cassidy and Friends: State of the Nation
Festival favourite State of the Nation returns bigger and better than ever for an Australian post-election wrap-up. What is the future of Australian politics? What are the failures of a two-party system? How are voters resisting ‘politics as usual’ during housing, cost of living and climate crises? What difference can we expect from this government?
Sydney Writers Festival: Trumpocalypse Now
It seemed improbable enough in 2016, but here we are now in Donald Trump’s second term at the White House. What does the return of the 45th President of the United States mean for the international superpower? And how will it affect the rest of us? Listen in as journalist and political commentator Peter Beinart,
Blue Poles with Tom McIlroy
In 1973, Blue Poles, the iconic painting by America’s great abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock, was acquired by the Australian government for A$1.4 million. This record-setting price for an artwork sparked a media sensation and controversy both in Australia and the United States. Blue Poles: Jackson Pollock, Gough Whitlam and the painting that changed a nation details
June 2025
Politics in the Pub: Australia and Trump’s America
Australia has been facing an unprecedented disruption in the contemporary rules-based order since Trump returned the White House. This poses the question: how should Australia act on trade, foreign policy and security? Join Dr Emma Shortis, Director of International & Security Affairs and author of After America: Australia and the new world order, the first