Events
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April 2025
Climate Academy: Trump and the Climate Debate
Since becoming US President, Donald Trump has abandoned both the Paris Agreement and the COP process. Join the Institute’s International & Security Affairs Director, Emma Shortis, and Strategy Director Leanne Minshull, who will discuss the impact on the Australian election and our approach to climate, and what it means for climate policies around the world.
Policy School – Democracy Agenda
An election campaign and a new Parliament present an opportunity for democratic reform: to make Australian elections fairer, Parliament work better and government more open and transparent. The 10 reforms in the Australia Institute’s Democracy Agenda are a guide for governments, candidates and parliamentarians on how to strengthen Parliamentary debate, increase government accountability, and enhance
Sorrento Writers Festival: 2025
Sorrento Writers Festival: The First 100 Days
Burned by Big Fossil Fuels
Australia Institute research has found climate change is increasing the cost of living, and it is fossil fuel companies at fault. Energy, insurance and food are all getting more expensive, and the one group paying none of the costs are the giant fossil fuel exporters who are causing the problem in the first place. Meanwhile,
Losing it with Jess Hill
What went wrong? Australian governments promised to end violence against women and children in a single generation. Instead, it is escalating: men have been murdering women at an increased rate, coercive control and sexual violence are becoming more complex and severe, and we see a marked rise in youth-on-youth sexual assault. Why? In Losing It,
May 2025
Emma Shortis – After America Presented by Gleebooks
Join journalist Richard Cooke as he interviews Director of the Australia Institute’s Security and International Affairs program, Dr Emma Shortis, about her new essay, After America. Australian political leaders have bent the knee for decades, placing the ANZUS treaty at the centre of the nation’s security. AUKUS has become the latest symbol of strategic solidarity. For
Politics in the Pub: What Just Happened…Federal Election Review
Join us for an in depth discussion by an incredible Australia Institute panel who will provide their expertise, perspective and insight on what just happened, how we got here and where we are going. SPEAKERS: Dr Richard Denniss – Executive Director, The Australia Institute Ebony Bennett – Deputy Director, The Australia Institute Amy Remeikis –
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