Sydney Festival

Sydney Festival and UNSW Centre for Ideas present Politics has been transformed by the COVID era, with national power siphoned towards state premiers, the allergy to massive government spending thrown out the window and scientific advice brought to the fore. But as well as new developments, the pandemic has placed existing fault lines in our relationship with politics and politicians under the microscope. What do Australians want from their governments? Who can we trust if our politicians don’t represent us or tell us the truth? If corruption and pork barreling in politics are no longer a source of shame, what else will we be willing to accept?Journalist Fran Kelly chairs a discussion between political correspondent Laura Tingle, constitutional lawyer Rosalind Dixon, and political commentator and author George Megalogenis.Support the show: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What defines Australia in 2022? We’ve always pinned our identity on land and sea. As an island full of unique animals and home to the oldest living culture in the world, we’ve lived off the land one way or another, be it from bush tucker or mining the minerals in our red earth. But as our environment suffers, and pressures from the outside world and our biggest trading partner China loom, we are at a turning point. At the heart of our identity the Uluru process – so pivotal and full of potential – remains unrealised, the Great Barrier Reef is in grave danger, and koala populations are heading towards extinction. Can we resolve our relationship with our Indigenous people? Can we save our environment? Can we adapt to changing global power dynamics? Comedian Dan Ilic shares his unique take on what we can all do to save Australia.Support the show: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sydney Festival and UNSW Centre for Ideas presentWhat defines Australia in 2022? We’ve always pinned our identity on land and sea. As an island full of unique animals and home to the oldest living culture in the world, we’ve lived off the land one way or another, be it from bush tucker or mining the minerals in our red earth. But as our environment suffers, and pressures from the outside world and our biggest trading partner China loom, we are at a turning point. At the heart of our identity the Uluru process – so pivotal and full of potential – remains unrealised, the Great Barrier Reef is in grave danger, and koala populations are heading towards extinction. Can we resolve our relationship with our Indigenous people? Can we save our environment? Can we adapt to changing global power dynamics? Ann Mossop chairs this critical discussion on national identity and action, drawing on perspectives from journalists Peter Hartcher and Stan Grant, and marine biologist Emma Johnston, before comedian Dan Ilic closes proceedings with his unique take on what we can all do to save Australia.Support the show: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sydney Festival and UNSW Centre for Ideas presentWhile many of us (sorry Melbourne) spent 2020 believing we had escaped the worst of the pandemic, 2021 brought forth the ugly reality of living with the virus. Even as the nation returns to something that feels like normal, beneath the thrill of gigs, gatherings and barista coffee, it’s clear the pandemic has changed the picture for good. We’ve seen our governments and fellow citizens succeed at some things, fail badly at others, and discovered who ‘essential’ workers really are. After two years of arguing about how to ‘balance’ public health and the economy, what have we actually learned? Chaired by author and broadcaster Benjamin Law and featuring economist Richard Holden, business leader and CEO Sam Mostyn, this talk will explore how the last two years have challenged our health systems, and shown us what went missing as we globalised our economy.Support the show: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the Lindt Cafe Siege brought the Sydney CBD to a standstill, the Seven newsroom was in the unique position of being right at the crime scene. Chris Reason was on air for hours and hours to cover the breaking story, while police snipers also used the newsroom as a tactical vantage point. Reason won the 2015 Walkley Award-winner for TV News Reporting for this work. Reason also covered the September 11 attacks from on the ground in New York, as well as the 7 July London terror attacks and many other major news incidents over the past 30 years. Discover what it’s like to cover major breaking news from the hot seat in front of the camera and in the middle of the action. Walkeys Live: The Journalist Gene is a series of five one-hour biographical portraits of five Walkley Award-winning or recognised journalists, exploring the national and international context in which their award-winning work took place; the influences and personal inspirations for their approach; and the professional drive, courage and values that sustain their work. This event was presented by Sydney Festival in partnership with the Walkley Foundation.  Support the show: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Sydney Morning Herald investigative journalist Kate McClymont has seven Walkley Awards – including the 2002 Gold Walkley and 2020 Print News Walkley – and a reputation that strikes fear into the heart of politicians, criminals and anyone who’s dabbled in corruption. She’s a hilarious storyteller and has broken countless massive investigations over her career, including Eddie Obeid’s corrupt dealings, the Don Burke investigation, and the NRL Bulldogs salary cap scandal (which won her the 2002 Gold Walkley with Anne Davies). Walkeys Live: The Journalist Gene is a series of five one-hour biographical portraits of five Walkley Award-winning or recognised journalists, exploring the national and international context in which their award-winning work took place; the influences and personal inspirations for their approach; and the professional drive, courage and values that sustain their work. This event was presented by Sydney Festival in partnership with the Walkley Foundation.Support the show: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick Abboud uncovers stories you never knew existed in ways you won't forget. Broadcasting for more than a decade across SBS, the ABC and now Network 10, Pat’s speciality is ‘doing diversity’ and his award-winning storytelling is described as “Must Watch TV”. An openly gay journalist and presenter, it wasn’t always possible to be an out and proud person of colour on screen. While taking us behind the scenes of his work, Pat unpacks how being more personal in his approach to journalism hasn’t hurt his career but rather helped it. You’ll also get a first look into Pat’s new queer true crime show The Greatest Menace, a collaboration with co-producer Simon Cunich, commissioned by Amazon, supported by The Walkley Foundation and made possible with the Jesse Cox Audio Fellowship. The eight-part investigative series unlocks the incredible hidden history of the world’s only gay prison in a tiny Australian town. Walkeys Live: The Journalist Gene is a series of five one-hour biographical portraits of five Walkley Award-winning or recognised journalists, exploring the national and international context in which their award-winning work took place; the influences and personal inspirations for their approach; and the professional drive, courage and values that sustain their work. This event was presented by Sydney Festival in partnership with the Walkley Foundation.Support the show: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Killing Times won the 2019 Walkley Award for Coverage of Indigenous Affairs, netting Guardian Australia’s Indigenous Affairs editor Lorena Allam her first of two Walkleys for Coverage of Indigenous Affairs. Descended from the Gamilaraay and Yawalaraay, Allam led the Guardian investigation tracking the state-sanctioned massacres of Indigenous people across Australia. And hosting the podcast for the series was Laura Murphy-Oates, the 2018 Walkley Young Australian Journalist of the Year, an outstanding voice of the next generation of journalists and proud Ngiyampaa Weilwan woman. Walkeys Live: The Journalist Gene is a series of five one-hour biographical portraits of five Walkley Award-winning or recognised journalists, exploring the national and international context in which their award-winning work took place; the influences and personal inspirations for their approach; and the professional drive, courage and values that sustain their work. This event was presented by Sydney Festival in partnership with the Walkley Foundation.Support the show: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick Moir is Chief Photographer for The Sydney Morning Herald, and the 2020 Nikon-Walkley Feature/Photo Essay Award-winner for Firestorm, Moir’s middle-of-the-inferno coverage of the 2019/2020 summer bushfires. Illawarra Mercury photographer Sylvia Liber is the 2020 Nikon-Walkley Prize winner for Community/Regional. Liber travelled the East Coast after the destruction of the fires, capturing the aftermath and the stories of people who had lost everything in the inferno. Hear about being trapped in the middle of firestorms and eucalyptus explosions, conditions so extreme that camera parts started melting, chasing extreme weather around the world, watching the devastating effects of climate change unfold in person, and the stories that developed in the aftermath of the destruction of the summer bushfires.  Walkeys Live: The Journalist Gene is a series of five one-hour biographical portraits of five Walkley Award-winning or recognised journalists, exploring the national and international context in which their award-winning work took place; the influences and personal inspirations for their approach; and the professional drive, courage and values that sustain their work. This event was presented by Sydney Festival in partnership with the Walkley Foundation.  Support the show: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sport has done an admirable job of using the connectivity of the internet to combat the isolation imposed by COVID – how can Australia’s arts scene, in particular, First Nations artists, make the most of the nbn™ network to expand the regional and global audience for Australian art?  Sydney Festival Director Wesley Enoch explores the possibilities with Jennifer Ganske, National Head of Arts and Tourism for Regional Development and Engagement at nbn Australia. Enoch has spearheaded a strong First Nations presence throughout his five-year tenure as Director of Sydney Festival, and this new partnership with nbn – including a regional Sydney Festival tour – opens up limitless possibilities to come. This event was presented by Sydney Festival in partnership with nbn.Support the show: https://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.