Ideas at the House

Popular culture is obsessed with easy sex and the importance of dating, implying that we live in a new enlightened age of sexual promiscuity.  As an investigative journalist, if you penetrated the in…

What is the place on our stages and in public life for performers who don’t fit the conventional view of what an artist should be? In the past, ‘natural born freaks’ were the stars of sideshow perfor…

What is art if not a place where we can push the boundaries of what we know, what we do and what we can say? As his pioneering dance company DV8 developed and broke boundaries, choreographer Lloyd Ne…

Everything about the Arctic Inuit communities’ way of life depends on ice and snow, so is the failure of the world to act on climate change a gross violation of Inuit human rights?

Sheila Watt-Clouti…

When is political advertising actually propaganda? And how do we tell the difference? In a fractured media environment with innumerable advocates clamouring for our attention, is it all propaganda no…

Do Asian-Australians experience a particular kind of racism? When Asian stereotypes are positive, are they still damaging? How can we break through the bamboo ceiling?

Sarah Dingle is a dual Walkley …

Whichever way we vote, politicians say the electorate always gets it right at the ballot box. Cynics are more inclined to think that we get the government we deserve. Did we get it right this time? W…

Henry Rollins discusses his tumultuous childhood growing up in Washington DC, and how he transitioned from scooping ice cream at Haagen Dazs to fronting punk rock band Black Flag. A turning point cam…

What galvanised African American activist Alicia Garza to co-found #BlackLivesMatter? How did Henry Rollins make the jump from shift manager at Häagen-Dazs to lead singer of US punk rock band Black F…

All around us, military spending is up. Are our neighbours arming for superpower confrontation over territory and influence? What does this mean for the peace and prosperity of Australia and our regi…

Is it time to forget about ‘border protection’? What would happen if we just opened our borders? Could it be the best response to all of our concerns about refugees and economic growth?

Philippe Legr…

Why do Indigenous people kill themselves in such numbers? What do we know about suicide that can help us understand this? Can we overcome the tragedy of young people dying in a suicide epidemic?

Jess…

Another sport, another drug scandal; are anti-doping efforts doomed? Would legalising drugs in sport actually protect athletes from harm? Is this radical idea the only way to create a level playing f…

Is Hindu fundamentalism becoming a dangerous force in India? Is the world’s largest democracy becoming less secular and less democratic? What does this mean for India’s future?

Priyamvada Gopal is a …

Alexei Sayle’s comedy career kicked off as Thatcherism took hold in Britain and generated unprecedented political conflict and protest. Was this part of what made him one of the funniest voices of hi…

Living with Asperger’s, John Elder Robison had come to terms with the way he was different, riding life’s ups and downs. But what if it was possible to unlock the emotional insight that we assume is …

Why are young people worse off than their parents? Why is the gap between older and younger Australians – in terms of work, wealth and wellbeing – growing wider? Is Australia cheating the young?

 Cha…

Suddenly it’s not queer to hear people talking about 'gender fluidity’, ‘gender transition’ or a spectrum of gender identity – did the world conversation decide gender no longer matters? And if the b…