Having worked in tobacco control for 20 years, Jane Martin saw that the processed food and advertising industry were targeting children using similar marketing techniques. She is now using her…
How do you maintain live music in a culture that does not value it? Jon Rose, acclaimed improvising violinist and instrument-maker, examines Australia’s history of improvised music and musicians and …
Dr Chris Sarra is one of the most outspoken and recognised educators in Australia today. He’s experienced many of the issues faced by indigenous students throughout their schooling first-hand –…
Bill Garner – historian, playwright and television writer – is just an ordinary camper with perhaps an unusually dogged curiosity. A casual conversation at Wilson’s Promontory several years ago…
In 2009, young Australian traveller Jock Palfreeman was found guilty of the murder of Andrei Monov. Monov was the son of a family well connected in the Sofia legal fraternity. Palfreeman claimed he w…
The Country Women’s Association is not often thought of as a feminist organisation … if at all. But with the current interest in women’s rights and spaces, it’s arguably a ready-made grassroots…
By Michael Green One of the world’s fastest-growing social movements is calling for citizens and institutions to sell out of fossil fuels – but it’s not just a matter of morality. Hard-headed…
Body image, bullying, cyber-safety, school exams, risk-taking, identity, authority, drugs and alcohol … the list of pressures teenagers face is endless. And let’s face it, it’s not an easy time for p…
How does climate change threaten your savings? And how do your savings threaten climate change? Can you do anything about it?One of the world’s fastest-growing social movements calls for citizens…
How does climate change threaten your savings? And how do your savings threaten climate change? Can you do anything about it?One of the world’s fastest-growing social movements calls for citizens…
By Hugh de Kretser Whether it’s our treatment of asylum seekers or the current debate around free speech, we seem to be confused -about the notion of free rights for all. Australians care about…
Throughout history many – if not most – cultures have perpetuated the myth of the evil woman. Television presenter, journalist and popular crime novelist Tara Moss discusses evil women, female…
Throughout history many – if not most – cultures have perpetuated the myth of the evil woman. Television presenter, journalist and popular crime novelist Tara Moss discusses evil women, female…
By Jo Case
Watch the video of Jo’s Lunchbox/Soapbox talk
Articles and commentaries on Asperger’s Syndrome are rife with references to the ‘condition’…
Articles and commentaries on Asperger’s Syndrome are rife with references to the ‘condition’, ‘sufferers’ and ‘disability’. But many people who live with an Asperger’s diagnosis – for themselves or t…
Articles and commentaries on Asperger’s Syndrome are rife with references to the ‘condition’, ‘sufferers’ and ‘disability’. But many people who live with an Asperger’s diagnosis – for themselves or t…
Apathy towards rights protections. An underdeveloped rights culture. Opposition to the equal sharing of rights. All these things undermine Australia’s (otherwise good) record on human rights…
By Greg Foyster In the midst of a stellar advertising career, Greg Foyster came to the realisation that the work he was doing had grave consequences for the health of the planet. He became a walking…
There’s a special bond between a grandparent and a grandchild that sets their relationship apart from any other. Catriona Rowntree knows this first hand. Recognised as ‘Australia’s most travelled w…
‘Advertising’s re-branded public image troubles me. I’m an old employee of the industry, and The Gruen Transfer reminds me of conversations I had within the walls of advertising agencies, where…
When Queen Victoria died in 1901, two literary gentlemen took on a monumental task: selecting and editing her vast correspondence. The book they produced would influence perceptions of Victoria for g…
When Queen Victoria died in 1901, two literary gentlemen took on a monumental task: selecting and editing her vast correspondence. The book they produced would influence perceptions of Victoria for g…
Visiting from the United States for the Rationalist Society of Australia, Sean Faircloth speaks to the issues raised in his book Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Right Harms Us All – and…
Visiting from the United States for the Rationalist Society of Australia, hear Sean Faircloth speak to the issues raised in his book Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Right Harms Us All &ndash…
In May 2012 Kirstie Clements was sacked after more than a decade in the editor’s chair at Vogue Australia. In her book The Vogue Factor (and this edition of Lunchbox/Soapbox) Clements tells the…
In May 2012 Kirstie Clements was sacked after more than a decade in the editor’s chair at Vogue Australia. In her new book The Vogue Factor (and today’s Lunchbox/Soapbox) Clements tells the story…
Spraying sulphur compounds into the upper atmosphere to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the planet? Transforming the chemistry of the world’s oceans so they soak up more carbon? These ideas…
Jill Stark, a Sunday Age writer specialising in alcohol and public health issues, came to write her first book, High Sobriety, after one big night too many. On January 1 2011, she woke up with the…
Spraying sulphur compounds into the upper atmosphere to reduce the amount of sunlight reaching the planet? Transforming the chemistry of the world’s oceans so they soak up more carbon? These ideas…
Jill Stark is a senior writer for the Sunday Age who has worked for the Age since 2006, where she has predominantly covered health, specialising in alcohol and drug issues, mental health, and…
Sarah Marland is a human rights campaigner, researcher and author. Since 2006, she has worked as Amnesty International’s Campaign Coordinator and Researcher on Indigenous Rights.Using participatory m…
Sarah Marland is a human rights campaigner, researcher and author. Since 2006, she has worked as Amnesty International’s Campaign Coordinator and Researcher on Indigenous Rights. Using participatory …
Once upon a time, older generations could berate young people for not realising their relative good fortune. But these days, it seems that opportunities for young people are dwindling … along with…
Once upon a time, older generations could berate young people for not realising their relative good fortune. But these days, it seems that opportunities for young people are dwindling … along with…
By Catherine DevenyCatherine Deveny decries helicopter parents, attachment parenting, yummy mummies, kids in cafes and trampolines with fences around them – in favour of 1970s-style ‘blimp…
The obsession with the perfect diet, germ-free homes, selective socialising, harm minimisation through choice of the correct fabrics, risk minimisation with helmets, knee and elbow pads, stranger…
There has never been more time, energy and thought spent on the raising of babies, toddlers and children – and it is detrimental, counterproductive and narcissistic, argues 1970s parent Catherine…
Dr Adam Kerezsy is a freshwater ecologist who works in some of the driest rivers and springs of inland Australia. Working with Bush Heritage Australia, he focuses on recovering populations of the…
Saving the redfinned blue-eye is no great greenie-pinko conspiracy – it just makes sense. It might work, it might not, but I reckon it’s worth a go.
– Dr Adam KerezsyDr Adam Kerezsy is a freshwater e…
Five years ago, the tone of discussion about the book industry shifted from ‘confidence’ to ‘crisis’, as online shopping and the emergence of e-books shook up the established ways of doing business.I…
Five years ago, the tone of discussion about the book industry shifted from ‘confidence’ to ‘crisis’, as online shopping and the emergence of e-books shook up the established ways of doing business.I…
What is ‘forced people movement’, or ‘mixed flow migration’ – and where do refugees fit? We use many terms for those people who feel compelled to leave their home country and relocate.Forced…
What is ‘forced people movement’, or ‘mixed flow migration’ – and where do refugees fit? We use many terms for those people who feel compelled to leave their home country and relocate.Forced…
In the fight against the Japanese during World War II, the most disturbing events endured by the Australian soldiers occurred at Sandakan, in North Borneo.Join Sydney-based historian Paul Ham, as he …
In the fight against the Japanese during World War II, the most disturbing events endured by the Australian soldiers occurred at Sandakan, in North Borneo.Join Sydney-based historian Paul Ham, as he …
Dr Nouria Salehi OAM is executive director of the Afghan Australian Development Organisation. A voluntary, non-profit, non-government, member organisation, its primary purpose is to implement…
Dr Nouria Salehi OAM is executive director of the Afghan Australian Development Organisation. A voluntary, non-profit, non-government, member organisation, its primary purpose is to implement…
Following the tsunami and ensuing nuclear disaster at Fukushima last year, former diplomat and ambassador Richard Broinowski travelled to the irradiated zone, to look at all aspects of nuclear power …
Following the tsunami and ensuing nuclear disaster at Fukushima last year, former diplomat and ambassador Richard Broinowski travelled to the irradiated zone, to look at all aspects of nuclear power …
By Michelle Smith In this edited version of her Lunchbox Soapbox address, Michelle Smith looks at why girls’ bottoms are a major problem for the nation’s media and celebrity women, how today’s moral…
Today’s consumer culture persistently uses girls as icons of sexual attractiveness in advertising, film and television. In the nineteenth century, print media did not dare positively associate girls …
Today’s consumer culture persistently uses girls as icons of sexual attractiveness in advertising, film and television. In the nineteenth century, print media did not dare positively associate girls …
By Clementine Ford In this edited version of her Lunchbox/Soapbox address, Clementine Ford asks why men like Alan Jones think women are ‘destroying the joint’, exposes how Hollywood contributes to…
For many, multiculturalism has come to mean a flawed approach to integrating migrants. But has it been a failure? Political philosopher and commentator Tim Soutphommasane puts forward his case for…
For many, multiculturalism has come to mean a flawed approach to integrating migrants. But has it been a failure? Political philosopher and commentator Tim Soutphommasane puts forward his case for…
Michael H. Shuman argues that there are a number of initiatives communities must take to support local economies and small business – and that the knock-on effects of local investment are vast…
Michael H. Shuman has been working on local economy issues for 15 years. He’s an economist, attorney, author, and entrepreneur.Michael argues that there are a number of initiatives communities must t…
In a passionate attack on the idea that gender equality has been reached and feminism is irrelevant, Clementine Ford explains why there is much left to be achieved – and presents a slew of…
Feminism’s over, they say. It’s achieved all its goals. Women are equal now, so we should all shut up and go home. But if feminism has really succeeded, why does it still feel like we’ve got so much …
Australia’s population has become a political hot potato. With forecasts of 30–40 million people by 2050 and up to 60 million by 2100, Australians are becoming increasingly concerned about the…
Join Roscoe Howell of Slavery Links Australia as he outlines the forms of modern slavery – discussing how it intersects with our daily lives more than we might imagine – and explains how we can…
Jenny Gray, CEO of Zoos Victoria, speaks passionately about the role of zoos in fighting extinction, in preserving species at risk, and in engaging communities to take action to help animals. In the …
Jenny Gray, CEO of Zoos Victoria, speaks passionately about the role of zoos in fighting extinction, in preserving species at risk, and in engaging communities to take action to help animals. In…
Sometimes there’s nothing better than a good rant. Every Thursday, the Wheeler Centre hostsan old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, where writers and thinkers canhave their say…
Judge John Smallwood is currently the Judge in charge of the County Koori Court which sits in the regional area of the Latrobe Valley. In this presentation, he discusses the concept of the court…
Judge John Smallwood is currently the Judge in charge of the County Koori Court which sits in the regional area of the Latrobe Valley. Today he discusses the concept of the court, how it has worked t…
Expanding on his recent essay for Griffith Review, historian and biographer Jim Davidson examines the complex history of Australia’s relationship with the British monarchy, and the various attempts t…
Expanding on his recent essay for Griffith Review, historian and biographer Jim Davidson examines the complex history of Australia’s relationship with the British monarchy, and the various attempts t…
Expanding on his recent essay for Griffith Review, historian and biographer Jim Davidson examines the complex history of Australia’s relationship with the British monarchy, and the various attempts t…
Expanding on his recent essay for Griffith Review, historian and biographer Jim Davidson examines the complex history of Australia’s relationship with the British monarchy, and the various attempts t…
‘Only connect,’ said E M Forster. Could Mr Forster have envisaged a world in which one person connected with another, thousands of miles away, through free video and voice calls, instant messages…
“Only Connect” said E M Forster. Could Mr Forster have envisaged a world in which one person connected with another, thousands of miles away, through free video and voice calls, instant messages…
While it may be true that nature is red in tooth and claw, it seems that for animals subject to human law – rather than the law of nature – life is much more like a lottery. In this presentation…
While it may be true that nature is red in tooth and claw, it seems that for animals subject to human law – rather than the law of nature – life is much more like a lottery. For an animal, where you …
Tamsin Roberts opened her first gallery in 2005 in Beijing. Now the director of Art Melbourne, previously known as the Affordable Art Fair, she discusses the rise of art within communities…
Tamsin Roberts opened her first gallery in 2005 in Beijing. Now the director of Art Melbourne, previously known as the Affordable Art Fair, she discusses the rise of art within communities…
Tamsin Roberts opened her first gallery in 2005 in Beijing. Now the director of Art Melbourne, previously known as the Affordable Art Fair, she discusses the rise of art within communities…
Across the world, the story is the same. Sex scandal. Media frenzy. Another prominent man caught with his pants down. Sex therapist and social commentator Bettina Arndt talks about why men take such …
Across the world, the story is the same. Sex scandal. Media frenzy. Another prominent man caught with his pants down. Sex therapist and social commentator Bettina Arndt talks about why men take such …
Anna Rose is co-founder and Chair of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. Her new book Madlands: A Journey to Change the Mind of a Climate Sceptic tells the tale of her extraordinary journey with …
Anna Rose is co-founder and Chair of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. Her new book Madlands: A Journey to Change the Mind of a Climate Sceptic tells the tale of her extraordinary journey with …
Are modern lyrics dropping the ball? Can we blame the iPod generation’s short attention cocker spaniels for a lack of intelligence in pop or does this just make songwriters try harder to be heard…
Are modern lyrics dropping the ball? Can we blame the iPod generation’s short attention cocker spaniels for a lack of intelligence in pop or does this just make songwriters try harder to be heard…
Ken Haley speaks about the advantages of wheeled mobility, and asks what disability grips those bipeds who can’t see they should be in envy of wheelchair users — those lucky souls on a thrill ride…
Ken Haley speaks about the advantages of wheeled mobility, and asks what disability grips those bipeds who can’t see they should be in envy of wheelchair users — those lucky souls on a thrill ride…
Agitators, as Oscar Wilde observed, are essential to progress. Reforms are more likely to be achieved when sections of a social movement behave badly and demand more than reforms. In this…
Agitators, as Oscar Wilde observed, are essential to progress. Reforms are more likely to be achieved when sections of a social movement behave badly and demand more than reforms. The history of…
As a musical group for homeless and disadvantaged people, The Choir of Hard Knocks (of ABC TV fame) found national success, winning awards and reaching the height of performance at the Sydney Opera H…
Christine Gordon, bookseller and Stella Prize committee member, delivered our Lunchbox/Soapbox on International Women’s Day, to a rousing crowd response.She talked about why sharing women’s stories…
Celebrating and acknowledging women’s stories, Christine Gordon – bookseller, book-lover, and passionate advocate of women’s writings, muses on why the political is personal, and reasons that the…
Celebrating and acknowledging women’s stories, Christine Gordon – bookseller, booklover, and passionate advocate of women’s writings, muses on why the political is personal, and reasons that the…
In her book The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcolm argued that if they are honest with themselves, most journalists know that ultimately, they betray the people they cover. What did she…
Since the end of the Cold War, much international attention has been devoted to building democracies to replace authoritarian regimes. East Timor, Afghanistan, Iraq and last year’s Arab Spring are…
Since the end of the Cold War, much international attention has been devoted to building democracies to replace authoritarian regimes. East Timor, Afghanistan, Iraq and last year’s Arab Spring are…
In his Lunchbox/Soapbox talk, David Holmgren explores the profound improvements that the application of permaculture principles and strategies could deliver for the sustainability and liveability of …
In recent years, as we have become more aware of the negative effects of our high-impact lifestyles, a number of environmental responses have been introduced – such as building insulation…
In the last Lunchbox/Soapbox event for 2011, Thomas Keneally spins a tale hatched in his Campsie yard as a child of seven — of racial anxiety, wartime politics and the life and death of White…
In the last Lunchbox/Soapbox event for the year, Thomas Keneally delivers tales from our past – stories of a nation of larrikins and artists, those who dared to ride the waves of contradiction.Lunchb…
Through century upon century, societies have located much of their moral panic and hysteria around a victimised view of youth. Whether it’s generational or technological change, the shock of the new …
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
Poetry’s fortunes in the wider world can seem grim at times but for lovers of poetry – its writers and readers – the form is more often than not little less than an obsession. As such, the poetry…
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
“If you allow this toxic combination of religion and politics to become too closely entwined, then you’re in trouble.” In her recent Lunchbox/Soapbox, Dr Susan Mitchell spoke on the topic of her…
Ever since Tony Abbott assumed the leadership of the Liberal Party, bipartisanship has all but disappeared. The opposition leader’s combativeness seems to have helped create a national political…
Ever since Tony Abbott assumed the leadership of the Liberal Party, bipartisanship has all but disappeared. He has created a national political atmosphere that is aggressive, inflammatory, and…
For centuries, it has been Europe and its offshoots that have marvelled at the mysteries, aura and exoticism of the East- the spices, spirituality and customs and the appearance of the people. Now…
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
Emilie Zoey Baker is an award-winning poet and spoken word performer who has performed and been published nationally and internationally. In this Lunchbox/Soapbox polemic, she energetically responds …
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
Anne Manne is a Melbourne writer, essayist and social philosopher. She has been a regular columnist for The Australian and The Age. In her Lunchbox/Soapbox appearance, she stressed the importance of …
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
In this Lunchbox/Soapbox, highly respected Australian journalist Paul Cleary expands on his polemic on the insidious effects of Australia’s mining boom.Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an…
Lunchbox/Soapbox returns for its third season in 2011 with former Victorian Police Commissioner Christine Nixon reflecting on the nature of leadership. In her recently released memoir, Fair Cop…
Across the globe, children are fleeing their homes – running from violence, poverty or war – and looking for a better life. Caroline Brothers is an experienced foreign correspondent who has taken up …
In the race to teach children to be literate and numerate is there a chance that we have lost sight of the real goals of literacy and numeracy and the real reasons for education? What is the…
In the race to teach children to be literate and numerate is there a chance that we have lost sight of the real goals of literacy and numeracy and the real reasons for education? What is the…
Women are being increasingly represented in the business world and the global discussion on gender equality rages on. But in a century where we have seen women given the vote and the right to work…
George McEncroe likes a challenge, and she’s found it through a series of changes — some her choice, others not. In this entertaining Lunchbox/Soapbox, McEncroe explores the benefits of embracing…
George likes a challenge and has always been searching for the job that will test her ego and intellect. She has found that changing paths is the best way to engage her strengths and explore her…
De Tocqueville claimed that all places “bear some mark of their origin; and the circumstances which accompanied their birth… affect the whole term of their being.” On the day that his new book 1835…
De Tocqueville claimed that all places “bear some mark of their origin; and the circumstances which accompanied their birth… affect the whole term of their being.” On the day that his new book 1835…
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
Julie Posetti is a lecturer in journalism at the University of Canberra, and a social media researcher and consultant. She is writing a doctoral thesis on ‘The Twitterisation of Journalism’. In this …
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
(Click to watch video.)
In his recent Lunchbox/Soapbox address, Bruce Guthrie, former editor of The Sunday Age, The Age, Who Weekly, the Weekend Australian…
Women are being increasingly represented in the business world and the global discussion on gender equality is raging fiercely right now. But in a century where we have seen women given the vote and …
Bruce Guthrie has been editor of The Sunday Age, The Age, Who Weekly, the Weekend Australian Magazine and Wish. His most recent appointment, in 2007, was as editor-in-chief of the Herald-Sun – a…
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
Ever found yourself sticking your nose deep into the spine of a loved book? Ever extolled the virtues of books by referring to that odour? Simon Groth explores the irrational fear inside everyone…
Ever found yourself sticking your nose deep into the spine of a loved book? Ever extolled the virtues of books by referring to that odour? Simon Groth explores the irrational fear inside everyone…
In the last couple of years, tabloid attacks on Islam, aborigines, African immigrants and other groups has mutated: after 9/11 it was a triumphalist assertion of Western supremacy over other…
Writer and journalist Guy Rundle uses his Lunchbox/Soapbox to explore the essentialist and adversarial racial politics which have emerged from what he calls a contemporary identity crisis in the…
In this video, Mandy Brett takes to Lunchbox/Soapbox to consider the future for those whom we notice least when they’re most effective: editors.Holding a Kindle, an iPad and a smartphone, Brett…
It is increasingly uncertain whether bookshops, publishers and even books themselves will exist in a few years' time – at least as we recognise them today. Do we care? Should we? Herewith a humble…
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
In his first Lunchbox/Soapbox, public intellectual Robert Manne speaks of his disappointment in observing the arrival of a cultural and especially political complacency in contemporary Australia.Mann…
If the internet was cut off tomorrow, would you be happy? Dave Graney would be.Appearing onstage at Lunchbox/Soapbox, and in his characteristically meandering style, the flamboyant stalwart of…
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
Joining us in this edition of Lunchbox/Soapbox is Dr David Tacey, Associate Professor and Reader in Arts at La Trobe University, where he teaches literature, spirituality and Jungian psychology.The a…
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
In her Lunchbox/Soapbox presentation, author and ethicist Leslie Cannold tackles feminism, and in particular, what ideals should inform how female representation unfolds in the popular imagination.Ca…
Taking to the Lunchbox/Soapbox lectern once again, Tim Soutphommasane thumbs through the collection of nasty comments and hate mail he’s accumulated in his time as a columnist for The Guardian and…
Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle of the day.At the Wheeler Centre we’re keen to showcase our writers as thinkers and as…
Comedy is relative. One person’s hilarity is another’s wounding words. But surely there’s a place for material that’s on the nose. Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’…
Comedy is relative. One person’s hilarity is another’s wounding words. But surely there’s a place for material that’s on the nose.In this instalment of Lunchbox/Soapbox, Ben Pobjie argues that shock …
(Click to watch video.)
Lawyer and acclaimed author Larissa Behrendt came into the Wheeler Centre last Thursday to deliver a Lunchbox/Soapbox on why…
In this Lunchbox/Soapbox presentation, prize-winning novelist, Professor of Law and 2009 NAIDOC Person of the Year Larissa Behrendt addresses the lack of progress on Indigenous issues in Australia.Be…
Why is the money and goodwill spent on Indigenous issues producing so few noticeable results?Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the…
Joanne Faulkner is the author of The Importance of Being Innocent, and an academic whose work examines the significance of innocence and childhood for contemporary understandings of political…
How the Australian media uses and abuses issues affecting children to their own ends. Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner in the middle of the city, in the middle…
Dennis Altmann, who was advertised as the presenter of this week’s Lunchbox/Soapbox, has unfortunately had to pull out. Helen Razer has very graciously agreed to step in.In a recent article for The…
People hate dealing with change. Alvin Toffler’s 1971 Future Shock outlined humanity’s failure to adapt. Does it still apply in a world where even the climate is changing?Sophie Cunningham asks how w…
People hate dealing with change. Alvin Toffler’s 1971 Future Shock outlined humanity’s failure to adapt. Does it still apply in a world where even the climate is changing?Lunchbox/Soapbox is a…
We are amongst the luckiest people on the planet – so why are we developing a culture of complaint, creating a nation of whingers?Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea: an old-fashioned Speakers’ Corner …
After a spate of natural disasters, civic scandals and financial crises, many citizens of the world’s richest nations are looking for someone to shoulder the blame, led by their politicians…
ABC 774 morning presenter Jon Faine came into the Wheeler Centre at lunchtime yesterday for the first Lunchbox/Soapbox of the year. Jon expounded on the question, ‘We are amongst the luckiest people …
Travel Writer Rowan McKinnon
While I don’t disagree with some of what Andrew Mueller says in his Lunchbox Soapbox – about newspaper travel sections being beholden to…
Click to watch video.
One of the big issues that cost the government at the Victorian State Election was the environment. Mark Wakeham spoke just before…
In this Lunchbox/Soapbox State Election Special, Environment Victoria’s Mark Wakeham discusses the opportunities for environmental action which exist in Victoria – including the closure of the…
Over the four weeks leading into the state election, four representatives of key state-based organisations outline the big issues that they’ll be campaigning for.This week Mark Wakeham from…
As Secretary of the Police Association, Greg Davies brings his 30 years of experience as a police officer to look at the state of the law and order.In this Lunchbox/Soapbox, he gives a candid report …
Over the four weeks leading into the state election, four representatives of key state-based organisations outline the big issues that they’ll be campaigning for.This week law and order with Greg…
In this Victorian state election Lunchbox/Soapbox, Cath Smith – CEO of the Victorian Council of Social Services – outlines what she sees as the social agenda for this year’s campaign. She singles…
Over the four weeks leading into the state election, four representatives of key state-based organisations outline the big issues that they’ll be campaigning for.This week Cath Smith from Victorian C…
Click to watch video.
As the state election approaches, Victorians identified public transport as the number one issue that would effect their voting. As a …
Paul Mees is a leading commentator on urban public transport. In this Lunchbox/Soapbox, he analyses the woes of Melbourne’s transport network, including soaring costs, poor management, bad planning a…
This week Paul Mees takes to the Lunchbox/Soapbox to bring the insights of a leading commentator on urban public transport.
As the search for the so-called ‘Pink Viagra’ continues, controversy surrounds the nature of the medical ‘condition’ such a pill would treat. Do women with a low libido really have a disease called ‘…
News got cheap on the internet – some would say free, but not Crikey editor Sophie Black. In this Lunchbox/Soapbox she doesn’t shy away from the worst of the web but looks to those moments when…
The 24 hour news cycle and the rise of online journalism has many critics. Sophie Black defends the role of the web in telling us about current affairs and the issues of the day.Lunchbox/Soapbox is …
London-based Andrew Mueller couldn’t decide between being a rock journalist, travel writer or foreign correspondent so he thought he’d try all three at once.In this Lunchbox/Soapbox, Mueller takes…
Travel is a nigh universal human ambition. Why is it, then, that the travel sections of most newspapers and magazines are the dullest parts of the publication?Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea; an…
Tom Elliott is tired of having to lie about his day job. A respectable job, a noble job even, has become much-maligned in this post-GFC world.Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea; an old-fashioned…
Anna Krien, author of In the Woods, audits the deathbed health of our newspapers, lobbying for a diagnosis that doesn’t shy away from tough love.Krien critiques assumptions about the veracity and…
Anna Krien, author of In the Woods, audits the deathbed health of our newspapers, lobbying for a diagnosis that doesn’t shy away from tough love.Lunchbox/Soapbox is a simple idea; an old-fashioned…
Why does Melbourne, the classiest city in Australia, have such a problem with street violence? Is it the licensing laws? Is it the parents? No and no. Is it the rise of house music at the expense of …
Why does Melbourne, the classiest city in Australia, have such a problem with street violence? Is it the licensing laws? Is it the parents? No and no. Is it the rise of house music at the expense of …
Asylum seekers have no connection to population boom, unemployment, debt, terrorism or interest rates, but you wouldn’t know it watching the nightly news. We receive so few refugees compared to the g…
Asylum seekers have no connection to population boom, unemployment, debt, terrorism or interest rates, but you wouldn’t know it watching the nightly news. We receive so few refugees compared to the g…
I often think everyone should ask themselves the basic question that I pose to myself each day: What would I do if I was fleeing for my life and trying to save my family? I know I would do whatever …
Seasoned political commentator George Megalogenis gives us his call of the card after the messiest election in Australian history. He divvies up the country into mining states, southern states and…
Hot on the heels of the most bemusing Federal election in history, this very special post-election edition of Lunchbox/Soapbox features veteran of the Canberra press gallery George Megalogenis…
So who won the election? While most of us are still scratching our heads over the federal election, political commentator George Megalogenis is sifting through the tea leaves and looking at how…
What if the whole idea of ‘the one’ is nonsense?With the aid of a whole lot of love (and a little bit of cake), Sue-Ann Post explains why honesty and jealousy shouldn’t be strange bedfellows.…
Hanifa Deen is fed up with writing about Muslims, reading about Muslims, defending Muslims and obsessing about Muslims in general but is having trouble getting off the ‘Muslim merry-go-round’.In…
Didn’t National Service go out of fashion in the 1970s? Philosopher Tim Southhommasane argues that in a society where we have less common ground, National Service will build our sense of civics…
Greens candidate for the Federal Seat of Melbourne, Adam Bandt, examines the history of our democracy’s values and considers the origins of two-party politics – making note of modern exceptions. He c…
Social advocate and parish priest, Father Bob McGuire has been described as a national living treasure. On his popular blog and radio program he challenges convention and calls for action on issues …
Parish priest? Yes. Social advocate? Sure. Revolutionary? Maybe. Cantankerous? Definitely. Father Bob Maguire has become a living national treasure for his forthright opinions.In this…
Rodney Croome is an advocate for gay human rights and author of Why vs Why: Gay Marriage. In this impassioned argument he talks about marriage as a bond “to the exclusion of all others”. Croome…
As the philosopher Pat Benatar said, Love is aBattlefield. As if it wasn’t hard enough finding theright person and making it all work, society’s failureto recognise all relationships as equal has…
Gay Rights activist and today’s Lunchbox/Soapboxer, Rodney Croome has taken aim at our new Prime Minister Julia Gillard on her views on same-sex marriage in his post for ABC Unleashed.At issue is…
“Why doesn’t Australia have a bill of rights?” asks former judge Ken Crispin. His experience in Australia’s courts has led him to some surprising conclusions about our justice system – including how …
What is justice? How does our legal system work? How can we trust a system that is so changeable and widely criticised? And are our laws really effective? These are some of the fundamental questions …
Pregnancy is natural, healthy and fun. Sure it is; if you’re lucky. When Melbourne writer and procreator Monica Dux got pregnant she failed to see what all the joy was meant to be about. Pregnancy…
Pregnancy is natural, healthy and fun. Yeah, right. When Melbourne writer and procreator Monica Dux got pregnant she failed to see what all the joy was meant to be about. Here, Monica grapples with h…
Tim Ferguson laments the conservatism of Generation X, the death of feminism and the wit of Sex And The City 2.
Julian Burnside takes a lighthearted look at the use and abuse of language – by those whose jobs rely on it the most.
Chris Flynn surveys history’s chivalrous canines: Lassie vs Nazis in Norway, Inspector Rex as a speedboat-piloting crimefighter – and his own family pup’s skill in dodging the authorities.
Why are women so mean to each other? Kate Holden, ashamed of her own judgmental tendencies, tries to work out why, in a world where women have so much to share, we are sometimes anything but fair.
Regular browser Shane Maloney asks for a bit of shoosh as he talks about the value silence in our public places, how libraries were once carried on camel back in alphabetical order and how crucial…
Libraries are places where books talk to each other. But are their seductive whisperings in danger of being drowned out by the roar of phone-using, iPod wearing, internet surfing hordes?This is an…
Catherine Deveny on ‘Why Becoming an Atheist Made me a Writer (and Why Being a Writer Made me an Atheist)’ at Lunchbox/ Soapbox as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.Warning: this…
Toni Jordan defends trash fiction, asking who decides some books are more worthy than others? With 65 per cent of people lying about having read classic novels, why can’t we just admit to enjoying…
George Megalogenis discusses the Kevin Rudd Performance Index, arguing that perhaps, “if the prime minister said less, we’d remember more.”Megalogenis asks how well are citizens really well served…
Peter Singer argues for a beef tax.
