A Big Dialogue: The State of the Arts in The Lucky Country - Who Cares? Why Bother?

The Academy, in association with Australian Dialogues, will present a Big Dialogue on arts policy on the eve of our 2024 Symposium.

The Big Dialogue format has developed over the past four years as a successful, trusted platform for better public discussion of contentious policy issues by people with different viewpoints.

The issues of funding, governance, and sustainability for the Arts sector in Australia will be explored in a long-form and enlightening discussion. The panel will consider questions such as; is arts funding a function of the value of the arts? But what is that value? Is it social cohesion or personally enriching or a foundation for nation building?

"The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress." - Joseph Joubert

Event details

Convenor: Professor Fred D'Agostino FAHA
Date: Wednesday 13 November 2024
Time: 5.30pm for 6.00-7.30pm discussion 
Venue: Louie Louie (upstairs), Verity Lane Market, Sydney Building, 50 Northbourne Avenue
Details: Light food is included in the ticket price and there will be a cash bar onsite. Held in the hub of Verity Lane Market – ticket holders can stay on for dinner and drinks, with a range of cuisine on offer.
Price: $20 (student), $45 (theatre seating), $65 (cabaret) per ticket (concessions available)

About the speakers

Kelly Burke (moderator)

Kelly Burke is the Arts Reporter at Guardian Australia, a role made possible with Balnaves Foundation sponsorship. Growing up in rural New Zealand, she moved to Sydney to attend university before starting her media career with The Sydney Morning Herald in 1995. She was most recently a Senior Digital Journalist with the Seven Network and a Senate Media Adviser for the Parliament of Australia.

Speakers

Ian Walker
A lawyer for 35 years, Ian was Brisbane Managing Partner and National Board member of his international firm before being elected as a Queensland State MP from 2012 - 2017. He was appointed Assistant Minister for Planning Reform and, subsequently, Minister for Science, IT, Innovation, and the Arts. He served as a member of the School Council of the Anglican Church grammar School (Churchie) and as President of the Churchie Foundation. He has held positions both at Diocesan and National level with the Anglican Church. He was a Trustee of the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Community Trust from 2005-2010. He has had a long association with the arts, having previously chaired the Board of Camerata (Qld's Chamber Orchestra), and is now President of Queensland Youth Orchestras. He maintains an interest in science and innovation, and from 2017-2020 was a member of the External Engagement Board of the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation within QUT. He is a Life Member of the Urban Development Institute of Aust. (Qld) and holds the Distinguished Service Award from the Federal Liberal Party of Australia. He is currently engaged in the McKinnon Institute for Political Leadership within Monash University. He and Heather have 2 children and 4 grandchildren.

Comm. Lyndon Terracini AM OSI

Lyndon Terracini was the Artistic Director of Opera Australia from October 2009 until October 2022.

He remodelled that company to connect to a much wider public. During that period Opera Australia more than doubled its turnover and tripled the size of its audience and attained world standard performances. During this period artistic and financial imperatives worked hand in glove to attain consistently outstanding success.

His stewardship of Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA which he founded) and the Queensland Music Festival and Brisbane Festival have also been hallmarks of his philosophy and success.

Prior to his work as an Artistic Director and CEO he was an internationally acclaimed operatic baritone.

Dr Karen Hands

Karen Hands is a researcher and educator with a professional background in the creative industries. She is a lecturer and program coordinator of the Bachelor of Creative Industries program at the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Karen’s research focuses on the political, economic and social aspects of the arts and creative industries, specifically examining how policy shapes the career trajectories of creative/cultural workers. Her research has been published in scholarly journals including the International Journal of Cultural Policy, the International Journal of Arts Management, and Gender and Education. Karen is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has previously held positions at Griffith Review, Queensland Writers Centre and Brisbane Powerhouse. She has been a peer assessor for Creative Australia and Arts Queensland.

About The Australian Dialogues

Australian Dialogues is an informal network of diverse organisations interested in participating in, or supporting, better across-the-aisle discussions on significant policy issues, raising the quality of public discourse.

It is inspired by Braver Network in America and is an initiative of The Brisbane Dialogues Inc., Australia’s first dedicated bridging or civil discourse organisation - a wholly independent, neutral, intergenerational, volunteer-based, not-for-profit project to model and facilitate discussions about big ideas and issues.

The Dialogues always address substantive issues of current interest, but their premise is that the greatest problem we face is the growing inability to have good discussions about all the other problems we face. Polarisation and uncivil discourse are widely lamented, analysed and commented upon; the Dialogues are doing something about it.

About the format

A panel of accomplished speakers (and listeners) with differing perspectives and expertise are moderated in an in-depth, long-form, enlightening discussion in a congenial setting, with light food and drink available to sustain the audience.

The Big Dialogue series has developed in Brisbane over the past four years as a unique and successful platform for better public discussion of contentious policy issues. The forum brings together experts who disagree, yet are willing to seek common ground and explore possible agreed solutions.

Big Dialogues are designed to demonstrate that difficult issues can still be discussed frankly, fearlessly and civilly, in a non-partisan way, in public, by people of goodwill, in good faith, in pursuit of truth, progress - and better policy and outcomes. They are for curious, concerned citizens who are willing to listen respectfully to views they don't agree with in order to understand complexities better and who are open to refining or even changing their own position.

Subjects previously addressed include: universal basic income, the China-Australia relationship, climate change, pandemic management, reforming democracy, energy transition, housing and social media impacts/regulation.

As always, the dialogue will be conducted under The Brisbane Rule: “All participants agree to listen carefully, speak civilly and concentrate on the content of discussions, not on characters - before, during and afterwards, online and offline.” This includes the audience as well as the speakers on stage!

The Big Dialogues program is now being expanded nationally through the Australian Dialogues network.

Partner
The Academy acknowledges the partnership and support by Australian Dialogues.

Sponsor
Student ticket prices are available, thanks to the generous contribution of a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

Diversity & equity at our events

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