Join Joe Walker in conversation with Judith Brett—one of Australia’s foremost public intellectuals and an expert on the country’s political culture

Judith Brett is a political historian and emeritus professor at La Trobe University, and the author of acclaimed books including Robert Menzies’ Forgotten People, The Enigmatic Mr Deakin, and From Secret Ballot to Democracy Sausage—a landmark history of Australia’s compulsory voting system.

Topic: Compulsory voting is one of Australia’s defining political features—both a reflection of and a reason for the nation’s unique political culture. In this conversation, Judith and Joe will discuss how compulsory voting shapes democracy in Australia and what it reveals about the country’s character. With a federal election around the corner, this discussion on March 6 is especially timely.

Schedule

6:00pm: Doors open.

6:30pm - 8:00pm: Podcast conversation, including audience Q&A

8:00pm - late: Meet-and-greet.

Refreshments: Light food, tea, coffee, and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided.

Venue

The Royal Society of Victoria.

8 La Trobe St, Melbourne VIC 3000.

Event will be held upstairs in The Ellery Lecture Theatre.

Disclaimer: Please note that audio and video of this event will be recorded for future publication on The Joe Walker Podcast.

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About Joe Walker's Australian Policy Salons

This event is part of Joe Walker’s Australian Policy Salons—live conversations in early 2025 with Australia’s leading thinkers on the country’s most pressing issues. Learn more and buy tickets to other events here.

What are "Policy Salons"?

These events aren’t public lectures.

Think of them as salons for the policy-minded—intimate, high-quality gatherings where big ideas meet thoughtful people.

With just 50–70 tickets per session, the focus is on depth, not scale—giving you the chance to ask questions, share ideas, and connect with a curious, engaged audience.

The goal is to create a space for meaningful conversations about Australia’s most urgent policy challenges—both on stage and off.

About The Joe Walker Podcast

Joe Walker hosts The Joe Walker Podcast on which he conducts deeply-researched interviews with founders, scientists and public intellectuals.

Joe's podcast has been the #1 ranked business show in the Australian Apple Podcast Charts, profiled by the Australian Financial Review, awarded two Emergent Ventures grants from Tyler Cowen, and described by Australia's Assistant Treasurer Dr Andrew Leigh MP as "the best Australian podcast".

Recent interviews/guests include:

An interview with Nassim Taleb — the transcript of which will be a chapter in the new edition of Taleb's book The Statistical Consequences of Fat Tails.
Katalin Karikó's first ever longform podcast interview — before she won the Nobel prize in 2023 (for inventing mRNA technology).
One of Daniel Kahneman's final interviews (in which he praised Joe's interviewing skills).
A 4.5-hour interview with former Australian Treasury Secretary Ken Henry.
David Deutsch and Steven Pinker's first ever public dialogue.
Former US Treasury Secretary (and current OpenAI board member) Larry Summers' first rigorous interview on the economic implications of AI.

You can subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Contact the host of Joe Walker Podcast LIVE — Judith Brett [Melbourne]

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