Please join the live stream of the Royal Society of New South Wales (RSNSW) and Australia's Learned Academies for their Annual Forum, which this year has the theme of A Hinge of History. The program for the day will be available on the RSNSW website, and a program brochure providing the schedule, information about each session, and biographical information about the speakers will be available shortly.

Please register through this site to gain access to the live streaming of the event, which will commence at 9.00 am AEDT on Thursday, 5 November 2026, from Government House, Sydney.

Summary

Derek Parfit writes: ‘We live during the hinge of history… If we act wisely in the next few centuries, humanity will survive its most dangerous and decisive period… What now matters most is that we avoid ending human history.’ (On What Matters, 2011 vol 2)

Humanity may be entering a period in which actions of a single generation shape the long-term trajectory of civilisation. Climate instability, rapid technological transformation, geopolitical tension, and social fragmentation are converging in ways that may constitute ‘a hinge of history’.

The Royal Society of NSW and Learned Academies Forum brings together leading thinkers across science, medicine, technology, governance, economics and philosophy to examine whether we are indeed at such a hinge point—and what this means for Australia’s future prosperity, security, and resilience.

The Forum is held under the auspices of Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of NSW. The Royal Society of NSW acknowledges the generous support of Her Excellency and the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer.

Contact the host of Royal Society of NSW and Learned Academies Forum 2026 Livestream