Best David Langton Podcasts (2025)

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Musician Holly Rankin on why young Australians feel that politics isn't delivering for them 53:51

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10h ago53:51

53:51

Young Australians are losing faith that our politics, our civic institutions and the mainstream media are working for them. Why is this? And how can our democracy adapt to win back the trust and engagement of new generations? The 2025 Speaker's Lecture was recorded at Parliament House on 27 October 2025. Speakers Holly Rankin - Musician and recordi…

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What are universities for today? The usefulness of "useless" knowledge 54:36

1d ago54:36

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Are our universities facing an existential crisis by trying to be too many things? Places for learning, research, the production of new knowledge, the production of job-ready graduates, and profit-making enterprises? Does everything they do have to produce a tangible, measurable, practical, or profitable outcome? Should they also foster intellectua…

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Jane Caro — why Australia is failing our school system 59:27

13h ago59:27

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We often hear about "failing schools", but what if it is us, the Australian community, who are failing them? Public school advocate Jane Caro argues that Australia's pursuit of school choice, and the tax payer funding that enables it, has come at a huge cost to the school system, to children's education, and to our broader society. The 2025 Dymphna…

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Coming Out and Inviting In — with Zoe Terakes, Nina Oyama, Mon Schafter, Atari Metcalf, Ji Wallace 54:35

2h ago54:35

54:35

Join ABC's Mon Schafter and four incredible speakers as they share honest, powerful stories about revealing their identities on their own terms. From fear to freedom, isolation to community - this is a conversation about truth, courage, and connection. Held in recognition of 40 years of ACON, it celebrates every journey of coming out and shines a l…

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Searching for convivencia — philosopher AC Grayling makes peace in the culture wars 54:36

6d ago54:36

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If you're a feminist, or pro-civil or gay rights, does that make you "woke"? And if you're not, does that mean you should be cancelled, or abused online, or lose your job? So many of our public debates nowadays are divided along these lines, but is there a better way? This event was recorded at the 2025 Melbourne Writers Festival. To explore more M…

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The Sophia Club live philosophy — what are friends for? 1:10:05

7d ago1:10:05

1:10:05

Friends are different from family. We choose them and they choose us. Philosophers long wondered about what makes friendship such a distinctive relationship in our lives. Is being a good friend a kind of moral virtue? Can friends help us find our true selves? What about the dark and difficult side of friendship — toxic friends and frenemies? How is…

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Understanding China's history is crucial for Australia 44:48

8d ago44:48

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To deal with China as a major trading partner, and also a national security threat requires understanding the history that made China what it is today. That history is shaped by resistance and different waves of uprising. How have governments dealt with these movements? How do they influence politics today? China: Past, Present, Future was recorded…

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Universities and other antidotes to authoritarianism 55:15

9d ago55:15

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The United States has long been famous for its world leading universities. But in the face of research funding cuts, government attacks on free speech, DEI and the right to protest, and the persecution of foreign students, could all that be changing? The speech, Poison Ideas: Universities and other Antidotes to Authoritarianism, was recorded at the…

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One day, everyone will have always been against this — Omar El Akkad and Peter Greste reckon with Western hypocrisy over Israel's war on Gaza 54:36

13d ago54:36

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The Western world is supposed to stand for values like freedom, justice and human rights, a commitment to meet wrongdoing with consequence, guided by rules and obligations. How then, do we reconcile that with Western governments' and media's support of and complicity in the horrors in Gaza? How do we witness the bloodshed and destruction, and yet l…

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Fixing Australia's housing crisis — is increasing supply really a silver bullet? 1:03:07

14d ago1:03:07

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Build more houses. That'll fix Australia's housing crisis won't it? If you listen to governments, you'd sure think so. Under the National Housing Accord, all governments have agreed to support a target of building 1.2 million new, well-located dwellings in 5 years. But will that increase housing affordability, availability, quality, security of ten…

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Gough Whitlam's dismissal — why is it still relevant today? 54:35

15d ago54:35

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Whitlam's dismissal and following double dissolution 50 years ago, was arguably the most tumultuous period in Australia's political and constitutional history. This political crisis raises key questions about constitutional change and the robustness of Australia's current democracy. What are the lessons? And could it happen again? Presented at the …

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An intriguing story of art and espionage — how a classical scholar turned codebreaker during World War 2 54:36

16d ago54:36

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In the 1930s, New Zealand-born, Cambridge educated Arthur Dale Trendall carved a niche for himself as the world's foremost expert in the study of ancient South Italian vase painting. How then, did he end up leading a crack team of code-breakers working in Melbourne to decipher Japanese messages for the Allies during the Second World War? This lectu…

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Empire of AI — Karen Hao goes inside the reckless race for total world domination 53:59

20d ago53:59

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When it was founded in 2015, openai — the company behind Chat GPT — had a mission to develop artificial intelligence tools that would benefit humanity. But somewhere along the way, that mission changed. While the use of AI in our daily lives is increasingly pervasive, the technology's toll on the environment, human rights, copyright, privacy and wo…

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The €1 Breakthrough: Scaling Smart Labels for Impact 54:07

22d ago54:07

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Smart cities are making headlines—but what’s driving real ROI behind the scenes? In this episode, we explore how consultative IoT strategies, not just new tech, are reshaping urban infrastructure and logistics. The conversation centers on smart labels, AI, and sensor-driven solutions that turn everyday operations into measurable value. You’ll hear …

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ABC's CITIZEN JURY — Fixing salmon farming's environmental harms in Tasmania 1:11:15

21d ago1:11:15

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ABC Radio National's CITIZEN JURY takes hard, hot-button issues affecting a community — and places citizens at the centre of finding solutions. It's citizen-driven democracy in action! Tasmanian salmon is on dinner plates across Australia. It's a 1.4 billion-dollar industry producing jobs for Tasmanians, and more than 70, 000 tonnes of fish annuall…

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Anne Summers — 50 Years of Damned Whores and God’s Police 54:35

23d ago54:35

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In 1975, aged just 29, she wrote a bestselling book that changed Australia. Since then, she's courted controversy and acclaim, but Anne Summers has never given up the fight for gender equality. This conversation was recorded live at the 2025 Sydney Writers' Festival. Speakers Dr Anne SummersAuthor, Damned Whores and God's Police, Ducks on the Pond:…

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Why we need to cancel cancel culture — with defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou 54:34

24d ago54:34

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When people say or do the wrong thing, we have laws and a legal system that should be able to deliver consequences and, hopefully justice. But in this digital age, the human instinct to inflict punishment in the court of public opinion has reached fever pitch. So do we want to live by mob rule, or the rule of law? The 2025 James Merralls Fellowship…

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Out of this world — with Booker Prize winning author Samantha Harvey 54:09

28d ago54:09

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For all of human history, space has been a place of mystery, awe and fascination. But unless you're an astronaut, a billionaire, or a pop star, most of us will never have the opportunity to travel there — except in our minds. This conversation features two writers who've used the perspective of space to explore our humanity, Earth's place in the un…

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What Artists See? Critic Quentin Sprague helps you get to the messy human heart of art 54:34

29d ago54:34

54:34

Have you ever visited an art gallery full of wonder, ready to be inspired, only to leave feeling like it was all a bit over your head? You're about to meet one writer whose new book of essays rejects the over-complication and gets to the messy, human heart of art. What Artists See is a collection of essays from award-winning arts writer and critic …

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Matrescence — on the metamorphosis of motherhood 54:58

1M ago54:58

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When a child is born, so too is a mother. This idea, known as "matrescence", was first conceived in the 1970s by American medical anthropologist Dana Raphael. Parenting in 2025 looks very different in many ways, the scientific evidence now supports the theory that women undergo radical physiological, psychological and social changes during pregnanc…

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Alexander the Great — A genius? A tyrant? A visionary? A killer? A maniac? 42:52

30d ago42:52

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He was undefeated in battle and established one of the largest empires in history. But his legacy goes beyond his military conquests. He increased trade between East and West, spread the Greek civilisation and founded cultural centres that still thrive today. Learn more about Alexander the Great's life, personality and impact with a fresh perspecti…

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Nobel laureate Donna Strickland on her life in lasers 57:39

1M ago57:39

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She became the third ever woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018, and the first in 50 years. This is the story of how Donna Strickland became a "Laser Jock", and why she's now on a mission to restore trust in science. This event was recorded at the Centre for Ideas at the University of New South Wales. Speakers Donna StricklandProfessor in t…

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Ziggy Ramo’s latest project asks what makes us human? 54:34

1M ago54:34

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Ziggy Ramo is an award-winning musician and author whose latest book titled Human?: A lie that has been killing us since 1788 weaves song, visual art and personal history to present a new way of looking at this country’s past. Led by Mparntwe and Alice Springs-based poet Laurie May, Ziggy reflects on the project and where it took him at the Byron W…

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New legislation to protect you against invasion of your privacy 54:36

1M ago54:36

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2025 is a landmark year for Australian privacy law. The new statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy came into effect in June this year. This could be a breakthrough providing you with a better way to protect your privacy interests through the court system. Big Ideas digs deep into its origins, its inspirations, and its potential future. Pre…

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How to build a stock exchange — the past, present and future of finance 58:35

1M ago58:35

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This rollicking history traces the evolution of the London stock exchange, from the Transatlantic slave trade to modern day missions to Mars, arguing that the financial markets wield the power to bring down governments, and shape our societies, for better and for worse. This lecture was recorded at the Australian National University. Speakers Phili…

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IoT and Agentic AI Power Tomorrow’s Smart Hospitals 40:08

1M ago40:08

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Hospitals don’t run on hope—they run on data. Today’s healthcare systems are under pressure to do more with less. From equipment shortages to long wait times, inefficiencies are everywhere. But what if AI agents could fix them in real time? In this episode, we explore how a new class of IoT-driven intelligence is transforming hospital operations fr…

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Is Jane Austen the greatest English novelist of all time? 1:00:55

1M ago1:00:55

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She's on a bank note (British 10 pounds), and a bath soap (Suds and Sensibility), and she also wrote some of the most beloved novels in English literature. Why has Jane Austen become such an enduring cultural force, and what makes us return to her works time and time again? This event, celebrating 250 years since Jane Austen's birth, was recorded a…

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We’re F**ed! It’s too late to avoid civilisational collapse. 2025 Beaker Street Festival Great Debate 52:49

1M ago52:49

52:49

Is the end of the world nigh, or just the end of the world as we know it? Are we set to doom-scroll our way to apocalypse? Or is this the moment we wake up to ourselves, change course, and save the planet? Don't miss this hilarious battle of brains and bravado when two teams join Big Ideas' host and science journalist Natasha Mitchell at Hobart Cit…

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Who killed the liberal international order (and what comes next)? 55:37

1M ago55:37

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Conflict and great power rivalries are on the rise, democracy is in retreat, and multilateral institutions created to maintain global cooperation appear increasingly toothless. So is the world as we've known it coming to an end? And if so, what will replace it? This speech was recorded at the University of Queensland on 17 September 2025. Speaker A…

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Can the Democrats save democracy in the US? 54:36

2M ago54:36

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The Democratic Party in America is in an identity crisis. It's shifting priorities to claw back grounds from the Republicans. But is it too little, too late? How can the Democrats respond to a radicalising and increasingly authoritarian-minded Republican Party? The Future of America's Democratic Party presented by the American Academy in Berlin Spe…

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Maria Ressa on what Donald Trump learnt from Rodrigo Duterte and other strongman rulers 55:35

2M ago55:35

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From Rodrigo Duterte, to Narendra Modi, to Donald Trump, strongman leaders around the world are harnessing big tech to consolidate their power. Social media is also being used to energise and organise resistance movements, but is the bad increasingly outweighing the good? The 2025 Southeast Asia Oration Media Freedom and Democracy in Southeast Asia…

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Prove It! Elizabeth Finkel's Scientific Guide for the Post-Truth Era 1:01:11

2M ago1:01:11

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By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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John Lennon and Paul McCartney — a partnership that changed cultural history 54:35

2M ago54:35

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By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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'Militarism gone mad' — Labor firebrand hits out at party’s support of AUKUS 54:02

2M ago54:02

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The world feels more dangerous and unpredictable, but with Australia wedged between our traditional ally, America, and our biggest trading partner, China, does our most expensive ever defence project make us more secure, or less? The 2025 Laurie Carmichael Lecture, Australian Sovereignty and the Path to Peace, was recorded on Wednesday 10 September…

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Genocides are everyone's business, not no-one's business — Gareth Evans, Yassmin Khadra, Daniel Abot's urgent plea for peace 54:35

2M ago54:35

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A frank and impassioned plea for peace by Gareth Evans. As Australia's former Foreign Minister and former president of the International Crisis Group, he's spent most of his career forging real paths to peace globally. From Sudan to Gaza, Myanmar to Ukraine - who can we rely on to stop "forever" wars and genocides? Does Australia have a unique role…

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Vale Dr Jane Goodall — why the renowned primatologist and environmentalist held onto hope 27:02

2M ago27:02

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Primatologist Jane Goodall once said: "It actually doesn't take much to be a difficult woman. That's why there are so many of us." She spoke up. For all the species who go unheard, or unnoticed by humans. She was a giant in the global environmental movement. She first walked into the wild forests of Tanzania as a young woman with no science trainin…

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Is AI the new coloniser? How to create more life-centred AI before it's too late 57:00

2M ago57:00

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AI is an incredible tool, but is AI also a new coloniser? Is there actually anything new or artificial about artificial intelligence? Join Natasha Mitchell at the 2025 Now or Never Festival to meet two big thinkers building a bridge between First Nations and Western knowledge to disrupt and reimagine the who, what, and why of AI? This conversation …

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Condoleezza Rice on how to fix the break-up of global cooperation 54:35

2M ago54:35

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Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice assesses the break-up of globalisation and the world order. The way in which countries such as the United States or Germany focus on sovereign goals is part of the problem. And that's likely not to stop any time soon. But she also comes up with practical ideas for creating a common economic and security…

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The rise of Spotify and the costs of the perfect playlist — with music journalist Liz Pelly 58:26

2M ago58:26

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American music journalist Liz Pelly interrogates the ways Spotify and other streaming giants are reshaping music, not just for listeners, but also for the people who make it. This conversation was recorded on 28 August 2025 in partnership with The Wheeler Centre and Now or Never Festival. Discover more talks and bold conversations by following The …

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Yolngu power — art, culture, country, law — with Marcia Langton and Clare Wright 54:33

2M ago54:33

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Australian Indigenous art is celebrated around the world – but how much is understood about its pivotal role in Indigenous culture, country, politics and law? For the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land, art is more than just aesthetic, it is a means of cultural diplomacy, and a respectful assertion of power in its diverse forms, from sovereign…

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Nobel scientist Jennifer Doudna with Natasha Mitchell — the gene editing revolution, radical ethics, and what's next? [Archive episode] 54:33

2M ago54:33

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Join a full house at the Sydney Opera House with Nobel winning scientist Jennifer Doudna and Big Ideas' presenter Natasha Mitchell to discuss the huge social, ethical, and scientific implications of the CRISPR gene editing revolution her groundbreaking discovery with Emmanuelle Charpentier and colleagues kicked off. From curative therapies to gene …

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Helen Vatsikopoulos — when the stories of migrants in Australia are silenced it's bad for all of us 54:34

2M ago54:34

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Stories help us to understand what is happening in the world and how it impacts us. Stories help us to relate to the experience of 'the Other' and their suffering building an emotional understanding. Journalist and academic Helen Vatiskopoulos describes the power of stories to share information to the masses and the problems that arise when the nar…

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The power of essays — with David Marr, Esther Anatolitis, Brooke Boland and Ashleigh Wilson 55:04

2M ago55:04

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For 85 years, Meanjin has published the essays of Australian writers. The magazine's founding editor, Clem Christesen, wanted Meanjin's writers 'to reveal and clarify our life by showing it to us though a vision different from ours and deeper." In the wake of the news the magazine is closing, Big Ideas explores and celebrates the essay in all its f…

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Fleeced — unravelling the history of wool and war 54:35

2M ago54:35

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It's water and fireproof, versatile, warm and tough wearing. Wool not only expanded the British Empire, and created prosperity in the colonies, it also changed the nature of war and warfare. But wool's fortunes didn't last forever. This is the story of the rise and fall of wool. This conversation was recorded at the National Library of Australia on…

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What's up with dieting Doc? Rethinking the obesity obsession in healthcare 54:30

2M ago54:30

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Has your doctor ever told you to go on a diet? Does that conversation put you off going to them in the first place, even if you need treatment for something not related to your weight? Has being in a larger body ever meant you can't access surgery or IVF? Some are pushing for a weight-inclusive approach to healthcare, which de-centres obesity, and …

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Doing business ethically in turbulent times — with Helen Clark 54:34

2M ago54:34

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In a world where rules are increasingly being broken, what role should business play in upholding human rights, international and domestic law, and environmental protection? And what are the rules and responsibilities of business to ensure supply chains, hiring practices, workplace safety, environment and social governance practices abide by global…

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Jimmy Barnes – tells it all 54:35

2M ago54:35

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Rock star and maverick Jimmy Barnes celebrates heritage, family, friends, music and the adventure of a grand life on stage. Get up close to the lead singer of Cold Chisel, author of Working Class Man and Working Class Boy. Learn how terrible experiences of family violence, but also a close bond to his brother shaped him into the performer he is now…

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Hanna Rosin on what’s happened to the end of men in Trump’s America 54:30

3M ago54:30

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Thirteen years ago, US political journalist Hanna Roisin wrote a book called The End of Men: and the Rise of Women. Since then, there's been President Donald Trump x 2, the manosphere, the broligarchy, and more. So what happened? This event was recorded at the 2025 Women in Media Conference on 15 August 2025. Speakers Hanna Rosin — Senior Editor, T…

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Nuked or not? The politics and power play over nuclear energy as a climate fix 58:38

3M ago58:38

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Nuclear power is banned in Australia, and has been for decades, whilst some countries tilt towards nuclear energy again. Should or could Australia? The politics and power play over nuclear in the Sunburnt country, why the Coalition failed with the nuclear card at the last federal election, and what next? Join Big Ideas host and science journalist N…

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Heart-to-heart with John Wamsley and David Lindenmayer — why these trailblazing environmentalists won't back off 54:29

3M ago54:29

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Meet two men on a lifelong mission. They've ruffled a lot of feathers along the way. Some revere them, others revile them. John Wamsley set up Australia's first wildlife sanctuary, but he's perhaps best known as the "cat-hat-man" (sorry, cat lovers!). World renowned forest ecologist David Lindenmeyer has copped heat from Australia's forestry indust…