Whatever happened to a great debate?
A meeting of the minds.
A measured, entertaining discussion on a topic that runs straight to the pulse of a tune we’re all dancing to.
At BWF, we’ve been talking about our debate for as long as we’ve been talking about anything. It’s a year where the entire nation seems to be beholden to a constant back-and-forth from our leaders, but rarely in a satisfying or meaningful way. Our goal was to establish an evening with some of our most experienced and engaging thinkers to talk on the state of the nation. It’s a discussion that we’re all yearning for.
Our topic: ‘Australia Needs Leaders. Not Politicians.’
We landed on that before the election announcement. And then, on that mild Sunday afternoon just a few weeks ago, the evening took on a new sting of relevancy. We’d be sharing the evening with the federal election.
We lost a few guests, found a few more, and created a brand new element to take in the election count. What we’ve ended up with is closer to our goal than we could’ve imagined. It’s an evening that will be entirely unique to its particular time.
In the affirmative corner: the legendary Tim Fischer, the passionate and insightful Anita Heiss, and the hilarious and cerebral Ben McKenzie. In the negative corner: the charming and intellectual William McInnes, the bright and youthful Yassmin Abdel-Magied, and the incomparably funny Julia Zemiro.
Who better to keep them on time and on their best behavior than Phillip Adams, national living treasure and conversational mastermind?
As the votes roll in, we’ll have all of the latest news on hand at our news desk, captained by Clementine Ford, social commentator extraordinaire.
The construction of this event has taken the shape of the greatest debates: evolving, responsive, relevant. It’ll be an evening like no other. Instead of sitting at the television passively watching our future come in via the numbers, join us for evening where you’ll hear your voice represented, and have a taste of Australia’s future beyond politics, according to some of our most respected national voices.
As I’ve worked with the team to build this, the evening’s given me a surprising personal gift. Regardless of your political persuasion, I believe the debate will leave you uplifted , on a night where we may all just need a bit of optimism for a brighter future.
Book for the debate here.
David Burton, Associate Producer