Join us for an evening of philosophical engagement with the profound tensions and questions emerging from AI’s accelerating influence on humanity and the living world.  

Tim Adalin, philosopher and host of the Voicecraft podcast and Underground Philosophy, will dialogue with Matt Kuperholz, an AI scientist and advisor with over 30 years of experience in the field.

Over dinner, conversation, and facilitated collective inquiry, we will give deep attention to key issues:

• Alignment (whether and how AI can serve the values that persons, societies, and humanity as a whole hold to be important and worthwhile)

• Multipolar traps (the arms race pressures bearing upon the development of AI)

• Education

• Work and relationships

Democracy is in crisis in Australia as in much of the Western world, glaringly in Trump’s America. Nor is it doing much better elsewhere. The neo-liberal economic order ushered in the later 1970s with its emphasis on deregulation, privatisation and the dominance of the unfettered market seems to be crumbling. Inequality within and between countries has reached new heights.

How do we make sense of all this? Can we envision a more promising future? Is democratic renewal an option? 

Two eminent public intellectuals, Professor John Keane and Professor John Quiggin will address these urgent questions in a fascinating online conversation with Professor Joseph Camilleri.

Tuesday 8 July 2025 | 7.30pm – 9.15pm

This event focuses on youth crime and the attitudes of migrant families towards behavioural problems in children and youth. Our discussions aim to inspire change by exploring root causes and collaborative solutions in an era marked by significant social challenges. Your participation is vital in shaping inclusive and ethical community solutions that impact national and global outcomes.

A star cast of public intellectuals and practitioners will help lift the veil on what the future holds. . . for people who have experienced war, hunger, displacement and destruction and the prospects for a just and durable peace.

Australian universities now find themselves in a precarious position. The government’s recent proposal to impose caps on the number of international students has sent shockwaves through the sector and has led to significant reductions in faculty budgets. This highlights the extent to which universities have become reliant on international students as a source of income and the way in which they view their students.

But beyond the question of funding and student cohort lie deeper questions about the future of the University in Australia. In this, the next of Big Ideas in the Pub series, we’ll explore a range of critical questions: What are the most pressing challenges for the future of universities in Australia? How vital is the university, not only for vocational training but for the broader future of society? And, perhaps most importantly, what is the true purpose of the university?

“With over 150 works, Bark Salon is the largest-ever staging of the NGV’s dynamic and expansive holdings of bark paintings. Exhibited on the ground floor of the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, within Wurrdha Marra, Bark Salonshowcases the breadth of bark painting as a genre, tracing genealogical shifts in form, aesthetic, narrative and politic. The exhibition features works ranging from the NGV’s earliest acquisitions, which showcase figurative, totemic, and Ancestral narratives, through to contemporary works by some of Australia’s most renowned painters. The space draws connections across time and place, celebrating the depth and scope of bark painting from more than thirty distinct Communities. The salon-style hang is a direct reference to the nineteenth-century European salon hang, an example of which is also on view at NGV International. In celebrating the medium of bark, Bark Salon offers a uniquely First Peoples response to this iconic mode of display.”

2024 Annual Oration & AGM:
The Importance of Conversation in the very Idea of our Common Humanity

Coinciding with the Annual General Meeting, Conversation at the Crossroads will be hosting its second Annual Oration, to be delivered by Raimond Gaita, Honorary Professorial Fellow, Melbourne Law School and Emeritus Professor of Moral Philosophy,  King's College London.

Agenda for the Day:

1. Annual General Meeting (AGM): Our event will kick off with our AGM from 2pm, a crucial moment for our organisation as we reflect on the past year's achievements, introduce our constitution, and chart our course for the future.

2. Indulgent Afternoon Tea: Following the AGM, join us for a delightful afternoon tea where you can mingle with fellow members and savour delectable treats.

3. Second Annual Oration by Professor Raimond Gaita: Professor Gaita asserts that our conception of humanity cannot be based upon the empty language of individual rights when it is our shared feelings of grief, hope, love, guilt, shame and remorse that offer a more potent foundation for common understanding

A one-day workshop to assist secondary school teachers to make conversation integral to the teaching and learning experience.

The tragedy unfolding in the War in Gaza is an issue of deep concern to many Australians. Thousands of people have taken to the streets to call for an end to the devastation and suffering, and it remains a source of tension on university campuses and in the workplace.

While the Australian government is very much under the spotlight, so too are many other institutions. There have been serious concerns raised about the media’s reporting of events, as well as the recent decisions of the Victorian State Library and Australian writers’ festivals for silencing pro-Palestinian voices. At the same time, many in the Jewish community are pointing to an alarming rise of antisemitism.

In this, the next of our Big Ideas in the Pub series, we look at how Australia - its government, as well as its public institutions and organizations - have been handling or mishandling the situation.

Censorship is flourishing in the information age.

This is well documented in countries like Pakistan, Russia, China and Hungary, where governments exercise control over the flow of information by various means. But insidious forms of censorship are also prevalent in Australia, and in many other democracies, evident in the business sector, the media, social media, academia and the arts.

A panel discussion on Artificial Intelligence, considering:

• AI’s current impact on the workplace

• Thoughts about the ethical implications of AI’s current and potential impact on the workplace

• Lessons learned from history about large scale technology shifts

• Actions to take right now (regulation, governance, personal level)

• The most promising potential benefits of AI and what to do collectively to make this a reality

We usually associate conversation with the spoken word. In conversation we speak and hear others speak, face to face in the home, the office, the retail store, a coffee shop, the pub, the classroom, a workshop or a conference, or remotely via radio, television, podcast or digital media.

It’s so easy to say, but not so easy to do. To do any of this, let alone to do it well, requires the right frame of mind, a capacity for empathy, and a great many skills.

This is what we’re going to be working at in this initial workshop. We’ll do it in a convivial atmosphere, with drinks and finger food, brief presentations from melaying out the challenges and joys of conversation, time for QA, short videoclips, and especially time with several people primed to share with us theirstories and experiences.

A stimulating exhibition on nature, the cosmos, and deepening our connections, at at the Australian Centre for Moving Image.

After the exhibition, join us for a discussion upstairs to continue the dialogue on connections and the meaning of Marshmallow Laser Feast's exhibition.

Amidst the doom and gloom, there is still much to be hopeful about. In the next of our ‘Big Ideas in the Pub’ series, we will be joined by prolific Australian poet, playwright, essayist and reviewer, and human rights adviser, Angela Costi, who will share her insights on how collaborating and connecting with inspiring people and communities has given her the strength to continue along her own journey.

🎬 Anatomy of a Fall Screening Event! 🍿

Join us for a showing of the critically acclaimed film, "Anatomy of a Fall" (Original title: "Anatomie d'une chute"), directed by Justine Triet.

In a world where the impacts of climate change are clear, many still are looking for ways to address climate change with action on a personal, professional, and even global scale.

Join us for a discussion on how you can personally make changes to reduce CO2 emissions, and influence friends, governments and organisations.

We'll talk about the steps that can be taken to respond to climate change, both to mitigate and adapt

Coinciding with the Annual General Meeting, Conversation at the Crossroads will be hosting its first Annual Lecture, to be delivered by Joseph Camilleri OAM, Professor Emeritus, La Trobe University.

This promises to be a remarkable event that promises intellectual stimulation, lively discussions, and the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals. Conversation at the Crossroads is delighted to announce its Inaugural Annual Lecture, coinciding with our Annual General Meeting (AGM), on Sunday, October 22, 2023, from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.Event Details:

Engage in thought-provoking discussions and foster awareness about the ethical challenges and potentials of artificial intelligence (AI). Discuss its potential for medicine, education, and industry and explore its ability to transform repetitive and dangerous tasks. Debate the risks of developing AI without ethical standards, the impact of unconscious bias on algorithms and the pitfalls of surveillance technology.

The peace of the region and the world beyond hangs in the balance. Joins us for an important discussion on the Palestinian catastrophe. Featuring a keynote address by The Hon Bob Carr and responses from Sophie McNeill and Rawan Arraf.

Today’s world is awash with misinformation and much of what passes for news is now viewed with suspicion, as having been subject to the manipulations of mass media elites or interest groups. Join us at the Clyde hotel in Carlton as we tackle the big questions on this issue with lively and enjoyable conversation.

Most mental health disorders begin between the early teens and the mid-20s. One in five young people will have experienced a depressive episode by the time they turn 18. To quote Professor McGorry: ‘Young people are the miner’s canaries of society. Their mental health had been deteriorating steadily for a decade before the pandemic, and now 39 per cent of 15-24-year-olds need some form of care for mental ill-health.

The upcoming referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament will mark a pivotal moment in Australia’s history. But opinion is still divided on what the Voice will and should do.

What will happen if the Voice is voted in? And what will happen if it’s not?

Is justice for the First Nations of this land getting any closer? What exactly can the Voice to Parliament achieve? What can we expect between now and the referendum? And after the referendum? Voice First vs Treaty First – is the conflict real or artificial? How can we ensure a lively and constructive national conversation?

In 2013, the political theorist, John Keane, declared that democracy was at a “tipping point”. Since then, there have been worrying signs that democratic institutions are failing, and in some parts of the world, we are witnessing a resurgence of populism and despotism. So, how is democracy faring in Australia, and what does the future of democracy look like for us? Most significantly, what can we do to ensure that we maintain a vibrant and healthy democracy?

First published in 1964, Donald Horne’s The Lucky Country caused a sensation. The book was a wake-up call to an unimaginative nation, an indictment of a country mired in mediocre leadership and manacled to the past. Where do we stand 58 years later?

This project, by Conversation at the Crossroads, aims to build communities of people who are passionate about working towards a more positive future by coming together every few weeks in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Will the Glasgow Summit usher in a just, free carbon economy? If not, what next? Will governments deliver on their promises? What if they don’t?