BLOOD LINES

Lech Blaine & Gideon Haigh. Moderator: Dominic Knight

We all know the saying: All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. But what does that mean for these two brilliant writers? Gideon Haigh’s deeply moving memoir My Brother Jaz explores what it means to lose someone you love, while Lech Blaine’s iconic Australian Gospel untangles a web of adoption and fanaticism, obsession and fate.

In collaboration with Electrify Canberra, Saul Griffith will be in conversation with Lish Fejer on his latest book Plug In! The Electrification Handbook – Black Inc Books. Come and join us and find out everything you need to know for your electrification journey by the bestselling author of The Big Switch.

Trace the evolution of artificial intelligence in six key ideas with researcher Toby Walsh.

Since Alan Turing first posed the question, ‘Can machines think?’, artificial intelligence has evolved from a speculative idea to a transformative force. The Shortest History of AI traces this evolution and simplifies AI into six key ideas, from Ada Lovelace’s visionary work to the revolutionary emergence of ChatGPT. It also explores AI’s cultural journey, touching on classics such as Frankenstein and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Toby Walsh is one of the world’s leading researchers in artificial intelligence. He is a Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New South Wales and leads a research group at Data61, Australia’s Centre of Excellence for ICT Research. He is a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of AI for his contributions to AI research, and has won the prestigious Humboldt research award.

Organised in partnership with Constant Reader Bookshop.

Join the Research Unit for Indigenous Language (RUIL) for a compelling public lecture titled Bina: First Nations Languages Old and New, presented by Gari Tudor-Smith and Felicity Meakins. This lecture will explore the remarkable resilience, recovery, and ongoing revitalisation of Australia’s First Nations languages.   

Australia's language diversity is truly breathtaking. This continent lays claim to the world's longest continuous collection of cultures, including over 440 unique languages and many more dialects. Sadly, European invasion has had severe consequences for the vitality of these languages. Amid devastating loss, there has also been the birth of new languages such as Kriol and Yumplatok, both English-based Creoles. Aboriginal English dialects are spoken widely, and recently there has been an inspiring renaissance of First Nations languages, as communities reclaim and renew them. Bina: First Nations Languages Old and New tells this story, from the earliest exchange of words between colonists and First Nations people to today's reclamations. It is a creative and exciting introduction to a vital and dynamic world of language.

In this lecture Gari Tudor-Smith and Felicity Meakins will discuss the making of the book, why we should care about First Nations languages and the renaissance of languages in schools, the visual and performing arts, and on-Country programs such as ranger groups.

The public lecture will be followed by light refreshments and the opportunity to purchase a hard copy of Bina: First Nations Languages Old and New.  

The Institute for Australian and Asian Arts and Culture (IAC) at Western Sydney University is partnering with Rochford Gallery in holding this conversation with author Linda Jaivin, artist Guo Jian and Professor Jing Han on Jaivin’s new book Bombard the Headquarters! The Cultural Revolution in China at Rochford Gallery in North Sydney.

Linda Jaivin is the internationally published author of thirteen books, including seven novels, a prolific essayist and literary translator from Chinese specialising in film subtitling. Her The Shortest History of China, named No. 1 China book of 2021 by fivebooks.com, has been translated and sold in 24 countries with editions in languages including Bulgarian and Japanese. She spent nine years living in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China as a student and later a journalist, and now lives in Sydney.

Her latest book Bombard the Headquarters! China’s Cultural Revolution, published in April in the UK and June in Australia, gives a riveting account of a turbulent period in Chinese history. In 1966, with the words 'Bombard the Head quarters!' Mao Zedong unleashed the full, violent force of a movement that he called the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. By the time he died ten years later, millions had perished, China's cultural heritage was in ruins, its economic state was perilous, its institutions of government were damaged and its society was bitterly divided. In this book, Linda Jaivin sheds light on the ideological quarrels and personal vendettas that underpinned the Cultural Revolution, profiles the personalities involved and reveals the extent of its violent progress and the shadow it casts over China today.

Guo Jian is a renowned Chinese Australian artist. Growing up in the late years of the Cultural Revolution in China, his art has been deeply rooted in his lived experiences and family history in China. His solo exhibition NOTHING ABOUT EROTIC BUT PLAYBOY curated by John McDonald, is currently showing at Rochfort Gallery. Audiences will have an opportunity to see this inspiring exhibition.

The conversation will be chaired and moderated by Professor Jing Han, Director of the Institute for Australian and Asian Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University, and former Chief Subtitler and Head of SBS Subtitling Department at SBS. Professor Han is a leading expert in intercultural communication, audiovisual translation, media accessibility, translating Chinese culture, and a published literary translator.

Delve into the complex intersections of history, identity, and national narrative with journalist, author, and political commentator David Marr. David’s unflinching exploration of his family’s role in frontier brutality, detailed in his acclaimed Killing for Country, is widely recognised as a profound meditation on Australia’s past. This conversation promises to dissect the uncomfortable truths embedded within our collective memory, examining how personal histories shape our understanding of national identity. Join us to uncover the nuances of David’s work and its implications for contemporary Australia.       

Don’t miss this powerful conversation with three exceptional voices: Marcia Langton, Shireen Morris, and Tara June Winch. Together, they will lead a powerful exploration into the resilience, sovereignty, and enduring richness of First Nations culture in Australia. Join them for an insightful discussion tracing the journey towards constitutional recognition, celebrating the vital tradition of Indigenous storytelling, and thoughtfully considering the path forward following the recent result of the Voice referendum. This is a crucial opportunity to listen, and to learn.

Don’t miss this keenly anticipated session exploring the high-stakes realities of international reporting. Renowned journalist Peter Greste sits down with David Marr to lay bare the urgent importance of press freedom in today’s world. They will examine the far-reaching influence of political power on the media, and the profound human cost endured by those who courageously seek and report the truth. This promises to be a festival highlight, challenging our understanding of accountability and the vital role of a free press in a democratic society.

Embark on a captivating journey into the heart of personal narratives with four remarkable storytellers.   Join acclaimed biographer and journalist David Marr, celebrated memoirist Gina Chick, and award-winning journalist and author Kumi Taguchi as the ever-engaging Wendy Harmer guides this extraordinary conversation. Together, they will unveil the power and profound impact of this year’s most compelling memoirs.

Explore the interplay of truth and memory, the weight of history, and the ache of heartbreak as these outstanding authors share their experiences and insights. This promises to be a festival highlight, offering a unique opportunity to understand the craft and emotional resonance of sharing life’s most significant stories.

Join award-winning historian Clare Wright in conversation with Shireen Morris for a fascinating discussion of Naku Dharuk: The Bark Petitions. The third and final volume in Clare’s Democracy trilogy, it explores the 1963 Yirrkala Bark Petitions – text that was delivered to Parliament by the Yolŋu people, which ultimately became the very first time that Indigenous relationships to Country were recognised by the Australian government.

Clare and Shireen discuss the profound significance of these documents – a powerful assertion of sovereignty and a foundational moment in the Australian Indigenous land rights movement. This promises to be a truly powerful and illuminating discussion, exploring this historic intersection of art, law, and resistance, revealing a vital chapter in national history.

Join Radio National's Big Ideas host Natasha Mitchell as she discusses revolution with two of our most gifted extraordinary women historians, Linda Jaivin and Sheila Fitzpatrick.

Bombard the Headquarters! by Linda Jaivin is a riveting account of a turbulent period in Chinese history. It focuses on the eventful start of the Cultural Revolution. She sheds light on the ideological quarrels that underpinned it and profiles the personalities involved.

Death of Stalin by Sheila Fitzpatrick offers a new look at a crucial moment in history. Everyone remembers the bumbling characters around Stalin's deathbed in Armando Iannucci's film Death of Stalin, but who knows what actually came next?

Free, but bookings are essential.

Toby Walsh will be in conversation with Andrew Leigh on his new book The Shortest History of AI, everything you need to know about the origins and future of artificial intelligence through the examination of six key ideas. 

Artificial intelligence’s collision with human creativity is one of the most important stories of our time. With the accelerating impact of AI, so much of what we understand about being human is being re-written.

Since Alan Turing first posed the question, ‘Can machines think?’, artificial intelligence has evolved from a speculative idea to a transformative force. The Shortest History of AI traces this evolution, from Ada Lovelace’s visionary work to IBM’s groundbreaking defeat of the chess world champion and the revolutionary emergence of ChatGPT. It also explores AI’s cultural journey, touching on classics such as Frankenstein, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Revealing how many ‘overnight’ successes were decades in the making, this accessible and illuminating book equips readers to understand where we’ve been – and where we’re headed with AI.

In 1966, with the words ‘Bombard the Headquarters!’ Mao Zedong unleashed the full, violent force of a movement that he called the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. By the time he died ten years later, millions had perished, China’s cultural heritage was in ruins, its economic state was perilous, its institutions of government were damaged and its society was bitterly divided.

In this fascinating account, Linda Jaivin focuses on the eventful start of the Cultural Revolution. She sheds light on the ideological quarrels that underpinned it and profiles the personalities involved.

Discussion of the Cultural Revolution is heavily censored in the People’s Republic, and many young Chinese people know almost nothing about it. Even so, it continues to cast a shadow over life in China. Current president Xi Jinping’s assumption of a third term in 2022, his elimination of rival factions from the leadership and attempts to build a personality cult around himself discomfit many within and outside of the Chinese Communist Party. Bombard the Headquarters! helps us to understand why.

We are delighted to welcome Kate Grenville to The Phee Broadway Theatre for a conversation with Astrid Edwards about her new book, Unsettled: A journey through time and place.

Kate Grenville is one of Australia’s most celebrated writers and in this most recent book, she asks the question: ‘What does it mean to be on land that was taken from other people? Now that we know how the taking was done, what do we do with that knowledge?’

Kate Grenville is no stranger to the past. Her success and fame as a writer exploded when she published The Secret River in 2005, a bestseller based on the story of her convict ancestor, an early settler on the Hawkesbury River.

More than two decades on, and following the defeat of the Voice referendum, she is still grappling with what it means to descend from people who were, as she puts it, “on the sharp edge of the moving blade that was colonisation”.

​Kate Grenville goes on a kind of pilgrimage, back through the places her family stories happened, and put the stories and the First People back into the same frame, on the same country, to try to think about those questions.

This gripping book – which gives many of us pause for thought - is the result of that journey.

Join us for the launch of the new Quarterly Essay, Hugh White on War and Peace and the New Global Order.

In an era of rising danger for all, and dramatic choices for Australia, Hugh White explores how the world is changing and how Australia should respond.

We confront the world’s deepest and most dangerous international crisis in generations. The old global order faces direct challenge in three crucial regions, including our own. War has already engulfed Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and the risk in East Asia grows. Under Donald Trump, America’s retreat from global leadership will be both swifter and perhaps more dangerously erratic.

White explains the big strategic trends driving the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and where they will lead. He examines the dynamics of US–China rivalry in Asia, the risks that it will lead to war, and the new regional order which is already emerging. He explores Australia’s responses to these crises, as reflected in the policies of Albanese’s Labor and Dutton's Coalition – including AUKUS. He lays out in stark terms the hard choices ahead and explains how we can make our way in a very different world.

Hugh White is the author of The China Choice and How To Defend Australia, and the acclaimed Quarterly Essays Power Shift and Without America. He is emeritus professor of strategic studies at ANU and was the principal author of Australia’s Defence White Paper 2000.

Bombard the Headquarters! The Long Shadow of China’s Cultural Revolution

In 1966, with the words "Bombard the Headquarters!" Mao Zedong unleashed the full, violent force of a movement that he called the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. By the time he died ten years later, millions had perished, China's cultural heritage was in ruins, its economic state was perilous, its institutions of government were damaged and its society was bitterly divided.

Shortest History of China author Linda Jaivin’s latest book, Bombard the Headquarters!, looks at how such a catastrophe unfolded, the stories of individuals caught up in its violent swirl, and the lessons that have - and have not - been learned from it. The Cultural Revolution’s shadow still lays over China today, even if the Party has endeavoured to erase or at least minimise its memory, and it also provides surprising insights into what is happening in the United States today in the first months of Donald Trump’s second presidency, as Jaivin will reveal.

Come join us at Mezzanine Room 1 (RHMZ1), Rutherford House, Pipitea Campus, Victoria University of Wellington, for an insightful event exploring the lasting impact of China’s Cultural Revolution.

Hugh White is Australia’s pre-eminent commentator on defence matters. In his recent publications (Sleepwalk to War: Australia’s Unthinking Alliance with America, and his book, How to Defend Australia) he has been highly critical of our country’s involvement in AUKUS. 

For Outspoken he will be discussing his June 2025 Quarterly Essay On War & Peace & the New Global Order, in which he analyses the present geo-political trends, offering ways in which Australia might respond.

He argues that, right now, we confront the world's most dangerous crisis in generations, with the old global order facing a direct challenge in three crucial regions: Eastern Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. Meanwhile, under Donald Trump, America's retreat from leadership has been both swift and erratic.

White examines the dynamics of the US–China rivalry, and the new regional order which is emerging, as well as exploring Australia's options. He also addresses the strategic issues driving the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and where they might lead. He lays out in stark terms the hard choices ahead and explains how we can make our way in the world as it is, not how we might wish it to be.

Hugh White is a former Deputy Secretary for Strategy in the Department of Defence, and was the founding Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. He is now Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra. 

Grab a coffee and sit back while three of Australia’s leading authors, journalists and commentators unpack, dissect and try to make sense of the news that matters here and around the globe.

Richard Glover
Holly Wainwright
Lech Blaine

Artificial Intelligence: Bogey Man or Saviour?

Technology makes life easier, right? But how easy is too easy? How do we manage the consequences - expected or otherwise - of AI on society, and with it the future of employment, health, education and democracy? Join Professor Toby Walsh, Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of New South Wales and CSIRO’s Data61 and author of five books on AI including The Shortest History of AI, in conversation with journalist Annie Markey as they unpick the ramifications of our brave new world.

Family dynamics are rich territories for fiction and non-fiction writers. Join this discussion between three great storytellers who explore the complexities and richness of family life, from the big burning issues to those smaller, sometimes mundane elements that define so much of who we are and how we are perceived.

Debra Oswald
Jessie Tu
Lech Blaine

Ready to electrify everything and cut your living costs?

Whether you're just curious or already committed, lock in Sunday 22 June for the Go Electric Open Day at Club Thirroul—a fun, informative, and inspiring event for households across the Illawarra.

With energy bills soaring and a growing appetite to shrink our carbon footprints, more people than ever are exploring solar, EVs, home batteries, and electric appliances. But let’s face it—there are still a lot of questions around cost, incentives, the latest tech, and when to take the plunge. That’s where this free community event comes in.

We’re bringing together experts, locals, and hands-on experiences to help make electrifying your home and lifestyle easier—and more exciting—than ever.

In 1966, with the words Bombard the Headquarters! Mao Zedong unleashed the full, violent force of a movement that he called the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Many have gone to great lengths to bury this period of history, while some brave enough risk their freedom to uncover the truth. For they all know, to grasp the history of the Cultural Revolution is to understand much about China today.

Bombard the Headquarters! is not just Mao's story. It's the unforgettable stories of countless individuals, mass manias, sacred mangos and spectacular falls from grace.

About the author

Linda Jaivin has been studying Chinese politics, language and culture for more than forty years. She has been a foreign correspondent in China, and is co-editor of the China Story Yearbook, an associate of the Australian Centre on China in the World at the Australian National University and the author of twelve books including The Shortest History of China.

Organised in partnership with Constant Reader Bookshop.

HUGH WHITE AO in-conversation with Misha Ketchell, Editor, The Conversation

Are we ready for our post-American future?

In an era of rising danger for all, and dramatic choices for Australia, Hugh White AO explores with Misha Ketchell, Editor of The Conversation, how the world is changing and how Australia should respond. 

Under Donald Trump, America’s retreat from global leadership has been swift and erratic. China, Russia and India are on the move. White explains the big strategic trends driving the war in Ukraine, and why America has “lost” Asia.

In his Quarterly Essay, Hugh discusses Albanese Labor’s record and its future choices, and why complacency about the American alliance – including AUKUS – is no longer an option. This essential essay urges us to make our way in a hard new world with realism and confidence.   

Hugh White is the author of The China Choice and How to Defend Australia, and three previous Quarterly Essays, Power Shift, Without America and Sleepwalk to War. He is Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at the Australian National University and was the principal author of Australia’s Defence White Paper 2000.

In an era of rising danger for all, and dramatic choices for Australia, Hugh White explores how the world is changing and how Australia should respond in his latest Quarterly Essay, On War & Peace & the New Global Order.

On Thursday 26th June at the Red Mill Distillery, Balmain, join Hugh White in conversation with Sam Roggeveen, Director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program.

Copies of Quarterly Essay will be available for purchase at the venue through Roaring Stories, with White signing copies after the discussion.

In his latest Quarterly Essay, Hugh White lays out the hard choices that lay ahead of Australia in the face of the changing global order.

The old global order faces direct challenge in three crucial regions, including our own. We confront the world's deepest and most dangerous international crisis in generations.

He explores Australia's responses to these crises, as reflected in the policies of Albanese's Labor and Dutton's Coalition – including AUKUS. He lays out in stark terms the hard choices ahead and explains how we can make our way in a very different world.

Hugh White is the author of The China Choice and Quarterly Essay 39, Power Shift. He is professor of strategic studies at ANU and was the principal author of Australia’s Defence White Paper 2000.

Organised in partnership with Constant Reader Bookshop.

Linda Jaivin: Shades of the Cultural Revolution: from Mao to Musk

It would have been the furthest thing from Elon Musk’s mind, but his call for Americans to denounce public servants they think should be fired on the social media platform X is a perfect example of what Mao Zedong, in his analogue world, called ‘mass dictatorship’. In China, mass dictatorship reached its apotheosis in the Cultural Revolution from 1966-1976, which resulted in nearly two million deaths and incalculable damage to China’s culture and heritage as well as the collapse of political and economic institutions. To know the history of the Cultural Revolution is to better understand the world today, from Beijing to Washington.

Linda Jaivin is a prolific cultural commentator, essayist and the internationally published author of thirteen books, including The Shortest History of China, which has been published in 23 countries and counting, and her latest, Bombard the Headquarters: China’s Cultural Revolution. She studied Asian History at Brown University in the US and has studied and lived in and reported from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. She is also a translator of film subtitles for Chinese films and has been an editor of The China Story Yearbook (published by the Australian Centre in the World at the ANU). She lives in Sydney.