What is Intelligence Squared?

Dr Simon Longstaff addresses the audience at an Intelligence Squared Australia debate.

IQ² occupies a unique position in Sydney’s social and intellectual landscape. It is the only institution in town - aside from Parliament - to provide a forum for debate on the crucial issues of the day.

But unlike Parliament, its debates are consistently exciting, witty, provocative - and comfortable, held as they are at the City Recital Hall Angel Place in Sydney and the Melbourne Town Hall in Melbourne.

Best of all, you are invited to watch the live debates and even participate.

Read more about Intelligence Squared Australia and the live debates series.

Debate broadcasts & recordings

Once available an embedded video of each debate will be available on this site. Visit the past events page for the most recent series for links to the events.

Big Ideas will feature exerpts from each IQ² debate the following Tuesday on ABC1 at 11am. The debate is likely to be played in full at the same time on the next day (Wednesday). In addition, each debate is likely to be aired on ABC Radio National just after the 6pm news the following day (Thursday).

Note that broadcast times are subject to change and that debates are no longer broadcast live.

Debate polls

Values Exchange logo.

Visit the Values Exchange site for IQ² Australia, where you can give your opinion for each debate topic and read the views of other participants.

2010 series

Below are details of the 2010 series of live debates, which for the first time features debates in Melbourne as well as Sydney.

2010: upcoming Sydney debates

You can also view the past debates in this series.

We'd be better off without our armed forces

Photographs of the legs of soldiers in battle fatigues on parade.

12 October 2010 - Sydney

Australia spends a fortune on defence – money that could be invested in improving health, education and the security of our energy, food and water.

Some think that defence expenditure is the price of freedom – ultimately measured in blood and treasure.

Read more ...

Special Ethics Education should be allowed for children not attending scripture classes

Illustration of a schoolboy with an empty thought bubble sitting outside a closed door with 'SRE' written on it.

17 November 2010 - Sydney

It is eight years since a group of NSW parents first asked if it would be possible for those of their children not attending scripture to participate in ethics classes.

In recent months, a trial of this option has been held in ten schools – causing a storm of controversy to break over the heads of all concerned.

Read more ...


Illustration by Marc van de Griendt.

2010: upcoming Melbourne debates

The first season of IQ² debates in Melbourne will be held at the Melbourne Town Hall, 90-120 Swanston Street from 6:30 to 8:30pm.

You can also view past debates in this series.

Feminism has failed

A woman wearing a bandana and holding up a fist in a powerful gesture.

22 September 2010 - Melbourne

After generations of effort, women still bear a disproportionate burden of domestic labour. Women are under-represented in the senior ranks of politics, business and the professions.

Women continue to be denied equal pay for equal work.

Read more ...

Special events

Festival of Dangerous Ideas

Festival of Dangerous Ideas logo.

2 to 3 October 2010
Sydney Opera House, Sydney

Last October long weekend Sydney Opera House played host to the inaugural Festival of Dangerous Ideas with over 9000 people attending.

The festival returns in 2010 with two days of exciting events, including an IQ² debate.

Read more ...

Festival of Dangerous Ideas IQ² debate:
If you want peace forget justice

Festival of Dangerous Ideas logo.

2 October 2010
Sydney Opera House, Sydney

Without Nelson Mandela and his ethos of forgiveness, many believe that Apartheid in South Africa could not have come to an end without a bloodbath.

But was justice done for apartheid’s victims, or was ‘Reconciliation’ valued over ‘Truth’? Is a viable future more important for the Timorese than righting the wrongs of the past? Is justice even possible when one side making an agreement has all of the power?

Read more ...

2009 series

The 2009 series of IQ² Australia debates has now concluded. Learn more about the debates in this series - you can also watch online recordings of each debate.

2008 series

The 2008 series of IQ² Australia debates has now concluded. Learn more about the debates in this series - you can also watch online recordings of each debate.

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