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IQ² live debates - past events

2011 series - Sydney

Below are past events from the 2011 IQ² series in Sydney. You can also visit the future events page to see what's coming up.

All drugs should be legalised

Handcuff encircling the word 'drugs'.

10 May 2011 - Sydney

The use of mind-altering substances has been part of the human experience for millennia. Some people urge tighter restrictions on all recreational drugs as the cure for social ills linked to their use and abuse. Others argue that all drugs should be legal – subject only to prudent regulation.

For:

  • Wendy Harmer
  • Dr Alex Wodak AM
  • Nicholas Cowdery

Against:

  • Dr Greg Pike
  • Jade Lewis
  • Paul Sheehan

Chair:

  • Dr Simon Longstaff

WikiLeaks is a force for good

Illustration of a teacher fire hydrant spouting leaks as a schoolboy fire hydrant writes 'I must not leak' on a blackboard.

16 June 2011 - Sydney

US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously opined that “sunlight is the best disinfectant”. Yet even the liberal democracies have claimed that sometimes they require a place in the shade – condemning WikiLeaks for publishing their confidential information.

For:

  • Dr Suelette Dreyfus
  • Kristinn Hrafnsson
  • Professor Stuart Rees

Against:

  • Gareth Evans AO QC
  • Dr Michael Fullilove
  • Tom Switzer

Chair:

  • Dr Simon Longstaff

If we keep populating we will perish

Photograph of hundreds of people using a zebra crossing.

26 July 2011 - Sydney

While some wish to grow the nation to spur economic development, others fear that the national population has already exceeded the ‘carrying capacity’ of our land. Should humanity work actively to reduce its numbers, or leave nature to restore the balance?

For:

  • Dick Smith
  • Professor Steve Keen
  • Senator Larissa Waters

Against:

  • Tanveer Ahmed
  • Fr Frank Brennan
  • Wayne Goss

Chair:

  • Geraldine Doogue

Atheists are wrong

Atheists are wrong.

6 September 2011 - Sydney

Atheists have been quick to point to the evils done in the name of religion and to claim that their criticism of religion is grounded in the demands of reason. Their opponents have championed faith as a source of inspiration and as an essential aspect of the human condition. However, beyond rhetorical skirmishes, in the end, just one fundamental question must be answered: does God exist?

For:

  • The Most Rev Peter Jensen
  • Dr Tracey Rowland
  • Scott Stephens

Against:

  • Russell Blackford
  • Jane Caro
  • Dr Tamas Pataki

Chair:

  • Dr Simon Longstaff

Democracy is failing the planet

Photograph of a man's hand dropping a green leaf into a ballot box.

11 October 2011 - Sydney

As the challenges facing the Earth grow in scope and complexity, there is a nagging concern that the world’s democracies will fail to respond as they should. Despite this, there is an enduring assumption that democracy should be preferred to all other political systems. But is this assumption anchored in a dangerous illusion?

For:

  • Luca Belgiorno-Nettis AM
  • Clive Hamilton
  • Cheryl Kernot

Against:

  • Professor John Keane
  • Martine Letts
  • Professor Steven Schwartz

Chair:

  • Dr Simon Longstaff

All past IQ² debates: