THE BEAKER STREET DEBATE

THE BEAKER STREET DEBATE

Fri
14
Fri 14 Aug 7:15 PM

HOBART CITY HALL
Auslan Interpreted
Wheelchair
Accessible Toilet
General Admission
60 Mins
August
Fri 14 Aug
7:15 PM

The annual Beaker Street Debate returns to our Main Stage, with possibly our most divisive topic yet:

Social media should be banned for Over-16s too!

Australia made headlines in late 2025 for being the first country to ban children from social media. But did we go far enough? As tech companies increasingly get compared to Big Tobacco, and evidence mounts of the harms these apps inflict on all of us, why shouldn’t we protect adults too? Or is there still a place for social media in our lives and our society? After all, where else would we get our medical advice?

Our long-time Beaker Street Debate host — the unrivaled, unbribable Natasha Mitchell — returns with two teams of science and culture heavy-hitters for this battle of brains and bravado.

The Debate will be recorded for broadcast on ABC Radio National's Big Ideas show.

BUY TICKETS

MC


Natasha Mitchell
An award-winning journalist and broadcaster, Natasha Mitchell hosts Big Ideas on ABC Radio National, focusing on complex conversations in science, philosophy and culture.


PRESENTERS




Prof Barbara Holland
Prof Barbara Holland has a long-standing love of “sadistics” (sorry, statistics), which she teaches at the University of Tasmania. A Professor of Mathematics, she translates biological problems into maths across ecology and evolution.




Dr Esmé Louise James
Dr Esmé Louise James is an internationally recognised academic, author, and award-winning digital creator who has garnered over 3.5 million followers on social media.




Dr Kirsten Banks
An astrophysicist and science communicator, Dr Kirsten Banks has a passion for sharing the wonders of the cosmos. Self described as a “professional space yapper,” her work blends humour and expertise to bring the universe vividly within reach.


Dr Meredith Castles
Dr Meredith Castles is a lecturer, science communicator, and content creator who blends curiosity, science, and storytelling to explore what makes us human and how we can make the world a little kinder.




Saul Eslake
Saul Eslake is an economist and consultant who has held chief economist roles at major financial institutions including ANZ and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Based in Hobart, he now leads Corinna Economic Advisory and serves on a range of national boards and advisory panels.



Dr Tim Nugent
Dr Tim Nugent has a doctorate in mobile human computer interaction and urban informatics. A skill set he rarely uses as he now makes games and tools for games.


HOUSE BAND


Stevie and the Bunsen Burners
Stevie and the Bunsen Burners return to provide scintillating musical accompaniment to the stellar line up of talks & events. These science-fiction-cabaret-game-show dream girlies are proudly non-scientific, yet empirically proven to warm up your night and get your toes tapping.


MAIN STAGE
 
This session is part of the Beaker Street Main Stage at Hobart City Hall. Make sure to check out our free Market Place street party, just outside City Hall, where you'll find drinks, food, fires, entertainment, and friendly strangers. Come early, stay late to enjoy all the action.

Buy tickets to 3 or more Main Stage sessions and receive 15% off those events!


August
Fri 14 Aug
7:15 PM

HOBART CITY HALL

57-63 Macquarie Street Hobart, Tasmania, 7000

Proudly supported by

ABC Radio National