Are you looking for sound, thought-provoking conversations on current affairs, politics, and culture from a Classical Liberal perspective? If yes, you are in the right place. Liberalism in Question engages some of our society’s most prominent researchers, political figures, and free speech advocates --finding out their views on the state of Classical Liberalism.
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Listen here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/ The Australian nation began as one of the world's first social democracies. Today its political axis has shifted to make it one of the world's leading liberal countries, enjoying unparalleled prosperity - According to today's guest Bob Catley. Are you looking for sound, thought-provoking conver…
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Watch here: https://youtu.be/UtF9I1H2bNE Jimmy Lai, a British citizen, owner of the independent newspaper Apple Daily and pro-democracy and human rights defender, has been detained and subjected to multiple Kafkaesque trials for fighting for freedom of speech and democracy in Hong Kong. His son, Sebastien Lai, and human rights lawyer Caoilfhionn Ga…
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Watch here: https://youtu.be/Xzk6zYXxvQ4 Reflecting on his pivotal role in the development of a proposal to recognise Australia’s Indigenous peoples in the Constitution, Damien Freeman explains how something that started off as an exercise in settlement politics ended in a failed referendum. Damien Freeman is a visiting scholar at the PM Glynn Inst…
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Watch here: https://youtu.be/y9v7xJQCfow What would have happened if Israel did nothing on October 8th? Can the "war" in Gaza be called a "moral war"? Bret Stephens argues on this week's episode of Liberalism in Question that the "war" in Gaza is an "existential war" for the survival of Israel of the safety of Jewish people internationally. Bret St…
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Watch the podcast here: https://youtu.be/lYls1XLQG7s #auspol #freemarket #economics Robert Carling is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies. Robert is researching and writing about fiscal policy, taxation and federalism. Prior to joining the CIS, Robert was Executive Director, Economic and Fiscal at the New South Wales Treasury from…
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Watch here: https://youtu.be/pNLmQbvdnJc Matthew Ridley is a British science writer, journalist and businessman. He is known for his writings on science, the environment, and economics, and has been a regular contributor to The Times newspaper. Ridley was chairman of the UK bank Northern Rock from 2004 to 2007. Ridley is a libertarian, and a staunc…
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Follow this podcast here: https://liberalisminquestion.podbean.com/ Watch here: https://youtu.be/6uiMn9hRqQA In this episode, Rob chats with Marian Tupy, the editor of HumanProgress.org, a senior fellow the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, and co-author of The Simon Abundance Index. Marian argues that humanity has accompl…
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Watch here: https://youtu.be/DHfbzSOM7Fw On this episode, Rob engages in a compelling conversation with Sherelle Jacobs, a columnist for the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper. Sherelle contends that the Western world is at a tipping point, experiencing a decline marked by limitations on economic freedom, intellectual pursuits, and the freedom to demon…
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Watch here: https://youtu.be/-n7GJom-KEE Dr. Larry Marshall is a scientist, technology innovator and business leader with more than 25 years’ experience in creating new value and impact with science. Dr. Larry Marshall dismantles the myth of AI's destructive potential, highlighting its exponential growth and role in fostering prosperity. He advocat…
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Watch here: https://youtu.be/cJ11MmRAGbg On this episode, Rob chats with Joanna Williams, author and former academic now running her platform Cieo, delve into the catastrophic impacts of wokism on society. Joanna defines wokism and discusses how it has prevailed, emphasising the widespread emphasis on victimhood in our culture. She addresses the co…
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Watch here: https://youtu.be/lgExhylzqG4?si=Ile66rcGVQls_5ek David de Carvalho is the Executive Dean, Faculty of Education, Philosophy and Theology at The University of Notre Dame Australia. Prior to this role, David was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). He has extensive expe…
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In this enthralling episode of Liberalism in Question, host Rob Forsyth engages in a deep dialogue about Indigenous affairs in Australia with influential Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Distinguished as one of Australia's most notable figures in 2023, Price imparts a fresh perspective on her experiences and shares her critical views on the prevai…
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In this engaging episode of "Liberalism in Question", host Rob Forsyth dialogues with Fraser Nelson, renowned UK journalist and editor of The Spectator. The conversation plunges deep into the dynamics of liberalism, the wrestle for "social justice", and the influence of government on societal transformation. Nelson, an avowed liberal, articulates h…
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On this episode Rob chats with 17-year-old founder of Australia’s first youth-lead campaign for nuclear energy: Nuclear for Australia, William Shackel. William is actively pushing for the reconsideration of Australia's unique ban on nuclear energy, positioning himself at the forefront of this crucial debate in the Australian landscape. Motivated by…
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In this episode, Rob chats with John Mearsheimer, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. Mearsheimer presents a nuanced perspective on liberalism, emphasising a crucial distinction between its positive impact domestically and its potential pitfalls when applied as a foreign policy …
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Watch this episode here Andrew Blyth was manager of the John Howard Prime Ministerial Library and Exhibition located at Old Parliament House, 2016-2023. He was chief of staff and a senior adviser in the Howard Government. He lectures in ideals and power to cadets and midshipmen at UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy and is underta…
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#LiberalismInQuestion #CIS #libertarian #liberty Watch this episode here David Hart is the Online Library director at the Liberty Fund and academic editor of the Collected Works of Frédéric Bastiat. Dr. Hart is an historian and a libertarian with interests in the history of the classical liberal tradition (especially the French), war and culture, l…
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Watch this episode here In this new special episode of 'Liberalism in Question,' Robert Forsyth and his guest Jason Riley, a member of The Wall Street Journal's editorial board and distinguished conservative commentator, delve into the dynamics of liberalism, the Trump presidency, and the African-American legacy in the United States. 'Liberalism in…
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Watch this episode here What is "Post Liberalism"? Do you have to be a Christian to understand it? Can the free market give us ethics? What happens when individual rights class with collect rights?Do collectives like churches, schools and other institutions even have rights? Join Dr. Joel Harrison, an expert in constitutional law and religious free…
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Watch this episode here Patrick Parkinson is a Professor of Law at the University of Sydney and an internationally renowned expert on family law. He has played a major role in shaping family law in Australia. His proposal for the establishment of a national network of family relationship centers, made to the prime minister in 2004, became the cente…
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Watch this episode here. Should Michael Jordan mow his own lawn? What is the role of the Reserve Bank? Is liberalism "right-wing"? Robert Forsyth interviews CIS Chief Economist, Peter Tulip, a "classical liberal" thinker otherwise known as a "mainstream economist". Throughout the conversation Peter distinguishes liberalism from conservatism and arg…
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In a wide ranging and nuanced discussion Rob Forsyth questions Duncan Ivison, Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Sydney, on his claim that the granting of indigenous rights is compatible with liberalism rather than its repudiation. They agree that the constitutional Voice cannot be justified simply on terms of closing the gap an…
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Rob chats to Lorraine Finlay, Human Rights Commissioner with the Australian Human Rights Commission, about the importance and nature of human rights. A convinced believer is liberalism, Lorraine understands human rights as absolutely important which give is our humanity. She is also aware that they are not inevitable. Nor do they come from governme…
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On this episode Rob chats to author Roslyn Fuller. Liberals believe in the value of democracy, but Roslyn tells Rob there is truly little of it in the word today. This is because there is little direct power given to people in our system of government. Drawing on the example of ancient Athens, Roslyn outlines her preferred model of direct democracy…
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Speaking from Berlin, Sabine speaks with Rob about why she set up the Freiblickinstitut (Free Vision Institute) to promote open freedom of discussion and tolerance in public debate. They discuss some of the tragic moments of lost opportunity for liberalism in Germany history. Sabine explains why there is no German word for ‘Cancel Culture’ in Germa…
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Claire Lehmann, founding editor of Quillette sits down with Rob. Claire explains the philosophy of the Quillette project in promoting Enlightenment values of reason, the use of evidence, and free thought which first arose to confront unconscious left-wing bias in psychology. She believes ideological diversity is helpful in any search for truth beca…
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Rob talks to Mike Bird, the Academic Dean at Ridley Theological College Melbourne, on the importance of secularism in contemporary Australian life and about his recent book Religious Freedom in a Secular Age (Harper Collins, May 2022). Mike contends that with a secular government religious bodies do not control the state and the state does not cont…
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S3E4 | Steven Schwartz | Liberalism: the winner in the battle of ideas but the loser on the ground
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On this episode Rob chats with former university vice-chancellor Steven Schwartz. Steven understands liberalism as an attitude that gives everyone an opportunity to flourish — an attitude of ‘live and let live’ so long as you do not interfere with others living their lives. He believes liberalism has won the big battle of ideas, but that it keeps o…
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In this discussion we hear a youthful take on Liberalism, Emilie is Australian Lead at Young Voices, an Advisor at GT Communications and former policy director at the Australian Taxpayers Alliance. Emily understands Liberalism as based on the understanding that only an individual can know what is best for their life. However, she is also aware that…
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S3E2 | Tom Switzer | The power of choice that makes society better—even if it not appreciated
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Rob sits down the Centre for Independent Studies executive director Tom Switzer. Tom discusses with Rob what so called ‘Classical Liberalism’ is and why he is convinced it is best for society. This leads to the question if it works better, why don’t more people believe in it?Por Robert Forsyth | Centre for Independent Studies
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A fierce reformer for liberalism, Ruth Richardson is asked whether the ship of reforming liberalism has sailed in the light of the many setbacks it has experienced in the last decades. They discuss how the restoration liberalism to its dynamic rightful place will depend on three things, the ideas of freedom, the institutions that buttress that free…
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Rob and Nick discuss the liberalism of Robert Menzies for whom the independence of the individual was paramount and whether liberalism is somehow in tune with the human soul and, if so, why is it not widespread in today’s connected world? Nick explains to us that liberalism has a strong moral vision that works in practice. Good policy leads to grea…
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Gordon's book is available on Amazon now; https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0817QK9KRRob and Gordon discuss issues arising from Gordon’s 2020 book Western Fundamentalism in which he critiques the unquestioning, and therefore ‘fundamentalist,’ adoption of democracy, free marked economic liberalism and sexual freedom as basic. Rob and Gordon discuss why …
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Rob and Simon discuss how important liberalism is as philosophy of freedom and equality, despite concerns it is not applied uniformly across the board. Simon is particularly concerned about what he sees as a widening divide between haves and have-nots. Although there are limits to liberalism, larger government is not the solution. Business leaders …
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Rob and Warren discuss at length why Warren believes liberalism is good for indigenous Australians, why the voice to parliament proposal is not a good idea, and why the unjust deprivation of the lands of the First Australians, as regrettable as it is, does not delegitimise our nation. Good policy leads to great outcomes. CIS promotes free choice an…
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Rob and Andrew discuss some of the provocative ideas in his recent book Buraadja; The liberal case for national reconciliation (Connor Court 2021). Andrew is concerned that it is an anomaly that there are a number of special laws for a particular people in Australia but no proper way that they can have a say in them. He believes that a voice to par…
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Rob and Chandran discuss Chandran's journey from a young socialist to a thoughtful liberal. Chandran understands the essence of liberalism as a commitment to individual freedom but also a commitment to equal freedom. Chandran and Rob discuss how differently liberalism expresses itself in different cultures and how liberal institutions and ideas are…
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Rob and Hannes discuss everything from the pirate radio station he once ran to important thinkers like medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas and Friedrich von Hayek. Hannes believes that the best kind of liberalism is what he calls conservative liberalism, which is a long tradition, which combines the price mechanism with the decentralisation of knowl…
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Rob and David discuss the remarkable story of ‘the liberal project’ in Australia. David has written a five-volume history of the liberal project from the days of the arrival of Governor Philip in 1788 to the end of the Menzies prime ministership in 1966. Good policy leads to great outcomes. CIS promotes free choice and individual liberty and the op…
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Rob and Simon discuss why, despite the unparalleled success of international liberalism in lifting people out of extreme poverty, we are now in danger of abandoning the very policies that made this possible. Simon describes the move away from liberalism as a worldwide phenomenon affecting both the left and right of politics. As Simon puts it, is “L…
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In a wide-ranging discussion, Rob and Henry explore the heart of the liberal project. Liberalism emerged as a philosophy and ideology that afforded people freedoms and an alternative to civil war. Yet, it is the balance between order and freedom, which requires both tolerance and responsibility. Liberalism does not bring a single overarching purpos…
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Rob discusses liberalism with Peter Kurti, director of the Culture, Prosperity and Civil Society Program at the CIS, who surprisingly says he is not a liberal but a conservative and then explains why. ______________________________________________________________________________________________CIS promotes free choice and individual liberty and the…
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Professor Simon Haines is a distinguished scholar, teacher and author, and a passionate advocate for the humanities. CEO of The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation, Simon joins Rob to discuss the genesis and origins of liberalism.______________________________________________________________________________________________CIS promotes free choic…
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Rob discusses issues of liberalism and the university with then Vice Chancellor of the University of Sydney, Michael Spence. Michael is concerned about whether the growing lack of common beliefs will threaten liberal society. He is committed to the vision of the university as a crucial institution in the liberal community. They discuss challenges a…
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S1E7 | Parnell McGuinness ’Against simplistic ideology—even liberalism as a simplistic ideology’
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Parnell McGuinness is a columnist at the Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Financial Review, and is Managing Director at Agenda C. Parnell’s family, especially her late father P.P. (Padraic Pearse) ‘Paddy’ McGuinness, an anti-authoritarian, non-conformist individualist, have spent most of their lives fighting for classical liberalism. Parnell decri…
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Glenn Fahey is a Research Fellow in Education Policy at the CIS. Previously Glenn has held a series of both policy and research intensive positions in the field of education and economics, as well as being a pizza shop manager. In conversation, Glenn's pizza shop job turned out to be one important reason why he is committed to Liberalism.__________…
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Rob interviews Tim Wilson, who at the time of recording was MP for Goldstein, about the issues raised by his recent book The New Social Contract: Renewing the Liberal Vision for Australia (2020). They discuss Robert Menzies’ vision of a liberalism ‘for individuals not for individualism’ and the need for a society in which individuals have a stake a…
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Stan Grant an experienced journalist, thinker and writer has thought deeply about liberalism to which he is attracted by an innate love of freedom. And yet he is aware of liberalism’s limitations in dealing with issues of history and identity. Rob and Stan discuss the dynamic nature of liberalism, the way that indigenous rights may be included with…
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S1E3 | Salvatore Babones ’Unashamedly upbeat about liberalism— “More Fukuyama than Fukuyama.”’
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In an energetic discussion of both sociology and history Salvatore Babones, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Sydney, is unashamedly upbeat about liberalism and its place in history and the future. And he is not that worried about ‘cancel culture’ or the threat of authoritarian societies either.__________________________________…
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Rob chats with Professor Ian Harper, member of the Reserve Bank Board and dean of the Melbourne Business School, about liberalism as a prejudice to freedom and not a strict doctrine, why becoming a Christian believer reaffirmed his conviction about the freedom of the individual, about whether the Church has been an enemy or friend of liberalism, an…
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