Wheeler Centre Events 2020

The Wheeler Centre Storytelling Gala: 2020 Hindsight
Tuesday 25 February at the Athenaeum Theatre
In February 2010, the Wheeler Centre introduced itself – and its programme – to Melbourne with its first-ever event: a gala night of storytelling. Wielding an impressive line-up of Australian writers, our speakers reflected on the stories that make us who we are – and to mark the beginning of our own. It's been a big decade, and while we're not immune to a pinch of nostalgia, we can't wait to see what's next. Join us as we celebrate our tenth birthday with a very special storytelling gala. You'll hear from ten speakers – Eddie Ayres, Uncle Jack Charles, Cate Kennedy, Alison Lester, Gregory Phillips, Alice Pung, Archie Roach, Sinead Stubbins, Sally Warhaft, and Nevo Zisin – sharing stories big and small, tender and rueful, funny and profound, on the topic of hindsight.

How on Earth: Christiana Figueres and Ross Garnaut on Climate Solutions Now
Friday 13 March at the Athenaeum Theatre
Christiana Figueres, the architect of the 2015 Paris Agreement, sees the 2020s as a critical moment of opportunity – the 'golden decade' – in the future of our species and our planet. Earlier this year, the former executive secretary of the UNFCCC said: 'If we do the right thing this decade, we can continue to design the future but if we don't, we are really condemned to a world of increasing destruction, conflict and pain ... It is a golden ten years in the history of humankind.'

Her book, The Future We Choose (March 2020), co-written with Tom Rivett-Carnac, shows us how we can and will survive the climate crisis. Figueres will be joined by distinguished Australian climate economist Ross Garnaut. With his new book, Superpower, about energy economics in Australia, Garnaut brings a message of optimism, opportunity and urgency. Hear these two peerless heavyweights in conversation at the Athenaeum Theatre, as they discuss reasons for hope and roadmaps for change.
Presented in partnership with WOMADelaide's Planet Talks Programme

Yanis Varoufakis: Debt, Disobedience and Democracy Today
Thursday 5 March at The Athenaeum Theatre
How do we define democracy in the 21st Century? How do we define liberty and progress? And is there an alternative economic model that can bring more people more freedom? These are big questions – and journalist Nassim Khadem will put them to the indomitable rock-star economist, who is now a MP in the new European Realistic Disobedience Front party, Yanis Varoufakis, when he returns to Melbourne in March.

An economist, author and self-described 'libertarian Marxist', Varoufakis rose to international fame in 2015 at the height of the Greek financial crisis, when he led international negotiations with Greece's creditors in efforts to stave off onerous austerity measures.
Presented in partnership with Adelaide Writers Festival.

The Invisible Crime
Tuesday 3 March 2020 at the Wheeler Centre
The Invisible Crime: Are We Failing Victims of Sexual Violence? is an award-winning multimedia feature documentary made in 2019 by a team of investigative and data journalists from The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. The documentary explores why sexual assault is under-reported and examines the myriad barriers to successful prosecutions against assailants. This conversation, with criminal lawyer Katrina Marson, barrister Greg Barns and Age journalist Nicole Precel, will pick up where the documentary left off, discussing the fundamental principles that underpin our criminal law. How are sexual-assault victims disadvantaged by the onus of proof?

The panel will also take a hard look at the concept of consent and examine how social attitudes towards it are changing. How do legal definitions of consent vary between states and territories – and how can we get better at teaching, and defining, consent in our everyday lives?
Presented in partnership with AIDC and the Age with special support from The Google News Initiative.

NEW REGIONAL SERIES

Women at the Edge
What are the major issues affecting women in regional areas? How important are local systems and solutions in dealing with local problems? What are the new and innovative ways country women are tackling issues of gender inequity? What can policy-makers learn from local community initiatives and what are rural women learning from each other?

In five events across 2020, the Wheeler Centre is hitting the road and heading north-east to the diverse Goulburn and Ovens Murray regions of Victoria to discuss these questions with local community leaders and experts. In partnership with Women's Health Goulburn North East critical conversations will be held, and stories will be shared on topics ranging from women's health and housing to disaster relief, accessibility and financial empowerment.

Women at the Edge: History and Beyond
Tuesday 12 March at George Kerferd Hotel, Beechworth
Victoria's north-eastern regions are rich with dramatic scenery – from the majestic Alpine ranges to the storied banks of the Murray River. Indigenous people have lived in the area for tens of thousands of years. The land is home, first and foremost, to their stories and lore. Since colonisation, this region has been the backdrop, too, to many myths and legends that are imprinted on the Australian national psyche – mostly gold rush stories of bushrangers and manhunts in the high country. Where are the women in all these stories?

To celebrate International Women's Day, local leaders, historians and experts will delve into the history of the region and share often unacknowledged stories of the women who have shaped the recent and distant past. Come to George Kerferd Hotel in Beechworth as we salute our foremothers in style. Presented in partnership with Women's Health Goulburn North East
Bookings for all events are essential and can be made at wheelercentre.com.