Dialogues Across Difference

In an era where conversations about identity are increasingly visible and contested, this interactive workshop invites participants to explore the complexities of identity politics in everyday life. Led by lawyer and equity, diversity and inclusion specialist Sheetal Deo, the session offers practical tools and honest discussion for anyone navigating spaces where identity is questioned, debated or misunderstood. Open to UQ staff, students and the broader community, it's especially relevant for those working or studying in environments where dialogue across difference is essential.

Speakers

Moderator: Professor Heather Zwicker, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Campus, Culture and Leadership)

Sheetal Deo: Sheetal Deo is a lawyer, facilitator, and equity and inclusion specialist known for her work on race, identity, and structural inequality. She is the founder of She is the founder of The Diversity Collective, an organisation dedicated to helping organisations engage in honest, meaningful conversations about diversity and inclusion, and brings a dynamic, highly interactive facilitation style to her work.

Public discourse is increasingly fractured, and debates about what can be said, and where the line sits between expression and harm, are more contested than ever. Facilitated by Professor Randy Boyagoda, this interactive workshop will give you practical tools for navigating difficult conversations. You'll work through realistic case studies covering power dynamics, misinformation, and the role of emotion in disagreement, and practise engaging constructively across difference.

Speakers

Moderator: Professor Heather Zwicker, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Campus, Culture and Leadership)

Professor Randy Boyagoda: Professor Randy Boyagoda is a novelist and professor of English at the University of Toronto, where he directors the Jackman Humanities Institute. From 2024-2026 he served as the university’s Advisor on Civil Discourse, the first such position in a Canadian university. He is an academic, author, and critic who has researched and advanced civil discourse as a practice that supports trust, learning, and collaboration.

In this episode, Professor Simon Adams explores the future of human rights in an era of geopolitical upheaval, democratic backsliding, mass displacement, and rising authoritarianism. Drawing on decades of experience in atrocity prevention and international justice, he reflects on how human rights are evolving, whether existing systems can meet today’s challenges, and the role Australia can play as a middle power in shaping global justice.

Through insight and critical reflection, Professor Adams invites listeners to consider how individuals, institutions, and nations can respond to a changing global order.

Listen to Human rights and international justice in a changing world

Speakers

Narrator: Professor Heather Zwicker, Pro Vice‑Chancellor (Campus, Culture and Leadership)

Professor Simon Adams
Perspective: International human rights, atrocity prevention, and global justice
Professor Simon Adams is Professor of Human Rights at Murdoch University and a globally recognised leader in human rights advocacy. He previously served as President and CEO of the Center for Victims of Torture and as Executive Director of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. With decades of experience working across conflict zones and international institutions, he offers deep insight into the challenges and future of human rights and international justice.

Speakers

Waleed Aly: Waleed Aly is an award‑winning Australian broadcaster, journalist, academic, and lawyer. He is the co‑host, with Scott Stephens, of The Minefield on ABC Radio National, and was for ten years the co‑host of Network 10’s The Project. A lecturer in politics at Monash University, Waleed specialises in global terrorism and political theory.

Scott Stephens: Scott Stephens, ABC’s Religion & Ethics editor and co‑host of The Minefield, writes on moral philosophy, literature and democracy. He co‑authored Uncivil Wars with Waleed Aly and has edited works by Raimond Gaita and Slavoj Žižek. His forthcoming book is The Demand of Decency.

M.Gessen: M. Gessen, a Russian‑American journalist, author and activist, writes powerfully on authoritarianism, human rights and LGBTQ+ issues. A New Yorker staff writer and former New York Times columnist, they are the award‑winning author of The Future Is History and Surviving Autocracy, and a Distinguished Professor of journalism in New York.

Over the past decade, having respectful conversations and debate, especially about the big issues, has become more challenging. We live in a world where trust is declining, information is non-stop and algorithms are feeding us more of what we already believe. We explore how we can have better, more respectful conversations and debate – even when we don’t agree.

Listen to Why is it so hard to talk?

Speakers

Narrator: Professor Heather Zwicker, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Campus, Culture and Leadership).

Professor Matthew Hornsey 
Perspective: Declining trust in science
Matthew's research focuses on why people reject scientific and technological evidence, and what makes it so hard to have constructive conversations about these issues. He examines the psychological forces that drive or block pro-environmental action, and how group dynamics and polarisation can deepen divides.

Dr Jackie Huggins AM FAHA
Perspective: Truth, trust and healing
Jackie is an Aboriginal Australian author, historian, academic and advocate for Indigenous rights. Professor Huggins is a long advocate for Reconciliation and is an historian and author who has spent more than four decades working across all spheres for social justice, recognition and all issues surrounding Indigenous Australians. 

Dr Bethany Mackay 
Perspective: Polarisation and safety
Beth is a clinical psychologist and a leader in student wellbeing and mental health services in the Australian higher education sector. She is UQ’s Director, Student Support and Wellbeing Services overseeing proactive engagement, education, safety, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion initiatives as well as counselling and mental health response services.

This podcast unpacks the complexities of modern debate, examining the factors that make discussions challenging. It looks at the current socio-political environment as a catalyst for disagreement, emotional intensity, and how misinformation and polarisation is contributing to fraught conversations.

Listen to The fraught context

Speakers

Narrator: Professor Heather Zwicker, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Campus, Culture and Leadership).

Dr Anne Kruger 
Perspective: Misinformation and disinformation
Anne is a leading expert in digital research and practice, empowering external media organisations and communications stakeholders to address misinformation.  Anne was a contributor to Australia's first misinformation and disinformation regulatory code of practice.

Dr Kiri Ingram
Perspective: Online radicalisation
Kiri is a Lecturer in the School of Political Science and International Studies. Her research focuses on the intersection of gender and international politics, particularly in the context of extremist movements and peacebuilding. 

Professor Andrew Phillips
Perspective: Social media
Andrew is a Professor in the School of Political Science and International Studies. His research focuses on war, strategy and international order, with a particular focus on Great Power rivalry and asymmetric violence as drivers of transformative change in world politics.

Shahzaib Farhan
Perspective: Students’ lived experiences - social media and young adults
Shahzaib is a current UQ student studying Law and Political Science and is one of the 26 UQ Union Councillors. 

In this podcast, speakers share practical tools for having respectful and inclusive debates. They discuss how to actively listen, understand different perspectives, challenge ideas (not people), and practice empathy—so everyone feels heard and valued.

Listen to Tools for civil discourse

Speakers

Narrator: Professor Heather Zwicker, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Campus, Culture and Leadership).

Associate Professor Morgan Brigg
Perspective: Tools from mediation 
Morgan is a political scientist focusing on cultural difference in peace and conflict, and also researches and publishes in international relations, law and dispute resolution, Indigenous politics, governance and public policy and international development. He is a qualified mediator. 

Professor Thelma Parker
Perspective: Tools for collaboration
Thelma is the Associate Dean (Indigenous Engagement) in the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Science. A proud Waluwarra Wangkayujuru Wangkaymunha woman, she has more than 25 years’ experience in education, employment and training along with deep knowledge of state and national priorities.