In conversation: Anna Funder, Jayson Gillham, First Dog on the Moon, Dr Alan Pearce

Anna Funder is the acclaimed Australian author behind award-winning books Stasiland and All That I Am, and her most recent Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell’s Invisible Life.

Recently she travelled to Canberra with a group of other artists, writers and musicians to lobby MPs that their work had been stolen and ingested into AI computer programs without consent or payment, and in breach of copyright.

I spoke to Anna about the impact of big tech’s theft on Australian artists, and what should be done about it.

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Earlier this year, acclaimed Australian concert pianist Jayson Gillham sued the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for unlawful discrimination over their cancelling of a concert he was set to perform in August 2024 following his dedication of a solo piece to journalists in Gaza who had been targeted and killed by Israel.

This month, Jayson lost his case as a Justice rejected his contention that the MSO took “adverse actions” against him because of his statements.

I sat down to talk with him about the role of artists during political upheaval; speaking up about Palestine, the fallout of his trial and verdict, and his upcoming tour.

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First Dog on the Moon is a Walkley-Award winning political cartoonist at The Guardian, as well as a book illustrator and public performer. He has described his politics as “anarcho-marsupialist”.

We chatted about the state of political satire in Australia, the legacy of Australian political cartooning compared to political journalism, the rise of One Nation, and the editorial freedoms afforded by the cartoon form.

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Following the recent Four Corners episode on concussion in the AFL, Dr Alan Pearce wrote in the Conversation that the crisis of long-term brain damage in Australian rules footballers may be deepening.

There’s been an increasing number of diagnosed cases of CTE - chronic traumatic encephalopathy - in brains donated to the Australian Sports Brain Bank, and a concerning proportion of donated brains come from cases of suicide, some of whom are disturbingly young.

In this interview he explains the little-understood risk to AFL players, both professional and non-professional, from head injuries.

Dr Alan Pearce PhD is an Adjunct Professor at Swinburne University and a neurophysiologist whose primary research focus is on sports-related concussion. His research centres on brain physiology to quantify cognitive and motor impairments post-concussion, and he is regarded internationally for his research.

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