Peter Sprivulis
Harkness fellow, geeky doc, Expertise in Health policy/strategy, digital health & emergency medicine. Trying to understand complex interplay between geopolitics, economics, climate and the environment. Blog these topics at www.thisnannuplife.net
Imogen Richards
Imogen Richards is a senior lecturer in criminology at Deakin University, Australia. Her research examines comparative forms of political violence, with a particular focus on the mediation of violence and its dynamics. Her solo and co-authored books include Neoliberalism and Neo-Jihadism (Manchester University Press, 2020), Criminologists in the Media (Routledge, 2022), Global Heating and the Australian Far Right (Routledge, 2023), and The Aesthetic Politics of Far-Right Environmentalism (Palgrave, 2025).
Zhiqun Zhu
Zhiqun Zhu is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Bucknell University. He is also a Fulbright Scholar at Griffith University.
Gerard Noonan
Gerard Noonan is a former editor of The Australian Financial Review. He is a Walkley award winning journalist, former Chair of Media Super and previously a board member of the Federal Government’s Innovation Australia,
Rohim Ullah
My name is Rohim Ullah, and I’m a Rohingya refugee documentary photographer, storyteller and human rights activist from the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. My works have been published by various international organisations and media outlets.
Martin Hardie
Martin Hardie has had a global career spanning law, academia, journalism, and cultural advocacy. Born in Australia, he holds a Law Degree with Honours (Northern Territory University) and a PhD in Legal Anthropology (Deakin University). He has lived and worked in Australia, the UK, Timor-Leste, Panama, Mozambique, and Spain, blending legal practice with social impact. As a lawyer, Hardie pioneered the Aboriginal copyright cases in the 1980s–90s and served in landmark cases like the Timor Gap and the NT Euthanasia disputes. He has advised Timor-Leste’s resistance and political leaders from 1992 until the present time. Academically, he’s taught law and society at universities worldwide, including Deakin, NTU, Florida State, UNPAZ and UNDIL.Beyond law, Hardie has managed bands (e.g., The Laughing Clowns and Warumpi Band), ran Aboriginal art centres, and has written for El País and cycling magazines. His book, Governing the Society of Competition examines law and sovereignty in neoliberalism through the lens on pro-cycling’s war on doping. Now based in Aileu, Timor-Leste, he is currently the Principal Research Officer for President José Ramos-Horta and runs with his family Dili Vanilli and Posada Txiriboga, merging his interdisciplinary expertise to shape law, culture, and development.
Nashita Pasha
Nashita is a third-year student studying a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of International Studies (French Language and Culture) at the University of Technology Sydney. Currently working as a paralegal in a boutique law firm, and soon starting a new role in public law, she has gained valuable experience in legal practice and has deepened her understanding of how the legal system directly shapes individuals and communities. Throughout her studies, Nashita has developed a strong interest in international human rights and public policy. She is eager to attend the UN General Assembly 6th Committee to further her knowledge of global legal frameworks and engage with impactful policy discussions.Nashita is attending the United Nations General Assembly 6th Committee as part of the Global Voices Fellowship. Her fellowship is made possible by Global Voices’ partner, the Menzie’s Leadership Foundation.
John Sutton
I commenced working for the Building Workers Industrial Union (BWIU) as an organizer in 1980. After 11 years in the NSW Branch I was elected as the National Assistant Secretary of the BWIU. In 1993 I was the first National Secretary of the Construction Division of the newly formed Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). After 13 years in this role I became the National Secretary of the entire union. From 2007 -2010 I was a Vice President of the ACTU. From 2002 -2010 I was the International President of a world wide Building Workers Federation. After leaving the union at the end of 2010 I worked as an Associate Commissioner at the Productivity Commission, taught Industrial Relations/Law at UNSW, worked on government boards and been a Director of the Industry Superannuation Property Trust (ISPT). I am now retired.
Charles Glass
Charles Glass is a writer, journalist and broadcaster, who has written on conflict in the Middle East, Africa and Europe for the past 50 years. He was ABC News Chief Middle East Correspondent from 1983 to 1993 and has covered wars in Lebanon, Syria, Eritrea, Rhodesia, Somalia, Iraq, East Timor and Bosnia-Herzegovina. His many books have dealt with the First and Second World Wars as well as contemporary Middle East history.
Sindra Sharma
Dr Sindra Sharma is the International Policy Lead at the Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN). She has a background in psychology, cognitive neuroscience, economics and international development. She holds a PhD from the London School of Economics. Hailing from Fiji, her work has always centred on climate justice with a focus on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and developing countries.
Richard Heinberg
Richard Heinberg is a senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute and the author of fourteen books, including his most recent: “Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival” (2021). Previous books include: “Our Renewable Future: Laying the Path for One Hundred Percent Clean Energy” (2016), “Afterburn: Society Beyond Fossil Fuels” (2015), and “Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines” (2010).
Sheena Colquhoun
Sheena Colquhoun is an economist, activist and chair of the board of Flat Out, a Victorian statewide advocacy service supporting women, trans and gender diverse people to get out and stay out of prison and live free from violence.
James Wood
James Wood is a British-Australian IT professional specialising in artificial intelligence and cyber security, currently living in China. With a career rooted in the technology sector, he is passionate about geopolitics, particularly China’s evolving role on the global stage, offers him a unique perspective that bridges technology and global security matters. An avid creative writer and photographer, he enjoys capturing the beauty of the world and stays active through hiking and fitness. Living in China has allowed James to experience the country firsthand, free from Western preconceptions, enriching his appreciation for Chinese culture and viewpoints. His open-minded approach directly results from his time living in China.
Zhenlin Cui
Zhenlin Cui is a PhD candidate at SOAS University of London and a Visiting Research Fellow at Waseda University.
Tim Deere-Jones
Tim Deere-Jones has a B.Sc. degree in Maritime Studies and has operated a Marine Pollution Research Consultancy since the 1980s focusing on the behaviour and fate of marine anthropogenic radioactivity, causes/outcomes of hazardous cargos and shipping accidents, marine hydrocarbon, radioactivity and chemical spills.
Chris Helms
Chris is a Registered Nurse and endorsed Nurse Practitioner with extensive experience across the regulatory, educational, and clinical spheres of the health sector. His private practice is based in Canberra, where he provides primary healthcare and outreach services to marginalised and/or vulnerable populations across the ACT and NSW.
Siwage Dharma Negara
Siwage Dharma Negara is Senior Fellow and Co-Coordinator of the Indonesia Studies Programme at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore.
Pearls and Irritations guest David Bell
David Bell, Senior Scholar at Brownstone Institute, is a public health physician and biotech consultant in global health. He is the former Program Head for malaria and febrile diseases at the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Bill Calcutt
Bill has been involved in complex social research in government and academic settings for over three decades, with areas of study including governance, accountability, ethics, risk management and counter-terrorism.
Adelajda Soltysik
Adelajda Soltysik has been working with Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, peak bodies, non-profits, and government organisations for over 10 years, focusing on early childhood, justice, health, and child protection law reform and policy. She is currently Senior Policy Advisor at the Centre for Policy Development.
William Evans
William Evans is a journalist currently studying a Bachelor of Journalism / Arts at the University of Queensland, majoring in Peace & Conflict Studies. He’s interested in war, intelligence, and politics. His website is www.willevans.com.au.
Susan Dirgham
Susan Dirgham is a retired ESL teacher. She taught at the British Council in Damascus from September 2003 to January 2006. She is editor of the magazine ‘Beloved Syria - Considering Syrian Perspectives’. She was the national coordinator of ‘Australians for Reconciliation in Syria’.In 2023, Susan co-founded ‘Australians for Reconciliation and Truth Towards Syria’ (Artts), whose main aims were to lobby the government to lift the sanctions on Syria and to establish ties between Australians and Syrians, particularly in the arts.
Samar Batool Athar
Samar is a final-year Bachelor of Laws (Hons)/Science (Mathematics) student at UNSW. She is interested in public international law, human rights and advocacy. Samar’s policy concerns relate to Australia’s responsibilities in international criminal justice, specifically the efficacy of our institutional framework for asserting universal jurisdiction. Simultaneously, through her Law Honours thesis, she seeks to empirically assess the role of the UNGA Sixth Committee in the creation and development of international law. Samar is intrigued by the intersection between international politics and law-making, and is dedicated to Australia’s commitment to promoting compliance with international law. Born and raised in Pakistan, she is also interested in exploring third world perspectives on international law. Samar is a Child Protection paralegal at the NSW Crown Solicitor’s Office and an editor of the UNSW Law Journal. She has previously worked as a research assistant at UNSW and volunteered at the Refugee Advice and Casework Service.Samar is attending the United Nations General Assembly 6th Committee as part of the Global Voices Fellowship. Her fellowship is made possible by Global Voices’ partner, the Menzie’s Leadership Foundation.
Paul Haskell Dowland
Paul Haskell Dowland Professor of Cyber Security Practice, Edith Cowan University
Marina Zhang
Marina Zhang is an associate professor at the Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI), University of Technology Sydney.
Marina is the author of three books, including “Demystifying China’s Innovation Machine: Chaotic Order,” co-authored with Mark Dodgson and David Gann (Oxford University Press, 2022). Alongside her academic publications in technology and innovation, Marina also writes analytical pieces on the intersection of technology and geopolitics.
Masaya Inoue
Masaya Inoue is Professor of Japanese Political and Diplomatic History in the Faculty of Law at Keio University. He received his PhD in Political Science from Kobe University. He previously worked as an Associate Professor at Kagawa University and Seikei University.
John Tilemann
John Tilemann is a former Australian diplomat specialising in arms control and Asia-Pacific security affairs and an international civil servant with the International Atomic Energy Agency. He was subsequently Research Director and is currently a Senior Associate Fellow at the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network.
Annee Lawrence
Annee Lawrence is a writer and essayist with a background in literature, women’s health, health promotion, disability rights, social justice and community development. She has worked with Palestinians in Australia and was living and working in Beirut when Israel bombed Gaza in 2008-2009. Two years earlier, in 2006, Israel bombed all the bridges in Lebanon.
Ruwaida Kamal Amer
Ruwaida Kamal Amer is a science teacher from Khan Younis in Gaza who since the outbreak of the present conflict has written widely about its devastating effects on people of all ages. She has powerfully described the experiences of women and children, the terror evoked by constant Israeli bombardments and, as here, the emptiness and despair associated with starvation. Despite the bleakness of the events to which she bears witness her commitment to her people and culture, to the education of children, to overcoming violence and hunger, offer poignant sources of hope in the midst of the darkness.
Jim McDermott
Jim McDermott is an American writer based in New York with years spent in Australia. He spent many years as an editor at America Magazine.
The Australian Security Leaders Climate Group (ASLCG) is a group of former senior defence and security leaders concerned that there is a lack of understanding of how climate disruption will impact on human and regional security. ASLCG aims to reframe the climate narrative, making climate an immediate security priority by assessing risks and building resilience, and acting to secure local and global protection.
The Australian Security Leaders Climate Group
The Australian Security Leaders Climate Group (ASLCG) is a group of former senior defence and security leaders concerned that there is a lack of understanding of how climate disruption will impact on human and regional security. ASLCG aims to reframe the climate narrative, making climate an immediate security priority by assessing risks and building resilience, and acting to secure local and global protection.
James A. Fok
James A. Fok is a veteran financial and strategic adviser to corporations and governments, who served as a senior executive at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing during a decade of rapid internationalisation in China’s capital markets. He is the author of the book Financial Cold War.