The CIS Event Experience

On Time, On Budget: What Canada Gets Right on Nuclear?

In this episode, nuclear industry leader and Canadian trailblazer Tracy Primeau re-joins the CIS to share a compelling insider’s view of Canada’s nuclear energy success—and what Australia could learn from it.
In conversation with CIS Director of Energy Research Aidan Morrison, Primeau reflects on her 35-year career. As a member of the Nipissing First Nation, she offers a rare dual perspective: a deep technical understanding of nuclear power and a powerful voice for Indigenous participation in energy development.
Together, they explore key questions shaping Australia’s energy debate:
What’s behind Canada’s on-time, on-budget nuclear rollout?
How did Indigenous communities become partners in nuclear waste solutions?
Can Australia achieve clean, affordable energy without sacrificing reliability?
From the potential of small modular reactors to lessons in energy economics, workforce transition, and community trust, Primo delivers an inspiring case for nuclear as a clean, scalable solution for Australia’s energy future. A timely and deeply human conversation at the intersection of technology, policy, and culture.

Conservative Comeback: Why Ordinary Voters Are Turning Right?

In this episode, British historian and author Dr Simon Heffer returns to CIS for a provocative deep dive into the cultural and political currents reshaping the Western world.
In conversation with CIS Executive Director Tom Switzer, Heffer offers sharp insights into the global conservative backlash against identity politics, elite overreach, and the hollowing out of free speech across universities and public life.
Together, they tackle big questions confronting liberal democracies today:
Why is there growing pushback against the progressive orthodoxy in countries like the US, UK, and Australia?
What’s driving working-class voters back to the political right?
Can Western societies afford net-zero policies, open borders, and bloated welfare states all at once?
With trademark wit and historical depth, Heffer reflects on Britain’s cultural identity, the media’s role in stifling dissent, and how cancel culture threatens the very foundations of democratic societies. A timely conversation on the urgent need to defend liberal values from within.

Rethinking Nuclear: Lessons from Canada with Dr. Chris Keefer

In this episode, Dr Chris Keefer, emergency physician, founder of Canadians for Nuclear Energy, and host of the Decouple podcast, joins the Centre for Independent Studies for an insightful exploration of Canada’s nuclear success story.
In conversation with CIS Director of Energy Research Aidan Morrison, Keefer reflects on Canada’s bold energy choices—from phasing out coal and developing its own reactor design to reviving nuclear infrastructure for new industrial applications.
Together, they unpack key questions relevant to Australia's energy future:
Why did Canada pioneer its own reactor model, and how has it served the nation?
What political and economic factors enabled a nuclear resurgence in some regions but not others?
How can nuclear work alongside renewables to strengthen energy reliability?
With first-hand industry knowledge and global perspective, Keefer sheds light on the policies, public debates, and technical achievements that have shaped Canada's approach—and what lessons Australia might take forward.

Free Speech, Moral Clarity, and the Israel-Gaza Debate with Bret Stephens

In this episode, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens joins CIS executive director Tom Switzer to confront the most contentious narratives surrounding the Israel-Gaza war and the future of liberal democracy.
Drawing on his experience as a journalist and foreign policy analyst, Stephens reflects on the challenges of achieving lasting peace, the role of outside powers, and the difficult choices facing Israel and its neighbours.
They also explore how public debates on these issues reveal deeper tensions in Western societies—about free speech, moral clarity, and the ability to respond to complex global challenges with confidence and unity.

The Great Pushback: Has the West Had Enough of Progressivism?

In this episode, historian and Telegraph columnist Simon Heffer joins CIS Executive Director Tom Switzer to discuss the rising conservative momentum across democracies like the US, Italy, Germany, and Australia.
After years of dominance by progressive ideas on identity politics, diversity, and historical revisionism, political winds appear to be shifting. Voters in countries like New Zealand and Australia are rejecting policies rooted in identity politics, while centre-right and populist movements grow stronger across Europe.
Heffer examines whether we’ve passed "peak woke," how cultural guilt and censorship threaten democratic debate, and what lessons Australia can learn from Britain’s recent political experience. He argues that restoring free speech, rejecting identity politics, and embracing shared democratic values are key to the West’s future.
What’s driving the backlash against progressive politics in the West? Is the cultural tide turning? Is this the beginning of a cultural and political renewal?
 

Profit or Politics? Inside Australia’s Corporate Culture War

In this episode, CIS executive director Tom Switzer sits down with researchers Simon Cowan and Emilie Dye to explore the rising backlash against corporate social activism in Australia.
Drawing on findings from their new report Business Means Business, Cowan and Dye reveal what Australians really think about ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) initiatives. Their exclusive polling shows that most consumers, employees, and even younger Australians want companies to focus on service and profit—not politics. From corporate support of The Voice referendum to Australia Day controversies, they highlight how big brands risk alienating the public and undermining trust.
With global case studies like Bud Light and Chick-fil-A, this conversation questions whether “woke capitalism” is sustainable and exposes consequences of value-driven branding and political posturing. A sharp, evidence-based critique of business orthodoxy—and a timely call for corporate neutrality.
 

How Close Is Too Close? Rethinking Australia’s Military Ties to the U.S.

As strategic competition intensifies in the Indo-Pacific, Australia is being forced to rethink long-held assumptions about its alliance with the United States.
In this panel hosted by the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), three experts—Doug Abdiel, Lt Col in the US Marine Corps; Sam Roggeveen, Director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute; and Aidan Morrison, Director of Energy and Defence at CIS—debate what Australia’s defence future should look like in a rapidly changing world.
Is Australia relying too much on the U.S. for its defence?
Are we spending too much on submarines and neglecting other critical needs?
Could U.S.-style weapons drag us into wars we don’t want to fight?
Are we building the right kind of defence force to protect Australia—not just to support the U.S.?

Ideas into Action: Ron Manners’ Libertarian Blueprint for Australia's Future

In this episode, mining entrepreneur and libertarian thinker Ron Manners AO shares his impatient vision for defending Western civilization and free market principles.
As founder of the Mannkal Foundation and author of "The Impatient Libertarian," Manners reflects on the five influential mentors who shaped his philosophical outlook, including economist Frederick Hayek. He discusses the strategic balance between ideas and action that has defined his entrepreneurial success over decades.
Identifying as "an impatient libertarian," Manners delivers an assessment of government overreach, regulatory barriers to entrepreneurship, and the cultural shifts threatening civil society. He shares remarkable personal anecdotes from his relationships with philosophical leaders while making a passionate case for libertarian principles in modern Australia. His firsthand experiences provide rare insight into whether free market advocates can overcome what he sees as a growing hostility toward industry and individual liberty.

Need for Clean Energy: Lessons from Canada's Nuclear Journey with Tracy Primeau and Aidan Morrison

As the global demand for clean and reliable energy grows, nuclear power is being reconsidered as a crucial part of the solution. What can Australia learn from Canada’s decades-long experience with nuclear energy?
In this discussion hosted by the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), Director of Energy Research Aidan Morrison is joined by Tracy Primeau, board member of Ontario Power Generation and former nuclear operator, to explore Canada’s successful transition from coal and the revival of its nuclear sector.
Together, Primeau and Morrison tackle vital questions about the future of the energy industry in Australia:
What can Australia learn from Canada’s pragmatic approach to nuclear power?
How can decarbonisation and energy security go hand-in-hand?
Is political will or public opinion the real barrier to nuclear adoption? How can we challenge misinformation and build a more rational energy debate?
With a-to-z industry experience and a powerful personal story, Primeau shares valuable insights into how nuclear power can drive both economic opportunity and environmental progress. Could Australia follow a similar path?

Beyond the Belt and Road: Anastasia Lin on China's expansionist vision with Tom Switzer

In this conversation, former Miss World Canada and human rights advocate Anastasia Lin delivers a stark warning about China's strategic ambitions and what they mean for Australia's future. Drawing from her thirteen years of experience growing up in communist China, where she was once tasked with indoctrinating fellow students, Lin offers an insider's perspective on the Chinese Communist Party's worldview.
Lin articulates how initiatives like Belt and Road and Made in China 2025 are not merely economic programs but components of a carefully orchestrated strategy to achieve global dominance. She challenges the prevailing narrative that Australia must choose between economic prosperity and democratic values, arguing that the country's dependency on a one-party authoritarian state represents a dangerous vulnerability rather than a pragmatic necessity.
Particularly disturbing is her account of China's forced labour camps, where political and religious prisoners produce goods that undercut Western manufacturing. Lin explains how this system, combined with intellectual property theft and predatory investment practices, has enabled China to hollow out Western industrial capacity while extending its influence globally.