For the first time, this year the Boyer Lectures will be broadcast on the ABC News Channel as well as ABC Radio National – on consecutive Sundays from October 26. And after each lecture is broadcast, it will also be published on The Monthly’s website – free to readers.

This year’s series, Australia: A Radical Experiment in Democracy, across five orations, will reflect on what has made our democracy so resilient. It will be hosted by the Boyers’ creative director, Julia Baird.

Australians have remarkable trust in our electoral processes, while lacking trust in our politicians. But the series’ five speakers will consider some of the challenges our democracy faces: shifting and uncertain global alliances, rising autocracies and artificial intelligence.

An introductory essay by Julia Baird outlining the rationale behind the 2025 lectures is also The Monthly’s October cover story, on newsstands from Monday, September 29.

The Monthly, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, will additionally republish selected previous contributions from the Boyer Lectures archive on its website for readers to revisit or discover lectures from its rich history.

Michael Williams, editor of The Monthly magazine, said:
“The Boyer Lectures represent one of this country’s most significant cultural and intellectual attempts to grapple with who we are as a nation. For decades, the ABC’s curation and custodianship of this significant annual event has been an extraordinary gift to audiences and readers. The Monthly, in its 20th year, could not be more proud to partner with the national broadcaster on this significant series, and to share the work with an even wider audience.”

Erik Jensen, chief executive and editor-in-chief of Schwartz Media, said:
“Since its launch, The Monthly has been the intellectual home for many of Australia’s leading writers and thinkers. Like the Boyers, it has told the story of who we are as Australians. This partnership is the meeting of two great cultural forces, a chance to strengthen and deepen debate in this country.”

Kim Williams, ABC Chair said:
“This year the Boyer Lectures will feature an anthology again, where we host five distinguished speakers, having had four in the 65th series last year. The anthology series will differ this year with Julia Baird acting as interlocutor with each speaker reflecting on the ‘the Australian Democratic Experiment’ binding the series around the experience of, and the challenges within, our modern democracy. We are confident that the magic of a ‘thought kaleidoscope’ through our speakers will deliver captivating contrasting perspectives.”

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