Q+A Tonight From Melbourne (ABC TV Thursday 10 November 2022)

How can we safeguard the system that has supported us for so long in the face of rising cybercrime, violent attacks on politicians and their families, and existential threats?

Hackers have stolen the private information of millions of Australians, making it clear how susceptible large corporations are to ransom attacks. What else can we as individuals do to safeguard ourselves? Has the government failed to prioritise cyber security?

While US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was violently attacked in his own home before the crucial US midterm elections, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan survived an attempt on his life. What is encouraging the spread of extremism? The PM claims that democracy is brittle and that social media is contributing to more divisive politics. How can the rhetoric be lowered? Or will it persist?

Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover is causing havoc, with mass layoffs and companies withdrawing advertising dollars in response to the Tesla billionaire’s changes. Is the social media behemoth’s journey coming to an end? What would life be like in a world without Twitter?

Anne Aly

Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth

Dr Anne Aly is the Labor MP for the Perth metropolitan seat of Cowan, which she first won in the 2016 election and retained in 2019 and 2022. She is the Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth.

Dan Tehan

Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship

Dan Tehan is the Liberal Member for Wannon in Victoria. He has been the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship since the 2022 election.

Kamila Shamsie

Author

Kamila Shamsie was born and grew up in Karachi, Pakistan. Her most recent novel Home Fire won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2018, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2017.

Joe Siracusa

Professor of Political History and International Security

Joseph Siracusa is an Adjunct Professor of Political History & International Security, School of Media, Creative Arts & Social Inquiry at Curtin University in Perth, and President Emeritus of Australia’s Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

Alastair MacGibbon

CyberCX chief strategy officer and former national cybersecurity advisor

Alastair MacGibbon is Australia’s most recognised cybersecurity leader, and is the Chief Strategy Officer at CyberCX.

Airdate: Thursday 10 November 2022 at 8.30pm on ABC TV.