Welcome to The Sydney Institute
The Sydney Institute was formally opened on 23 August 1989 at its 41 Phillip Street premises by New South Wales Premier Nick Greiner with supporting remarks from Bob Carr (the then NSW Opposition leader).
The Sydney Institute is a privately funded not-for-profit current affairs forum devoted to encouraging debate and discussion. The Institute conducts about 60 policy forums a year (usually between 6 pm and 7 pm) on a wide range of issues - including economics, politics, international affairs, literature, history, film, social policy - along with a well attended annual dinner/lecture. Past speakers at the dinner have included George Miller, Shirley Hazzard, Peter Cosgrove, Simone Young, Andy Thomas, Peter Doherty, Patricia Hewitt, William Shawcross, Kate Jennings, Richard Tognetti, Clive James and Tom Friedman.
All speeches given at the Institute are published in The Sydney Papers which has a wide and influential circulation list - including business, media, university, college and school libraries. The Institute also publishes The Sydney Institute Quarterly incorporating "Gerard Henderson's Media Watch" (which commenced publication in April 1988 and was first into the field of media watching in Australia).
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has addressed The Sydney Institute - as has Opposition leader Brendan Nelson. Speakers in recent years have included Tony Abbott, Tanveer Ahmed, Julie Bishop, Andrew Bolt, Bob Brown, Sharan Burrow, Greg Combet, Stephen Conroy, Peter Costello, Annabel Crabb, Geraldine Doogue, Tim Flannery, Malcolm Fraser, Anna Funder, Peter Garrett, Julia Gillard, Chief Justice Murray Gleeson, Kate Grenville, John Howard, Jackie Huggins, Morris Iemma, Nahid Kabir, Paul Keating, Phillip Knightley, Marilyn Lake, David Malouf, Stuart Macintyre, David Marr, ASIO Director-General Paul O'Sullivan, Noel Pearson, Kim Beazley, Peter Singer, Mark Scott, Peter Shergold, Bill Shorten, Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens, Natasha Stott-Despoja, Graeme Samuel, Wayne Swan, Lindsay Tanner, Bernadette Tobin, Malcolm Turnbull, Mark Vaile, Jana Wendt, Gough Whitlam and Keith Windschuttle.
A number of international figures have appeared on the Institute's platform - including Tariq Ali, Margaret Beckett, Dick Cheney, Jung Chang, Alastair Darling, the late Alexander Dubcek, Martin Lee, Chris Patten, David Pryce Jones and John Ralston Saul.
The Sydney Institute receives support from the Australian business community. Meredith Hellicar is the Institute's chairman, Rob Ferguson is deputy chairman and Paul Murnane is treasurer. However, supporters of the Institute extend well beyond the business community and include academics, public servants, editors, journalists, commentators, writers and members of the professions - as well as other Australians who recognise the importance of debate and discussion.
- Address
- 41 Phillip Street Sydney NSW 2000 Australia
- Telephone
- 02 9252 3366
- Facsimile
- 02 9252 3360