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Join Sally Warhaft, with Australian economist Richard Denniss and editor and author Esther Anatolitis, for a special edition of The Fifth Estate as part of Readings’ A Day in Carlton. They will explore how political imagination, civic courage and principled leadership can help us reimagine Australia’s democratic future. 

Richard Denniss is an Australian economist, author and public policy commentator, who is the Executive Director of The Australia Institute. His latest work, Dead Centre: How Political Pragmatism is Killing Us explores the contradiction between centrism and evidence that sits at the heart of democratic debate in Australia. 

Esther Anatolitis is a member of the National Gallery of Australia Governing Council, Co-Chair of the Australian Republic Movement, and Honorary Associate Professor at RMIT School of Art. Her latest writing, When Australia Became a Republic, examines the key moments in our emergence as a republic, and maps out new paths to securing legitimate independence for a more honest society. 

Sally Warhaft is a Melbourne broadcaster, anthropologist and writer. She is the host of The Fifth Estate, The Wheeler Centre’s live series. 

12:00-1:00pm Saturday 15 November 2025
Church of All Nations, Carlton
The Readings pop-up bookshop will be open at this event. Drinks will be available for purchase at the bar.

Tickets: 
Full-priced $30 
Under 30s $20 

Please book here.

The Church of All Nations is accessible for people whose mobility is impaired and for wheelchair users, and includes a wheelchair-accessible toilet.