2026 Festival
Speaker Profile
Barry Jones
Teacher, lawyer, academic, former state and federal MP, polymath and author, Barry Jones was Australia's longest-serving minister for science from 1983 to `90. Now 92, he is an official ‘national living treasure'. The Sorrento Writers Festival's annual oration is named in his honour.
World Book Day: Why Books, Bookshops, Libraries and Writers Festivals Matter
Thursday April 23
Halcyon Hall, The Continental
9.00am
/
60 mins
John Boyne, Barry Jones and Sally Rippin with Inala Cooper
Our Festival kicks off with an acknowledgement of World Book Day and a discussion about the role of books in our lives, and importance of book-connected activities, discussions and debates
Advance Australia Fair: How to reset, re-unite and become our best selves?
Sunday April 26
Halcyon Hall, The Continental
3.00pm
/
60 mins
Wesley Enoch, Barry Jones, Julianne Schultz with Heather Ewart
Around 45% of Australians believe their country is more polarised than ever before. How does this increasing sense of division sit with traditional national values of mateship, equality and a fair go for all? Our panel discusses a possible road map for the future.
This session is supported by Thomson Geer