2026 Festival
Speaker Profile
Will Partlett
Will Partlett is an Associate Professor at Melbourne Law School and Fellow at the Centre for Public Integrity. He writes and teaches in the field of public law. Professor Partlett’s research takes a historical and comparative approach to questions of public law.
Beware The Authoritarians: Once in, how to get them out?
Will Partlett and Michael Pembroke with Tom Wright
When democracy's guardrails are dismantled, and institutions like universities, newspapers, the police, armies and courts come under pressure to conform to government thinking, where to for citizens?
What Makes Putin Tick?
Elizabeth Buchanan and Will Partlett with Natasha Mitchell
Authoritarian Leaderships v People Power: The world on standby
Elizabeth Buchanan, Clinton Fernandes and Will Partlett with Tom Wright
Protesters and dissenters who live in authoritarian regimes risk plenty. For those who live in fragile democracies, especially when once-solid institutions start to teeter, it is also an anxious time, as our panel observes.