This can be affirming, but fear and envy can also flourish.

Are these divisions inevitable, necessary, or desirable? Can empathy be learnt? Is a civil civic conversation possible, or are retreating into defensive ghettos?

What is the role of the arts in challenging this retreat? Is this a moral issue or an economic one, can the two be separated?

Is a new Australian ethos emerging – if so what is it?

To what extent is the political environment responsible for these divisions – or a product of them?

Writers include: Margaret Simons, Frank Moorhouse, Robyn Williams, Ann Curthoys, Julian Burnside, Marion Halligan, Carmel Bird, Matthew Condon, Merle & Sigrid Thornton, Melissa Lucashenko and many more.