34. Here's my rather rough and ready list . . . and in no particular order. They are all important thinkers and/or writers and/or teachers and/or public figures; some are influential up front, others more behind the scenes. None are pollies, or scientists (I don't know enough about their work to make such a selection), or poets, or.... Actually, the limitations of my list become obvious as I write (including that there are only 7 names) - so I shall send it quickly, before I allow myself too long to think...Julian Burnside QC - eloquent barrister with a public conscience and the preparedness to persist in defending refugees against much political and commercial opprobrium; Mary Featherston - part of the famous Featherson furniture-designing duo, initiator and designer of Museum Vic's innovative Children's Museum in the 1980s & 90s, currently one of the country's leading innovators in informal-learning school design; Morag Fraser - past long-time editor of Eureka Street, chair of literary fests, etc etc, member of Free Speech Victoria; Raimond Gaita - moral philosopher who can write; Ken Inglis - historian, refresher and challenger of old myths and institutions; Guy Rundle - past editor of Arena, writer of Max Gillies' mordant and sometimes moving characters Don Watson - historian, ideas man, challenger of linguistic and cultural.

35. I don't really have an answer to this: in fact, I don't think Australia has any 'public intellectuals' at the moment. This is partly because there are so few venues out there for critical thinking, and partly because our society has become so docile. Universities remain very bad at facilitating intellectual activity that can flow out in the community, and larger media systems (newspapers, television, etc) are mostly uninterested. To me, the usual suspects here - robert manne etc. - are shallow and predictable, mostly eliciting moral outrage rather than working intellectually: at best, rather like some of our more effective cartoonists. It's the right that has the most visible public profile in terms of 'ideas', but their spokespeople - columnists for the 'Australian', various IPA folk, the sad contributors to 'Quadrant' - couldn't be more stupid and narrow-minded. I recently heard an IPA representative complaining about speed limits in the inner city: this is what intellectual life in Australia has boiled down to, sheer petty-mindedness and myopia. as for the film-makers, novelists and poets etc., they failed us a long time ago. The ABC is virtually useless here, with a couple of minor exceptions. I mostly tend to watch SBS for 'intellectual content'.

36. This is an interesting exercise, more difficult than one would think. I thought it necessary to represent a range of disciplines, especially the sciences. I also thought there was perhaps not always a correspondence between intellectual calibre and influence. My list, which is not really all in order, thought I've put my top names first: Bernard Smith, Meaghan Morris, Gustav Nossal, Fiona Stanley, Raymond Gaita, Inga Clendinnen, Frank Brennan, Hugh Stretton, Noel Pearson, Graeme Turner.

37. I don't know that I could get to 10. I think of current people Andrew McCann (gone to Dartmouth) is a brilliant literary critic, Christos Tsiolkas a brilliant writer, and Meaghan Morris (went to Hong Kong; now coming back, perhaps?) an amazing cultural critic; for general society, my pick is Michael Pusey whose work I think should be compulsory reading for everyone. In the past - more difficult, probably in Aust literature Judith Wright, no other field do I know well enough to say.

38. I hope it's not too late to reply. It's just the first week of teaching was crazy. I had a good think about the list, and it's surprising how much newspaper columnists keep forcing their way in. I kept thinking through various topics or categories eg arts, lit, 'women's' issues, writers of Patrick White's stature, even sport, but I think it's indicative just how limited the list might just be. Also, my choices aren't my preferences, but those names that keep cropping up and running debates. No women here. Anglo men of a certain generation too. So here we go (in no order of priority): i. Philip Adams. Seems to be a lightning rod for the left and right. And has location location location; ii. Tim Flannery. Has the environment well covered. Writes best sellers but seems to have academic cred too; iii. Noel Pearson. The one people turn to re: Indigenous affairs; iv Paul Kelly. Thinks he can comment on just about everything: foreign policy, economics, industrial relations. Has managed to be elder statesman journo. Good at publishing books that try to be the definitive account of contemporary Aust. Politics; v. Peter Docherty. Authoritative voice on science and medicine. International stature; vi Hugh McKay. Still managing to blend populism and the social sciences on a range of contemporary topics; vii. Barry Jones. One of the last intellectuals of the ALP; viii. PP McGuinness. Elder statesman of the right, and has the location too; ix. Peter Singer. Ethics and philosophy of and for the everyday. Though less influential since he moved to the U.S.

39. . . . sorry, but I just don't have time to brood on a question like that. It's very difficult ask. Apples and oranges all over the place.

40. I've had a think about this and I think that the top 8 or 10 almost pick themselves and therefore the list only really becomes interesting when it gets beyond the top ten to 30 or 40 or 50 etc because this is when newer and more different faces emerge. It is also when the question of depth is answered. I tried to keep my mind on the present, not on the last decade eg and I did think that influence was the key factor in my list. So I would include Tim Flannery, Inga Clendinnen, Robert Manne,Noel Pearson, Hugh Mackay, Peter Singer, David Malouf, David Marr, Phillip Adams and Judith Brett. Gerard Henderson comes close especially because, through his column, he has the capacity to influence. There is 10 but to this you could just as easily add Ann Curthoys and Stuart Macintyre , Henry Reynolds, Geoffrey Blainey, Paul Davies, John Hirst, Peter Doherty, Bob Brown and it goes on. My blind spot is the sciences and I'm sure in medical science and public health issues I'm missing someone. Cartoonists are also often underestimated in these surveys. I think they are very influrential. Think of Leunig, Nicholson, Leak, etc Generally, I think Australia has considerable intellectual depth.

The only pity is of course that we live still in a deeply anti-intellectual culture, increasingly driven by the populism of politicians and the journalist celebrity. The lack of intellectuals in the current crop of political leaders in Canberra is particularly noticeable. Apart from Kevin Rudd and one or two others there would be more chance of starting a prayer group in Canberra than a discussion group.We also live in a time when nationalism (particularly Anzac) - simplisitc, feel good and sometimes ugly - is on the rise. In this climate, there is a great need for intellectuals.

41. 1. Peter Singer - obvious international influence over many years, an activist philosopher committed to spreading his ideas 2. Tim Flannery - a thinker who is prepared to be controversial and to challenge commonsense understandings of the world, one who is also committed to putting his ideas into the public arena. He has had an obvious effect on environmental issues 3. Philip Adams - a long time sharer of ideas. Again prepared to be controversial, polemical in style. Has access to national press and his radio programme draws in many an interesting thinker. He was probably more influential on commercial radio - again he has been prepared to pedal his ideas there. 4. Clive Hamilton - produced a number of thought provoking books and essays that address issues of our time. An economist who commits himself to addressing the ordinary concerns of people 5. Hugh McKay - regular newspaper columns that engage with social issues and concerns. Writes in an accessible manner for the popular press 6. Geoffrey Blainey - seems to be off the boil over the past couple of years, but a man prepared to put his ideas out there, to be controversial, stir up debate and also prepared to write for a general audience 7. Germain Greer - still able to stir up the population with her controversial ideas. Clearly the Female Eunich put her on the map and she has continued to provoke on a range of issues - not sure that she always does this through deep thought however. 8. Pru Goward - in an interesting position as a government appointee and someone who is prepared to use this to generate ideas and debate about issues faced by women 9. Peter Carnley - used his position as Anglican Primate to stimulate quite a bit of open debate on a range of moral issues. A very thoughtful man in many ways with a powerful intellect. And I think that is about it for me now. I am tempted to add George Pell to the list but am not sure how much of a thinker he really is. I am struck by how many are blokes and wonder who is not on my radar but if prompted I might see them to be important. A "roughie" would be Andrew Denton who though he does not produce ideas so much as allow others to share their thoughts, he does it in an intelligent, engaged manner, one that allows ideas to flow from a wide range of people.

42. It's a difficult question and I can't really offer a 'Top 10' answer. My only answer is to offer a few 'theoretical' reflections. Using Foucault's distinction between 'generic' and 'specific' intellectuals, I'd say the majority of important thinkers are in specific areas making particular interventions into debates and policy. Thus, their contribution may be brief, unheralded and/or periodic but nonetheless important and I couldn't really offer a ranking list. As far as 'generic' intellectuals who are well-known are concerned, I personally consider people such as Robert Manne, Tim Flannery and Clive Hamilton 'important' because they are offering broad critiques of general cultural/political trends and assumptions, pricking the conscience of society. In terms of influence, it's hard to say. I suspect the ones in tune with the spirit of the times are more influential, particularly insofar as they create more cultural room for governments to pursue an agenda focused on markets, individual responsibility, materialism, etc.

43. OK - assuming we are not passing judgment on the quality of their thought - 'best' is not necessarily the same as important OR influential.

1) Kevin Donnelly

Donnelly's political connections to the Liberal Party and persistent and ongoing interventions, through the media but one assumes also informally through advice to senior liberal party figures, have been central to recent developments in conservative thinking about education. Whether you would describe him as a 'thinker' is debatable or, perhaps, aswerable only on a partisan political basis.

2) Barry Hindess

Outstanding, sophisticated internationally recognised thinker and philosoper of society and politics. Ranges across a wide terrain; contributes primarily but not exclusively to scholarly discourse. Very influential within his discipline areas.

3) Stuart Cunningham

Another outstanding, internationally recognised scholar. Work in relation to cultural policy shaped and continues to shape many academics' and creative artists' engagement with society either directly or indirectly.

4) Viki Sara

While not necessarily always with unanimous support, Sara reshaped the conduct and direction of Australian public research funding in very significant ways on the basis of a very clear vision of what research should be for, and how it should be managed. Applied scientific management might not be understood as important 'thought' within some circles but it was definitively influential.

5) Michael Kirby

Probably a best thinker and influential through his formal role on the High Court; understands better than most judicial thinkers the relationship between change and stability.

6) Judith Brett

She understands the Liberals in Australia better than they do themselves :). While her work is probably not internationally appreciated because of its Australian focus, she is international-class as an historian and thinker about history and politics

7) Greg Hearn

Bit left-field this one, but was trying to think of the most influential academic thinker about new media technologies and I think Greg is it. His contributions are probably more implicit than explicit; his particular analytical framework was exciting, though not as much recently from him

8) .... At this point I ran out of influential thinkers, probably because I'm just not connected enough to the intellectual life as I would like to be. It would be interesting to ponder the differences geographically between East and West in this list - Perth v Melbourne, or a BAPH v SMC line.

While not necessarily 'thinkers' in the way most of the above are, you could add Michele Grattan to the list under 'influential', though it's that unusual kind of thinking associated with very senior journalistic ranks.

44. What a task - more one of separating celebrities from academics and then working out who is actually influential and in what aspects of Australia they might have an impact. Here is a quick list (I might revise after more thinking) of both important and influential persons because of what they think - about what has happened and might happen, and who have an impact on the public because of what they have written, said on radio or TV, physically achieved, or commented on in other ways. This list reflects on my own interests only - there are plenty of other intellectuals who should be listed.

Henry Reynolds - for reshaping how we think about Indigenous Australian issues.

Noel Pearson - for thinking about the future, and being a spokesperson for Indigenous Australian issues.

Kevin Sheedy - for always thinking of new angles in sport (and not just AFL) Philip Adams - politics, society and the future - surely our supreme commentator/thinker/futurist Michelle Grattan - for shaping the way we think about politics (and society generally) Margaret Jolly - a word class academic in the field of gender and history Sean Dorney - because he is "our voice" in the Pacific Islands on radio Australia and the ABC.

Sandy McCutcheon - because of his "Australia talks back program" on radio (and his books) Bob Brown - because he represents for most people a reasoned, non-partisan point of view in a world of uncertainty and lies Graeme Davison - for thinking about cities, time, heritage, history and historiography

This is a public intellectual list - rather than the esoteric list of those who do think hard and amazingly, but who have little public impact.

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