People understandably have strong opinions about energy policy, fundamental as it is to prosperity and progress. Everyone wants a system which optimises cost, security and environmental impact - the energy trilemma - but there are fiendish trade-offs to be made. Between supporters of the mainstream policy position that Australia can and must completely decarbonise with all or mainly renewables, and those who think that adding nuclear to the mix is necessary and desirable, with many variations in between, is there any possible common ground? What might all sides agree on, as a base from which a national consensus might emerge?

A panel of accomplished speakers (and listeners) with differing perspectives and expertise will be moderated in an in-depth, long-form, enlightening discussion in a congenial, conducive heritage setting, as part of an informal national series of Big Dialogues on energy transition topics.

The Big Dialogue series has developed in Brisbane over the past four years as a unique and successful platform for better public discussion of contentious policy issues. This neutral, independent, not-for-profit forum brings together experts who disagree, yet are willing to seek common ground and explore possible agreed solutions. Big Dialogues are designed to demonstrate that contentious national issues can still be discussed frankly, fearlessly and civilly, in a non-partisan way, in public, by people of goodwill, in good faith, in pursuit of truth, progress - and better policy and outcomes.

Subjects addressed include universal basic income, the China-Australia relationship, climate change, pandemic management, energy transition, housing and social media impacts/regulation.

The Big Dialogues are now being expanded nationally, starting with this inaugural event in Melbourne - a collaboration of Australian Dialogues with The Brisbane Dialogues, Centre for Policy Development and the Institute of Public Affairs, supported by others from the Australian Dialogues network. This is the second one on energy transition - see video of the first one in Brisbane last year.

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Dialogues are for curious, concerned citizens who are willing to listen respectfully to views they don't agree with in order to understand complexities better and who are open to refining or even changing their own position - contributing in a small way to better national policy discussions and outcomes.

As always, the dialogue will be conducted under The Brisbane Rule, which includes the audience as well as the speakers on stage! All participants agree to listen carefully, speak civilly and concentrate on the content of discussions, not on characters - before, during and afterwards, online and offline.

Energy transition is a critical matter, but there is a wider context: the premise of Australian Dialogues is that the greatest problem we face is the growing inability to have good discussions about all the other problems we face. Polarisation and uncivil discourse are widely lamented, analysed and commented upon; Australian Dialogues is doing something about them.