Beyond hope and despair: The quest for mutual aid and civic resilience in an era of climate disruption

Dr Hil will explore the prospect of societal breakdown and the reshaping of our understanding of mortality, being, and purpose — as well as the possibilities for mutually supportive ways of living in turbulent times. Dr Hil argues that this moment invites us to rethink the long‑held assumptions of industrial modernity and how we might revitalise civic life through local democracies, mutual aid, and stronger social bonds. Overall, it requires a commitment to social justice, and human rights rather than simple survivalism.

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Dr Richard Hil is an Australian academic, writer, and social justice advocate. He is Adjunct Professor at Griffith University and Southern Cross University, and was Convenor of the Ngara Institute, a progressive think‑tank focused on democracy and ecological futures. Currently he is Convenor of the Politics of Life Inc; a series of public conversations focused on contemporary political issues. A prolific author of more than a dozen books—including The Sacking of Fallujah (with Ross Caputi and Donna Mulhearn), Whackademia, and Selling Students Short—his work spans higher‑education critique, peace and conflict studies, human rights, and the politics of ecological crisis. Dr Hil has taught at universities in Australia and the UK, contributed widely to national and international media outlets, and written under the pseudonyms Joseph Gora and Henry Barnes. His recent commentary centres on climate grief, democratic renewal, and the human consequences of war and occupation, and the topic for his talk to Phil Café comes from his latest book Unspeakable: Facing up to climate collapse and its consequences in Australia which he has written with Jean Renouf, CEO of Safer Future, the founder and Chair of the community resilience-building registered charity Plan C (“Our plan is the community”)

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Cost is $10. Send an email to byronphilocafe@gmail.com and we will give you the banking details. You must provide your name in the bank transfer details. Food is available at the club along with drinks of course. Many people come early to eat and socialise before the meeting. You are allowed to take meals and drinks into the Anzac Room.Roger, Peter & Christine