Join us online or in-person for Afternoon Light Live with Lydia Khalil and Georgina Downer. Lydia will discuss her contribution in our latest policy paper: Conditions for a Successful Democracy.

We invite you to join us online OR attend in person (if you are in Melbourne) at the Robert Menzies Institute by registering via Eventbrite.

Event Details

Date: Tuesday 20th January
Time: 3 – 4pm (AEDT)
Venue: Live Online over Zoom / Robert Menzies Institute, Old Quad, East Wing, University of Melbourne, Parkville (for live audience)
Tickets: FREE registration to join online available HERE / To attend in person, register HERE (limited seating)

This is a non-catered event.

Georgina and Lydia will talk for the first 30 min, and the next 30 min will be audience Q&A.

Lydia Khalil directs the Transnational Challenges Program at the Lowy Institute, overseeing the Digital Threats to Democracy Project. Her career spans governance, technology, and security, with expertise in terrorism and political violence. She is a Senior Research Fellow at Deakin University’s Alfred Deakin Institute, co-convening the AVERT Research Network, and leads the Crisis Points project at the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies. Lydia has advised the US Department of Defense and New York Police Department.

Lydia contributed to our landmark new Policy Paper titled ‘Conditions for a Successful Democracy‘ that examines the challenges facing Australia’s current democracy and offers practical policy recommendations for revitalising and buttressing our democratic norms, practices and habits. Lydia entered our orbit when she participated in the Institute’s Policy Dialogue in June last year, which in turn informed our Policy Paper which we published on Australia Day. Lydia’s participation at the Dialogue was both timely and insightful given that she is currently heading a research project at Lowy Institute on understanding democratic erosion.

In particular, the project is examining how the interplay of corrupt and ineffective governance, distrust in institutions and disaffection among citizens is eroding belief in democratic norms and values – and how this impacts the successful functioning of a democracy.
It is an important discussion, and I hope you are able to join us for it.

The paper was authored by the Institute’s Research Manager Dr Zachary Gorman and is based on the discussions held on 18 June 2025 at the Institute’s annual Policy Dialogue that brought together 30 leading academics, public figures and policy experts from across the political landscape to discuss the ‘Conditions for a Successful Democracy’.

You can download the paper Conditions for a Successful Democracy HERE.