OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Kirk Docker

Co-creator + Director ABC program, You Can’t Ask That

Kirk Docker is one of Australia’s finest interviewers and storytellers.

Kirk is the co-creator and director of the ABC program You Can’t Ask That, now in its 7th season. The show has been awarded the Rose d’Or, AACTA and Walkley awards and is the most successful format in ABC history, selling to 17 territories and broadcast in 9 different languages worldwide.

When it comes to the content he creates, no subject is off-topic. Kirk’s interviewees range from expoliticians to ice users to sexual assault survivors. He has a deep curiosity, compassion and playfulness that elicits honesty from his participants, many of whom have never sat in front of a camera before.Through thousands of hours of open dialogue, what’s become clear to Kirk is that every human, no matter what they believe or how high their stature, shares a core value: the desire to be understood.

Through his show You Can’t Ask That, Kirk offers a window into the unheard stories of misunderstood and marginalised Australians. Each episode takes a group that lives with a label (Transgender, Suicide Attempt Survivors, Schizophrenia, etc.). Participants are courageous, as Kirk guides them through the often crudely honest questions submitted by the public. The show’s purpose is to help the audience move past the myths and fears associated with those labels and understand who these people truly are.

In 2009, Kirk landed a spot on the program Hungry Beast (ABC), under the wing of respected producer Andrew Denton. He then went on to create and produce shows Demolition Man (A&E) and Hello Stranger(ABC). Through his work, Kirk has interviewed thousands of people. His portrayal of these people is geared to reveal the universality of humanity, without apology or sensationalism. Through this experience,he’s honed a range of techniques that allow him to communicate effectively and empathetically with any subject.

Hannah Ferguson

Co-Founder & CEO of Cheek Media

Hannah Ferguson is at the forefront of the Australian media industry, and she's doing it differently!

As the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cheek Media Co. she's driving change in Australian media by encouraging people to be informed and engaged over disinterested and detached. The independent news commentary platform provides informed, progressive opinions on subjects that sit at the intersection of feminist, social, and political issues. Cheek aims to make the complex accessible, and to provide values-based journalism to a growing audience of more than 90,000 change makers.

Her first book, Bite Back is now a best seller spending weeks at the top of the non-fiction chart in Australia. The title delivers the conversations we've been missing on everything from diet culture to the future of the #MeToo movement. Articulating sharp, progressive perspectives on the social and political issues that matter, Bite Back offers constructive talking points to provoke and inspire meaningful change.From examining how to have hard conversations with loved ones, and the realities of reforming a criminal justice system that isn't fit for purpose, to analysing the role of popular culture icons in upholding beauty standards and a toxic culture of dieting. The book is packed full of opinions and ideas with bite, it's news that talks back.

Personally, Brisy-born Hannah has a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Master of Writing, Editing and Publishing from The University of Queensland. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, the Sydney Morning Herald, and she's one of 2024's Forbes 30 Under 30.