{"id":122357,"date":"2026-02-20T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/byroncoasttimes\/?p=122357"},"modified":"2026-02-18T16:16:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T05:16:14","slug":"kindness-connection-and-democracy-under-the-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/byroncoasttimes\/news\/kindness-connection-and-democracy-under-the-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Kindness, connection and democracy under the spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

LEADING Australian social researcher Hugh Mackay will speak at The Regent Cinema on March 2 as part of the Democracy Matters series, examining the role of kindness, care and social connection in Australia’s democratic life.<\/p>\n

In a talk titled Why social connection and kindness are vital to Australian democracy, Mackay will explore what politics might look like if leadership and policy were shaped less by division and toughness and more by empathy, respect and compassion.<\/p>\n

Drawing on decades of social research and his work as an author and commentator on Australian life, Mackay will reflect on growing frustration with political leadership and the wider pressures influencing public debate, including inequality, climate anxiety and the global rise of authoritarianism.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Members of the Politics of Life committee inside the Regent Cinema. From left, convenor Richard Hil, treasurer Jenny Bush, graphic designer Andrew Malynowsky and PR lead Mia Barbieri. Photo: DAVID COPE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

He argues that anger and bitterness have increasingly dominated political discourse, often crowding out understanding and human connection, and that rebuilding kinder, more connected communities is essential to the health of democracy.<\/p>\n

The evening begins at 5pm with refreshments on the balcony, followed by a performance at 6.30pm by internationally acclaimed duo King Billy, featuring Martha Baartz and Jedi Symes. Mackay’s talk will begin at 7pm.<\/p>\n

Tickets are available via Humanitix:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/events.humanitix.com\/why-are-social-connection-and-kindness-vital-to-our-democracy\/tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

\/\/SPONSORED CONTENT<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LEADING Australian social researcher Hugh Mackay will speak at The Regent Cinema on March 2 as part of the Democracy Matters series, examining the role of kindness, care and social connection in Australia’s democratic life. In a talk titled Why social connection and kindness are vital to Australian democracy, Mackay will explore what politics might […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":156,"featured_media":122362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-122357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKindness, connection and democracy under the spotlight - Byron Coast Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Join Hugh Mackay at The Regent Cinema on March 2 to explore how kindness and social connection can transform Australian democracy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/byroncoasttimes\/news\/kindness-connection-and-democracy-under-the-spotlight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kindness, connection and democracy under the spotlight - 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