Richard Johnson Lecture

The Richard Johnson Lecture, named in honour of Australia's first chaplain Richard Johnson, is an annual public event that seeks to highlight Christianity's relevance to society and to positively contribute to public discourse on key aspects of civil life.

Get tickets View past lectures

Date & Time

Wednesday 4 November
7:30 – 9:00pm

VENUE

The Concourse Chatswood
409 Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW

ADMISSION

$30*

GET TICKETS

*All tickets are managed by an independent third-party provider.

Announcing our 2026 Lecture

Is it time for a new sexual revolution?

How men and women can find their way back to each other

Millennial hook-up culture has been succeeded by reports of a widespread sex recession among Gen Z, as well as rising rates of loneliness and alienation between the sexes. We’re hooked on solitary screens that put us under the sway of toxic influencers and algorithms optimised for high engagement. Our digital habits are stoking despair at the possibility of successful romantic relationships between men and women or, at the other extreme, an appetite for the pre-modern and highly idealised lives of trad wives.

Then there’s porn and OnlyFans, where the commodification of women’s bodies continues apace. With the arrival of AI companions and AI-generated pornography, will romantic relationship be a live option for men and women tomorrow?

The fallout between men and women has bigger ripple effects. Falling rates of fertility globally, and rising incidences of family estrangement, seem symptomatic of a more generalised retreat from human relationships. But if we are relational beings at our core, it’s time for a revolution in human connections. Hear Louise Perry on why consent is not enough, how friendship between the sexes may be the most potent tool of deradicalisation at our disposal, and why the religious have a better chance than most of inheriting the earth.

About the Speaker

Louise Perry

Louise Perry is a British journalist, broadcaster, and author of the bestselling book The Case Against the Sexual Revolution. Her writing and commentary have made her a prominent voice in contemporary debates about sexual politics, pornography, and liberal feminism, particularly through her critique of what has been lost – not gained – in an era shaped by sexual liberalism. She also hosts the podcast Maiden Mother Matriarch, which explores questions of politics and culture. Perry has spoken recently about how her sociological research set her on an unexpected path towards taking the claims of Christianity seriously.

Learn more