Australian National Maritime Museum hosts panel discussion about coral bleaching as part of Vivid Minds 2026

Australian National Maritime Museum

On June 10, the Australian National Maritime Museum is proud to present the latest talk in its Big Blue Ideas series, Beyond The Bleach, as part of Vivid Sydney’s Minds program . Join former triple j and ABC Sydney breakfast host Adam Spencer, marine biologist Emma Camp, Torres Strait artist Brian Robinson, coral reef ecologist Ben Fitzpatrick and Museum Senior Curator and moderator Emily Jateff for an invigorating panel that challenges the Great Barrier Reef’s decline as a foregone conclusion and explores going beyond the bleach.

Combatting despair, Beyond the Bleach considers how to best look after the Great Barrier Reef, incorporating the knowledge of the diverse panel of experts, each contributing to a spirited discussion about the ways in which we can best protect our oceans.

This event begins at 6pm on June 10 and will be held at the Australian National Maritime Museum, with tickets starting from just $30. Prior to the talk, guests are invited to access the Museum galleries after hours, and following the talk, the conversation continues at our Sea Citizens After Party, a gathering with music, hands-on activities, and the chance to connect directly with speakers and fellow ocean advocates.

Beyond the Bleach is presented by the Museum in partnership with Rolex, through their Perpetual Planet Initiative. Launched in 2019, this long-term commitment supports explorers, scientists, and organisations working to understand and protect the planet’s life-support systems. In partnership with leading bodies such as the National Geographic Society and Mission Blue, the Perpetual Planet initiative funds expeditions, research, and solutions in areas including ocean conservation, wilderness protection, and climate action. 

For more information about Big Blue Ideas or to book tickets, please visit: Beyond the Bleach Tickets, Wednesday, June 10  •  5 PM - 9 PM | Eventbrite

For more information about the event’s speakers, please see bios following.

Adam Spencer is one of Australia’s most recognisable media figures, with a 25-year career spanning radio, television and live events. A former triple j and ABC Sydney breakfast host, he set ratings records in the country’s most competitive market and has hosted programs including Quantum and The Drum. Originally trained in mathematics, he moved from stand-up comedy into broadcasting, building a reputation for making complex ideas accessible and engaging. He has interviewed prime ministers, Nobel Prize-winning scientists and global business leaders. Today, he is a leading voice on artificial intelligence, cyber security and the future of work, combining sharp insight with humour and high-energy delivery. 

Associate Professor Emma Camp is a marine biologist and the Team Leader of the Future Reefs Team at the University of Technology Sydney. Her team’s research ranges from organism scale molecular signatures to broad scale ecological interactions, and specialise in advancing technical solutions to support innovative scientific capacity to help preserve and re-build “healthy reefs”. In 2018, Emma co-founded the Coral Nurture Program, a science–tourism partnership dedicated to repopulating corals on the Great Barrier Reef. 

She is recognised as a leading coral expert, with her work earning numerous prestigious awards, including being named a 2024 World Economic Forum Young Leader, receiving the 2023 WINGS Women in Discovery Award, the 2021 Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher, and being recognised as a Next Generation Leader by TIME Magazine in 2020. 

Emma is also a National Geographic Explorer and a Rolex Awards Associate Laureate. She is passionate about engaging society with research, empowering communities to become part of the solutions needed to protect and restore the planet. 

Brian Robinson, of the Maluyligal people of Western Torres Strait and the Wuthathi people of Cape York, was born in 1973 on Waiben (Thursday Island) into a Roman Catholic fishing family shaped by both Christian and Torres Strait spirituality. His celebrated practice draws on reef ecologies and Torres Strait sea country. For over 25 years, he has developed a multidisciplinary practice drawing on ancient and contemporary ideas, blending cosmology, literature, humour, and history through graphic prints and sculpture. Based in Cairns, his major commissions include Woven Fish (2003), Reef Guardian (2017), and the 2018 Commonwealth Games parade track. His work is held in major national and international collections.

Dr Ben Fitzpatrick is a coral reef ecologist from Perth Western Australia.  

He is Director of Oceanwise Australia, an organization originally established in 1998 to advance the conservation of Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth Gulf.  

He is an adjunct Research Fellow at the UWA Oceans Institute and is involved in the Mission Blue Hope Spot program, supported by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative.

Through his role as Leader of the Coastal and Marine Specialist Group for the IUCN Commission for Ecosystem Management, he now contributes his expertise to solving coastal and marine conservation challenges globally.  

Emily Jateff is the Head of Knowledge at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Her remit is partnerships, collections and content for ocean sciences, marine technologies, climate change and sustainability.

Emily leads the ten-year program in support of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030.

ENDS                                                                                                                    

For images, please see here: Beyond the Bleach

To attend or for further information please contact:
Alex Gonzalez       m: 0401 545 778        e: [email protected]

About Vivid Sydney

Vivid Sydney, one of the world’s leading multi-artform festivals, transforms Sydney into a vibrant hub of creativity, innovation and community connection. In 2026, the festival will bring the city to life, both night and day for the first time, inspiring global audiences and driving cultural exchange. From 22 May to 13 June, the festival’s pillars of Light, Music, Minds and Food will create shared experiences, attract domestic and international visitors, and support the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy’s target of a $91 billion visitor economy by 2035. Proudly owned and managed by Destination NSW, Vivid Sydney showcases NSW’s cultural vibrancy and positions it as a global leader in artistic innovation.