The Parley

Society is more polarised and fragmented than ever before and many of us have lost the ability to listen to the other side: almost half of Australians feel the nation is more divided today than in the past (Edelman Trust Barometer 2023). At the same time, we’ve shrunk the potential spaces for everyday people to come together and hear each other out. We’ve swapped debate for comment wars. This makes society weaker - as without the ability to empathise with each other, especially when its most difficult, we’ll never make progress on the big things that matter. That’s where The Parley comes in. The Parley is a signature program created for the Museum of Sticks & Stones that blends empathy, debate, and comedy for common ground.