INTERVIEW
Network thinking: An interview with Scott Ludlam Former senator and deputy leader of the Australian Greens Scott Ludlam speaks with Rebecca Ryall about his acclaimed book Full Circle, as well as climate anxiety, the communication of science and the potential of activism. Scott Ludlam may be Australia’s political answer to David Attenborough. The journey of reading Full Circle is akin to watching A Life On Our Planet – the going’s rough, the visualisations uncomfortable – the situation seems hopeless. But somewhere, around three quarters of the way in, they both manage to instil hope and empower their audience to think global, act local. 18 | AUTUMN 2022 northerly
Ludlam’s work is meticulously researched and draws from disparate fields, such as geo-history, politics and systems theory. His narrative rendering of deep history, woven throughout the book, could work as a standalone story, but here he uses it, regularly inserted, to refocus the gaze. The global story he tells sits within the embrace of the local, his local – landscape,
community and life experience. Full Circle introduces activists and campaigners from all parts of the globe, with such evocative writing of place and space, that they could be any one of us. In fact, his referencing of the Bentley campaign, in several places, directly links this farreaching work to our little corner of the world.
