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Is Australia going down the East Asian high-rise route? eugenewei

The carbon devil in the detail on urban density

Jago Dodson, RMIT University

How dense could we be? Very, if you follow much of the commentary in Australian debates about the way we should plan our cities. High-rise residential developments have been springing up in all Australia’s…
After 20 years of enterprise bargaining, are we seeing an unintended return to compulsory arbitration? AAP

First Qantas, now nurses. Has the IR game changed?

Peter Gahan, The University of Melbourne

With the threat of further industrial action at Qantas looming and Victorian nurses continuing with their rolling work bans, you could be forgiven for thinking that Australia has entered a new phase of…
Ray Finkelstein and Matthew Ricketson look like they’re leaning towards recommending a single regulatory body for all media platforms. AAP/Dean Lewins

Media Inquiry misses the point, as the news crisis worsens

Martin Hirst, Deakin University

It seems that despite their sometimes bitter commercial rivalry, the Fairfax and News Limited empires agree on one thing: the Finkelstein Media Inquiry has been a giant waste of time and money. Both have…
The real cost of the alcohol price war is the damage heavy drinking does to public health and the social fabric. Rick Audet

Health the casualty of Coles and Woolies alcohol price war

Michael Livingston, UNSW Sydney

In recent days, Woolworths and Coles have put out a flurry of media releases, each staking a claim to being the cheapest place to buy alcohol this summer. Coles have “declared war” on liquor prices and…
Asylum seekers held in detention centres like Villawood have been protesting that the current system doesn’t work. AAP/Dean Lewins

Why Australia should abandon the Refugee Convention

Bob Birrell, Monash University and Adrienne Millbank, Monash University

With the collapse of offshore processing, and the likely increase in boat arrivals into a politically charged environment, a cross-road may have been reached regarding asylum policy in Australia. Now would…
Photosynthesis converts low-energy photons into usable energy; it may teach us how to do the same. papalars

New chlorophyll could hold the key to more efficient solar panels

Min Chen, University of Sydney

As the great spectre of climate change continues to loom large over the future, the search for viable, renewable energy sources is becoming ever more important. Solar power has long been seen as a vital…
Vitamins, minerals and herbal therapies should live up to the claims on their packaging. Peter Sunna

Consumers need the facts about complementary medicines

Monika Merkes, La Trobe University

Two out of three Australians use complementary medicines to boost their nutrition, alleviate various symptoms and improve their overall health and well-being. There are around 10,000 products to choose…
The eurozone crisis is moving beyond “spendthrift” countries in need of rescue, to the rescuers themselves. AAP

Heart of darkness – entering the Eurozone’s end game

Harald Sander, Cologne University of Applied Sciences (CUAS)

Early this week, sovereign bonds spreads for France and other Euro-core countries peaked. Around noon on Tuesday the spreads on French and Austrian 10-year government bonds exceeded the German bund rate…
In 2009, more than 190 whales and dolphins stranded themselves on King Island. AAP

Explainer: What do we know about why whales strand themselves?

Mark Hindell, University of Tasmania

Whales are a highly specialised group of mammals which left their terrestrial ancestors for the ocean about 50 million years ago. They have become so well adapted to the marine environment that they can…
Personal loans should be used to fund major infrastructure projects, like the National Broadband Network. AAP

Want to end the GFC? Put debt to good use

Kevin Cox, University of Canberra

The Global Financial Crisis should be called the Global Debt Crisis. Too much debt has been created and there is not enough productive capacity to pay the interest on the debt, let alone repay the loans…
Incentives paid by the government have failed to provide the changes needed to shore up Medicare for the future. AAP

What ails thee: diagnosing the health of Medicare

David Baker, University of Canberra

Health Minister Nicola Roxon recently floated the idea that it might be time to revamp Medicare. Previous attempts have resulted in band-aid efforts to cover policy failures that contribute to out-of-pocket…
The approaches may differ, but the end goal has much in common. Collierwilson

Scientists and politicians – the same but different?

Will J Grant, Australian National University and Rod Lamberts, Australian National University

THE STATE OF SCIENCE: Why do politicians and scientists disagree on so many issues? Are they really as different as we might think? Will J Grant and Rod Lamberts weigh up the evidence. Opinion pieces these…
Self-harm is a response to emotions that feel intolerable and unbearable to young people who aren’t yet equipped to deal with them. Gareth Williams

Growing pains: puberty responsible for most teenage self-harm

George Patton, Murdoch Children's Research Institute

A study published today in the Lancet shows that while self-harm is relatively common among teenagers, most young people will naturally stop hurting themselves as they develop biologically and emotionally…
Are ordinary homeowners perpetuating Australia’s property bubble? AAP

The property bubble makes us slaves to each other’s debt

Philip Soos, Deakin University

While my recent commentary (here and here) demonstrates Australian housing is in a bubble, I have not explained where this situation has come from. Asset markets, in this case, property, are the subject…