The great divide where religious beliefs and the law meet
Religious freedom in Australia can be a source of division with examples of respect for and of government interference with that freedom.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Analysis and Comment
Ethnic religious communities may be the ‘No’ campaign’s secret weapon in same-sex marriage fight
Social conservatism among many ethnic communities will be a key factor in deciding the result of the upcoming same-sex marriage survey.
The politics of public monuments: it’s time Australians looked at what, and whom, we commemorate
Many of our public commemorations honour people and incidents that brought great harm to others.
‘No religion’ and Jedi Knight find their place in Australian identity
The relationship of Australians to religion is changing, as people find other ways to connect with their personal beliefs.
Australian census data show collapse in citizenship uptake by New Zealanders
The latest census data confirm it's become more difficult for New Zealanders living in Australia to become citizens.
To Christians arguing ‘no’ on marriage equality: the Bible is not decisive
For Christian groups to claim the Bible speaks against same-sex marriage is simply a misreading of biblical values.
Official prayers in federal parliament are divisive and unconstitutional, and should be scrapped
Australia’s federal MPs are apparently servants of the Christian God, working for His glory.
Evidence is clear on the benefits of legalising same-sex marriage
The majority of academic research is either non-committal or in favour of the benefits afforded by legalising same-sex marriage.
Politics podcast: Mathias Cormann on the same-sex marriage postal survey
Politics Podcast: Mathias Cormann on the same-sex marriage postal survey.
Since announcing that the ABS would be responsible for carrying out the same-sex marriage postal survey, Mathias Cormann has had no shortage of questions.
As Australia becomes less religious, our parliament becomes more so
In a nation labelled secular, many of our elected representatives have strong religious ties.
Striking in al-Ándalus: why Islamic State attacked Spain
The location and targeting of Islamic State’s latest attack deviates from the group’s previous efforts.
If High Court decides against ministers with dual citizenship, could their decisions in office be challenged?
The ministers under a cloud because of dual citizenship need to be very careful about the decisions they make before the matter is resolved.
VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the government’s dual citizenship issues
Michelle Grattan and Deep Saini discuss the week in politics.
Finding balance on marriage equality debate a particular challenge for the media
In the marriage equality debate as in any other, media outlets must balance the right to freedom of speech with the balance of evidence.
Grattan on Friday: Malcolm Turnbull’s government has finally defied fiction
Malcolm Turnbull is an optimist – or so he always tells us.
High Court challenge to offshore immigration detention power fails
The Australian government had and has the power to do things necessary to establish and maintain its immigration detention facility on Manus Island.
Grooming the globe: denying fairness, complexity and humanity
Making self-interest seem normal and a commitment to fairness an elite aberration has been a long-term project.
Is The Bachelor anti-feminist, or is conventional heterosexual romance the real problem?
A pattern of male leadership and female passivity in heterosexual romance is woven into the formula on The Bachelor.
Research and News
High Court sets dual citizenship hearings for October
The High Court has set hearing dates of October 10, 11 and 12 for MPs' dual citizenship cases.
Successful people would leave Australia under ‘socialist’ Shorten: Cormann
A Labor government's attack on the successful would lead to an exit from Australia, Mathias Cormann has claimed.
The Conversation's global sites
Trump is wrong: his ‘new’ Afghanistan policy looks like more of the same
Without a legitimate government, Afghanistan will never be stable ... no matter how many terrorists are killed.
Trump’s new Afghanistan strategy gets one thing right but questions remain
Afghanistan is now officially James Mattis’ war
With Bannon back at Breitbart, what will #WAR mean for the White House?
Explainer: Grace Mugabe and the intricacies of diplomatic immunity
How should we protest neo-Nazis? Lessons from German history
Big Ben silenced: Britain’s bong furore is a sign of national insecurity
Grace Mugabe: why diplomatic immunity isn’t always an ‘out of jail’ ticket
Islamic State’s Twitter network is decimated, but other extremists face much less disruption
Barcelona’s Las Ramblas: economic powerhouse and symbolic heart of a city
Wasted votes, hyper-marginals and disillusion: reform group issues damning report on election 2017
Elections are only part of the story in Kenya’s history of post-poll violence
Are Islamic State recruits more street gang members than zealots?
Cities
What’s equity got to do with health in a higher-density city?
Being crowded into poor-quality high-density units harms residents' health, but design features that are known to promote wellbeing can make a big difference to the lives of low-income households.
Democracy Futures
The Madhouse Effect: this is how climate denial in Australia and the US compares
While climate denialism impedes policymaking in both the US and Australia, there are key differences in their political and public cultures.
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Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
Same-sex marriage
To Christians arguing ‘no’ on marriage equality: the Bible is not decisive
For Christian groups to claim the Bible speaks against same-sex marriage is simply a misreading of biblical values.
Memory
The politics of public monuments: it’s time Australians looked at what, and whom, we commemorate
Many of our public commemorations honour people and incidents that brought great harm to others. We need to look at what that says about us, and how we build more inclusive public memorials.
Religion
Official prayers in federal parliament are divisive and unconstitutional, and should be scrapped
Australia’s federal MPs are apparently servants of the Christian God, working for His glory.
Citizenship
Australian census data show collapse in citizenship uptake by New Zealanders
The latest census data confirm it's become more difficult for New Zealanders living in Australia to become citizens.
Terrorism
Striking in al-Ándalus: why Islamic State attacked Spain
The location and targeting of Islamic State's latest attack, on the Spanish city of Barcelona, deviates from the group's previous efforts.
Federal politics
Grattan on Friday: Malcolm Turnbull’s government has finally defied fiction
Malcolm Turnbull is an optimist, or so he always tells us, and he'll be looking at how things could all work out for the best in the best of worlds.
High Court
To the High Court we go: six MPs under clouds in decisions that could undermine the government
The High Court ruling over the five MPs' legitimacy to hold seats may hang on whether they took reasonable steps to renounce their non-Australian citizenships.
Asylum seekers
High Court challenge to offshore immigration detention power fails
The Australian government had and has the power to do things necessary to establish and maintain its immigration detention facility on Manus Island, despite detention violating PNG law.
Griffith Review
Grooming the globe: denying fairness, complexity and humanity
Making self-interest seem normal and a commitment to fairness an elite aberration has been a long-term project.
Abuse
Royal commission provides a vital blueprint for justice for sex abuse victims – now it’s time to act
Reporting child sexual abuse to police, and any subsequent investigation or trial, is a time of profound instability for victims and their families.
Political history
What Malcolm Turnbull might have learned from Alfred Deakin
Like Malcolm Turnbull, the three-time prime minister Alfred Deakin was sometimes accused of lacking substance, but he had core political commitments from which he never wavered.
Sex work
Radical feminists’ objection to sex work is profoundly un-feminist
The sex industry doesn’t need your admiration, but nor does it deserve your condemnation.
Inequality
Egalitarian or Edwardian? The rising wealth inequality in Australia
If the gap between the wealth of the billionaires and that of the average residents continues to widen dramatically, there is likely to be discontent.
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