Monash University was established in 1958 and welcomed its first intake of students in 1961. In its fifty year history, the university has established itself as one of Australia’s finest tertiary institutions, building an enviable reputation for both its outstanding teaching and its transformative research. Today, Monash is Australia’s largest university, boasting a global network of more than 250,000 alumni.
Almost 15 years have passed since Rupert Murdoch declared that “sport absolutely overpowers film and everything else in the entertainment genre,” yet the media mogul’s words still capture the reality of…
Julia Gillard was confronted by a shopper about the government’s carbon tax.
AAP/Patrick Hamilton
Before the details of the carbon tax were released this week, the government was fighting with one hand tied behind its back. Sometimes it looked like it had both hands and feet manacled as Prime Minister…
Refugees fled the Crusades. This is a detail from St Dominic and the Albigenses by Pedro Berruguete.
Flickr/derechoaleer
Given the often hysterical media coverage of the refugee debate you could be forgiven for thinking that people seeking refuge in other countries is a new phenomenon. Not so. Refugees have been around since…
Convicted killer Arthur Freeman is led away from the Supreme Court in Melbourne.
AAP
Arthur Freeman’s involvement in an altercation in Victoria’s Barwon prison this week has again highlighted the fraught issue of how we deal with offenders who commit crimes that many of us assume could…
Latrobe Valley’s longer term future will depend on the cost of building new gas-fired plants.
AAP
There appears to be lots of ‘doom and gloom’ around brown coal generation in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley under the carbon tax. It is far from obvious that this is justified – at least in the next few years…
Why does seeing an injury cause some people to experience pain?
You expect to feel pain when you fall off a bicycle but should you feel pain when you see someone else do the same? Some people do because pain is more than the actual injury; it’s a perception. For some…
Technology now being developed will profoundly alter human experience.
hebedesign
Can you imagine a world where millions of interconnected wireless sensors provide early warning of natural disasters? Well, imagination might soon not be necessary. Our perception depends on a complex…
The carbon tax media conference sets the scene for the slogans of tomorrow.
AAP
It began with the familiar sight of the Prime Minister standing behind a lectern, flanked by Australian flags. But unlike previous press conferences, she was joined by Treasurer Wayne Swan and Climate…
The laying of charges against two Reserve Bank of Australia subsidiaries and six of their former senior managers for alleged bribery of foreign officials represents a truly historic moment in Australian…
Investment in Australia’s ports is one obvious priority to enhance growth - but let’s broaden our outlook.
There has been much debate in the popular and political discourse on the state of our national infrastructure. The general consensus, despite Victoria’s Baillieu government’s failure to put forth any proposals…
After his failed attempt at winning the Liberal Party presidency, Peter Reith has become a liberated soul. As president he would be expected to avoid controversy, especially on policy issues. But now…
The difficulty in diagnosing lupus lends itself to the treatment it receives on the TV show House.
eeb d o/Flickr
On the television show House, doctors try to diagnose mysterious illnesses, and often when time is running out all other options have been exhausted, one of the characters will offer a diagnosis of last…
Thousands of Brits moved to Australia for the thrill of a more glamorous life. But many struggled.
Flickr/MarkFaviellPhotos
Published biographies, and indeed many histories, are often about the famous, rich or powerful. And most often, they’re about men. I’ve preferred to research and write about so-called “ordinary” men and…
Can the IMF’s new head, Christine Lagarde restore much-needed confidence in the euro?
AAP
Quelle surprise. French finance minister Christine Lagarde has been announced as the new managing director of the IMF, succeeding the beleaguered Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Like Strauss-Khan (known as ‘DSK…
Synthetic cannabis, known commercially as Kronic, K2, Kaos or Spice, was designed to circumvent drug laws and give users a “legal high”. But Western Australia banned the product earlier this month and…
The AFP is using wrist x-rays to determine whether refugee boat crew members should face a 5-year jail term.
AAP
The current Australian Federal Police practice of using X-rays of the hand/wrist to assess the age of Indonesian crew members of boats bringing refugees to Australia is based on a method developed in the…