Every now and then we manufacture a crisis in Australian school science.
People write reports. These recommend change, including curriculum change, and point out the ways in which current patterns of…
Health rationing assessments compare different aspects of health such as pain, anxiety, mobility and social interactions – but what’s more important?
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In the seventh part of our series Health Rationing, Richard Norman and Rosalie Viney explain the controversial system governments use to decide what will and won’t be covered under Australia’s universal…
Opposition leader Tony Abbott is under pressure to drop his signature paid parental leave scheme ahead of this year’s federal election.
AAP/Dave Hunt
There is an odd consensus emerging between conservative Liberals opposed to their own leader’s paid parental leave scheme and defenders of the Gillard government’s version of the same policy.
Into the…
A myopic focus on short-term cyclical business cycles has meant successive governments have failed to carry much needed structural reform.
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No sooner had Treasurer Wayne Swan accused the Europeans of “mindless austerity” a month ago than he embarked on a resolute but most likely counter-productive search for cost savings in the coming May…
Putting panels on your roof reduces your power bill, but it also reduces the risk of price rises for everyone on the network.
murphyz/Flickr
How much would you pay to avoid another $250 a year hike in your electricity bill? Does $15 a year sound like too much to reduce that risk?
We’ve heard a lot lately about rising electricity prices. That…
Most people struggle to do more than the basics when it comes to climate change action. What pushes others to really take on the challenge?
Province of British Columbia
International negotiations have failed to give us strong global commitments on climate change. Nations are falling short on their commitments for greenhouse gas emission reductions. Forget top-down solutions…
Vaccines are one of the most effective public health measures ever introduced.
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Recently released government figures show levels of childhood vaccination have fallen to dangerously low levels in some areas of Australia, resulting in some corners of the media claiming re-ignition of…
The body of people and organisations speaking out against fuel and energy subsidies is growing.
AAP Image/Penny Bradfield
More than half of global greenhouse gas emissions come from burning fossil fuels. Reducing and eventually eliminating fossil fuel use is a critical priority. Most of the world’s remaining fossil fuel reserves…
Recent redundancies at Holden have sparked debate over the need for a revised “industry policy”: but is this really the way forward?
AAP/Andrew Brownbill
The recent GM-Holden redundancies have provoked much comment, in many cases appealing for both state and federal governments to find solutions. But can government solve this dilemma, or is it a (big…
Shhh – there’s so much buzz around your digital footprint.
Yael P
Privacy and technology go together like music and dance: it’s only when both work well together that the magic happens. But what about privacy in the age of big data, an era in which your every move has…
Will the NBN be more “future-proof” under Labor or the Coalition?
Lukas Coch/AAP image
In yesterday’s Business Spectator, shadow communications minister Malcolm Turnbull defended the Coalition’s broadband plan, released on Tuesday, as a better alternative to Labor’s National Broadband Network…
Margaret Thatcher was a female trailblazer, but never considered herself a feminist: and her example has failed to usher in another female PM or boost female MP numbers.
EPA/Andy Rain
The death of the first – and so far only – female British prime minister raises the question of how to judge her contribution to feminism and leadership.
Given that only now we have our first female PM…
There is a danger that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) may end up being more about money and less about education.
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The astonishing idealism and energy manifest in the advance of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has taken the higher education world by storm.
Universities have been shaken to their foundations by…
Changes to 457 visas by the Gillard government has divided political and public opinion in Australia.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The current public debate over temporary employment 457 visa holders has thrown a spotlight on a major shift in Australia’s migration program.
Historical context
Prior to the introduction of the Temporary…
In crowd-share innovation, collaboratively building messy physical models and envisioning new futures with a wide array of props allows latent ideas to move beyond the limits of conversation and into the territory of gestalt.
The past few years have seen a resurgence in design as a driver of innovation. This has been visible in the popular managerial press and also the scholarly debate in management and design. Many foreign…
Having a sound corporate vision is a key driver of a company’s success, but a recent study suggests that most employees are ignorant of corporate strategy.
Corporate consultants often say that a company’s success depends not only on having a clear vision, but the ability to articulate it to all levels of staff.
But how many employees know or understand the…
There may be “health risks” associated with GW501516, but what are they?
Hannibal/EPA
This article was updated on April 12, 2013, and includes responses from WADA and GSK.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has taken the unusual step of warning athletes about the health risks of the banned…
Myths surround the use of polygraph machines.
Lie detector photo from Shutterstock.
Please, sit down. Try not to sweat. Just relax. Now, answer honestly: could lie detectors succeed where current anti-doping measures in sport are failing?
If you answered “yes” you are not alone. There…
Only 7% of the NSW coast is currently protected from fishing: it’s about to be 0%.
Éamonn Lawlor
The NSW Government’s announcement this week allowing beach fishing in sanctuary (no-take) zones of marine parks flies in the face of sensible conservation of precious marine biodiversity. It is a warning…
The government policy which moves sole parents onto lower paid Newstart benefits once their children turn eight has caught the attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Flickr/Flickeringerbrad
Late last year, the United Nations' Human Rights Council expressed its concern that moves to push sole parents onto a lower paid income support may breach our responsibilities under a number of human rights…
Listening to digital radio is the future. But where does that leave small community based radio stations?
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
The future of radio is digital but that future is at risk for community radio because of government funding cuts.
There are 37 community radio stations providing on-air services in digital form as part…
It is not currently possible to find the energy source sold by any of the licensed electricity retailers in Australia.
Flickr/dereckGavey
In Europe and America, electricity retailers let their customers know whether their electricity is coming from renewable energy or fossil fuels. In Australia, your retailer has no such obligation.
The…
How can you tell what products might be of use and which ones will only lighten your wallet?
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Australia’s complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) industry is worth about A$4 billion annually. Around two thirds of Australians use CAM – which includes therapies such as chiropractic and naturopathy…
Unnamed players from the Cronulla Sharks NRL club are being investigated over the alleged use of performance-enhancing drug TB-4 … but what is it?
AAP Image
Fairfax Media reported today that 14 players from the Cronulla Sharks NRL club may be suspended by the Australian Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA) for the alleged use of a substance called thymosin beta-4 (TB…
Onwards and upwards: using quotas and targets could pave a leadership path for more women.
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Despite great aspirations and considerable effort towards attaining more women in leadership, progress over the last 10 years has at best been slow, as a recent report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics…
