STATE OF THE STATES: a snapshot of the key issues affecting each state and territory in the lead up to Saturday’s election. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is generally regarded as a Labor stronghold…
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The seats of Dobell and Robertson encompass most of the Central Coast between Sydney and Newcastle and therefore preside over a glistening necklace of beaches and waterways that are among the most beautiful…
The impending federal election provides a good opportunity to pause and ask ourselves what kind of society we want to live in. The decision we make will impact both our lives and that of our children as…
One of the most depressing and puzzling features of the current election campaign is the lack of emphasis on the costs that environmental risks pose to industry and business. Australian politicians appear…
A curious feature of the election campaign to date has been the lack of focus on competition and consumer policy. Generally this subject rates highly, as parties try to curry favour with consumers and…
We’re simply talking about the very life support system of this planet. - Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, chief climate advisor to the German Government It is not news that we are over stretching our planetary…
The number of Australians running or jogging has almost doubled since 2005-06 and - with the rise of smartphones - running and fitness app development has also exploded. So how many of these runners have…
“A programme to implement independent public schools will lead to higher productivity, better quality education outcomes for students.” - The Coalition’s Policy for Schools, August 2013. The Coalition…
Health care is a tough nut for governments because it’s the largest source of growth in government spending. Salary costs are the major part of this cost so workforce policy decisions have profound implications…
On Monday, the Coalition announced its plan for the Great Barrier Reef, including a A$40m trust-fund to target threats to the Reef such as Crown of Thorns starfish and runoff from agriculture. The promises…
When considering contemporary human rights issues in Australia – our denial of refugee rights, the disproportionate number of Indigenous children in juvenile detention and racial vilification on public…
In the final countdown to polling day, Australian political history suggests that political parties will start to fight dirty in critical seats, using just-legal tricks in an attempt to get the winning…
Climate change is an issue that fires the emotions. Our media is full of images of this emotional engagement, from the despair of a venture capitalist in tears as he describes his fear “that we’re not…
As humans, we experience an amazing world of colour, but what can other animals see? Some see much more than us, but how they use this vision is largely unknown. We see what we see because our eyes have…
In a move that was paradoxically as unexpected as it was inevitable, Finnish mobile phone company Nokia has sold its mobile phones business to Microsoft for US$7.2 billion. The deal comes at a time when…
STATE OF THE STATES: a snapshot of the key issues affecting each state and territory in the lead up to Saturday’s election. With just days to polling and deepening voter scepticism towards Kevin Rudd and…
Election 2013 Essays: As the federal election campaign draws to a close, The Conversation asked eminent thinkers to reflect on the state of the nation and the challenges Australia – and whichever party…
“The bulk-billing rates are at historic highs now. Visits to GPs are 82% bulk-billed. When Tony Abbott was minister it was 67%.” Health minister Tanya Plibersek, National Press Club Health Debate, 27 August…
Presumably, you have now read all about what on earth the G20 is, and you care deeply. But what does it actually do? The aim of the G20 is clear. The 2009 G20 Framework for Strong, Sustainable, and Balanced…
Australia’s 2013 election campaign is noteworthy not just for the ferocity of the party leaders’ exchanges on tax and policy costings but also for the corresponding [absence of any substantial debate](https://theconversation.com/after-the-boom-where-will-growth-come-from-17358](https://theconversation.com/after-the-boom-where-will-growth-come-from-17358…
It goes without saying that the National Broadband Network (NBN) – regardless of who steers the rest of the build – is a major infrastructure project for Australia. And we all know its cost, technical…
The responsibility of caring for those most vulnerable in society often falls to community service groups. When extreme events such as bushfires, floods, heatwaves and storms hit, many rely on local volunteers…
Anyone, it seems, can create an epidemic. Witness a recent article in the Fairfax papers that provides “startling” news about the large number of Australians with high cholesterol who don’t even know they…
Talk to mining billionaire Clive Palmer and you move into a different zone, where normal laws of probability are not applied. Palmer says polling over the last few days suggests he can win two Senate seats…
You may have seen the recent ten-page internet.org whitepaper, bearing the imprimatur of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. It heralds an initiative for the greater good that may very well change the world…