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The Federal Government’s plain packaging legislation has been emblematic of how a foreign investor’s right to sue governments can be abused. So why is ACCI’s new campaign ignoring some important facts? AAP

ACCI’s right to sue campaign not supported by the facts

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has apparently decided that it is up in arms over a Gillard government policy announced more than a year ago. In April 2011, the federal government…
Australia has signed up to three international agreements to outlaw shark finning, but sharks still wash up minus fins. Alex Hofford/EPA

Australia not doing enough to prevent shark finning

Another critically endangered grey nurse shark has washed up on a northern NSW beach, with its fins removed. Shark fins are valued at more than A$400 per kilogram. This high market value encourages the…
The flags of 204 nations were on display in London, but do “nations” even exist? Christophe Karaba/EPA

The Olympic closing ceremony celebrates the myth of nations

As I sat there this morning watching the London 2012 closing ceremony, I was impressed by the artistry, choreography, stage-setting (an artistry unto itself), music and the sense of celebration in the…
Despite a growth in the study of homelessness, significant gaps remain in our understanding of it. Flickr/Davco9200

Caught in a longterm cycle: homelessness in Australia

In Australia the homeless population has become more diverse over the last 20 years, with more young people, women and families experiencing homelessness. This has led to a growth in the study of homelessness…
Big Brother is back … but will we watch? AAP/Big Brother

‘Be Surprised’ … why Big Brother won’t go away

It’s tempting to wonder whether Channel Nine’s “Be Surprised” slogan, heralding the return of Big Brother, is intentionally ironic. After all, its producers are proudly offering nothing new. Speaking to…
Ageing happens differently for males and females – and we’re closer to knowing why. Pierre K

Time flies (and more so for males than females)

How can researchers study the effects and causes of ageing, and the difference in this regard between males and females? In our case, we looked at flies. And more specifically, the mitochondria of these…
While FGC is common in Africa, the practice is illegal in many Western countries. Flickr/tlupic

Time for change: the harms of female genital cutting

Female genital cutting (FGC) – also known as female genital mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision – is widely practised in Africa and has been described by UNICEF “one of the worst violations of the…
We could better deal with the onslaught of information and misinformation if we were better educated in argument and debate. Simon Rankin

Climate science and policy: the tension between ‘argument’ and ‘debate’

Robert Manne’s important essay in The Monthly (August 2012) laments that in the climate change debate “the denialist campaign has won”, a sharp turn for the worse since 2009. Clearly, Manne’s primary purpose…
There are vast opportunities for firms to improve productivity at the enterprise level. Image from www.shutterstock.com

How individual firms can solve the ‘productivity paradox’

Commentators are urging government and others to do whatever they can to improve productivity in Australia because it is a key driver of prosperity, living standards and national wealth. While recent reports…
Mitt Romney introduces Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate. EPA/Jim Lo Scalzo

Saving Privat(izing) Ryan: Mitt Romney selects a running mate

On Saturday, August 11, “before the press and just about everyone else” was notified, the Mitt Romney campaign used a mobile phone app to inform supporters that Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan would be…
We need to stop pretending that all ideas are the same. Flickr/ LiverpoolHopeUniversity

Are all ideas equal? Not in the classroom

There is a widespread belief amongst teachers that it is part of their duty of care, even a defining aspect of their of professionalism, that all views expressed in the classroom are to be treated equally…
Reading the same book can bring students closer together as a group. Students reading image from www.shutterstock.com

A journey with The Boat: students connect over a common story

First-year undergraduate students at the University of Melbourne have been invited to participate in a new initiative. “Melbourne Summer Reading” identifies a book which speaks to some of the big issues…
Seven Cameroonians disappeared this week … but why? EPA/Dennis M. Sabangan

The case of the lost athletes – when Olympians seek asylum

Every four years, the Olympics brings us plenty of drama on and off the sports field. This year has been no different with seven athletes from Cameroon absconding from the Olympic village and more anticipated…
A group of Iranian pilgrims captured by the Free Syria Army who claim are Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Al Arabiya

Iran – Syrian ally to the bitter end

This week the Islamic Republic of Iran made a blunt statement, reiterating its position in relation to the on-going conflict in Syria. According to Saeed Jalili, a senior advisor to the Iranian Supreme…
Coming first is worth celebrating … but not winning gold shouldn’t be commiserated. EPA/Robert Ghement

Gold standard: are we obsessed with Olympic victory?

The decorated Australian swimmer, Emily Seebohm, climbed out of the pool in tears last week … because she won silver. Through a tear-streaked interview, Seebohm apologised to her parents, her coach, and…
Many Australians think they have experienced events associated with climate change. AAP Image/Tony McDonough

What does ‘belief’ in climate change really mean?

Where one stands on “climate change” has been such a vexed and often confusing issue, at dinner parties, over coffee, with the taxi driver, and in terms of media reporting of where the Australian public…
No war was photographed like Vietnam and many of these images still speak to us today. Photographer: Michael Coleridge. Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial EKN/67/0130/VN.

The photographer’s war: Vietnam through a lens

An unprecedented level of media coverage made the Vietnam war a watershed moment in the discipline of photography. The images by official military photographers, photojournalists, and individual soldiers…
Nurofen was criticised for claiming its products “target” different sites of pain. samcatchsides.com/flickr

TGA failure gives Nurofen consumers a headache

In 2010, the promotion of the Nurofen range of products “targeting” migraine, back pain, tension headache and period pain was awarded a CHOICE shonky award. This was because all these products contained…
Will the London Olympics lead to increased participation in grassroots sport? BELAMBRA CLUBS

The sports legacy of the Olympic Games

While competition at the London Olympics only runs for 19 days, the Games are likely to have an impact far beyond this brief period of time. Or so we’re told. In this video Stephen Frawley discusses the…
Should a faceless committee decide whether men should have treatment? Meeting(green) from www.shutterstock.com

Giving men choice: the case for routine prostate cancer screening

Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a common blood test used by doctors to assess whether an individual has prostate cancer. It also predicts the risk of developing prostate cancer sometime in the future…
A diagnosis of early prostate cancer may end up doing more harm than good. Medical Office picture from Shutterstock

More harm than good: rethinking routine prostate cancer screening

My offer for a public debate was accepted after I co-published opposing viewpoints about the high rates of over-diagnosis and over-treatment of early stage prostate cancer with leading urologist Professor…
Feats of athletic brilliance have the power to lift and inspire. Glacier Tim

Better than gold: the real value of the Olympic Games

The London Olympics and Paralympics have arrived at the perfect time. It’s almost like we need a good dose of sporting inspiration, courage and positivity to help get us back on track. Despite being a…