Should the Coalition’s $300 billion of tax cuts ever be enacted, they would push the budget back towards deficit.
Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten and Prime Minister Scott Morrison attending an ovarian cancer event at Parliament House in February.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Knowledge is important to produce informed policy, but an understanding of people is also vital in a democracy. And that requires listening – to all sectors of society, not only elites and lobbyists.
Three words, so much mileage: Tony Abbott’s anti-carbon tax refrain has been a fixture on the policy landscape for years.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
We’ve been here before. In fact we’ve been going round in circles on climate policy for decades, while the temperature (of the debate, as well as the planet) climbs ever higher.
Early detection of disease can be a double-edged sword.
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The threshold for diagnosing common conditions such as high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease and gestational diabetes have all lowered in recent years. But for whose benefit?
Parents are often anxious about whether or not their child is ready for school.
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Research has found one-quarter of children in NSW delayed school entry in 2009 and 2012, with the tendency to delay varying according to where families live and their socio-economic status.
Who’s the boss in a smart home?
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Smart home technology promises to make our lives easier, but how much control do we want this tech to have over our lives? And do we really trust it?
Can Australians be confident that the new National Construction Code will ensure new buildings avoid structural defects like those that led to the evacuation of the Opal Tower (left) in Sydney?
Dylan Coker/AAP
Under the new code, buildings are hardly likely to differ measurably from their fault-ridden older siblings and can still fall short of a six-star rating. It’s possible they may have no stars!
New research shows dolphins have a large clitoris that is similar to the human organ.
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It was not until the late 1990s that the anatomy of the human clitoris was accurately described by Australia’s first female urologist. And now research in animals is starting to catch up.
The median out-of-pocket expenses for breast cancer treatment is A$4,192.
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The Coalition has had longer than a three year cycle to make some changes to education. But since the 2016 election, what has it actually done? And what is Labor proposing?
Locals send a message in Barcelona.
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Present in Asia and Australia, the origins of swamp foxtails have not always been clear. Genetic studies put uncertainties to rest.
With more than a million Australians using public transport to get to work each day, demand for car parking at the station is virtually insatiable.
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The Commuter Car Park Fund announced in the budget sounds big, but is likely to create only around 30,000 extra spaces – a marginal benefit for Australia’s 1.2 million daily public transport users.
It’s important to keep your daytime naps to ten to 30 minutes and no longer.
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Huon pines in Tasmania have locked up significant amounts of mercury pollution from the state’s mining industrial history. And that can be released back to the atmosphere in bushfires.
This year’s Stella Prize shortlist is difficult to sum up or pin down - but the experiences of young people are a recurring theme.
Stella Prize/The Conversation
The six books shortlisted for this year’s Stella prize cover diverse subject matter and make risky aesthetic choices; they are serious and thoroughly unsentimental.
Casual academics provide flexibility for universities at a time when student numbers are uncertain.
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The higher education sector may be the the third largest employer of casual staff in Australia. More cuts to universities mean the use of casual academics could increase further.
Fluorescence microscopy image of the newly formed blood vessels after injection of our seaweed-derived hydrogel in a muscle. In green are the blood vessels and in blue the cell nuclei.
Aurelien Forget, Roberto Gianni-Barrera, Andrea Banfi and Prasad Shastri
Small wounds can usually heal by themselves, but larger wounds can be a problem. With a little help from a seaweed we can help the body regenerate new blood vessels.
It’s unwise to reply on continued investment from China.
Eric Prouzet/Unsplash
Chinese investment in Australia fell 36% in 2018. It is cause to reflect on the national interest in balancing political concerns with a strong economy.
An analysis of population statistics shows that most New Zealanders, from any groups, don’t report experiencing intolerance or discrimination.
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Simon Chapple, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Many New Zealanders responded to the Christchurch terror attack with displays of unity and openness, and research into attitudes shows that tolerance is a widely held value.
It is unlikely the Turnbull-Morrison Coalition government will be remembered for any significant reforms.
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Labor’s cancer care package is bound to be popular. But with around one-third of cancers preventable, both sides of politics need to invest in reducing cancer in the first place.
Much of what’s been promised would have had to happen anyway.
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