tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/2014-the-year-that-was-8378/articles2014, the year that was – The Conversation2014-12-29T21:27:53Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/356792014-12-29T21:27:53Z2014-12-29T21:27:53Z2014, the year that was: Environment + Energy<p>Want a single word to sum up environmental affairs in 2014? Let’s go with “heated”. The year began with the realisation that 2013 was <a href="https://theconversation.com/2013-was-australias-hottest-year-warm-for-much-of-the-world-21670">Australia’s hottest ever</a> (and yes, <a href="https://theconversation.com/human-hands-are-all-over-australias-hottest-ever-year-32267">it’s because of us</a>), and ended with the knowledge that the world has probably just lived through the <a href="https://theconversation.com/hot-2014-closes-in-on-top-spot-in-world-temperature-rankings-35046">hottest ever measured globally</a>.</p>
<p>But the heat wasn’t just in the atmosphere; environmental policy provided enough acrimony to keep everyone simmering about something. As the <a href="https://theconversation.com/99-999-certainty-humans-are-driving-global-warming-new-study-29911">certainty over climate science stacked up ever higher</a>, the uncertainty over Australia’s response has grown too.</p>
<p>In July we said <a href="https://theconversation.com/obituary-australias-carbon-price-29217">goodbye to the carbon price</a>, as the Abbott government delivered one of its central pledges to voters. True, the policy was <a href="https://theconversation.com/despite-its-imminent-demise-the-carbon-price-has-cut-emissions-29199">cutting emissions</a>, but it was also politically poisonous throughout its two-year life.</p>
<p>Its replacement, the A$2.5 billion <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/direct-action-plan">Direct Action</a> plan, was <a href="https://theconversation.com/palmer-deal-gives-green-light-to-direct-action-experts-react-33601">finally waved through in October</a>, despite analysts’ <a href="https://theconversation.com/direct-action-policy-still-leaves-loopholes-open-for-big-polluters-25918">reservations</a> about whether the idea of paying polluters to cut greenhouse emissions will actually work. (The government’s other flagship environment policy, the “<a href="https://theconversation.com/another-broken-promise-budget-switches-landcare-for-green-army-26818">Green Army</a>”, has been so low-profile as to be almost AWOL.)</p>
<p>Whisper it, but economic forces might yet morph Direct Action into a <a href="https://theconversation.com/direct-action-could-deliver-a-useful-outcome-carbon-trading-33736">reborn form of emissions trading</a>. Bizarrely, that could leave mining billionaire Clive Palmer, whose <a href="https://theconversation.com/clive-palmer-promises-carbon-tax-repeal-in-a-policy-that-throws-bones-in-all-directions-28475">press conference alongside Al Gore must rate as the year’s most unexpected environmental policy moment</a>, looking like an <a href="https://theconversation.com/audio-qanda-whats-in-and-out-of-palmers-climate-strategy-28497">unlikely climate guru</a> after calling for emissions trading to continue, albeit at a price of zero.</p>
<p>Yet this was all tinkering around the edges in comparison with the blockbuster <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-china-climate-deal-at-last-a-real-game-changer-on-emissions-34148">US-China climate deal</a> unveiled in November, which will see China’s emissions peak in 2030 (and no, that <a href="https://theconversation.com/factcheck-does-the-new-climate-deal-let-china-do-nothing-for-16-years-34239">doesn’t mean they get to do nothing until then</a>). Coming ahead of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/g20-brisbane">Brisbane G20 summit</a> at which Australia had sought to keep climate off the agenda, this was more a blindside than a shirtfront for Prime Minister Tony Abbott.</p>
<p>The move upped the pressure on Australia (and others) to step up at this month’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/julie-bishop-arrives-at-climate-talks-amid-ignominy-for-australia-35108">Lima climate summit</a>. The government pledged <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-200-million-climate-pledge-falls-short-of-its-true-debt-35318">A$200 million to the Green Climate Fund</a>, yet progress on the real task at hand, forging a proper climate treaty at the Paris 2015 summit, remains <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-talks-slouch-towards-paris-as-lima-summit-finally-wraps-up-35478">frustratingly slow</a>.</p>
<p>Domestically, nowhere has the policy uncertainty been greater than in the renewable energy sector, with the government bidding to <a href="https://theconversation.com/planned-cut-to-renewable-energy-target-a-free-kick-for-fossil-fuels-33317">slash the Renewable Energy Target</a> in the wake of <a href="https://theconversation.com/review-calls-for-renewable-energy-target-cuts-what-it-means-29787">Warburton review</a>.</p>
<p>Some organisations decided to take green finance matters into their own hands, with the Australian National University’s decision to divest from seven resources firms <a href="https://theconversation.com/outrage-at-anu-divestment-shows-the-power-of-its-idea-32736">prompting a vicious backlash</a>.</p>
<h2>Coal and coral</h2>
<p>While the current public policy settings have helped the coal industry enjoy huge wins such as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/carmichael-mine-is-a-game-changer-for-australian-coal-29839">game-changing Carmichael mine development</a>, other events showed that the costs of cheap energy <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-real-disaster-at-hazelwood-and-elsewhere-is-brown-coal-itself-31375">aren’t just financial</a>. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/victorias-coal-fire-poses-a-rare-challenge-for-firefighting-23698">Hazelwood mine fire</a> burned for weeks in February and March, <a href="https://theconversation.com/young-and-old-told-to-leave-morwell-south-amid-smoke-fears-23823">severely polluting the town of Morwell</a> and raising <a href="https://theconversation.com/accidents-or-bad-regulation-why-victorias-coal-mines-keep-failing-26376">serious questions about Victoria’s coal industry</a>.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67782/original/image-20141219-31570-10o1p9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67782/original/image-20141219-31570-10o1p9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67782/original/image-20141219-31570-10o1p9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67782/original/image-20141219-31570-10o1p9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67782/original/image-20141219-31570-10o1p9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67782/original/image-20141219-31570-10o1p9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67782/original/image-20141219-31570-10o1p9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67782/original/image-20141219-31570-10o1p9p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Would you like dredge spoil with that?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Wikimedia Commons</span></span>
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<p>The Great Barrier Reef faces an uncertain future too, as the World Heritage Committee mulls the question of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-great-barrier-reef-should-not-be-listed-as-in-danger-35602">whether to list it as officially in danger</a> in the wake of January’s decision to allow <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-courting-danger-with-the-great-barrier-reef-20411">millions of tonnes of dredge spoil to be dumped on the reef</a>. The decision was reversed in September, but few issues have prompted more rancour this year.</p>
<p>Elsewhere on the high seas there was a win for Australia on whaling, with The Hague <a href="https://theconversation.com/whaling-in-the-antarctic-japans-scientific-program-illegal-23824">ruling</a> that Japan’s scientific whaling program was against international law. But the long-running battle isn’t quite over – Japan could be back next year with a <a href="https://theconversation.com/japan-could-resume-whaling-this-time-with-the-hagues-blessing-31351">revised whaling plan</a>.</p>
<h2>Jaws of doom</h2>
<p>Great white sharks also earned a reprieve after Western Australia’s government was <a href="https://theconversation.com/western-australian-shark-cull-policy-dumped-experts-react-31621">forced to abandon its controversial shark cull</a>. Not a single great white was killed during the three-month trial cull from January to April, but <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-take-home-messages-from-was-official-shark-cull-numbers-26381">dozens of other sharks were</a>. </p>
<p>Some eastern-staters wondered what all the fuss was about, given that Queensland has targeted sharks for decades – but our analysis showed that <a href="https://theconversation.com/has-queensland-really-saved-lives-by-killing-thousands-of-sharks-23437">this policy doesn’t necessarily work</a>.</p>
<p>Other <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/australian-endangered-species">endangered animals</a> were even less fortunate. This year we bade a sad farewell to the last ever Christmas Island forest skink. <a href="https://theconversation.com/vale-gump-the-last-known-christmas-island-forest-skink-30252">Bye bye, Gump</a>.</p>
<p>But in happier news, the New Guinea big-eared bat made a <a href="https://theconversation.com/lost-bat-species-rediscovered-after-120-years-in-the-wilderness-26062">miraculous return from presumed extinction</a> after 120 years in the scientific wilderness.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67781/original/image-20141219-31573-5l50ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67781/original/image-20141219-31573-5l50ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67781/original/image-20141219-31573-5l50ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67781/original/image-20141219-31573-5l50ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67781/original/image-20141219-31573-5l50ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67781/original/image-20141219-31573-5l50ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67781/original/image-20141219-31573-5l50ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67781/original/image-20141219-31573-5l50ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Long time no see.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Julie Broken-Brow</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<h2>Green gloom</h2>
<p>Perhaps the biggest challenge when summing up a year of environmental news is to avoid being gloomy. Many Australians would describe themselves as concerned about the environment (whether they actually do anything about it is <a href="https://theconversation.com/most-australians-overestimate-how-green-they-really-are-22400">another question</a>), and it’s easy to see why.</p>
<p>With our <a href="https://theconversation.com/redrawing-the-map-could-reveal-ocean-garbage-patch-culprits-31163">oceans full of rubbish</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-we-still-hear-people-joke-about-hitting-cyclists-31214">cyclists copping abuse on talk radio</a>, a Treasurer who’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/sorry-joe-hockey-canberra-is-australias-home-of-wind-farms-26243">offended by wind farms</a>, and not even <a href="https://theconversation.com/surfs-down-climate-change-likely-to-bring-fewer-big-waves-24126">surfing</a> safe from climate change, it can be hard for the anxious environmentalist to know where to turn.</p>
<p>But there is some good news, at least for those who aren’t offended by stereotypes: this year was the year science finally proved that <a href="https://theconversation.com/hug-a-tree-the-evidence-shows-it-really-will-make-you-feel-better-21924">tree-hugging really does make you feel better</a>.</p>
<h2>The most-read Environment + Energy stories of 2014</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/ordering-the-vegetarian-meal-theres-more-animal-blood-on-your-hands-4659">Ordering the vegetarian meal? There’s more animal blood on your hands</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/99-999-certainty-humans-are-driving-global-warming-new-study-29911">99.999% certainty humans are driving global warming: new study</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/top-five-myths-about-genetic-modification-2664">Top five myths about genetic modification</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/vegetarians-cause-environmental-damage-but-meat-eaters-arent-off-the-hook-6090">Vegetarians cause environmental damage, but meat eaters aren’t off the hook</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/what-our-love-affair-with-coffee-pods-reveals-about-our-values-30068">What our love affair with coffee pods reveals about our values</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/an-insiders-story-of-the-global-attack-on-climate-science-21972">An insider’s story of the global attack on climate science</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-get-too-excited-no-one-has-cracked-nuclear-fusion-yet-33132">Don’t get too excited, no one has cracked nuclear fusion yet</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-pre-holocene-climate-is-returning-and-it-wont-be-fun-27742">The ‘pre-Holocene’ climate is returning – and it won’t be fun</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-keep-your-house-cool-in-a-heatwave-21991">How to keep your house cool in a heatwave</a></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-grim-story-of-the-snowy-mountains-cannibal-horses-31691">The grim story of the Snowy Mountains’ cannibal horses</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35679/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Want a single word to sum up environmental affairs in 2014? Let’s go with “heated”. The year began with the realisation that 2013 was Australia’s hottest ever (and yes, it’s because of us), and ended with…Michael Hopkin, Deputy Chief of Staff, The ConversationLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/356092014-12-29T21:27:47Z2014-12-29T21:27:47Z2014, the year that was: Health + Medicine<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67459/original/image-20141217-19725-w9ji2v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=2%2C4%2C1334%2C850&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Key issues in 2014: HIV progress, Ebola, Medicare co-payment and consumer health.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Flickr/Brian Talbot; EPA/Ahmed Jallanzo; AAP/David Hunt; www.rowenawaack.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>2014 was dominated by discussions about better ways of <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/paying-for-health">paying for health care</a>. But for all the talk, little progress was made. </p>
<p>The year began with former Howard government adviser <a href="https://theconversation.com/save-now-spend-later-why-co-payments-for-gp-visits-are-a-bad-idea-25823">Terry Barnes’ proposal</a> to introduce a A$6 co-payment for bulk-billed visits to the GP. This, he said, would save money by reducing unnecessary visits to the doctor. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/commission-of-audits-health-hit-list-experts-respond-26179">Commission of Audit</a> swallowed the proposal and spat out a A$15 version (A$5 for concession card holders) ahead of the May budget. </p>
<p>The government <a href="https://theconversation.com/federal-budget-2014-health-experts-react-26577">initially settled</a> on a A$7 co-payment for all GP visits and follow-up pathology and imaging. This was widely criticised for its potential to hurt the most vulnerable Australians who, according to research by the Grattan Institute, already paid <a href="https://theconversation.com/higher-health-co-payments-will-hit-the-most-vulnerable-29590">more than their fair share</a> of out-of-pocket health costs. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/gp-co-payment-would-increase-emergency-department-wait-times-28658">Modelling</a> for The Conversation also showed the introduction of a GP co-payment could see average emergency department visits increase by between six minutes and three hours, as more patients opt for free hospital care rather than paying to see their local GP. </p>
<p>The impetus for the co-payment was concern that the nation’s health expenditure was rapidly spiralling out of control. But as data released in September <a href="https://theconversation.com/health-spending-growth-at-30-year-low-31983">revealed</a>, Australia’s recent growth in health expenditure was the lowest since the mid-1980s. Per person spending fell from A$6,447 in 2011-12 to A$6,430 in 2012-13. </p>
<p>After seven months of <a href="https://theconversation.com/back-to-the-future-with-coalition-attacks-on-medicare-bulk-billing-35311">trying to convince</a> the crossbench Senators of the scheme’s merit, the government announced a <a href="https://theconversation.com/gp-co-payment-2-0-a-triple-whammy-for-patients-35334">compromise</a> earlier this month: cutting GP rebates by $5 and freezing the rates until 2018. As Michelle Grattan wrote, this <a href="https://theconversation.com/co-payment-compromise-puts-extra-burden-on-doctors-35264">puts the onus on doctors</a> to send a A$5 price signal to non-concessional patients. </p>
<p>In other key health news, Melbourne’s July AIDS2014 conference put HIV and AIDs back in the spotlight. Reema Rattan led <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/aids2014">our coverage</a>, which included an <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-conversation-with-professor-francoise-barre-sinoussi-29451">In Conversation</a> with Professor Rob Moodie and Nobel Laureate Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and interviews about HIV and the law with <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-law-can-be-an-awful-nuisance-in-the-area-of-hiv-aids-michael-kirby-29543">the Honourable Michael Kirby</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/discretionary-policing-has-a-role-controlling-hiv-report-29486">Professor Nick Crofts</a>. </p>
<p>Edwina Wright outlined the <a href="https://theconversation.com/five-promising-steps-forward-in-hiv-science-28652">five promising steps forward</a> in HIV science, including treatment as prevention, pre-exposure prophylaxis (giving antiretrovial drugs to people at risk of HIV to stop them contracting the disease) and new medications for people with both HIV and hepatitis C infections. </p>
<p>While a <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-cure-for-hiv-but-theres-still-a-long-way-to-go-29330">cure for HIV</a> is a fair way off, there is reason for hope, wrote AIDS2014 co-chair Sharon Lewin. In August, <a href="https://theconversation.com/shock-and-kill-approach-cures-mice-of-hiv-in-world-first-30528">scientists showed</a> mice could be “cured” of HIV using a combination of four drugs to flush out and kill hidden HIV-infected cells. </p>
<p>AIDS2014 also addressed the human cost of the disease, with Australian experts focusing on <a href="https://theconversation.com/know-the-epidemic-responding-to-hiv-in-three-key-communities-29216">three key groups</a>: sex workers, people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men. While we’ve come a long way to reduce HIV in Australia, wrote Marion Pitts, there’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/hiv-in-australia-weve-come-a-long-way-but-theres-more-to-do-28386">still more to do</a> to reduce the spread of the disease and remove the stigma against people living with HIV. </p>
<p>Internationally, we’re no longer in an era of emergency response, but that doesn’t mean rich countries can stop funding HIV. Instead, <a href="https://theconversation.com/too-soon-for-rich-countries-to-stop-hiv-funding-in-poor-ones-28717">David Wilson and Breadon Donald argue</a>, developing countries still need donor assistance to strengthen their health system so they can treat HIV as a chronic disease. </p>
<p>This year Ebola also focused the world’s attention on the challenges of health care in West Africa. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-ebola-virus-25071">disease spreads</a> through bodily fluids – blood, vomit and feces – so it should, theoretically, have been easy to contain. </p>
<p>But under-resourced health systems and a <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-conversation-with-nigel-crisp-ebola-response-and-lessons-from-african-health-leaders-35159">slow international response</a> led to the worst Ebola outbreak in history, claiming more than 6,800 lives so far, including many <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-are-nurses-becoming-infected-with-ebola-32873">health workers</a>. </p>
<p>In our coverage of almost 100 articles spanning the US, UK and Australian sites, we bought you the basics on Ebola: <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-ebola-virus-25071">what it is</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-get-ebola-28116">how it affects the body</a>; what <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-ebola-started-spread-and-spiralled-out-of-control-32137">went wrong</a> in the Ebola respnse; <a href="https://theconversation.com/high-hopes-rest-on-800-vials-of-experimental-ebola-vaccine-shipped-from-canada-33201">vaccine development</a>; as well as stories on how authorities can <a href="https://theconversation.com/listen-up-health-officials-heres-how-to-reduce-ebolanoia-33637">reduce “Ebolanoia”</a>, why <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-our-genes-determine-whether-we-survive-ebola-33658">some people survive</a> Ebola and others don’t, and how the outbreak has affected <a href="https://theconversation.com/ebolas-other-victims-how-the-outbreak-affects-those-left-behind-33191">those left behind</a>.</p>
<p>Other highlights for the year include series on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/testing-alternative-therapies">testing alternative therapies</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/international-health-systems">international health systems</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/biology-and-blame">biology and blame</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/domestic-violence-in-australia">domestic violence in Australia</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/child-protection-in-australia">child protection in Australia</a> and our popular ongoing series <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/health-check">Health Check</a>. </p>
<p>Finally, this year we also welcomed new a columnist, psychiatrist <a href="https://theconversation.com/enlisting-psychology-in-the-fight-against-terrorism-35560">Steve Ellen</a>, whose <a href="https://theconversation.com/columns/steven-ellen-111766">Life on the Couch</a> column shines a psychological light on people, culture and society. Next month public health veteran <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/simon-chapman-ao-1831">Simon Chapman</a> will also join the ranks, with some <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/columns">plain speaking about public health</a>. </p>
<p>Thanks to all columnists and authors, and of course, to our regular readers. Have a happy and healthy new year. </p>
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<p><em><strong>Health + Medicine’s most popular stories for 2014:</strong></em></p>
<p><strong>1.</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/health-check-five-supplements-that-may-help-with-depression-28889">Health Check: five supplements that may help with depression</a> <br>
<strong>2.</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/six-foods-that-increase-or-decrease-your-risk-of-cancer-28270">Six foods that increase or decrease your risk of cancer</a> <br>
<strong>3.</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/old-dope-new-tricks-the-new-science-of-medical-cannabis-30828">Old dope, new tricks: the new science of medical cannabis</a> <br>
<strong>4.</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/shock-and-kill-approach-cures-mice-of-hiv-in-world-first-30528">‘Shock and kill’ approach cures mice of HIV in world first</a> <br>
<strong>5.</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/brains-genes-and-chemical-imbalances-how-explanations-of-mental-illness-affect-stigma-28324">Brains, genes and chemical imbalances: how explanations of mental illness affect stigma</a> <br>
<strong>6.</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/health-check-what-you-need-to-know-about-ear-wax-31302">Health Check: what you need to know about ear wax</a> <br>
<strong>7.</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/health-check-five-must-have-foods-for-your-shopping-trolley-25265">Health Check: five must-have foods for your shopping trolley</a> <br>
<strong>8.</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-bacteria-in-our-gut-affect-our-cravings-for-food-33141">How the bacteria in our gut affects our cravings for food</a> <br>
<strong>9.</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/health-check-five-foods-to-always-avoid-at-the-supermarket-27107">Health Check: five foods to always avoid at the supermarket</a> <br>
<strong>10.</strong> <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-much-sleep-do-we-need-29759">Explainer: how much sleep do we need?</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35609/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
2014 was dominated by discussions about better ways of paying for health care. But for all the talk, little progress was made. The year began with former Howard government adviser Terry Barnes’ proposal…Fron Jackson-Webb, Deputy Editor and Senior Health EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/354152014-12-28T20:12:50Z2014-12-28T20:12:50Z2014, the year that was: Politics + Society<p>In 1996, John Howard <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2004/s1212701.htm">offered this aspiration</a> for Australians:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I would like to see them comfortable and relaxed about their history; I would like to see them comfortable and relaxed about the present and I’d also like to see them comfortable and relaxed about the future.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Howard’s Coalition successor, Tony Abbott, assumed the prime ministership in 2013 with a characteristically <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/07/tony-abbott-acceptance-speech-in-full">pithier undertaking:</a> “a government of no surprises and no excuses”. This year brought us none of the above. </p>
<p>Whether by chance or design, Australia returned in 2014 to Howard-era preoccupations: <a href="https://theconversation.com/handing-over-tamils-to-the-state-they-fled-breaks-international-law-28767">asylum seekers</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/first-rule-of-fighting-terrorists-dont-do-their-job-for-them-31515">terrorism</a>, juggling <a href="https://theconversation.com/division-over-bank-as-australia-caught-between-china-and-us-33153">relations with superpowers</a> and allies <a href="https://theconversation.com/book-review-dangerous-allies-by-malcolm-fraser-25995">old</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-india-gambit-the-final-step-in-wooing-asias-key-players-31225">new</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/federal-budget-2014-political-experts-react-26574">budget cuts</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/team-australia-a-nationalism-framed-in-terms-of-external-threats-31630">national identity</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/continuity-and-change-australian-opinion-in-a-time-of-stress-and-fear-33533">trust in government</a> and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/abc-forgetting-lessons-of-2001-pays-for-its-lack-of-scepticism-22746">role of the media</a>. Our troops are <a href="https://theconversation.com/ghosts-of-2003-us-australia-and-allies-face-tough-choices-in-iraq-31340">back at war</a>, too. </p>
<p>We are blessed, however, by comparison with other nations. Thais lost the government they elected to a <a href="https://theconversation.com/two-step-coup-leader-may-have-dangerously-misjudged-thais-27155">coup</a> for the 19th time. Hong Kong is cleaning up after <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-umbrella-revolution-in-hong-kong-a-second-tiananmen-32285">protests</a> that remind us that China, for all its progress on other fronts, suffers the same <a href="https://theconversation.com/tiananmen-25-years-on-ccp-now-fears-the-masses-gathering-online-27454">democracy deficit</a> that was laid bare in <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/tiananmen-square">Tiananmen Square</a> 25 years ago. The United Kingdom escaped an existential crisis when Scots <a href="https://theconversation.com/scotland-decides-14-reflections-on-an-incredible-campaign-31871">voted</a> not to break away after all.</p>
<p>Across Asia, fledgling democracies <a href="https://theconversation.com/asian-states-in-crisis-can-choose-more-democracy-or-more-conflict-31829">struggled</a> to bury old repressive ways. In a hopeful sign, Indonesia <a href="https://theconversation.com/voters-in-indonesia-look-to-have-opted-for-open-society-over-strong-man-28984">elected</a> a president drawn from outside the old political elite. India <a href="https://theconversation.com/india-2014-the-mother-of-all-elections-23971">put on</a> the biggest democratic show on earth, despite concerns about the victor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-man-who-dines-alone-26758">Narendra Modhi</a>. And <a href="https://theconversation.com/midterms-2014-a-little-big-day-33870">American voters</a> added to Barack Obama’s difficulties by giving his Republican opponents control of Congress.</p>
<p>Australians certainly aren’t making life comfortable for their leaders. Opinion polls and the “polls that count” paint a picture of voters disillusioned <a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-start-to-warm-again-on-the-climate-issue-27528">even with democracy</a> itself. </p>
<p>The federal Coalition enjoys the lower house majority that its predecessor lacked. Its problems lie in <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-new-senate-could-be-abbotts-obstacle-or-an-opportunity-28002">the Senate</a>. After a <a href="https://theconversation.com/wa-senate-byelection-puts-parties-in-unfamiliar-territory-25030">re-vote in Western Australia</a>, micro-party senators put on something of a political circus, with <a href="https://theconversation.com/loose-cannon-lambie-risks-being-hoist-by-her-own-populist-petard-34119">Jacqui Lambie</a> leading the way and <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-climate-change-convention-clive-palmer-really-knows-how-to-mess-with-abbotts-mind-30629">Clive Palmer</a> doing his bit from the House. </p>
<p>State elections have put the Abbott government on notice. While <a href="https://theconversation.com/tasmania-election-aftermath-what-now-for-the-apple-isle-24218">Tasmania</a> evicted a 16-year-old ALP government, Labor defied the odds in <a href="https://theconversation.com/labor-lives-to-fight-another-day-in-south-australia-24222">South Australia</a>, then ousted a one-term government in <a href="https://theconversation.com/victorian-election-labor-triumph-or-coalition-disaster-or-neither-34364">Victoria</a> for the first time since 1955.</p>
<h2>Challenges to the old order</h2>
<p>The major political parties and media institutions face many similar challenges. The Coalition and Labor’s failure to embrace <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-revive-long-term-democratic-thinking-we-have-to-innovate-29202">opportunities for innovation</a> in public participation and representation mirror the <a href="https://theconversation.com/hard-times-in-the-news-game-but-dont-write-off-the-old-players-21958">print giants’ struggle</a> to renew fragmenting and ageing audiences.</p>
<p>Old loyalties and habits have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-voters-set-to-stop-giving-first-term-leaders-a-second-chance-29660">swept away</a>. Issues of political dysfunction and public information, <a href="https://theconversation.com/march-in-march-the-old-ways-of-doing-politics-are-under-challenge-24573">participation</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/politicians-forget-what-public-trust-means-we-must-remind-them-34981">trust</a> are becoming pressing. This is why The Conversation has devoted series to <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/labors-future">reforming political parties</a>, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/renewing-federalism">Federation</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/reforming-the-federation">federal-state relations</a>, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/state-of-australia">state of Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/the-future-of-public-broadcasting">public broadcasting</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/more-light-needed-on-the-dark-arts-at-the-intersection-of-politics-and-business-26277">Vested interests</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/big-data-meets-doorknocking-the-political-contests-new-frontier-27822">Big Data-driven</a> party branding threaten to squeeze out the vitality, vision and conviction that give voters reason to believe. The response to <a href="https://theconversation.com/political-limits-of-today-intensify-rosy-memory-of-whitlamism-33225">Gough Whitlam’s death</a> may have been more a mark of what Australians feel is missing from their politics than nostalgia for his government. </p>
<p>The mixing of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-wa-senate-election-and-the-rise-of-money-in-australian-politics-25477">money</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/faulkners-reforms-will-fail-as-nsw-labor-refuses-to-change-29485">power</a> by party machines that resist public scrutiny and input makes for an unhealthy brew. ICAC <a href="https://theconversation.com/icac-has-highlighted-that-unsavoury-intersection-where-business-political-donations-gifts-and-lobbying-meet-25724">lifted the lid</a> on corruption that crosses party lines in New South Wales. In Victoria, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-turn-ibac-into-a-corruption-watchdog-that-works-as-promised-34709">toothless IBAC</a> is an issue in the debate on <a href="https://theconversation.com/integrity-in-politics-34360">integrity in government</a>. And in Queensland, the Newman government <a href="https://theconversation.com/newman-turning-back-the-clock-in-queensland-corruption-fight-26157">seemed intent</a> on rolling back the years to pre-Fitzgerald Inquiry days.</p>
<p>The need for scrutiny to ensure accountable government is obvious. Yet Australian media operate under <a href="https://theconversation.com/suppression-security-surveillance-and-spin-the-rise-of-a-secret-state-34972">more constraints</a> than ever. Security laws that target <a href="https://theconversation.com/national-security-bills-compound-existing-threats-to-media-freedom-29946">whistleblowers and journalists</a>, online <a href="https://theconversation.com/obamas-concession-on-spying-makes-implicit-case-for-leaks-21918">surveillance</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-meaning-and-what-is-the-use-of-metadata-retention-30350">data mining</a> all distort the balance between the powers of the state and the rights of citizens.</p>
<p>Moves away from <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-restore-trust-in-politics-after-the-victorian-election-31456">open government</a> exacerbate the imbalance. Operation Sovereign Borders took the political desire to control information to <a href="https://theconversation.com/operation-sovereign-borders-dignified-silence-or-diminishing-democracy-21294">absurd lengths</a> with its secrecy about operations to “stop the boats”. A deal to <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-does-the-cambodia-refugee-deal-comply-with-the-convention-29639">resettle refugees in Cambodia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/manus-riots-illustrate-a-failure-of-australias-refugee-protection-23373">violent death</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/appoint-asylum-seeker-children-an-independent-guardian-churches-29895">abuse</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/immigration-secretary-denies-departmental-cover-up-of-asylum-health-stats-30062">mental trauma</a> in offshore detention centres <a href="https://theconversation.com/eyewitness-with-gillian-triggs-on-christmas-island-to-inspect-child-detainees-29692">illustrate</a> how the politics of asylum seekers still takes us to <a href="https://theconversation.com/global-law-and-decency-our-double-standards-on-mh17-and-asylum-seekers-29490">morally and legally dubious places</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67452/original/image-20141217-19700-1wj17lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67452/original/image-20141217-19700-1wj17lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67452/original/image-20141217-19700-1wj17lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67452/original/image-20141217-19700-1wj17lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67452/original/image-20141217-19700-1wj17lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67452/original/image-20141217-19700-1wj17lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67452/original/image-20141217-19700-1wj17lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gough Whitlam passed away in October 2014 at the age of 98.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Paul Miller</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Old fears, new wars</h2>
<p>Only terrorism inspires more disproportionately fearful responses. And we saw terror hit central Sydney when <a href="https://theconversation.com/sydney-siege-shows-the-rise-of-a-new-form-of-extremism-35494">self-proclaimed cleric</a> Man Haron Monis held 17 people hostage in a cafe for 16 hours in late December. Two people and Monis died.</p>
<p>Multicultural Australia has been tested since the emergence of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-has-iraq-lost-a-third-of-its-territory-to-isis-in-three-days-27933">Islamic State</a> in Syria and Iraq <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-hundreds-of-westerners-are-taking-up-arms-in-global-jihad-28302">attracted</a> Australian and other westerners to the conflict. The tenor of the debate may have contributed to a groundswell of <a href="https://theconversation.com/government-retreats-on-weakening-race-act-advances-on-toughening-terror-laws-30166'">resistance</a> to changes to the Racial Discrimination Act. Two moments of poor judgement – George Brandis’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/race-act-changes-are-what-you-get-when-you-champion-bigotry-24782">assertion</a> of a “right to be a bigot” and a short-lived parliamentary <a href="https://theconversation.com/banning-the-burqa-is-not-the-answer-to-fears-about-public-safety-31628">“burqa ban”</a> – didn’t help. Age-old debates on <a href="https://theconversation.com/free-speech-what-it-is-and-what-it-isnt-23506">freedom of expression</a> gained new life.</p>
<p>Conflicts in Europe and the Middle East – including <a href="https://theconversation.com/qanda-flight-mh17-and-the-spiralling-conflict-in-ukraine-29403">Ukraine</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/airstrikes-on-is-in-syrias-backyard-become-high-risk-if-assad-objects-31619">Syria</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/diversity-and-religious-pluralism-are-disappearing-amid-iraqs-crisis-29832">Iraq</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/here-we-go-again-israel-and-hamas-resume-their-war-29379">Gaza</a> – undeniably make the world a more dangerous place. This was brought home to Australians by the downing of <a href="https://theconversation.com/ukrainian-rebels-gain-firepower-but-may-have-blown-their-cause-29388">flight MH17</a>.</p>
<p>A century after the war to end all wars – the subject of another <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/commemorating-wwi">series</a> – humanity still succumbs to the animal instincts and fears that conflict arouses. Even as more <a href="https://theconversation.com/senate-cia-torture-report-release-expert-reaction-35276">abuses and excesses</a> of the “War on Terror” are exposed, Australia <a href="https://theconversation.com/only-in-america-australia-needs-safeguards-against-torture-too-35376">reprises</a> its knee-jerk responses to 9/11. Once it was Reds under the beds; today it’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/foreign-fighter-passports-and-prosecutions-in-governments-sights-30197">foreign fighters</a> in our midst.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-hundreds-of-westerners-are-taking-up-arms-in-global-jihad-28302">Salafist</a> extremism and <a href="https://theconversation.com/politicians-and-media-let-us-down-in-fight-to-curb-rising-islamophobia-32677">Islamophobia</a> are both polarising forces. In this context, Abbott’s call to <a href="https://theconversation.com/team-australia-a-nationalism-framed-in-terms-of-external-threats-31630">“Team Australia”</a> divided as much as it united. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67455/original/image-20141217-19729-trkf8z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67455/original/image-20141217-19729-trkf8z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67455/original/image-20141217-19729-trkf8z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67455/original/image-20141217-19729-trkf8z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67455/original/image-20141217-19729-trkf8z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67455/original/image-20141217-19729-trkf8z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67455/original/image-20141217-19729-trkf8z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The rise of Islamic State in parts of Iraq and Syria drew foreign military forces back into the region.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Australia redeemed itself as <a href="https://theconversation.com/credit-to-australia-as-security-council-makes-un-policing-a-priority-34648">chair of the UN Security Council</a>. The government’s star performer, Foreign Minister <a href="https://theconversation.com/julie-bishop-shows-the-boys-how-its-done-33206">Julie Bishop</a>, even shrugged off the embarrassment of <a href="https://theconversation.com/budget-exploits-our-indifference-to-the-suffering-of-foreigners-27020">aid cuts</a> being the single biggest budget saving.</p>
<p>Abbott attracted <a href="https://theconversation.com/g20-summit-successful-but-untidy-for-abbott-34282">mixed reviews</a> as host of the G20 leaders’ summit. He did better in ongoing global trade deals (the subject of another <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/free-trade-scorecard">series</a>). Abbott wrapped up agreements with South Korea, Japan and China in quick succession.</p>
<h2>Institutional challenges</h2>
<p>Religious institutions still have much work to do to recover from the Royal Commission’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/report-makes-a-compelling-case-to-extend-sex-abuse-royal-commission-28608">exposure</a> of the sexual abuse of children – and the cover-ups. The Catholic Church, in particular, might benefit from the soul-searching approach of <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/pope-francis-i">Pope Francis</a>. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-we-doing-enough-to-promote-integrity-in-sport-27221">scandals in sport</a> roll on too. NRL club Cronulla <a href="https://theconversation.com/asada-v-essendon-next-steps-for-the-winners-and-losers-31952">accepted suspensions</a> for doping. In the AFL, the legal battle between ASADA and <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-happens-if-essendon-players-are-issued-show-cause-notices-26624">Essendon</a> drags on.</p>
<p>The Socceroos <a href="https://theconversation.com/despite-world-cup-losses-australia-has-a-bright-football-future-27693">gave us hope</a> but lost their way in a World Cup that, as our <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/world-cup-2014">extensive coverage</a> explained, deserved its <a href="https://theconversation.com/it-may-be-the-world-cup-but-how-global-is-the-world-game-27330">“world game”</a> billing. Late in the year, the death of <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-phillip-hughes-death-its-time-for-a-post-traumatic-test-34971">cricketer Phillip Hughes</a> put the “triumphs and tragedies” of sport in perspective.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67458/original/image-20141217-19715-s8fq9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67458/original/image-20141217-19715-s8fq9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67458/original/image-20141217-19715-s8fq9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67458/original/image-20141217-19715-s8fq9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67458/original/image-20141217-19715-s8fq9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67458/original/image-20141217-19715-s8fq9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67458/original/image-20141217-19715-s8fq9t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Phillip Hughes’ death on the cricket pitch put Australia’s love of sport into perspective.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Dan Peled</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>Ideas about politics and society are naturally and properly contested in a democracy like ours. How we <a href="https://theconversation.com/rebalancing-government-in-australia-to-save-our-federation-33365">govern ourselves</a> in the 21st century is up for debate. We must take stock of our <a href="https://theconversation.com/menzies-a-failure-by-todays-rules-ran-a-budget-to-build-the-nation-30823">resources and priorities</a>, and be open to <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-can-learn-a-lot-about-public-policy-from-the-nordic-nations-32204">alternatives</a>.</p>
<p>These big-picture debates may fail as media clickbait but are important in every other way. The Conversation is dedicated to covering such issues properly. </p>
<p>Treasurer Joe Hockey’s first budget sought to <a href="https://theconversation.com/hockeys-first-budget-redefines-the-role-of-government-in-australia-26573">redefine the role of government</a>. That is why the directions taken by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/federal-budget-2014">budget</a> and the path-breaking <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/commission-of-audit">Commission of Audit</a> – both the subjects of extensive coverage – have been more than usually contentious. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/safe-seats-are-more-likely-to-have-a-work-for-the-dole-pilot-27914">Work</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/bludgers-and-battlers-are-back-as-hockey-takes-aim-at-welfare-state-31177">welfare</a> policies, for instance, can make or break the budget and individuals too - especially when the odds are <a href="https://theconversation.com/ten-job-seekers-per-vacancy-a-reality-check-on-welfare-overhaul-29743">against the jobless</a>.</p>
<p>When simple recipes for life fail us, philosophy offers deep stores of wisdom. Articles on <a href="https://theconversation.com/heideggers-notebooks-reveal-an-early-blindness-to-the-nazis-reality-24760">philosophy</a>, thought, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/how-we-make-decisions">decision-making</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/love-problems-theres-a-pill-for-that-but-plato-offers-a-wiser-cure-24766">love</a> invariably engaged readers – even when the moral dilemmas were those of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/critics-pour-cold-water-on-the-ice-bucket-challenge-are-they-right-30900">Ice Bucket Challenge</a>.</p>
<p>Most enduring political and social solutions require us first to test prevailing beliefs and assumptions, to thrash out our differences before we can make progress. This is a perennial test of national maturity. No such <a href="https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-abbotts-indigenous-affairs-challenge-is-to-deliver-on-his-ambition-23199">challenge</a> is bigger than reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians starting with <a href="https://theconversation.com/indigenous-recognition-in-our-highest-law-is-the-right-thing-to-do-27184">proper recognition</a> of our first peoples: this has eluded us since 1788. </p>
<p>Two of our most successful series in 2014, on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/class-in-australia">class</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/youth-in-australia">youth</a> in Australia, asked provocative questions about how we see ourselves and our future, and how to make it better. And that sums up our journalistic mission.</p>
<p>As we head into 2015, we look forward to engaging a growing global community of readers in The Conversation.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Top ten most read stories in 2014 for Politics + Society</strong></em></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/no-youre-not-entitled-to-your-opinion-9978">No, you’re not entitled to your opinion</a> by Patrick Stokes, Deakin University</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-end-justifies-the-means-why-queensland-is-losing-the-bikie-war-21948">The end justifies the means: why Queensland is losing the bikie war</a> by Terry Goldsworthy, Bond University</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/islamic-state-wants-australians-to-attack-muslims-terror-expert-31845">Islamic State wants Australians to attack Muslims: terror expert</a> by Nick O'Brien, Charles Sturt University</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-help-take-control-of-your-brain-and-make-better-decisions-32434">How to help take control of your brain and make better decisions</a> by Daniel Bennett, University of Melbourne</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/crime-stats-provide-reality-check-in-queenslands-bikie-crackdown-30908">Crime stats provide reality check in Queensland’s bikie crackdown</a> by Terry Goldsworthy, Bond University</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/fair-trade-cocaine-and-conflict-free-opium-the-future-of-online-drug-marketing-30127">‘Fair trade’ cocaine and ‘conflict-free’ opium: the future of online drug marketing</a> by James Martin, Macquarie University</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/walter-mitty-and-the-secret-life-of-mtv-21700">Walter Mitty and The Secret Life of MTV</a> by Lauren Rosewarne, University of Melbourne</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/bogans-and-hipsters-were-talking-the-living-language-of-class-23007">Bogans and hipsters: we’re talking the living language of class</a> by Christopher Scanlon, LaTrobe University</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-can-the-senate-block-the-budget-26815">Explainer: can the Senate block the budget?</a> by Adam Webster, University of Adelaide</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/income-and-wealth-inequality-how-is-australia-faring-23483">Income and wealth inequality: how is Australia faring?</a> by Peter Whiteford, Australian National University</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35415/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
In 1996, John Howard offered this aspiration for Australians: I would like to see them comfortable and relaxed about their history; I would like to see them comfortable and relaxed about the present and…John Watson, Cities Editor and Deputy Energy + Environment EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/354862014-12-28T20:12:41Z2014-12-28T20:12:41Z2014, the year that was: Arts + Culture<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67604/original/image-20141218-31052-vftg05.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">How's your year been? Thanks for sharing it with us.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/MONA, Exxopolis by Architects of Air</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Hey luvvies! We’ve made it! 2014 is in the bank – and here’s what we did, what you read, how we all came through it. </p>
<p>Think of the following as a music festival: loads of highlights, one after the other. Read them until you’re reduced to a quivering pulp. </p>
<p>In that festival spirit, we covered – deep breath, a few lunges – the <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/sydney-festival">Sydney Festival</a>, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-2014-adelaide-biennial-contemporary-art-as-it-was-meant-to-be-23033">Adelaide Biennial</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/melbourne-fringe-2014">Melbourne Fringe</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/biennale-of-sydney">Sydney Biennale</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/adelaide-festival-2014">Adelaide Festival</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/brisbane-festival">Brisbane Festival</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/melbourne-writers-festival">Melbourne Writers Festival</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/sydney-writers-festival">Sydney Writers Festival</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/melbourne-fashion-festival">Melbourne Fashion Festival</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/fashion-week-australia">Fashion Week Australia</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/sydney-film-festival">Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/miff-2014">Melbourne</a>’s film festivals.</p>
<p>Our Indigenous coverage included the stellar <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/the-dreamtime-series">“Dreamtime” series</a>, by Christine Nicholls, traversed <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-hot-new-model-at-the-australian-indigenous-fashion-week-25389">fashion</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/weve-lost-98-of-indigenous-music-traditions-who-cares-26282">music</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-merge-indigenous-stories-with-my-design-maybe-others-should-too-34132">design</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/indigenous-art">visual arts</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/sbss-first-contact-is-the-real-festering-sore-of-the-nation-34366">TV</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/review-pilgers-utopia-shows-us-aboriginal-australia-in-2014-21965">film</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67417/original/image-20141216-14135-1qw85yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67417/original/image-20141216-14135-1qw85yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67417/original/image-20141216-14135-1qw85yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67417/original/image-20141216-14135-1qw85yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67417/original/image-20141216-14135-1qw85yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67417/original/image-20141216-14135-1qw85yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67417/original/image-20141216-14135-1qw85yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67417/original/image-20141216-14135-1qw85yb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jasmine Togo Brisby’s work was on display at Deadly Nui Art at the Melbourne Fringe Festival.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kimba Thomson/Blak Dot Gallery</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In other film news, we tried to peek <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-cate-blanchett-persona-and-the-allure-of-the-oscar-22398">behind the public persona</a> of Cate Blanchett at the Golden Globes; thought long and hard about <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/oscars">the Oscars</a>, at which the Aussie accent was <a href="https://theconversation.com/oscars-2014-another-lesson-in-hollywood-power-23925">often heard</a>. </p>
<p>The Great Gatsby <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-make-films-is-human-to-baz-luhrmann-divine-22898">blitzed</a> the AACTA awards in January, and Deb Verhoeven <a href="https://theconversation.com/zombie-metrics-why-australian-cinema-just-wont-stay-dead-34808">argued</a> that Australian cinema isn’t dead. We also <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-film-industry-owes-a-debt-to-gough-whitlam-33240">paid tribute</a> to the Whitlam government’s embrace of arts and screen culture in Australia. </p>
<p>In March, our in-depth coverage of <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/sydney-biennale-boycott">Sydney Biennale’s split</a> from its major sponsor Transfield brought new perspectives to the politics of <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/arts-funding">arts funding</a>, artist boycotts and <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/philanthropy">philanthropy</a>. In June, Opera Australia had a boycott threat of it own, relating to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/tamar-iveri-is-a-homophobe-was-opera-australia-right-to-sack-her-28313">Georgian soprano Tamar Iveri</a>. The Klinghoffer protests at the Met in New York in October showed opera’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/risky-business-the-klinghoffer-protests-show-operas-relevance-33307">contemporary relevance</a>.</p>
<p>Like all years 2014 was a doozy for dying, as reflected in our <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/obituary">many obituaries</a>. Take your pick from <a href="https://theconversation.com/maya-angelou-an-acknowledged-legislator-of-the-world-has-gone-27315">Maya Angelou</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/arsehole-of-british-comedy-rik-mayall-was-a-funny-bstard-27809">Rik Mayall</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/peaches-geldof-and-the-new-hyper-experience-of-mortality-25364">Peaches Geldof</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/bobby-womack-sang-like-his-life-depended-on-it-and-that-endures-28591">Bobby Womack</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-wonderful-musical-legacy-peter-sculthorpe-remembered-30338">Peter Sculthorpe</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/gavin-jones-may-he-rest-in-peace-and-his-legacy-live-on-29205">Gavin Jones</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/robin-williams-gave-us-a-lifelong-masterclass-in-comedy-30400">Robin Williams</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/beauty-and-brawn-lauren-bacalls-noir-feminine-legacy-30456">Lauren Bacall</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/richard-attenborough-held-my-hand-and-touched-my-life-30946">Richard Attenborough</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/joan-rivers-was-many-things-which-will-we-remember-her-as-31348">Joan Rivers</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/philip-seymour-hoffman-is-dead-and-simply-cant-be-replaced-22685">Philip Seymour Hoffman</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/pete-seeger-a-life-of-song-and-the-power-of-we-22595">Pete Seeger</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67418/original/image-20141217-14129-7l9s69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67418/original/image-20141217-14129-7l9s69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67418/original/image-20141217-14129-7l9s69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67418/original/image-20141217-14129-7l9s69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67418/original/image-20141217-14129-7l9s69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67418/original/image-20141217-14129-7l9s69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67418/original/image-20141217-14129-7l9s69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67418/original/image-20141217-14129-7l9s69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=547&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hoffman helped steer American cinema back to an emotional integrity it had lost.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniel Dal Zennaro/EPA</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It was a year of terrific voices on <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-feminism-27981">feminism</a> in <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-want-a-wife-the-wife-drought-1970s-feminism-still-rings-true-34246">literature</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/lorde-vs-miley-where-young-feminism-meets-old-class-bias-22531">music</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/be-very-worried-tim-blair-we-are-all-frightbats-now-28148">mainstream media</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/actually-women-you-do-need-feminism-30415">social media</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/outlandish-desires-why-outlander-is-a-feminist-romance-32960">television</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/sex-rape-and-role-models-how-women-in-comedy-perform-24965">comedy</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/vitriolic-abuse-of-anita-sarkeesian-why-the-games-industry-needs-her-31826">gaming</a>.</p>
<p>The role of our public broadcasters, ABC and SBS, were under intense scrutiny before the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/federal-budget-2014">2014 federal budget</a> in May, and our series on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/the-future-of-public-broadcasting">Future of Public Broadcasting</a> considered key issues. </p>
<p>In <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/cultural-policy">arts policy</a>, we dived headlong into <a href="https://theconversation.com/federal-budget-2014-arts-and-culture-experts-react-26638">the budget</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/ozco-has-a-new-strategic-plan-wheres-abbotts-cultural-policy-31002">OzCo’s new strategic plan</a> and the importance of <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-abs-arts-and-sports-data-to-understand-our-culture-30255">ABS arts and sports data</a> to better understand our culture.</p>
<p>In books, we looked at prizes such as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/stella-prize">Stella</a>, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/miles-franklin-award">Miles Franklin</a>, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/man-booker-prize">Man Booker</a>, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/prime-ministers-literary-awards">Prime Minister’s</a> and even the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-most-underrated-book-of-2014-is-one-of-these-three-33936">Most Underrated Book of the Year</a>. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/the-case-for">The Case For</a> series nominated Australian books – fiction or non-fiction, contemporary or historical – that authors thought deserved closer attention. Got an idea for another one? Hint, hint hint, hint, hint, hint, hint … <a href="mailto:paul.dalgarno@theconversation.edu.au">DROP US A LINE!</a> </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67421/original/image-20141217-14157-1gh0cyh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67421/original/image-20141217-14157-1gh0cyh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67421/original/image-20141217-14157-1gh0cyh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67421/original/image-20141217-14157-1gh0cyh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67421/original/image-20141217-14157-1gh0cyh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=303&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67421/original/image-20141217-14157-1gh0cyh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67421/original/image-20141217-14157-1gh0cyh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67421/original/image-20141217-14157-1gh0cyh.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Most Underrated Book Award rewarded off-beat, experimental and innovative books.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Conversation</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The topic of anonymous book reviews got a little hotter than we’d expected, with a <a href="https://theconversation.com/anonymous-book-reviews-dont-foster-our-literary-culture-28507">back and forth of articles</a> that drew academic blood. </p>
<p>Things continued to build (pun win!) with our architecture coverage. Our <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/sublime-design">Sublime Design</a> series took a closer look at some design classics such as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/sublime-design-the-moog-synthesiser-26460">Moog synthesiser</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/sublime-design-lego-27018">Lego</a>. We ran comment on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/national-architecture-awards-2014">2014 National Architecture Awards</a> and on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/iconic-building-alert-waiting-for-the-frank-gehry-effect-in-sydney-30364">Frank Gehry effect</a> in Sydney.</p>
<p>And rest assured news/calligraphy hounds, when a new font breaks, <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-comic-neue-the-new-comic-sans-sans-the-comedy-25697">we’re on it</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67423/original/image-20141217-14154-1envzzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67423/original/image-20141217-14154-1envzzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67423/original/image-20141217-14154-1envzzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67423/original/image-20141217-14154-1envzzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67423/original/image-20141217-14154-1envzzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=763&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67423/original/image-20141217-14154-1envzzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67423/original/image-20141217-14154-1envzzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67423/original/image-20141217-14154-1envzzh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Comme des Garçons (Rei Kawakubo) / Spring/Summer 1997 / Collection: Kyoto Costume Institute.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo: Takashi Hatakeyama</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Clothes <a href="https://theconversation.com/fashion-victims-how-clothes-took-over-our-art-galleries-32946">took over</a> our galleries this year, from the <a href="https://theconversation.com/seams-dreams-the-hands-behind-classic-hollywood-costumes-34707">Golden Age of Hollywood</a> in Brisbane to Jean Paul Gaultier and <a href="https://theconversation.com/jean-paul-gaultier-and-the-true-history-of-the-fashion-stripe-32806">his fashion stripe</a> in Melbourne. And our <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/the-story-of">Story of</a> series explained the origins of iconic fashion items from <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-story-of-tweed-27013">tweed</a> to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-story-of-the-top-hat-26215">top hat</a>.</p>
<p>Visual art is amazing, in case you hadn’t noticed. We <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/visual-art">ran loads on this</a>, as you’d expect, including Sasha Grishin on <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-hierarchies-happen-in-contemporary-australian-art-35088">how hierarchies happen</a> in contemporary art, Ted Snell on Western Australian’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/western-australian-art-is-excluded-from-the-national-conversation-32498">exclusion</a> from the national art conversation, and Joanna Mendelssohn on <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-did-mass-media-shift-visual-culture-find-out-at-pop-to-popism-34354">mass media’s influence</a> on visual culture.</p>
<p>It’s been an interesting year in Australian <a href="https://theconversation.com/blocking-piracy-websites-is-bad-for-australias-digital-future-34418">digital copyright law</a>, with many of us wondering <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-australians-should-back-turnbull-in-the-stoush-over-copyright-30198">what’s at stake</a> in the debate, particularly if it would delay our Monday night viewing of <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-game-of-thrones-the-story-so-far-24321">Game of Thrones</a>.</p>
<p>We used the 2014 World Cup, the Winter Olympics and the Tour de France as an excuse to talk about Brazilian <a href="https://theconversation.com/indignacao-brazilian-street-art-in-its-historical-context-27926">street art</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/building-brasilia-the-southern-hemispheres-moon-landing-28646">architecture</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/behind-the-beat-the-brazilian-samba-28506">the samba</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/writing-the-caucasus-sochi-and-russias-literary-retreats-22831">brilliant Russian writers</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/sochi-on-screen-how-russia-is-being-sold-to-russians-22833">Sochi on screen</a> and whether <a href="https://theconversation.com/le-tour-de-france-is-losing-traction-in-its-homeland-29156">the French still care about the Tour</a>.</p>
<p>Our series on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/morality-series">public morality</a> generated much discussion, as did our ongoing series on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/history-of-violence">history of violence</a> and another <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/death-and-dying-series">on death and dying</a>. </p>
<p>Before you check out for the year, take a look at our <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/end-of-year-series">end of year series</a>, see <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-all-going-on-a-summer-art-blockbuster-holiday-34355">a summer art blockbuster</a>, hark back to the Christmas’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/harking-back-the-ancient-pagan-festivities-in-our-christmas-rituals-34309">pagan origins</a> and enjoy some <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-christmas-pudding-evolved-with-australia-35027">jolly good Christmas pud</a>.</p>
<h2>Top ten Arts + Culture stories by readership in 2014</h2>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/weighing-up-the-evidence-for-the-historical-jesus-35319">Weighing up the evidence for the ‘Historical Jesus’</a> by Raphael Lataster, University of Sydney</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/peaches-geldof-and-the-new-hyper-experience-of-mortality-25364">Peaches Geldof and the new, hyper-experience of mortality </a> by Rosemary Overell, University of Otago</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/actually-women-you-do-need-feminism-30415">Actually, women, you do need feminism</a> by Michelle Smith, Deakin University</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/three-questions-not-to-ask-about-art-and-four-to-ask-instead-29830">Three questions not to ask about art – and four to ask instead</a> by Kit Messham-Muir, University of Newcastle</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/death-and-families-when-normal-grief-can-last-a-lifetime-32959">Death and families – when ‘normal’ grief can last a lifetime</a> by Zoë Krupka, La Trobe University</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-rape-scene-in-brad-pitts-fury-no-one-is-talking-about-33638">The rape scene in Brad Pitt’s Fury no-one is talking about</a> by Melanie O'Brien, University of Technology, Sydney</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/we-dont-need-no-moral-education-five-things-you-should-learn-about-ethics-30793">We don’t need no (moral) education? Five things you should learn about ethics</a> by Patrick Stokes, Deakin University</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/sbss-first-contact-is-the-real-festering-sore-of-the-nation-34366">SBS’s First Contact is the real ‘festering sore’ of the nation</a> by Chelsea Bond, The University of Queensland</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/lorde-vs-miley-where-young-feminism-meets-old-class-bias-22531">Lorde vs Miley: where young feminism meets old class bias</a> by Rosemary Overell, University of Otago</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/girl-crush-anyone-the-evolution-of-lesbian-chic-28451">Girl crush anyone? The evolution of ‘lesbian chic’</a> by Kate Farhall, University of Melbourne</p></li>
</ul>
<p><br></p>
<p><strong><em>Are you an academic or researcher? Would you like to write for the Arts + Culture section of The Conversation? <a href="mailto:paul.dalgarno@theconversation.edu.au">Contact us</a> with your idea.</em></strong></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35486/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Hey luvvies! We’ve made it! 2014 is in the bank – and here’s what we did, what you read, how we all came through it. Think of the following as a music festival: loads of highlights, one after the other…Paul Dalgarno, EditorCatriona Menzies-Pike, EditorAlix Bromley, EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/357532014-12-26T14:39:10Z2014-12-26T14:39:10Z2014, the year that was<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67994/original/image-20141223-32200-wgir1j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Cheers</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/s/celebration/search.html?page=2&thumb_size=mosaic&inline=158883041">2014 via palpitation/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Holidays provide some time to hunker down for a good read, maybe by the fire if you live in the northern hemisphere; if not, then on a patch of warm sand by the sea. In case you’ve missed some issues, we’ve asked the editors to recommended a list of favorite articles from 2014. </p>
<p>It was a hectic fall for breaking news here: the Republican upset in the midterm elections; the ebola epidemic; demonstrations in Ferguson; Obama’s announced changes in immigration policy; the thaw in US-Cuba relations after more than a half century of stand-offs; and continuing coverage of politics, arts, economics, technology and medicine. The Conversation was fortunate to attract some of the best minds in the academic community to weigh in with analyses of the big stories and present some groundbreaking research. </p>
<p>Traditionally the start of a new year brings change. For us that means welcoming two new editors to The Conversation’s coverage in the areas of Environment + Energy and Education. And now that The Conversation US has successfully launched (more then 4 million views including through creative commons republication!) there will be more staff changes as I step down as managing editor and Maria Balinska, currently deputy managing editor, steps into that role. </p>
<p>Thanks very much to our generous funders and to you. I wish you all a very happy 2015. But before you raise a glass, you still have time to catch up on some of our most popular stories. And don’t forget to encourage friends and colleagues to sign up for our newsletters, which will resume January 5th. </p>
<p>Margaret Drain</p>
<h2>Politics + Society</h2>
<p>A grand jury decision in Missouri, a Senate report on torture, Cuba-American talks. Just three of the big stories that have changed our political landscape this fall. Tony Brown argued that <a href="https://theconversation.com/ferguson-is-not-a-special-case-34655">Ferguson</a> isn’t a special case and that rather than focusing on race relations per se it’s time to talk about parity and an unfinished civil rights agenda. Christian Meissner was able to point to a silver lining in the debate over “enhanced interrogation techniques”: the fact that he and a group of international psychologists have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/using-science-to-improve-the-practice-of-interrogation-35307">researching</a> new, ethical and science-based methods of intelligence interrogation. </p>
<p>And Gustavo Perez Firmat, who came to the US from Cuba as a child the 1960s, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-last-exiles-35746">reflected</a> on the impact that “normalization” between his two countries will have on the cultural landscape of the Cuban exile. But it’s not just been about breaking news at The Conversation. Historians, too, have provoked plenty of thoughts with Daina Ramey Berry writing about the four most common myths about <a href="https://theconversation.com/slavery-in-america-back-in-the-headlines-33004">American slavery</a>, John Maxwell Hamilton seeing <a href="https://theconversation.com/wilsons-long-shadow-over-obamas-white-house-33819">parallels</a> between Barack Obama and Woodrow Wilson and Sam Crane looking at the limits of <a href="https://theconversation.com/confucius-doesnt-live-here-anymore-33006">Confucianism</a> in today’s China. </p>
<h2>Arts + Culture</h2>
<p>There’s a world of information at our fingertips. News inundates us, punchy headlines beg for clicks, ads target us, phones ping us. Everything’s immediate. The academics who study our culture have the luxury of stepping back, allowing us to see the world a bit differently. Things aren’t always as they seem. For example, Michael Jackson, often dismissed as a freak, happened to be a brilliant artist. <a href="https://theconversation.com/michael-jackson-posthuman-33351">Could his lifestyle actually have been an artistic statement</a>? Country music is Southern music, so its recent migration to the North is a novelty, right? <a href="https://theconversation.com/stand-by-your-maine-country-musics-northern-roots-33005">Not exactly</a>. We can actually trace some roots of country to New England. </p>
<p>In preparation for the opening of the Harvard museums, a team of conservationists needed to restore badly faded Rothko murals. Instead of taking the standard approach, which might have damaged the paintings, they painstakingly restored the murals to their original colors – <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-restored-harvards-rothko-murals-without-touching-them-35245">using only light</a>. They created an amazing optical illusion. </p>
<p>College football is often thought of as a financial boon for universities generating enough income to prop up other, less profitable student programs. But did you know, at most schools, <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-actually-funds-intercollegiate-athletic-programs-35241">that narrative is flipped</a>? And while we’re talking sports, organized youth sports have long been a rite of passage, rightfully lauded for offering lessons in promoting teamwork, dealing with failure, and facing competition. <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-youth-sports-foster-creativity-it-depends-35074">But is there something lost by youngsters participating</a> in so many organized sports? </p>
<h2>Economy + Business</h2>
<p>We’ve experienced a volatile fourth quarter in the worlds of economics and business. One of the big trends has been the <a href="https://theconversation.com/king-dollar-is-back-for-now-32844">return of “King dollar,”</a> with the greenback surging against most major currencies from the euro to the yen. That’s been driven partly by the accelerating US economic recovery, which may lead the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates earlier than planned. Some argue that the central bank shouldn’t act too quickly, however, and should be focused more on inequality and <a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-gdp-are-there-better-ways-to-measure-well-being-33414">different measures of GDP</a>. </p>
<p>How the recent and unprecedented collapse in the price of oil will affect the recovery is unclear. It should stimulate consumer spending but it could also pose challenges and be a <a href="https://theconversation.com/oil-price-drop-offers-short-term-gains-but-long-term-pains-34944">harbinger of bad economic tidings</a>. And, by the way, if oil plunged by some 50% this year,<a href="https://theconversation.com/oil-prices-have-nosedived-why-arent-airfares-doing-the-same-35630"> why aren’t airfares coming down</a>? That question prompted a senator to demand an investigation. </p>
<p>The Senate itself, meanwhile, has changed hands, leading many to wonder how the shift will affect business, the economy and Washington’s ability to get anything done. One area where we might see movement is in corporate tax reform, but some <a href="https://theconversation.com/brownbacks-kansas-tax-experiment-may-prove-death-knell-for-corporate-reform-33871">aren’t so sure</a>. The next months should provide some answers. </p>
<h2>Health + Medicine</h2>
<p>In October news that health workers in the United States tested positive for Ebola dominated the headlines. Politicians called for travel bans and border closures to keep virus out the United States. And so the very first story from The Conversation’s Health + Medicine desk examined how infectious diseases have been used as excuses to <a href="https://theconversation.com/airport-screening-isnt-about-stopping-ebola-its-about-controlling-borders-32982">close borders</a> in the past. We also considered the <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-it-comes-to-ebola-how-much-risk-is-too-much-33057">duty of care</a> for health workers on the front lines of the epidemic and that Americans should worry less about Ebola, and a <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-you-should-worry-less-about-ebola-and-more-about-measles-32981">bit more</a> about the growing number of measles and whooping cough cases in the US. </p>
<p>The hunt for a cure or vaccine for HIV continues. So what to make of headlines talking about patients cured or cleared of the virus? Premature talk of a cure can undermine research and <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-believe-the-hype-we-are-a-long-way-from-an-hiv-cure-35459">compromise prevention efforts</a>. </p>
<p>We also took a look at sexual health. Sexting has become commonplace among teens – and we have the <a href="https://theconversation.com/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-sexting-but-were-afraid-to-ask-33424">lowdown</a> on the risks and realities. Speaking of sex, have you ever wondered if your sexual fantasies are typical? New <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-typical-sexual-fantasies-exist-33875">research</a> has shed light on this very issue. </p>
<p>Did our slate of health stories leave you feeling a bit anxious? Just remember that feeling anxious makes it harder to stop feeling <a href="https://theconversation.com/feeling-anxious-makes-it-harder-to-stop-feeling-anxious-31886">anxious</a>. So for the final days of 2014, remember to relax, preferably while taking a look at our series on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/wine-2014">wine</a>. Cheers! </p>
<h2>Science + Technology</h2>
<p>It’s been a whirlwind over at The Conversation’s Science + Tech desk since we started publishing. Hard to even keep track of all the fields we’ve explored, much less particular stories. But what do you expect when human memory – even legal <a href="https://theconversation.com/vagaries-of-memory-mean-eyewitness-testimony-isnt-perfect-34692">eyewitness testimony</a> – is as fragile as it is. We did cover a lot of ground, after all; some of it was covered with water, actually, when we explored what the designation of an enormous <a href="https://theconversation.com/pacific-remote-islands-protection-not-just-a-drop-in-the-ocean-32421">marine protected area</a> will mean for the expanded Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. </p>
<p>Maybe that was a bit, well, remote from your day to day life. But we had some news-you-can-use as well, like a story on the trade-offs of various <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-flirters-dilemma-subtlety-vs-success-32199">flirting techniques</a>. Keep that one in mind as you hit those New Year’s Eve parties. We tried to give you plenty to ponder too … like is your <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-your-religion-ready-to-meet-et-32541">religion ready to meet ET</a>? As the year ends, we’re thinking about the <a href="https://theconversation.com/stem-postdoc-researchers-are-highly-trained-but-for-what-35059">future of our STEM PhD</a> friends. Our resolution for 2015 is to bring you stories on even more wide-ranging topics. But for now, maybe it’s just time to relax and hit the movies, preferably one with a <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-as-hollywood-heroes-33978">scientist as the hero</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35753/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Holidays provide some time to hunker down for a good read, maybe by the fire if you live in the northern hemisphere; if not, then on a patch of warm sand by the sea. In case you’ve missed some issues…Margaret Drain, Managing EditorMaggie Villiger, Senior Science + Technology EditorMaria Balinska, Editor and Co-CEO, The Conversation US Jessie Schanzle, Bryan Keogh, Managing EditorNick Lehr, Arts + Culture EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/354182014-12-25T19:40:20Z2014-12-25T19:40:20Z2014, the year that was: Education<p>While 2013 was all about schools and their funding (remember <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/gonski-review">Gonski</a>, anyone?), 2014 was the year of <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/fee-deregulation">higher education reform</a>. Or, at least, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/senate-torpedoes-pynes-university-deregulation-34926">proposed</a></em> higher education “reform”.</p>
<p>With cuts to higher education funding and the <a href="https://theconversation.com/higher-ed-bill-explainer-what-will-pass-and-what-will-be-blocked-31019">prospect of fee deregulation</a> being some of the most maligned aspects of the May <a href="https://theconversation.com/federal-budget-2014-education-experts-react-26649">federal budget</a>, it was surprising that as much attention was being paid to Australia’s institutes of higher learning as is usually paid to our schools, hospitals and transport.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/facing-the-hard-questions-on-university-funding-25915">Most vice-chancellors</a>, albeit a few <a href="https://theconversation.com/stephen-parker-higher-education-changes-a-fraud-on-the-electorate-34909">glaring exceptions</a>, were in support of fee deregulation. They argued that the current funding system of unlimited student places (which was <a href="https://theconversation.com/demand-driven-system-review-experts-respond-23023">reviewed in April</a> and found to <a href="https://theconversation.com/demand-driven-university-funding-system-should-stay-25574">be a keeper</a>) and decreasing government support was unsustainable and universities needed to be set free.</p>
<p>However, many of <a href="https://theconversation.com/higher-education-the-age-of-pyne-the-destroyer-begins-26483">our experts</a> feared Australia’s politicians were unaware of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-misguided-beliefs-of-the-group-of-eight-universities-31334">drastic effect</a> this could have on our <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-expensive-more-elite-higher-education-in-five-years-26641">world-class system of higher education</a>, and especially <a href="https://theconversation.com/its-not-just-about-student-fees-its-about-institutionalised-inequity-27178">access to it</a> for all groups of Australian society.</p>
<p>After months of debate, negotiation and much hand-wringing, the Senate <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-tumultuous-year-in-higher-education-comes-to-a-close-another-soon-to-follow-34982">finally voted down</a> the bill in parliament’s last sitting week, only to have the bill’s champion, Education Minister Christopher Pyne, reintroduce it the very next day. </p>
<p>So, is another tumultuous year on the horizon in higher education? We’ll have to wait and see.</p>
<p>The debate separated <a href="https://theconversation.com/vice-chancellors-vs-the-collegiate-who-is-right-on-deregulation-33461">university staff from their leaders</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/regional-students-will-be-poorly-served-if-universities-compete-solely-on-price-29533">prestigious universities from middle-tier ones</a>. There was never a question that the prestigious Group of Eight would have more <a href="https://theconversation.com/trickle-up-only-the-elite-will-benefit-from-fee-deregulation-30218">pricing power</a> in a market system. One of our most-read pieces of 2014 outlined the worth of attending an elite university, which research found results in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/graduates-from-prestigious-universities-earn-more-over-their-lifetime-32832">slight salary increase</a> across a lifetime.</p>
<p>Paying for education was an important focus this year. We closely examined private schooling and whether the cost pays off. We found public school kids <a href="https://theconversation.com/state-school-kids-do-better-at-uni-29155">do better at university</a> than private school kids with the same tertiary entrance score, and post-university employment prospects and wages were <a href="https://theconversation.com/private-schooling-has-little-long-term-pay-off-30303">much the same</a>.</p>
<p>We didn’t only look at public and private schools, though. There’s been an increased interest in <a href="https://theconversation.com/principal-school-doesnt-work-for-most-kids-32733">doing education differently</a>, so we looked at alternative forms of education and options outside of public, private and Catholic schools.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/for-creativity-capability-and-resilience-steiner-schools-work-24763">Steiner</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/kids-choose-their-own-work-in-a-montessori-classroom-26452">Montessori</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/democratic-schooling-teachers-leave-them-kids-alone-24669">Democratic</a> schools are on the rise, and we looked at how these work in our <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/alternative-schooling">alternative schooling series</a>.</p>
<p>While thinking about different ways of doing things, our authors challenged what we thought we knew works in education. Misty Adoniou asked if we should <a href="https://theconversation.com/homework-whats-the-point-of-it-24123">scrap homework altogether</a>, and Rebecca English asked if parents should <a href="https://theconversation.com/gentle-parenting-explainer-no-rewards-no-punishments-no-misbehaving-kids-31678">stop punishing and rewarding</a> their kids, and instead teach them to be good just for the sake of it.</p>
<p>The biggest news in schools this year was the government-commissioned review into the <a href="https://theconversation.com/national-curriculum-review-experts-respond-26913">national curriculum</a>. The review was just as controversial in its recommendations to have more of a focus on Australia’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/pyne-curriculum-review-prefers-analysis-free-myth-to-history-32956">“Judeo-Christian” heritage</a> as it was for its <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-spurr-to-abandoning-the-literary-canon-33529">appointments</a>. However, we’re yet to see changes actually reach our classrooms, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-the-curriculum-review-make-it-in-to-schools-its-a-political-waiting-game-33878">could be waiting for a while</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67063/original/image-20141212-6057-wat5fo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67063/original/image-20141212-6057-wat5fo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67063/original/image-20141212-6057-wat5fo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67063/original/image-20141212-6057-wat5fo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67063/original/image-20141212-6057-wat5fo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=535&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67063/original/image-20141212-6057-wat5fo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=672&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67063/original/image-20141212-6057-wat5fo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=672&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/67063/original/image-20141212-6057-wat5fo.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=672&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">You guys sure do like spelling, or at least reading about it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What you seemed to enjoy the most though was looking at language: <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-some-kids-cant-spell-and-why-spelling-tests-wont-help-20497">spelling</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/grammar-matters-and-should-be-taught-differently-25604">grammar</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/aussie-slang-is-as-diverse-as-australia-itself-27973">Aussie slang</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/hopefully-literally-begs-the-question-the-three-most-annoying-misuses-in-english-26595">annoying misuses in English</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-those-damned-americanisms-really-american-32566">Americanisms</a>, and whether your kids were using language in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-most-important-thing-for-a-stutter-is-to-get-in-early-33402">way they should</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-tell-if-your-child-has-a-speech-or-language-impairment-31768">at the right ages</a>.</p>
<p>You also enjoyed our series on <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/bullying-in-schools">bullying in schools</a>, including <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-difference-between-bullying-and-everyday-life-27861">what is actually bullying</a> and what is just the argy bargy of everyday life. Our <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/exam-guide">exam guide</a>, which led up to end of year final exams, let you know <a href="https://theconversation.com/hsc-exam-guide-top-5-tips-on-how-to-blitz-your-humanities-exam-31789">how to study</a>, what to <a href="https://theconversation.com/hsc-exam-guide-what-to-eat-to-help-your-brain-31959">eat</a>, and how to <a href="https://theconversation.com/hsc-exam-guide-how-to-help-your-kids-through-this-stressful-time-31553">support loved ones</a> during this stressful time.</p>
<p><strong>But in case you missed them, here were our top five education stories for the year:</strong></p>
<ol>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-some-kids-cant-spell-and-why-spelling-tests-wont-help-20497">Why some kids can’t spell and why spelling tests won’t help</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/state-school-kids-do-better-at-uni-29155">State school kids do better at uni</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/private-schooling-has-little-long-term-pay-off-30303">Private schooling has little long term pay off</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/gentle-parenting-explainer-no-rewards-no-punishments-no-misbehaving-kids-31678">‘Gentle parenting’ explainer: no rewards, no punishments, no misbehaving kids</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-tell-if-your-child-has-a-speech-or-language-impairment-31768">How to tell if your child has a speech or language impairment</a></p></li>
</ol>
<p>And finally, we realise the education section has bombarded you with close-ups of this man all year. So here we pay homage to that with a few of our favourites. We’ve called it “The Many Faces of Pyne”:</p>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35418/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
While 2013 was all about schools and their funding (remember Gonski, anyone?), 2014 was the year of higher education reform. Or, at least, proposed higher education “reform”. With cuts to higher education…Alexandra Hansen, Deputy Editor and Chief of Staff, The Conversation AUNZLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/356672014-12-25T19:40:13Z2014-12-25T19:40:13Z2014, the year that was: Business + Economy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/67775/original/image-20141219-31557-1iurwfz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Amidst the hugging of cuddly animals, G20 leaders talked growth.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andrew Taylor/G20 Australia/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In April, Treasurer Joe Hockey set the tone for his economics policies <a href="http://www.joehockey.com/media/speeches/details.aspx?s=128">in a speech</a> in New York on what he referred to as ending the “entitlement culture”.</p>
<p>Hockey, who had <a href="http://australianpolitics.com/2012/04/17/hockey-speech-end-of-age-of-entitlement.html">given a defining speech in 2012</a> about ending the age of entitlement, outlined his mission:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Waste and inefficiency in government spending must be rooted out. Government must live within its means.</p>
<p>Government benefits must be sustainable, fair and targeted to those in genuine need.</p>
<p>Welfare must be a safety net, not a cargo net. We cannot allow vast numbers in society to remain in an entitlement culture.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Thus the script was set. But it has not exactly gone to to plan.</p>
<p>Recommendations of a wide-ranging <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/national-commission-of-audit">Commission of Audit</a> set the scene for what many presumed would be a bloody May budget. Hockey announced a <a href="https://theconversation.com/infographic-federal-budget-at-a-glance-26658">A$29.8 billion deficit</a>; but it was clear few in the government realised how unpopular proposed cuts to <a href="https://theconversation.com/low-earners-do-most-in-budget-lifting-says-natsem-modelling-26981">family payments</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/federal-budget-2014-health-experts-react-26577">health reform</a>, programs targeting the unemployed (<a href="https://theconversation.com/regressive-measures-wont-help-youth-into-work-or-training-26700">particularly young people</a>) and measures affecting pensioners would prove to be.</p>
<p>With the budget quickly defined as unfair, the following six months would be marked by intense political gridlock and disastrous electoral fallout. Australians clear valued their entitlements.</p>
<p>December’s Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) <a href="https://theconversation.com/government-reveals-40-billion-budget-deficit-clings-to-surplus-hope-35492">revealed a A$40.4 billion deficit</a>, which Hockey attributed to plunging iron ore prices leading to Australia’s worst terms of trade in 50 years, and a recalcitrant Senate blocking many of the government’s key spending cuts. </p>
<p>The government had managed to push through a number of measures, such as a <a href="https://theconversation.com/government-gets-round-senate-on-fuel-33538">fuel tariff</a>, the axing of Labor’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/carbon-tax-axed-how-it-affects-you-australia-and-our-emissions-28895">carbon</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/mining-tax-repealed-but-compulsory-super-increase-delayed-31181">mining</a> taxes and the implementation of a 2% deficit levy on high income earners. After a backflip from the Palmer United Party, the Coalition scrapped a planned increase in superannuation contributions and axed the low income super contribution, agreeing to dealy this a year. </p>
<p>However, other key initiatives such as $7 GP co-payment have been dropped (reintroduced as a cut to the Medicare rebate); redrafted, such as deregulation of the education sector, defeated before being put straight back onto the agenda by Education Minister Christopher Pyne; or in flux, such as the proposal to force jobseekers under 30 to wait six months to access welfare payments.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the Coalition is still clinging to <a href="https://theconversation.com/government-reveals-40-billion-budget-deficit-clings-to-surplus-hope-35492">hopes of a surplus</a>, however distant - even as Australians learned a new economic term: <a href="https://theconversation.com/myefo-projections-signal-a-deepening-income-recession-35539">income recession</a>.</p>
<p>The government’s message has this year consistently been that of <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/is-there-a-budget-crisis">budget crisis</a>, led by unsustainable government spending and debt.</p>
<p>But experts such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-needs-higher-taxes-not-spending-cuts-34657">Professor Max Corden argue</a> that what Australia faces is a revenue crisis, which needs to be addressed through taxation. Despite calls for the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-its-time-to-hike-the-gst-and-levy-an-inheritance-tax-35496">GST to be raised</a> and a re-think of generous tax measures for property owners such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-why-negative-gearing-is-bad-policy-21882">negative gearing</a> and tax subsidies for superannuants, <a href="https://theconversation.com/abbott-says-tax-and-federalism-changes-will-be-a-long-fight-33562">the government</a> is so far standing firm.</p>
<p>Integral to any decisions will be two important government white paper policy processes due to report next year, focusing on Australia’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/renewing-federalism">system of federalism</a> - which among other things will tackle which tiers of government have fiscal responsibility for services - and taxation, now due next year.</p>
<p>Other key policies to look out for will be Professor Ian Harper’s final recommendations from the <a href="https://theconversation.com/harper-competition-review-seeks-widespread-change-experts-react-31963">Competition Policy Review</a>.</p>
<p>In business, there was much pain for Qantas this year as it sought to stem the bleeding caused by a savage domestic capacity war with Virgin and continuing losses in its international division. In February, the company announced it would cut 5000 jobs. Chief executive Alan Joyce was not one of those, despite <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-5000-qantas-job-losses-should-include-alan-joyce-23761">loud calls</a>. </p>
<p>In September the airline posted its largest ever loss - A$2.8 billion - that included a A$2.6 billion writedown on its fleet. Hamza Bendemra <a href="https://theconversation.com/did-qantas-bet-the-house-on-the-wrong-planes-30999">wondered at the time</a> whether it had invested in the wrong planes.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Toyota joined Ford and Holden in <a href="https://theconversation.com/toyota-names-2017-end-australian-car-making-to-cease-experts-react-23037">announcing it would cease manufacturing cars in Australia</a> by 2017, leaving Australia without a local automotive industry. The move, while expected, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-australian-economy-still-needs-manufacturing-31913">caused soul searching</a> over the future of Australia’s manufacturing industry more widely. </p>
<p>2014 was the year of the free trade agreement, with Australia finalising FTAs with <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-australia-win-from-ftas-in-the-asian-century-23295">South Korea</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-japan-fta-finalised-after-long-gestation-25356">Japan</a> - and most notably <a href="https://theconversation.com/key-events-in-the-10-year-journey-towards-a-china-australia-fta-32328">China</a>, after a 10 year gestation.</p>
<p>Also on the international scene, in what many insiders dubbed a summit of two agendas, <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/g20-brisbane">Australia’s first G20 summit</a> in Brisbane in November will be remembered for wrangling over climate change, and world leaders hugging koalas.</p>
<p>But beneath the superficial, there was news on the plan to crack down on tax cheats, and real movement to close the gender gap on female workforce participation.</p>
<p>G20 countries endorsed treasurer Joe Hockey’s 2.1% collective growth target with infrastructure and trade lead items. Achieving the US$2 trillion growth target by 2018 is far from certain, but by implementing a monitoring plan to keep G20 countries honest, Australia made accountability a key agenda item.</p>
<p>As the Australian economy is weaned off its reliance on the very much waning commodities boom, there is very much a wait-and-see sense about the future. Will there be further interest rate cuts? How will the newly inked free trade agreements, (notably that with Japan, which kicks off early next year) affect Australia’s economy? </p>
<p>Will Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) governor Glenn Stevens be granted his wish for the Australian dollar to be at US75c by next December? We’ll bring it all to you in 2015. </p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Top five business and economy stories:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/infographic-the-promises-vs-budget-measures-26660">Infographic: the promises vs budget measures</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/who-will-bear-the-60m-cost-of-the-search-for-mh370-26050">Who will bear the $60m cost of the search for MH370?</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/infographic-federal-budget-at-a-glance-26658">Infographic: federal budget at a glance</a> </p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/a-thin-blue-line-how-facebook-deals-with-controversial-content-19966">A thin blue line: how Facebook deals with controversial content</a> </p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/unemployment-coming-to-a-suburb-near-you-20762">Unemployment … coming to a suburb near you</a> </p></li>
</ul>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/35667/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
In April, Treasurer Joe Hockey set the tone for his economics policies in a speech in New York on what he referred to as ending the “entitlement culture”. Hockey, who had given a defining speech in 2012…Helen Westerman, Business + Economy EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.