tag:theconversation.com,2011:/institutions/griffith-university-828/articlesGriffith University2024-03-17T19:01:41Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2248682024-03-17T19:01:41Z2024-03-17T19:01:41ZNarendra Modi’s economy isn’t booming for India’s unemployed youth. So, why is his party favoured to win another election?<p>India will soon hold the <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/publications/interactive/india-elects-2024">biggest election ever conducted</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/16/india-to-hold-worlds-biggest-election-in-seven-stages-from-april#:%7E:text=Voting%20will%20be%20staggered%20over,announced%20on%20the%20same%20day.">starting</a> on April 19 and running through early June. Almost 950 million registered voters will be able to cast ballots to elect the 543 members of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament.</p>
<p>The result is not a foregone conclusion, but <a href="https://eastasiaforum.org/2024/01/21/indias-2024-elections-may-bring-a-new-political-epoch/">most analysts expect</a> Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to win another five years in office. After a decade in power, the <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/mood-of-the-nation-2024-lok-sabha-elections-pm-modi-nda-win-likely-india-alliance-congress-important-issues-2499457-2024-02-08">opinion polls suggest</a> Modi is still well regarded by many Indians and the main opposition parties do not command wide support.</p>
<h2>Slow growth, too few jobs</h2>
<p>This situation might strike some as odd. The Modi government’s record is mixed – especially in managing the economy – and has <a href="https://thewire.in/economy/survey-finds-deep-economic-discontent-job-pessimism-52-say-modis-policies-favour-big-business">disappointed many voters</a>. </p>
<p>To be sure, as the <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/global-buzz-around-high-growth-rate-of-indian-economy-says-pm-modi-124030400884_1.html">prime minister frequently reminds voters</a>, India has grown faster than many competitors in recent years. But the BJP came to office ten years ago promising <a href="https://theasanforum.org/indias-new-leadership-and-east-asia-1/">double-digit growth rates</a> and it has <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/8299d318-7c35-49a0-9a9a-b8e5abeba7be">never achieved that goal</a>. </p>
<p>Worse still, it has <a href="https://eastasiaforum.org/2023/04/10/indias-workforce-woes/">struggled to generate jobs</a> for the millions of young people who need them. </p>
<p>Critics point to errors in BJP economic policy they think have stifled growth and job creation. These include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>the shock inflicted in 2016 by the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-41100610">sudden withdrawal</a> of 85% of India’s paper money, ostensibly to combat corruption</p></li>
<li><p>the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-india-new-delhi-narendra-modi-2bfb76c9d3c0246896425461166078b5">bungled introduction</a> of much-needed reforms to the agricultural sector </p></li>
<li><p>and the ongoing protection of India’s <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/518e516a-df00-47fd-b7b3-183599c47485">big industrial conglomerates</a> from domestic and foreign competition.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Taken together, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/india/india-wanted-a-manufacturing-boom-its-workers-are-back-on-the-farm-instead-e94bb940#">critics charge</a>, these mistakes have left too many people in precarious work and held back investment in manufacturing, which could offer more people more jobs.</p>
<h2>Shoring up a Hindu nationalist base</h2>
<p>Why, then, do so many Indians still support the Modi government? </p>
<p>Part of the answer lies in the BJP’s ability to appeal to multiple constituencies with targeted messages. </p>
<p>Ruling India effectively depends on constructing and maintaining coalitions – either coalitions of parties or coalitions of voters. Modi’s BJP does both. It is supported by <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nda-38-vs-opposition-26-full-lists-of-parties-attending-delhi-bengaluru-meets-101689667153538.html">several smaller parties</a> in parliament, but more important in terms of winning elections, is the <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/04/04/bjp-s-electoral-arithmetic-pub-78678">patchwork quilt of different groups of voters</a> it can marshal.</p>
<p>At the centre of this quilt sits a group of convinced Hindu nationalists, motivated by an ideology known as “<a href="https://theconversation.com/indias-prime-minister-modi-pursues-politics-of-hindu-nationalism-what-does-that-mean-117794">Hindutva</a>”. They argue that India’s society and government should reflect what they believe is the will of the Hindu majority, numbering about 80% of the population.</p>
<p>For decades, they have campaigned to end what they perceive as unreasonable special protections given to religious minorities, including for places of worship and faith-based divorce and child custody laws, as well as the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/8/5/kashmir-special-status-explained-what-are-articles-370-and-35a">autonomous status</a> of the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir.</p>
<p>Step by step, over the past decade, the Modi government has met many of these demands, locking in the Hindu nationalist base for the BJP. </p>
<p>In 2019, it <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49234708">revoked the constitutional amendments</a> that limited New Delhi’s rights to determine how Kashmir is governed.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, the prime minister also presided over the opening ceremony of a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-23/narendra-modi-opens-ayodhya-temple-on-site-of-babri-mosque/103374836">new Hindu temple</a> at Ayodhya, on the site of mosque demolished by Hindu nationalist activists in 1992. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-a-controversial-hindu-temple-in-india-could-prove-pivotal-to-narendra-modis-party-in-upcoming-elections-219811">Why a controversial Hindu temple in India could prove pivotal to Narendra Modi's party in upcoming elections</a>
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<p>Soon after, the government announced a <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/indias-citizenship-amendment-act-why-is-it-controversial/a-68514701">controversial new law</a> will come into effect that will allow Hindus, Sikhs and others fleeing neighbouring Muslim-majority countries to gain Indian citizenship, but may permit the deportation of Muslims deemed to be illegal immigrants.</p>
<p>And many believe a “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/what-is-indias-civil-code-why-does-it-anger-muslims-2024-02-07/">uniform civil code</a>” will be next, imposing common marriage, alimony and custody arrangements on all Indian citizens, regardless of religion.</p>
<h2>Courting women and urban, middle-class voters</h2>
<p>The Hindu nationalist core is powerful, but it is not large enough to give the BJP all the seats it needs to govern.</p>
<p>For that reason, the party has also tried to <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/read/why-the-indian-middle-class-gravitates-towards-modi/article33269351.ece">win over the growing urban middle class</a>. This group is less interested in cultural issues and more concerned with good governance, as well as India’s standing in the world. </p>
<p>In the last two elections, the BJP won their support by promising to crack down on corruption, improve the country’s business environment, build better infrastructure and restore national pride. It is promising to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-modi-pledges-15-bln-spending-splurge-elections-near-2024-03-08/">push on with this program</a> so it can hold on to this bloc of voters, and it likely will, in the absence of convincing alternatives. </p>
<p>At the same time, the BJP will continue to seek the support of the rural poor and women, who might back left-wing parties or not vote at all. </p>
<p>To appeal to these groups in recent years, the Modi government has <a href="https://thewire.in/economy/modi-govts-fiscal-policy-on-welfare-trends-so-far-and-what-to-expect">doubled the funding</a> for a rural income guarantee scheme, and launched other programs, including one to provide midday meals to schoolchildren. </p>
<p>It has facilitated the opening of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-28962762">bank accounts</a> for tens of millions, including women. This allows them – in principle, at least – to circumvent corrupt officials and feckless husbands when it comes to receiving welfare payments. </p>
<p>The government has also provided millions of rural homes with <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/modi-speech-bulid-toilets-women-girls-204195-2014-08-15">toilets</a> and <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Modi-launches-LPG-scheme-for-poor-women/article14295554.ece">cooking gas bottles</a>, arguing both make women safer.</p>
<p>These measures have paid off so far, with more of the <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/India-election/For-clues-to-BJP-s-landslide-win-look-to-Modi-s-rural-support2">rural poor</a> and more <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/story/why-more-women-voted-bjp-2022-elections-analysis-1924821-2022-03-13">women</a> voting for the BJP in recent elections.</p>
<p>This time around, the party is looking to consolidate support among women, in particular. It has shepherded a new gender quota bill through parliament, which will <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/09/26/india-s-new-gender-quota-law-is-win-for-women-mostly-pub-90644">require</a> one third of Lok Sabha seats to be reserved for women from 2029, among other measures.</p>
<h2>A divided and weak opposition</h2>
<p>The Modi government’s success in winning over these groups is impressive, but it must be noted the BJP has <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/analysis-highest-ever-national-vote-share-for-the-bjp/article27218550.ece">never gained more than 40%</a> of the popular vote in a national election. If it faced a united and effective opposition, it might struggle to win office.</p>
<p>Happily for the BJP, India’s opposition parties are divided and weak. If they could join forces and put their support behind a single, strong candidate to challenge the BJP in individual districts, they might win more seats. However, negotiations to do this have <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/india/alliance-blues-for-india-in-several-states-2935890">proved tortuous</a>.</p>
<p>Worse still, the fragile opposition alliance has not yet named a <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/lok-sabha-polls-2024-elections-not-beauty-contests-says-congress-on-india-alliances-pm-face-420882-2024-03-11">credible alternative candidate</a> for the prime ministership. </p>
<p>Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family that led India after independence, is an obvious choice, but is widely seen as an <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/rahul-gandhi-prince-indian-politics-who-lost-his-parliament-seat-2023-03-24/">ineffectual dilettante</a>. Successful regional politicians like West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee have <a href="https://thewire.in/books/book-review-will-mamata-banerjee-be-a-serious-challenger-to-modi-in-2024">limited reach</a> beyond their own states. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, Modi’s <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2023/08/29/indians-views-of-modi-and-other-national-leaders/#:%7E:text=Indian%20Prime%20Minister%20Narendra%20Modi,have%20a%20very%20favorable%20view.">personal popularity is high</a>. His modest background and personal charisma still appeal to the young and the aspirational, especially in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-63884247">caste groups historically excluded</a> from power and wealth. </p>
<p>Defeating such a dominant figure will be hard, if not impossible.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224868/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Hall is affiliated with the Australia India Institute. </span></em></p>Modi’s party has struggled to generate jobs for young people, but is highly adept at marshalling votes to win elections.Ian Hall, Professor of International Relations, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2252572024-03-13T00:02:52Z2024-03-13T00:02:52ZSurviving fishing gear entanglement isn’t enough for endangered right whales – females still don’t breed afterward<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581023/original/file-20240311-30-7n1k5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C7%2C5240%2C3936&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Endangered North Atlantic right whale Snow Cone, entangled in fishing rope, with her newborn calf off Georgia in 2021.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/WhaleEntanglement/e4dd953df8dc4ff8a1df41f310d9abda/photo">Georgia Department of Natural Resources/NOAA Permit #21731, via AP</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It sounds like a crime show episode at sea: In late January 2024, federal regulators learned that a dead female North Atlantic right whale had been sighted near Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The whale was towed to shore, where more than 20 U.S. and Canadian scientists converged to perform a <a href="https://www.acvp.org/page/Necropsy">necropsy</a>, or animal autopsy. </p>
<p>On Feb. 14, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that the whale was #5120 in a <a href="https://rwcatalog.neaq.org/#/">catalog that tracks individual right whales</a>. Further, the agency said, rope that had been deeply embedded in the whale’s tail had likely come from <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/north-atlantic-right-whale-updates">lobster fishing gear in Maine</a>. </p>
<p>Entanglement in fishing gear is a deadly threat to these <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41712/178589687">critically endangered animals</a>. Scientists estimate that before commercial whaling scaled up in the 18th and 19th centuries, there may have been as many as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12664">10,000 North Atlantic right whales</a>. Today, fewer than 360 individuals remain. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps09923">Almost 90% of them</a> have been entangled at least once. </p>
<p>When whales become entangled in fishing gear, they use extra energy dragging it as they swim. If the rope is caught around their mouths, they may struggle to feed and slowly starve. Ropes wrapped around whales’ bodies, flippers or tails can cut into the animals’ skin and become <a href="https://theconversation.com/high-tech-fishing-gear-could-help-save-critically-endangered-right-whales-115974">deeply embedded in their flesh</a>, as happened to whale #5120. This can cause infections, chronic emaciation and damage to whales’ blubber, muscle, bone and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/baleen-whale">baleen – the bristly structures in their mouths</a> that they use to filter prey from the water.</p>
<p>North Atlantic right whales are legally protected, both internationally and in U.S. waters, including policies that seek to reduce deaths or serious injuries resulting from entanglements. However, even when entanglement does not kill a whale, it can affect individuals’ ability to reproduce, which is critically important for a species with such low numbers. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ylQ5q7Ivs2o?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Rescuers successfully remove more than 450 feet (137 meters) of rope and a 135-pound (60-kilogram) trap from an entangled North Atlantic right whale at sea.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In a newly published study, we show that even entanglements scientists classify as minor have <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2024.0314">devastating impacts on female right whales</a> and that, surprisingly, potential mothers who suffer “minor” entanglements have the lowest chance of starting to breed. As researchers with expertise in <a href="https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=8zoJjzcAAAAJ&hl=en">marine</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8isVxjsAAAAJ&hl=en">biology</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=CDxPUIEAAAAJ&hl=en">ecology</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=P9JQOi8AAAAJ&hl=en">statistics</a>, we believe our findings underline the urgent need for ropeless fishing gear that can reduce threats to the survival of this species.</p>
<h2>Smaller females are having fewer young</h2>
<p>Understanding reproductive patterns is essential for supporting species that are critically endangered. North Atlantic right whales historically started breeding by around 9 years of age and gave birth to a single calf every <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00530">three to four years</a> thereafter for several decades. </p>
<p>Today, however, many females have yet to reproduce at all. Moreover, those that have successfully produced calves now don’t produce another calf for <a href="https://www.narwc.org/uploads/1/1/6/6/116623219/2022reportcardfinal.pdf">more than seven years on average</a>. </p>
<p>As we showed in a 2022 study, after an encouraging North Atlantic right whale population recovery from the 1970s through the early 2000s, the number of reproductively mature female right whales <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.994481">declined from 2014 onward</a>. By 2018 there were only about 73 breeding females left, representing roughly half of all females and a sixth of the entire species.</p>
<p>Other research has shown that <a href="https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13299">poor health and physical condition</a> are making it harder for these females to even start breeding. Since the early 1980s, North Atlantic right whales have literally shrunk: Adults have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.067">shorter bodies</a> than they did several decades ago. This trend is associated with entanglements in fishing gear. As is true for all mammals, decreasing female body size <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240050">reduces the likelihood of reproducing</a>. Smaller whales have fewer calves.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Infographic showing North Atlantic right whale population trends" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581026/original/file-20240311-22-t5wyed.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">North Atlantic right whales have been listed as endangered since 1970. Approximately 360 individuals remain, including around 70 reproductively active females.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale">NOAA Fisheries</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Low calving rates are a <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/flying-high-save-north-atlantic-right-whales">significant factor in North Atlantic right whales’ decline</a>, so it is important to understand what causes them. Many organizations are involved in <a href="https://whalemap.org/">tracking North Atlantic right whales</a>, including <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale/science">government agencies</a>, <a href="https://www.neaq.org/animal/right-whales/">aquariums</a> and <a href="https://coastalstudies.org/right-whale-research/population-monitoring/">conservation groups</a>. Photos taken from the air enable researchers to identify individuals and so monitor whale population trends, births and deaths, ocean habitat use patterns, health and rates of scarring from entanglements and collisions with ships.</p>
<p>Our new study found that female right whales who have experienced even a minor entanglement before reaching sexual maturity may not ever start to breed. Even females who have previously reproduced are less likely to breed again following an entanglement event.</p>
<p>We determined this by using a mathematical model to incorporate information on the identity of individual whales, derived from photographs of <a href="https://www.neaq.org/conservation-and-research/anderson-cabot-center-for-ocean-life/identifying-right-whales/">natural markings known as callosities</a> on the whales’ heads. By identifying and photographing whales repeatedly over time, scientists can estimate different stages of their life, such as when females give birth. </p>
<h2>Weakness of current regulations</h2>
<p>Researchers categorize the severity of injuries that result from entanglements as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12590">minor, moderate or severe</a>. The scientists who manage the right whale catalog classify scars or injuries on the skin as minor if they are smaller than 0.8 inches (2 centimeters) without entering the blubber. If they are larger and enter the blubber, they are classified as moderate. Injuries that extend deep into the muscle or bone are categorized as severe.</p>
<p>Our research makes it clear that such value-laden terms are potentially misleading because even minor entanglements can threaten whales’ successful reproduction.</p>
<p>Multiple laws ostensibly protect North Atlantic right whales, including the U.S. <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/laws-policies/endangered-species-act">Endangered Species Act</a> and <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/laws-policies/marine-mammal-protection-act">Marine Mammal Protection Act</a>, and Canada’s <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/s-15.3/">Species at Risk Act</a>. In our view, these measures do not give enough weight to preventing all types of entanglements, regardless of severity.</p>
<p>Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the NOAA develops and implements conservation plans and so-called Take Reduction Plans, which are designed to minimize wildlife deaths and serious injury resulting from commercial fishing gear.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/marine-mammal-protection/atlantic-large-whale-take-reduction-plan">Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan</a>, developed in 1997, requires fishers to use <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/marine-mammal-protection/approved-weak-inserts-atlantic-large-whale-take">weak links</a>, with a maximum breaking strength of 1,700 pounds (771 kilograms), to connect lobster and crab pots to buoys on the surface. These links are intended to break when whales swim into them, so that the whales do not become entangled and weighted down by ropes and traps. </p>
<p>The plan also requires fishers to use heavy ground lines to connect multiple traps or pots. These lines are designed to sink to the bottom rather than floating in the water column. And the plan closes trap fishing areas seasonally when whales are known to be present in those zones. </p>
<figure>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">U.S. and Canadian regulators are considering requiring ‘ropeless’ lobster and crab fishing gear in zones where right whales are present.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Coming back from the brink</h2>
<p>Current population estimates suggest that the numbers of North Atlantic right whales <a href="https://www.neaq.org/right-whale-population-estimates-indicate-slowing-decline-scientists-highlight-threats-to-species/">could be stabilizing</a>, meaning that the number of deaths is approximately equal to the number being born. While these estimates seem promising, females need to start and continue producing calves to increase whales’ numbers. </p>
<p>From our work, it is very clear that both lethal and sublethal impacts of entanglements are of grave concern for these whales. As we see it, eliminating entanglement, not mitigating it, is the only way to avoid the extinction of this species. Every entanglement, whatever its severity, is bad news for the whales.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225257/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leslie New receives funding from the U.S. Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation. She also is a member of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Corkeron consults for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility on right whale conservation issues. He headed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's large whale research program for the northeastern US from 2011 to 2019, then led the New England Aquarium's right whale research program through 2022.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rob Harcourt receives funding from the Australian Federal Government Department of Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water for research on right whales. He was a member of the National Marine Mammal Scientific Committee </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua Reed does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even when female North Atlantic right whales survive entanglement in fishing gear, it may affect their future ability to breed, increasing the pressure on this critically endangered species.Joshua Reed, Research Associate in Biology, Macquarie UniversityLeslie New, Assistant Professor of Statistics, Ursinus CollegePeter Corkeron, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith UniversityRob Harcourt, Professor of Marine Ecology, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2234652024-03-08T05:42:34Z2024-03-08T05:42:34Z‘Definitions are often very western. This excludes us.’ Our research shows how to boost Indigenous participation in STEM<p>Australian politicians and major government reports keep emphasising the importance of STEM (or science, technology, engineering and maths) skills for our economy and society. </p>
<p>As the Universities Accord report <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/australian-universities-accord">noted last month</a>, engineering and and science are experiencing “significant skill shortages”. Then there is a <a href="https://www.minister.industry.gov.au/ministers/husic/media-releases/number-aussie-tech-workers-rise">federal goal</a> to have 1.2 million tech-related jobs by 2030. </p>
<p>This comes amid a growing discussion about how the current STEM workforce tends to be white and male. </p>
<p>Last month’s <a href="https://www.industry.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-02/pathway-to-diversity-in-stem-review-final-report.pdf">Diversity in STEM Review</a> noted how in 2021, only 36% of STEM university students identified as female, while only 5% were living with a disability. In the same year, 0.5% of Indigenous peoples held a university STEM qualification, compared to 4.9% of the Australian population. </p>
<p>We recently conducted <a href="https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:9fddf34">research</a> for the diversity review about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ views on STEM. This included how we can increase the use of Indigenous STEM knowledge, as well as grow the number of Indigenous peoples in STEM. </p>
<p>Indigenous STEM knowledge is vast and includes many things such as astronomy, weather knowledge, medicinal plant knowledge and animal classification systems. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/first-peoples-knowledge-of-mysterious-fairy-circles-in-australian-deserts-has-upended-a-long-standing-science-debate-202956">First Peoples' knowledge of 'mysterious fairy circles' in Australian deserts has upended a long-standing science debate</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Mob have a lot to say about STEM</h2>
<p>In 2023, we did an online survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults’ views on STEM. This is the largest survey of its kind. </p>
<p>We asked both multiple choice and open-ended questions and received 204 responses from diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, representing 98 different mobs across the nation. </p>
<p>We did this as part of a <a href="https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:9fddf34">broader body of work</a> for the Diversity in STEM review. We also did literature reviews, case studies and interviews on Indigenous contributions to STEM and barriers to participating.</p>
<h2>Mob perspectives on STEM</h2>
<p>Almost one quarter (23%) of our respondents had not heard the term “STEM”. This needs to change if we want to increase Indigenous participation in STEM. It is difficult to promote STEM opportunities to our communities if terminology and language aren’t relatable or understood well.</p>
<p>Of those surveyed, 83.3% saw a connection between STEM and Indigenous culture. This also came up in the literature reviews and qualitative interviews we did: western ideas of STEM and Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing should not be seen as separate, but as complimentary. </p>
<p>Almost everyone surveyed (98%) believed it was important to have Indigenous people represented in STEM fields. Having Indigenous role models in STEM is critical if we hope more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will pursue these careers: we must be able to see a place for ourselves in these fields.</p>
<p>As one participant shared:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I think it’s important that as an Indigenous person growing up you can see other people in STEM fields so you are aware of the opportunities you have.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Almost all (97.5%) of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed STEM could benefit community. Many mob have strong motivations to give back and this finding can be used in designing policies and programs that incorporate the connections between STEM and community.</p>
<h2>Indigenous people are not being supported</h2>
<p>Only one in three participants felt Indigenous people are being supported to pursue STEM careers. </p>
<p>They said racism, discrimination and individual and financial challenges are all barriers. Some of the individual barriers identified are a lack of support, opportunities or confidence.</p>
<p>As one participant shared:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We are often told we are not good enough or smart enough to pursue STEM because we don’t fit certain moulds of what people think should be STEM people.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>One participant observed the way STEM is talked about and defined is also an issue:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Definitions of STEM are often very western. This excludes us.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>There is a lot of positivity</h2>
<p>We know there are Indigenous people who are thriving in their STEM careers, despite the challenges. There is also enormous positivity about the possibilities of STEM for individual careers and for Indigenous communities more broadly. As one survey respondent told us: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I believe STEM can provide more opportunities for our future generations in education, cultural equality and industry advancement.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>One person elaborated on the possibilities for sustaining Country and communities:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Protecting Country and community both require STEM skills and are necessary in supporting our future generations.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But our respondents noted it was essential to listen to Indigenous peoples. Our voices need to be at the centre of decision making moving forward. As one participant said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>the more involvement and engagement we have, the more it opens the door for future generations.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-accord-theres-a-push-to-increase-indigenous-students-and-voices-in-higher-education-but-we-need-more-detail-and-funding-224739">Universities Accord: there's a push to increase Indigenous students and voices in higher education. But we need more detail and funding</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How can we increase Indigenous participation in STEM?</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:9fddf34">final report</a> outlines 22 key findings and 15 recommendations based on our research. This is both evidence-based and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13384-022-00581-w">Indigenous-informed</a>. This is important, as our research found most published research to date on Indigenous participation in STEM and Indigenous STEM knowledge has been undertaken by non-Indigenous researchers.</p>
<p>Some of our recommendations include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><strong>A place to advance Indigenous STEM knowledges:</strong> This should include a platform for schools and universities to access quality sources on Indigenous STEM knowledges and knowledge holders, as well as investment to grow the Indigenous STEM research workforce.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>A campaign to increase Indigenous peoples’ awareness about STEM:</strong> This should include what STEM is, as well as opportunities to be involved. It should also break down language barriers (by being published in multiple languages) and be Indigenous-led.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Establish an Office for Indigenous STEM:</strong> This would coordinate and promote policy initiatives from governments to increase Indigenous participation in STEM and would be similar to the existing Office for Women in STEM.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Community-based STEM programs:</strong> To date, governments have invested in many programs but few of these are community based or use existing STEM knowledge within communities.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Align Indigenous STEM goals with broader Indigenous education policies:</strong> Unless <a href="https://www.niaa.gov.au/sites/default/files/reports/closing-the-gap-2019/education.html">education outcomes</a> improve for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, increasing Indigenous participation in STEM will be challenging.</p></li>
<li><p><strong>Include STEM perspectives in early childhood programs:</strong> this will provide opportunities to experience STEM from an early age, including Indigenous perspectives on STEM. </p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p><em>The authors acknowledge the rest of the <a href="https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:9fddf34">Big Mob: STEM It Up</a> research team: Suraiya Abdul Hameed, Pedram Rashidi, Zoe Ockerby, Amanda Hurley, Lisa Harvey-Smith and Lisa Williams.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223465/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marnee Shay receives funding from the Australian Government, the Australian Research Council and AIATSIS. She is a member of QATSIETAC with the Department of Education Queensland. The new research in this article was supported by a grant to UNSW Sydney as part of the federal government's Women in STEM Ambassador initiative via the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Thomson receives funding from the Australian Government.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Antoinette Cole receives funding from the Australian Government. She is appointed as the Chair of the Queensland Catholic Education Commission's First Nations Education Committee and the Deputy Chair and member of the CQUniversity First Nations Council of Elders and Leaders.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jodie Miller receives funding from the Australian Government and the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ren Perkins does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A survey of Indigenous people found almost one quarter had not heard of STEM. But more than 80% saw a connection between science, technology, engineering, maths and Indigenous culture.Marnee Shay, Associate Professor, Principal Research Fellow, The University of QueenslandAmy Thomson, PhD candidate, Senior Research Assistant, School of Education, The University of QueenslandAntoinette Cole, PhD Candidate, Senior Research Assistant, School of Education, The University of QueenslandJodie Miller, Associate Professor in Mathematics Education, The University of QueenslandRen Perkins, Lecturer, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2250812024-03-07T07:47:18Z2024-03-07T07:47:18Z‘Inequality serves no-one’: Australia finally has a strategy to achieve gender equality - but is it any good?<p>As International Women’s Day comes around once more, the latest <a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/pay-and-gender/gender-pay-gap-data">gender pay gap figures</a> for Australia have made for disappointing reading, including naming those companies where the gap is widest.</p>
<p>Looking at full-time equivalent total remuneration, the gender pay gap in Australia is at 21.7%. Yikes.</p>
<p>As she launched the government’s latest <a href="https://genderequality.gov.au/">gender equality strategy</a> at the Press Club on Thursday, Finance Minister and Minister for Women Katy Gallagher <a href="https://www.themandarin.com.au/241294-working-for-women-australia-first-national-strategy-to-achieve-gender-equality/">called</a> this “an eye-watering disparity”.</p>
<p>So what are the key points in the strategy and what actual difference is it likely to make?</p>
<p>As a guiding principle, one of Gallagher’s strongest quotes from the launch was that “inequality serves no-one”.</p>
<p>The strategy sets out that gender inequality and stereotypes also constrain men, limiting their choices, supports and opportunities. One way to redress this would be to normalise equal parenting and caring roles in Australian society. </p>
<p>Where the strategy is weakest is on how to preserve women’s hard-fought gains during crises and shocks such as the <a href="https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/02/explainer-how-gender-inequality-and-climate-change-are-interconnected">climate transition</a>. </p>
<h2>So what is the big picture for Australian gender equality?</h2>
<p>In this context, Gallagher said she is determined to get Australia back up the <a href="https://lens.monash.edu/@politics-society/2023/09/13/1386126/climbing-the-ranks-australias-gender-equity-breakthrough#:%7E:text=This%20significant%20moment%20dovetails%20with,political%20action%20to%20empower%20women.">international rankings</a> on gender equality.</p>
<p>I know what you’re thinking: Australia didn’t have a gender equality strategy before now? The surprising answer is no.</p>
<p>There is a 2022–32 <a href="https://www.dss.gov.au/ending-violence">strategy</a> on violence against women and girls, for example, but until now, there has been never been a plan for the broader goal of gender equality, and no plan to address <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Human_Rights/HumanRightsFramework">human rights</a> since 2013. </p>
<p>And even now, the ten-year strategy won’t start until 2025. Can you imagine defence or infrastructure going years or decades without a strategy? AUKUS has a $368 billion plan between now and the mid-2050s. But key areas of social policy such mental health, gender equality or climate adaptation lapse for years, or are built and unbuilt by electoral change. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, the government is at least to be given some credit for finally giving us one on gender equality.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/krWLRJXu35o?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>So what’s in it?</h2>
<p><a href="https://genderequality.gov.au/">Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality</a> has a vision of “an Australia where people are safe, treated with respect, have choices and have access to resources and equal outcomes no matter their gender”. It includes a great section on harmful gender attitudes and stereotypes, complete with narratives. </p>
<p>There are also five priority areas for action: gender-based violence; unpaid and paid care; economic equality and security; health; and leadership, representation and decision-making. </p>
<p>Some of the key points are: </p>
<ul>
<li>New federal procurement rules will be developed by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) so Australian businesses with 500 employees or more will be required to meet new gender equality targets if they want to win government contracts (noting federal public procurement is worth $70 billion). </li>
</ul>
<p>These <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/mar/07/labor-gender-equality-targets-government-contracts-katy-gallagher-national-press-club-speech">targets</a> will focus on the gender makeup of companies’ boards and the workforce; equal pay; flexible working arrangements; workplace consultation on gender equality; and efforts to prevent and address sexual harassment. </p>
<p>This has been proven overseas to be an excellent lever for gender quality outcomes. My <a href="https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/publications/research/Gender-smart%20Procurement%20-%2020.12.2017.pdf">research for UK think tank Chatham House</a> showed public procurement accounts for around one-fifth of global gross domestic product. It is estimated women-owned businesses and women entrepreneurs supplied just 1% of this market. </p>
<ul>
<li><p>The federal government will <a href="https://ministers.pmc.gov.au/gallagher/2024/paying-super-government-paid-parental-leave-enhance-economic-security-and-gender-equality">pay superannuation on paid parental leave</a> (PPL) from July 1 2025.</p></li>
<li><p>The government will work towards the goal that paid and unpaid care work must be better valued. Women currently account for 75% of disability carers, 87% of residential aged carers, and more than 90% of early childhood educators. </p></li>
<li><p>The strategy will also tackle structural medical biases that lead to poorer health outcomes for women and girls, especially in relation to endometriosis and pelvic pain, and menopause.</p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/government-to-pay-super-on-paid-parental-leave-benefitting-180-000-families-a-year-225178">Government to pay super on paid parental leave, benefitting 180,000 families a year</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580368/original/file-20240307-22-calbu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580368/original/file-20240307-22-calbu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580368/original/file-20240307-22-calbu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580368/original/file-20240307-22-calbu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580368/original/file-20240307-22-calbu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580368/original/file-20240307-22-calbu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580368/original/file-20240307-22-calbu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">While the government’s strategy has much to recommend it, it needed to do more on the impact of climate change on women.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>But climate impacts could undo it all…</h2>
<p>Where the strategy falls down badly is in the consideration of climate impacts and related disasters on Australia’s progress towards gender equality. </p>
<p>Literally the last page of the report notes that given the unequal impact of crises such as climate change and natural disasters on women, diverse leadership and representation are important. But the strategy doesn’t see climate adaptation as the game-changer that it is, with most current climate adaptation measures in energy, transport, disaster management, finance, climate services and technology fuelling gender inequality outcomes.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, as the minister said in her speech, the strategy points us to a better future for the next generation of girls and women: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>To a little girl who is born today. That by the time you go to school, you won’t have preconceived ideas about “girl” jobs and “boy” jobs. That by the time you choose the subjects you study you don’t self-select out of maths or science and technology if that’s what you’re interested in. That as you grow up, you and your male peers learn about respectful relationships and enthusiastic consent rather than how women should protect themselves and their friends from the threat of violence.</p>
<p>That if you experience the pain of endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome your diagnosis doesn’t take a decade, or that you’re told the pain is in your head and then sent away from the ED with only Nurofen as pain relief.</p>
<p>That you won’t be catcalled when you go for a run or look over your shoulder when you walk alone.</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/225081/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Harris Rimmer receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Federal Government and Queensland Government. Susan is the President of UNAA Qld and on the board of youth-led NGO Foundations for Tomorrow.</span></em></p>While there is much to applaud in the government’s strategy, it neglects to deal with the unequal gender impacts of climate change.Susan Harris Rimmer, Professor and Director of the Policy Innovation Hub, Griffith Business School, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2247392024-03-03T19:19:06Z2024-03-03T19:19:06ZUniversities Accord: there’s a push to increase Indigenous students and voices in higher education. But we need more detail and funding<p><em>The federal government has released the <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/accord-final-report">final report</a> on a Universities Accord. Taking more than a year to prepare, it is billed as a “blueprint” for reform for the next decade and beyond. It contains 47 recommendations across student fees, wellbeing, funding, teaching, research and university governance. You can find the rest of our accord coverage <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/universities-accord-121839">here</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>The Universities Accord <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/accord-final-report">final report</a> calls for meaningful steps to increase the numbers of Indigenous graduates and Indigenous leaders in higher education. In <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-government-is-well-behind-on-closing-the-gap-this-is-why-we-needed-a-voice-to-parliament-223309">post-referendum Australia</a>, this is more important than ever.</p>
<p>The philosophy of “nothing about us without us” runs through the report, with recommendations for Indigenous leadership in policies, programs, funding and decision-making. Is this enough? </p>
<h2>What does the accord recommend?</h2>
<p>One of the key recommendations of the report is to raise Indigenous participation at university. The accord wants Australia’s university student population to reflect the demographic composition of Australian society.</p>
<p>It wants to do this by introducing equity targets. At the moment, Indigenous Australians make up 3.7% of the Australian population but only 1.5% of university completions. </p>
<p>In part, it hopes to do this with more <a href="https://theconversation.com/uncapping-uni-places-for-indigenous-students-is-a-step-in-the-right-direction-but-we-must-do-much-more-208918">government-supported university places</a> for Indigenous students and scholarships. </p>
<p>It also has a strong element of self-determination, with a proposed First Nations-led review of universities and a First Nations council to provide advice to the federal education minister and sector. The report also calls for more Indigenous people in leadership and governance positions within universities. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1761633877494473133"}"></div></p>
<h2>This is not the first time</h2>
<p>While the sentiments in the report are welcome, this is not the first time there have been <a href="https://universitiesaustralia.edu.au/policy-submissions/diversity-equity/indigenous-higher-education/">plans to boost</a> Indigenous enrolment at university. Although previous reports have advocated for increased Indigenous Australian participation at universities, completion rates have <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-19-5178-7_2">remained low</a>.</p>
<p>So we need more than just good intentions or targets. Preparing Indigenous Australian students for university also needs to involve recognising and valuing different pathways into higher education. This should include recognising work experience and preparatory programs (and not just Year 12 results) and/or participation in pre-university experiences and courses. </p>
<p>It also needs to include mentorships, career counselling and work experience in high school.</p>
<p>Once students are enrolled, universities also need to provide support to Indigenous students throughout their study. This may include culturally responsive approaches to teaching, access to support services, and nurturing a sense of belonging on campus. </p>
<p>For example, Indigenous support units for both undergraduate students and postgraduate students are essential. This <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-981-13-3364-4_39-1.pdf">support</a> must be tailored to the individual needs of each student.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The main quadrangle at Sydney University. An old sandstone building with grass in the middle." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579079/original/file-20240301-22-tzvcwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=65%2C75%2C6179%2C4138&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579079/original/file-20240301-22-tzvcwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579079/original/file-20240301-22-tzvcwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579079/original/file-20240301-22-tzvcwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579079/original/file-20240301-22-tzvcwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579079/original/file-20240301-22-tzvcwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579079/original/file-20240301-22-tzvcwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Indigenous students need more support to get to and stay at university.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-large-building-with-a-clock-tower-on-top-of-it-Bfrlsegt8hc">Camille Chen/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Financial support is a problem</h2>
<p>Financial challenges can prevent students from completing their degrees, especially those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, regional areas or Indigenous students. </p>
<p>Rising <a href="https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/sites/ministers.treasury.gov.au/files/2023-04/eiac-report.pdf">living costs</a> are exacerbating students’ <a href="https://www.abc.net.auf/news/2023-05-04/university-students-forced-into-poverty-to/102305834">financial struggles</a>. </p>
<p>Many Indigenous students may also experience <a href="https://www.naccho.org.au/app/uploads/2023/05/Nature-and-Extent-of-Poverty-NACCHO-submission.pdf">intergenerational poverty</a> as a legacy of colonisation. As the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation <a href="https://www.naccho.org.au/app/uploads/2023/05/Nature-and-Extent-of-Poverty-NACCHO-submission.pdf">notes</a>, poverty is “reinforced and entrenched” by ongoing experiences of racism. </p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.xcdsystem.com/aare/program/PJRPyvc/index.cfm">research</a> involving 308 Indigenous Australian students who completed their university degrees between 2018 and 2022 found economic conditions, particularly financial hardship, were one of the key factors affecting Indigenous students’ completion. Students often had to rely on support from family and/or take on work while studying to make ends meet.</p>
<p>So it is vital that Indigenous students get adequate financial support that covers the cost of food, accommodation and study materials. The review suggests financial support to students needs to increase. While costly, this should be a priority. </p>
<p>Approximately 63% of Australia’s <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/profile-of-indigenous-australians">Indigenous population</a> also live in outer regional areas or very remote areas. </p>
<p>The report talks at length about boosting infrastructure for regional campuses. This is a crucial component. Indigenous Australians need to be able to study in places close to where they live and that they can easily access. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-feel-like-ive-been-able-to-create-more-awareness-what-is-it-like-for-indigenous-men-at-top-ranked-universities-217186">'I feel like I've been able to create more awareness': what is it like for Indigenous men at top-ranked universities?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>First Nations review</h2>
<p>The report recommends a First Nations-led review of tertiary education with a view to “strengthening” student and university workforce numbers of Indigenous peoples, as well as First Nations knowledge of research. </p>
<p>The Indigenous higher education sector has been <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/215558/">calling for reforms</a> for years, which have been documented in various government reports. National Aboriginal and torres Strait Islander Higher Education consortium: Accelerating Indigenous Higher Education consultation paper. </p>
<p>So while this proposed new review sounds like a significant and comprehensive piece of work, it isn’t a new idea. What’s really needed is a commitment to implement recommendations from the years of work by Indigenous experts in the higher education sector, rather than starting a new process. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/uncapping-uni-places-for-indigenous-students-is-a-step-in-the-right-direction-but-we-must-do-much-more-208918">Uncapping uni places for Indigenous students is a step in the right direction, but we must do much more</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A call to action</h2>
<p>The accord aims to build a more inclusive and equitable higher education for all Australians, but we need to see more detail and timelines for action. </p>
<p>The government is still considering the report and has indicated it will take several budgets to implement. </p>
<p>So at this stage, it is only a call to action. Whether the call will be answered remains to be seen.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224739/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Anderson receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC)</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Levon Ellen Blue previously received funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Angela Baeza Pena, Melanie Saward, and Thu Dinh Xuan Pham do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The accord calls for meaningful steps to increase the numbers of Indigenous graduates and Indigenous leaders in higher education. In a post-referendum Australia, this is more important than ever.Peter Anderson, Professor and Director, Indigenous Research Unit, Griffith UniversityAngela Baeza Pena, Lecturer at Carumba Institute, Queensland University of TechnologyLevon Ellen Blue, Senior Lecturer, The University of QueenslandMelanie Saward, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Queensland University of TechnologyThu Dinh Xuan Pham, Senior Research Assistant, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2247352024-02-29T19:06:59Z2024-02-29T19:06:59ZOn Sunday the National Rugby League goes to Vegas. It might just hit the jackpot<p>Australia’s National Rugby League will launch its 2024 season in <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/02/19/everything-you-need-to-know-about-nrl-las-vegas/">Las Vegas</a> this weekend, in the boldest attempt yet to capture the hearts and wallets of Americans.</p>
<p>It’s been tried before. </p>
<p>In the 1930s, legendary League administrator Harry Sunderland took the game to France and offered to <a href="https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/02/10/the-great-american-dream-why-vegas-is-boldest-bid-yet-to-conquer-us-market/">take it to the United States</a> as manager of the 1929–30 Kangaroos.</p>
<p>He told the San Francisco Examiner the team was “willing to line up, with eleven men, against a regular American football team, and to see what would happen”.</p>
<p>Later, in 1954, Australia and New Zealand played exhibition matches in Long Beach and Los Angeles on the US west coast. Only 1,000 people turned up at Long Beach and 4,554 at Los Angeles.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6JPPzTnUZz4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Russell Crowe explains the rules and laws of rugby league, 2024.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Australia did better at Long Beach in 1987, putting on a <a href="https://www.ladbrokes.com.au/blog/2024/02/27/the-nrls-fascination-with-the-usa/">State of Origin</a> match between New South Wales and Queensland in front of 12,349 fans.</p>
<p>Film star Russell Crowe tried again in 2008, staging an <a href="https://www.ladbrokes.com.au/blog/2024/02/27/the-nrls-fascination-with-the-usa/">exhibition match</a> between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and UK Super League champions Leeds in Florida, attended by 12,500.</p>
<p>Will Rugby League Commissioner Peter V’landys be able to succeed this time, in a nation where his predecessors have failed to make much headway?</p>
<p>I think the odds are good. This is why.</p>
<h2>No helmets, no pads, no timeouts</h2>
<p>The potential reach of the NRL, promoted as football with “<a href="https://www.rabbitohs.com.au/news/no-helmets-no-pads-no-timeouts-by-russell-crowe">no helmets, no pads, no timeouts</a>”, is vast, extending to the 309 million Americans who own a smartphone rather than the few thousand who might turn up.</p>
<p>And after the H-shaped posts leave Allegiant Stadium and the NRL’s branding is taken down from New York’s Times Square, the league’s presence will continue.</p>
<p>It has reportedly committed to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/feb/22/nrl-las-vegas-five-year-deal-us-sports-betting-market-2024-season-launch">five years</a> of season openers in Las Vegas.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1760448536003682326"}"></div></p>
<p>During those five years the NRL will attempt to build and sustain familiarity with the US public, as well as scout out US athletes about <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/vegas-talent-quest-nrl-to-fly-club-bosses-to-usa-searching-for-players-20230906-p5e2ix.html">making the switch</a> to rugby league.</p>
<p>There are <a href="https://www.ncaa.org/news/2022/12/5/media-center-ncaa-student-athletes-surpass-520-000-set-new-record.aspx">520,000</a> student-athletes in the US, many of whom are trying to get into the US National Football League. But the NFL can only accommodate 1,696 active players.</p>
<h2>V’landys has turned the game around</h2>
<p>During COVID lockdowns three years ago, the NRL was “<a href="https://www.espn.com.au/nrl/story/_/id/39565591/peter-vlandys-lauds-nrl-recovery-best-financial-position-ever">three to four months</a>” from being insolvent, according to V’landys.</p>
<p>He and chief executive Andrew Abdo say the league is now in the best financial position it has ever been in. </p>
<p>Its 2023 annual report outlines key <a href="https://www.nrl.com/siteassets/2023/annual-report/nrl-gen23_1003-nrl-annual-report-23-fa_digi-spreads.pdf">reasons why</a>:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>9% growth in grassroots participation in schools and clubs</p></li>
<li><p>40% growth in video views on YouTube</p></li>
<li><p>ten clubs vying for the women’s championship in a final watched by more than a million viewers</p></li>
<li><p>expanding representation in the men’s game with the admission of the Dolphins </p></li>
</ul>
<p>Clearly, the NRL do not think their work is done.</p>
<h2>This time it might work</h2>
<p>Sports research has mapped the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1016/S1441-3523(01)70072-1">processes</a> that create fans for a sport. </p>
<p>The first pivotal step is awareness. Potential fans need to know about the sport in order to sign up. That’s the objective of the Las Vegas round and the advertising in Times Square.</p>
<p>The second is something that allows them to like and then identify with it. The advertisements point out rugby league’s similarities to the NFL, saying it’s “football, but not as you know it”, while at the same time emphasising the crucial and hopefully enticing differences.</p>
<p>My own work has pointed to the role <a href="https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/remapping-the-sport-brandscape-a-structured-review-and-future-dir">key individuals</a> play in developing sport fans. And this could be the ace in the hand of the NRL.</p>
<p>“<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/16184742.2017.1329331">The Beckham Effect</a>” is a term coined to explain the uplift in support when David Beckham joined Major League Soccer in the US in 2007.</p>
<p>Argentinian footballer <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lionel-Messi">Lionel Messi</a> achieved a similar feat when he joined MLS club Inter Miami in 2023.</p>
<p>Closer to home, the <a href="https://www.goldcoastfc.com.au/">Gold Coast Suns</a> cemented their legitimacy when they signed football legend Gary Ablett Jnr (and rugby league player Karmichael Hunt) to their inaugural AFL squad in 2011.</p>
<h2>Big names build recognition</h2>
<p>It’s not a strategy that can easily be applied to the US, but a raft of Australians familiar to US audiences including actors, fashion designers, media moguls, businesspeople and musicians are doing what they can.</p>
<p>Currently independent from the NRL, plans are also underway to establish a ten-team <a href="https://dnyuz.com/2024/02/25/australias-nrl-in-talks-for-10-team-us-competition-report/">American league</a> with proposed ownership stakes being offered to figures such as wrestling and global movie star <a href="https://www.wwe.com/superstars/the-rock">Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson</a>. </p>
<p>If Las Vegas is a success, other US stars might just grab a franchise of their own.</p>
<p>Las Vegas is certainly a roll of the dice, but if the NRL succeeds in grabbing even a small slice of America’s vast sports market, it will have hit the jackpot.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224735/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jason Doyle is a co-founder of SPRTER.</span></em></p>Australia’s NRL has tried several times before to crack the US market. This time the odds are good.Jason Doyle, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2237312024-02-28T19:15:27Z2024-02-28T19:15:27Z‘Naked carbs’ and ‘net carbs’ – what are they and should you count them?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578191/original/file-20240227-30-zvycnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C18%2C6097%2C4001&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/tasty-soft-buns-in-wicker-basket-4197986/">Pexels/Karolina Grabowska</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>According to <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/channel/carbs?lang=en">social media</a>, carbs come in various guises: naked carbs, net carbs, complex carbs and more. </p>
<p>You might be wondering what these terms mean or if all carbs are really the same. If you are into “carb counting” or “cutting carbs”, it’s important to make informed decisions about what you eat. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/stop-hating-on-pasta-it-actually-has-a-healthy-ratio-of-carbs-protein-and-fat-197416">Stop hating on pasta – it actually has a healthy ratio of carbs, protein and fat</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What are carbs?</h2>
<p>Carbohydrates, or “carbs” for short, are one of the main sources of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408398.2017.1392287">energy</a> we need for brain function, muscle movement, digestion and pretty much everything our bodies do. </p>
<p>There are two classifications of carbs, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459280/">simple and complex</a>. Simple carbs have one or two sugar molecules, while complex carbs are three or more sugar molecules joined together. For example, table sugar is a simple carb, but starch in potatoes is a complex carb. </p>
<p>All carbs need to be broken down into individual molecules by our digestive enzymes to be absorbed. Digestion of complex carbs is a much slower process than simple carbs, leading to a more gradual blood sugar increase. </p>
<p>Fibre is also considered a complex carb, but it has a structure our body is not capable of digesting. This means we don’t absorb it, but it helps with the movement of our <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2007.00616.x">stool and prevents constipation</a>. Our good gut bacteria also love fibre as they can digest it and use it for energy – important for a healthy gut. </p>
<h2>What about ‘naked carbs’?</h2>
<p>“Naked carbs” is a popular term usually used to refer to foods that are mostly simple carbs, without fibre or accompanying protein or fat. White bread, sugary drinks, jams, sweets, white rice, white flour, crackers and fruit juice are examples of these foods. Ultra-processed foods, where the grains are stripped of their outer layers (including fibre and most nutrients) leaving “refined carbs”, also fall into this category.</p>
<p>One of the problems with naked carbs or refined carbs is they <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11033-020-05611-3">digest and absorb quickly</a>, causing an immediate rise in blood sugar. This is followed by a rapid spike in <a href="https://diabetesjournals.org/diabetes/article/25/9/741/4132/Plasma-Glucose-and-Insulin-Responses-to-Orally">insulin</a> (a hormone that signals cells to remove sugar from blood) and then a drop in blood sugar. This can lead to hunger and cravings – a vicious cycle that only gets worse with eating more of the same foods. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-want-to-eat-healthily-so-why-do-i-crave-sugar-salt-and-carbs-212114">I want to eat healthily. So why do I crave sugar, salt and carbs?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578193/original/file-20240227-24-ibtpni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="donut with sprinkles in close up" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578193/original/file-20240227-24-ibtpni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578193/original/file-20240227-24-ibtpni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578193/original/file-20240227-24-ibtpni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578193/original/file-20240227-24-ibtpni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578193/original/file-20240227-24-ibtpni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578193/original/file-20240227-24-ibtpni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578193/original/file-20240227-24-ibtpni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Naked carbs can make blood sugars spike then crash.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/pink-doughnut-with-colorful-sprinkles-intilt-shift-lens-3784440/">Pexels/Alexander Grey</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What about ‘net carbs’?</h2>
<p>This is another popular term tossed around in dieting discussions. Net carbs refer to the part of the carb food that we actually absorb. </p>
<p>Again, fibre is not easily digestible. And some carb-rich foods contain sugar alcohols, such as sweeteners (like xylitol and sorbitol) that have limited absorption and little to no effect on blood sugar. Deducting the value of fibre and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrate content of a food gives what’s considered its net carb value. </p>
<p>For example, canned pear in juice has around <a href="https://afcd.foodstandards.gov.au/fooddetails.aspx?PFKID=F006593">12.3g of “total carbohydrates” per 100g</a>, including 1.7g carb + 1.7g fibre + 1.9g sugar alcohol. So its net carb is 12.3g – 1.7g – 1.9g = 8.7g. This means 8.7g of the 12.3g total carbs impacts blood sugar.</p>
<p>The nutrition labels on packaged foods in Australia and New Zealand usually list fibre separately to carbohydrates, so the net carbs have already been calculated. This is not the case in other countries, where “total carbohydrates” are listed.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="TiktokEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.tiktok.com/@andydoeshealthy/video/7040499646451502342"}"></div></p>
<h2>Does it matter though?</h2>
<p>Whether or not you should care about net or naked carbs depends on your dietary preferences, health goals, food accessibility and overall nutritional needs. Generally speaking, we should try to limit our consumption of simple and refined carbs. </p>
<p>The latest <a href="https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/370420/9789240073593-eng.pdf?sequence=1">World Health Organization guidelines</a> recommend our carbohydrate intake should ideally come primarily from whole grains, vegetables, fruits and pulses, which are rich in complex carbs and fibre. This can have significant health benefits (to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33096647/">regulate hunger, improve cholesterol or help with weight management</a>) and reduce the risk of conditions <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33096647/">such as heart disease, obesity and colon cancer</a>.</p>
<p>In moderation, naked carbs aren’t necessarily bad. But pairing them with fats, protein or fibre <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(18)31809-9/fulltext">can slow down the digestion</a> and absorption of sugar. This can help to stabilise blood sugar levels, prevent spikes and crashes and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2007.00616.x">support personal weight management goals</a>. If you’re managing diabetes or insulin resistance, paying attention to the composition of your meals, and the quality of your carbohydrate sources is essential.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-ketogenic-diets-can-they-treat-epilepsy-and-brain-cancer-83401">ketogenic (high fat, low carb) diet</a> typically restricts carb intake to between 20 and 50g each day. But this carb amount refers to net carbs – so it is possible to eat more carbs from high-fibre sources.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578196/original/file-20240227-24-vpjsg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="salad with quinoa and vegetables" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578196/original/file-20240227-24-vpjsg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578196/original/file-20240227-24-vpjsg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578196/original/file-20240227-24-vpjsg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578196/original/file-20240227-24-vpjsg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578196/original/file-20240227-24-vpjsg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578196/original/file-20240227-24-vpjsg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578196/original/file-20240227-24-vpjsg8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Choose complex carbohydrates with lots of fibre.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/healthy-salad-spinachquinoa-roasted-vegetables-201536141">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-much-protein-do-i-need-as-i-get-older-and-do-i-need-supplements-to-get-enough-215695">How much protein do I need as I get older? And do I need supplements to get enough?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Some tips to try</h2>
<p>Some simple strategies can help you get the most out of your carb intake:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>reduce your intake of naked carbs and foods high in sugar and white flour, such as white bread, table sugar, honey, lollies, maple syrup, jam, and fruit juice</p></li>
<li><p>opt for protein- and fibre-rich carbs. These include oats, sweet potatoes, nuts, avocados, beans, whole grains and broccoli</p></li>
<li><p>if you are eating naked carbs, dress them up with some protein, fat and fibre. For example, top white bread with a nut butter rather than jam </p></li>
<li><p>if you are trying to reduce the carb content in your diet, be wary of any <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12603-020-1417-1">symptoms of low blood glucose</a>, including headaches, nausea, and dizziness </p></li>
<li><p>working with a health-care professional such as an accredited practising dietitian or your GP can help develop an individualised diet plan that meets your specific needs and goals.</p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p><em>Correction: this article has been updated to indicate how carbohydrates are listed on food nutrition labels in Australia and New Zealand.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223731/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>All carbs need to be broken down by our digestive enzymes to be absorbed. Digestion of complex carbs is a much slower process than simple carbs, leading to a more gradual blood sugar increase.Saman Khalesi, Senior Lecturer and Discipline Lead in Nutrition, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity AustraliaAnna Balzer, Lecturer, Medical Science School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity AustraliaCharlotte Gupta, Postdoctoral research fellow, CQUniversity AustraliaChris Irwin, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences & Social Work, Griffith UniversityGrace Vincent, Senior Lecturer, Appleton Institute, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2239642024-02-26T18:59:49Z2024-02-26T18:59:49ZIs there an alternative to 10,000 kilometres of new transmission lines? Yes – but you may not like it<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576945/original/file-20240221-20-pfrp3t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C17%2C5362%2C3970&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/engineering-working-on-highvoltage-tower-check-604767788">Aunging/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Building transmission lines is often controversial. Farmers who agree to host new lines on their property may be paid, while other community members protest against the visual intrusion. Pushback against new lines has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-02/distrust-anxiety-in-regional-communities-over-renewables/103419062">slowed development</a> and forced the government to promise more consultation. </p>
<p>It’s not a new problem. <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/161024868?searchTerm=transmission%20line%20protest">Communities questioned</a> the routes of earlier transmission lines built during the 1950s-70s to link new coal and hydroelectric plants to the cities. </p>
<p>But this time, the transition has to be done at speed. Shifting from the old coal grid to a green grid requires new transmission lines. In its future system planning, Australia’s energy market operator sees the need for 10,000 kilometres of new transmission lines in the five states (and the Australian Capital Territory) which make up the <a href="https://www.aemc.gov.au/energy-system/electricity/electricity-system/NEM">National Energy Market</a>. </p>
<p>Do we need all of these new transmission lines? Or will the “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-21/rooftop-solar-cells-in-australia-to-outperform-demand/103489806">staggering growth</a>” of solar on houses and warehouses coupled with cheaper energy storage mean some new transmission lines are redundant? </p>
<p>The answer depends on how we think of electricity. Is it an essential service that must be reliable more than 99.9% of the time? If so, yes, we need these new lines. But if we think of it as a regular service, we would accept a less reliable (99%) service in exchange for avoiding some new transmission lines. This would be a fundamental change in how we think of power. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1757595444543434787"}"></div></p>
<h2>Why do we need these new transmission lines?</h2>
<p>The old grid was built around connecting a batch of fossil fuel plants via transmission lines to consumers in the towns and cities. To build this grid – one of the world’s largest by distance covered – <a href="https://aemo.com.au/en/energy-systems/electricity/national-electricity-market-nem/about-the-national-electricity-market-nem">required 40,000 km</a> of transmission lines. </p>
<p>The new grid is based around gathering energy from distributed renewables from many parts of the country. The market operator foresees a <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/transmission-infrastructure-lagging-as-planners-seek-to-balance-local-needs-20230904-p5e1st#:%7E:text=More%20than%2010%2C000%20kilometres%20of,the%20Australian%20Energy%20Market%20Operator.">nine-fold increase</a> in the total capacity of large scale solar and wind plants, which need transmission lines. </p>
<p>That’s why the market operator lays out <a href="https://aemo.com.au/consultations/current-and-closed-consultations/draft-2024-isp-consultation">integrated systems plans</a> every two years. The goal is to give energy users the best value by designing the lowest-cost way to secure reliable energy able to meet any emissions goals set by policymakers. </p>
<p>To avoid having to build transmission lines everywhere, policymakers have opted to group renewables in “renewable energy zones” with good wind or solar resources, and build transmission lines just to the zones. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-clean-energy-grid-means-10-000km-of-new-transmission-lines-they-can-only-be-built-with-community-backing-187438">A clean energy grid means 10,000km of new transmission lines. They can only be built with community backing</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p>According to the market operator, the major reasons why we need such a strong transmission network are: </p>
<p>– to harness flows of variable renewable power from different regions to make sure the system is reliable </p>
<p>– to cope with outages or shortfalls in supply. If a cloud band cuts solar farm output in one state, the grid can draw on solar from another state. </p>
<p>– boosting regional economies with advanced manufacturing and production of emerging green products and technologies.</p>
<p>So while 10,000 km sounds like a lot, it’s been kept to the minimum. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576948/original/file-20240221-24-aep6rz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="transmission lines on farmland" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576948/original/file-20240221-24-aep6rz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576948/original/file-20240221-24-aep6rz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576948/original/file-20240221-24-aep6rz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576948/original/file-20240221-24-aep6rz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576948/original/file-20240221-24-aep6rz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576948/original/file-20240221-24-aep6rz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576948/original/file-20240221-24-aep6rz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Transmission lines are necessary – but people often don’t want them nearby.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/high-voltage-lines-power-pylons-flat-224476993">Ruud Morijn Photographer/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What if rooftop solar takes over?</h2>
<p>Even so, some <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/new-links-could-turn-victoria-into-energy-importer-solar-and-storage-would-be-cheaper/">energy insiders</a> question whether we need all these new transmission lines. </p>
<p>What if the growth of behind-the-meter energy resources such as rooftop solar, grid-connected home batteries and electric cars begin to cut demand from the grid? </p>
<p>About <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/01/how-generous-subsidies-helped-australia-to-become-a-leader-in-solar-power#:%7E:text=Roughly%20one%20in%20three%20Australian,on%20a%20per%20capita%20basis.">one in three households</a> now have solar on their rooftops – the highest solar take up per capita in the world. And as more electric cars arrive in driveways, we will start using their large batteries as a backup power supply for our homes – or to <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/these-ev-owners-are-making-thousands-selling-energy-back-to-the-grid-20231114-p5ejtw">sell the power</a> on the grid. Could it be that cities could make their own power, as Nationals leader David Littleproud has <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/you-re-gonna-eat-bugs-climate-fears-and-conspiracies-at-canberra-renewables-protest-20240208-p5f3e8.html">called for</a>?</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/unsexy-but-vital-why-warnings-over-grid-reliability-are-really-about-building-more-transmission-lines-212603">Unsexy but vital: why warnings over grid reliability are really about building more transmission lines</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>Planners at Australia’s market operator do anticipate ever-greater levels of rooftop solar, batteries and electric vehicles. Their latest forecasts see these resources with enough capacity to power 30% of the grid by the end of the decade and 45% by mid-century. </p>
<p>These are substantial contributions, but not enough to power a nation. As we move to electrify everything, we will need to <a href="https://reneweconomy.com.au/a-near-100pct-renewable-grid-for-australia-is-feasible-and-affordable-with-just-a-few-hours-of-storage/">roughly double</a> how much electricity we produce. Electricity is a much more efficient way to power transport, for instance, but switching from petrol to electric vehicles will mean more grid demand. </p>
<p>Having said that, we cannot be certain. When we model ways of giving up fossil fuels and ending emissions, there is always major uncertainty over what shape the future will take. Some technologies may splutter while others surge ahead. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576951/original/file-20240221-28-y35hct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="recharging electric car with grid in background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576951/original/file-20240221-28-y35hct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576951/original/file-20240221-28-y35hct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576951/original/file-20240221-28-y35hct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576951/original/file-20240221-28-y35hct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576951/original/file-20240221-28-y35hct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576951/original/file-20240221-28-y35hct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576951/original/file-20240221-28-y35hct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Over time, more of us will use electric vehicle batteries to store power or to send it back to the grid.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-woman-recharge-ev-electric-car-2388670547">Owlie Productions/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>We could trade new transmission lines for a less reliable supply</h2>
<p>At present, electricity is considered an essential service under <a href="https://www.aemc.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/Reliability%20Standard%20Factsheet.pd">national electricity laws</a>. That means there has to be enough power 99.998% of the time. To meet that threshold, outages have to be kept to ten minutes in a year. </p>
<p>Making electricity an essential service is a choice. We could choose differently. If we decided electricity should be a regular service, where 99% reliability is OK (translating to outages of up to 87 hours a year), we would be able to get away with fewer new transmission lines. </p>
<p>That’s because wealthier households would likely respond to more outages by investing more in big solar arrays and batteries. Some would become energy self-sufficient and cut ties with the grid. </p>
<p>In this scenario, self-generation by the rich would mean a reduced demand on the grid, and we might be able to get away with building fewer new transmission lines. </p>
<p>But we should be careful here. If we took this approach, we would reshape society. The rich would be insulated while poorer households deal with the pain of power outages. The idea of the grid as a public good would begin to disappear. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-transmission-lines-are-controversial-for-nearby-communities-but-batteries-and-virtual-lines-could-cut-how-many-we-need-208018">New transmission lines are controversial for nearby communities. But batteries and virtual lines could cut how many we need</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223964/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Australia’s main grid has 40,000 km of transmission lines. Building another 10,000 km quickly is proving hard.Magnus Söderberg, Professor & Director, Centre for Applied Energy Economics and Policy Research, Griffith UniversityPhillip Wild, Senior Research Fellow, CAEEPR, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2222622024-02-22T19:19:08Z2024-02-22T19:19:08ZFriday essay: neither a monster nor a saint … Sir Samuel Griffith, Queensland’s violent frontier and the rigours of truth-telling<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576652/original/file-20240220-18-hovvkz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4000%2C2000&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">The Conversation, Pexels, The State Library of Queensland/Wikimedia Commons</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>First Nations readers please be advised this article speaks of racially discriminating moments in history, including the distress and death of First Nations people.</em></p>
<p>Social historians – among whom I am happily one – are those utter nuisances of people who adamantly insist on reminding others of all the things they are trying so desperately to forget.</p>
<p>Australian historian Manning Clark, channelling Tolstoy, <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/speaking-out-of-turn-electronic-book-text">once compared them</a> to deaf people who continually keep answering questions that no-one is asking.</p>
<p>Before this new breed of professional troublemaker appeared in the 1960s, Australian History for the majority was a much simpler and more comforting affair. The stray bits of it I picked up at school in the 1950s told of a strictly peaceful, happy land, peppered with heroic pioneers, doughty diggers and colourful swaggies; and overflowing with sheep and sparkling golden nuggets.</p>
<p>Aboriginal peoples, if they were mentioned at all, were way off on the margins somewhere, throwing boomerangs, going walkabout and eating grubs and snakes. In the <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/2014575">most studied Australian history book of this era</a>, edited by Gordon Greenwood, First Nation Peoples literally disappear. They are not in the index, and we are even told by one contributor: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The country was empty […] empty grazing country awaiting occupation.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The principal shock here is not just that this was published without intervention but that no-one who reviewed it pulled anyone up for spreading this academic gas-lighting.</p>
<p>Many older readers can perhaps recall that balmy time, so reassuring for white Australians. I know it has never entirely left my consciousness. It was the only world about which we were “publicly instructed”. But it is a far distant place from the one where we are heading in this essay.</p>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-more-ethical-histories-be-written-about-early-colonial-expeditions-a-new-project-seeks-to-do-just-that-221974">Can more ethical histories be written about early colonial expeditions? A new project seeks to do just that</a>
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<h2>Explanatory lodestars</h2>
<p>The present modish word for the seemingly recent realisation that the Australian story is not all cosy and blameless is <em>truth-telling</em>. In some quarters, this gets presented as a very sudden epiphany. Yet it has a long pedigree. Even while the tortuous frontier process was unfolding in the 19th century, there were always these brave, lone whistle-blowers valiantly attempting to get the truth out and being slammed and shunned for doing so.</p>
<p>With Federation in 1901 and its sense of ebullient nationalism, such voices were gradually stilled and abolished. But then, in the 1960s, with the global burgeoning of decolonisation, desegregation and the diminution of scientific racism following the Holocaust, such voices re-emerged. Even here, in distant, sunny Australia, a small number of us began clearing our throats. Truth-telling was cautiously back on the agenda.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-great-australian-silence-50-years-on-100737">Friday essay: the 'great Australian silence' 50 years on</a>
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<p>It is hard now to convey how much in the dark we then were on the subject of race. In 1965, I produced for my history honours thesis probably the first extended academic account of an Australian mainland frontier. Every day spent poring over official documents, private manuscripts and old newspapers was startlingly revelatory to me. Virtually everything I was discovering seemed to be so new and beyond the historical pale. It left me feeling exposed and nervous rather than confidently assertive.</p>
<p>At the same time, race relations historian Henry Reynolds was hearing for the first time about Australian frontier struggle, not from within his own land and culture, but as a young teacher, out of Tasmania, <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/why-werent-we-told-9780140278422">listening in astonishment to an African public speaker in Hyde Park, London</a>.</p>
<p>So truth-telling stutters and meanders its unstable and episodic course through our past. It encounters the blank stare of denialism especially on subjects to which a tinge of shame is attached. And Queensland in particular, with arguably the most forbidding frontier experience and the most severe convict penal station, is a ripe candidate for such evasion.</p>
<p>In his recent volume, <a href="https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/truth-telling/">Truth-Telling. History, Sovereignty and the Uluru Statement</a>, Reynolds states:</p>
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<p>Truth-telling is now more important than ever. What has been a personal choice is now a national imperative […] Denialism is no longer a viable option. A wall of scholarship built by many hands over the last fifty years stands in the way.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So, in building the case for “truth-telling”, Reynolds expands on its “critical importance”. It will “weave new stories and make old ones richer and more complex”. These involve the travails of those who became “victims of great wrong”. Complexity, he writes, will have to replace “simple sagas of heroic achievement”, even if this involves a degree of painful iconoclasm. It will likely produce controversy as “the coals of dormant culture wars are fanned back into life”, fundamental reassessments are made, “reputations are called into question” and “status is re-assigned”.</p>
<p>To this tall order of realigning the consensual interpretive framework, I would add, as a professional historian, that, in the process, we should not forget the often slippery and elusive nature of historical truth itself. For, as every working historian knows, historical accuracy is pursued via vigorous empirical attention to detail in extant, relevant documentation. Fact-finding and truth-seeking need to precede any stern truth-telling.</p>
<p>Dependable analysis also entails a careful awareness of the tensions discovered in texts – a difficult grafting process of measuring opposing knowledges. All this, we hope, will lead us closer to a clearer sense of accuracy, balance and probability in grasping the past.</p>
<p>As historians, we are thus more in the business of producing explanation than in issuing clarion calls for action, doling out blame or pursuing the singular advocacy of a pressing cause. We do know that the past’s “other countries” once had definite and ascertainable structures that both constrained and enabled human beliefs, actions and agency. So, we try to seek these out and explain them in the present. But we cannot re-enter and relive them, and thus fully know them.</p>
<p>“We can’t return. We can only look behind from where we came,” <a href="https://www.discogs.com/release/1317681-Joni-Mitchell-Ladies-Of-The-Canyon">as the song goes</a>. This involves caution, as our hindsight vision is necessarily blurred and shifting, as we speculate continuously upon this elusiveness.</p>
<p>History’s truths are never fixed, total and absolute, but remain in a degree of flux, as they get worried over by researchers, especially as new data and ways of seeing come to light. Thus, truth-telling should embody the caution that history’s truths are specifically contingent and incremental ones, always prone to adjustment. They are like explanatory lodestars, leading us along while keeping us out of the swamps of pure fantasy.</p>
<p>It seems helpful to conclude that such research and writing requires balance between a certain degree of commitment and a modicum of discretion. For even as we try to keep going along this road of attempting truth, any single-minded political crusade or victorious forward march should invite some intellectual circumspection, for the bases of historical truth are invariably constructed on quick or shifting sands.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-truth-telling-so-important-our-research-shows-meaningful-reconciliation-cannot-occur-without-it-197685">Why is truth-telling so important? Our research shows meaningful reconciliation cannot occur without it</a>
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<h2>Much to agree on</h2>
<p>With this in mind, let us focus once more on the 2021 volume of Reynolds’ Truth-Telling. My own copy’s text is heavily underscored. The margins are peppered with supportive ticks and asterisks and even the occasional “Good!”. Based upon decades of immersion in racial studies myself, I already know that Reynolds and I have much to agree upon.</p>
<p>We both independently began unfolding the dispossession/resistance model of frontier studies in the early 1970s. We have written on similar themes and reviewed each other’s published work, mostly positively, since that time. From the late 1990s, we occupied the same trench against the <a href="https://quadrant.org.au/">Quadrant</a> marauders throughout the farcical, media-driven <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/the-history-wars-paperback-softback">History Wars</a>.</p>
<p>Both bodies of our numerous writings have dealt with the ongoing partnership between excessive race violence and tight-lipped denial of it. Reynolds asks:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] why did the country’s leading post-war historians not notice [frontier violence] at all? Was it oversight or deliberate evasion? How could they think that Australians had been remarkably slow to kill each other, that frontiersmen rarely had to go armed into the outback and [that] we had an inimitably peaceful history … ?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In similar vein, <a href="https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/data/UQ_203563/DU120_G6E83_1999.pdf?Expires=1707198277&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJKNBJ4MJBJNC6NLQ&Signature=FERZMoHT24ScUpPhOicE%7EUrs7U2-VRYdHrjTn3XRpHEk-qrHQNCOj6pT7sioqAvkcjmK3ISMstpHghMCEDa6EizIsK-LuAYCENZBWwgJGskKbHYNyOvc9954UPGIfvbJXimFqGWRgI92mpXYU7tTb8HmFMuUBH8lcw5pIQFKzSVbb0VMod5quZzIYpa9CCnvtOL20hP0b-J6SfXhadbZM7cJeJcwwD-8VeL2ARTxqg1Vmw%7EESCXxSAlNZuxrQKzivDnqIqyuzlxCYttHh7TtsNZPZdYbxiPxwCAX0lB2SkiAP7iUnBCHQjT4%7ErBcj3iBttKCZa6orXyACAdEobtybg__">I wrote</a> in 1999 of finding a “glaring dissonance” between the startling documents I was reading and the published preoccupations of Australia’s premier historians such as Douglas Pike in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13724454-australia">The Quiet Continent</a> or <a href="https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ward-russel-braddock-29606">Russell Ward’s</a> outback of congenial mateship. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>It was all […] very much like ‘another country’.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So, as I perused Truth-Telling, I was on board with almost everything Reynolds has to say. Especially between pages 184 and 191, where he favourably addresses the statistical accounting of frontier casualties compiled recently <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003015550-6/pale-death-around-footprints-springs-1-assessing-violent-mortality-queensland-frontier-state-private-exterminatory-practices-raymond-evans-robert-%C3%B8rsted-jensen">by Robert Ørsted-Jensen and myself</a>.</p>
<p>This work nullifies prior estimates suggested by Reynolds by a wide margin: that is, our tabulation of over 65,000 Aboriginal frontier mortalities in Queensland opposing Reynolds’ earlier guestimate of 20,000 dead, Australia-wide over a longer timeframe. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, he is good enough to write that our calculations:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] have to be taken very seriously indeed. Once they are widely accepted as they should be, Australian history will never be the same again. It will no longer be possible to hide the bodies or skirt around the violence.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So, one can no doubt appreciate how much I am enjoying this book. Even when the focus of blame for horrific slaughter in Queensland begins to descend rather exclusively onto the shoulders of Samuel Griffith, arguably Australia’s premier legal mind and pre-eminent statesman, I remain in interpretive accord, adding my approving marginalia to the text.</p>
<p>Allow me now to zero in more intimately upon Sir Samuel; as I need to explain the process by which my position on his degree of culpability for frontier violence began to change.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/henry-reynolds-australia-was-founded-on-a-hypocrisy-that-haunts-us-to-this-day-101679">Henry Reynolds: Australia was founded on a hypocrisy that haunts us to this day</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>‘Hands stained with blood?’</h2>
<p>In August 2020, I had been asked by Justice Peter Applegarth to contribute to a <a href="https://www.sclqld.org.au/collections/explore-the-law/past-lectures/2020-selden-society-australia-lecture-program">group Webinar</a> at the Queensland Supreme Court on the <a href="https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/griffith-sir-samuel-walker-445">“great man”</a> (twice Queensland Premier, architect of the Australian Constitution and first Chief Justice of the High Court).</p>
<p>This invitation was based not only on my record as a historian but also because both Griffith and I were born in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. So, initially my talk was constructed as a bit of a romp, accompanying Griffith back to his hometown in April 1887, with “massed choirs”, a big brass band and a mock-Tudor castle.</p>
<p>Matters grew more serious when Ashley Hay, the then editor of Griffith Review, asked me to broaden that talk into a <a href="https://www.griffithreview.com/articles/griffiths-welsh-odyssey/">more encompassing essay</a> that eventually appeared in their Acts of Reckoning edition of 2022. In undertaking this, I began to think more comprehensively about Griffith in that 1880s era and the class and ethnic dimensions of both Wales and Queensland as colonial entities.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576428/original/file-20240219-21-42nfsl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576428/original/file-20240219-21-42nfsl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576428/original/file-20240219-21-42nfsl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576428/original/file-20240219-21-42nfsl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576428/original/file-20240219-21-42nfsl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=745&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576428/original/file-20240219-21-42nfsl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=936&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576428/original/file-20240219-21-42nfsl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=936&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576428/original/file-20240219-21-42nfsl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=936&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sir Samuel Griffith circa 1890.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queensland_State_Archives_3064_Portrait_of_The_Honourable_Sir_Samuel_Walker_Griffith_Premier_of_Queensland_c_1890.png">Queensland State Archives/Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Griffith did not emerge looking too splendidly from that original research foray. His 1888 election campaign had helped excite extreme anti-Chinese agitation, though not as vehemently as his successful opponent, Thomas McIlwraith. Several years later, as premier, he helped engineer a crushing of the great Shearers’ Strike of 1891. </p>
<p>Also in 1891, he had not acquitted himself well when ambushed by a Melbourne journalist on the matter of racial outrages in North Queensland.</p>
<p>Two Presbyterian scholars touring the North had returned with a damning report of race relations there. As stated by one of the investigators, Professor Rintoul, it “threw a ghastly light upon […] deeds of lust, reprisal and doom”.</p>
<p>Apparently caught unawares, Griffith had ducked and parried in a less than convincing manner by trying to claim that such yarns were more than 20 years old.</p>
<p>In a stinging and detailed reply letter, Rintoul rebuked Griffith – who, he said, was someone he had regarded in high “esteem” for his vital interest “in the cause of the kanaka and aborigines and of all oppressed people” – for the dismissive sarcasm of his response. He challenged Griffith to further public debate – but Griffith did not respond.</p>
<p>So, I thought: Here we have Rintoul’s contemporary broadside of 1891 alongside Reynolds’ 2021 charges that Griffith must be “guilty of what, after 1945, came to be known as crimes against humanity”.</p>
<p>Furthermore, in the same 2022 issue of Griffith Review that contained my essay, Reynolds <a href="https://www.griffithreview.com/articles/on-the-queensland-frontier/">had sharpened his attack</a> by declaring rhetorically that Sir Samuel’s “neatly manicured lawyers’ hands were deeply stained with the blood of murdered men, women and children”.</p>
<p>This set me wondering … There must be actual evidence in the primary sources that would enhance this damning case, rendering it not only supportable but probably cementing it. As a troublesome social historian, my bloodhound instincts for deeper empirical research were now aroused. Just how guilty was Griffith among his contemporaries of frontier violence? What body of imprecating evidence could be amassed?</p>
<p>At this point, I felt particularly scathing towards something Griffith had said to the Melbourne Daily Telegraph reporter in January 1891. When challenged over what was he “doing about the blacks”, he had shot back: “What I should be doing”, quickly adding “at all events, few had taken more interest in the welfare of the native population than I have”.</p>
<p>Influenced by Rintoul and Reynolds, I mentally scoffed at this defensive self-assessment. I was intent on finding all the historical data that would nail him. But, as indicated above, historical truth can be shifting and slippery. It does not always take you where you expect it should go.</p>
<p>Truth-telling requires careful truth-finding to precede it. And for such truth-seeking to work, the evidence should lead the way, with the researcher in train – not yet quite knowing the outcome. For one should not start research certain of a destination – one ideally begins in ignorance and curiosity. </p>
<p>If the opposite is the case, one is simply satisfying a confirmation bias – the contrived endorsement of a preconception.</p>
<h2>An absence</h2>
<p>I began the research odyssey conventionally enough, with a scan of all the secondary Queensland frontier histories for any evidence of Griffith as pre-eminent culprit. To my surprise, he was absent from virtually all the indexes. </p>
<p>It reminded me of Greenwood’s volume and the invisible Aborigines. Not only did Griffith receive no condemnatory mentions – but he also largely received no mentions at all. In the published literature, he didn’t appear to play much of a role.</p>
<p>Throughout my own published writings on Aboriginal dispossession, Griffith does not figure until 2022. And in the most comprehensive recent overviews on frontier violence by <a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Timothy-Bottoms-Conspiracy-of-Silence-9781743313824">Timothy Bottoms</a>, <a href="https://boolarongpress.com.au/product/queenslands-frontier-wars/">Jack Drake</a> and <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/3288918">Tony Roberts</a>, who together give the reader the story in startling and comprehensive detail (over 1,100 pages of text) they find no need to provide him with a single mention. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576429/original/file-20240219-18-khsyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576429/original/file-20240219-18-khsyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576429/original/file-20240219-18-khsyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576429/original/file-20240219-18-khsyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576429/original/file-20240219-18-khsyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576429/original/file-20240219-18-khsyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1156&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576429/original/file-20240219-18-khsyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1156&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576429/original/file-20240219-18-khsyt.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1156&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Allen & Unwin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since my essay was written, David Marr’s massive biographical journey, Killing for Country and Wal Walker’s richly documented study of pastoral occupation, <a href="https://www.squattersgrab.com.au/">The Squatters’ Grab</a> similarly have nothing to say about Griffith either.</p>
<p>This also applies to Reynolds’ own voluminous frontier work. In over a score of texts produced across many decades, Griffith is mentioned just once, uttering a <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/1791303">single enigmatic sentence</a> he will repeat in Truth-Telling, while being confusingly cast as a “young Brisbane lawyer” in 1880. It is the only time Griffith receives a speaking part in his recent, general indictment.</p>
<p>So … curiouser and curiouser, I thought … </p>
<p>Especially as the three texts that do give some significant mentions to Griffith and the frontier tend to cast him in a positive rather than a negative light. These volumes are Noel Loos’ highly referenced <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/28747">Invasion and Resistance</a>, Gordon Reid’s expansive <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/3584281">That Unhappy Race</a> and Robert Ørsted-Jensen’s closely argued <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/5778269">Frontier History Revisited</a>. </p>
<p>Most recently, in 2023, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1031461X.2023.2208585">historians Mark Finnane and Jonathan Richards have contributed more case studies</a>, demonstrating Griffith’s belief that “violence against Aboriginal British subjects was not acceptable and should be dealt with [with] severity”.</p>
<p>By all these researchers, he is shown as intent on pursuing progressive reform and legal balance in face of a colonial society, mainly calling for “blood and yet more blood” – a culture insisting furiously that whites should never be punished for harming or killing non-whites. For this was the nature of the socio-cultural order that anyone considering mitigative reform was up against.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-cant-argue-away-the-shame-frontier-violence-and-family-history-converge-in-david-marrs-harrowing-and-important-new-book-215050">'I can't argue away the shame': frontier violence and family history converge in David Marr's harrowing and important new book</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The documentary records</h2>
<p>So, did Griffith pursue frontier reform? Did he rather plot and perpetuate “crimes against humanity” – or even, as lawyer Tony McAvoy, <a href="https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/the-palgrave-handbook-on-rethinking-colonial-commemorations">has recently claimed</a>, “war crimes”? – or, at best, did he do nothing to stop them? The hard data, however, was now starting to pull me in the opposite direction, especially as the bumpy research ride moved up a gear <a href="https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/reason-and-reckoning-provocations-and-conversations-about-re-imag">into the documentary records</a>.</p>
<p>The logical starting point here were the primary sources of the Colonial Secretary’s Office, for this mega-department was directly responsible for the operations of the Queensland Native Police – the main frontier destroyers. </p>
<p>From 1859 until 1897, there were 18 local politicians ostensibly running the Native Police force as Colonial Secretaries across 22 terms of office. A dozen – or two-thirds – of these men were also leading pastoralists in whose immediate economic interests the force operated.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-mapping-project-shows-how-extensive-frontier-violence-was-in-queensland-this-is-why-truth-telling-matters-216726">Our mapping project shows how extensive frontier violence was in Queensland. This is why truth-telling matters</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5AIqN_-1Dpk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Serving as Colonial Secretary for around two years and four months between November 1883 and April 1886, Griffith had the sixth longest incumbency in the role. Prior to this, the two most enduring Colonial Secretaries, Robert Herbert and Arthur Palmer, had overseen 15 years’ service, from the early 1860s to the early 1880s, when racial violence was at its height. They both had large squatting interests and were <a href="https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/1890325/Samuel-Griffith-Essay-Dec2024.pdf">the force’s greatest apologists</a>.</p>
<p>Griffith held the office when the frontier was radically contracting into the far northern Cape and the outlying lands of the Gulf of Carpentaria. These remote places were both scenes of acutely continuing frontier violence; and Griffith, while Colonial Secretary, officially oversaw all of this – at least nominally.</p>
<p>I suggest “nominally” here, for, as archaeologist and historian Michael Slack points out, regarding the Gulf Country, it was local pastoralists, acting privately, then more formally as Justices of the Peace, who “influenced and ultimately controlled the agenda” of the distant Native Police rather than “a centralised government” in faraway Brisbane. As he argues:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The vast distance separating Western Burke and the […] government in Brisbane, although immense in terms of physical distance, was even greater in terms of authority […] the frontier territory was run on a largely autonomous basis, firstly by the pastoralists and then by their own bureaucratic constructions [ie the JPs, meting out racial ‘justice’]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The same, more or less, might be said of far Cape York. As Queensland reached its fullest dimensions by the 1880s – around two-thirds the size of Europe – its unwieldy size made it increasingly difficult to oversee, service and control administratively. A tendency towards regional excess in <a href="https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/3796249">the process of land seizure prevailed</a>.</p>
<p>Yet, if we closed off the analysis at this point, we leave Griffith, as Colonial Secretary, politically responsible for frontier warfare during mainly 1884 and 1885. Reynolds <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/56883944">writes that</a> while in office he did “little” or “nothing” to assuage the bloodshed and “took no action to protect Aboriginal rights […]”</p>
<p>This led me to ask: Did he really do “nothing”? Or if, rather, he only did “little”, what exactly does “little” mean? Is this to be seen in hindsight, employing modern expectations and looking back with judgmental frowns … Or is “little” to be weighed in the context of his time and place – in comparison and contrast with his contemporary political officeholders? How does one therefore quantify “little” within its immediate historical circumstances?</p>
<h2>‘Altogether averse to the Native Police’</h2>
<p>So, I started examining Griffith’s procedures in that office as forensically as the records would allow. The results continued to surprise me, as they may now surprise you. The specifics of this are presented in some detail in <a href="https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/1890325/Samuel-Griffith-Essay-Dec2024.pdf">my recent pamphlet, Samuel Griffith and Queensland’s “War of Extermination”</a>. I shall merely summarise them here. </p>
<p>Basically, contingent with Griffith’s considerable raft of reforms over the oppressive Melanesian labour trade in the 1880s, he was attempting to forward local remedies in domestic “native policy”.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576643/original/file-20240220-27-e33uox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576643/original/file-20240220-27-e33uox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576643/original/file-20240220-27-e33uox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576643/original/file-20240220-27-e33uox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576643/original/file-20240220-27-e33uox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576643/original/file-20240220-27-e33uox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576643/original/file-20240220-27-e33uox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576643/original/file-20240220-27-e33uox.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kanaka workers photographed on a sugarcane plantation with the overseer at the back of the group. ca. 1890. Cairns.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbirding#/media/File:Groupe_de_Kanakas_dans_une_exploitation_de_canne_%C3%A0_sucre_du_Queensland.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-a-slave-state-how-blackbirding-in-colonial-australia-created-a-legacy-of-racism-187782">Friday essay: a slave state - how blackbirding in colonial Australia created a legacy of racism</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This begins soon after he became Colonial Secretary in late 1883 with moves to prosecute individual white employers of Aboriginal labour in the shameful frontier maritime industries. </p>
<p>This was followed in July 1884 with “the first attempt” to introduce protective legislation for Aboriginal workers, then exploited as quasi-slaves – The Native Labourers Protection Act. Though passed into law, the Bill was <a href="https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/1890325/Samuel-Griffith-Essay-Dec2024.pdf">emasculated by the pastoral and planter lobby</a> in the Legislative Council.</p>
<p>Concurrently, The Oaths Act Amendment Act was forwarded, allowing First Nation peoples, for virtually the first time, the right to present their evidence in a colonial court of law. Queensland was the last Australian colony to concede this; and Griffith here completed a process he had set in train while Attorney General in 1876. This reduced Aboriginal people’s vulnerability at law, though it did not, of course, obliterate it.</p>
<p>Then, following a much-publicised massacre of fringe-dwelling Aborigines at Irvinebank, inland from Herberton, in October 1884, Griffith began tentative moves against the existing Native Police system. Murder trials were instituted against the white commanding officer, Sub-Inspector William Nichols and the seven implicated Aboriginal troopers.</p>
<p>To Griffith’s disappointment and anger, the vagaries of local white “justice” thwarted the initiative. As a prosecuting attorney, however, he was by now used to this outcome. While Attorney General in the 1870’s, he had unsuccessfully tried to pursue four other cases of serious criminal intent against Native Police officers. He was the first such Queensland official to attempt this. </p>
<p>Such forays in 1875-76 and 1884 were the only efforts to bring a balanced sense of justice to bear upon the Native Police. As a result, officers and troopers were dismissed, though not convicted.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-unearthing-queenslands-native-police-camps-gives-us-a-window-onto-colonial-violence-100814">How unearthing Queensland's 'native police' camps gives us a window onto colonial violence</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Following the failed Irvinebank trials of October-November 1884, Griffith terminated the responsible Native Police camp (at – excuse the name – Nigger Creek), replacing it with a conventional police station. This led on, during 1885, to a new policy, developed by Griffith in coordination with his Police Commissioner: a measured implementation of what was termed “complete substitution”.</p>
<p>It would have been tactically fatal to eliminate the Native Police in one fell swoop. Several years earlier, while in Opposition in 1880, Griffith had played a leading role – alongside John Douglas, the Parliamentary Opposition Leader – in pushing for a Royal Commission into the force. This had failed in Parliament on the votes by a considerable margin. In 1885, the outcry and backlash against sudden termination would probably have outshouted the furore in 1884 when Griffith tried to have two convicted white murderers executed for killing Pacific Islanders.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, by mid-1885, Griffith was asserting, both privately and publicly, that he was “altogether averse to the Native Police” and telling Parliament he wanted “to abolish [them] […] altogether”. As I acknowledge <a href="https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/1890325/Samuel-Griffith-Essay-Dec2024.pdf">in my essay</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It is crucial to recognise that […] Griffith was not simply uttering vague phrases, regretting frontier behaviour without any accompanying action. Reynolds is simply mistaken on this. Being tactically astute is not the same as doing [“little” or] “nothing”. Given the clearly exterminatory cast of much of Queensland society […] it would have been politically futile and probably suicidal to have faced colonial electors with the force’s sudden, immediate abolition.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576431/original/file-20240219-16-s9jkjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576431/original/file-20240219-16-s9jkjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576431/original/file-20240219-16-s9jkjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576431/original/file-20240219-16-s9jkjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576431/original/file-20240219-16-s9jkjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576431/original/file-20240219-16-s9jkjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576431/original/file-20240219-16-s9jkjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576431/original/file-20240219-16-s9jkjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Drawing by Aboriginal boy Oscar of Native Police operation circa 1897 near Camooweal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oscarnativepolice.jpg">National Library of Australia/Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So, between them, Griffith and Police Commissioner David Seymour advanced a more gradual policy. This envisaged that by replacing Native Police encampments with conventional police stations and substituting the illegal, quasi-military armed white officer/native trooper detachments with regular police sergeants, senior constables and one or two unarmed Aboriginal trackers, the original force could be progressively phased out. The process began at Irvinebank, Watsonville and Herberton during 1885.</p>
<p>By the end of the 1880s, there had been around a 65% reduction in Native Police detachments, replaced by some 19 regular bush police stations over much of the North. As historian, Noel Loos observes, Commissioner Seymour, “with Griffith’s instructions and no alternatives” carried the policy of gradualism forward, despite protests from local whites.</p>
<p>In late September 1885, Griffith told Parliament:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The practice of black police making raids through the country as in times past would not be allowed any longer […] It would be intended to assimilate the system as nearly as possible to that of the white police.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To my reading, this is clear evidence of significant policy change. Though Griffith did not succeed in abolishing the force outright, neither did anyone else. It simply faded away by gradual attrition and the frayed endings of the long frontier process. The last camp at Coen was not terminated until 1929.</p>
<p>Furthermore, from around 1883 (sometimes due to local initiatives) ration distribution centres were slowly established, often adjacent to some of the new police stations. The authorities were now observing that many Aboriginal raids were motivated by acute tribal starvation. So, ration stations, where bullocks were killed for meat, and tea, flour, tobacco and sugar sometimes provided, were opened first at Thornborough, Union Camp, Mitchell River, Northcote and Atherton.</p>
<p>Simultaneously, the Griffith regime began encouraging missionary enterprise from 1885 across Cape York, first by Lutherans and later by Presbyterians and Anglicans. These provided sanctuary against frontier excesses and doubtlessly saved lives. As historian, Jasper Ludewig concludes, it was the Griffith ministry:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] which gazetted Aboriginal reserves and provided support for missionary measures, including […] access, cash subsidies, rations and limited building supplies. The State’s administration of missionary work fell to the Colonial Secretary’s Department, which received and processed all […] correspondence.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Within several years, he finds, “Christian missions were fast becoming the solution of choice”. By Federation, “close to thirty mission stations had been opened throughout Cape York and the Torres Strait”.</p>
<h2>On the side of reform</h2>
<p>In sum, what does this demonstrate? It hardly seems to equate with the actions of a leader, singled out from the rest, as pre-eminently guilty of “crimes against humanity” – his hands awash with blood. “Is any other conclusion possible?” Truth-Telling rhetorically asks. Well yes, I think there is.</p>
<p>Indeed, we might cautiously conclude that this tranche of changes represents unique and piecemeal, though progressive and expanding, policy measures. The primary research task discloses:</p>
<ul>
<li>A radical attrition of Native Police services</li>
<li>Implementation of normalised policing</li>
<li>Novel introduction of Aboriginal court testimony</li>
<li>An attempted initiative to rein in the frontier “black-birding” of Aboriginal workers</li>
<li>Prosecution of white frontier crimes inflicted on First Nation peoples</li>
<li>The burgeoning of missionary enterprise across the North</li>
</ul>
<p>So deeper primary investigation, to my increasing surprise, had altered my initial conceptualisation. Official efforts from 1883-86 add up to more than rhetorical virtue-signalling. They mark a degree of reformation from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4058607">outright exterminatory policies</a> employing Snider and Martini-Henry rifles. Has a well-oiled blame crusade simply trampled over all this in a rush towards a sensational, disparaging verdict?</p>
<p>However bad things were in this era – and they were definitely atrocious – liability cannot be laid on any one individual’s shoulders, whomever he may be. Griffith’s reform attempts confronted an implacable socio-cultural order in Northern and Western Queensland – and the challenge often outstripped the response. </p>
<p>A travelling press reporter there in 1880 found one colonist after another, including “highly educated persons […] openly professing the doctrine of extermination”. They look upon “any talk of humanity [or] philanthropy”, he wrote, “as the mere sentimental language of those who do not know what it is to live” there.</p>
<p>The remainder of Queensland society was not much different. A former Minister of Justice, John Malbon Thompson despairingly told Scottish Catholic missionary, Duncan McNab that year that, “Nineteen-twentieths of the population care nothing about [the Blacks] and the other twentieth regard them as a nuisance to be got rid of”.</p>
<p>Outspoken frontier journalist, Carl Feilberg concurrently agreed that while a certain minority “acted with barbarity”, the vast majority did nothing, as a small minority actively protested.</p>
<p>That majority of enablers were as guilty as the frontier killers, Feilberg reasoned: “[They] condone and share the crime”.</p>
<h2>A culture of genocidal intent</h2>
<p>What we observe here is a culture of genocidal intent and anyone hoping to confront it was certainly going to have his hands full. Frontier reform was never mentioned at election time – it was a political minefield. So, Queensland electorates had to be slowly cajoled into accepting any redemptive moves. Reform attempts needed to proceed with extreme caution, in an incremental and almost unobserved fashion.</p>
<p>Thus, positive initiatives by Griffith, during his relatively short tenure in the key office of Colonial Secretary, were arguably <em>bold</em> ones in the context of their time and place:</p>
<p>What modern hindsight may condemn as doing “little” or “nothing” may equally be conceived as doing rather <em>much</em> within what was effectively operating as a genocidal culture, where widespread extra-judicial killing was a permissible norm.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-killed-by-natives-the-stories-and-violent-reprisals-behind-some-of-australias-settler-memorials-198981">Friday essay: 'killed by Natives'. The stories – and violent reprisals – behind some of Australia's settler memorials</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>So, by this point, I had dramatically flipped interpretively and was now asking: Was it in any way fair or reasonable to single out Griffith as principal miscreant and hold him – perhaps due to his enviable accomplishments and gifted, tall poppy status – as a scapegoat, made accountable for the crimes and excesses of an entire society, and thereby isolated for blame?</p>
<p>As Charlie Campbell states in his study, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/12538648">Scapegoat. A History of Blaming Others</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The public is most easily appeased by the creation of a scapegoat. As always, the more serious the crisis, the more important the fall guy […] The urge to blame is sometimes incited in us […] The notion of collective responsibility is one that we prefer not to engage with […]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So, “collective responsibility” is the much harder pill to swallow. Pointing the finger at Griffith, Reynolds, in Truth-Telling declares:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>He did little to stop the killing. How then should history remember him? Will his high reputation survive the rigours of truth-telling? Perhaps, more to the point, should it survive?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yet rigorous truth-seeking shows us that among almost a score of Colonial Secretaries and a dozen or so attorney generals, Griffith appears to be the only one ever attempting anything practically mitigative while holding office. </p>
<p>While I had originally scoffed at Griffith’s defensive claim in 1891 that few had “taken more interest in the welfare of the native population” than himself, I was now beginning to realise he was probably right. He had done more on the side of reform. It is not, of course, a broad claim to make, given that virtually all his Queensland political and legal contemporaries had either done nothing positive for Aboriginal welfare or made the situation worse.</p>
<h2>Frontier perpetrators</h2>
<p>Griffith appears alone among those directly responsible for the Native Police as well as all those overseeing the law in attempting anything even mildly reformative in the face of chronic frontier ruination and disorder – as well as the widespread public approval of it. </p>
<p>So, must he be singled out as some pre-eminent culprit, allegedly with “blood on his hands” for perpetuating “crimes against humanity” by doing so “little”? Is it helpful to trash a high-level historical reputation in this way in order to watch how spectacularly and far a tall “fall guy” might fall?</p>
<p>Feilberg wrote in 1880 that it was Queensland’s hands, in general, that were “foully bestrained [sic] with blood” – and it is clear there was blood on so many hands in the colony. Over many decades it had been a virtual free-for-all, with no effective legal redress. </p>
<p>A register of the known names of frontier perpetrators, and those in politics and law who had abetted them, as well as all those in whose direct economic interest the brutality and killing had occurred, would be an extremely long one.</p>
<p>There are many such names. Here are some thumb-nail sketches of just a few who might precede Griffith in any compilation of indictments:</p>
<p><strong>William Forster</strong>, <a href="https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/forster-william-3553">Premier of New South Wales in 1859</a> who bequeathed the Native Police to the new colony. Historian, Wal Walker typifies him as “a most […] vindictive hater of Indigenous Australians”. </p>
<p>As a squatter in the Burnett district from 1848, he had taken up 64,000 acres of Aboriginal lands. In 1849 and 1850, he led reprisal raids against Taribiland and Gurang peoples near Bingara and at Paddy’s Island, heading settler armies of up to 100 mounted whites, allegedly killing hundreds of Aboriginal men, women and children.</p>
<p><strong>George Bowen</strong>, Queensland’s first Governor, ignoring official instructions that Aborigines were British subjects, under protection of the Crown, while <a href="https://www.uqp.com.au/books/the-secret-war-a-true-history-of-queenslands-native-police">re-defining his official role</a> as extending “border warfare […] carried out under some control on the part of the government” against “hostile savages’ as his proud "contribution towards the general defence of the Empire”.</p>
<p><strong>Robert Herbert</strong>: The first and longest continually serving Colonial Secretary, known as the Native Police’s staunchest friend. He wrote of Aborigines officially as “criminals”, “cannibals” and “very dangerous savages, deficient in intellect”. </p>
<p>He looked forward to their inevitable extinction. He used Native Police to secure Gugu Badhun territory with violence for his investment syndicate, seizing these lands in the Valley of Lagoons, inland from Cardwell.</p>
<p><strong>David Seymour</strong>: Police Commissioner for 32 years across 16 colonial governments, directly supervising the Native Police and suppressing evidence of their massacres, as he advanced his substantial financial speculations in gold and tin mining, pastoral landholding and timber-getting across the colony.</p>
<p><strong>Robert Ramsey MacKenzie</strong>: Premier and Colonial Secretary in 1866-67. Established a white-washing enquiry in the Native Police while Treasurer in 1861, stacking the board with squatters holding over 3.5 million acres of Aboriginal lands. Himself a mega-pastoralist, leasing 52 runs – later made a baronet. </p>
<p>Before entering the northern regions in 1840, he was involved, along with his brother, in a <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/155840417">mass poisoning</a> of Gringai people at Wattenbahk Station, north-west of Newcastle.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576439/original/file-20240219-26-4gxcmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576439/original/file-20240219-26-4gxcmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576439/original/file-20240219-26-4gxcmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576439/original/file-20240219-26-4gxcmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576439/original/file-20240219-26-4gxcmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=801&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576439/original/file-20240219-26-4gxcmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1006&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576439/original/file-20240219-26-4gxcmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1006&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576439/original/file-20240219-26-4gxcmn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1006&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Boyd Morehead in 1888.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Boyd+Morehead+&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image">Wikimedia Commons</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>Boyd Morehead</strong>: <a href="https://adb.anu.edu/biography/morehead-boyd-dunlop-4240/text6845;">Colonial Secretary, 1888 to 1890</a>. His family virtually ran the Scottish Australian investment Company, one of the largest speculators in Queensland pastoral holdings. </p>
<p>He stated in Parliament in 1880 that: “If there were no Aboriginals it would be a very good thing”. “There was not a member in the House”, he claimed, “who did not feel they had to be got out of the way”. This “wretched, mean race […] had to go and go they must […] They mainly got only what they richly deserved”.</p>
<p><strong>Anderson Dawson</strong>: Queensland leader of the short-lived first Labour Government in the world in 1899. He boasted to the Brisbane Worker, as part of his CV as a sterling white man, that in 1886 at the Kimberley gold-rush, he had played his part in what the paper termed a “nigger massacre”. </p>
<p>Historical research claims between 40 and 100 Kitja people were killed. Dawson subsequently became Minister of Defence in the first Federal Labor Government in 1904.</p>
<h2>Beyond individual blame</h2>
<p>I could continue with this listing, but this is probably enough to make the point. I think it is true to say that most readers would not have even heard many of these names before – yet Griffith, the outstanding historical personage, is well known – a big scalp, so to speak, and thus readily targeted.</p>
<p>Like him, however, most of these people have streets, suburbs, towns, districts, electorates, rivers or mountain ranges named after them. Unlike Griffith, though, most of them held wide-scale pastoral interests – interests that the Native Police were defending over extended time-frames against very determined Aboriginal resistance.</p>
<p>So, it would seem that a class/communal explanation for the remorseless dispossession might be a better way to determine causation, motivation and responsibility – in short, a pursuit of a systems analysis of colonialism as a more constructive way of grasping the fundamentals of this history. This can establish the driving rationale and structural underpinnings of occupation, rather than pursuing a singular crusade of individual blame for the manifest theft and violence.</p>
<p>This explanation is at first class-based because it is clearly a dominant minority class sector of, predominantly, pastoralists – but also plantation and mine owners – who were the principal land-takers, dependent initially on Native Police sorties and violent raids by their employees to secure the purloined landed wealth.</p>
<p>Using the excellent compilation work of the late Queensland historian, Bill Thorpe, we find there were over 3000 pastoral run-holders in 1876, contracting to little more than 1000 by Federation. These represented only 1.8% of the colonial or migrant population in the 1870s, down to only 0.2% by the 1900s.</p>
<p>But this tiny sector accounted for most of the privately held landholding in Queensland. Furthermore, in the latter stages, it was mostly foreign owned by corporations and banks operating outside of the colony and State.</p>
<p>These people and organisations – often also at centres of political power – were the direct beneficiaries of profit from the captured lands. The various genocidal processes adopted, publicly and privately, to achieve this were in such people’s immediate material interests.</p>
<p>Communally, most of the white colonial population cooperated, in one way or another, with the seizure and displacement process; and a minority of frontier actors took a leading part in inflicting and perpetuating it, thinking they were “advancing civilization” or “extending the margins of Empire” in so doing. Thus, we might conclude, the colonial takeover was class-based in its ultimate economic interest and communally driven in its comprehensive, destructive thrust.</p>
<p>As David Marr puts it in his recent <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/155840417">Killing for Country</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Australia was fought for in an endless war of little cruel battles […] Nowhere would the occupation […] prove bloodier than here [in Queensland] and no instrument of state [was] as culpable as the Native Police. Slaughter was bricked into the foundations of Queensland.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In mid-1880, a reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald, travelling around North Queensland, wrote these prophetic words:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Those who consent to such things and those who approve of them must look well as to how they will stand in future times with posterity, when the early history of this country comes to be written.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576641/original/file-20240220-30-p3ks18.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Killing for Country cover." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576641/original/file-20240220-30-p3ks18.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576641/original/file-20240220-30-p3ks18.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=931&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576641/original/file-20240220-30-p3ks18.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=931&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576641/original/file-20240220-30-p3ks18.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=931&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576641/original/file-20240220-30-p3ks18.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1170&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576641/original/file-20240220-30-p3ks18.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1170&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576641/original/file-20240220-30-p3ks18.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1170&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Goodreads</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We people here and now are that “posterity” – and it is imperative that any truth-telling we engage in should be well-targeted, balanced and comprehensive. Truth-telling, as Reynolds advises us, is “complex” – and with that I would agree.</p>
<p>Yet my research indicates that Samuel Griffith did not “consent to such things” nor “approve of them”, although he is neither the untarnished hero of this story nor its exceptional villain. And he was not, as Reynolds’ accounts claim, “especially culpable”. Available primary evidence does not appear to bear this out. “That is”, as John Lennon once famously sang, “I think I disagree”.</p>
<p>Griffith is part of and party to – among so many others – the British Imperial/colonial venture that created, for good or ill, present-day Queensland society. As a socio-economic formation and a culture, we have been very slow to accept how utterly that land-taking venture was steeped in bloodshed – and our collective responsibility, historically speaking, for this. </p>
<p>Yet, is it not ironic that the lone public figure who apparently attempted, however inadequately, to challenge the mayhem should now be freighted with the principal blame for it?</p>
<p>Griffith was neither a monster nor a saint. In determining his specific role, it is probably best not to be too certain in mounting clamorous, angry calls for redress, bearing in mind that truth-telling, where history is concerned, can be multi-layered, elusively structured, endlessly surprising and perhaps at times chimerical.</p>
<p>For, even after the rigorous application of exhaustive research, history remains mercurial and subject to change – within reach without falling into one’s final definitive grasp. The “rigours of truth-telling” warn us never to be too sure of the outcome.</p>
<p><em>This article is an edited version of a lecture given last night to the Selden Society for the Supreme Court of Queensland and Griffith University.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222262/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Raymond Evans has previously received funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p>Many argue Samuel Griffith, twice Queensland premier and our first chief justice, is guilty of colonial war crimes. Raymond Evans searched for the evidence to nail him but found a different story.Raymond Evans, Adjunct Professor, Griffith University, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2142542024-02-22T00:54:45Z2024-02-22T00:54:45ZChangeling warrior Robyn Davidson has never been lost. She’s a seeker with the courage to keep looking<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576605/original/file-20240219-16-1t7zcz.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C83%2C5058%2C3344&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Robyn Davidson as a young woman in Alice Springs</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bloomsbury Publishing</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Most people know Robyn Davidson as the camel lady, a young woman of 27 who walked over 2,700 kilometres across Australian deserts to the sea with four camels and a dog. A journey captured in her 1980 memoir <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/78895">Tracks</a>.</p>
<p>The vivid images <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/rick-smolans-trek-with-tracks-from-australian-outback-to-silver-screen?loggedin=true&rnd=1708299868794">commissioned by National Geographic</a>, which beamed around the world at the time or those recalled from the 2014 film version of Tracks (starring Mia Wasikowska): how iridescent blue the ocean was on a deserted beach in Western Australia, how regal and accomplished the camels appeared in their watery playground, but most of all Davidson – brown as a nut and beautiful and something else – unflappable, warrior-like, assured.</p>
<p>I, like millions of others, adored her instantly. The story was compelling, but it was the power captured in those images that made Davidson a global celebrity. Tracks, now in its fortieth edition and published in over 20 languages, has never been out of print. But while interest in the book has never waned, few people know exactly why she spent nine months in the desert. What had drawn or taken her there.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Review: Unfinished Woman – Robyn Davidson (Bloomsbury)</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Her motivations are not mentioned in detail or are avoided in Tracks where the focus is on what she is moving within (her developing relationship with country) and toward (an unmapped future). The reasons for the journey were private. But the bullet train of people’s interest in her was already in motion. In a 2015 <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ6Q5GYwKlc">interview</a> she said, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The more I tried to disappear underneath the radar, the more private I wanted to be, the more people wanted to know about it, to be involved with it somehow. And that has continued.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576606/original/file-20240219-28-ybdu9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A portrait of Davidson today." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576606/original/file-20240219-28-ybdu9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576606/original/file-20240219-28-ybdu9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576606/original/file-20240219-28-ybdu9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576606/original/file-20240219-28-ybdu9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576606/original/file-20240219-28-ybdu9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576606/original/file-20240219-28-ybdu9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576606/original/file-20240219-28-ybdu9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Robyn Davidson today.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bloomsbury Publishing</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Unfinished Woman, Davidson’s first book in over 20 years, we come closer to knowing her. We learn about where this extraordinary self-determination came from and what propelled her into (what was for her, at least initially,) the unknown. We come to know about before. The moment happens a few pages in, when Davidson writes the astonishing line, “My mother hanged herself from the rafters of our garage, using the cord of our electrical kettle.” She then asks, “Where can I go with a sentence like that?” Where indeed. </p>
<p>Davidson, <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/after-trying-to-write-about-her-mother-s-death-robyn-had-an-epiphany-20230803-p5dtpv.html">who was 11 at the time her mother died</a>, went many places. She moved interstate at 19 and squatted in abandoned terraces in Sydney. She dated a gangster and worked as a croupier in underground, illegal gambling dens. She traversed a continent. Moved to London and lived in dingy flats and wrote Tracks. She was given a cottage to live in by novelist <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Doris-Lessing">Doris Lessing</a> and spent time with the literary establishment, absorbing words but hating the pretension and the envy. </p>
<p>She followed and documented nomadic peoples in India and Tibet, developing deep connections with many women who were not as free as she was to traverse a wider earth. She “married” a Rajput prince and got to their house in the Himalayas for the first time by way of an elephant. Davidson is a beauty, but it takes a rare kind of person to be able to walk into the different arenas just described and be embraced, confided in, taken on, loved. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576607/original/file-20240219-22-gslf2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Robyn Davidson greets two Indian women in Rajastan." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576607/original/file-20240219-22-gslf2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576607/original/file-20240219-22-gslf2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576607/original/file-20240219-22-gslf2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576607/original/file-20240219-22-gslf2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576607/original/file-20240219-22-gslf2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576607/original/file-20240219-22-gslf2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576607/original/file-20240219-22-gslf2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Robyn in Rajastan circa 1990.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bloomsbury Publishing</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/tracks-a-film-that-lets-a-woman-thrive-in-the-outback-24026">Tracks, a film that lets a woman thrive in the outback</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The maelstrom</h2>
<p>Davidson’s face didn’t get her to where she needed to go – she went anyway, sometimes ill advised. Her unique philosophy and drive was formed in a defining moment she documents in Unfinished Woman a short time after her mother’s suicide where she cleaved from the world into nihilism. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I don’t know why it was on that ordinary afternoon there was a sudden shift, or breach in the appearance of things. Of things as they seem. Not a vision exactly, because nothing changed outwardly. But rather an insight that penetrated the everyday world and caved it in […] I sat down by a tree but it was no longer a tree, a life form one could feel kinship with, it was a whirlwind of energies streaming into a tree-shaped funnel […] The agreed upon world trees, leaves and people was something we draped over the top of the maelstrom to protect ourselves from the truth. </p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576608/original/file-20240219-29-yhjmsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A black and white photo of a mother holding her baby." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576608/original/file-20240219-29-yhjmsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576608/original/file-20240219-29-yhjmsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576608/original/file-20240219-29-yhjmsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576608/original/file-20240219-29-yhjmsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576608/original/file-20240219-29-yhjmsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576608/original/file-20240219-29-yhjmsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576608/original/file-20240219-29-yhjmsu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Robyn and her mother in 1950.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bloomsbury Publishing</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>From that moment, Davidson would be adrift. Some of that free-fall was monstrous and painful but mostly this understanding provided her with a portal – a connection to infinity she’d tuned into and tried so hard to make sense of, wandering with her “kind, faraway Dad” in big sky spaces in Queensland, especially at their property Malabah – evoked throughout the book like a psalm. </p>
<p>To live conventionally would have betrayed that knowledge she describes as moving inside her “like a huge snake”. Some would say to live unconventionally was a movement against her mother’s fate and the times. But it was more than that. The choice to live unbound was existential. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Continents slammed together, crumpled, melted like cheese. Stars exploded, suns collapsed to the size of fists, oceans froze or boiled away, galaxies collided, ripping each other to wisps, and nothing, nothing at all was solid, nothing held still, reality was this and only this: an apocalypse consuming itself, shitting itself out, eternal, merciless […] and where was ‘I’ in the tumult? What and where?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Davidson’s natural habitat is not singular – it is not a particular place, vocation, or family unit – though all these things have reverberated in her at times, her sense of home could not be contained for long. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I would not remain in any of these worlds: that is, make them my home. Homes were things it was necessary to escape from. If you did not leave them, what happened to future selves. If you did not leave them, you were stuck with remaining who you were.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Davidson’s natural habitat is a way of being. As such, tripping around the intricacies of her mind – the selves she describes as the “different frames” she uses to move between worlds – is at times unsettling. The chaos of thought, a life lived in discontinuous passages can leave you feeling unmoored.</p>
<p>Then there is illumination. The kind of poetic and deeply felt connection to place and sometimes, people, Davidson depicts is breathtaking. She is not looking at landscape, she is sending us missives from the inside. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>At eight thousand feet the air had a sharp quality; nothing was out of focus. Sound, particularly thunder, rolled around the slopes unmuffled. Storms could be extreme, horizontal sleet blasting from the north-eastern side, from the line of shattered white peaks along the horizon […] as well there were transformations of monsoon, when oaks grew beards of lichen; fungi fruited from earth, trees, log, dry gullies became waterfalls; leeches longed for you to pass by. Rain came down so heavily on the roof that you ducked instinctively […]</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Emotional power and sensory wonder</h2>
<p>I’m not sure I agree with critics <a href="https://www.startribune.com/tracks-writer-robyn-davidson-returns-with-memoir-of-her-mother-unfinished-woman/600323376/">who say</a> her inability to get at the crux of something, her “loss for words” is linked to her mother’s suicide – that she is trying to pick through and make sense of the subsequent trauma she carried would be only part of the story. For Davidson, her mother is a multitude of visions and contradictions – “under cement” or vividly drawn, never thought about, then thought about all the time. And while she lost her so young and ran from those memories and then struggled to reconstruct them, the writing about her mother is, in a strange convergence, full of emotional power and sensory wonder. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>In my memory there are bits of her floating around in a kind of fog – hands, smells, veins, phrases, shoes, a crocodile-skin handbag and its contents, the smell of Helena Rubenstein lipstick, a gold tooth, fine pale hairs on her arms, goosebumps, a crystal stopper being dabbed in the crook of an elbow, nervy fingers twisting rings, fingers twitching as she holds my hand […]</p>
</blockquote>
<p>When it comes to representations of selfhood, Davidson is slippery, suggesting being convinced of who we are is a delusion, an exercise in narrative control she doesn’t want to enter into. It does take courage to allow yourself to fragment, and I sense a large part of Davidson has always been ephemeral, drifting, hovering at the high altitude she loved so much in her sky home in the Himalayas. Another frequency. Not really of the man-made world with its straight lines and demarcations, its restrictive real jobs and endless, mind-numbing suburbs.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-write-about-broken-trust-in-a-memoir-janine-mikoszas-homesickness-maps-trauma-in-bold-new-ways-179086">How to write about broken trust in a memoir? Janine Mikosza’s Homesickness maps trauma in bold new ways</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A struggle</h2>
<p>From the outset, Davidson signals she’s never played her cards straight in life and she’s not about to start doing so with her readers, refusing to be neatly categorised by triggering experiences or the expectations of form. In this way Davidson is being true to herself.</p>
<p>Perhaps she resisted the editorial intervention I craved because that would have created an artificial veneer, a sense of refined continuum, her life – indeed any life – does not have. To do so was a risk but Davidson is a changeling. A curlew darting between shadow spaces then suddenly still. Frozen by the notion of being watched, the strange awareness of artificial light. </p>
<p>She struggled for a long time to write this book and at times it shows. Passages written in different moments can overlap or seem incongruous, repetitions and non-linear time frames you must make sense of on your own.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The writing stalled and stalled. A hundred beginnings thrown away, pages and pages of notes stored in boxes, then forgotten. Nothing seemed quite right, or quite true, the memories too scattered, too untrustworthy. Everything I wrote was like debris in a centrifuge, at the core of which, exerting all the power, that purely mathematical point, my imaginary mother.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Is this a frustrating headspace to encounter? Certainly. And maybe this is the point – this is not a Sunday afternoon spent dipping into the juicy gossip of literary celebrity – she did once date Salman Rushdie, after all, a relationship referred to obliquely as “The Catastrophe”. </p>
<p>Unfinished Woman is confounding and moving simultaneously and that’s why this review has also been hard to write. I resisted for months. At first, I was hesitant about wrestling with an idol, but I’ve come to realise Davidson doesn’t want to be fully captured. Even by herself. Though her literary gestures would suggest otherwise. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576609/original/file-20240219-30-2rlyd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Cover of Unfinished Woman" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576609/original/file-20240219-30-2rlyd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576609/original/file-20240219-30-2rlyd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=923&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576609/original/file-20240219-30-2rlyd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=923&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576609/original/file-20240219-30-2rlyd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=923&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576609/original/file-20240219-30-2rlyd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1160&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576609/original/file-20240219-30-2rlyd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1160&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576609/original/file-20240219-30-2rlyd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1160&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bloomsbury Publishing.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Her beguiling face on the cover of this book has followed me on planes challenging me to know her. Her wry smile suggesting the more I read, the less I’d know – how this probably wouldn’t work out, despite the fact she’d written almost 300 pages telling me it would. Davidson has sat next to me in bars. Stared up at me from ornate chairs in Bali, bedside tables in dim hotel rooms in Melbourne, peeking above menus in my local cafe. I kept turning the book over. Because at least on the back cover she is not looking into my eyes.</p>
<p>I have seen reviews of Unfinished Woman or press materials riddled with throwaway lines like: this is a book about a woman who doesn’t belong anywhere – and it’s hard for me to understand that take. Why people confuse curiosity with restlessness and perpetual movement with being lost. Davidson walked across the middle of Australia and never got lost. She spent months in bed in a mental health crisis and crawled out. </p>
<p>On a ten-day pilgrimage to the peaks in the Himalayas she and her dog Malaki were stalked by a panther and she “came to understand viscerally what it means to be prey.” She built a fire, the dog in her lap and waited out the night. She has belonged profoundly and deeply to many places. Has fallen in and out of love with many people. </p>
<p>Her sense of connection is not parochial, it is not delineated or owned. It is not that Davidson doesn’t fit anywhere it is that she blends into multitudes.</p>
<p>Most people don’t fit where they stay but they stay anyway. Davidson had the courage to keep on looking. She is a seeker. A philosopher but not the ivory tower kind. She has tested her theories in open air cathedrals. In life. Go into this book without a compass and she is more than worth your time.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214254/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sally Breen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>At 27, Robyn Davidson trekked through the Australian outback with four camels and a dog. In her long-awaited memoir we come closer to knowing why she made this journey.Sally Breen, Associate Professor, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2239802024-02-21T03:28:42Z2024-02-21T03:28:42ZAustralia wants navy boats with lots of weapons, but no crew. Will they run afoul of international law?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576937/original/file-20240221-20-kj0w1z.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C1043%2C4151%2C2414&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Photos/igphoto/2003326795/">Pierson Hawkins / US Navy</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Australian Navy is set to be transformed. On top of existing plans for nuclear submarines, the government yesterday announced a scheme for an “<a href="https://www.defence.gov.au/about/reviews-inquiries/independent-analysis-navy-surface-combatant-fleet">enhanced lethality surface combatant fleet</a>” including six new “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/20/australian-navy-warship-surface-combatant-fleet-double-hunter-class-losv">optionally crewed</a>” vessels.</p>
<p>The advantages of these vessels, which can operate with or without a crew, are clear. They can operate for longer, with more stealth, and allow military personnel to avoid hostile environments. </p>
<p>Simple remote-controlled craft have been used since at least the 1920s, but increasingly sophisticated uncrewed vessels are becoming more common. Ukraine has <a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraine-how-uncrewed-boats-are-changing-the-way-wars-are-fought-at-sea-201606">used small uncrewed boats</a> against Russian targets in the Black Sea, the United States plans to <a href="https://news.usni.org/2024/01/30/pentagon-puts-out-call-for-swarming-attack-drones-that-could-blunt-a-taiwan-invasion">build a swarm of sea drones</a> to protect Taiwan, and China is <a href="https://navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2023/december/13868-edex-2023-china-s-csic-promotes-jari-usv-a-in-egypt.html">developing its own devices</a>.</p>
<p>However, it is so far unclear how these vessels fit within existing international law. Unless their legal status becomes more clear, it may increase the risk of conflict with potentially serious consequences. </p>
<h2>What’s the problem with uncrewed vehicles?</h2>
<p>The key international treaty regulating the ocean – the <a href="https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf">United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea</a> – was negotiated in the 1970s and early 1980s, well before uncrewed vessels of the kind we see today were a realistic concern.</p>
<p>The convention balances the rights of coastal states with those of maritime powers by dividing the ocean into different zones, with different rules about what states can do in each zone. It’s a <a href="https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_convention.htm">complicated system</a>, but in general, states have more control over the use of the ocean closer to their own coasts.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ukraine-how-uncrewed-boats-are-changing-the-way-wars-are-fought-at-sea-201606">Ukraine: how uncrewed boats are changing the way wars are fought at sea</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Under the convention, foreign ships and vessels in waters close to the coasts of other states have certain navigational rights. These rights establish where ships can go in the ocean and what they can do when they are there. </p>
<p>Naval vessels also rely on these navigational rights to operate. In particular, where crucial sea lanes are very close to the coast – such as in the Malacca Strait between Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia – ships or other vessels without navigational rights may not have a firm legal footing for passing through. </p>
<p>And in a crisis, it may not be feasible to avoid such waters by finding another route. If states had different views about what actions were permissible, it would increase the risk of conflict.</p>
<h2>What counts as a ‘ship’?</h2>
<p>So what does all this have to do with Australia’s “optionally crewed systems”? </p>
<p>The first problem is that the convention on the law of the sea gives navigational rights to “ships” and “vessels” without defining what they mean. There is an <a href="https://law.uq.edu.au/article/2020/10/international-law-and-uncrewed-maritime-vehicles">ongoing debate</a> about whether these categories include uncrewed devices, or whether having people on board is required to qualify for navigational rights. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576940/original/file-20240221-22-ye774b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A photo of a speedboat powering through the water with nobody aboard." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576940/original/file-20240221-22-ye774b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576940/original/file-20240221-22-ye774b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576940/original/file-20240221-22-ye774b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576940/original/file-20240221-22-ye774b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576940/original/file-20240221-22-ye774b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576940/original/file-20240221-22-ye774b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576940/original/file-20240221-22-ye774b.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Vessels without a human crew can legally be ‘ships’, but whether they can be ‘warships’ is less clear.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://images.defence.gov.au/20220524ran8098978_273.jpg">Justin Brown / Commonwealth of Australia / Department of Defence</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In <a href="https://law.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/3910649/06McKenzie-unpaginated.pdf">my view</a>, the more convincing argument is that uncrewed vessels like the ones Australia plans to purchase should count as ships and vessels. </p>
<p>The convention is designed to be the “constitution of the ocean”, with a very broad scope. This suggests we should also take a broad idea of what counts as a ship or vessel.</p>
<h2>What counts as a ‘warship’?</h2>
<p>However, uncrewed devices may face a more significant problem: can they be “warships”? This is a special legal category for vessels with the right to engage in belligerent activities – that is, engage in warfare and naval blockades. </p>
<p>Again, it is the lack of people on board that may cause issues. Unlike “ship” and “vessel”, the term “warship” is explicitly defined in the convention. </p>
<p>According to Article 29 of the convention, warships must be, among other things, under the command of a commissioned officer and manned by a crew under armed forces discipline. A plain reading of these requirements suggests that a vessel without people on board cannot be a warship and must stay out of conflict.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-government-has-unveiled-its-navy-of-the-future-will-it-solve-our-current-problems-or-just-create-new-ones-223846">The government has unveiled its Navy of the future. Will it solve our current problems – or just create new ones?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>However, the <a href="https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/ils/vol99/iss1/27/">reason “warship” is defined this way</a> goes back to the 19th century, when states wanted to distinguish their own “warships” from the vessels of privateers. This is why the definition refers to the vessel being under command and with a crew that is part of the armed forces.</p>
<p>The point of the definition is to ensure the warship is controlled by a state. We should understand it as part of the effort by states to keep control of legally authorised violence, not an attempt to restrict certain rights to vessels with crews.</p>
<h2>The future of uncrewed vessels and the law</h2>
<p>How will this legal dilemma be resolved? The neatest solution – a revision to the convention to clarify the situation – is unlikely, because the political prospects of getting all 169 signatory states to agree to such a change are remote.</p>
<p>The stakes are high. The use of uncrewed vessels may plausibly lead to increased risk taking by states. It is easier to imagine the US sending a fleet of uncrewed vessels in a <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/06/freedom-of-navigation-operation-china-us-maritime-law/">freedom of navigation operation</a> close to the Chinese coast than risking a crewed fleet. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/us-military-plans-to-unleash-thousands-of-autonomous-war-robots-over-next-two-years-212444">US military plans to unleash thousands of autonomous war robots over next two years</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>What can states do to reduce the risk of miscalculation and conflict?</p>
<p>States like Australia that plan to adopt this technology should look to develop international law in other ways. They can do this by putting their views about what uncrewed vessels are permitted to do on the record. </p>
<p>In doing so, they will contribute to the development of customary international law. Making Australia’s position on these devices more transparent will help create a legal regime that can cope with technological change.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223980/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simon McKenzie has received funding from the Australian Government’s Next Generation Technologies Fund through Trusted Autonomous Systems, a Defence Cooperative Research Centre. </span></em></p>The law of the sea says warships must have a crew. What does that mean for naval drones?Simon McKenzie, Lecturer in Law, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2238462024-02-20T04:11:34Z2024-02-20T04:11:34ZThe government has unveiled its Navy of the future. Will it solve our current problems – or just create new ones?<p>Australia’s naval surface combatant fleet is in trouble. The eight <a href="https://www.navy.gov.au/fleet/ships-boats-craft/ffh">Anzac frigates</a> are <a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/auditors-warn-the-navy-s-frigates-are-wearing-out-20190319-p515co">worn out</a> after three decades of Middle Eastern adventures and <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/workforce-crisis-threatens-to-put-two-more-anzac-frigates-out-of-service/news-story/adc8e4a1442831dd17e235389484c415">hard to crew</a>. The Anzac’s replacements, the <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2023/12/21/australias-anti-submarine-frigate-program-sails-rough-seas/">much-criticised</a> <a href="https://www.navy.gov.au/fleet/ships-boats-craft/future/ffg">Hunter Class frigates</a>, are late – the first will not enter service until <a href="https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/department-defences-procurement-hunter-class-frigates">2032 or so</a>. </p>
<p>The project’s cost has also stunningly risen from <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-18/short-history-of-major-naval-shipbuilding-programs-in-australia/103477194">A$35 billion in 2018</a> to $45 billion a couple of years ago to now <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-19/naval-fleet-review-funding-hole-hunter-frigates/103486288">$65 billion</a>, even before actual ship construction starts. </p>
<p>Adding to the problems, the Navy now dislikes its 12 new <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-09/offshore-patrol-vessels-program-delay-costs-mount/101517060">offshore patrol vessels (OPVs)</a> currently being built; this seemingly simple project is also late, costly (<a href="https://www.anao.gov.au/work/major-projects-report/2022-23-major-projects-report">$3.7 billion</a> overall) and a “<a href="https://www.defence.gov.au/news-events/releases/2023-10-20/offshore-patrol-vessels-listed-project-concern">project of concern</a>”. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Navy’s three brand new Hobart Class destroyers surprisingly need <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/special-reports/planning-well-advanced-for-air-warfare-destroyer-upgrade/news-story/656634c31b7a83b3caf56cf211d9577f">major, costly upgrades</a> that will take two to three years each. With luck, all three will be back in service by 2032. </p>
<p>These numbers are important as the Navy needs three ships in service to reliably maintain one ship deployed on distant operations for an extended period. Across most of the next decade, our current naval surface warship fleet will be able to dependably deploy only two, maybe three, warships simultaneously for extended periods. This is high-input cost for low-output usage.</p>
<h2>A consultant-driven solution</h2>
<p>That’s the problem. A review undertaken by <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-pays-former-us-defence-chiefs-7000-a-day-for-advice-20230427-p5d3lh.html">highly paid</a>, external consultants, led by a retired US Navy admiral, has now provided the solution. </p>
<p>The review <a href="https://www.defence.gov.au/about/reviews-inquiries/independent-analysis-navy-surface-combatant-fleet">released today</a> recommends keeping the three Hobart Class destroyers and six of the aged ANZAC frigates, building only six Hunter Class frigates and stopping the OPV program immediately at six ships. </p>
<p>The big surprise was the recommendation the Navy acquire at least seven – and “optimally” 11 – new general purpose frigates and six large optionally crewed surface vessels (LOSVs). The government agreed with both recommendations.</p>
<p>The new frigates will be a similar size to the Anzacs and effectively a half-size Hunter. Called “Tier 2” ships, they will be designed for anti-submarine warfare and used to secure seaborne trade routes, Australia’s northern maritime approaches and to escort the Navy’s amphibious ships. </p>
<p>They will have an air and missile defence capability and carry several anti-ship and land-attack missiles. Notably, the first three frigates will be built overseas – this will likely draw criticism. </p>
<p>The LOSVs will increase the Navy’s long-range strike capacity and appear to be similar to the US Navy’s planned large uncrewed surface vessels, which will enter service late this decade. </p>
<p>These vessels will mostly operate without a crew, though they may have a small crew embarked for short periods, such as when entering and leaving port or refuelling at sea. The LOSVs are expected to be lower-cost, long-endurance vessels able to carry anti-ship and land-attack missiles.</p>
<p>The review glosses over the serious inability of crewing the current 11-ship surface warship Navy, let alone a 26-vessel one. The Navy is already <a href="https://www.aap.com.au/news/defence-force-understaffed-by-thousands-in-tight-market/">about 900 people</a> short, equivalent to more than three Anzac ship crews, as it <a href="https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/slim-pickings-for-navy-as-it-struggles-to-recruit-20240105-p5evdx">struggles to meet its recruitment goals</a>. </p>
<p>The Department of Defence, however, <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2023/June/ADF-Retention">considers the problem</a> more one of retention than recruitment and is taking steps to slow the personnel loss rate, but it has much ground to make up before it can grow into a much larger force. </p>
<p>The review merely recognised the challenge and simply hoped for the best.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-much-anticipated-defence-review-is-here-so-what-does-it-say-and-what-does-it-mean-for-australia-204267">The much-anticipated defence review is here. So what does it say, and what does it mean for Australia?</a>
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<h2>Implications of the review</h2>
<p>First, the good news. Much of the money for the new ships will be spent in Australia – not just on sheet metal hull construction, but also on electronics. </p>
<p>For example, the future of the world-leading <a href="https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/media-releases/2023-04-27/albanese-government-secure-leading-edge-defence-capability">radar technology company</a> recently purchased by the federal government, appears secure. </p>
<p>There are definite benefits in both creating a more skilled <a href="https://www.defence.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-02/ELSCF_Factsheets_Sovereign_Workforce.pdf">Australian workforce</a> and sustaining a sovereign, Australian naval shipbuilding industry. Critics will <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-16/naval-ship-building-in-australia-more-expensive-than-overseas/6395972">correctly argue</a> it’s more expensive than buying from overseas, but given tax claw-backs, maybe not that much. </p>
<p>Even so, the cost-benefit analysis will be hard to calculate – the decision over whether it’s good value for money needs to be a judgement call, not an analysis based on mathematics.</p>
<p>Second, the Albanese government came to office calling for much better “<a href="https://www.aspi.org.au/report/impactful-projection-long-range-strike-options-australia">impactful projection</a>” – that is, the ability to apply strategically meaningful military power at great distance from Australia’s shores using missiles. </p>
<p>The new frigates, however, will only carry some additional missiles – not many. As such, the government seems to have changed its earlier intentions and will instead focus more on the submarine threat to Australia’s trade routes. </p>
<p>The only nod to “impactful projection” in the review today is the building of six new LOSVs, each of which will be able to carry 32 missiles to sea. (One LOSV working with a Hobart Class frigate, however, will have around 88 missiles.) </p>
<p>Critics <a href="https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/rearming-the-royal-australian-navy/">will point to</a> the fact this is fewer than a single US Navy Arleigh Burke destroyer, which carries 96 missiles, and its larger Chinese counterpart, which carries 128. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-can-no-longer-afford-to-ignore-russias-expanding-naval-power-in-the-pacific-217913">Australia can no longer afford to ignore Russia's expanding naval power in the Pacific</a>
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<p>Third, the review does not call for renewing the Navy’s ageing Anzac flotilla quickly enough. Warship shortages will persist well into the next decade. This is bad news for the short term.</p>
<p>And lastly, the Navy will now have three major ship and submarine projects underway. The new plan to acquire an additional flotilla of frigates will take considerable time, soak up the country’s scarce ship-building workforce and be remarkably costly. </p>
<p>This will adversely impact the Navy operationally and the rest of the Department of Defence, Army and Air Force. As a result, we can likely expect cuts to the Army in the forthcoming budget. </p>
<p>Overall, the review is good for jobs in Adelaide and Perth and will make the Navy significantly larger over the long term. It will also partly placate some government critics who want to buy ships overseas, arguing this will mean faster delivery, and those <a href="https://www.andrewhastie.com.au/statement_marles_war_defence">who believe</a> the government needs “new money” added to currently planned defence budgets. </p>
<p>But the true cost impacts of the reform plan must await the budget. The plan will also take a long time to implement and has ignored the Navy’s chronic shortage of skilled personnel, which is surely most unwise.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223846/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Layton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Royal Australian Navy is in a mess – money has been spent on buying warships that are not making the grade. A new review aims to turn that around.Peter Layton, Visiting Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2230792024-02-16T04:57:13Z2024-02-16T04:57:13ZAustralians are washing microplastics down the drain and it’s ending up on our farms<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576094/original/file-20240215-30-6i3a89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=25%2C34%2C5725%2C3794&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-young-woman-doing-laundry-home-1491577367">Pixel-Shot, Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian wastewater treatment plants produce thousands of tonnes of treated sewage sludge every year. This nutrient-rich material is then dried to make “biosolids”, which are used to fertilise agricultural soil. </p>
<p>Unfortunately every kilogram of biosolids also contains thousands of tiny pieces of plastic. These pieces are so small they can only be seen under a microscope, so they’re called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/microplastics">microplastics</a>.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0043135423015117">our new research</a>, we sampled biosolids from three states and calculated the average contribution of microplastics per person: 3g in New South Wales and 4.5g in Queensland. But the average in South Australia was 11.5g – that’s about the same amount of plastic as a plastic bag.</p>
<p>Roughly 80% of this microplastic comes from washing clothes. We need to protect agricultural soil from contamination by making simple changes at home, mandating filters on washing machines and introducing more effective wastewater treatment. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/microplastics-are-common-in-homes-across-29-countries-new-research-shows-whos-most-at-risk-189051">Microplastics are common in homes across 29 countries. New research shows who's most at risk</a>
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<h2>Biosolids as fertiliser</h2>
<p>Most domestic wastewater comes from household kitchens, bathrooms and laundries. </p>
<p>Wastewater treatment separates most of the water and leaves sewage sludge behind. This mixture of water and organic material can then be sent to landfill for disposal or dried to form a material called “biosolids”.</p>
<p>In Australia, two-thirds of the <a href="https://www.biosolids.com.au/guidelines/australian-biosolids-statistics/">340,000 tonnes produced annually</a> are used on farms to improve soil quality and stimulate plant growth. This not only boosts agricultural productivity but also allows for more sustainable disposal of treated sewage sludge. The waste becomes a resource, a useful and economically viable fertiliser, rather than ending up in landfill.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-1-200-tonnes-of-microplastics-are-dumped-into-aussie-farmland-every-year-from-wastewater-sludge-137278">More than 1,200 tonnes of microplastics are dumped into Aussie farmland every year from wastewater sludge</a>
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<h2>Microplastics in Australian biosolids</h2>
<p>Wastewater treatment plants can capture anywhere from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2022.107831">60% to more than 90%</a> of the microplastics in sewage before the wastewater is discharged. But plastic is durable and does not degrade during treatment. So the microplastic particles removed from the wastewater are simply transferred to the sludge. </p>
<p>We assessed the abundance, characteristics and size ranges of microplastics in biosolids collected from 13 wastewater treatment plants across three states.</p>
<p>We found every kilogram of biosolid contains between 11,000 and 150,000 microplastic particles. </p>
<p>Most of the microplastics found were invisible to the naked eye, ranging from 20 to 200 micrometres in size. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575745/original/file-20240214-24-di49kb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Grid showing four separate microscopy images of microplastics in biosolid samples" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575745/original/file-20240214-24-di49kb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575745/original/file-20240214-24-di49kb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575745/original/file-20240214-24-di49kb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575745/original/file-20240214-24-di49kb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575745/original/file-20240214-24-di49kb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=571&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575745/original/file-20240214-24-di49kb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=571&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575745/original/file-20240214-24-di49kb.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=571&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">Various microplastic particles from biosolid samples can be as seen under the microscope.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shima Ziajahromi</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>The most common type of microplastic was microfibres from fabric. We found more microplastic fibres during cold seasons. We suspect this corresponds to people washing more synthetic fleece clothing and blankets. </p>
<p>Microbeads are tiny balls of microplastic sometimes added to personal care products and detergents. We did not find any microbeads in samples from South Australia and New South Wales. These states were among the first to support a <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/plastics-and-packaging/plastic-microbeads">voluntary industry phase-out of plastic microbeads</a>. </p>
<p>In contrast, we found a small amount of microbeads in samples from Queensland, which only <a href="https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/98573">banned microbeads in September last year</a>. That was more than a year after samples were collected for this study.</p>
<p>We estimate Australians release between 0.7g and 21g of microplastics per person into wastewater every year. This wide range is based on our results, which varied from state to state: 0.7g to 5.9g in NSW, 1g to 7.2g in Queensland and 1.9g to 21g in SA. We don’t know why it varies so much between states.</p>
<p>This contributes to the amount of microplastics in biosolids. Our biosolid samples contained anywhere from 1kg to 17kg of microplastics per tonne. Remember this is being transported into our farmlands.</p>
<h2>What’s the problem?</h2>
<p>Microplastics are steadily accumulating in agricultural soils, where they will remain for hundreds of years. While natural weathering processes such as sunshine and rain will slowly break down microplastics into smaller and smaller particles, that only makes matters worse. Smaller particles cause more harmful effects to soil organisms.</p>
<p>Eating small pieces of plastic can cause internal abrasions and blockages in the digestive tract. In very small aquatic animals such as zooplankton, microplastics can reduce absorption of nutrients from food, <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.7b03574">decrease reproduction rates, and cause death</a>.</p>
<p>These tiny particles also contain a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7355763/">cocktail of toxic chemicals</a>, either added during manufacturing to improve the product or soaked up from the environment. This makes them <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389420319026?casa_token=4Ny10i4YQ_UAAAAA:71b3vKN1UUA7TaSKkWQ76Up0TiRR_MoE6enVmKLeynDLo_2alsz_5aWeNS_Eal5LchEt91Gedg">even more dangerous</a>.</p>
<p>Smaller microplastics (less than 100 micrometres in size) are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304389423005113">even more harmful for soil organisms</a>. </p>
<p>Microplastics in soil can be ingested by soil organisms such as earthworms and cause harmful effects on these vital organisms. Microplastic exposure has also been shown to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149338">adversely affect soil health and plant growth</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.biosolids.com.au/wp-content/uploads/Emerging-Contaminants-in-Biosolids-Research-report.pdf">Australian regulations</a> govern the amounts of heavy metals, nutrients, pathogens and some emerging contaminants allowed in biosolids, but there is no guideline for microplastics concentrations. We think that has to change. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574840/original/file-20240212-18-j43xxo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Stockpiles of biosolids from sludge lagoons with a tractor in the background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574840/original/file-20240212-18-j43xxo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574840/original/file-20240212-18-j43xxo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574840/original/file-20240212-18-j43xxo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574840/original/file-20240212-18-j43xxo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574840/original/file-20240212-18-j43xxo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574840/original/file-20240212-18-j43xxo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574840/original/file-20240212-18-j43xxo.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&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">Biosolids from sludge lagoons in South Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">SA Water</span></span>
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<h2>Here’s what we can do</h2>
<p>Our research shows biosolids are a significant source of microplastics in agricultural systems. More research is needed to better understand the risks. </p>
<p>We need to put effective control measures in place to minimise the accumulation of microplastic in productive agricultural soils. </p>
<p>The most effective way to do this is to reduce the level of microplastics in biosolids at the source. </p>
<p>We know most microplastics in biosolids come from washing clothes. While it may not be possible to eliminate the use of synthetic fabrics, there are some measures we can all take to reduce the amount of microplastic washing off our clothes into the wastewater stream. Properly installed <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.777865">filters in washing machines</a> have been shown to significantly reduce microplastic levels in wastewater. </p>
<p>Australia’s <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/national-plastics-plan-2021.pdf">National Plastics Plan</a> recommends the Australian government work with industry to “phase-in” microfibre filters on all washing machines by 2030. But why wait until 2030? </p>
<p>Several jurisdictions, including <a href="https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000041553759">France</a>, <a href="https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-279">Ontario</a> and <a href="https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/ca/20212022/bills/CAB00022073/">California</a>, have already made microfibre filters on washing machines mandatory. It’s time Australia did the same. </p>
<p>In the meantime, there are simple things everyone can do at home. Wash clothes in cold water, avoid running the machine for light loads if you can wait to do a full load, and wash synthetic fabrics less frequently. These steps will also save energy and money. </p>
<p>It’s far better to stop microplastics entering the wastewater stream than <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213343722007047?via%3Dihub">trying to remove them at the wastewater treatment plant</a>. Prevention is always better than a cure. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/humanitys-signature-study-finds-plastic-pollution-in-the-worlds-lakes-can-be-worse-than-in-oceans-209487">'Humanity's signature': study finds plastic pollution in the world's lakes can be worse than in oceans</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223079/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shima Ziajahromi receives funding from the Queensland Government through Advance Queensland Industry Research Project. This project was co-sponsored by Urban Utilities, Sydney Water, SA Water, Water Corporation (WA) and Eurofins Environment Testing Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Frederic Leusch receives funding related to this research topic from the Queensland Government through an Advance Queensland Industry Research Project, Water Research Australia, and various Australian water utilities. This project was co-sponsored by Urban Utilities, Sydney Water, SA Water, Water Corporation (WA) and Eurofins Environment Testing Australia.</span></em></p>We sampled sewage sludge from 13 wastewater treatment plants across three states. We found every resident adds microplastics to farmland, in dried sewage sludge (biosolids) used as fertiliser.Shima Ziajahromi, Advance Queensland Research Fellow, Griffith UniversityFrederic Leusch, Professor of Environmental Science, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2233102024-02-15T19:03:47Z2024-02-15T19:03:47ZWhy prices are so high – 8 ways retail pricing algorithms gouge consumers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575804/original/file-20240215-28-d833it.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=114%2C175%2C1776%2C1011&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The just-released report of the inquiry into <a href="https://pricegouginginquiry.actu.org.au/">price gouging and unfair pricing</a> conducted by Allan Fels for the Australian Council of Trades Unions does more than identify the likely offenders.</p>
<p>It finds the biggest are supermarkets, banks, airlines and electricity companies.</p>
<p>It’s not enough to know their tricks. Fels wants to give the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission more power to investigate and more power to prohibit mergers.</p>
<p>But it helps to know how they try to trick us, and how technology has enabled them to get better at it. After reading the report, I’ve identified eight key maneuvers.</p>
<h2>1. Asymmetric price movements</h2>
<p>Otherwise known as <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/25593733">Rocket and Feather</a>, this is where businesses push up prices quickly when costs rise, but cut them slowly or late after costs fall.</p>
<p>It seems to happen for <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140988323002074">petrol</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S105905601730240X">mortgage rates</a>, and the Fels inquiry was presented with evidence suggesting it happens in supermarkets. </p>
<p>Brendan O’Keeffe from NSW Farmers told the inquiry wholesale lamb prices had been falling for six months before six Woolworths announced a cut in the prices of lamb it was selling as a “<a href="https://pricegouginginquiry.actu.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/InquiryIntoPriceGouging_Report_web.pdf">Christmas gift</a>”. </p>
<h2>2. Punishment for loyal customers</h2>
<p>A <a href="https://theconversation.com/simple-fixes-could-help-save-australian-consumers-from-up-to-3-6-billion-in-loyalty-taxes-119978">loyalty tax</a> is what happens when a business imposes higher charges on customers who have been with it for a long time, on the assumption that they won’t move.</p>
<p>The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has alleged a big <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-qantas-might-have-done-all-australians-a-favour-by-making-refunds-so-hard-to-get-213346">insurer</a> does it, setting premiums not only on the basis of risk, but also on the basis of what a computer model tells them about the likelihood of each customer tolerating a price hike. The insurer disputes the claim.</p>
<p>It’s often done by offering discounts or new products to new customers and leaving existing customers on old or discontinued products.</p>
<p>It happens a lot in the <a href="https://www.finder.com.au/utilities-loyalty-costing-australians-billions-2024">electricity industry</a>. The plans look good at first, and then less good as providers bank on customers not making the effort to shop around. </p>
<p>Loyalty taxes appear to be less common among mobile phone providers. Australian laws make it easy to switch <a href="https://www.reviews.org/au/mobile/how-to-switch-mobile-carriers-and-keep-your-number/">and keep your number</a>.</p>
<h2>3. Loyalty schemes that provide little value</h2>
<p>Fels says loyalty schemes can be a “low-cost means of retaining and exploiting consumers by providing them with low-value rewards of dubious benefit”. </p>
<p>Their purpose is to lock in (or at least bias) customers to choices already made. </p>
<p>Examples include airline frequent flyer points, cafe cards that give you your tenth coffee free, and supermarket points programs. The purpose is to lock in (or at least bias) consumers to products already chosen. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/advertising-and-promotions/customer-loyalty-schemes">Australian Competition and Consumer Commission</a> has found many require users to spend a lot of money or time to earn enough points for a reward. </p>
<p>Others allow points to expire or rules to change without notice or offer rewards that are not worth the effort to redeem.</p>
<p>They also enable businesses to collect data on spending habits, preferences, locations, and personal information that can be used to construct customer profiles that allow them to target advertising and offers and high prices to some customers and not others.</p>
<h2>4. Drip pricing that hides true costs</h2>
<p>The Competition and Consumer Commission describes <a href="https://pricegouginginquiry.actu.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/InquiryIntoPriceGouging_Report_web.pdf">drip pricing</a> as “when a price is advertised at the beginning of an online purchase, but then extra fees and charges (such as booking and service fees) are gradually added during the purchase process”. </p>
<p>The extras can add up quickly and make final bills much higher than expected. </p>
<p>Airlines are among the best-known users of the strategy. They often offer initially attractive base fares, but then add charges for baggage, seat selection, in-flight meals and other extras.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/junk-fees-and-drip-pricing-underhanded-tactics-we-hate-yet-still-fall-for-211117">Junk fees and drip pricing: underhanded tactics we hate yet still fall for</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>5. Confusion pricing</h2>
<p>Related to drip pricing is <a href="https://www.x-mol.net/paper/article/1402386414932836352">confusion pricing</a> where a provider offers a range of plans, discounts and fees so complex they are overwhelming.</p>
<p>Financial products like insurance have convoluted fee structures, as do electricity providers. Supermarkets do it by bombarding shoppers with “specials” and “sales”. </p>
<p>When prices change frequently and without notice, it adds to the confusion. </p>
<h2>6. Algorithmic pricing</h2>
<p><a href="https://pricegouginginquiry.actu.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/InquiryIntoPriceGouging_Report_web.pdf">Algorithmic pricing</a> is the practice of using algorithms to set prices automatically taking into account competitor responses, which is something akin to computers talking to each other.</p>
<p>When computers get together in this way they can <a href="https://www.x-mol.net/paper/article/1402386414932836352">act as it they are colluding</a> even if the humans involved in running the businesses never talk to each other.</p>
<p>It can act even more this way when multiple competitors use the same third-party pricing algorithm, effectively allowing a single company to influence prices.</p>
<h2>7. Price discrimination</h2>
<p>Price discrimination involves charging different customers different prices
for the same product, setting each price in accordance with how much each customer is prepared to pay.</p>
<p>Banks do it when they offer better rates to customers likely to leave them, electricity companies do it when they offer better prices for business customers than households, and medical specialists do it when they offer vastly different prices for the same service to consumers with different incomes.</p>
<p>It is made easier by digital technology and data collection. While it can make prices lower for some customers, it can make prices much more expensive to customers in a hurry or in urgent need of something.</p>
<h2>8. Excuse-flation</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-09/how-excuseflation-is-keeping-prices-and-corporate-profits-high">Excuse-flation</a> is where general inflation provides “cover” for businesses to raise prices without
justification, blaming nothing other than general inflation.</p>
<p>It means that in times of general high inflation businesses can increase their prices even if their costs haven’t increased by as much.</p>
<p>On Thursday Reserve Bank Governor <a href="https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/inflation-is-cover-for-pricing-gouging-rba-boss-says-20240215-p5f58d">Michele Bullock</a> seemed to confirm that she though some firms were doing this saying that when inflation had been brought back to the Bank’s target, it would be </p>
<blockquote>
<p>much more difficult, I think, for firms to use high inflation as cover for this sort of putting up their prices</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>A political solution is needed</h2>
<p>Ultimately, our own vigilance won’t be enough. We will need political help. The government’s recently announced <a href="https://treasury.gov.au/review/competition-review-2023">competition review</a> might be a step in this direction.</p>
<p>The legislative changes should police business practices and prioritise fairness. Only then can we create a marketplace where ethics and competition align, ensuring both business prosperity and consumer wellbeing. </p>
<p>This isn’t just about economics, it’s about building a fairer, more sustainable Australia.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223310/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Tuffley is affiliated with the Australian Computer Society (Member).</span></em></p>Each of these tricks is old, but each has been supercharged by the use of information technology.David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2235592024-02-15T05:09:08Z2024-02-15T05:09:08ZWhy are so many Australian music festivals being cancelled?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575794/original/file-20240215-16-25r5i5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4265%2C2845&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/three-men-carrying-women-surrounded-by-many-people-during-daytime-74tlEYKgrBE">Jade Masri/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Regional touring festival Groovin’ The Moo has <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/groovin-the-moo-2024-cancelled/103464566">announced its cancellation</a> only eight days after placing tickets on sale, citing low <a href="https://www.gtm.net.au/">demand</a>. </p>
<p>A mainstay of the summer festival calendar, this follows a series of similar cancellations, including the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/may/17/falls-festival-2023-2024-music-cancelled-new-years-eve">2023 edition of Falls Festival</a>, <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/valleyways-2024-third-aussie-music-festival-cancelled-amid-cost-of-living-pressures/be65eea0-0572-4e43-8c5d-1c9e3eb33335">ValleyWays</a>, <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/music-festivals/ruin-everything-coastal-jam-festival-scrapped-days-before-it-was-to-start/news-story/266f8eb315aa9b62544e483583582d3c">Coastal Jam</a> and <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/south-australian-festival-vintage-vibes-with-groove-armada-rudimental-postponed-c-13184043">Vintage Vibes</a>, and the “pausing” of Hobart’s iconic <a href="https://www.artshub.com.au/news/news/paused-in-part-but-not-cancelled-dark-mofo-announces-dates-2696718/">Dark Mofo</a> for 2024. </p>
<p>So why are we seeing so many Australian music festivals cancelled? And what will the future of festivals look like?</p>
<h2>Growing challenges for festivals</h2>
<p>The well-documented <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/more-than-half-of-australians-are-only-just-making-ends-meet">cost-of-living crisis</a> is an obvious culprit when it comes to low demand for festivals, as consumers cut down on expenses. </p>
<p>However, other factors are at play here. They include:</p>
<p><strong>1. Higher overheads</strong></p>
<p>Rapidly increasing overheads, such as <a href="https://themusic.com.au/industry/sooki-lounge-owners-public-liability-in-live-music-venues-killing-us-all/AHC-EhUUFxY/30-01-24">rocketing public liability insurance costs</a> for both venues and festivals alike, affect the viability of such events. </p>
<p>This problem began with the COVID pandemic, but extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change have <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-transforming-australias-cultural-life-so-why-isnt-it-mentioned-in-the-new-national-cultural-policy-198881">compounded these issues</a> as well as affecting the viability of outdoor summer music festivals. In 2022 alone, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1329878X231184913">more than 20</a> Australian festivals were cancelled because of extreme weather.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-transforming-australias-cultural-life-so-why-isnt-it-mentioned-in-the-new-national-cultural-policy-198881">Climate change is transforming Australia’s cultural life – so why isn’t it mentioned in the new national cultural policy?</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>2. Slower sales</strong></p>
<p>Prior to the pandemic, concerns regarding the <a href="https://theconversation.com/crowded-house-how-to-keep-festivals-relevant-in-an-oversaturated-market-50760">oversaturation of the Australian festival market</a> were already starting to bite. Pre-COVID festival cancellations included the end of the Big Day Out after 20 years in 2014. The annual event <a href="https://theconversation.com/music-festivals-are-in-trouble-but-the-shows-must-go-on-21035">began to falter in the preceding years</a> due to issues that have compounded in the decade since.</p>
<p>As the pandemic eased and festival producers rushed back onsite, they have been faced with a fundamental shift in Australian cultural consumption habits, particularly among young people.</p>
<p>People are <a href="https://tixel.com/blog/ticketing-state-of-play">waiting longer</a> to buy tickets. 2023 was the first time in over a decade that Splendour in the Grass, Australia’s biggest single-ticket festival, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-19/splendour-in-the-grass-ticket-sales-down-by-30-per-cent/102620896">didn’t sell out within hours</a>. The trend towards delayed “commitment to purchase” is cause for concern among promoters, who rely on opening-day sales for momentum and capital.</p>
<p>This change can be understood as a response to the rolling cancellations of the pandemic, in combination with rising ticket prices, domestic financial pressures and <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-9-to-5-work-day-disappears-our-lives-are-growing-more-out-of-sync-125800">busy schedules</a>. It is increasingly normal to look for second-hand tickets at reduced prices as an event approaches. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/crowded-house-how-to-keep-festivals-relevant-in-an-oversaturated-market-50760">Crowded house: how to keep festivals relevant in an oversaturated market</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<p><strong>3. Youth avoidance</strong></p>
<p>Industry observers are concerned about a drop in youth attendance. Young people who came of age during COVID missed their <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-festivals-no-schoolies-young-people-are-missing-out-on-vital-rites-of-passage-during-covid-145097">key festival-going years</a> and may now have moved on to other cultural experiences – followed by younger siblings. This emphasises the long cultural tail of an event like the pandemic.</p>
<p>The cost-of-living crisis especially affects young people, the core audience for festivals like <a href="https://themusicnetwork.com/groovin-the-moo-on-track-to-sell-out/">Groovin’ the Moo</a>. The majority of under-35s say financial pressure is limiting their <a href="https://creative.gov.au/advocacy-and-research/audience-outlook-monitor/">attendance at arts events</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-festivals-no-schoolies-young-people-are-missing-out-on-vital-rites-of-passage-during-covid-145097">No festivals, no schoolies: young people are missing out on vital rites of passage during COVID</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>4. The consolidation of taste</strong></p>
<p>While “variety” festivals such as Groovin’ the Moo and Falls Festival – which feature diverse, multi-genre lineups – are struggling, genre-specific festivals and major artist tours continue to perform well. </p>
<p>These include metal and hard rock festivals such as Good Things Festival and Knotfest, and major recent tours by Queens of the Stone Age, Pink, Blink-182 and, of course, Taylor Swift. The media industry and the music industry specifically are experiencing the effects of an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/dec/28/overload-ambush-and-isolation-the-decade-that-warped-popular-culture-simon-reynolds">increasing siloing and consolidation of taste within specific niches</a>, exacerbated by the digitisation of media via highly curated streaming platforms. </p>
<p>Perhaps “variety” music festivals are heading the same way as <a href="https://themusic.com.au/features/the-ultimate-gig-reflecting-on-big-day-out-10-years-after-the-last-iteration-of-the-festival/xLR61tnY29o/02-02-24">the Big Day Out</a>. The struggles of festivals historically backed by Triple J (such as Groovin’ the Moo and Falls) may reveal the national youth broadcaster’s loosening grip on relevance and its inability to appeal to a broad audience in an increasingly hyper-curated media environment. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/i-almost-feel-like-stuck-in-a-rut-how-streaming-services-changed-the-way-we-listen-to-music-219967">'I almost feel like stuck in a rut’: how streaming services changed the way we listen to music</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Is this anything new?</h2>
<p>The factors influencing the success of a given festival are complex, as illustrated by the case of Groovin’ the Moo. The Newcastle date <a href="https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/8512368/groovin-the-moo-2024-newcastles-first-tickets-sell-out/">sold out in less than an hour</a>, with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C2_XsVoLQ04/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">reports</a> of strong early sales for the Sunshine Coast edition, yet the overall tour was deemed unable to proceed. </p>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cjas.1659">Uncertainty is inherent in the music business</a>, where an oversupply of product meets a market driven by the vagaries of taste. </p>
<p>Festival programmers must “<a href="https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/culture/music/2024/01/31/how-are-australian-music-festivals-choosing-their-headliners">forecast</a>” what will draw a crowd, booking performers up to a year in advance. However, mega-crises, such as the pandemic, climate change and financial shocks, create deeper uncertainties that fundamentally challenge business as usual. </p>
<p>Uncertainty poses a profound threat to live music in particular, which depends on advance planning and investment, with its returns and benefits hinging on the controlled realisation of future events. </p>
<p>Too much uncertainty also stifles innovation and diversity, as the large <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/the-overseas-giants-swallowing-australia-s-live-music-industry-20221026-p5bt01.html">multinationals</a> that dominate the music industry are better able to withstand its effects.</p>
<p>Music festivals are a leading site of Australia’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/creative-country-98-of-australians-engage-with-the-arts-80145">engagement</a> with the arts, with significant <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315596778/music-festivals-regional-development-australia-chris-gibson-john-connell">social and economic benefits</a>. They have also become a focal point for a range of societal challenges, from economic to environmental crises. Sustaining a vibrant, diverse and accessible festival sector will require these challenges to be confronted. </p>
<p>The age of deep uncertainty isn’t going away. For Australia’s diverse festival landscape to survive we need to find new ways – such as financial buffers, government-backed insurance schemes, big ticket levies, tariffs on major international tours, and climate action and mitigation – to ride and survive this uncertainty.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223559/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sam Whiting receives funding from Creative Australia and the Australasian Performing Right Association.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Green receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australasian Performing Right Association.</span></em></p>Groovin’ the Moo is the latest in a long line of Australian music festivals to be cancelled. It is the new normal in our age of ‘deep uncertainty’.Sam Whiting, Lecturer - Creative Industries, University of South AustraliaBen Green, Research Fellow, Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2231872024-02-14T19:22:41Z2024-02-14T19:22:41ZWhy banning gym selfies could do us all a lot of good<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575213/original/file-20240213-24-834u6i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=51%2C60%2C5699%2C3768&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Taking selfies to document daily life is now a completely <a href="https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1138&context=ttra">normalised activity</a> across all <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00007/full">ages and demographics</a>. </p>
<p>At the same time, however, selfies are often <a href="https://theconversation.com/trampling-plants-damaging-rock-art-risking-your-life-taking-selfies-in-nature-has-a-cost-211901">maligned</a> – particularly in specific contexts such as at places of worship, sacred sites, or when animals are <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/tourist-fined-instagram-post-iconic-aussie-spot-hard-to-believe-040243447.html">made unwitting participants</a>. </p>
<p>It’s easy to see why taking selfies could be considered inappropriate in such cases. But there’s been much debate about their acceptability in a more casual and frequented arena: the gym.</p>
<p>Lately, gyms the world over have been pushing back against selfies and influencer-culture taking over their spaces, <a href="https://sg.news.yahoo.com/gyms-crack-down-people-filming-103812638.html">citing</a> a risk of injury to patrons, among other concerns.</p>
<p>When considered alongside a rise in toxic influencer culture and widespread body-image insecurity, it could be argued banning gym selfies is a positive step. </p>
<h2>Self-obsession in the digital age</h2>
<p>People’s obsession with their own image is ancient. One of the most famous Greek myths is that of <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-was-narcissus-216353">Narcissus</a>, who gave us the word “narcissist”. </p>
<p>This is the tale of a young man captivated by his own image. Like many Greek myths, the story was meant to serve as a lesson for immoral behaviour. </p>
<p>Yet research shows narcissism is not only <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5783345/">very prevalent</a> in the modern age, in many cases it’s lucratively rewarded. This explains the rise of social media <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0144929X.2016.1201693">influencing</a>.</p>
<p>The potential rewards of “influencer-level” fame push many people to take risks for social media content. This can sometimes lead to injury <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/you-don-t-need-to-jump-off-that-big-rock-the-drive-for-a-perfect-selfie-is-luring-people-to-their-death-20231206-p5epob.html">or even death</a>, to the point that it’s now considered a <a href="https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e47202/PDF">public health problem</a>.</p>
<p>Various <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/05/geisha-selfies-banned-in-kyoto-as-foreign-tourism-boom-takes-toll">travel destinations</a> are banning <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccahughes/2023/04/20/famed-italian-coastal-town-imposes-selfie-ban-with-300-fine/?sh=5c3ec4934b40">tourists from taking selfies</a> in popular spots to reduce issues of safety and overcrowding. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/dangerous-selfies-arent-just-foolish-we-need-to-treat-them-like-the-public-health-hazard-they-really-are-200645">Dangerous selfies aren't just foolish. We need to treat them like the public health hazard they really are</a>
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<h2>Gyms push back against selfies</h2>
<p><a href="https://journals-sagepub-com.wwwproxy1.library.unsw.edu.au/doi/full/10.1177/1461444819891699">Gym selfies</a> can be tied particularly closely to influencer culture. They have a long history on Instagram, the platform that gave birth to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/01634437231155576">fitness influencers</a>. Influencers posting gym selfies will typically gain a lot of views and likes, and in some cases may attract mass followings. </p>
<p>A popular gym chain in Melbourne recently complained of influencers engaging in “<a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fitness/dohertys-gym-bans-tripods-in-move-targeting-influencers/news-story/2d98028d2f2dc1196584dba59893c7a1">entitled and selfish behaviour</a>” that “should not be tolerated”. Much of this has stemmed from these patrons seemingly concentrating more on generating social media content than their <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/popular-gym-franchise-bans-fitness-influencers-from-filming-in-gym-20240203-p5f24q.html">actual performance in the gym</a>. </p>
<p>This <a href="https://dohertysgym.com/">particular gym</a> is now giving members the option to buy a “media pass” if they wish to take photos while working out. The rules primarily target influencers who film their workouts, rather than regular gym-goers who exercise for themselves.</p>
<p>Other chains around the world have also banned <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/nov/04/not-cool-uk-gyms-ban-camera-kit-in-crackdown-on-selfies-and-videos">the use of tripods</a>, which could be considered a tripping hazard. Some have prohibited taking <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gyms-cracking-down-people-filming-workouts-amid-privacy-concerns-uk-2023-11">photos or videos</a> on gym premises altogether.</p>
<p>These establishments often cite safety and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2015/05/23/gym-selfies/27790675/">privacy concerns</a>. For instance, we’ve seen several examples of <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/dani-mathers-snapchat-bodyshamed-playboy-playmate-victim-speaks-out-spared-jail-a7783786.html">regular gym-goers</a>, often filmed without their consent, fall on the receiving end of abuse or <a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fitness/exercise/woman-films-man-staring-at-her-like-a-piece-of-meat-at-the-gym/news-story/ddd4d1f7a22fc3f9f18471c88d2eb952">public shaming</a> when they’ve ended up in gym selfies or videos posted online.</p>
<p>Research shows gym selfies can also influence people’s <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10410236.2018.1428404">motivations for exercising</a>. Study participants reported becoming more conscious of their own bodies when they saw gym selfies online. </p>
<h2>Self-care in the social media age</h2>
<p>Banning selfies and influencer behaviour at gyms marks a shift away from the previous encouragement of self-promotional and <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-12148-7_1">performative behaviour</a> that many gyms became <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-07-17/inside-the-world-of-l-a-s-gym-fluencer-ecosystem">famous for on Instagram</a>. It suggests people are beginning to acknowledge the detrimental aspects of such anti-social exhibitionism.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="TiktokEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.tiktok.com/@chrisxtavita/video/7306346193855057153?q=fitness%20influencer\u0026t=1707796045527"}"></div></p>
<p>In today’s world, the line between personal and performative action is becoming increasingly blurred. And social media are a potent driver of the latter. In a sense, social media’s pervasive presence in our lives has turned <a href="https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/801555">many of us into marketers</a> who live our lives out for public consumption. </p>
<p>Online, many of us face near-constant comparisons with others. This promotes an obsession with self-image and pushes us to reach <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22489">social media-worthy levels</a> of muscularity or leanness.</p>
<p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/her/article-abstract/37/3/167/6583538?login=false">Research shows</a> adolescents in particular can have negative mental health outcomes as a result of self-image comparisons on social media.</p>
<p>These comparisons have led to a culture that promotes (often risky) body <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ap.12451">modification</a> and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jcop.22489">enhancement behaviours</a>, including <a href="https://journals-sagepub-com.wwwproxy1.library.unsw.edu.au/doi/full/10.1177/1403494820973096">steroid use</a> and exercise addiction. </p>
<p>Cosmetic procedures such as botox, fillers and <a href="https://journals.lww.com/plasreconsurg/abstract/2006/12000/body_dysmorphic_disorder_and_cosmetic_surgery.43.aspx">reconstruction surgery</a> have also boomed in popularity. An even darker side reveals an increase in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019074092032082X">eating disorders and body dysmorphia</a>, particularly among young women and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/health/adolescents-boys-eating-disorders.html">adolescent boys</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="TiktokEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.tiktok.com/@tinyfitjen/video/7284051587159411974?q=fitness%20gym%20selfie\u0026t=1707796566556"}"></div></p>
<h2>Exercising for ourselves</h2>
<p>We’re seeing a growing number of fitness influencers leverage their online <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1357034X95001001005">social capital</a> to monetise their bodies. At the same time, these individuals wield significant power <a href="https://journals-sagepub-com.wwwproxy1.library.unsw.edu.au/doi/full/10.1177/1461444818815684">within communities</a> (both online and offline) and have an opportunity to shape norms around fitness and body image. </p>
<p>Recently, a very popular <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.103979">bodybuilding influencer</a> called the Liver King – who had claimed to be “natural” – was found to be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_Vd7i4ZpgA">taking steroids</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2IQGMjLAfC/?igsh=MW41OWdwamg1cXRueg==","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>This scandal underscores the need for strategies to reduce harm, and increase public health messaging within digital fitness culture. Banning selfies and harmful influencer antics in the gym might be a start.</p>
<p>It’s not just about preventing accidents such as trips and falls; it could have the added benefit of making influencers rethink their behaviours, tone down self-promotion and reinvigorate a <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/MHSI-08-2020-0051/full/html">sense of camaraderie among gym-goers</a>. </p>
<p>It might just be the beginning of people exercising for themselves and nobody else.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223187/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samuel Cornell receives funding from Meta Platforms, Inc. His research is also supported by a UNSW University Postgraduate Award funded by the Australian Government.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Timothy Piatkowski is a Lecturer and Researcher at Griffith University. He is also affiliated with Queensland Injectors Voice for Advocacy and Action. </span></em></p>Taking selfies is a normal part of daily life for millions of social media users. But doing so while exercising at the gym can be harmful.Samuel Cornell, PhD Candidate - Social Media and Communication, School of Population Health, UNSW SydneyTimothy Piatkowski, Lecturer in Psychology, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2232322024-02-14T19:21:22Z2024-02-14T19:21:22ZSoft plastic recycling is back after the REDcycle collapse – but only in 12 supermarkets. Will it work this time?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575297/original/file-20240213-28-kni29l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=33%2C20%2C4459%2C2923&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/colorful-used-plastic-bags-backlit-pattern-1618595941">Mykolastock, Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After the memorable <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/fire-signalled-fatal-end-to-coles-and-woolies-plastic-recycling-program-20221109-p5bwqb.html">collapse of Australia’s largest soft plastic recycling program REDcycle</a> in late 2022, a new scheme is emerging. It’s remarkably similar, albeit on a much smaller scale. </p>
<p>The trial underway in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/09/woolworths-coles-and-aldi-to-roll-out-soft-plastics-collection-bins-in-12-melbourne-stores">12 Melbourne supermarkets</a> intends, once again, to provide customers with an in-store option for recycling “scrunchable” food packaging.</p>
<p>It’s estimated Australia uses <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/waste/publications/national-plastics-plan-summary">more than 70 billion pieces</a> of soft plastic a year. Most of it still ends up in landfill or blows into streets and waterways, <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.1700782">polluting our rivers and oceans</a>. So 12 stores won’t cut it in the long term. </p>
<p>But starting small is a good idea. REDcycle collapsed under its own weight, stockpiling recyclable material with nowhere to go. The new scheme will feed new, purpose-built waste processing facilities so it has much better prospects. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1756796379425583467"}"></div></p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/redcycles-collapse-is-more-proof-that-plastic-recycling-is-a-broken-system-194528">REDcycle's collapse is more proof that plastic recycling is a broken system</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What do we know about the new scheme?</h2>
<p>Australia’s <a href="https://www.woolworthsgroup.com.au/content/dam/wwg/sustainability/documents/Taskforce%20Roadmap%20-%20Final%20v2.docx.pdf">Soft Plastics Taskforce</a> is behind the new trial. The taskforce is a coalition of the three major supermarkets: Woolworths, Coles and Aldi. It was established in the wake of REDcycle’s demise and is chaired by the federal government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.</p>
<p>The taskforce assumed responsibility for roughly 11,000 tonnes of soft plastic, formerly managed by REDcycle, across 44 locations <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-30/redcycle-soft-plastics-recycling-update/103135156">across Australia</a>. </p>
<p>Addressing the lack of soft plastics recycling infrastructure in Australia is a top priority. This is the main reason REDcycle was unable to process the mountains of soft plastics it had stored around the country.</p>
<p>Much like the original REDcycle scheme, the new small-scale trial in Victoria has identified <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/09/woolworths-coles-and-aldi-to-roll-out-soft-plastics-collection-bins-in-12-melbourne-stores">several potential end markets</a> for used soft plastic. <a href="https://www.woolworthsgroup.com.au/content/dam/wwg/sustainability/documents/Taskforce%20Roadmap%20-%20Final%20v2.docx.pdf">After treatment</a>, it could become an additive for asphalt roads, a replacement for aggregate in concrete, or a material for making shopping trolleys and baskets. </p>
<p>To be a successful and lasting solution, the scheme must be cost-effective and suitably located, with established markets for the recycled products.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1753224367754883434"}"></div></p>
<h2>Why are soft plastics so difficult to recycle?</h2>
<p>Recycling soft plastic packaging is <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsapm.1c00648?casa_token=euz2ItVOSfgAAAAA%3Ax6rHJAiZUkLUPQZTDJFLG1gnJ1R-41qVXxnl6jXg9_QdcaQ9GDBI5OzLtRyGCz5LMF4kZQ4KFYSfyA">particularly challenging</a>, for several reasons. </p>
<p>Plastic packaging is typically made from the petrochemicals <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718307307">polyethylene or polypropylene</a>, and often contains a mix of materials, including various types of plastics and additives for flexibility and durability. This blend of materials makes it difficult to separate and recycle effectively. </p>
<p>To make matters worse, soft plastics readily absorb residues from food, grease and other substances. This causes contamination, <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/Articles/2022/November/soft-plastics-recycling">reducing the quality of the recycled material</a>. </p>
<p>There’s also less demand for recycled soft plastics, compared to other plastics. Many manufacturers prefer using brand new or “virgin” plastics or recycled rigid plastics instead, such as <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42824-020-00014-y">recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET)</a>, leaving limited avenues for recycled soft plastics to find new uses. </p>
<p>Soft plastics can get tangled or stuck in machinery at recycling or waste-processing facilities, causing <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/marc.202000415">inefficiencies and disruptions in the process</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/3-little-known-reasons-why-plastic-recycling-could-actually-make-things-worse-206060">3 little-known reasons why plastic recycling could actually make things worse</a>
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<h2>Finding local solutions</h2>
<p>We need to make it economically viable to recycle low-value plastics such as soft plastic packaging. Placing recycling facilities closer to communities and transport can save money and reduce emissions. So local, decentralised, small-scale recycling or reprocessing infrastructure is the way to go. </p>
<p>Fit-for-purpose facilities can develop the specialised processing and manufacturing techniques needed to handle soft plastics. This takes care of the contamination problem and creates new options for developing recycled products. </p>
<p>Local recycling initiatives also foster community engagement and awareness. We need to encourage individuals to participate actively in recycling efforts, and foster local businesses focused on resource recovery. To this end, we are currently exploring innovative enterprise-based recycling solutions in remote First Nations communities in Queensland.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1752271435668615358"}"></div></p>
<h2>The high cost of cheap packaging</h2>
<p>Soft plastics are lightweight, flexible and inexpensive to produce. This has made them popular choices for packaging. But this ignores the problems of disposal, including harm to nature and people. There <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/the-new-plastics-economy-rethinking-the-future-of-plastics">has to be a better way</a>. </p>
<p>Recycling soft plastic packaging does face numerous obstacles. These stem from complex composition, contamination risks, sorting and processing challenges, scarce recycling infrastructure and limited demand for the end product. </p>
<p>Tackling these challenges requires collaborative efforts from industry players, policymakers, consumers and researchers. We need to develop innovative local solutions and reduce consumption of single-use plastic. </p>
<p>Holding producers accountable for the end-of-life management of their products is paramount. In the meantime, local, decentralised recycling infrastructure offers a promising solution to improve the efficiency and sustainability of soft plastic recycling, while empowering communities to contribute to a circular economy.</p>
<p>The trial in Victoria raises hopes of a working solution for post-consumer soft plastic. This time they are starting on a small scale. That should make it easier to manage the volume of material available for recycling and avoid secret stockpiles. Ultimately this approach could see “micro-factories” cropping up across the country, turning what was once waste into viable, useful products. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-a-global-treaty-to-solve-plastic-pollution-acid-rain-and-ozone-depletion-show-us-why-207622">We need a global treaty to solve plastic pollution – acid rain and ozone depletion show us why</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223232/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anya Phelan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Australia’s Soft Plastics Taskforce has been under pressure to fill the vacuum left by the demise of REDcycle. But this time the small trial announced for Melbourne has the potential to succeed.Anya Phelan, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2233232024-02-14T00:53:07Z2024-02-14T00:53:07ZDoxing or in the public interest? Free speech, ‘cancelling’ and the ethics of the Jewish creatives’ WhatsApp group leak<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575250/original/file-20240213-20-7r8ddf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=69%2C23%2C5106%2C3414&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nap1/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The recent release of a leaked transcript of a private WhatsApp group for Jewish writers, artists, musicians and academics has stirred a controversy that has led to <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/hundreds-of-jewish-creatives-have-names-details-taken-in-leak-published-online-20240208-p5f3if.html">threats of violence</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/09/josh-burns-jewish-whatsapp-group-channel-publication-israel-palestine-clementine-ford#:%7E:text=The%20publishing%20of%20a%20Jewish,MP%20Josh%20Burns%20has%20said">a family in hiding</a>, and the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-13/federal-government-to-criminalise-doxxing/103458052">fast-tracking</a> of new federal legislation to criminalise doxing. </p>
<p>The WhatsApp group in question, administered by writer Lee Kofman, was formed to give Jewish creative people a private and supportive space to connect, in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s war in Gaza. Not all members knew they had been added to the group at first, and many didn’t participate in the conversations that resulted in the leak.</p>
<p>Last week, a transcript from the group chat was leaked and uploaded onto social media by pro-Palestinians, including the writer Clementine Ford. <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/hundreds-of-jewish-creatives-have-names-details-taken-in-leak-published-online-20240208-p5f3if.html">The leak included</a> a spreadsheet with links to social media accounts and “a separate file with a photo gallery of more than 100 Jewish people”.</p>
<p>This week, a joint statement from “First Nations, Palestinian, Lebanese and anti-Zionist Jewish activist collectives, community leaders, artists” and those who said they had been “targeted” by particular chat members <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3MIOyySAfM/?hl=en&img_index=1">argued</a> the WhatsApp transcript</p>
<blockquote>
<p>clearly demonstrates collective actions taken by zionists to contact employers, funding bodies, publishers and journalists to censure anyone deemed to be a threat to the zionist narrative.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The leak gives rise to a complex tangle of contemporary ethical issues, including concerns with privacy, doxing, free speech and “cancelling”.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575254/original/file-20240213-18-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575254/original/file-20240213-18-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575254/original/file-20240213-18-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575254/original/file-20240213-18-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575254/original/file-20240213-18-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575254/original/file-20240213-18-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575254/original/file-20240213-18-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575254/original/file-20240213-18-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Writer and feminist Clementine Ford was targeted by some group members for her pro-Palestinian views.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Allen & Unwin</span></span>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/israel-hamas-war-what-is-zionism-a-history-of-the-political-movement-that-created-israel-as-we-know-it-217788">Israel-Hamas war: What is Zionism? A history of the political movement that created Israel as we know it</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Privacy and public interest</h2>
<p>The WhatsApp group was a private one, where group members would have had a reasonable expectation their conversation would not be made public.</p>
<p>Everyone needs a <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/this-isn-t-advocacy-social-posts-on-distant-conflict-tear-at-close-community-20240208-p5f3h6.html">place</a> to let off steam, to make conjectures and speculations, and to speak in an unguarded way among trusted people. <a href="https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights">Violating people’s privacy</a> (especially through leaking information onto the forever-searchable internet) is always a moral cost. </p>
<p>But sometimes that cost must be paid, particularly if the exposure is in the public interest. Whistleblowers, for example, often justifiably release confidential information.</p>
<p>It could be argued that revealing the WhatsApp group’s activities <em>was</em> in the public interest. Pro-Palestinian writers and editors worried they were being targeted for their public statements in a way that imperilled their livelihoods, or were concerned about a similar risk to others. There is evidence this threat was real.</p>
<p>One of the <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/hundreds-of-jewish-creatives-have-names-details-taken-in-leak-published-online-20240208-p5f3if.html">targeted</a> pro-Palestinian figures was the broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf, who was fired, and has filed an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/dec/22/antoinette-lattouf-files-unlawful-termination-claim-over-losing-abc-radio-role-after-israel-gaza-social-media-posts">unlawful termination claim</a> against the ABC. </p>
<p>There was also <a href="https://independentaustralia.net/business/business-display/pro-palestinian-supporters-under-attack-in-australia,18296">a collective effort to target</a> vocally <a href="https://overland.org.au/2023/11/to-let-suffering-speak-a-response-to-our-critics/">pro-Palestinian</a> literary journal Overland, and its co-editors Jonathan Dunk and <a href="https://twitter.com/evelynaraluen/status/1753977179346776211">Evelyn Araluen</a>. Some within the Whatsapp group called for complaints to be made to Deakin University, where Araluen and Dunk are employed as academics, and also to Creative Victoria, which funds Overland.</p>
<p>And <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/09/josh-burns-jewish-whatsapp-group-channel-publication-israel-palestine-clementine-ford">the Guardian reported</a> that others in the group encouraged members to contact the publisher of Ford, a vocal pro-Palestinian, and target others in the media, over their coverage of Israel and Palestine.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-what-else-should-i-lose-to-survive-the-young-writers-living-and-dying-in-gaza-219806">Friday essay: 'what else should I lose to survive?' The young writers living – and dying – in Gaza</a>
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<h2>The ethics of doxing</h2>
<p>“<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-doxing-and-how-can-you-protect-yourself-223428">Doxing</a>” refers to the public release (usually onto the internet) of identifiable information about a person. It is usually done without the person’s consent, and aims to expose or punish them in some way. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3MIOyySAfM/?hl=en&img_index=1">statement</a> from those behind the release asserted no links had been made to members’ addresses, phone numbers or emails, which were all deliberately redacted. This is important. </p>
<p>“<a href="https://doi.org/https:/doi.org/10.1007/s10676-016-9406-0.">Targeted doxing</a>” – where information on a person’s physical location or address is released – is particularly sinister. However, the release of people’s identities is still <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-016-9406-0">a form of doxing</a> and a serious moral concern. Evidence of the group’s activities that were in the public interest could arguably have been provided without naming names. The public gained little from knowing exactly who was in the almost 600-strong group. </p>
<p>Worse still, only some in the group were active in the actions against pro-Palestinians that prompted the leak, but this made no difference to whose identities were shared. This creates additional ethical concerns, with the risk innocent parties are being inappropriately punished or harassed for the actions committed by other group members. </p>
<p>Identifying individuals came at a real cost. Predictably, some parties <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/this-isn-t-advocacy-social-posts-on-distant-conflict-tear-at-close-community-20240208-p5f3h6.html">did attach</a> information about names, occupations, social media profiles, and even pictures to the leaked transcript. </p>
<p>Tragically, threats of violence were later made, even to people’s <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/this-isn-t-advocacy-social-posts-on-distant-conflict-tear-at-close-community-20240208-p5f3h6.html">children</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-doxing-and-how-can-you-protect-yourself-223428">What is doxing, and how can you protect yourself?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What was the WhatsApp group doing?</h2>
<p>The WhatsApp group conversations were wide-ranging, and some members made <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/this-isn-t-advocacy-social-posts-on-distant-conflict-tear-at-close-community-20240208-p5f3h6.html">statements</a> many might find offensive or upsetting.</p>
<p>One part of the group’s activities involved organised <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/09/josh-burns-jewish-whatsapp-group-channel-publication-israel-palestine-clementine-ford#:%7E:text=The%20publishing%20of%20a%20Jewish,MP%20Josh%20Burns%20has%20said">letter-writing</a>, including to the employers or publishers of writers or journalists they felt crossed the line into anti-Semitism.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575246/original/file-20240213-24-wlrtzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575246/original/file-20240213-24-wlrtzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575246/original/file-20240213-24-wlrtzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575246/original/file-20240213-24-wlrtzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575246/original/file-20240213-24-wlrtzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575246/original/file-20240213-24-wlrtzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575246/original/file-20240213-24-wlrtzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575246/original/file-20240213-24-wlrtzf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One aspect of the WhatsApp group’s activities was letter-writing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">BigTunaOnline/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On its face, such communications are clearly legitimate, and a part of democratic life. Letters can be used to raise awareness of ethical concerns, to share information and ideas, and to persuade.</p>
<p>But letters can also do other things, and an innocuous practice can sometimes gradually progress into more fraught territory. Rather than persuading, letters can pressure others, perhaps threatening their organisations with public shaming. They can also try to get people to act in ways that are morally concerning — such as having someone sacked for their political views.</p>
<p>One member <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/this-isn-t-advocacy-social-posts-on-distant-conflict-tear-at-close-community-20240208-p5f3h6.html">had offered in the group chat</a> to “do a deep dive” into the social media posts of Nadine Chemali, a freelance writer and occasional SBS contributor who describes herself as avidly pro-Jew but anti-Israel, to see if there was anything there that might breach her contract with SBS. (This deep dive wasn’t done.)</p>
<p>While certainly legal, such practices are ethically concerning because they deliberately and systematically create workplace challenges for individuals and organisations that put forward controversial views.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/10-books-to-help-you-understand-israel-and-palestine-recommended-by-experts-217783">10 books to help you understand Israel and Palestine, recommended by experts</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Should artists be protected?</h2>
<p>Before the story broke in the media, but after extracts from the group chat began circulating on social media, the Australian Society of Authors Board published a <a href="https://www.asauthors.org.au/news/asa-board-letter-to-members/">letter</a> noting its “growing concern” that artists and authors in Australia were facing repercussions for expressing their political positions publicly or in their work. </p>
<p>The society stated its commitment to freedom of speech (within the limits set by law) and its opposition to attempts to silence or intimidate authors.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575247/original/file-20240213-28-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575247/original/file-20240213-28-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575247/original/file-20240213-28-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575247/original/file-20240213-28-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575247/original/file-20240213-28-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575247/original/file-20240213-28-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575247/original/file-20240213-28-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575247/original/file-20240213-28-jhf7np.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&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">The Australian Society of Authors stated its commitment to free speech.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/red-pen-taped-x-on-wooden-2274678701">Pla2na/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>We might try to frame the underlying moral principle at work as a principle of political tolerance. People should not suffer workplace repercussions, discrimination or be pushed out of their livelihood on the basis of their political views (and still less on the basis of their religion or race).</p>
<p>Simple, right? Not quite.</p>
<p>The society also opposed attempts to intimidate or silence people through hate speech, explicitly noting antisemitism, and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab rhetoric. </p>
<p>This hints at a different, also relevant, moral principle – preventing harm. Hate speech, racism and bigotry, and harmful disinformation or stereotyping, should be stopped, and speakers should face the consequences of their wrongdoing.</p>
<p>There are cases where these principles of tolerance and harm-prevention can be sensibly aligned. For example, many people would agree that no one should be pushed out of their job because they support a mainstream political party — but that people should face social and professional repercussions if they hurl around racist slurs. </p>
<p>However, it’s tempting to interpret harm prevention beyond this bare minimum. After all, surely it’s a good thing to prevent the spread of misinformation, harmful stereotypes and hateful speech — and to stand up against wrongdoing more generally. </p>
<p>This is where the two principles begin to directly conflict. What we perceive as dangerous misinformation or harmful speech (like antisemitism or Islamophobia) will inevitably be coloured by our cultural, political and moral worldviews. </p>
<p>In other words, many will agree in principle that we should tolerate those who think differently. But it is precisely those who think differently who will disagree with us about what counts as harmful or wrongful speech.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-rai-gaita-and-the-moral-power-of-conversation-217670">Friday essay: Rai Gaita and the moral power of conversation</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Ethical worries</h2>
<p>Punishing, undermining and silencing others on the basis of our political beliefs gives rise to two potential ethical worries (both arise with respect to the modern phenomenon of “<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-cancel-culture-silencing-open-debate-there-are-risks-to-shutting-down-opinions-we-disagree-with-142377">cancel culture</a>”).</p>
<p>The first is <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/this-isn-t-advocacy-social-posts-on-distant-conflict-tear-at-close-community-20240208-p5f3h6.html">hypocrisy</a>. Each side declares: “<em>We</em> are a support group nobly taking a stand against harmful bigotry and hate. <em>You</em> are a lynch mob maliciously plotting to silence others, dox them, and destroy their careers.”</p>
<p>If we think it’s okay for people like us to get others sacked for speech we find shocking and awful, we have to accept that it’s okay for <em>others</em> to get us (and those who think like us) sacked for speech they find shocking and awful. </p>
<p>But few are willing to accept that. This seems a <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24220050">clear failure</a> of moral consistency.</p>
<p>The other problem is tit-for-tat conflict escalation. If you punish me (with public shaming or getting me fired) for saying something you think is harmful, (that I don’t see as harmful), I will inevitably see your act as a wrongful violation of the principle of political tolerance. Now, I have reason to push back against you – to no longer tolerate <em>your</em> speech.</p>
<p>We can see this escalation playing out in this case. One of the initial concerns behind forming the group was the worry about <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/this-isn-t-advocacy-social-posts-on-distant-conflict-tear-at-close-community-20240208-p5f3h6.html">rising intolerance</a> towards Jewish people – including unfairly having their careers jeopardised. </p>
<p>But their letter-writing campaigns made pro-Palestinian creatives fear <em>their</em> careers were unfairly jeopardised.</p>
<p>This could make some of them feel justified in revealing details of members of the WhatsApp group (not just those who participated in these conversations or activities) and sharing the group’s private messages. Tragically, some isolated individuals – not necessarily connected to the pro-Palestinians – felt justified in going further, even to threats of violence. </p>
<p>Ultimately, tolerance is not easy — especially with respect to others with different political and moral worldviews. </p>
<p>But it’s hard to see a viable solution to conflicts like these, other than all sides accepting others must be broadly entitled to speak, write and create in ways that seem right to them – without threats of cancellation, firing, privacy-breaches, or doxing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223323/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hugh Breakey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A private group chat of Jewish creatives was leaked because some were organising against pro-Palestinians. Was it ethical to do so?Hugh Breakey, Deputy Director, Institute for Ethics, Governance & Law. President, Australian Association for Professional & Applied Ethics., Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2221432024-02-12T23:47:06Z2024-02-12T23:47:06ZWhich day of the week gets the most people to vote? We analysed thousands of international elections to find out<p>In the aftermath of elections, one of the issues usually discussed in the media is the amount of people who turned out to vote. This is known as “participation” or “voter turnout”. </p>
<p>Several factors, such as the weather, can affect turnout. For example, the Republican primaries in Iowa on January 15 were held in very cold temperatures (subzero wind chills and a blizzard). Commentators have identified the cold as a factor that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/15/us/politics/iowa-caucus-turnout-cold.html">negatively influenced</a> turnout, as many Republican voters decided to stay at home, even though Iowa is (almost) always cold in January. </p>
<p>The Republican primaries were held not only on a cold day, but on a working Monday. Yes, a Monday. This may not sound all that strange to the US public, who are used to voting on Tuesdays in their general elections, but it could for Australians who are used to voting on Saturdays. Australia is one of only a few countries that vote on Saturdays, along with Cyprus, Malta, Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, Taiwan and New Zealand. </p>
<p>But, does it matter when we vote? Does it affect voter turnout? Do we know if more people vote during the weekend than, say, on a Tuesday? We analysed data from thousands of elections across the globe to find out.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/nigeria-had-93-million-registered-voters-but-only-a-quarter-voted-5-reasons-why-201875">Nigeria had 93 million registered voters, but only a quarter voted: 5 reasons why</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What’s the most popular day to hold an election?</h2>
<p>We looked around the world to see when people vote. We collected turnout data for 3,217 national elections between 1945 and 2020 in 190 countries. We then collated the data and created an <a href="https://gdturnout.com/">original dataset</a> on turnout.</p>
<p>The first thing we can assess is which day of the week most global elections are held.</p>
<p><iframe id="0YM9T" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/0YM9T/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>The graph shows, in general, voting takes place on weekends (more than 60% of elections), with Sunday being the preferred day. The day on which the fewest elections are held is Friday.</p>
<p>We could also examine how many countries choose a given day of the week to hold their elections. The graph below shows that 94 countries chose a Sunday for polling day, while just eight went with a Friday.</p>
<p><iframe id="CXAje" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/CXAje/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Interestingly, this preference for Sunday elections is not evident in countries with a significant Protestant Anglo cultural influence, in which public activities other than going to church tended to be restricted on Sundays. For example, in Australia, everything used to be closed on Sundays: bars, cinemas, shops, and there were no sporting events (the restrictions were gradually lifted from the 1980s). </p>
<p><iframe id="wuEkH" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/wuEkH/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>How does that affect voter turnout?</h2>
<p>So is there any relationship between the day on which you vote and participation? </p>
<p>The studies currently available show varying results. For example, a 2004 <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/voter-turnout-and-the-dynamics-of-electoral-competition-in-established-democracies-since-1945/7171DEFC791953CCF4071B5614764F94">study</a> that considered 29 countries found that when the election was held on a Sunday, participation was higher. However, when the analysis was expanded to 63 countries, the day of the election did not seem to affect participation.</p>
<p><iframe id="56dk5" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/56dk5/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>As the graph above shows, the median voter turnout is around 70% for every day of the week. </p>
<p>For example, the average participation on Sundays was 71.6% while on Fridays it was 70%. </p>
<p>Therefore, it does not appear that the day on which the election is held is related to the level of participation. </p>
<p>This answer is simplified, of course. We are mixing democracies and authoritarian countries, places where there is mandatory voting and places where there is not, presidential and parliamentary systems, and countries that hold elections with either one or two rounds, among many other factors. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/early-and-mail-in-voting-research-shows-they-dont-always-bring-in-new-voters-194972">Early and mail-in voting: Research shows they don't always bring in new voters</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Why does this matter?</h2>
<p>When to vote (and whether to vote or not) is an issue that matters. Participation is unequal and is used strategically, especially in countries where voting is not compulsory. In some countries, wealthier voters tend to show <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/701961">higher participation rates</a> than poorer voters. This is a pattern that has been <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ajps.12134">identified</a> in the United States and Europe but not necessarily in other countries such as India or Indonesia. </p>
<p>Participation is strategically used by political parties promoting (or disincentivising) voting in different ways and to differing extents. There are blatant examples of parties strategically managing voting around the world. In Kenya, polling booths in some areas have <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0010414020938083">more staff than others</a>, skewing how many people are able to cast a vote before closing time. In the US, strict voter ID laws have acted to <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/688343">suppress the votes</a> of some racial and ethnic groups.</p>
<p>Some instances are more insidious. In 2008, Spanish campaign director Elorriaga Pisarik, in referring to undecided socialist voters, <a href="https://cadenaser.com/ser/2008/02/29/espana/1204246224_850215.html">declared</a> “if we can generate enough doubts about the economy, immigration and nationalist issues, maybe they – the socialist voters – will stay at home”. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/most-voters-skipped-in-person-on-election-day-when-offered-a-choice-of-how-and-when-to-vote-192706">Most voters skipped 'in person on Election Day' when offered a choice of how and when to vote</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Participation also has an intrinsic value. Imagine two scenarios: one in which the candidate wins the election with 51% support, in an election that had a 90% turnout. Then imagine another election where the candidate wins by the same margin but in an election with a 30% turnout. Although both victories are valid, we tend to attribute greater legitimacy to the one that has brought more people to the polls. </p>
<p>In a year when more than half the world’s population <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-4-billion-people-are-eligible-to-vote-in-an-election-in-2024-is-this-democracys-biggest-test-220837">will vote</a> in a national election, it’s worth including data in the global discussion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222143/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ferran Martinez i Coma receives funding from Australian Research Council DP190101978. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Diego Leiva does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Voter turnout, or the amount of people that turn up to vote in an election, is key to upholding democratic values. Does it matter on which day a country goes to the polls?Ferran Martinez i Coma, Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Griffith UniversityDiego Leiva, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2229982024-02-12T19:10:39Z2024-02-12T19:10:39Z6 tips to maximise your concert experience, from a live music expert<p>Stadium concert attendance is on the rise in Australia. This month, more than one million people are expected see P!NK and Taylor Swift on their Australian tours, which quickly sold out the country’s biggest stadiums. Both artists <a href="https://celebrity.nine.com.au/latest/pink-announces-new-australian-shows-and-tones-and-i-as-support-act/b7fb5635-5dff-49d7-b178-669d651dceaf">added extra dates</a> to meet demand, following extended runs by Ed Sheeran and Foo Fighters in 2023.</p>
<p>What’s drawing such massive crowds to these events? And how can you maximise your fun (in a safe way) when sharing a space with 100,000 other people?</p>
<h2>What’s behind the concert boom?</h2>
<p>State governments have begun to lift decades-old limits on large stadium concerts. Event caps have gone from six to 12 events <a href="https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/96688">per year at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium</a>, and from four to 20 events <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/media-releases/sydney-lifts-its-cap-on-fun">per year at the Sydney Cricket Ground precinct</a>. The press releases from both of these announcements trumpeted the benefits for tourism and local economies. </p>
<p>Australia’s live music <a href="https://reports.liveperformance.com.au/ticket-survey-2022/index.html#/">attendance and revenue doubled</a> in the decade prior to the COVID pandemic, attracting about half the <a href="https://theconversation.com/creative-country-98-of-australians-engage-with-the-arts-80145">country’s adult population</a>. Large international events contributed significantly to this. </p>
<p>This popularity continues, with ticket prices rising amid a cost-of-living crisis. <a href="https://www.commbank.com.au/articles/newsroom/2023/05/cost-of-living-commbank-iq.html">Consumer research</a> shows people under age 35, and the one-third of Australians who rent their homes, have made the biggest reductions in discretionary spending. But the overall trend is towards saving week-to-week and “splurging” on big events <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/16/cost-of-living-crisis-australia-spending-habits-relief">such as concerts</a>.</p>
<h2>The ‘peak music experience’</h2>
<p>Live music is a space where extraordinary things happen. We can celebrate who we are and what’s important to us, individually and collectively. We can have intense feelings and express them in uncommon ways, exploring different – or “more real” – versions of ourselves. </p>
<p>All of this creates memorable experiences that resonate deeply with us and keep us coming back time and again. I call these “peak music experiences”. <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Peak-Music-Experiences-A-New-Perspective-on-Popular-music-Identity-and/Green/p/book/9780367553852">My research</a> drawing on in-depth interviews with music lovers, media analysis, and participant observation identifies common elements of the peak live music experience. </p>
<p>With that in mind, here are six things to help you get the most out of your next concert.</p>
<p>1. <strong>Company</strong></p>
<p>A crucial factor in any concert experience is whom we share it with. The heightened feeling and expression that live music enables can create powerful moments that sociologists call “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0038038514565835?journalCode=soca">epiphanies</a>”. Epiphanies reveal and encapsulate what specific people mean to each other. </p>
<p>So when tickets go on sale, and you’re considering whom to call, remember your choice can elevate your concert experience – and your relationship with that person or group.</p>
<p>2. <strong>Venue</strong> </p>
<p>Music is inseparable from its setting. In live music, this is a feature. Concert halls and dive bars are perfect settings for certain types of experience. But if you’re seeing one of the world’s biggest acts, where better to do so than a giant cauldron of humanity under the stars? </p>
<p>Stadiums have drawbacks, mostly related to their sheer scale and associated logistics. But the journey, the waiting, the challenges, and especially the fellow travellers, often contribute to the unpredictable magic of live music. So plan ahead and leave plenty of time, but also enjoy the whole ride! </p>
<p>3. <strong>Sound</strong> </p>
<p>Live music doesn’t just sound different than music in your loungeroom; it <em>feels</em> different. High volume, as much as the mass movement of bodies, makes live music a physical experience. <a href="https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/04/the-best-place-to-stand-at-a-concert-according-to-a-sound-engineer/">Experts suggest</a> the best sonics are in front of the mixing desk, off-centre and not too close to the stage – but this must be balanced with the view! It’s a good idea to pack ear plugs in case your <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5187664/">ears need a rest</a>.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Presence</strong></p>
<p>A good live show requires the performer to be present, not just physically but also emotionally. This is where we judge their authenticity or “realness”. This isn’t an objective quality, but a reflection of our personal tastes and values. Do you prefer flawless virtuosity or relatable vulnerability? </p>
<p>Such notions are deeply ingrained in us. So when choosing a concert, consider how it might confirm or challenge your ideals. Both can be good! And don’t forget to <a href="https://time.com/6282468/taylor-swift-concert-memory/">be present yourself</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574817/original/file-20240212-18-j6wpk1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&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">A good performer ensures they have strong presence throughout their show.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>5. <strong>Fandom</strong> </p>
<p>Concerts aren’t just about enjoying and judging the performer(s); they’re also about us. The costly pilgrimage and elaborate ritual to celebrate <em>this very specific thing you love</em>, surrounded by people who love it too, helps join the dots of our fragmented lives. </p>
<p>Just getting to see a favourite artist or song is the source of many people’s peak music experiences. The moral: if it’s an act you really love, always go if you can.</p>
<p>6. <strong>Collective feeling</strong></p>
<p>Have you noticed the moment when a roaring crowd becomes aware of itself and roars a bit louder? Live music is about more than just the artist, their performance, or even us. It’s also about other people. <br></p>
<p>Music synchronises not only our actions but our subjective experience. We <em>feel together</em>, whether in rapt silence or wild abandon. We become a part of something greater – especially at massive concerts with crowds in the tens of thousands. So my tip: join in.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="TiktokEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.tiktok.com/@coldplayaccess/video/7260241090488421638?is_from_webapp=1\u0026sender_device=pc\u0026web_id=7247360749801375234"}"></div></p>
<h2>Safety and sustainability</h2>
<p>Finally, don’t forget to keep safe. Australia’s love of outdoor events exposes us to extremes, which are a <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-transforming-australias-cultural-life-so-why-isnt-it-mentioned-in-the-new-national-cultural-policy-198881">growing reality</a>. Taylor Swift’s recent Brazilian concerts coincided <a href="https://theconversation.com/taylor-swifts-brazil-concert-was-hammered-by-extreme-heat-how-to-protect-crowds-at-the-next-sweltering-gig-218341">with a heat wave</a> with tragic consequences, highlighting the responsibility of event organisers. </p>
<p>You can manage risks by making plans in advance, knowing your limits, and considering important information such as the availability of water, food, safe spaces and venue exits. Event organisers should provide this information. </p>
<p>The music industry and governments are also beginning to address issues of <a href="https://theconversation.com/60-of-women-and-non-binary-punters-and-artists-feel-unsafe-in-melbournes-music-spaces-205399">sexual harassment</a>, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/theconversationhour/the-conversation-hour/102042402">accessibility</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/pill-testing-really-does-reduce-the-risk-of-harm-for-drug-users-181778">drug safety</a> and diverse representation, with a view to making the live music experience available and equitable for all. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/throwing-things-on-stage-is-bad-concert-etiquette-but-its-also-not-a-new-trend-210717">Throwing things on stage is bad concert etiquette – but it's also not a new trend</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222998/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Green receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australasian Performing Right Association.</span></em></p>With ticket prices rising alongside demand, live concerts can be a major investment.Ben Green, Research fellow, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.