Menu Close
The Conversation

Macquarie University

Macquarie University is ranked among the top one per cent of universities in the world and enjoys an enviable reputation for research excellence. It’s recognised for the way it uniquely fosters collaboration between students, academics, industry and society – producing graduates who aren’t just highly skilled, but multifaceted global citizens who are among the most sought-after professionals in the world.

Links

Displaying 1281 - 1300 of 1419 articles
Ford has been one of Australia’s iconic brands for decades. But the announcement of the company’s planned departure should surprise noone. Michael Own creativecommons.org via Wikimedia Commons.

Ford’s exit foreshadows a looming reality check for Australian manufacturing

Paul Gollan, Macquarie University

Today’s announcement by Ford Australia President Bob Graziano that the car company will exit Australian manufacturing by 2016 is not a surprise for anyone who has been paying attention to the fortunes…
Ford Australia has announced it will pull its car production out of Australia by 2016, with the loss of 1200 manufacturing jobs.

Ford to pull out of car production in Australia: expert reaction

Gillian Terzis, The Conversation

The future of Australia’s auto manufacturing industry is under a heavy cloud after Ford’s announcement that it would cease its manufacturing operations in Australia by 2016. Ford Australia president Bob…
What do you see here: a tasty snack or a smiling face? jillmotts

Holy grilled cheese sandwich! What is pareidolia?

Kevin Brooks, Macquarie University

How much would you pay for a grilled cheese sandwich? $6? Maybe $7, if it was deliciously fresh and you were really hungry? In 2004, Diane Duyser from Florida, USA sold a ten-year-old grilled cheese sandwich…
Completely immersive virtual reality is still a little way off - unless you have room to move. Trypode

Rats! Why virtual reality doesn’t feel ‘real’

Ken Cheng, Macquarie University

Have you ever noticed that even detailed, sophisticated virtual reality experiences don’t feel completely “real”? It all comes down to your inner ear - and a study published earlier this month using rats…
Federal treasurer Wayne Swan’s election year budget has to reconcile huge revenue writedowns with spending promises for schools and the disability insurance scheme. AAP Image/Lukas Coch

Federal budget 2013: expert reactions

Stephen Howes, Australian National University; Arusha Cooray, University of Wollongong; Ben Spies-Butcher, Macquarie University; Cameron Gordon, University of Canberra; Carol Johnson, University of Adelaide; Clive Bean, Queensland University of Technology; David Willis, Queensland University of Technology; Hal Swerissen, La Trobe University; John Quiggin, The University of Queensland; Lin Crase, La Trobe University; Matthew Bailes, Swinburne University of Technology; Paul Burke, Australian National University; Simon Marginson, The University of Melbourne; Stephen Duckett, Grattan Institute, and Zareh Ghazarian, Monash University

Australian Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has handed down his sixth budget, facing an almost impossible task: how to reconcile an enormous revenue shortfall with big spending promises, all while keeping…
Is this our transport future? If the regulatory and safety issues are ironed out, many more of us could be boarding personal mobility devices for short commutes. Nelson Pavlosky

Electric unicycles, minifarthings and the future of urban transport

Ian J. Faulks, Macquarie University; Julia Irwin, Macquarie University; Richard Howitt, Macquarie University, and Robyn Dowling, Macquarie University

Whether we like it or not, there is a pecking order on the road. At the top, either high performance sports cars or the massive B-double freight trucks reign supreme. On the lower rungs, pedestrians and…
The recent cuts to universities are only likely to make the health problem growing in the academic community worse. Stressed academic image www.shutterstock.com

Uni cuts will lead to health problems for academics

Nikki Sullivan, Macquarie University

The consensus on the recent A$2.3 billion funding cuts to the tertiary sector is they will do more harm than good. Plenty of commentators foresee diminishing quality of teaching and research, possible…
In the last few years, both China and the US have ramped up efforts to address climate change. Stefano Paltera/US Dept. of Energy Solar Decathlon

China and the US step up on climate

Tim Flannery, Macquarie University

Ambition has awakened the global energy giants, China and the United States. Both nations have recently strengthened commitments to address climate change and announced plans to strengthen collaboration…
Doctors are not morally obliged to ensure patients follow their advice. Image from shutterstock.com

Drawing the line on doctors’ responsibility for patients

Wendy Rogers, Macquarie University

The NSW Supreme Court decision to overturn damages awarded to an obese man whose doctor failed to refer him for specialist care to help him lose weight has been widely welcomed by medical and legal experts…
The Western Sydney Wanderers have had a ‘fairytale’ debut season in the A-League - but does this say more about how the league is run than the team itself? AAP/Dean Lewins

The A-League’s Western Sydney Wanderers: the fairytale in context

Ross MacKenzie, Macquarie University

Western Sydney Wanderers’ inaugural A-League season is the feel-good sports story of the year. The team is undefeated in 13 matches, won the league (generally regarded as the “real” championship in soccer…
Hydropower stations such as the Three Gorges in China are able to produce large amounts of electricity but they can also alter ecosystems and displace communities. EPA

Explainer: what is hydroelectricity?

Vladimir Strezov, Macquarie University

Hydroelectricity is an established power-generation technology with over 100 years of commercial operation. Hydroelectricity is produced when moving water rotates a turbine shaft; this movement is converted…
In an analysis of seven sites in NSW, the highest crime rates correlated with the highest levels of lead in the air. Flickr/Frank de Kleine

Childhood lead exposure linked to crime in adulthood

Mark Patrick Taylor, Macquarie University; Bruce Lanphear, Simon Fraser University; Damian Gore, Macquarie University; Miri Forbes, Macquarie University, and Sammy Zahran, Colorado State University

We’re increasingly realising that the child’s physical and chemical environment plays a significant role in criminal behaviours later in life.
The City has been plagued by financial disasters. Will the replacement of the Financial Services Authority with two new banking regulatory bodies be enough to stop the rot? AAP Pictures

After a long line of financial disasters, UK banks on regulatory change

Pat McConnell, Macquarie University

If the UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) had been a dog, it would have been about 86 years old when it was put down on April Fool’s Day this year. Uncharitably, some say that the FSA, the lead regulator…
An about-face by the Australian Financial Markets Association on the way our bank bill swap rate is calculated comes as the US mortgage giant Freddie Mac filed a lawsuit alleging unlawful conduct by a number of investment banks. AAP

Is there egg on the RBA’s face?

Pat McConnell, Macquarie University

Last week, the Australian Financial Markets Association (AFMA), the investment bankers’ trade union, announced that it was changing the way that it calculated the Bank Bill Swap rate (BBSW), the Australian…
The long-held belief that the private sector is more efficient than the public sector is not supported by theory or evidence. www.shutterstock.com

Pursuing ‘efficiency’ in the public sector: why privatisation is not necessarily the answer

Christopher Stone, Macquarie University

“The reality is that government employees around the world are known not to be as efficient as the private sector.” —Paul Fletcher, Liberal Party, Member for Bradfield “The efficiency of the public system…
While ASIC Chairman Greg Medcraft this week warned the Australian funds management industry to clean up their act, in the UK, financial regulators will soon have the power to intervene directly in the market. AAP

ASIC lacks bite as UK regulators chew down on financial spruikers

Pat McConnell, Macquarie University

In opening the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) forum this week, chairman Greg Medcraft pulled no punches. “Manufacturers [i.e. banks and financial institutions] - and, frankly, this…
The election is Tony Abbott’s to lose. But will weakness with many female voters cost him and will his record come to haunt him on issues like abortion? AAP/Lukas Coch

Re-inventing Tony: why Abbott’s attempt to woo women doesn’t bear scrutiny

Kate Gleeson, Macquarie University

Tony Abbott is trying to improve his image with many women. But as I found out when I met him recently, no makeover can erase his track record of public statements and actions, especially on issues of…
In species such as the jacana, above, females desert the eggs as soon as they are laid. Rainbirder

Role reversal: adult sex ratio leads to ‘gender-bending’ birds

Simon Griffith, Macquarie University

Why do some species exhibit patterns of reversed gender roles? That question was addressed in a Nature Communications paper published yesterday. Typically in animals, females tend to invest more in caring…
Extreme events such as Tasmania’s bushfires were devastating, but did not contribute to higher than normal property losses this year compared to previous ones.

Weighing the toll of our ‘angry summer’ against climate change

Ryan Crompton, Macquarie University and John McAneney, Macquarie University

Last week the Climate Commission released its latest report entitled The Angry Summer. It seeks to “provide a summary of the extreme weather of the 2012/13 summer and the influence of climate change on…

Authors

More Authors