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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.

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Displaying 1281 - 1300 of 1412 articles
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…
Tasmanian Health Minister Michelle O'Byrne has moved to decriminalise abortion in the state. AAP/Scott Gelston

Tasmania to amend law to decriminalise abortion

Charis Palmer, The Conversation

Tasmanian Health Minister Michelle O’Byrne has moved to amend the state’s abortion law to ensure women will no longer face the threat of criminal charges for having a pregnancy terminated. The proposed…
Under fire for manipulating the LIBOR rate, investment Bank UBS also tried to manipulate Australia’s local bill swap rate, say US regulators.

Don’t believe the hype; our own LIBOR scandal could be in the wings

Pat McConnell, Macquarie University

Many months after the event, the Australian financial press has woken up to the fact that there was a financial scandal happening elsewhere. Worse still, it may also have happened here. The tabloid-like…
As the ABC’s Four Corners explored, small investors are being caught in an unregulated investment market, often with devastating results. Has the corporate regulator dropped the ball - or is it juggling too many? ABC Four Corners

As casualties pile up, has our investment sector become too big to regulate properly?

Pat McConnell, Macquarie University

Stephen Long’s story last night on the ABC’s Four Corners beautifully illustrated the human cost of financial misconduct, as retirees and widows described the pain of having lost their super funds and…
Another day, another banking scandal: the UK Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards has exposed the follies of the City’s badly behaved bankers. AAP

London’s bad bankers thrown into the lion’s den

Pat McConnell, Macquarie University

Though it rarely rates a mention in the Australian financial press, there is a spectacle in London at the moment that rivals even the most ferocious games at the Roman Colosseum. Almost every day, a bunch…
Long supply chains are common in the food industry, which is mostly concerned with cutting costs and “just on time” management. AAP

Horse meat scandal’s long tail highlights risks of lengthy supply chains

Brigit Busicchia, Macquarie University

Back in September 2012, an Irish food safety inspector noticed some discrepancies in the labelling and packaging of some frozen meat brought in by a small import-export company. By January 2013, the scandal…
Public health messages reinforce the belief that a child’s disability is the result of their mother’s misconduct. Image from shutterstock.com

Pregnancy and blame: what it means for mothers of children with disabilities

Kathryn Knight, Macquarie University

The media chatter has finally subsided over Chrissie Swan and her naughty cigarette. And in spite of her misdemeanour, Chrissie’s baby will, in all likelihood, turn out just fine. But as pregnancy surveillance…
The authors say their findings raise important questions about the central role of animal models in biomedical research. Understanding Animal Research

Of mice and men: role of mice in biomedical research questioned

Christopher Degeling, University of Sydney and Jane Johnson, Macquarie University

A study recently published in the peer-reviewed journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National of Academy Sciences) shows that mice are poor models for human inflammatory diseases. The paper, which focused…

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