Domestic abuse or genuine relationship? Our welfare system can't tell
Lyndal Sleep, Research Fellow, Griffith University
Financial abuse can be misinterpreted as 'sharing finances', which can indicate a relationship in the criteria of the couple rule. ShutterstockIn Australia’s social security laws, the “couple rule” is used to determine if a person is in a relationship, tying access to Centrelink pa...
How our obsession with performance is changing our sense of self
Ben Walker, Lecturer (Management), Victoria University of Wellington
How well we do – at work or on the sports field – influences how we see ourselves.from www.shutterstock.com, CC BY-NDWe live in a society obsessed with performance. For both young and old, competitions, awards and rankings are an inescapable feature of life. How well we do – in the...
Friday essay: why old is new again
Kirsty Volz, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland
A Royal Victorian Small Homes House, designed in conjuction with The Age newspaper, 1955. Photo: Wolfgang Sievers. Pictures Collection, State Library VictoriaOf all the mantras for modernism, the one I think most befitting for Australian mid-century modern houses is L'esprit Nouveau – The New ...
One-third of all preschool centres could be without a trained teacher in four years, if we do nothing
Megan O'Connell, Honorary Senior Fellow, University of Melbourne
Currently, half of all early childhood teachers have a bachelor degree, with a further one-third still working towards one. from shutterstock.comOne-third of all preschools may lack a qualified teacher in the next four years if nothing changes, my new modelling shows. Currently, half of all early ch...
Not one but two Aussie dishes were used to get the TV signals back from the Apollo 11 moonwalk
John Sarkissian, Operations Scientist, CSIRO
US astronaut Neil Armstrong on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission.NASAThe role Australia played in relaying the first television images of astronaut Neil Armstrong’s historic walk on the Moon 50 years ago this July features in the popular movie The Dish.But that only tells part of the story...
How public libraries can help prepare us for the future
Public libraries can use their status as community hubs to engage the public in scenario planning for the future.Mosman Library/Flickr, CC BYFor generations, libraries h…
Australian writer Yang Hengjun is set to be charged in China at an awkward time for Australia-China relations
Charges against Yang appear to relate to his work as a writer and blogger in which he has been sharply critical of the Chinese regime. Facebook Australia’s relatio…
More than 28,000 species are officially threatened, with more likely to come
A giant guitarfish caught in West Papua is hung from a fishing boat. Guitarfish are in trouble, according to the IUCN Red List. Conservation International/Abdy Hasan, Au…
Being a Trump 'bestie' comes with its own challenges for Scott Morrison
It's now widely observed that Morrison and President Donald Trump have struck an early bromance.AAP/Lukas Coch“How good is this?” Scott might have said to Je…
Australian universities must wake up to the risks of researchers linked to China's military
Two universities are conducting internal reviews of research collaborations linked to the suppression and surveillance of the Uyghur minority in western China.Tracey Nea…
Biden leading, followed by Sanders, Warren, Harris; and will Trump be beaten?
Joe Biden is the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.AAP/EPA/Justin LaneThe next US presidential election will be held on November 3, 2020. Incumbent president Do…
