As pressure on Iran mounts, there is little room for quiet diplomacy to free detained Australians
Tony Walker, Adjunct Professor, School of Communications, La Trobe University
Former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has offered to help free three detained Australians in Iran, but the attacks on Saudi oil facilities have made the situation vastly more complicated.Stringer/EPAAustralia’s attempts to secure the release of an Australian national and two with joint UK-Austr...
'An insult' – politicians sing the praises of the cashless welfare card, but those forced to use it disagree
Eve Vincent, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University
The grey cashless debit card cannot be used at any alcohol or gambling outlet, nor used to withdraw cash.www.shutterstock.com“This is a bit controversial, we know that,” deputy prime minister Michael McCormick told the National Party’s federal council, which on the weekend voted fo...
'predatory' climate deniers are a threat to our children
Tim Flannery, Professorial fellow, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne
A child jumps from a rock outcrop into a lagoon in the low-lying Pacific island of Tuvalu.AAP/Mick TsikasIn this age of rapidly melting glaciers, terrifying megafires and ever more puissant hurricanes, of acidifying and rising oceans, it is hard to believe that any further prod to climate action is ...
Why it's time for New Zealanders to learn more about their own country's history
Michael Belgrave, Professor History, Massey University
New Zealand is one of few places in the world where teaching the country's own history has not been compulsory.from www.shutterstock.com, CC BY-NDFrom 2022, New Zealand history will be taught at all schools as part of the compulsory national curriculum. The announcement is an astonishing turnaround...
Keeping the city cool isn't just about tree cover – it calls for a commons-based climate response
Abby Mellick Lopes, Senior Lecturer in Design, Western Sydney University
Where’s the shade? Trees are not an immediate or whole answer to keeping cool.Cameron Tonkinwise, Author providedThis story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story.A recent report by the Greater Sydney Co...
The Way We Live Now – powerful, troubling photographs of a crowded planet and uncertain future
Cyril Porchet, Swiss born 1984, Untitled 2014 from the series Crowd, inkjet print 139.0 x 169.0 x 3.5 cm.© Cyril PorchetIn 1955, an enormous photographic exhibition…
why are some twins identical and some not?
Identical twins look the same, are the same sex, share the same birthday and shares the same genes. www.shuttershock.com , CC BYIf you have a question you’d like a…
Suddenly, the world's biggest trade agreement won't allow corporations to sue governments
The 16 nations negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership account for almost half the world's population.Shutterstock/DatawrapperThe Regional Comprehens…
Greens' challenge aptly described by Paddy Manning, but with no solutions in sight
Paddy Manning’s excellent account of the Australian Greens will not be the last word on Australia’s most successful third party, but will doubtless remain im…
what happens when magnetic north and true north align?
Very rarely, depending on where you are in the world, your compass can actually point to true north. https://www.shutterstock.comAt some point in recent weeks, a once-…
Jim Chalmers on the need to change economic course
Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers says it’s time to change Australia’s economic course “in a responsible and affordable way which doesn’t jeopardise …
