• Society

    Crisis? What crisis? A question of balance


    Bernard Paul Corden |  February 12, 2026


    Bernard Corden concludes his hard hitting three part series on the failures of neo-liberalism with a plea for a better future for us all.


  • Society

    Call for crackdown on youth gambling


    Open Forum |  February 12, 2026


    Hundreds of international experts in gambling addiction are urging a more coordinated approach to enhance interventions and therapies, while aligning research priorities to tackle the escalating problem.


  • Human Interest

    It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there


    Michelle Spear |  February 12, 2026


    Bob Dylan observed that “It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there”, however there may be light at the end of the tunnel for middle aged people who feel they’re running out of steam.


Latest Story

  • Opening the Epstein files

    Lindsey Blumell     |      February 11, 2026

    “I know this is a lot to take in. The violence. The neglect. The bad decisions. The self-harm. Imagine if a trauma reel like this played in your head all the time, as it does mine … but please don’t stop reading.”

  • Crisis? What crisis? Another brick in the wall

    Bernard Paul Corden     |      February 11, 2026

    The rapid expansion of science and technology in the new millennium has radically transformed our social landscape with a foreboding trajectory and corrosive impact on democracy.

  • The typing’s on the wall

    Hayley Butler     |      February 11, 2026

    Young children starting school are increasingly using computers as well as the traditional pens and pencils so educators should teach them to use both.

  • The Times They Are a-Changin’

    Panizza Allmark     |      February 10, 2026

    Protest singers like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan drew popular attention to social issues and civil rights in the United States through their songs, so will a new generation of artists carry the torch against the appalling excesses of Donald Trump?

  • Crisis? What crisis? Aristocratic terrorism

    Bernard Paul Corden     |      February 10, 2026

    In a new 3-part series, Bernard Cordon argues the Chicago school of monetarist economics in the 1970s and the neo-liberal political movement which followed in the 1980s set the scene for Donald Trump’s thuggish dismantling of the USA today.

  • The track through the scribbly gums

    Roger Chao     |      February 10, 2026

    Your local track through the scribbly gums reminded us that a good society does not only build things that make money. It preserves things that make life bearable.

  • Scrapping VicHealth makes no sense

    Vicki Brown     |      February 9, 2026

    Despite the proven potential for prevention initiatives to improve health and save money, Australian governments have consistently under-invested in them and the proposed scrapping of VicHealth is another blow to sensible policy making.

  • Slaves to the machine

    Lukasz Swiatek     |      February 9, 2026

    The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, has warned young people will suffer the most as an AI “tsunami” wipes out many entry-level roles in coming years. Unfortunately, she’s probably right, so what can young people do faced with the prospect of a worthless degree and no career opportunities?

  • The day my Medicare card saved my life

    Roger Chao     |      February 9, 2026

    It doesn’t matter how young and fit you are – anyone can have an accident which lands them in a public emergency room and make them realise just how precious the health system is despite its many problems.

  • Standing in front of a painting I didn’t understand

    Roger Chao     |      February 8, 2026

    Public art galleries offer a rare forum in which contemplation and ‘slow thinking’ are encouraged. Encounters with art, no matter how new or strange or challenging, remain a precious opportunity to engage with ourselves, our nation and each other.

  • Could the madness of Donald Trump revitalise the rules-based order?

    Jolyon Ford     |      February 8, 2026

    America’s withdrawal from international bodies and agreements might compel democratic powers to strengthen their commitments in response, given the collective threat they face from countries like China, Russia and – apparently – the USA interested only in conquest and power.

  • Six of the best

    Caitlin Macdonald     |      February 8, 2026

    Six Australian podcasts approach the world of books in very different forms but all contribute to audio has ironically become such an important medium for contemporary reading.