How we’ve changed in 20 years

The HILDA Survey is into its 20th year and shows a changing and generally well-functioning society but also reveals growing pressure points.

Science needs to look inward to move forward

Robust science depends on encouraging and incentivising more open and transparent practices in research – now, metascientists are looking at what works and what doesn’t.

Mike Baird: The value of authenticity

The McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership recognises those who’ve driven change though visionary leadership. Former NSW premier Mike Baird says leaders need a broad vision that gets people off the couch and cabinet ministers out of their chairs.

Engineering a smarter city

An app that can get you from A to B faster and safer? The technology to transform our burgeoning city transport systems into intelligent networks is already here.

Cracking the oldest code in history

The deciphering of Linear B, the earliest form of Greek, was a history changing achievement, but decoding the older Linear A would open a new window on the origins of European culture.

Good policy needs strong leadership

Former deputy Labor leader Jenny Macklin argues that empathetic leaders will have to to stand up and fight to overcome the trust deficit in Australian politics and deliver key policies.

Australia’s hidden mental illness epidemic

Mental concerns like depression and anxiety are now the most common serious illness among Australians, with rates among women rising to 20 per cent.

Mimicking nature’s own plastic to reduce man-made pollution

Amino acid is the building block of life and researchers are aiming to use them as the basis to chemically produce compostable plastics to help address our worsening plastic waste problem.

Narrow VET training sells students short

The crisis in Australia’s training sector means TAFEs need to develop their own courses tailored to an unpredictable future.

Gearing up against skin cancer

From state of the art mole-mapping to new drug treatments, the way we diagnose and treat skin cancers is being revolutionised, but being sensible in the sun is still the best medicine.

Art helps us see when we don’t want to look

Australia’s under appreciated colonial art is a window to the past that can help us understand the fraught and violent history of settlement.

Lifting the lid on quantum computing

Newly developed software for learning quantum computer programming allows students to see inside the ‘black box’ and start using the ‘weird’ physics to solve problems