How much recycled water storage is enough in Victoria?

Max Thomas makes the case for a standard method to calculate the water storage requirement for recycled water irrigation in Victoria.

Unpacking Victoria’s Statewide Treaty Bill

Despite the defeat of the Federal voice referendum, the State Parliament of Victoria has passed a Treaty Bill which will create a costly legal and bureaucratic tangle that is unlikely to improve the lives of Indigenous people.

Republican dream or political nightmare?

The PM says no effort will be made to become a republic in the immediate future, following his meeting with King Charles at Balmoral, and in an age of resurgent authoritarianism unfettered by constitutional restraint or respect for tradition, that may be no bad thing.

Voices matter

Indigenous communities could wield significant electoral power if they mobilised the large cohort of non-participating eligible Indigenous vote to lobby for policy changes.

Take me to the river

Paris has made a hugely expensive effort to clean up the River Seine for the Olympics and a similar effort to render Melbourne’s Yarra River safe for swimming may be more costly than it’s worth.

A view from the swamp

The federal government has rejected a proposed expansion of Port Hastings in Westernport, southeast of Melbourne, given its potential environmental impact, although the project was seen as vital to the development an offshore wind industry.

Must do more about MDMA

Eight people remain in critical condition after overdosing on MDMA at the Hardmission Festival in Flemington on Saturday night, leading the Victorian Greens to call for more pill testing at such events, but this may not be the best solution.

AUKUS Christi?

Australia’s embrace of nuclear powered hunter-killer submarines seems at odds with the country’s long-standing opposition to nuclear generated electricity supplies.

All welcome to country

A mantra paying respect exclusively to past, present and emerging Indigenous Elders is an incomplete and exclusive gesture when we should be respecting and caring for all our older citizens.

Vale, Ted Hopkins

Open Forum regular Max Thomas bids farewell to a former Australian Rules team-mate who graced the field for Carlton before pursuing a varied career in business, publishing and writing. He also founded Champion Data, a pioneering AFL statistics platform which continues to thrive today.

Misconstruing misinformation

The defeat of the Voice referendum has been blamed on latent racism and misinformation, but the Prime Minister was repeatedly warned the referendum would fail if recognition was linked to the Voice.

The scandal of Vales Point

The sorry saga of Vales Point Power Station in recent years highlights the muddled political thinking – and opportunistic private profit taking – which bedevil the energy sector to the detriment of the public it ostensibly serves.