Perpetual peace – perpetual relevance

18th century German philosopher Immanuel Kant remains a central figure in modern philosophy, but his argument that ethics and governance should be rooted in reason rather than self-interest or superstition is threatened even in the Western world by the current resurgence of nationalism, authoritarianism and religious fundamentalism.

Sleeping in the driver’s seat

Older women’s homelessness confronts Australia with an uncomfortable truth – the line between “secure” and “homeless” has become thin enough that a respectable life can fall through it quickly.

Orientation week on the outside

Orientation or freshers week at University can be an exciting time for new students, but also brings burdens of its own.

The tooth that ate my pay packet

The high cost of dental work in Australia puts many people’s health at risk.

AI’s threat to “judgment capital”

The central danger of AI is that, if deployed carelessly and at scale, it may erode the human and institutional capacities on which sound judgment depends.

From subsidies to stewardship

If reform becomes stewardship, Australia can build something rare – a national early childhood system that is trusted, equitable, safe, and professionally sustaining, where the default settings make quality the easiest business model to run.

A public convenience

Everyone needs one at some point, but public conveniences are an increasingly rare sight in the nation’s towns and cities.

The first democracy

Early childhood education should be valued for the positive impacts it has on children’s social and psychological development as well as the potential to shape more productive adults in the future.

A breath of fresh air

We can live for three weeks without food, three days without water but just three minutes without breathing and though we take it for granted, the quality of the air we breathe touches on many social as well as environmental issues.

The room where the lawyer knows your name

If we starve legal aid, underfund community legal centres and treat “access to justice” as a rhetorical flourish rather than a practical necessity, then the law will no longer protect the weak but revert to its oldest form as a weapon for the strong.

Weighing the baby on a Wednesday morning

Babies are not just private joys. They are public futures. Parents are not just private individuals. They are doing essential work. And the community, through the state, has a role in making that work survivable.

The little house on the corner

The future won’t be held together by big speeches, but by small rooms with plastic chairs, by kettles boiling, by noticeboards full of flyers, by circles of people learning to speak, to parent, to recover, to belong.