Them or us?

Everyone on earth takes a private vote by pressing a red or blue button. If more than 50% of people press the blue button, everyone survives. If less than 50% of people press the blue button, only people who pressed the red button survive. Which button would you press?

An unfair go

Disadvantage is a concept that goes beyond income poverty to encompass people’s outcomes, including deprivation and social exclusion, so what does disadvantage look like in Australia today?

As important as ever

Anzac Day was held for the first time 110 years ago this week in the wake of the Great War and has been observed every year ever since, but what do today’s Australians think of the most significant event in the national commemorative calendar?

Day of the poppies

Understanding the history of the poppy as a symbol for remembering war dead allows us to appreciate the deeper significance of pinning a small poppy to our chests in 2026.

Home is where the hope is

Improving the early life conditions and environment of kids has been linked to better mental, emotional and behavioural outcomes down the line, as well as lower chances of being a convicted criminal and doing better in school, say Swedish, Chinese and US researchers.

You can write off writing

Two new experiments show that most people do not even consider that a personal message could be AI-generated, even when they themselves use artificial intelligence to write.

My roster doesn’t fit the world

If we want a country where the people who care for us can also care for their own children without breaking, we need to build a world where a nurse’s roster fits the world.

Global citizens in a divided world

A global citizen is “someone who is aware of and understands the wider world and their place in it” according to Oxfam, and building global citizenship has never been more important than today.

Reforming the NDIS

The government wants to curb NDIS spending as the $50 billion a year programme continues to spiral out of control, so here’s how it might succeed.

Australia’s aged care algorithm comes under fire

The way Australians are assessed for home-based aged-care funding is being investigated by the Commonwealth ombudsman.

Why Taiwan matters

The fate of Taiwan is not a peripheral issue but sits at the intersection of global trade, advanced technology, democratic values and regional security. As China gears up for its long-threatened invasion, what happens there will shape Australia’s prosperity, security and way of life for decades.

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.