Sounding the death knell for capital punishment

A new institute is pushing for the global elimination of the death penalty, but much work remains to be done.

Australia needs a new strategy to deal with illicit drug use

Australia’s first responders are dealing with an ever-growing number of drug emergencies and the problem of addiction to prescribed opioids is also on the rise.

Rethinking traffic congestion

While traffic congestion annoys every commuter every day at peak hours, it’s less of a social or economic problem than politicians, planners and the public seem to think.

Australia’s populist moment has arrived

Populism is driven by the view that everyday people are suffering economic hardship as the corporate and political elites prosper. A sense of rising inequality and injustice is the foundation stone of populist rhetoric and these themes are set to surface at the next election.

Would cockroaches really survive a nuclear war?

Cockroaches have a reputation for resilience, even when it comes to surviving a nuclear bomb and radiation – but would they really outlive us all? Exposed to radiation, cockroaches fare worse than the humble fruit fly.

Neighbourhood Church signs are getting political

Originally designed to display service times or bible quotations, church signs are becoming a site of political commentary, tackling everything from pill testing to refugee rights.

The growing pains of living on the urban fringe

The voice of residents needs to be included in the planning of our conurbations as they grow, as well as the metrics of how successful we are in delivering equitable cities that foster healthy, affordable and prosperous lives for all.

Festival drug deaths should spark a deeper debate

The latest deaths of young people at music festivals have sparked an overdue public debate on drug harm reduction, zero tolerance of drug use, and pill testing but a broader discussion on the strategic challenges of reducing the supply of drugs is required.

Immigrants pick up more ‘Australianisms’

Despite a perception that immigrants are resistant to assimilation, people who speak a foreign language are actually more likely to adopt the Australian lexicon

Examining Australia’s place in the global corruption index

Australia has retained its ranking of 13th position in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index for 2018. So why has it been singled out for scrutiny?

My ongoing battle with the self-serve check out

Self-service check outs allow supermarkets to cut staff and boost profits, but they can be a headache for customers to use as something always seems to go wrong.

Facebook at 15 – Time to grow up

Official action to rein in Facebook’s power should reflect on the bad and ugly things the company has done and allowed to happen, but the debate shouldn’t forget some of the positives.