Sharing the sovereign and the substance of Indigenous recognition

The thorny question of indigenous rights in Canada, New Zealand and Australia is evolving as international best practice is shared.

Tabi on Racial Matters: Are Black and marginalised employees supported by diversity and inclusion policies?

The continued marginalisation of people of colour in the workplace can only be eliminated by tackling race-based discrimination across the whole of society.

Sun, sand and survival: a short history of the Australian beach

After months of lockdowns, travel bans and uncertainty, that first crunch of warm sand between the toes brings a sigh of relief that, all being well, lasts at least until the end of January. Walking by the waves finally feels like a bookend to what’s been a testing year.

NSW unveils new seniors strategy

With almost one in four people to be aged 60 or over by 2031, the NSW Government has committed to a decade-long ageing strategy, addressing four focus areas identified by seniors including resilience and safety.

Charting Australia’s inequality

A new report on Australian inequality charts the differences in wealth and opportunity which the COVID pandemic has only intensified.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – Autocracy, democracy, meritocracy

A revamped political system based on meritocracy, rather than lumpen authoritarianism or traditional democracy, might be the best way to escape the West’s current political and social malaise.

Arvanitakis on education: The trust project

Populist distrust of science and deepening political divides have hampered the response to climate change and coronavirus. Rather than merely decry these trends, academics have the chance to do something about it.

Tabi on racial matters: Black-enslaved-women and their visions of freedom during the 19th century

The plight of black women in history and their experience in the world today should be factored into the fight against global gender inequality.

In praise of weeds

A weed is any plant which grows where we don’t want it, but they do have a bright side, even in Australia where foreign plants can choke natural landscapes.

Dangerous fieldwork in the social sciences

A UNSW criminologist and an international relations expert walk into a bar … and years later their discussions over drinks turn into a book.

Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – Population: The elephant in the room

The growth in the world’s population – from 1 billion in 1800 to 7.8 billion today and perhaps 8.6 billion by mid-2030 – is the driving force behind many of the political, economic and environmental problems we are confronting.

America will forget Trump

Donald Trump’s stubborn refusal to accept defeat in the US presidential election is alarming observers of American politics, but once out of office he will soon be forgotten, like many such figures before him.