• Artificial Intelligence

    Welcome to your friendly local chatbot


    Open Forum |  March 29, 2024


    QUT researchers have homed in on AI-powered chatbots in the local government sector to look at their benefits and risks, what they are used for and why, and how users view them.


  • Transport

    Car wars


    Open Forum |  March 29, 2024


    Medical pressure group Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) have called for the cross bench to reject the watered down and delayed fuel efficiency standard proposed by the Federal Government, and urged it to protect the health of Australians by requiring tougher vehicle fleet standards.


  • Energy

    The hidden costs of coal mines’ unquenchable thirst


    Open Forum |  March 29, 2024


    Investors and shareholders in Australian coal mining could feel the pinch as water-related risks increase amid worsening climate change impacts, tighter regulations and growing community opposition.


Latest Story

  • Fish get a helping hand

    Lachlan Gilbert     |      December 24, 2020

    Engineers and scientists at UNSW Sydney have come up with an ingenious way to get fish past dam walls, weirs and other barriers blocking their migration in Australian rivers.

  • “Nomophobia” prompts motorists illegal use of mobile phones

    Fareed Kaviani     |      December 23, 2020

    Some people’s obsessive attachment to their phones still prompt them to use them while driving, placing themselves and other road users at risk.

  • The web of life

    Open Forum     |      December 23, 2020

    An international collaboration reveals a new definition of sustainability that expands the concept to non-human species and their needs.

  • Fixing Australia’s energy strategy through green hydrogen

    Sung-Young Kim     |      December 23, 2020

    It is time the federal government ditches its ideology of ‘technology neutrality’ and throws all its weight behind where real money is to be made in the near future — green hydrogen.

  • NSW unveils new seniors strategy

    Open Forum     |      December 22, 2020

    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.

  • Battening down for another solar hurricane

    Tom Uren     |      December 22, 2020

    Russia’s hijacking of solarwinds software to penetrate a host of Western governments and companies underlines the need for better cyber-security across the whole of society.

  • Chinese whispers

    Robert Wihtol     |      December 22, 2020

    A new book by Roger Faligot on the history and extent of Chinese espionage is essential reading for both intelligence professionals and generalists wanting to understand the reach and power of China’s hidden hand.

  • Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – Music for the festive season

    Mark Nicol     |      December 22, 2020

    Open Forum regular Mark Nicol offers a selection of music “to soothe the savage soul” over the festive season.

  • A heretical view of energy ‘indulgences’

    Max Thomas     |      December 21, 2020

    Policy makers should guard against a ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ in the vexed area of energy policy, where individuals acting in their own interest cause significant collective harm.

  • The “scrooge effect” on foreign affairs

    Graeme Dobell     |      December 21, 2020

    DFAT has built an admirable record in navigating the rapids of international diplomacy over the last 50 years, but gradual cuts in funding can only undermine its future efficacy.

  • What makes a good education video?

    Sarah Dart     |      December 21, 2020

    Research – and common sense – suggests that students prefer videos that are simply produced, convenient to watch and have a clear narrative delivered in an informal conversational way.

  • Defending or undermining rules-based order?

    Rebecca Strating     |      December 20, 2020

    Australia’s prime minister was awarded the “Grotius Prize” for supporting the rules-based order. However, it is debatable whether Australia is living up to Grotian ideals.