• Defence and Security

    A mandate for innovation


    Jason Van der Schyff |  July 16, 2025


    Sovereign capability is no longer just a function of industry planning or academic excellence; it is a national security requirement.


  • Neuroscience

    How does consciousness work?


    Timothy Bayne |  July 16, 2025


    Human consciousness remains a puzzle to be solved, and two current theories – global neuronal workspace theory and integrated information theory – are battling it out without a clear result.


  • Defence and Security

    Paying the price of freedom


    Andrew Forrest |  July 16, 2025


    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should put down his glass and make a formal statement to the Australian Parliament addressing Australia’s place in a changing world and unambiguously asking the Australian public to pay the price required to defend the nation’s basic freedoms.


Latest Story

  • Stop deep sea mining before it begins

    Kate Neville     |      July 7, 2025

    Deep-sea mining promises critical minerals for the energy transition without the problems of mining on land. It also promises to bring wealth to developing nations. But the evidence suggests these promises are false, and mining would harm the environment.

  • Australia needs a national security strategy

    Alana Ford     |      July 7, 2025

    A national security strategy will help Australia navigate uncertainty, strengthen resilience and protect our future in light of growing international threats.

  • Delegated diplomacy

    Geoffrey Wiseman     |      July 7, 2025

    The last decade has seen a substantial rise in scholarly writings on the value of diplomacy. American political scientist David Lindsey’s Delegated Diplomacy: How Ambassadors Establish Trust in International Relations contributes to this trend, arguing that diplomats remain important in the making of world politics and do so in surprising and paradoxical ways.

  • Grading the G7

    Syed Munir Khasru     |      July 6, 2025

    The 2025 G7 Summit was overshadowed by war, wildfires, and walkouts—most notably President Trump’s abrupt exit before launching strikes on Iran. What was meant to be a forum for unity on trade, energy, and climate instead exposed the deep fractures defining today’s global order.

  • Earth’s visitor from Alpha Centauri

    Open Forum     |      July 6, 2025

    Another interstellar object – 3I/ATLAS is speeding through our solar system and, as next-generation observatories such as Rubin swing into operation, we may discover interstellar visitors are far more common than previously thought.

  • The independent case for boosting defence

    Ross Babbage     |      July 6, 2025

    The case for boosting Australian defence spending is compelling and we shouldn’t need US prodding to protect ourselves from growing international threats.

  • Qantas hack exposes customers – yet again

    Bart Hogeveen     |      July 5, 2025

    The hack of a Qantas customer contact centre in Manila has exposed, once again, the vulnerability of customer data held by Australia’s largest and supposedly most trusted companies.

  • A clean approach to dirty water

    Open Forum     |      July 5, 2025

    Pioneered by Flinders University environmental health experts, local councils in South Australia are operating sustainable energy-efficient sewage treatment operations with low-cost high-rate algal pond systems.

  • Smashing news for avocados

    Open Forum     |      July 5, 2025

    The future of smashed avocado might depend on patches of native vegetation preserved alongside farmland, as new Curtin research reveals the hidden role of these habitats in supporting the insects that keep crops – and brunch menus – thriving.

  • Rethinking food labelling

    Open Forum     |      July 5, 2025

    Food labelling is out of step with healthy diet recommendations and could be improved by including nutrient release rates, according to University of Queensland Emeritus Professor Mike Gidley.

  • Celebrating cultural diversity

    Peter Mousaferiadis     |      July 4, 2025

    As we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the UNESCO 2005 Convention we must also renew our commitment to its principles, and to reaffirm the vital role that each of us plays in advancing the diversity of cultural expressions.

  • Australia’s SMEs can build defence resilience

    Open Forum     |      July 4, 2025

    Australia needs a national strategy that explicitly prioritises the integration of small and medium enterprises into its defence industrial base to strengthen sovereign capability and infrastructure resilience.