Latest Story
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The room where the lawyer knows your name
Roger Chao | February 24, 2026If we starve legal aid, underfund community legal centres and treat “access to justice” as a rhetorical flourish rather than a practical necessity, then the law will no longer protect the weak but revert to its oldest form as a weapon for the strong.
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The washingbot diaries
Eduardo Benítez Sandoval | February 24, 2026In a world built for humans, the idea of human-like androids and human-shaped robots now appeals to tech firms as well as science fiction writer, but the reality still lags far behind the hype.
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Boosting Pacific engagement
Anna Alexander | February 23, 2026A greater emphasis on subnational diplomacy, particularly regional Australia’s links to the Pacific, presents a significant opportunity for Australia’s regional foreign policy.
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Weathering the storm
Pauline Maclaran | February 23, 2026The Royal Family is nothing if not resilient and has weathered many storms before, from the abdication of Edward VIII to the death of Princess Diana, but the disgrace and arrest of the former Prince Andrew may demand a complete rebrand.
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Play away
Melody Smith | February 23, 2026We don’t stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing.
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Is AI intelligent? The answer is…maybe
Jane Goodall | February 22, 2026A new book argues that computation is the substrate intelligence in all life forms, rather than the experience of organic life, and that cutting edge deployments of artificial intelligence are already crossing that fundamental but hazy boundary.
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Middle powers can lead the way
Madi Jones | February 22, 2026While there will be challenges and risks ahead, there is a path for middle powers to lead a new world order given the United States’ decision to ape the imperialist, authoritarian approach of Russia and China, rather than oppose them.
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Could Andrew’s fall topple the monarchy?
Jo Coghlan | February 21, 2026The monarchy survives because it represents stability, dignity and something slightly removed from everyday life but the scandal surrounding former Prince Andrew, on top of successive problems in recent years, risks puncturing that aura forever.
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The immigration question
Michelle Grattan | February 21, 2026Both political blocks have encouraged immigration to boost economic growth for decades but right wing parties are now riding high on the public backlash, forcing a rethink on immigration policy, and very different rhetoric than before.
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Weighing the baby on a Wednesday morning
Roger Chao | February 20, 2026Babies are not just private joys. They are public futures. Parents are not just private individuals. They are doing essential work. And the community, through the state, has a role in making that work survivable.
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Australia needs an AI crisis plan
Greg Sadler | February 20, 2026The increasing use of AI around the world demands that Australia plans for the inevitable crisis to come when hostile nations, rogue models or emergent behaviours pose a threat to the nation.
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The triangle of power
Robert Wihtol | February 20, 2026The Finnish President’s new book calls on open, free and democratic societies to strengthen regional cooperation and reform the United Nations and other multilateral institutions to resist the rising tide of Eastern authoritarianism.
