• 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

  • Countering terrorism through architecture?

    Ben Knight     |      September 26, 2020

    In the fight against global terrorism, architecture has a surprisingly important role to play.

  • Vox Populi

    Fergus Neilson     |      September 25, 2020

    Fergus Neilson analyses a snapshot of opinions on the condition of 21st century democracy and offers some ideas for reform.

  • Nature cure

    Dimity Williams     |      September 25, 2020

    Australians want a government that takes the health of the natural environment seriously and understands the wellbeing of all of us depend upon it.  

  • Supply chain cooperation comes to the fore

    Ken Heydon     |      September 25, 2020

    Reports are circulating of a trilateral exploration by Japan, India and Australia of a ‘Supply Chain Resilience Initiative’ to secure supply chains and reduce dependence on China.

  • Angus Taylor’s tech roadmap is fundamentally flawed

    Mark Diesendorf     |      September 24, 2020

    The government’s latest energy plans are a failure of logic, and will lock in fossil fuel use for decades.

  • Law, politics and intelligence: a life of Robert Hope

    Stephen Loosley     |      September 24, 2020

    In Law, politics and intelligence: a life of Robert Hope, Peter Edwards delivers a masterclass in the governance, or lack of it, of Australia’s security and intelligence services in the post-war era.

  • Rise of the scorpions

    Open Forum     |      September 24, 2020

    Researchers from La Trobe University have found that, in the absence of natural predators such as bilbies, native scorpions are thriving in Australia’s damaged sandy landscapes.

  • Counterpoint by Mark Nicol – When is a science not a science?

    Mark Nicol     |      September 23, 2020

    The scientific method has allowed mankind to understand and conquer the world around him, but even science may have its limits in dealing with complex human and moral issues.

  • Has the law been a casualty of COVID?

    Max Thomas     |      September 23, 2020

    The unprecedented social restrictions – backed by the full force of the law – in Victoria and the rest of Australia raise some tricky questions about the rights of citizens, the power of politicians and the effectiveness of our government system.

  • Going big and bold in the South Pacific

    Jeffrey Wall     |      September 23, 2020

    Australia should look at big and bold projects that enhance our influence and assist Pacific nations in key areas at a time when they are sorely tested in economic, social and strategic terms.

  • Seven ways to suck CO2 from the atmosphere

    Annette Cowie     |      September 22, 2020

    Federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor is expected to outline the Morrison government’s first Low Emissions Technology Statement on Tuesday, plotting Australia’s way forward on climate action.

  • All hands to the pump to curb plastic pollution

    Open Forum     |      September 22, 2020

    At least one billion people worldwide would be needed to take part in a global clean-up to reduce plastic waste, according to an international group of researchers including The University of Western Australia.