• 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

  • Zap! And the weeds are gone

    Claudia Hooper     |      October 6, 2019

    A University of Melbourne researcher has invented a device that uses microwaves to control weeds, reducing the need for herbicides.

  • Lessons from the ANU cyberattack

    Michael Shoebridge     |      October 6, 2019

    Australian National University Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt’s public release of a detailed report on the damaging cyberattack on ANU systems and data marks a refreshing shift in behaviour on cybersecurity for Australian public institutions.

  • Morrison warns against ‘negative globalism’

    Michelle Grattan     |      October 5, 2019

    Delivering the Lowy Lecture, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia “cannot afford to leave it to others to set the standards that will shape our global economy”.

  • Beijing’s show of military might is a wake-up call for Australia

    Malcolm Davis     |      October 5, 2019

    The massive military parade on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China was a clear demonstration of China’s increasing desire to project power across the Pacific.

  • The minnow embraces the whale

    Anouk Ride     |      October 5, 2019

    The Solomon Islands’ embrace of China may bring economic benefits but it also increases the risks of local conflict and the challenges faced by donors from democratic nations.

  • Australia-Pacific connections for a digital future

    Benjamin Blackshaw     |      October 4, 2019

    Pacific Connect brings together emerging leaders and entrepreneurs from across the South Pacific and a recent Ideas Exchange at NSW Parliament House showed the power of the program to make meaningful connections.

  • Political ‘doxxing’ – A Hong Kong case study

    Elise Thomas     |      October 4, 2019

    Western social media companies must remain alert to the evolving tactics of those who use their platforms as a weapon against the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement.

  • Bipartisan support for drought relief doesn’t make it right

    Lin Crase     |      October 4, 2019

    Politicians love handing cheques to farmers as much as they love photographs with adoring children, but bipartisan support for drought relief does little to help rural employment, agricultural production or the environment.

  • Rethinking the plastic waste problem

    Rob Brimblecombe     |      October 3, 2019

    Rather than just looking for a new country in which to dump our waste, we need to rethink the services plastics provide, and how we can create systems to maintain the value of these finite materials as they move through the economy.

  • Australia needs a national shipbuilding authority

    Martin Hamilton-Smith     |      October 3, 2019

    Australia’s investment in its navy should both defend the nation better and strengthen its economy. A national shipbuilding authority could help deliver both results.

  • Snarky tweets and national security

    Tim Watts     |      October 3, 2019

    The most common form of interference in democratic elections isn’t direct tampering with results but disinformation campaigns to undermine candidates, increase polarisation and reduce public trust in institutions.

  • Making Australia’s most liveable city more inclusive

    Ellen van Holstein     |      October 2, 2019

    Melbourne is a great city to live in, but it can do better for people with a disability by making it more accessible and inclusive.