• Science and Technology

    Mind over matter


    Philip Goff |  March 19, 2024


    The mystery of consciousness shows there may be a limit to what science alone can achieve.


  • International

    Russia after Putin


    Robert Person |  March 19, 2024


    Vladimir Putin has rubber stamped himself in power for another six years, but at 71 he has no successor, no living rivals and no retirement plan, so his eventual death will set off a vicious power struggle for the ruins of the country he leaves behind.


  • Artificial Intelligence

    AI in the dock over fake cases


    Michael Legg |  March 19, 2024


    A combination of lazy lawyers and hallucinating AI have seen a slew of invented cases presented as fact to exasperated judges.


Latest Story

  • Migration continues to reshape Australia

    Open Forum     |      May 1, 2018

    Population growth and distribution affect most areas of public policy and a new Treasury paper examines the benefits that skilled migration brings to Australia, while also accepting its challenges.

  • Gonski review calls for a fresh approach to improve Australia’s schools

    Michelle Grattan     |      May 1, 2018

    The newly published Gonski review attacks the quality of current Australian schooling and urges a more dynamic and individualised teaching approach to ensure our children reach their full potential.

  • Australia embraces organic food

    Open Forum     |      May 1, 2018

    New findings released by Australian Organic, the organic industry’s leading body, show an uptake in household food shopping allocated to organic produce and goods, with now more than 6 in 10 Australian households claiming to buy organic in any given year.

  • Why doctors can struggle to understand pain

    Karen Sibert     |      April 30, 2018

    Everyone experiences pain in a different way, from both an emotional as well as a physical perspective. This reality means that physicians should evaluate patients on an individual basis to find the best way to treat their pain symptoms.

  • ‘Anna Karenina’ and modern marriage

    Richard Gunderman     |      April 30, 2018

    Each character approaches marriage with a different set of expectations in Leo Tolstoy’s ‘Anna Karenina’ and many succumb to disappointment. As the Royal Wedding approaches, what can one of the world’s greatest novels teach us about marriage today?

  • Understanding university drop-out rates

    Open Forum     |      April 30, 2018

    More than 50,000 students who started university in Australia this year will drop out, according to a new Grattan Institute report. However not every incomplete degree should be seen as a waste of time and money.

  • When muscles trump morals: The politics of ‘manliness’

    Stephanie Lawson     |      April 29, 2018

    Donald Trump openly boasts about his power over women and his political opponents, but what role does this ‘macho’ approach leave for morality in leadership?

  • A locked closet – LGTBI rights around the world

    Dennis Altman     |      April 29, 2018

    In the euphoria that greeted the legalisation of same sex marriage in Australia last year, it was easy to forget that for most gay people in the world it remains an unobtainable dream.

  • Designing ‘compassionate’ cities

    Jenny Donovan     |      April 29, 2018

    The Dutch concept of ‘woonerfs’ – ‘living yards’ designed to invite walking, playing, socialising and cycling while curbing motor vehicles – has spread around the world and should be embraced by Australia.

  • Press censorship clouds the Asia-Pacific

    Open Forum     |      April 28, 2018

    The Chinese model of state-controlled news and suppression of free speech and information is being copied in other countries in Asia and the Pacific, threatening democracy and civil society.

  • Alcohol adverts may breach the advertising code

    Lucy Carroll     |      April 28, 2018

    The effectiveness of current advertising codes in protecting the health of teenagers is questioned in a new study led by researchers at UNSW Sydney, Monash and Curtin University.

  • Lessons for the WPS agenda in the Solomon Islands

    Amelia Meurant-Tompkinson     |      April 28, 2018

    Women’s rights in the Solomon Islands remain poor, despite Australia’s efforts to promote the UN ‘Women, Peace and Security’ agenda in the region.