• Infrastructure

    Filling in the blanks


    Neil Sipe |  April 28, 2024


    The housing crisis created by Australia’s high rate of immigration mean that governments and developers are eying every square inch of under-used land in our cities, but plans for ‘in-fill’ development are often slow to materialise in reality.


  • China

    The political thought of Xi Jinping


    John West |  April 28, 2024


    Like Vladimir Putin in Russia, Xi Jinping has established himself as China’s absolute dictator but his policies of internal repression and external aggression are motivated by ideology as well as personal power and nationalism.


  • Society

    The great art robbery


    Oliver Bown |  April 28, 2024


    AI threatens to replace real human artists, just as machines have replaced people in a host of other activities, but AI models were trained on artists’ works without permission or payment,


Latest Story

  • The mundane reality of ‘Think Tanks’

    Keshia Jacotine     |      March 19, 2018

    Think tanks are a source of both fascination and fear for the media. The reality of efforts to influence policy-making is far more prosaic and think tanks continue to evolve to survive in a changing political landscape.

  • The ‘Game of Thrones’ in our own backyard

    Allan Gyngell     |      March 19, 2018

    Allan Gyngell, the National President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, discussed the challenges posed by China’s growth at a recent NZIIA conference and warned that ‘winter is coming’.

  • Tackling the dark side of crypto

    Christine Lagarde     |      March 19, 2018

    The attributes which make crypto-assets so appealing are what also makes them dangerous. The IMF is taking steps to ensure ensure financial integrity and protect consumers in the crypto world just as it has for the traditional financial sector.

  • Xi’s Chinese power grab weakens global democracy

    Thom Dixon     |      March 18, 2018

    Xi Jinping has rewritten the Chinese constitution to install himself as President for life and his ruthless power grab has wider implications for democracy in Asia and the rest of the world.

  • Nine ways to fix Australia’s draft ‘strategy for nature’

    Bek Christensen     |      March 18, 2018

    Despite its ‘green’ image, Australia has a woeful environmental record and the Federal Government’s draft conservation strategy will do little to protect our fragile natural environment. Australia’s Ecological Society offers 9 ways to improve the proposed policy before it is too late.

  • The future of ASEAN

    Marty Natalegawa     |      March 18, 2018

    Over five decades, ASEAN has helped to strengthen Southeast Asian political and economic relations, but important changes are required to ensure it remains relevant, including the addition of at least one more member state.

  • Time for a national strategy?

    John Coyne     |      March 17, 2018

    Australia needs a lot more than luck or a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude to thrive in the uncertain and hyper competitive 21st century. Without a national strategy, the shaping of Australia’s destiny will be left to fate at best, or to foreign influence at worst.

  • Yes, kangaroos are endangered – but not the species you think

    Karl Vernes     |      March 17, 2018

    While our iconic large kangeroos are safe from extinction, many smaller and lesser known species are threatened by cats, foxes and mass scale habitat destruction.

  • Shorten in space

    Open Forum     |      March 17, 2018

    Labor is promising an investment of up to AU$35 million in a new space agency if it wins the next election, but co-investment from industry and universities must help get the program off the ground.

  • Stop the cyber-bullies and protect your children online

    Julie Inman - Grant     |      March 16, 2018

    With consistent research showing one in five young people have experienced cyberbullying, the eSafety Office is encouraging parents to talk to their children about how they engage online on a National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence.

  • It’s time to close the gap for good

    Christine Craik     |      March 16, 2018

    Christine Craik, President of The Australian Association of Social Workers, calls for significant and immediate action to address the entrenched inequality and disadvantage faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on National Close the Gap Day.

  • What’s it all about, Oxfam?

    Phil Vernon     |      March 16, 2018

    The scandal surrounding the exploitation of vulnerable local people by Oxfam workers has rocked the international development sector but activists and organisations alike should seize this opportunity to re-examine the future of foreign aid.